INTRODUCTION

By Phil Masters with Lindsay Woodcock

1
Credits Special Thanks to:
Rich “Hell of Freelancer Management” Dansky, for
Writing: Phil Masters
freelance wranglin’ the worst of the lot.
Additional Writing: Lindsay Woodcock
Ed “The Great Work” Hall, 1890-1929, who gave his
Development: Phil Brucato and Jess Heinig life at the Somme.
Editing: Ken Cliffe Charles “New Orleans, Baby” Bailey — He can’t get
Art Direction: Aileen E. Miles enough of the Big Easy.
Art: Omar Rayyan, Jeff Laubenstein, Alex Sheikman, Rebecca “First Line of Defense” Schaefer — That’s
& Guy Davis, gotta be an uncomfortable position.
Cover Art: Omar Rayyan Lindsay “Miracle Grrrl” Woodcock, for the last-ditch
Front and Back Cover Design:Aaron Voss ass-kickin’ addenda.
Layout and Typesetting: Aaron Voss Ken “Moulson” Cliffe: Simple pleasures, man.
Mike “Artf— uh, Haus” Tinney, for picking up the

Author’s Dedication pieces after the storm.

This one is for 500 years’ worth of scientists, engineers,

and artisans — and especially for Angela Masters, arith-
mancer and artificer. Credit Where it’s Due
We owe an aplogy to Jennifer
Hartshorn, Aldith Beltaine, Brad
Beltaine, and Reid Schmadeka, the authors
of Castles and Covenants who were unfortu-
nately left out of that book’s credits.
Sorry, Folks.

© 1999 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the
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The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

2
 INTRODUCTION

Table of Contents

The First Instruction: Ars Longa,Vita Brevis 6

The Second Instruction: The Great Work 20
The Third Instruction: Trade Secrets 38
The Fourth Instruction: Masters of the Art 56
The Fifth Instruction: The Craft Supreme 70
Appendices 83

3
 he high Renaissance is an explosive era of some latter-day Technocracy. Rather, Works are creative
with its gunpowder, revolutions, inno- craft, imagination’s power given form.
vative ideas and inventions. Triggered The First Instruction: Ars Longa, Vita Brevis explores
by advances in science, idealism and the various types of Artisans and craftsmen among the En-
economics, these explosions are the fiery lightened. This chapter describes the steps of apprenticeship
signatures of rapid change. Old ways are and the ways and places that the Art can take shape.
swept aside as the future is illuminated The Second Instruction: The Great Work examines
by the flames of Reason. In such an age, the true Artisan the spread of High Art. Craftsmanship across the Dark Fan-
stands exemplar of modern ideals: artist and craftsman, tastic world reaches new heights and shows great promise.
inventor and scientist. Learn what led to the development of High Art, and where
The Artisans Handbook explores the greatest Works the Art promises to go.
of the Age of Enlightenment, as well as the masters of the The Third Instruction: Trade Secrets unearths how
magickal craft of High Art. During the Renaissance, form various mages see the era’s Works. The Scourge resonates on
and function are valid. The namers and shapers of the improbable devices, but the subtle craftsman knows how to
era therefore create works as much through engineering use the cosmic fundaments — the powers of the Spheres —
as through intuition. Such men and women are forces of to create a cleverly disguised talisman. Here are products of
creative genius personified. This is not the banal science craftsmanship and the means to inspire more.

4
 INTRODUCTION

The Fourth Instruction: Masters of the Art showcases inventions can be used whole cloth or can serve as inspira-
key players of the High Art. The noted craftsmen and pa- tion for a true artist to develop her own creations.
trons of the age are depicted, and some sample Artisans are At its heart, The Artisans Handbook is about inspira-
included, resplendent in their dedication to the Craft. tion. In the spirit of Renaissance art, no craftsman should
The Fifth Instruction: The Craft Supreme offers be satisfied with the limited works of writ. Ideas that have
advice on storytelling High Art. Machinae inventions and come before should be the basis for newer and greater
nigh-sorcerous Works are detailed. inventions. Creation and imagination cannot be defined,
The Appendices feature examples of several Devices, only inspired!
products of the Art and different processes. These magickal

5
 INStrUCTION
The First:
ARS LONGA,VITA BREVIS

We were taken from the ore-bed and the mine,

We were melted in the furnace and the pit—
We were cast and wrought and hammered to design,
We were cut and filed and tooled and gauged to fit.
— Rudyard Kipling, The Secret of the Machines

aster Jasper, I would speak with you.” curiosity, I admit. It’s the lock that I care about. It shouldn’t
The silversmith looked up from his be possible to make one work like that.”
bench and his glance took in the short, “And you’d know, heh?”
blonde-haired figure before him. “You’re “Yes, I would—”
Alain the Jeweler’s girl — Rosa — aren’t The smith continued talking over the interruption. “Look,
you?” he said. girl, I owed your father for a good turn from when we were both
The girl did not bother with a yes or no. “You made a journeymen, and that box paid the debt. If I had any sense, I’d
cash-box for my father last month,” she said, “a very fine case drag you back to him right now for the thrashing you deserve —
with a good lock. And you promised my father that it would and I’ll surely tell him about this day if ever his shop is robbed
only work for him.” in the night. Now be gone from my sight, thief-girl.”
“And so it will. What of it?” “I’m no thief!” Suddenly, the girl was shaking with something
“It will open with the key he wears, and only with that. that seemed to the smith’s judgment to be other than anger, and she
No copy of that key will work. Not even a perfect copy — stepped forward to face him across the bench. “I know craftsman-
matching in every dimension. And I think that’s impossible. So ship — my father has taught me a little of his trade — and that
I thought that I’d come and ask how you did it.” box was plain impossible. I want to know how you did it!”
“Huh.” For a brief moment, the silversmith looked hard at The smith’s hand moved faster than the girl could react,
the girl; then he looked back to his work. “It seems to me that but not with a blow. He caught her chin and forced her to meet
your father has no complaint,” he said, “and I’ve no interest his gaze. “Ah. Perhaps you might learn,” he said, as her hand
in helping you steal from your own family. Get out of my grasped his wrist but failed to break his hold on her. “Perhaps
workshop, thief-girl.” you might. But it’ll be a long, hard apprenticeship — I’ll leave
“I don’t care much about what’s in the box — I wanted it to you to convince your father, to begin with. How much do
to know what was in his will, but that was just idle, sinful you really want to know, Rosa the craft-girl?”

7
 a true master. These are craftsmen with a taste for perfec-
The Creators, Created tion, and their most important unending quest is to perfect
themselves or all humanity through hard work and real
he untaught peasant beheld the elements practical skill. Anyone newly admitted to the group, let
around him, and was acquainted with alone one merely considered as a potential member, has a
their practical uses. The most learned long process of testing and study to look forward to.
philosopher knew little more. He had par-
tially unveiled the face of Nature, but her
immortal lineaments were still a wonder
Apprenticeship
and a mystery. The Daedaleans have adopted the same well-
established view of practical training as most mundane
— Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
craftsmen of the age: the concept of apprenticeship. Many
In all the world of the Dark Renaissance, no magic is
groups borrow the terminology and some of the ideas
stranger than the Machinae created by Enlightened craftsmen.
(including some elements of the Council of Nine), but
Teetering on the brink of plausibility but (sometimes) repro-
Artisans take it with great seriousness. This is training as
ducible, justified by incontrovertible logic and yet insanely
personal instruction, with skills and secrets passed down
implausible, designed according to astrological principles
from master to ’prentice over the years. (Some Artisan
and yet utterly fantastic, these devices are the curse and the
secrets have been preserved this way for millennia.) In the
glory of their creators. These creators are almost all mem-
process, not only knowledge but something of style, even
bers of the Order of Reason, for their underlying principles
talent, may be passed on.
— mathematical logic, innovation, materialism — are
To the High Artisans in particular, the training
the ideology of that faction; the only other builders of
process is itself an act of creation, of forging and shap-
Machinae are a handful of scattered Disparate eccentrics
ing. Aside from the fact that this casting can make the
with no interest in joining any crusade (and perhaps a very
business seem as tough for the apprentice as forging is for
few Batini architects and unorthodox Solificati).
steel, it means that the act of teaching should improve
In fact, even within the Order, this sort of craftsman-
the teacher, too. Many Daedaleans view such activities as
ship is largely limited to two Conventions — the High
sacred and triply sacred; they improve the master, improve
Artisans and the Craftmasons — and specialists within two
the apprentice, and preserve and increase the strength of
others — the Void Seekers and Celestial Masters — who
the Convention.
draw on Artisan expertise. Thus, although any Daedalean
may sometimes wield borrowed or traded Machinae, it
is the former two groups that determines the school of
Stages of Study
thought wherein Enlightened folk may direct their bril- Mundane apprenticeship is generally supervised by the
liance into this craft. guilds — professional brotherhoods that enforce standards
No group holds to a greater, stranger vision than the while restricting access to particular trades (and hence
High Artisans — the Artificers. With their passion for keeping prices high as the cost of “good order”). A young
creation, their eternal disputes over the nature of the world person, usually from an urban crafting family, is apprenticed
and what may be made within it, their ancient secrets and to a master, often after the student’s family has paid a stiff
their blasphemous dreams, they embody something of the fee for this start on the ladder of life. A written contract
spirit of the age — and provide the Order of Reason with defines the duties of ’prentice and master, which tend
much of its arsenal in the crusade for dominance. Next to weigh heavily on the former. The student must lodge
to the Artisans, the Craftmasons seem drab and unorigi- with the teacher, work long hours at menial tasks in the
nal — but they too are Awakened. Being perhaps more workshop in exchange for nothing but board and lodging,
accustomed to patience and more determined to ensure and refrain from drinking, carousing and marriage.
that their devices may be reproduced and passed on to Details of such agreements vary over time and place,
the common man, the Masons sometimes prove the more but it is not unusual for a ’prentice to have to work every
useful Artificers. In any case, there is much exchange of hour of daylight, six days a week, for six or seven years
ideas and designs between the two groups, and between or more. Some children start this life as young as 12. It
Artisans and the Celestial Masters’ House of Daedalus and can be a horrible time, although some masters are kinder
the Void Seekers’ Guild of Forge and Sail. than others. Lucky ’prentices may receive a little pocket
Needless to say, it takes an exceptional individual to money from their parents, and perhaps slip away from
gain admittance to such groups. But to a Daedalean Arti- the workshop for a little while, usually to roam the city
ficer, exceptional talent, vision and even Awakening are streets with others of their kind. Needless to say, gaggles
merely first steps in the all-important process of becoming of impoverished, frustrated youths with little cash and big

