Mage History

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''See also:'' [[San Francisco History]], [[Vampire History]], [[Werewolf History]], [[Consilia]]
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[[Category:History]]
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== Native Period (pre-1776) ==
== Native Period (pre-1776) ==
No formal cabals existed, but individual shamans among the Yeluma practiced magic.
No formal cabals existed, but individual shamans among the Yeluma practiced magic.
 +
== Spanish Period (1776-1822) ==
== Spanish Period (1776-1822) ==
Several of the Yeluma shaman formed a cabal to fight the oppression of their people as two groups of foreign mages arrived in the area. The first was a small loosely allied group of Seers of the Throne lurking within the Catholic Missions and the second was a cabal of Banishers whom they would quietly support in their fight against the native shamans. Between these two groups, the Yeluma were routed and then hunted down and killed.
Several of the Yeluma shaman formed a cabal to fight the oppression of their people as two groups of foreign mages arrived in the area. The first was a small loosely allied group of Seers of the Throne lurking within the Catholic Missions and the second was a cabal of Banishers whom they would quietly support in their fight against the native shamans. Between these two groups, the Yeluma were routed and then hunted down and killed.
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== Mexican Period (1822-1847) ==
== Mexican Period (1822-1847) ==
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A small group of Dionysian cultists established a cabal called the ''[[Coven of the Moon]]'' around a powerful hallow in Sonoma, forming an alliance with the local werewolf pack which protected the locus on the same location. The Banishers learned of the cult and tried to stamp it out but were killed to the last man. Meanwhile, the dismantling of the Mission system undermined the power base of the Seers of the Throne and they were forced to concentrate their efforts on reorganization.
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The dismantling of the Mission system undermines the power base of the Seers of the Throne and they were forced to concentrate their efforts on reorganization. The Banishers continue to hunt indigenous mages but also quickly dispose of outsiders who come to the Bay Area.
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== Barbary Coast (1847-1906) ==
== Barbary Coast (1847-1906) ==
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With the flood of immigrants came mages and four cabals formed during this time. The first was the ''[[Chosen of Ti-Tsang]]'', Chinese alchemists who set up shop in Chinatown, tending to the needs of their countrymen and drawn by the proximity of death and material greed. The second was founded by Mary Pleasant, a voodoo practitioner from New Orleans who founded the ''[[Children of Olorun|Children of Bondye]]'' to tend to the needs of the small black population. The third were the ''[[Sin-Eaters]]'', a quasi-Catholic sect of Goetic mages. The last was the reformed Seers cabal, now called the ''[[Watchers]]'', who established themselves in a position to monitor local occult activity while they made inroads into the infrastructure of the growing city. With the first two being community-centered and the latter concerned only with observation, magical matters were mostly peaceful save for the frequently belligerant visiting mages. In 1902, Julia Morgan founded the ''[[Conspiracy of Morgan]]'' in Oakland, but was active in Berkeley and San Francisco until her death.
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The Gold Rush brings a flood of immigrants to the explosively growing new city and with them come mages of various sorts. For the next sixty years, the city's occult population is a chaotic struggle over hallows and mystical and mundane influence. The Seers of the Throne, still reeling from the undermining of their power structure, are unable to stem the tide of foreigners and lose control of the area. The Banishers become more independent and ramps up their efforts against the more unsavory new practitioners but are overwhelmed by the sin of the Barbary Coast. Among the stronger cabals at this time were: ''The Chosen of Ti-Tsang'', Chinese alchemists drawn by the proximity of death and material greed who claimed Chinatown's powerful hallow; ''The Sin Eaters'', a quasi-Catholic sect of Goetic mages who haunted the Barbary Coast, capturing the embodied sins of its inhabitants to serve their own occult purposes.
== Reconstruction (1906-1950) ==
== Reconstruction (1906-1950) ==
