Theurge

Embers, a live-action role-playing game, by Embers Productions

Copyright 1999, Embers Productions. All rights reserved.

Mystics

Among the Garou there are those who seem more attuned to the often-unnoticed supernatural elements of the universe. Opening their inner eyes, they travel from one reality into another, into another, into another, searching for whatever secrets the universe will reveal. Among Garou, they are those born of the quarter moon, the Theurges. Closer to the Umbra than anyone yet touched only slightly more than the Ragabash by Gaia’s rage, the Theurges quest is for knowledge.

From early ages, lost cubs who have not yet realized their talents often live as outcasts among humans. Misunderstood, branded as freaks and weirdoes for their distracted personalities, their instinctive sensitivity to the supernatural confuse the untrained. But once brought into a proper regiment of training among the more learned of the Sept, they soon come to understand their special connection to Gaia. And then soon, through careful study, they learn the considerable power of Garou Theurgy. They also hone their skills at dream interpretation, which aids in Umbral navigation. And when they have become adepts in their studies, they take on apprentices to follow in their footsteps, to share with them the secrets the universe has unfolded.

Theurgy in Study and Practice

Unsurprisingly, Theurges are often encourgaged to persue an academic approach to their Umbral arts, employing the anachronistic practice of apprenticeship whenever possible. Above all else, Theurges value paths that lead to knowledge. To pursue knowledge is therefore considered the holiest of tasks, revered and deserving of the utmost respect, regardless of who is the student.

Though all Garou have the innate ability to step sideways into and travel within the Umbra, none do it so well or precisely as the Theurges. What most Garou consider to simply be "another dimension", Theurges view as a living mural of the primal metaphor of the immediate surroundings. If indeed the Umbra is earth dreaming about itself, then Theurges are the manipulators and explorers of its driving consciousness. As such, the Umbral Arts break down into two Ritual Arts and Umbral Navigation.

The Ritual Arts

Ritual Arts are those that invoke Gaia’s energy to manipulate the environment around them and interact easily with spirits. It has been said that Theurges are mages, working a form of Gaian "magic". But most Theurges agree that they merely channel and focus the energy that lies latent all around. Magery is almost always considered to be a constructive and organizing force, associated too much with the Weaver for Garou sensibilities. Moreover, Garou rituals are slow, careful procedures that are enacted with precision and sustained intensity. To perform rituals in haste is to invite potentially fatal mistakes

As ritualists, Theurges practice a wide variety of arts:

• Rites of Accord
  • cleansing Wyrm/Weaver taint
  • contrition
• Rites of the Caern
  • Caern bounding
  • Caern fueling
  • Caern obfuscation, to disguise its location from enemies.
  • Creating moon bridges (fast travel between caerns)
• Rites of Mysticism
  • healing
  • manipulating magical energy (Gnosis)
  • spiritual arts (awakening, communication, binding, imprisonment, summoning, etc.)
  • crafting fetishes and talens
• Rite of Society
  • punishment, laud

Umbral Navigation

There are those Theurges, however, who find their calling not among the Ritual Arts, but rather in the Umbra itself. These are the Navigators - Openers of the Way, Travelers, and Cartographers of the Near Umbral realms

Ever since the Umbra and the waking world were rent apart, the Gauntlet has served as a barrier between the two worlds. Opening a passage between them is a dangerous endeavor, more so especially in recent years. Piercing the Gauntlet is a feat that, when performed by an unskilled Garou, attracts the attention of the servants of the Weaver, who guards the Gauntlet with a cold persistence. Those skilled in art of Opening the Way temporarily weaken the Gauntlet, allowing one or many to look through or pass through it with much less danger.

Once in the Umbra, Navigators practice keen abilities of interpretation that much more accurately than normal Garou can discern the correlation of the real world to the Umbra. Quite often their insight comes not from their ability to perceive, but rather to interpret the greater meaning of seemingly happenstance Umbral events - a process that the Theurges liken to dream interpretation. It is no surprise, therefore, that Navigators often make good judges of the psyche.

Subject to currents and tidal forces, Umbral travel is disorienting to even the most perceptive Garou. Navigators, however, seem to have a deeper intuition and understanding of the realm beyond. Quite often, Theurges make use of various naturally-growing psychotropic substances such as "magic" mushrooms or the peyote cactus buttons to aid in shifting their perspectives away from the real, becoming more in tune with the otherworldliness and subjectivity of the Umbral.

With their unique insight and diligent effort, Navigators can even make detailed maps of Umbral, mapping it out as cartographers might map the geography of the earth. Such Umbral maps are prized among the Sept. Though certainly such maps are indeed useful to other Garou, the Umbra is always changing slowly (though much more quickly in the last century). As such, a Navigator's skills are never retired. Umbral travel with a Navigator’s aid is always guaranteed to be easier, faster, and less susceptible to hostile interruption.

Interestingly enough, for all their insight, Theurges have not yet mastered Deep Umbral navigation. Even the most adept Navigators find this chaotic, conceptual, and incarnal realm to be unchartable. Most Theurges speculate that Garou, still grounded by their physical birth, cannot completely let go of their fear and thus are tethering themselves psychologically to the mundane, if only by a critical, minute amount. Certainly, many have tried to gain an understanding of the Deep Umbra, but all those who have tried have either gone insane, catatonic, or died in the attempt. Uniformly unadvised and avoided, travel in the Deep Umbra remains a great mystery.

Traditions

The Theurges of the Sept of the Buried Heart often participate in each others’ rituals in order to insure more favorable results. However, there is a certain social element to participating with others as well. Beyond the practical concerns of sharing knowledge and Umbral experiences with each other (a sort of Umbral ‘news’ if you will), participating in Theurge rituals is a way to form bonds between the sometimes disparate and isolated personalities. In many ways, the Theurges are their own community and those Theurges who do little to be a part of it find themselves apart from the center of the activity.

Among the many Theurge traditions are those surrounding the Rite of the Moot. In this rite, all mystics are highly encouraged to participate in fueling the Caern. There are two parts to this ritual. There is of course the public ceremony, which is performed in front of the entire Sept the night of a moot. However, there is also a private part to the proceedings which is performed the night before in sweatlodge among only those who will be participating in the ritual following evening. During this intense shared experience, each Theurge fully visualizes the sacrifice they intend to make the next evening at the moot on behalf of the greater good. The process of preparing one’s self to offer it up is an introspective and emotionally unmasking experience and often leads to openly cathartic experiences. It is understood among the Theurges that anything that transpires while in sweatlodge remains there, not to be discussed again.

Also, it is tradition among Navigators to offer hospitality to others who navigate the Umbra and share their maps with each other. Unlike most Garou, Navigators often receive some form of higher training from other Garou outside of their own Sept. The sometimes-dangerous travels (known as ‘walkabouts’) of a Navigator’s internship have been known to take months, even years in extreme cases.

The Other Auspices

Ahroun (Full Moon)

So far from the Umbra and yet so filled with the spark of life. Though they respect our arts, they need to learn a little patience. Too much howling, not enough listening.

Galliard (Three-Quarter Moon)

There is much to be learned from history. But sometimes they forget they are themselves the student.

Philodox (Half Moon)

Rare are they who walk between worlds. Social pressure can be no different than the Veil, sometimes. Healers, joiners, the Philodox pursue justice and wisdom.

Ragabash (New Moon)

If any Garou behave so like the Umbral creatures, it is the Ragabash. Their lessons are sometimes too intellectual and philosophical to be fully understood by their students. It is a strange art they practice.