8
 INsTrUCTION
The First:
ARS LONGA,VITA BREVIS

ideas can be a threat to civic order and a strong informal figures of the guild, who guard their privileges jealously.
element in urban politics. The usual way to accomplish this in many guilds is by the
Eventually, the apprentice learns enough to play a creation of a “masterpiece” — an item of work that shows
useful independent part in her chosen trade. It may be up true talent and a broad grasp of the principles of the trade.
to the master to decide when this is. Fortunately, a master Many a journeyman haggles with a current employer for
who claims that a ’prentice has never learned enough to use of a bench and tools for an hour or two a day, and for a
leave the workshop admits incompetence as a teacher, and small stock of decent raw materials. Many of the finest craft-
contract, parents and guild might intervene to save the products to be seen in any city may be the manifestations of
youth from perpetual slavery. At this point, the trainee a journeyman’s hope and determination. After all, once one
is welcomed into the guild as a journeyman, and regains a has been accepted in the guild, raised the money to rent a
large measure of independence. A journeyman is some- workshop, and made one’s talents known to patrons, what
thing of an anomaly in the still-mostly-feudal world of need is there for further displays of original flair?
the Renaissance, being in fact a salaried professional. She
may take employment with whatever master she chooses The Daedalean Approach
who’ll have her, in exchange for guild-determined rates of Needless to say, given the subtleties of Enlightenment and
pay. It may be a chancy life for some, but it’s still the life the politics of the Order of Reason, the apprentice-master system
of an acknowledged, respectable craft-worker. Some folk is changed and rendered more complex among the Daedaleans.
spend decades or a lifetime in this rank, making enough Many — High Artisans especially — still live and work as urban
from routine work to support self and maybe family. guild members. They number both un-Enlightened Brethren
However, most — those with a touch of ambition or and promising “True Apprentices” among the apprentices
self-respect — aspire to the status of master. Only at that and journeymen in their workshops. (Thus, they must sustain
level may one set up one’s own workshop (and take on ap- different overt and secret hierarchies — a tricky concern.)
prentices to perform the drudge-work and to bully). This Others, especially those who work in distant workshops solely
means acquiring the respect and recognition of the prime upon Daedalean business, keep the mundane and Daedalean

9
titles in step. The word “apprentice” is universally recognized. that Artificers have their ’prentices, too. But you’re not to take
Many Artisans use “mediator,” “artisan” and “journeyman” this as license to make a nuisance of yourself, girl; you’ll stand
interchangeably. They likewise equate “resplendent” and quiet, watch and learn.”
“master.” The existence of Artificer Facilitators, Magistrates, “Are these our enemies, then?” Rosa asked.
Grand Artisans and Epitomes (in chaotic profusion) reflects the “The Craftmasons? No — they’re allies.” Jasper smiled
fact that the Convention operates on a wider base and hence grimly. “Old allies, according to the lore of our brotherhood.
must have more ranks and levels than a mundane guild, which In past times, they and we have sheltered under the same roof
is usually restricted to a single city. Craft-working Celestial and shared our tools.
Masters and Void Seekers are happy to follow this pattern,
“Truth to tell, they’re not bad sorts. I’ve a few friends
while mostly avoiding undue complication.
in that hall. Stone-masons and builders, most of ’em, along
The Craftmasons are different, however, at once more with their guards and such. A few of ’em are little more than
democratic and more systematically hierarchical. Many refuse bandits, but I suppose that’s a matter of impatience more than
to acknowledge a true difference between the Enlightened anything else. We do have enemies, as I’ve warned you. The
and other Brethren, although subtleties among their 33 Masons share those enemies, and often hate ’em with a fright-
levels sometimes indicate distinctions. Craftmasons’ ideas ful passion.”
are drawn largely from the professions of stone-working,
In truth, Rosa thought as the meeting got underway, they
building and architecture. These callings place less emphasis
look ordinary enough. The Craftmasons had indeed come
on the solitary creation of the masterpiece (all buildings be-
in numbers to the meet, in a back room of a great inn down
ing group efforts), and have less concern with the ordering
a city side-street. They dressed plainly and seemed unworried
of a local guild, having been highly mobile for centuries (as
if their clothes were frayed. Many had hammers or other
masons and builders have traveled from one great cathedral
mason’s tools tucked through their belts, looking a little foolish
or castle project to another across Europe). Some share the
at this hour when even the most diligent had finished work for
Artisan views of rankings. Others dismiss such divisions,
the day. Others wore leather jacks and some even had plain
keeping a crude version of the mundane guild structure for
helms dangling over their shoulders. Few had weapons, for
overt purposes while operating their own offices and ranks
that would be impolite at a friendly conference, and the city
as a closely guarded secret.
watch would have things to say to a commoner trailing blade
But all of this said, Enlightened craftsmen are inevitably or staff through the streets. Yet the daggers at their belts were
influenced by the attitudes of their mundane counterparts. large and businesslike, a pair of halberds rested by the door and
To the High Artisan, the idea that one must study long Rosa glimpsed one odd small crossbow.
and very hard, and then display inspiration and talent,
It was their speech that marked these people as something
seems obvious. Few of their lodges grant Resplendent sta-
strange. Rosa’s master and the one or two other Artificers present
tus without seeing a true masterpiece or some comparable
spoke occasionally. The Craftmasons said most that evening —
work of inspired craft. To the Craftmasons, on the other
and not by shouting to assert their numbers. Rather, several of
hand, it is the hard work that is important. They are less
them took turns to act as spokesmen, describing dark shadows
likely to demand creation of some bauble before granting
glimpsed by men, odd failures in building work that sounded
respect, but a member who has not labored diligently for
to Rosa like simple accidents, enigmatic messages from spies in
many years is highly suspect. One Awakens, not to instant
places that she had never heard of, and dark complaints about
mastery, but to entry in a process of learning and effort.
churchmen whom she had been brought up to revere.
In truth, Rosa could not understand a third of what was
Artisans vs. said that evening, but her master paid attention — sometimes
challenging, sometimes concerned. Afterward, as they walked

Craftmasons back through the city, she taking three paces to his two, she
ventured questions.
“Master — those Craftmasons. Do they do Work, like
osa had brought one un-frayed (if plain) ours?”
dress with her when she took up her place
“In a manner of speaking, girl, yes. Many of them spend
in the silversmith’s household, and this
their time building towers and halls, which is less of a rich art
evening he had told her to wear it.
than our fine work of the hands, and they’re over-cautious in
“We have a meeting,” he said, “and their work sometimes, as it seems to me. But they have some
though I’d not normally take a ’prentice competent craftsmen in their ranks, to give ’em credit; when they
along, the folk I’m to face always trail a want a good blade, they can forge it for themselves. And they’re
flock of hod-carriers and watchmen about with ’em. I’ll not clever with some of the Sacred Arts you’ll learn one day.”
be treated as some manner of solitary toy-maker; they’ll see
“And what do they think of us?” Rosa asked.

10
 INsTrUCTION
The First:
ARS LONGA,VITA BREVIS

Jasper paused before answering and Rosa looked at him the status of casual plausibility). Although this is in many
in the twilight. She was relieved to see a small smile cross his ways the last and highest century of the Middle Ages, the
face. “I can see that you’re still the sharp one, girl,” he said, seeds of the future have been sown and have germinated.
“and that’s a wise question. Well, remember: They’re dream- In the future, some historians will say that the Industrial
ers and they have a lot of hate for our enemies. They want Revolution was actually born this early. Two inventions —
to burn out what they can’t smash down. They’ve no love for gunpowder and the printing press — are being perfected,
lords and kings, either — we’ve all been owed bad debts by that transformed from accident-prone toys to commonplace
sort — but for the Masons, it’s a holy thing. They’re levelers tools. These alone would probably be enough to bring
and Hussites at heart, if that means aught to you. the Old Order down in flames. Meanwhile, the “rebirth
“So — they complain that we aren’t busy enough about of learning” brings together a set of theoretical tools that
the war. They’d rather use a well-made crossbow, just like their lay the groundwork for the next set of wondrous inven-
grandfathers made, to shoot down one knight, than perfect the tions. Architecture changes as the Gothic cathedrals of
cannon that’ll lay low an army and its castle besides. They work the former age — barely planned miracles of rule-of-thumb
their crafts for use and not for the glory of the making. They craftsmanship, driven by the simple impulse to push spires
dine on bitter herbs and doubt our sincerity — although we’ve ever higher — are superseded by cool Classical ideas,
given ’em cannon now, which they do surely love. ordered pillars and elegant domes.
“So call ’em brothers, girl — a little dull and given to glory- In direct contrast, the soaring gilded mosques of the
ing in the company of rogues and rebels, but brothers still. And Arab world are both carefully planned and long familiar
they’ll call you a crazy dreamer and borrow your dreams.” to the architects of the Ahl-i-Batin. Arab masterworks are
truly breathtaking, being neither dome nor spire, yet simple

