Dedications

Dedications are a type of magical limitation to the mage's behavior. These limitations resonate with one of the Watchtowers. The sacrifice of aligning one's behavior toward that Watchtower instead of the Fallen World causes a sort of occult "friction" in the soul of the mage. Over the span of a week, this accrues power, eventually manifesting as a point of Mana.

In order to take a Dedication from a Watchtower other than one's own, a mage must have at least one dot in one of the Arcana of that Watchtower. A mage may place himself under and benefit from no more than one vow per dot of Gnosis.

Benefits

The benefits of assuming a Dedication are as follows:

• The mage gains 1 Mana per week. This is added to downtime totals, so that mages at the beginning of an Episode start with Mana equal to the result of 1 die roll, plus 1 for every week that has passed between Episodes.
• As long as the mage maintains the Dedication, he is considered to be using a Path Tool for one of the Arcana of the Watchtower in question. This only comes into effect once the mage has harvested a point of Mana from the practice, and ends when it is broken. The Arcanum must be chosen when the mage chooses the Dedication.
• When a Dedication causes difficulty for the mage in a story, it is treated as a Flaw. That is, at the end of the session, he gains an additional XP for the trouble of maintaining it.

Drawbacks

• When a mage breaks a Dedication, he loses one Mana and the resonance shatters.
  • The exception to this rule is when the mage chooses to maintain a vow for a set period of time. At the end of that time, he is simply no longer bound by the vow, and does not lose mana or risk degeneration. He does still suffer the normal penalties if he breaks it before that time.
• Breaking a Dedication is also a Wisdom 9 Act of Hubris (though, of course, not many mages have to worry about that).

Dedications

Dedications of the Lunargent Thorn

Arcana: Fate, Time. The Dedications of the Lunargent Thorn involve actions that make one more of an agent of the Wyrd or Destiny, or of more fey-like behavior.

• Sybil's Vow: The mage chooses to live according to the Sybil's Vow, offering prophecy and divination to those around her, whether they like what she has to say or not. Such mages usually earn the reputation as doom-crows, but also as people to whom others (particularly Sleepers) begin to go for advice. This vow is broken if a day passes by without the mage finding someone (preferably someone new) and providing them prophecy.
• The Fool's Vow: Like the Fool card of the Tarot, the mage is a wanderer. At its core, this is a vow to keep neither home nor Sanctum. Some may remain on the road, their lives one big road trip movie, while others may embrace the life of a hobo or homeless person. This vow is broken if a mage lays claim to any location for himself, or sleeps in the same place twice in the same week.
• Lord of Misrule's Vow: Chaos follows in Lord of Misrule's wake, and he takes the opportunity to bring low the lofty with trickery. The Lord of Misrule must take the opportunity to make a fool of anyone who is too arrogant, or who wields too much power, for the good of everyone around them. This vow is broken if the mage encounters someone arrogant or powerful and does not immediately begin working to humiliate or expose their flaws.
• Comus' Vow: The Carnivale King's life is one of excess. They are not just the life of the party, they are the source of it. Every evening is an example of indulgence and vice-chasing, with promiscuity, drinking, substance abuse, dancing and gambling as the order of the day. This vow is broken if the mage ever ends a day without having partied in some way, even if it's just nursing a bottle of bourbon before bed.

Dedications of the Iron Gauntlet

Arcana: Mind, Space. The Dedications of the Iron Gauntlet involve actions that make the mage more dominating (in either a subtle or overt way), or of more demonic-like behavior.

• Solomon's Vow: King Solomon was known for his wisdom, and his refusal to give in to his lesser urges, and so the mage with this vow must strive as well. By refusing to give in to his Vice, the mage builds this vow's resonance. This vow is common among Goetic sorcerers. This vow is broken if the mage ever gains Willpower for fulfilling his Vice.
• Sinner's Vow: Reveling in what it means to sin, the mage not only indulges his own Vice frequently, but chooses another Vice to pursue as an avocation as well. The mage breaks his vow if he chooses not to act in a way that would gain him Willpower if he actually had that Vice.
• Salome's Vow: Also called the Tempter's Vow, the mage who takes this Dedication has chosen to act as an instrument of excess and sin in the world. She leads others to indulge their vices, always pushing and luring those around her into activities they know are bad for them, but are also compelling. She is the seductress, the pusher and the instigator. The mage breaks this vow if a day passes in which she does not lead someone down the road of excess and sin.
• Tyrant's Vow: It is given to the devilish mage to rule the Fallen World utterly, and the Tyrant's Vow promises to do so with an iron gauntlet. The mage must exercise control and dominance over those around him - everyone around him is a lesser, and he must treat them that way. Those who do not will be made to fall into line. This vow is broken if the mage acknowledges anyone else's mastery over him.

