The Book

Reformated and sligtly modified version of: http://www.chantry.net/thebook.shtm. Copyright remains with the original order. Reproduced without permission.

Chapter One: The Dimensions

The universe can be imagined as a sphere with six stratum. The innermost core is the Crucible; according to the most widely accepted motif, it is the source of everything in the universe. The Crucible is surrounded by the Ley membrane, in which the energy released from the crucible beings to manifest as patterns of existence. As it nears the Crucible, it forms an impenetrable barrier of raw, unbiased energy. Beyond this membrane is the Maelstrom, a chaotic realm where simple patterns begin to combine into more complex weavings. Within the Maelstrom are areas of firmament, locales where the patterns are beginning to coalesce into recognizable forms. Yet farther from the Crucible are the Dominions, stable realms with their own dominating physical laws and manifestations. The Blue Air forms a boundary between the Dominions and the outermost layer. It is a place purely of mind and spirit with shallows that near its neighboring dimensions. Finally, there is the Habitat, the vast, immaculum rich native environment of twilights. All stratum are suspended in an energy web known as the Nadir which forms pathways for the patterns and energy emerging from the Crucible.

Mantles are temporary realms formed in the Blue Air. They have no inherent connection to the Nadir, so one must be artificially formed to channel the necessary energy. The last dimension, arguably part of the Blue Air, or perhaps a shifting layer between it and the Habitat, is the enigmatic Morpheum. Twilights have created many borderless realms within it through a combination of rialla and religarum that shift with their tides of somnolence. This imagining serves well so long as one does not expect to be able to move beyond the Habitat. In this case, the layers seem inverted; one passes beyond through the dimensions until finally reaching the boundary of the Crucible.

Travel paths exist between the stratum. From the Habitat, the Morpheum may be reached mentally and spiritually by dreaming. There are legacies which also permit physical and full spiritual travel there. The Blue Air is reached upon physical death, though in the shallows some amount of energy may adhere to physical patterns.

Mantles are accessible through gateways, temporary or permanent links that circumvent the Nadir and which are created by serenade. Heavy amounts of taint may cause one to be pulled through the Nadir and exiled to the Dominions until the darkle may be cleansed. Uncommon gateways exist between the realms of the Dominions; they are rare between the Dominions and the Habitat and extremely rare between these realms and Mantles. Only the truly ancient or foolish immortals tread the Maelstrom. One may also travel quickly via serenade from one realm to another using the Ley as a passage, yet none linger there - to do so risks upsetting the balance of manifesting patterns or exposure to tempests within the flood.

Chapter Two: Energies of the Universe

The primary form of energy is the flood of unbiased immaculum from the crucible. This energy quickly takes on the bias of one of the three allies: ether, orenda, and abbadon. Ether appears to immortal perception as white energy which lends itself to the processes of creation and manifestation. Orenda appears as gray energy, suitable for modifying patterns or changing one into another. Abbadon appears as black energy which is capable of dissolving or unraveling patterns. Ally energy eventually transforms and combines to create the patterns of existence.

The free, unbiased immaculum in an immortal halo can be used to amplify serenades. Some portion of it may also be transformed into one of the three allies, adding that bias to a serenade. This can create profound and powerful results, but it is also dangerous in that the immortal can no longer predict the exact outcome of the serenade. Immaculum in the form of an ally can also be applied to an existing pattern directly, though the results and side-effects of such an attempt are unpredictable at best.

When a Serenade is sung incorrectly, it is a small portion of Abbadon energy which manifests as darkle in the halo. Darkle is drawn most strongly toward patterns with an ether bias, and seeks to negate or destroy those patterns. Darkle can be controlled through will, unless an immortal is physically wounded. Some amount of darkle clings to blood. Once it is outside of the immortal's body, it is also beyond their mental influence. The destructive powers of darkle in blood often manifest in visible ways but are short-lived. An immortal who gains taint will find that portions of his halo have been negated by darkle; the stronger layers of the halo are affected first. If an immortal has an equal amount of taint and pure halo energy, interaction with the surrounding physical world becomes extremely difficult as the darkle intervenes in every instance. When yet more taint is gained, the immortal becomes incompatible with the foundations of the Habitat and risks being drawn into the Dominions. Once drawn away, the immortal is effectively exiled until his halo can be cleansed. Since the Shouting War, the Dominions are starved for pure immaculum. It could potentially take the tainted immortal centuries to gather enough to cleanse himself, and even then he must return to the Habitat through his own means. It is suspected that tainted immortals are not only weakened, but are more easily tracked and located by minions of the Sanguinary. It has also been proven that droves are somehow able to remain in the Habitat despite excessive amounts of taint.