Real-Life Technology and excruciatingly demanding at once. Eastern craftsmen

operate on a principle of sacred geometry similar to that
of the Craftmasons, seeking to reflect the heavens and the
aster, it has been six months since I was grace of Allah in their houses of worship and their leaders’
greeted into the Secrets.” palaces. But their ultimate goal is less the material expres-
“So you can count, I see, girl.” sion of mathematics and more the embodiment of Unity.
“Yes, master. But since then, you’ve Muslim architects have worked steadily toward the unity
had me doing little but basic hammering of earthly form and heavenly ideal for as long as westerners
and mold-cleaning.” The man said noth- have labored with flying buttresses and vaulted ceilings.
ing so the girl plunged on. “I just wanted (Mind you, the sheer height of either a western cathe-
to know, Master Jasper — when will you teach me more of dral or near eastern mosque, perhaps supported by those
the Secret Arts?” very flying buttresses, would have rendered any Roman
For a moment, Rosa truly thought that Jasper would strike dumb with awe.)
her, with open hand or with fist. Then, the master Artisan simply Still, much remains to be developed.
laughed, briefly, coldly — and that fell like a blow, too.
“We do not cast spells like some superstitionist, girl,” The Battlefield
the man said. “We perform Works of Art. This month you Were it not for the pervading reek of sulfur and smoke,
have been doing the truest magick of all. Learn that or leave European wars of this era would more or less resemble
my shop.” those of the preceding three or four centuries. Armored
nobles upon huge war horses thunder across the field,
Basic Materials lance in hand. The most noteworthy sign of advanced
craftsmanship that they display is their armor, which grows
The High Artisans are more than mere wizards who ever stronger, heavier and more ornate as they struggle to
happen to limit themselves to working through over- flaunt their wealth.
complex toys; they are true master-craftsmen. Thus, they
Still, a trained eye observes these nobles seeming ever
are experts in the generally known and commonplace
more concerned by what their social inferiors might turn
technology of their age, as well as in the bizarre and exotic.
against them. The English won most of the early battles of
Nor are such mundane handicrafts a mere sideline to them;
the Hundred Years War by deploying the powerful longbow.
rather, they are the heart of their Work.
The French turned the tide when they learned to use cannon
Europe in the 15th century is actually at the beginning in sieges. Crossbows are slow-firing and limited, but effec-
of a period of great change and uncertainty, in technology tive when used intelligently. Competent foot soldiers have
as in many other things (which may be the Daedaleans’ used heavy polearms for years. The Swiss and Germans have
doing, and which certainly gives them a hidden advantage learned how effective the best halberdiers can be, and are
in that more and more of their Art moves from vanity to

11
just beginning to contemplate the even more deadly effect
of well-drilled pike blocks. And as for gunpowder….
Firearms are still a little crude. Many still lack much
in the way of a trigger mechanism, having but a “cannon-
lock” touch-hole and a slow-match or heated wire in the
gunner’s hand. This makes aiming a handgun properly
impossible, although it is effective enough as a way to fire
a great cannon. The matchlock — in essence, that same
slow-match held in a simple trigger-operated pivot — is
what makes personal firearms a viable idea. The wheel
lock is a futuristic idea that represents yet another vast
improvement.
Great cannon may not be personal weapons, but
they are engines of terror. They can batter down castles
and city walls, tear holes in the ranks of enemy regiments
and terrify horses. Rockets and hand-thrown grenades are
limited mostly to Asiatic armies, that may even deploy men
with simple hand-hurled fireworks, if only to scare enemy
cavalry mounts on occasion. Incidentally, guns both large
and small can be cast in bronze or made by welding iron
bars together (iron is much cheaper, but also much more
likely to burst catastrophically without warning). Cannon
are so heavy that they may be impossible to move long
distances; part of the mercenary cannon-master’s trade is
casting new guns when and where required.
Meanwhile, to the east, the horsemen of the steppes
still fight very well, as they have for so many centuries.
They wield high-quality composite bows — the most
sophisticated military craftsmanship their tribes know
— and spear and sword for close combat. That said, the
Ottoman Turks have partly settled down, made the most
powerful empire that Islam has ever seen since the days of
the prophet’s immediate heirs, and have taken to firearms.
They especially love huge cannon, which win the sieges
that so frustrated their nomad ancestors. Further east,
Indian armies consist of huge numbers of lightly armored
footmen, along with some cavalry (horses do not like the
climate) and a few expensive, temperamental, prestigious
war-elephants. In China, troops are mostly well-equipped
infantry, along with some cavalry and (of course) support
from rockets, cannon and other gunpowder weapons.

Land Transport and Agriculture

On land, travel remains entirely a matter of muscle-
power — whether the muscles belong to men, horses,
mules or (in some lands) camels. However, even that can
be subject to improvement. During the Middle Ages, the
invention of the horse collar vastly improved the efficiency
of carriages and plows; harness designs are still being
improved. Truly far-sighted and inspired governments
realize that well-kept roads may be beneficial to lords and
commoners alike. Most highways, however, are still rough
dirt that becomes engulfing mud in winter and choking
dust in summer.

12
 INsTrUCTION
The First:
ARS LONGA,VITA BREVIS

A nation lives and dies by its food sources; farming simple, robust ships with sharp, up-thrust prows and
technology is often overlooked, but immensely important. triangular lateen sails. This is not the most sophisticated
Better implements, including heavy plows and those har- vessel design, but it is well-established and reliable in these
nesses already mentioned, enable nations to keep more conditions. In recent years, these seas have also been wit-
people fed with the same land and effort; those people may ness to a new sight: great Chinese junks, the true maritime
become soldiers, scholars or adventurers. When explorers wonder of the age.
discover new lands, new crops may assist in expansion. The junk, which evolved on the seas around China,
Improved mills, powered by beasts, wind or water, are is in fact the most sophisticated ship design in the world,
other useful products of ingenious craftsmanship that superior to anything the West produces for centuries. It
spread across the land. combines a robust hull, divided up into water-tight com-
partments, with complex, efficient rigging on its multiple
On the Water masts. In an uncharacteristic moment of interest in the
The different seas are each ruled by very different rest of the world, one Chinese emperor sent the admiral-
styles of ship. The reasonably placid Mediterranean, where diplomat Zheng He on a series of flag-waving missions
ships are rarely far from land, has long been ruled by oared across the Indian Ocean between A.D. 1405 and 1433.
galleys; the war-craft of Venice and Ottoman Turkey are These expeditions reached as far as Africa. Although the
still similar in outline to the triremes of Classical Greece. Chinese government soon lost interest in what they found,
Yet even on the Mediterranean, sailing craft have some trading junks and Chinese migrants may still be found
advantages: Merchantmen prefer to save the cost of oars- across this area. Zheng He’s flagship was a nine-masted,
men, while the improvement of cannon means the end 500-foot, 3,000-ton super-ship.
of oared shipping. (Incidentally, the most curious watercraft known to
The reason is simple. Early ship’s guns are light Sleepers may be the treadmill-powered river boats very
weapons, mounted on the open deck and used in the occasionally seen in China. Similar ideas have been toyed
close boarding and ramming actions that are traditional with in the West and may appear rarely.)
in galley warfare. However, better guns require more space
and demand to be mounted in “broadsides.” This is not In the Air
possible when oarsmen take up that space. Oarsmen may Flight remains a distant fantasy for the most part —
be fighting men, if they are free rather than slaves, but although toys give even Sleepers some hint of what will
they are not as dangerous as cannon. Some navies try a be possible one day. The Chinese have long played with
hybrid design — the “galleass” — with large sails, oars and increasingly sophisticated kites, and human pilots may oc-
broadside guns, but this combination proves impossibly casionally be sent up on such, perhaps even casting loose
cumbersome. and gliding for a while. However, this is as likely to be a
Still, galleys remain effective for now. This is a very whimsical way of executing prisoners as anything else.
well-established, standardized technology. The shipyards of These Chinese ideas have not yet reached the West, where
Venice claim to be able to build and launch a hull within a the only form of kite known is a less efficient and elegant
single day, while the Turks reckon to be able to reconstruct “windsock” design, often shaped to resemble a dragon or
their entire fleet inside a year in the event of losses. Galley serpent with mouth open. (Although one 14th-century
warfare involves close-quarters fighting; warships mount picture seemingly shows such a kite being used to drop a
bow-rams. Pirates and corsairs, who wish to take prizes, bomb on a city….)
limit themselves to grappling and boarding-parties with Balloons, too, are purely a matter of theory, save in
sword, spear and ax. A corsair flotilla may actually include China. The Chinese seem to know how to make eggshells
a mixture of oar and sail; small galleys to take most prizes float upward by filling them with hot air, and may ac-
and a larger sailed ship in reserve, carrying more men and complish a similar trick with paper balloons (paper being
with hold-space for loot. more widespread in that land than elsewhere). The last
By contrast, the endless stormy Atlantic is not really type of flying toy, known to East and West at this time, is
suited for large oared ships (although some galleys trade and the helicopter top. This takes various forms, but always
explore there when the weather is fair). This is the domain involves a set of rotors spun by a spring or bow so that it
of round-hulled sailing craft, usually with one or two masts rises into the air. The toy is never made much larger than
at this time. The carrack, with its high castles fore and aft a hand — at least among Sleepers.
to give a height advantage in close fighting, evolves toward
the lower, stronger, more stable galleon, the vessel of the Clocks and Other Mechanisms
great age of piracy and the Spanish Armada. The most complex and challenging machine that a
The Indian Ocean, with its reliable monsoon wind- Sleeper of this age might expect to see is a clock. Devices
system, is plied by Arab dhows, sambucs and related craft;

13
for measuring time date back millennia, but they have the weight-driven clock. (In the East, of course, Muslims
been painfully crude. Some nations get by with candles pray five times daily; the clocks developed there keep the
of standardized size, which burn such-and-such a length calls to prayer on a prescribed schedule.)
in (approximately) such-and-such time. The best option Such clocks were developed at the end of the 13th
generally available is water-clocks; essentially containers century, when the invention of a mechanism called the
into or out of which water flows at a known rate so that a verge and foliot escapement enabled the power of the
graduated scale on the side of the “clock” shows the time. descending weight to be smoothed out and controlled,
From this, all manner of ingenious developments are pos- making the clock regular enough to be useful. Early clocks
sible — say, when a container has filled completely the simply sounded bells at key times, but ingenious mechan-
weight might be just enough to trip a mechanism, sound- ics soon added displays that showed the current positions
ing a bell or causing a figure to move. One variant on of heavenly bodies. The clock-face, with hour and later
this idea uses a fine powder instead of liquid, thus minute hands, eventually evolves from this devel-
avoiding problems with freezing or evaporation; opment. Spring-driven clocks and watches also
powdered eggshell is best. This idea survives as lie in the future, perhaps appearing first in the
the humble egg-timer. mid-16th century.
The supreme evolution of this mundane Incidentally, the astronomical displays
technology was created in China in A.D. built into some clocks are doubtless
1088, by Su Sung: a 35-foot-high related to the clever hand-driven
tower housed a water-driv- devices that have occasion-
en wheel. It activated a ally been made to model the
complex mechanism that heavens ever since Greek
displayed the time of day times. (In the 20th cen-
and the current positions tury, Sleeper historians
of the heavenly bodies, are startled and confused
all in order to ensure that by an object found in a
royal horoscopes could first-century B.C. Ro-
be calculated correctly, man shipwreck: the
even if the subject “Antikythera Device.”
was born on a cloudy It appears to be an in-
day. This construction tricate system of bronze
was probably more accu- gear-wheels that can be
rate than any mechanical used to calculate ac-
clock known to European curate calendars.) One
Sleepers until the 17th relatively simple but
century. The Middle useful astronomical
East, however, had also device is the astrolabe,
developed remarkably ac- long since borrowed from
curate timekeepers before the the Muslim world by Europe.
technology spread to Europe. This tool simplifies complex
Because the Arabs were such meticulous mea- surements of relative positions of
students of astrology, precise measurements of time and astronomical bodies, and can enable the time of day to
distance were developed quite early. Correct to fractions of be determined reasonably well.
a degree, the almanacs and horographic tables developed On the matter of astronomy, the telescope lies some
by the Muslims and disseminated through Europe spur the time in the future for Sleepers. Lenses have been known
continent’s innovators — Awakened and Sleeper alike — since Greek times, and their manufacture is being improved;
toward the development of wholly mechanical clocks. spectacles are now available, if expensive, giving elderly or
The closest competitor for the water-clock is the unlucky scholars with weak eyes the chance to continue
sundial — in lands where the sun is out reliably enough their work. Yet the understanding of optics and precision
for the device to be read more often than not. At least a of manufacture that will enable lenses to be combined to
sundial has no moving parts to wear or corrode. However, useful effect remain unknown. (Masters of sacred geometry
sundials are not especially accurate and must be made and are not so limited, of course.)
calibrated for a specific latitude. The quest for a better Other complex mechanisms are mostly toys and cu-
mechanism has recently led European churchmen, with riosities. For example, at different times clever inventors
their preference for well-governed lives of prayer, to develop