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The earthquake and fire of 1906 led to several changes in the magical landscape, forcing the dormancy of one hallow and awakening another, aggravating the situation for the Awakened. Complicating matters, the aftermath resulted in the revelation that the ''[[Sin-Eaters]]'' were practicing forbidden magic and the other cabals were forced to destroy or drive off most of its members. In addition, Japanese members of the ''[[Chosen of Ti-Tsang|Chosen]]'' broke off and formed the ''[[Temple of Ama-no-Uzume|Priests of Amaterasu]]'' but were later scattered during the internment of Japanese during the Second World War. Meanwhile, the ''[[Watchers]]'' established many new avenues of influence throughout the city during its reconstruction. They kept an eye on the established cabals but opted not to waste resources working against them because their focus was so insular and they posed little threat. To the south, in San Jose, the ''[[Rosicrucian Society]]'' formed and forced all Awakened in the city to either join or leave.
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The disaster of 1906 shattered the occult underground by causing some hallows to go dormant and others to awaken, in addition to the deaths, destruction of sanctums, and general chaos. In the days following, the strongest of the remaining practitioners gathered and hammered out what became known as the [[Barbary Compact]], a set of laws to govern the magical practitioners within the city. Those among the occult population that did not agree to adhere to the agreement were driven out of the city or killed. The strongest representatives of the five traditions of magic were chosen to lead a [[High Council]] to oversee the enforcement of the Compact. One disgruntled group of Rosicrucians eventually left San Francisco over disagreements with the High Council to set up shop in San Jose. The Seers of the Throne quietly supports the Compact while making their own inroads during the city's rebuilding, infiltrating mundane and mystical organizations alike. By the end of the Second World War, they have agents within the High Council and top levels of city government.
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== Counterculture (1950-1980) ==
== Counterculture (1950-1980) ==
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After the war, two new cabals entered the scene. The ''[[Zeitmare]]'' was a left-handed cabal exploiting the fear that had taken hold during the war and was now magnified as the Cold War began. They claimed the hallow once inhabited by the ''[[Temple of Ama-no-Uzume|Priests]]'' and worked their magic in relative secrecy until they were driven off in 1959 by a returning Priest and his apprentice, who later formed the ''[[Temple of Ama-no-Uzume]]'' when his mentor died in 1970. The other cabal was called the ''[[Street Prophets]]'' but transformed over the decades into the ''[[Pink Elephant Commune]]'', a halfway house for wandering mages passing through the city. The influx of new agers, mystics, and weirdos during this period included numerous mages, several with dubious ethics and practices. The existing cabals began to take more of an interest in the activites of the newcomers. The ''Watchers'', in particular, decided that observation wasn't sufficient and formed the ''[[Sandmen]]'' to take a more hands-on approach. The original group retreated further into the shadows, concentrating their efforts on manipulation of media, business, and politics. The ''[[Sandmen]]'' acted as a task force, suppressing evidence of the supernatural and neutralizing threats directly. Their activities drew the attention of the other cabals, who shored up their defenses against the new threat. In Berkeley, a group of psychadelic researchers called the ''[[Seekers of the Dark|Narcoalchemists]]'' began to experiment with LSD and other psychoactive drugs attempting to invoke Awakening.
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The settled occult community was again disrupted with a new influx of mages that occurred after World War II, particularly during the 60s and 70s. Many of these young practitioners subscribed to altered versions of Eastern beliefs or new age ideologies and were drawn to San Francisco by its counterculture movement and strong Asian influence. Changes in immigrant law also allowed more Asians to enter the city, bolstering the dwindling population of Chinatown considerably. The formation of new cabals and the increase in individual practitioners led to frequent clashes that required the invention of the High Council, which only exacerbated the already prevalent anti-authority attitudes of many of the newcomers. Tensions also increased when some of the new arrivals pushes the boundaries of the law by experimenting with radical techniques like the ability of psychedelic drugs to cause Awakenings, increased interaction with the spirit world, attempts to liaison with other social supernatural creatures, and extensive dealing with the dead. Many were high profile and didn't believe in hiding their abilities. This led to clashes and violence similar to what was being experienced in the mundane world.