Chapter Three: Energy Patterns and Structures

Serenade is a general term for any of the reality-shaping powers involving song from the vox. The most basic form of song is called an attention. Attentions are snippets of the Aria, the larger pattern-creating processes which immortals have overheard near the Crucible and learned to replicate. Two or more attentions combined toward a larger effect are known as a meld. When free immaculum is transformed into an ally, and an attention is focused through that energy, it is known as a cage. Cages are stronger but more difficult to control than the attentions they are based upon. Attentions may also be combined with mundane skills, a technique known as a carnal. In its primary form, an attention targets one particular thing, a tangible object or energy pattern, and produces a single effect. A carnal relies on the immortal's expertise in a particular skill to choose a different target for the same attention, for a slightly different effect. An attention which directly targets a layer of halo is called an echo, a term brought about by the ripple of power caused by such an event. When free immaculum is transformed into an ally and applied directly to an object or energy pattern, it is known as a warp. Warps are extremely unpredictable and often dangerous; an immortal should have an extremely good understanding of the pattern or energy he hopes to affect.

Two or more immortals can work together to accomplish a single serenade, forming a chorus with a maestro as the primary member of the chorus who targets and directs it. An immortal may use his free immaculum to attempt to shield himself from a serenade targeted at his halo. This is accomplished by shifting the free immaculum simultaneously into and out of the appropriate layer, causing an instability which may interfere with the effects of the serenade. An immortal may also attempt to counter-serenade if he is familiar with the serenade being used. He must have free immaculum available and be able to give voice to his vox before the opponent's serenade is complete.

Attentions well-known to the Prides are called vogues. Every Pride has a number of serenades which are kept secret. A litany is a phrase which allows an immortal of low tier to reproduce a serenade by tapping into deep memory without actually experiencing a reverie. The litanies of vogues are generally very similar from Pride to Pride.

A place which has had a general counter-serenade applied to it is called a lull. Some areas of lull are stronger than others. Not all lulls are sufficiently prepared to counter all types of serenades. A lull is created by locking an area against certain types of change or forms of applied energy. The effectiveness of a lull degrades over time. A lull may be removed by flooding it with far more energy than it is capable of negating or transforming.

[The chapter also goes into a brief lesson on how to see auras at each of the three levels, explains what taint looks like in an aura, and mentions that an aura may be partially or fully shielded from view.]

Chapter Four: Immortal Physiology

Most immortal members of the perpetual society belong to a Pride. Eons ago, the original Prides were formed by natural instinct, each species drawn together. As more complex social structures formed, small Prides combined into larger groupings. At the time the tome was written, the most prominent Prides had been partially reformed along political lines. The scepter Pride was called Morrigan. The other Stratagem Prides were known as Banjax, Anopheles, Torva, Magdalen, Janahchara, Dracul, Peri and Aranea.

Every immortal has an original animal form from which they evolved, called the Himsati form. This more primitive form has stronger instincts and physical prowess but less reasoning ability and sentient will. Immortals differ from terrestrial animals in many respects. The first differences were physical; their bodies formed a bond with fragments of conundrum crystal which enhanced their bodies and minds. After thousands of years, this led to the development of mental attributes which eventually resulted in real sentience, self-awareness, and desires beyond mere survival and reproduction. The conundrum bonding with the animal's body also gave rise to Panacea, a limited form of regeneration, and the Vox, a crystalline reed in the throat which allows the immortal to use harmonic magic.

Panacea is a powerful force of regeneration for the immortal's physical form. It is limited or negated by the presence of conflicting life energies; a wound caused at a distance by an inanimate object heals quickly, a wound obtained during a clash of halos does not. The halo is the area in and around an entity in which its life force extends. Powerful or well-trained immortals can thus cause mortal wounds at a sword's length or greater, while mundane animals can only do so with teeth and claws. There are rare poisons which reduce the effects of Panacea and legendary substances which aid it.

Every living creature has a life force or halo. The life energy is usually interpreted visually as radiating different colors, each corresponding to some mental or physical attribute. This energy is called Immaculum. Unlike mundane creatures, immortals also have a special form of Immaculum which has no color and is free floating in the halo. While mundane creatures have halos of identical strength with variation in color intensity, immortals have a potentially unlimited capacity for Immaculum.