14
 INsTrUCTION
The First:
ARS LONGA,VITA BREVIS

have produced all manner of effects with liquid pressure

and flow, perhaps inspired by tinkering with water-clocks.
Inventions that permit different liquids to be poured from a
Mathematics and Crafts?
(seemingly) single container, and mechanical animals that The Sorcerers Crusade rulebook notes that all
seem to drink on command, are entertaining tricks, but High Artisans must know crafts and mathematics. This
of limited general use. The Chinese came up with clever is indeed the accepted rule of their Convention, but
geared mechanisms, mounted on carts, that would always its application is relatively relaxed and its implication
point in a fixed direction as the cart moved around, and in system terms fairly varied.
the Romans had devices for measuring distance traveled Mathematics is indeed one of the great mysteries
— but these are only of use to large empires with orderly of the Artisans, and no one who is ignorant of the
governments and good roads. The age of the machine is topic is privy to the group’s secrets. However, in an age
still in its infancy. when anything much beyond counting on one’s fingers
is considered an accomplishment, one can pass as a
Power Sources mathematically learned person through various forms
All of these clocks offer one answer to the great unac- of education. Characters with dots in Academics, some
knowledged problem of Renaissance invention: Whence branches of Metaphysics, the Science of Advanced
might motive power be drawn? Beasts and men take up Mathematics or even Artillerist or Moneylending at high
space, and must be fed and persuaded to cooperate. Gun- levels can all pass — although a respected theoretician
powder is well enough for momentary blasts of force, but must have a fair range of training in such areas.
cannot be harnessed for much else. Other possibilities are The standards of membership are considerably more
cumbersome. rigorous in the East. Chinese bureaucrats have perfected
Wind and water provide near-limitless, free power, but all manner of calculations for centuries. No educated
they are inconvenient in many ways, often unreliable and person — certainly no civil servant — can slide by with
hard to tap with any but large machines. Water-mills have less than a year’s detailed instruction in the subject.
been known since Roman times at least, but windmills — This knowledge is, of course, tested carefully in civil
in Europe, at any rate — are a medieval invention taking service examinations. If a man has not performed his
different forms in different parts of the world. They are studies faithfully, he can expect his failing to be noted,
certainly most advanced in Persia, their place of origin. documented and held against him.
Unlike the common water-mill, the eastern windmill is In India and Persia, mathematics is a much more exact
horizontal, surrounded on three sides by walls and open science than it is in Europe, though not so regimented as it is
to the wind on the fourth. The windmill therefore func- in China. It was, after all, medieval India that introduced the
tions as a capstan, turning an axle set perpendicular to the concept of the zero. The disciplines of algebra (a word derived
ground. Recent improvements in the European “vertical” from the Arabic al-jabr, meaning integration) and analytical
design are among the novelties that provide the Renais- geometry both originated in the Middle East. Characters with
sance with the surpluses that fuel it. Wind-power is also a non-western background need a much stronger background
used by ships; there are a few sail-powered land vehicles in mathematics to be considered even partially educated than
in China, but these have obvious limitations. do European characters — in game terms, a beginning student
Of course, power from any source may perhaps be of eastern mathematics ought to have two dots to a western
stored, but there are limits to that, too. Crossbows and beginner’s one. Storytellers may wish to allow players to specify
siege engines keep a little energy in the tension of the their eastern characters’ mathematical specialties.
bow or in a weight held high above the ground, for swift A “craft,” the second requirement of High Artistry,
use. Protracting this release can involve a spring driving may of course be a Craft as defined in system terms (al-
a lever mechanism, or a descending weight causing a though it should be something with durable and complex
wheel to revolve, and this is the present and future form products — brewing would be unusual), but Artist training
of clockwork. A spring mechanism capable of storing or a good level in Artillerist is just as credible. Do not
very large quantities of force, and releasing it slowly and confuse the game Ability with the mage philosophy.
under control, requires more in the way of materials and Storytellers can of course permit or exclude any
ingenuity than any Sleeper can muster. “Artificer” character concept that they see fit. The
In theory, steam power is a technical possibility — main thing to remember is that a High Artisan must
especially as coal has become more widely available. But possess both the abstract comprehension of the world
Sleepers investigating the idea would find all manner of embodied in mathematics, and a practical level of skill
problems. Certainly, Heron of Alexandria hits on the in handiwork. One who does not is simply disdained and
idea of a globe spun on an axle by jets of steam, but the does not find it easy to pass the initiation rituals.

15
mechanical efficiency of this design is feeble; no Sleeper The girl was evidently plucking up the courage to repeat
could find uses for it that would justify the cost of the fuel. the question, so he spoke again. “The Craftmasons say that
The various embellishments that make steam power useful magick is lazy, and hence sinful,” he explained, “and the Ga-
are arguably all known to mundane Renaissance mechan- brielites say that it’s against God’s law. We agree with them;
ics, but putting them together into something worthwhile we build Works, and sometimes, if we have real problems, we
is a long job with many tiresome failures and distractions. pray for miracles. But between the two of us, I’m not sure
For now, steam engines — let alone anything that trans- that it matters what words we use. We’re craftsmen, girl —
forms fire and heat into motion — are the province of the now, don’t pull faces, that’s a compliment round here. What
Awakened alone. we do is shape our materials and wield our tools. If we use
’em right — if we hold the sacred geometry in our minds as
we labor — it’ll look magickal to the plow-boys in the fields.
What’s in a Name? But we’ll know better.
“Are we magicians, master?” “But we certainly aren’t sorcerers, if that’s what you
mean — and I’ll tell you the difference. Those freaks will tell
For a moment, Jasper looked angry at the question. Then,
you that things have special qualities. Power. And that’s true
just as quickly, he smiled. “No. And certainly not when any
enough — but then they’ll tell you that those qualities can only
of our allies can hear us, we aren’t,” he replied, and picked up
be found and assessed by direct examination, not predicted by
a hammer as he squinted at his latest work.
sense and reason.”

16
 INsTrUCTION
The First:
ARS LONGA,VITA BREVIS

However, Sleeper acceptance of the wheel lock does

The Artisan drew breath as he finished looking at the half-
not prove a complete success. Although the troops of
made silverware. “And that,” he said, raising his hammer, “is
Reason find wheel locks to be reliable and handy, the gifts
wrong.” The hammer came down, hard and resounding. “It’s
have a bad habit of blowing up in the recipients’ faces. It
worse than wrong.” (Another hammer-blow.) “It’s a lie against
seems that the more wheel locks are used, the less useful
Creation. And that is a sin.”
they prove.
He dropped the hammer on the bench after one last blow
Any craftsman or engineer can guess why. Large-
and held his work up to the light.
scale production always introduces problems with a
design that works well when it is made as a single
The Wheel Lock hand-crafted masterpiece. Less sensible wielders never
clean guns properly. Word passes quietly around the
Although no one quite realizes it yet, wheel-lock
Order that wheel locks should be reserved for those
fi rearms represent an interesting metaphysical
who can be trusted with them. Flaunting them
phenomenon: a mechanical device that is being
before Sleepers leads to confusion and jealousy;
insinuated into Sleeper awareness by stages, and
better to stay with matchlocks and crossbows
which thereby moves from the status of vain
in such company.
magick to that of mundane weaponry.
The real secret, of course, is that the unpre-
The wheel lock consists of a spring-
dictable reliability of such advanced
loaded metal wheel that spins
weapons is a manifestation of the
against a chunk of iron pyrites;
Scourge expressing itself in
this throws off sparks, which
mundane (but annoying and
light the gun’s powder. It is
dangerous) forms. Because
a tricky, fragile contrap-
the wheel lock is almost
tion, but unlike preceding
accepted by Sleepers, the
gun designs, it does not
Scourge comes down in
require the user to keep
simple malfunction and
a burning “slow-match”
can even be held off
perpetually at hand. In
by careful attention to
the 20th century, histo-
proper weapons drill.
ry says the weapon was
invented around the The Storyteller
beginning of the 16th; should handle the Scourge
Leonardo da Vinci doo- in game and story terms.
dled something similar in Wheel locks should be re-
A.D. 1508. A few years liable — well, as reliable
later, princes were as any other hand-
passing laws against crafted explosive-using
guns that “made their own mechanism — so long as
fire.” Sleeper scholars may they are not overused. They
find some ambiguous hints in should represent a small but useful
earlier texts, and wonder who first made the edge for Daedalean characters, their
idea work in practice. Teachers within the New World associates and other Awakened characters who get a
Order quote this as a classic example of applied paradigm hold of them and accept them in their worldview. However,
manipulation. if wheel locks or any other revolutionary inventions are
overused; if characters purchase them by the dozens and
Their mid-15th-century predecessors in the Order of
hand them out to every thuggish guard they hire for the
Reason are less sanguine. To them, the wheel lock is an
day; if they are flaunted before nervous peasants — then
invaluable creation that they can manufacture in quantity
they should start to behave like the experimental and
and issue to their guards and servants. They insist that
premature technology they truly are. Roll a Fortune Die
this is a mundane mechanism, not a magickal device, and
whenever one is fired and have it jam or explode on a 1
point out that un-Awakened troops use it perfectly well.
as well as any botch — or more often if characters are
In fact, some talented Sleeper weaponsmiths (and a few
truly careless and overconfident with their lethal toys. (A
Disparate philosopher-craftsmen) copy the idea success-
botch and a 1 certainly means an explosion.) If observers
fully, and several Artificers give such weapons to Sleeper
are backwoods folk or prone to much truly devout prayer
princes to buy aid or favor.