== Decline (1980-1990) ==
== Decline (1980-1990) ==
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Tensions mount as the ''[[Sandmen]]'' expand their influence and begin to intrude more into the affairs of the established cabals. Paranoia mounts. Meanwhile, three Benandanti arrived in the city and established a cabal dedicated to protecting Sleepers from spirits and dark magic which they called the ''[[Knights of St. Francis]]''. They quickly establish a relationship with the Seers and end up acting as liaisons, not just between the Seers and Pentacle mages, but also between mages and the other supernatural entites in the city. A detante was reached and a degree of peace was restored. Quietly, a dying mage formed a small cabal called the ''[[Skoptsi]]'' after a Russian castration cult, and uses it to lure young mages to their destruction in order to extend his life. His activities are not noticed by the ''[[Knights of St. Francis|Knights]]'', but the ''[[Sandmen]]'' notice and leave him to his task, monitoring his activities from a distance. To the north, a young hispanic vineyard hieress inherited control of the old ''[[Coven of the Moon]]'' and quickly becoming a power in the North Bay.
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Finally, in 1980, the High Council began a massive crackdown. It appointed full-time Sentinels to acts as investigators, spies, and police and began to prosecute minor or borderline violations of the laws of the Compact as vigorously as serious indiscretions. Many behaviors once overlooked as harmless were criminalized, including any public claims of supernatural ability like fortune-telling or mediumship. Much of this was due to the influence of the Seers of the Throne, who began flexing their muscles in both mundane and mystical circles. The appearance of new Banisher cults, mostly absent since the Barbary Coast days, led to an increased sense of paranoia. These, too, were subtly manipulated by the Seers, who would often use contacts to leak information on the existence of troublesome mages.
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== Dot-Com Boom (1990-2000) ==
== Dot-Com Boom (1990-2000) ==
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The efforts of the ''[[Knights of St. Francis]]'' not only regulate the mage community but also help to encourage the process started in the 60s of bringing them together. Ties with the new ''[[Coven of the Moon]]'', in particular, became very strong. Meanwhile, their connection with the ''[[Sandmen]]'' gave the latter a source of information on the other cabals and allowed them to monitor quietly and at a distance. The only new group of mages to form started at Stanford but soon  took up residence under Mount Sutro, calling themselves the ''[[Spiritual Switchboard Collective]]'', when the [[Rosicrucian Society|Rosicrucians]] (who had been expanding their influence throughout Silicon Valley) gave them their standard ultimatum. Across the Bay in Oakland, though, a Banisher cabal called the ''[[Repentant Ones]]'' began to systematically kill the local mages. The ''[[Sandmen]]'' noticed his activities and encouraged them through proxies.
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Early in 1990, one of the Sentinels went rogue, convinced that there was corruption within the High Council while investigating the deaths of an entire cabal at the hands of Banishers. Unwilling to abandon his investigation, he gathered supporters within the Sentinels and even from two members of the High Council, and was finally able to prove his case amidst a near revolution among the occult underground. The resulting pogrom left the High Seer dead, [[Dexter Green]] Chief Sentinel, and several disgraced or banished members of the support staff replaced with young, new mages of a more liberal thinking. The new High Seer, a reformist, convinced the other members to roll back many of the draconian policies of the previous decade and the rest of the century passed relatively peacefully, with the Council fading into the background of most mages' lives, only to send their agents to investigate gross indiscretions and violations of the law.
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== Present (post-2000) ==
== Present (post-2000) ==
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Things have been relatively quiet since the turn of the century. The Seers have been trying, without success, to infiltrate the High Council again. There are still Banishers in the city, but no sizable groups and they rarely last long.