The Vox is the core of an immortal's conundrum. It allows an immortal to speak in the 'silent voice' by forming sounds that fall outside of the normal range of hearing. More importantly, it grants the immortal the ability to mimic the energy fluctuations which comprise the forces of creation, change, and destruction in the universe. By channeling Vox vibrations through free Immaculum, the immortal can actually duplicate those forces (create harmonic magic). An immortal's enhanced perceptions are essential in correctly repeating those vibrations; mistakes can be disastrous. An immortal's physical form is slain when his Vox is separated from the conundrum in his brain.

Immortality has negative side-effects on the psyche. The conundrum in the brain allows the immortal to experience reverie, a sleep-like state in which past events can be re-experienced as fresh memories. The weight of experience gradually builds up; combined with the difficulties of forced evolution, it can increase mental instability. The breakdown of rational thought and reasoning ability is called 'babbler'. By reducing stress and returning to a simplified lifestyle, the immortal can 'quiet the babbler'. In an evolved immortal with a strong will, a condition called Ennui is more likely. The immortal withdraws, hoping for a chance to rest and recuperate. Feelings of failure, confusion, fear and other negative emotions can make Ennui difficult to resist. The more time the immortal spends in Ennui, the less he feels part of the world around him, and the more difficult it is to resist falling into that state. Ironically, short periods of Ennui are very effective in healing the 'babbler'. All known conundrum traces its origins to the Sanguinary. The physical bond with conundrum crystal creates a conduit through which the Sanguinary can attempt to influence the immortal. Naturally, an immortal in Himsati form is more susceptible to this, however the more evolved immortals have a stronger resistance in any form.

Lethe is a forbidden but still used practice of true reincarnation. An immortal who enters Lethe is reborn in a new physical form, while their psyche enters deep Ennui. A new persona develops as the new form matures. The original persona, called an Avatar, is buried deep within the subconscious mind. Lethe is often unpredictable, lasting for years or lifetimes. While the immortal is in Lethe, he is mortal and mundane. Each physical rebirth results in a new persona, though all mundane personas except the last are lost. When Lethe begins to wear off, the conundrum in the immortal resynchronizes and becomes active. Immortals who are in or recovering from Lethe are known as an Ingenue.

Ennui is the absolute, non-dual state beyond all attentions, visions, feelings, ideas and thoughts, beyond subject and object, beyond knowledge and names. There is a silence that is accompanied by lack of experience, there is no activity of mind, no knower, no knowledge, nothing to be known. Immortality of consciousness is achieved. There is the bliss of total inactivity. All thoughts, feelings and desires dissolve into their primary cause. For as long as he remains in the physical body, the Avatar retains non-dual consciousness, no longer troubled by pleasure, pain, success, humiliation. Ennui is the complete separation from the seat of the soul, the essence of conscious being.

Self-actualization is the basic tendency of Avatars to persist in attempting to develop and manifest their latent potentialities - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Rather than seeking equilibrium, the Avatar restlessly and creatively attempts to evolve higher levels of being within himself and the material world. A self-actualizing Avatar creates a schism, a conflict with the cardinal personality, as he emerges from Ennui.

A self-actualizing or emerging Avatar is characterized by the following:

An emerging Avatar manifests in the person as differences in characteristic aspects of their being. A cardinal is influenced by the way in which their personality is associated to the Avatar and by that with which their soul is associated. There are seven traditions of suppressing self-actualization:

  1. Will or power
  2. Harmonic wisdom
  3. Active intelligence
  4. Knowledge or science
  5. Devotion or idealism
  6. Ritual or organization
  7. Aart attentions.

The fourth is based on immersion in the unfamiliar and experiential isolation, often the most readily available to the prime persona.

Chapter Five: Immortal Society

The Perpetual Society is not a homogenous collection of entities divided merely by political and ethical boundaries. The Society is comprised of immortals and their pantheons, offspring, and quiet cultures. Immortals are further subdivided by breed; ancient regime, outlanders, madonnas, primals, esoterics, chimerae, manitou, naturals and droves. Transcendants must also be considered members of the Society; in truth, they have engendered several Prides and continue to hold positions of power within them. They are a breed unto themselves.

The Society takes its roots from an era when immortals were creatures of instinct forming the first threads of sentient thought. They were drawn together first by species, then later by familiarity and similarity of needs. With the rise of civilization, these groups became the first Prides. The stratification of and interaction between Prides has changed many times over the millennia. Although they could not find true unity, they found ways to coexist in the world and established the foundations of the Pandect.

The Pandect is a collection of six laws which the entire Perpetual Society adheres to, established in the age before humanity. It is enforced by the whole of society. There is only one penalty for breaking Pandect; true death. The last two laws were established directly as a result of the Shouting War.

