Updated: 20 April 1999
Mages of Lutecia
Paris is a city of Magic since eons. History of magic, sorcerers, magical intrigues and inquisitorial judgements mark the history of the City of Lights. Even before Christianism took the religious power over the city, a Temple of Isis was said to exist, perhaps even on the grounds of the Cathedral of Notre Dame...
It is a city of contrasts, for here, the influence of the Camarilla, as well as the Technocracy, coupled with the Age of Lights philosophs, helped a great deal to decrease the influence of Magic, to the impotent rage of the allmighty Order of Hermes, until just before the beginning of the 20th Century. As the Tremere Warlocks attacked their former allies in an outrageous show of betrayal, the War of Traditions soon raised the whole Vampire community against all the Mage Traditions. This was the end of the power of the Order of Hermes in Paris, as well as a weakening of the Traditions
But from the ashes of the parisian Traditions came the the Sons of Ether, which became the most powerful Tradition of Paris, even weakening the Technocracy in battling them in their own scientific grounds.
This didn't prevent Magick becoming harder to practice, and Paradox becoming deadlier, which lead some to research supernatural help, and unknowingly (or too-much knowingly!) forfeiting their souls...
The Traditions:
Since the War of Traditions, the Sons of Ether are the accepted
(at least in appearance) leaders of the Traditions of Paris. Their
principal Chantry is located in a
Hôtel Particulier in the
western part of Paris, and they have as much influence over the
university community of the City of Lights as the Technocracy.
Because of their ties with one of the Vampire familly calling
themselves the Toreador (well...
Not everyone can choose their name! But don't mock them: They
are the leaders of the Vampire families of Paris, and they can
be quite deadly if insulted!), their power is even greater, and
they are the only Mages authorized to have contacts with the
Vampires (Other orders accepted this condition, even if some
members sometimes breach this law of shadow).
The second in power are the Celestial
Chorus who is trying to enlighten part of the Catholic
Community to another level of understanting of the One. They have
slight contacts with men of Faiths, and at least one of them,
visibly highly inspired by Christian beliefs, is known to work
with the Inquisition.
The third in power is, surprisingly, the Akashic Brotherhood.
Led by the mysterious Master O Sensei, the Tradition strives in
France, as the eastern philosophy develops in France as the
thirst for martial arts increases in the french population.
While their numbers are low, they are powerful, and have powerful
contacts, either in the eastern religious movements and in the
martial art business.
The fourth most powerful Tradition is the
Order of Hermes. House Shaea never
quited the City of Lights, and the Hermetists which came back
after much years of exile were powerful mages, which lead the
Sons of Ether in wondering if the Order had not revenge in mind.
The fifth is apparently powerful by their sheer numbers (something
in Paris seems romantic enough to attract them!), but their
apparent disorganisation enable the others to forget them easily:
The Hollow Ones seem to be as numerous as rats, and quite content
to remain out of the politics of the other Mages, even if their
members show sympathy for the Traditions.
The other Orders are not officially represented or organized in
the City of Lights.
The Akashic Brotherhood.
The Celestial Chorus.
The Hollow Ones.
The Order of Hermes.
The Sons of Ether.
Miscellaneous Tradition Mages.
The Technocracy:
Since the Age of Lights, the Technocracy's power was growing
steadily, and the Order of Hermes could do nothing against it,
but the Technocracy, making profit of the Vampires' law of the
so-called Masquerade, never realized
they were so succesful because the Kindred worked to the
same aim! When the Vampires striked back the the arrogant
Syndicate's intrigue, the whole Technocracy suffered from the
surprisingly powerful vampire's answer. Since them, the
New World Order took the command, and
after much thinking, they discovered the power of the so-called
Kindred was limited to a local (country, at the maximum) scale.
They worked hard since then to increase their spying capacities,
as well as furthering the European Union where they already have
their own influence, and which was, they hope, largely ignored
by the Vampire's families as a whole.
The Syndicate never quite recovered
from the Projet: Face/Face failed intrigue, and the
Vampires showed to hold to the economic (legal of illegal) field
which such a passion the Convention couldn't increase greatly
their power and influence in these field until lately (once
again, thanks to the European Union's structures). Note that the
Syndicate and the Ventrue
Bourgeois (the N.W.O. is searching about the origins of
these apparently french Vampire --For Ventrue, in french means
pot-bellied, and as it is used in the female form, could mean a
lot about their origins...) have common interests, and more than
once, their cooperation was fruitfull.
The New World Order.
The Syndicate.
Miscellaneous Technomages.
The Others:
Of all the Mage sects, the Nephandi are the one who knows the most about averything occult in the City of Lights. Through their alliance with the Khaibit, and their use of the corrupted Tass found in some places in Paris, their power is growing daily. They know the self-proclaimed demigod Nebneferptah is in truth a follower of the Wyrm, and so, they help the Khaibit whenever possible.
TITRE 2:
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