Latest revision as of 19:36, 30 July 2008


Contents

Native Period (pre-1776)

No formal cabals existed, but individual shamans among the Yeluma practiced magic.

Spanish Period (1776-1822)

Several of the Yeluma shaman formed a cabal to fight the oppression of their people as two groups of foreign mages arrived in the area. The first was a small loosely allied group of Seers of the Throne lurking within the Catholic Missions and the second was a cabal of Banishers whom they would quietly support in their fight against the native shamans. Between these two groups, the Yeluma were routed and then hunted down and killed.

Mexican Period (1822-1847)

The dismantling of the Mission system undermines the power base of the Seers of the Throne and they were forced to concentrate their efforts on reorganization. The Banishers continue to hunt indigenous mages but also quickly dispose of outsiders who come to the Bay Area.

Barbary Coast (1847-1906)

The Gold Rush brings a flood of immigrants to the explosively growing new city and with them come mages of various sorts. For the next sixty years, the city's occult population is a chaotic struggle over hallows and mystical and mundane influence. The Seers of the Throne, still reeling from the undermining of their power structure, are unable to stem the tide of foreigners and lose control of the area. The Banishers become more independent and ramps up their efforts against the more unsavory new practitioners but are overwhelmed by the sin of the Barbary Coast. Among the stronger cabals at this time were: The Chosen of Ti-Tsang, Chinese alchemists drawn by the proximity of death and material greed who claimed Chinatown's powerful hallow; The Sin Eaters, a quasi-Catholic sect of Goetic mages who haunted the Barbary Coast, capturing the embodied sins of its inhabitants to serve their own occult purposes.

Reconstruction (1906-1950)

The disaster of 1906 shattered the occult underground by causing some hallows to go dormant and others to awaken, in addition to the deaths, destruction of sanctums, and general chaos. In the days following, the strongest of the remaining practitioners gathered and hammered out what became known as the Barbary Compact, a set of laws to govern the magical practitioners within the city. Those among the occult population that did not agree to adhere to the agreement were driven out of the city or killed. The strongest representatives of the five traditions of magic were chosen to lead a High Council to oversee the enforcement of the Compact. One disgruntled group of Rosicrucians eventually left San Francisco over disagreements with the High Council to set up shop in San Jose. The Seers of the Throne quietly supports the Compact while making their own inroads during the city's rebuilding, infiltrating mundane and mystical organizations alike. By the end of the Second World War, they have agents within the High Council and top levels of city government.

Counterculture (1950-1980)

The settled occult community was again disrupted with a new influx of mages that occurred after World War II, particularly during the 60s and 70s. Many of these young practitioners subscribed to altered versions of Eastern beliefs or new age ideologies and were drawn to San Francisco by its counterculture movement and strong Asian influence. Changes in immigrant law also allowed more Asians to enter the city, bolstering the dwindling population of Chinatown considerably. The formation of new cabals and the increase in individual practitioners led to frequent clashes that required the invention of the High Council, which only exacerbated the already prevalent anti-authority attitudes of many of the newcomers. Tensions also increased when some of the new arrivals pushes the boundaries of the law by experimenting with radical techniques like the ability of psychedelic drugs to cause Awakenings, increased interaction with the spirit world, attempts to liaison with other social supernatural creatures, and extensive dealing with the dead. Many were high profile and didn't believe in hiding their abilities. This led to clashes and violence similar to what was being experienced in the mundane world.

Decline (1980-1990)

Finally, in 1980, the High Council began a massive crackdown. It appointed full-time Sentinels to acts as investigators, spies, and police and began to prosecute minor or borderline violations of the laws of the Compact as vigorously as serious indiscretions. Many behaviors once overlooked as harmless were criminalized, including any public claims of supernatural ability like fortune-telling or mediumship. Much of this was due to the influence of the Seers of the Throne, who began flexing their muscles in both mundane and mystical circles. The appearance of new Banisher cults, mostly absent since the Barbary Coast days, led to an increased sense of paranoia. These, too, were subtly manipulated by the Seers, who would often use contacts to leak information on the existence of troublesome mages.

Dot-Com Boom (1990-2000)

Early in 1990, one of the Sentinels went rogue, convinced that there was corruption within the High Council while investigating the deaths of an entire cabal at the hands of Banishers. Unwilling to abandon his investigation, he gathered supporters within the Sentinels and even from two members of the High Council, and was finally able to prove his case amidst a near revolution among the occult underground. The resulting pogrom left the High Seer dead, Dexter Green Chief Sentinel, and several disgraced or banished members of the support staff replaced with young, new mages of a more liberal thinking. The new High Seer, a reformist, convinced the other members to roll back many of the draconian policies of the previous decade and the rest of the century passed relatively peacefully, with the Council fading into the background of most mages' lives, only to send their agents to investigate gross indiscretions and violations of the law.

Present (post-2000)

Things have been relatively quiet since the turn of the century. The Seers have been trying, without success, to infiltrate the High Council again. There are still Banishers in the city, but no sizable groups and they rarely last long.

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