Dedications of the Lead Coin

Arcana: Death, Matter. The Dedications of the Lead Coin involve actions that make the mage more an agent of loss and decay, or of more ghost-like behavior.

• Vow of the Voiceless: The dead, for the most part, have no voice to speak with, and those seeking resonance with Stygia may take a vow of silence with this vow. The mage must remain silent for the whole time; any willful speech at all breaks the vow.
• Vow of the Abandoned: In ancient times, the dead were buried with many grave goods, to ensure a wealthy existence in the afterlife, but those customs have largely ceased. The mage undertaking this vow elects an existence of similar poverty, living at or below the poverty level. Possession of money or other valuables breaks this vow.
• Vow of the Sepulcher: To attain resonance with Stygia, the mage gives up his place among the living, and dwells among the dead. Mages with this vow take up an existence of haunting cemeteries and graveyards, spending their time in contemplation of death. Many dwell in old delapitated manors at the edge of graveyards, or even take up residence in an abandoned crypt. Dwelling outside of such situations, and not spending at least a portion of a day in the company of the dead breaks this vow.
• Vow of Misery: It is the nature of all the world to decay and fall apart, and of all things to return to the dust. At least once a day, the mage must act as an agent of this entropy, bringing ruin and misery in his wake by decaying objects, instilling melancholy and conflict around him and bringing rot and ruin. Failure to do so at least once a day breaks the vow.

Dedications of the Golden Key

Arcana: Forces, Prime. The Dedications of the Golden Key involve actions that make the mage more glorious and sublime, or of more angelic behavior.

• Moses' Vow: Like Moses before the burning bush, the mage has seen the glories of the Most High, and takes on the task of bringing them to Sleepers. He becomes a miracle-worker, flying in the face of Paradox to bring small miracles into the lives of people around him. He may do this in a subtle fashion, working from behind the scenes, or he may do so directly, becoming a faith healer or other person of attention (though risking drawing unwanted scrutiny). This vow is broken if one day passes without working some kind of miracle that renews hope and faith in someone.
• Akhenaten's Vow: Duty and obligation are the watchword of this vow, requiring that the mage stop three times a day and perform a ritual of meditation and prayer: once at sunrise, again at midday and again at sunset. Each such instance takes ten minutes, and this vow is broken if they are not performed within a thirty-minute window around each event daily.
• Mikhael's Vow: Like the Archangel who wields the Flaming Sword of Celestial Justice, the mage takes on the mantle of lawbringer. He must never break the law himself, and must stop others around him from doing so as well. Failing to adhere to this strict code breaks the vow.
• Hopebringer's Vow: It has always been the way of the enlightened ones of the world to come with a message of hope, and the mage takes up that heavy burden. Once a day, the mage must work to make someone's life a little easier, to bring a little additional hope into an increasingly hopeless world. Failing to do so breaks the oath.

Dedications of the Stone Book

Arcana: Life, Spirit. The Dedications of the Stone Book involve actions that make the mage more primal, or of animistic behavior.

• The Nomad's Vow: Eschewing civilized existence, the mage goes to live a hunter-gatherer's existence, dwelling in a wild place in a structure he makes himself, gathering and hunting (or even creating from magic) his food and finding the resonance of the Primal Wild within. Remaining for more than a day in a settlement of more than five hundred people breaks this vow.
• The Horse's Vow: Knowing how spirits hunger for the physical experience, the mage seeks the resonance of the Primal Wild that comes when things of Spirit touch things of Life. He offers himself up as a "horse" - that is, someone willing to be possessed by spirits. He does not fight any effort by a spirit to possess him. This creates a resonance within his spirit that draws spirits seeking that experience. He does gain his resistance roll after one hour of possession - the traditional relationship of the horse and ridier is not to be abused by material-greedy spirits. Refusing to serve as a horse, however, breaks this vow.
• The Animist's Vow: It is a simple fact that all things in the world possess spirits. The mage who takes on the burden of honoring those spirits has his work cut out for him: using any item is expected to come with a spoken word of thanks, and destroying anything requires a minute-long ritual of apology and remorse. All of this is usually considered markedly odd. Failure to do so breaks this vow.
• The Reclaimer's Vow: Mother Nature always wins. Eventually. The mage who undertakes this vow must work to advance that process, using his magics to break down the things of civilization to make room for nature's processes. Whether this means breaking down old buildings and junk, fostering the growth of plantlife or even working on a larger scale to create environmental protection and wildlife preserve areas, failing to work toward this goal on a daily basis, or doing anything to fight that progress breaks the vow.