17
in the face of this ungodly weaponry, the full panoply of
the Scourge rules may be applied.
Incidentally, the extent to which a wheel lock is seen
What About Everyone Else?
as “unnatural” may depend on the details of its use. Most The Renaissance is a period of discovery and
folk have seen or at least heard of (matchlock) arque- growth for everyone — artisans, scholars, merchants. It
buses. A long-barreled firearm, glimpsed at a distance, is stands to reason that the Daedaleans make great leaps
therefore nothing too strange, even if the lock mechanism in progress, as much of this period’s growth is related
seems a trifle ornate and the glow of the match seems to to technology, but technology and gadgetry are not the
be hidden. A small but deadly pistol, whipped out from sole purviews of the Order of Reason.
beneath a cloak and fired on the instant — ah, now that’s Many of the Traditions use devices and math-
not natural. (Unfortunately, this quick use is also the best ematics to achieve their goals. Most notably, House
thing about the wheel lock. Life is harsh on the forefront Verditius of the Order of Hermes, dedicated entirely to
of the weaponsmith’s craft.) the creation of Machinae and other mechano-magickal
items, has a decidedly Artificer-ish approach to its work,
The Information though its core concepts remain those of the Order of
Hermes. The Solificati are also of a scientific bent, but
Revolution their arts have already begun to swing back toward the
mystickal end of the scale, away from even an Artificer-
The defenders of tradition, faith and mystery believe friendly stance (they are perhaps most closely related
the deadliest threats that a craftsman has ever turned against to the Cosians, of all of the Order of Reason). Each
them are the cannons, handguns and rockets that come to Tradition, with the possible exception of the Dream-
rule the battlefield. Many Daedaleans agree. To be able to Speakers, begins to adopt the newest innovations of the
send flaming iron death hundreds of yards is a great comfort era as tools in the struggle for further enlightenment,
when opposing magicians, witches and faeries. though most are content to use the tools others provide
They are all completely wrong. instead of creating new ones.
Printing may have originated in India. The Chinese In addition to the Traditions, other Conventions of
have possessed it since the seventh century, and (earthen- the Order of Reason avail themselves of new opportuni-
ware) moveable type since the 11th. The latter was made ties. The High Guild prospers during this period due to the
strong enough for heavy use in Korea around A.D. 1300 rapid expansion and evolving sophistication of Western
by casting in metal. However, the possibilities were limited Europe’s commerce systems; clever tinkering offers new
by the huge number of characters in Chinese writing, and forms of transportation and communication. The Void
any social effects were absorbed by the very stable Chinese Seekers borrow the mundane navigation technology
system of government. Although the Arabs learned paper- offered and adapt it to their unique take on explora-
making from China, they didn’t seem to borrow printing tion. The Cosians also make leaps and bounds forward,
from the same source. both encouraging and taking advantage of relatively
Paper came into common use in Europe a couple new freedom to examine and study the human body.
centuries ago, but even with this relatively cheap, smooth- Not since the era of the Greeks has there been such a
surfaced medium available, experiments in printing have revolutionary burst of invention and discovery, and all of
taken place only recently. In Mainz, a group of craftsmen the Awakened groups — not just the Craftmasons and
including a businessman named Johann Fust, a calligrapher the Artificers — rush to use it to their advantage.
named Peter Schöffer and a silversmith named Johannes The Renaissance, of course, is not confined to the
Gutenberg, produce a workable system and print a beautiful European continent. Many of the discoveries, inven-
Bible, among other documents. tions and ideas that began the ideological revolution
The Middle Ages are doomed. originated in the East — China, India and the Middle
The Order of Reason is taken by surprise by the con- East being the primary suppliers of these catalysts.
sequences of this invention (although the Craftmasons are The Awakened Artisans of these areas also continue
in no way surprised that such a “small” invention could to develop new and innovative ideas, and it would be
have such an enormous social impact). Early printers may remiss to not reflect on them and their considerable
be little more than clever Sleepers; the technology is a contributions.

18
 INsTrUCTION
The First:
ARS LONGA,VITA BREVIS

combination of rather commonplace ideas, quite immune Few other factions bother to oppose it, either because they
to the Scourge. Still, reason and innovation ride the tide misjudge its importance or because they dream of using it
of change (and war) that ensues, while Hermetic magi for their own purposes. In any case, the urban guilds who
and saintly Choristers remain hunched over their hand- promote it are the Daedaleans’ stronghold; a direct assault
crafted, utterly personal books. In the unstable religious would be a dangerous prospect.
environment of the age, amidst the squabbling princes Eventually, the consequences of mass communication
and political ideas of Europe, a cheap, simple method of are incorporated into the Ars Praeclarus (and the High
spreading new ideas and attacking old ideologies is far Guild’s Ars Cupiditae). Extraordinarily powerful Mind
more explosive than mere gunpowder. effects become possible as Sleepers believe that anything
As it spreads through the remainder of the 15th cen- printed in black and white must be true. For now, however,
tury, printing is watched with interest by the Daedaleans. matters remain in an early, experimental stage.

19
 INSTRUCTION
the second:
THE GREAT WORK

“…a modern system of science had been intro-

duced, which possessed much greater powers than
the ancient, because the powers of the latter were
chimerical, while those of the former were real and
practical…”
— Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

osa the ’prentice silversmith, secretly third- “Use this!” She flung him the knife, hilt first. He
order Initiate of the Sanctified Labyrinth, caught it deftly, glanced at it a moment, then reacted as
worked swiftly. She knew her master’s inner one with no other stratagems to mind. Deflecting the crea-
workshop perfectly these days — she could ture’s blow with his buckler, he ducked beneath its arms
have found the tools with her eyes closed and, with desperate strength, drove the short blade deep
— so her attention was all on the diamond. into its armored chest.
She clamped it in a tiny steel vice, its base For a moment the creature stared at the silver hilt. Rank
hard against the polished granite back-plate, and then pulled a disbelief was unmistakable, even on its inhuman face. Then it
magnifying lens into place. dropped like a sack of coal to the workshop floor.
There! Just as she remembered — an oblique flaw ran “So much for the legends,” the man gasped.
right through the stone. “No,” Rosa replied, “the astrologer had it right. Its hide
She took up a cold steel blade and a small, lead-weighted would turn aside iron or steel, or any blade or point less per-
hammer. No time for fine calculations, but she knew that this fect.” She managed a strained smile. “It’s just as well I was
could work. The blade hard against the diamond, the hammer brought up in a jeweler’s shop. Nothing is more perfectly hard
struck once — and the diamond was split along the flaw, leaving than diamond.”
a point. It wouldn’t catch the light like the faceted stones her “You made a weapon that could slay a Sending that’s
father’s bolder friends prepared, but that wasn’t what she wanted. butchered three masters of our hall….”
She mounted it, straight away, but at the tip of a half-finished “Raw luck, the astrologer’s words — and the ignorance of
eating-knife from the bench. (Silver — probably not essential, that heathen witch-man, really, brother. If he had understood
but it might help.) The fixing was an impossibly tricky task that that it’s more than cold iron that we wield, he might have called
took several minutes, but she wanted it to be strong. up a more fearsome demon.”
A roar from the next room told her that it would have to serve. “Hmm.” The mercenary leaned against a bench. Only now
She flung open the door just in time to see a Craftmason halberdier did Rosa see the blood oozing through his mail. “We could use
fall, his chest torn open by the monster’s claws as it lunged in from luck like yours in the Mauls, girl. Any day you wish…”
the street. The other man looked at her in desperation.

21
A History of The Daedalean Parable
The First Artisan in many Daedalean eyes is in fact
Inspiration Daedalus of Athens, whom most of the world knows as
a vague legend. Enlightened astrologer-scholars say he
n tedious exile now too long detain’d, lived and worked in the 20th century B.C. To the Arti-
ficers in particular, his story is more than a biography; it
Daedalus languish’d for his native land:
is a living parable, full of inspiration and warnings.
The sea foreclos’d his flight;
Instructed by the goddess Athena (whom some
yet thus he said: Artificers interpret as a Daemon rather than as an inde-
“Tho’ Earth and water in subjection laid, pendent spiritual being), Daedalus showed his genius by
O cruel Minos, thy dominion be, the invention of the ax, awl and level. However, he also
We’ll go thro’ air; for sure the air is free.” fell victim to hubris and murdered his nephew Talus for
— Ovid, Metamorphoses showing too much promise. This led to punishment —
To Daedalean craftsmen, the important aspect of his- exile — and having to compromise his craft by working
tory is the story of human creation. They draw inspiration for a tyrannical Sleeper, King Minos of Crete. Daedalus
from past masterworks, burrow through ancient texts and showed his mastery of the sphere of Life by creating
drawings, and spend hours contemplating old buildings and the disguise that enabled Minos’ wife Pasiphae to mate
designs in search of ideas. To the Craftmasons, old buildings with a bull and actually produce a child, the monstrous
are most important; not only do they embody subtleties Minotaur. (Tinkering with Life is always dangerous!)
of geometry and craft — and provide useful exercises in Subtle and clever, Daedalus found a secret appren-
determining how particular effects were achieved — they tice in Minos’ daughter Ariadne, and suggested how
are moral lessons in stone, showing how the anonymous she could aid the hero Theseus to slay the monster.
work of thousands of humble hands can outlast the power Suspected of conspiracy, Daedalus and his son Icarus
of kings and transcend the vanity of princes. The Artificers were imprisoned in the labyrinth of the inventor’s own
(and craft-working members of other Conventions) tend creation — a lesson for those who meddle in Sleeper
to a more personal view of workmanship, and see noth- politics. Creating artificial wings, Daedalus and his son
ing wrong with honoring individual genius; the history of escaped, but Icarus died in the attempt. Sleepers interpret
their Convention is the history of personal masterpieces. this incident as an example of hubris punished; Icarus
It is only in the Renaissance, with the increasing spread flew too close to the sun. Artificers, however, see it as
of Artificer philosophy and some large-scale production something more subtle — a warning about the dangers of
of standardized devices, that focus begins to shift from the excessive emotional involvement with anyone, however
personal to the general. close, and of the dangers of the Scourge. Daedalus flew
Although Daedalean Artificers hold that Craft is as on to Sicily, where he later took revenge on Minos by
old as humanity — or at least that it has existed since slaying him with a technical trick.
Adam and Eve, ejected from Paradise, taught themselves The legend of the apprentice Ariadne takes several
to delve and spin — High Artisans trace the organized different forms. Artificers promote the version in which
form of their vision back to the ancient cities of Mesopo- she is abandoned on the island of Naxos by Theseus (trust
tamia, where building and irrigation works required the not those Sleepers who demand weapons of you!). She
first large-scale, long-term engineering in history. These is said to have married the god Dionysus and to have
practical works transformed arid plains into cities, wherein eventually become a goddess. Some Daedaleans take
priests and scholars first began to look to the skies and this as meaning simply that she fell into alcoholism —
delve into mathematics. In Babylon, such thinkers found a worldly error — or excessive mysticism, but others
subtle relationships of form and number. Applying what interpret the god as her Daemon and say that escaping
they found to the practicalities of building, they were the mundane entanglement, she achieved Ascension or at
first to invoke the great principle As Above, So Below. least a mystickal version of the Zenith.
Sacred geometry was born. At first telling, this myth has a misogynistic air;
However, the oldest name in the Artisan’s roll of honor Ariadne was the pupil of the true (male) genius, fell
is Egyptian: Imhotep, who worked around 2630 to 2610 for a handsome face and probably died alone. However,
B.C. As the architect of the first pyramid and an expert many Artificer scholars point out that of the pair, it was
in medicine, he is perhaps of more interest to the Cosians she who may have attained divinity….
and Craftmasons than to the Artificers, but he certainly
possessed genius. The sacred spark spread.