The Stratagem is a system of counting coup through non-lethal means, in order to increase visage in and among the Prides. It was instituted after the fall of Atlantis and subsequent strife, to prevent the irrevocable decimation of the immortal population. The purpose of the Stratagem is to allow Prides to resolve their differences without resorting to fatal clash, to hone their skills in preparation for the Rapture, and to reveal the flaws and weaknesses of other Prides. The Stratagem is overseen by the Jury, of which the most powerful immortals of the Perpetual Society are members. The Jury is aloof from the Prides and its members are not participants in the counting of coup. The Jury decides all matters of visage.

While tier measures status within a Pride as it relates to power, visage measures an individual's status as it relates to success in the Stratagem. Not all Prides participate in the Stratagem; those who do are ranked by the visage of all their members combined. The Pride with the strongest visage is known as the Scepter Pride; during the Rapture it is this Pride who will lead the others into combat. Each member of a Stratagem Pride has a calling which corresponds to their primary role and duties within the Pride. Allowances are made for members who are not capable of participating; these are known as Rooks. An immortal's first loyalty is to his Pride and then to his calling. Those who follow the same calling often go to great lengths to avoid counting coup against each other. A peer rank has been established within each calling which is more inclusive than visage, as one's peer rank reflects all activities performed as a follower of that calling and not simply those who gained or lost visage. Peer rank has no official consideration by the Jury.

Each Stratagem Pride has taken a stand on the thirteen Convictions. The Convictions can be considered supplementary laws to the Pandect, although the penalties for breaking a Conviction are far less severe. All members of the Perpetual Society who are unwilling to participating in the Stratagem are considered profane; a danger to the Society as a whole and unwilling to battle the Sanguinary in an organized, concerted effort. The profane are protected by the Pandect alone; they are accorded no rights or status by the Stratagem Prides.

The number of Prides who join together in the Stratagem has seldom changed since it's inception. These are the strongest, most influential Prides. The neutrality of the Jury allows it to consider a petition by any Pride to participate, yet it is necessary to count coup against a current Stratagem Pride before such a petition will be heard.

Chapter Six: Survival Tips

The term 'immortal' is somewhat of a misnomer. All immortals may suffer physical, mental and spiritual death. Despite panacea, it is also possible to suffer long-term illness.

The most baneful illness is Namtar, more often called the Lash. This metaphysical disease was inadvertently created during the Shouting War in the Dominions by saturation of conflicting remnant serenade energy. The Lash ravages the mental and spiritual psyche of its victims, leaving them violently insane, feral, and torn by impulses beyond their comprehension. The disease invades the immortal's immaculum and can be spread through exchange of that energy. There is no known cure.

A far more common and less dire malady is taint, a manifestation of Abaddon in the halo most often caused by improper execution of a serenade. The destructive side effects of taint are directly proportional to its severity and are inclined to affect the nearest available opposite energy. Taint must be cleansed from the halo by neutralizing it with fresh, unpolluted immaculum.

There are four primary sources of immaculum which can be used to supplement the immortal's own; specially crafted items, twilights, spills, and the flood. Only the first three are readily accessible. Items which have been prepared to store excess immaculum include arks and talismans; the former is generally a stationary, long-term storage container for relatively large quantities of immaculum, while the later is an easily portable item which is most often used to transport immaculum to an ark or store it for short-term, immediate use. Twilights provide immaculum in three distinct fashions known as rialla, lullaby and sin; rialla is a willing subconscious release of reserve energy which usually corresponds to a significant event, lullaby is the willing conscious release of life energy which depletes the donor, and sin is the acquisition of life energy from an unwilling subject. A spill is the swift and sudden release of immaculum that occurs at physical death; all life energy is lost at twilight death, while only immaculum related to physical forte is lost upon the death of an immortal. The flood is the constant flow of unbiased energy from the crucible which takes place at all times and is quickly channeled into the forms and patterns of reality.

After physical death an immortal enters the blue air. If an Ark has been prepared in advance, he may choose to return to it and reform a body. Without the vox, this can be an extremely costly effort which should only be attempted in dire circumstances. As the immortal evolves and reaches a higher tier, more energy is required from the Ark to restore the immortal to physical and spiritual existence. As the immaculum stored within an Ark can be plundered and a newly reformed immortal is often weak and disoriented, the location of one's Ark is a strictly maintained secret.

Twilights are unique beings in their inherent ability to bias their own life energy. The communicable quality of bias in a twilight halo is known as religarum. Superstition, religion and strong belief are the mental foci through which the bias is achieved. During sin, an immortal risks permeating his own halo with that bias in perpetuity. The manifestation of that bias is known as taboo.