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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheVengefulKoala" data-source="post: 5439138" data-attributes="member: 99681">Other Supernaturals (Cnt.) Mages: "I was fighting in the Hell-on-Earth that's the Chinese Front, 'bout a year ago. My squad and I were low on ammo, wounded, and surrounded by roughly a battalion of OpFor. We had Magus-Captain Clarke with us; he'd been cut off from his squad of knights, linked up with us. He told us to take cover, then called down a massive lighting storm that fried every one with a gun but us. We didn't even have to mop up afterwards. When we checked the Magus-Captain after the storm ended, he was dead where he stood. Calling down that storm fried his insides as much as it did any OpFor." -Sgt. Charlie Bolane, 12th Virginian Vigiles. Ever since mankind first began to record our history, there have been accounts of humans who were, in a way, more than human. Shamans that could call down massive storms, witches creating alchemical brews, soothsayers and oracles fortelling events that would occur decades into the future. Magic exists, and mages (the blanket term for those who can use magic) likewise exist. Manipulation of the arcane forces of magic is possible by anyone with the proper training, though a certain amount of genetic predisposition is required for more complex magic. This means that anyone can be a mage, provided that they're willing to spend year of their life studying arcana. Unfortunately, a large number of vampires, especially the nobilty, also possess magical talent, due to possibly centuries of study. Likewise, the Knights of the Silver Cross have some of the most-skilled mages in the world (mages in service with the Knights have ranks with prefixes of "Magus", rather than "Knight"), and the most-famous mage of the order, the late Archmagus Adamo de Luca, was canonized as the patron saint of mages. In the New Papal States, mages are afforded legal citizenship as they are, technically, human (and those that aren't human are probably vampires, and thus need to be shot on-sight). The vast majority of the population do not have regular access to arcane magic, and those that do tend to be wealthy enough to afford the training. There's a great demand in manufacturing for enchanters, and thus citizens skilled in working enchantments into an item permanently are assured employment. Also, there exist several magic-related medical conditions, the most infamous being Redson-Gertly Syndrome. RGS, also known as "Witch's Withering", is a genetic defect that affects an individual's blood, saturating it with arcane energies. While this results in a more capable mage, it also weakens the body of the affilcted, causing them to prematurely age.  Fae: "Tell you what, blood-sucker. For twenty ducats, I'll lead you through the sewers. And if you throw in that nice ring of yours, I'll tell the Inquisitors after you that you ducked into that bar there." -Unknown sprite. Conversation recorded in Los Angeles, CA, NPS. To most people, sprites, pixies, and elves are thus subject of stories told to young children. This is an image that the fae are only too happy to allow to continue. There are numerous varieties of fae, so many that many scholars working for the Knights of the Silver Cross have simply abadoned their work. But if there's one thing that links all fae together, it's this: they cannot be trusted. Whatever society the fae have, or even if they have one, is unknown. In fact, it's easier to list everything that is known about them. Fae, in general, seem to be capable mages without any form of training whatsoever. Many scholars theorize that they somehow have a bond with the forces of the arcane, but this is still a mere theory. The fae are also consummate mercenaries, siding with whoever offers them the best deal. Keep in mind, however, that the fae aren't fighters. While some of the larger ones can handle combat, most are information brokers and spies. They have an unerring knack for appearing long enough to make a deal with somebody, then vanishing after they are paid. Many of the more paranoid people who know of the fae's existence theorize that they engineer events for their own exploitation, but there's no evidence of this. Wouldn't put it past them, though.</blockquote>

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