22
 INSTRUCTION
the second:
THE GREAT WORK

Solomon and the

Hiramic Legend
After Hatshepsut and Thothmes called together their
meeting of great minds, Awakened crafters spread across
the civilized world, mostly working on a subtle level to
distribute their philosophy among the common folk. Craft-
masons claim the achievements of King Solomon the Wise
as part of their traditions, not so much for the symbols and
spells that are credited to him by the Hermetics as for the
creation of the Temple, a physical manifestation of their
ideal of unity.
Masons also possess secret lore concerning this era.
The Bible briefly mentions one Hiram, a bronze-worker of
Tyre who is described as creating much of the metalwork
of the Temple. Craftmason legend states that he was in
fact one of the architects of the entire building, a humble
Artisan-builder who shaped that which the divinely
inspired magus-king proposed. Craftmasons also say that
Hiram was murdered by three lesser workmen for refusing
to divulge secrets of his craft. When they were detected
and executed for the crime, Hiram’s body was found where
they had secretly buried it, and he was reburied with honor
within the temple itself.
This is a simple tale told to apprentices, showing that
a Craftmason must be on guard against jealous enemies
who envy the Convention’s secrets, and that death in
defense of that lore is highly honorable. Many Craftmason
induction ceremonies involve re-enactment of the story of
Hiram; the initiate must show himself ready to face death.
However, there are other texts, more secret yet, revealed to
only those who have proved their worthiness. One appar-
ently hints that Hiram was not simply reburied, but that
he was actually brought back from the dead. Alternatively,
Mason-scholars note that burial within sacred buildings
is not common Jewish practice. If Hiram was so interred,
there may have been some unique — and perhaps slightly
dark — ritual aspect involved. However, most Craftmasons
dismiss such speculations as irrelevant.

The Classical World

The next great flowering of technical genius arose
in Greece (Daedalus’ homeland). Inspired by earlier
philosophers (including Aretus, whose works would play
a part in the later history of reality-shaping science) and
by knowledge of sacred geometry brought from its Meso-
potamian homeland to the east, the Classical Greeks laid
the foundations of Western thought (and shaped some
wondrous architecture). Some Daedaleans have special
respect for Pythagoras, who declared that numbers were the
foundation of the universe. His other theories — especially
his obsession with reincarnation — are too woolly-minded

23
and mystickal for most; his use of mathematics seems rather the numerous engineers responsible for China’s astound-
Hermetic. These dissenting Crafters prefer to look to Py- ing building works.
thagoras’ second-generation pupil Archytas of Tarentum, But China is not the only eastern source of innova-
an empiricist who actually applied Pythagoras’ ideas to tion. The Near East has been as influential on western
the world of experience, and who also built automatons development as has the Far East. Much of the technology
and other devices (some of which flew!). But the great- that makes the Renaissance possible is a direct contribution
est Artificer of Greek civilization was surely Archimedes of Indian, Persian and various Islamic civilizations. Trade
(287-212 B.C.), who gave Sleepers numerous devices and the accompanying dissemination of information is
and mathematical ideas and who built war-machines that credited with much of the impetus behind the Renaissance.
enabled his home city of Syracuse to hold off the entire One of the primary trade routes is the Silk Road leading
Roman army for three years. overland from China to Western Europe. The Chinese silk
A few decades later, an astronomer named Andron- that comes along this route is accompanied by damask,
ichos Kyrrhestes built the “Tower of the Winds” in Athens, gauze, muslin and taffeta — all Arab and Indian textiles.
which seems to have been a building-Machina for the study Cotton also originated with the Muslims; Muhammad
of Time, complete with both water-clocks and sundials. himself is said to have begun the practice of wearing cot-
However, by now the dominant power in the Mediter- ton by donning a white cotton shirt and trousers under
ranean world was Rome. his woolen tunic.
The Romans were master engineers and builders, if Though Chinese Artificers point to a variety of devices
not great inventors; Craftmasons rate them higher than do as their contribution to the craftsman’s domain, near eastern
Artificers. That said, both Conventions admire Vitruvius, builders and inventors know that western successes are their
a first-century B.C. Roman writer whose book on archi- provenance. Many of the Greek texts used by Craftmasons
tecture is becoming the set text for Renaissance builders. in their study of sacred geometry were translated by Arabic
The tome describes simple but useful machines and lays scholars. Indeed, al-Khwarizmi, an astronomer and math-
out the rules of Classical architectural style. However, ematician, wrote the treatise explaining the entire system
Greek culture was the main source of new machines in of Arabic numerals. Without this work, the Artificers’
the Roman Empire. complex calculations could never have been.
Thus, in his Greek-dominated home city in Egypt, Craftmasons also owe much of their knowledge of
in the first century A.D., the great Artificer Heron of castle-building to their observations of Arabic strongholds
Alexandria founded an entire school of engineering and during the First Crusade. Militant factions of the Artificer
invented steam power along with numerous other devices. traditions adopted eastern-style weapons and fighting styles
(Incidentally, Heron had a Greek-style name, but his ances- as well. Crusaders also learned more peaceable lessons from
try is unknown; he may well have been Egyptian — that is, their adversaries: irrigation techniques and raising crops
North African.) Later Artificers wonder what Heron could such as rice, sugarcane and citrus fruit. Even the stained-
have achieved if the Scourge had not obstructed him. glass windows gracing European cathedrals were a result
of Arabic influence; Muslim glaziers shared their secrets
The East with Venetians in 1277.
Those who have studied Chinese texts from Classical
western times are sure that Artificers of the two cultures
were in contact. Indeed, these scholars date their Conven-
The Dark Ages
The fall of Rome and the similar failure of the Han
tion’s rise to organized power from these Classical times.
Chinese Empire were disastrous for the cause of Reason,
Ancient Chinese civilization had already created all
but no irreparable damage was done. The Chinese for-
manner of interesting and useful devices, including kites,
mulated a lesson that served them well, by and large, for
the magnetic compass and crossbows, and had produced
two thousand years. Those who conquer China will find
many impressive building works — the greatest and most
that the best way to rule the land is to adopt its existing
terrible being the Great Wall of China, a defensive system
institutions, and hence will inevitably become Chinese
created by an insane emperor who fought (or claimed to
themselves. China was conquered, but could not be de-
fight) against supernatural forces, but who also destroyed
stroyed — and its craftsmen and technologies were part of
vast quantities of books, sparing only those concerning
the package. In the West, Rome fell harder. Its engineering
a few useful subjects. Eastern-born Artificers are proud
skills were lost across most of its old territory. The secret
to draw inspiration from past geniuses of their own land
Awakened Artificers of the Collegium Praecepti, heirs to
— such as Cai Lun, who invented paper in A.D. 105,
the mathematics of Pythagoras and the inventiveness of
and Zhang Heng, who built seismographs and powered
Heron, were scattered.
astronomical instruments in A.D. 120 — as well as from

24
 INSTRUCTION
the second:
THE GREAT WORK

Still, some solitary brilliant craftsmen not only kept the (especially cathedrals). Half a century later, a new style of
flame of inspiration alive, they created new masterworks. architecture, later termed “Romanesque,” appeared. Master
Master-builders allied with newly triumphant monotheists craftsmen wandered the continent. Some carried the half-
to create wondrous domed churches, asserting the power forgotten ideals of sacred geometry and declared that the
of faith and creation in the minds of men. This movement buildings they crafted could and should reflect the glories
culminated when the vast domed church of Hagia Sophia of creation. But feudal lords had their own ideas and were
was raised in Constantinople in a mere six years, between determined that their authority should not be questioned.
A.D. 532 and 537 — a miracle of engineering and faith. Meanwhile, Hermetic magi in their hidden Covenants
Legend says that when the Emperor Justinian entered claimed a monopoly on arcane lore, required that “hedge
the completed building for the first time, he murmured, magicians” should join them or die, and grasped greedily
“Solomon, I have surpassed thee” — a claim of Christian after any places of power, any sources of the “Vis” they
victory over the Hermetic traditions, but also a uniquely craved. And as for the Creatures of the Night….
proud boast on behalf of the mason-engineers who had Lone Craftsmen ultimately stood no chance against
done the work — or perhaps a slap in the face for their such forces. One man determined to find a solution.
old ideals. Wolfgang von Reismann called in favors accumulated over
In A.D. 673, again in the Byzantine Empire, a Syrian many years, used the good name he had forged and brought
architect and alchemist named Kallinikos faced down the together a great congregation — the “Gathering of the
Scourge that had previously made incendiary weapons Square.” It was a chaotic meeting, and few who attended
impossibly dangerous. He gave “Greek Fire” to the em- were in full agreement with each other, but they did nearly
pire’s Sleepers. Ironically, this weapon was used to defend all agree about their collective problem. Once they had
Byzantium against the rising power of Islam, but it was the sat down together, they recognized a certain brotherhood.
Muslim world that combined Persian libraries, the knowl- Thus were founded the Craftmasons, who would perform
edge of Greek scholars exiled from the Byzantine Empire so much of the building work of the Order of Reason.
(by Justinian, ironically enough), and its own dynamic
faith to create new innovations. Baghdad was the greatest A Growing Wisdom
source of innovation and science in the world for a few The 12th and 13th centuries saw further advances for
centuries. Islam produced such figures as the Bani Musa the cause of Reason in Europe, often in the midst of what
(Sons of Musa), who calculated the circumference of the seemed to be its greatest enemies. The Crusades led to all
Earth and created subtle pneumatic and hydraulic devices manner of bloodshed and hatred, but they sent Europeans
in the ninth century A.D., and Al-Jazari, who in A.D. 1206 — scholars as well as soldiers — back and forth between
completed a book on intricate water-clocks that marked the “Frankish” lands and the East. Much lore — overt
time with musical sounds or moving statues. and occult — was transmitted in the process. Indeed, an
Meanwhile in Europe, more subtle inventors improved Italian nobleman within the very Order of Hermes named
agricultural methods — a seemingly minor change that Lorenzo Golo discovered an ancient Greek text in an
would help the lands of the cold north rise to power in Arabic translation. He used it to propose an inspired form
coming centuries. In China, bureaucracy had some space of science that owed little to mysticism. (That science is a
for engineering geniuses, especially in the field of irrigation little subjective for most Daedaleans’ tastes. Although many
and canal-building, which was essential to some regions. of Golo’s disciples now work within the Conventions, his
Around A.D. 600, the Minister of Works Yuwen Kai built philosophical theories remain highly controversial. In the
cities, canals and water-clocks. However, Chinese tradition far future, this entire school of thought breaks away and
is of more interest to High Artisans, who respect genius eventually aligns itself with the Traditions.)
wherever they find it, than it is to the Craftmasons; few And there was Roger Bacon, the “Doctor Mirabilis.”
Chinese inventors or builders ever did much for the humble This 13th-century master Artificer, teacher, friar and al-
peasantry, although many labor-saving inventions helped chemist single-handedly laid the foundations for Daedalean
improve commoners’ lives a little over the years. growth over the next hundred years. He appears to have
had a deep, intuitive understanding of the limits placed
A New Foundation on his work by the newly growing Scourge, and set out to
While Artisans of various styles and cultures had introduce new scientific ideas and devices through subtlety.
united in different cities at different times for protec- Cool-headed Sleeper historians remember him for his writ-
tion and exchange of ideas, the gathering of craftsmen ings and theories, and look with amusement on the wilder
in Frankfurt, in A.D. 997, was slightly more significant. legends of wonder-working attached to his name; the talking
Europe felt a little safer, and rather richer, than it had brass head, for example, that burst soon after it was made.
for centuries. The Holy Roman Emperor had married a Artificers understand that such stories may be literal truth.
Byzantine princess and encouraged new, greater buildings Bacon learned the secret of gunpowder and released it to

25
his readers in cryptic, encoded form, thereby insinuating themselves to be hopeless mystics and had to be cast out
it into popular acceptance by stages. His other writings of the Order. Battles won in guildhalls and universities
mention flying machines and self-propelled carriages as were balanced by losses in countryside and palace. But
potential benefits of philosophy, not as proven (but self- the Order discovered the strength of the many, which
annihilating) facts. His great weakness was, perhaps, his the enemy had disregarded. Furthermore, as war became
failure to apply his scientific rigor to some of his religious overt, it involved straightforward weapons in large num-
beliefs; he came to believe in certain apocalyptic prophe- bers, which the Artisans understood better than anyone.
cies that were current in his time, and this, combined with Cannon were distributed widely, but Craftmasons were
his other teachings, brought him trouble with his fellow almost as pleased with the battlefield victories of Welsh and
churchmen. However, Bacon’s influence within the nascent English longbowmen. The Masons also knew how to build
High Artisans was and remains immense. castles for defense, while enemies who retreated behind
Meanwhile, the Craftmasons tested their strength. such walls often discovered that some past master-builder
Stephen Trevanus’ small-scale peasant revolt in England left subtle flaws for his brethren to exploit.
was little more than an angry outburst, but the fall of The High Artisans, with new ideas to inspire them and
Mistridge in A.D. 1210, involving the cannons that would wealth from newly rich patrons to support them, retired
be given to European Sleepers a century later, showed what to their workshops for a while. They emerged with flying
they could achieve. Europe’s Masons were lucky enough machines and other new devices to challenge their rally-
to be fighting wars that they could win. In China, the ing enemies. Among Sleepers, many in the Church were
Dalou’laoshi unleashed technological weapons against the bought over with simple clocks, placing expert craftsmen
Mongols but were eventually overwhelmed (although the in positions of trust in many an abbey or cathedral. The
south of China held out for decades). Craftmasons, flushed with victory, used the webs of influ-
ence and friendship they had spun across Europe while
The White Tower building the great Gothic cathedrals to encourage peasant
At the beginning of the 14th century, scholars such revolts. Unfortunately, such revolts were generally cut
as Petrarch in wealthy Italian cities rediscovered Clas- down ruthlessly. The highest and most ambitious cathedrals
sical literature and philosophy and distributed it to the sometimes collapsed as the Scourge seeped into mundane
Sleeper world. The lords, Hermetic mages and vampires workmanship, destroying that which lacked a properly
who dominated those lands were tolerant, even supportive; developed and understood system of mathematical theory
they had developed a taste for fine art and gracious living to sustain it. The Craftmasons, angry with themselves for
and saw no harm in a few academics discussing wild and their over-reaching enthusiasm, resolved to take more
untenable ideas about human dignity and objective real- care, to work with their new allies to develop ideas that
ity. The Artisans and Craftmasons on the edges of these would make their schemes viable.
developments watched and plotted. Thus, a new phase in the Artificer program was pre-
In A.D. 1325, in a remote area of northwest France, pared, with ideas and simple inventions spreading among
they struck. Yoassmy of Brittany was a typical, if exception- Sleepers, and astounding inventions emerging from the
ally powerful, Hermetic magus. The Masons who had been workshops of the Enlightened.
watching her for years judged that she had grown apart The enemies of Reason are about to face assaults, not
from worldly concerns and played games with Scourge only on their physical defenses, but also on their authority
and Quiet while the lands she ruled fell into decay. The and their dreams.
Artisans’ Church allies of the moment were offended by
Yoassmy’s hubris; she denied much that they held sacred.
(The Craftmasons maintained a tactful silence on such Current Events
thoughts.) The ensuing assault was not without cost, not
o the Heavens above us
only in troops, but in reputation; Yoassmy almost became
a martyr for the cause of superstition, with tales suggesting O look and behold
that she achieved Ascension even as she was cast down. The Planets that love us
But the prize — a fine tower, a strong Cray — was not to All harnessed in gold!
be disregarded. And in the midst of Yoassmy’s laboratories, What chariots, what horses
a Craftmason captain turned and said, It does not have to Against us shall bide
stop here. While the Stars in their courses
Thus was founded the Order of Reason. Not that Do fight on our side?
triumph was immediate. Plagues wracked Europe, perhaps — Rudyard Kipling, An Astrologer’s Song
delaying the Renaissance by a century. The Solificati showed

26
 INSTRUCTION
the second:
THE GREAT WORK

Artificer “magick” is on the rise. It remains essentially — among the common folk of cities. From that base, they
vain in the eyes of most Sleepers, who do not see how ar- work outward in all directions. They support scholars who
rangements of metal and stone can accomplish so much. promote rationalism and humanism, which implies that
But that is changing. Not only do many a local lord’s troops considered works of the human hand are more potent
take up handguns in place of bows, but the local abbey may than invocations of superstition. Artisans also promote
well have installed a clock in its tower to mark the hours artists whose thoughtful creativity demonstrates just how
of prayer. Meanwhile, the rich merchant’s townhouse is much is possible. Reason seems strongest in Italy, home
built on a strange and elegant new pattern. It seems that of the Renaissance, and in the Ottoman Empire, with its
craftsmanship can accomplish what it claims, after all. tradition of Islamic scholarship. Yet both these lands are
Of course, some feats are more plausible than others. hotbeds of religious power. The corruption of the papacy
Flight is centuries away for Sleepers, and the power of vast may undermine superstition, but it also makes trouble
architecture and stonework remains elusive and subtle. It for everyone, while the Ottoman version of Islam grows
eventually comes to seem that the Masons produce grand increasingly legalistic and always places revelation above
schemes but limit immediate change in the world, while science. Thus, and to the distaste of their Gabrielite allies,
Artisans can accomplish almost anything they wish, but Artificers begin to look further afield for aid.
only on a small scale. For their part, the Void Seekers
benefit from a series of subtle but useful improvements in
mundane ship-building and navigation, while the Celestial The Northern Lands
Masters have to keep their voyages and craftsmanship A string of wars rages across the north of Europe. Some
secret and to fight bitterly for the triumph of their science are horrific half-secret contests of supernatural forces. Others
in mundane society. are overt mundane conflicts based on religious differences and
For now, Enlightened craftsmen are entangled in a dreams of conquest. Frequently, the two become entangled.
bitter war for hearts and minds. In universities, hermetic The Order of Reason takes a special interest in all.
magick and alchemy remain admired, while in the coun- The north is still a frontier region from the point of
tryside witches and secret wise-men retain their influence. view of Christendom. Lithuania, a land of swamps and
Thus, Artisans and Masons must look for support elsewhere forests, nominally became Christian in A.D. 1387, but that

27
was more a piece of royal politics than a mass conversion. handguns within mobile “wagon fortresses”; whether or
Paganism — of a robust, rather bloody kind — remains not the Craftmasons surreptitiously give them aid, this is
powerful here. Lithuania’s “conversion” is partly a reaction the most spectacular display of technological might ever
to the power of the Teutonic Knights, an old crusading seen in Sleeper warfare in the West, and it causes numer-
order that has taken control of Prussia (ruthlessly wiping ous other nations to adopt similar ideas. Incidentally,
out paganism there), and which sees further conquests as occasional alliances between Bohemian and Lithuanian
opportunities for wealth and to serve God. The Lithuanians factions give everyone pause for thought, but do not seem
hold off the knights successfully, but largely by forming to have any lasting consequences.
close alliance with Christian Poland, which threatens to The Hussites endure for many years and exert some
become the dominant partner. influence on the later growth of Protestantism before
The north is a cauldron in which the Infernal can fading away. The Craftmasons always regard this era
brew carnage in the name of the Old Faith. Appa Bloodax with affection. With gunpowder and printing alike well-
and his even more terrible offspring Tezghul the Insane developed in Germany and neighboring lands, they find
hold the mundane rank of senior chiefs in Lithuania, but much promise here.
their power is that of Hell. Such evils would be a threat
in any land, but here, with Christianity hated and feared,
and true pagans seemingly powerless, the raw power of
The Fall of Constantinople
darkness holds a certain appeal to the short-sighted. By At the start of the Dark Fantastic period, Constanti-
the time they learn what it is they have allied with, it is nople, once the proud successor to Rome itself, has been
too late. reduced to a joke. The “Byzantine Empire” now consists
Bringing down Tezghul demands more than the swords of a few lands along the coast of the Black Sea, cut off on
of the Teutonic Order. In A.D. 1472, an entire Daedalean all sides by the Ottoman Turks to whom the emperor is
army is needed to stop him. The costly victory gives sur- obliged to pay tribute. The city itself has survived so long
viving Artificers a certain deep satisfaction — the power only because it happens to be extremely defensible, but
of Hell itself proves vulnerable to cannon and clockwork the old walls crumble and the Ottomans have acquired
tanks. At the Battle of Harz, the new machines prove their cannons.
worth, as even the Gabrielites acknowledge. The end comes in A.D. 1453. The Byzantines have
(Later, the Order of Reason suppresses records of this tried appealing to the West for aid, and their leaders have
war, hiding it in the confused struggles between Lithuania even attempted to merge their Orthodox Church with Ro-
and the Teutonic Knights. It is not helpful for Sleepers to man Catholicism, but the people of the city do not accept
suspect that pagans and devil-worshippers once had power this option even in the face of annihilation. The Order of
enough to threaten all of Germany.) Reason notes that; the cause of “One Faith, One Church”
is not much served by helping the city, while numerous
The Hussites Artisans (of all kinds) find profitable service in the Ot-
toman ranks. Some ancient Hermetics, Kabbalists and
Meanwhile in Bohemia, Christendom itself is in tur- alchemists — residents of the city — see the way of things
moil. In 1415, a dedicated philosopher-preacher named and withdraw silently. Several wise vampires do much the
Jan Hus is burned at the stake for his campaign for Church same, for the Muslims bring fire and strong faith. A few
reform. A Church built on martyrs shows an uncanny talent Venetian and Genoese troops show up to offer forlorn aid
for making more of them. A great movement that combines (ironically so, given the old rivalry between Venice and
Czech nationalism with Hussite religious reform rises up Constantinople), but the walls soon crumble, the city is
against the power of the Catholic Church and the foreign stormed and the last Roman emperor dies (fighting nobly
lords who claim power in that land. The Hussites themselves in the streets, to his credit).
soon split between moderate and extremist factions, but
even so, they beat off numerous crusading attacks between
1420 and 1436, eventually obtaining a semi-independent
The Refugees
Bohemian Catholic Church for themselves (at the cost of But even this apparent disaster for the Christian
other, more extreme objectives). cause has long-term benefits for Europe. Once the city’s
The Order of Reason has a problem here. The Cabal doom becomes evident, a large number of Greek scholars,
of Pure Thought violently disapproves of the Hussites perhaps not trusting the renowned Muslim respect for
(“One Church, One Faith, One God!”), although a few learning, flee westward, mostly to Italy. Those students
of them admit that there is a need for Church reform. The bring ancient Greek texts (and native skills in the Greek
Craftmasons, on the other hand, make no secret of their language), extensive knowledge of ancient and eastern
support for this popular movement. The Hussites defeat philosophy, and a new outlook on many topics. They fuel
armies of nobles and knights by deploying cannon and the next stage in the Renaissance.

28
 INSTRUCTION
the second:
THE GREAT WORK

There are some Awakened among them. They may grandson of Tamberlane the terrible, lord of Turkestan, is
owe allegiance to the Traditions or to the Conventions, or an active astronomer who builds the greatest observatory
they may be of the Disparate, but the variety of unfamiliar in the Sleeper world in Samarkand.)
thoughts they carry give most advantage to those who favor China, meanwhile, is still a land of wondrous
change in the old order of things. craftsmanship; some of its mundane products (rugged
sea-going junks, delicate porcelain) surpass anything that
Spain European Sleepers are induced to create for centuries.
Nor is Christendom in disarray everywhere. In Spain, The Chinese have used gunpowder longer than anyone
the old Muslim Kingdom of Granada, once the most glori- else, and Dalou’laoshi texts are much in demand among
ous and sophisticated of all Islamic powers, has been on European Daedaleans for their ideas on the explosive’s
the retreat for centuries, ever since political fragmentation applications.
left it vulnerable to religious fanatics from the north (and China is in one of its reasonably strong periods under
to undermining assaults from its own supposed allies, in Ming emperors, and the Dalou’laoshi, in slightly uneasy
the form of fanatical fundamentalist Muslim powers out of alliance with Wu Lung alchemists, are dominant and
North Africa). By the end of the century, Granada falls to confident. However, the very strength of the Ming causes
a newly united, confident, very Christian Spain that goes the Dalou’laoshi to become staid and static. Although
on to become one of the world’s great powers. Daedalean Artificers continue to regard China as the
This is a favored land among the Cabal of Pure Thought. second great center of their power for centuries to come,
Other Daedaleans, let alone the Council of Nine, keep their it is easier to innovate in Europe.
heads down for the moment. In time, the Void Seekers and
their mundane associates find the King of Spain a wealthy
(if greedy) patron — but so does the Inquisition.
The Age of Exploration
Europe’s explosion of confidence and assertive expan-

Asia sion, fueled partly by the dreams of numerous Daedaleans,

spreads new ideas around the globe. Nautical powers have
Across the rest of the world, the cause of applied science probed down Africa’s west coast for the last couple of
has its gains and losses. India, for example, has often seemed centuries, but the ocean has proved too unforgiving for
a promising region, wealthy and sophisticated. Indian Mediterranean galleys. It takes strong new sailing ships
smiths made some of the finest blades of the Middle Ages and the compass newly brought by land from China to
(which, traded to Muslim traders, gave Arab metalwork permit western nations to trade direct with India without
a somewhat exaggerated reputation in the West). Indian paying tolls to Venice and the Turk. Those same vessels
mathematics, with its subtle use of the zero, has actually soon prove capable of reaching a whole new world across
been the source of some of the scientific miracles of the age. the Atlantic — a world that is changed forever.
But India suffers from chronic population problems, which Of course, Columbus and Vasco de Gama have already
in turn encourage an element of fatalism in philosophy been anticipated by Void Seekers, who have determined
(which disgusts Craftmasons who hear of it). The land is much about distant lands. (Whether or not they realize it,
also dominated by Muslim conquerors. Because its rulers, the world is shaped and pinned down by the iron wills of
native and foreign alike, never learn to reward ingenuity and those secret Enlightened travelers.) Later generations find
innovation, marvelously talented Indian craftsmen tend odd evidence that Columbus may have possessed some older
to make what is asked of them and no more. The Order map or log book, justifying his confidence in his chances of
of Reason takes little interest in the region, leaving it to success. It may well be that Columbus’ journey was the Order
Arabian allies of the Mokteshaf Al-Nour to plunder what of Reason’s first and greatest of all manipulations of history.
they can. Thus, invading Moslem Moguls, descendants of They perhaps granted the wealth of distant or unknown lands
the Mongols who were fully able to hold off the Ottomans to the European nations where their dynamic, humanistic
on one side while striking hard on the other, have a clear philosophies and monotheistic faith were strongest, and
technological advantage. thus ensured a world made in their own image. The cost
(The descendants of nomad barbarians prove remark- may yet be greater than they dreamed, but not necessarily
ably easy to turn to the cause of science, in fact. Ulugh Beg, greater than they would have wished to pay.

29
Basic Theories However, the Artificer version of Humanism is materialistic,
meticulous and precise. The innovators have little to do with
the version that draws on certain recently translated Hermetic
old is for the mistress — silver for the maid — texts (especially the “Emerald Tablet” of Hermes Trismegistus),
Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade. which is more mystical and less analytical. (Also, none of the
“Good!” said the Baron, sitting in his hall, Awakened accept one early Humanist ideal: balance and restraint
“But Iron — Cold Iron — is master of in all things. The master strives toward the Zenith!)
them all.” Craftmasons are (literally) the most revolutionary in
— Rudyard Kipling, Cold Iron their philosophy. They combine some Humanist ideas with
older schemes and grudges. While the High Artisan embraces
Artificer creation is but one aspect of something huge and
the Humanist idea that he should transform himself, and thus
much more strange: the Ars Praeclarus. This is the immensely
be able to transform the human world, the Craftmason nods
practical application of a rather abstract philosophical idea;
the concept that the world can be comprehended and ana-
lyzed on a practical level, that to understand a thing is to have
power over it, and that — most outrageous of all — human
Al-kohl and Other Exoticisms
reason is adequate to encompass all creation. The Artificers and innovators of the Ahl-i-Batin
Artificers are not alone in thinking this. Indeed, do not have the same attitude toward esoteric sci-
there are those within the Nine Traditions who mostly ences as do their European counterparts. Chemistry,
agree with them. Hermetic magi, for example, are just philosophy and most importantly alchemy all have
as prone to measurement and may be even more fussily their place in Batini studies.
precise. (Alchemy, on the other hand, is slightly annoying On a more mundane level, the laboratories of
to the Artificer viewpoint. It starts well enough, with the the Subtle Ones have grown to be accepted as unre-
idea of analyzing and manipulating the material forms of markable, if not commonplace, in Islamic areas. The
the world, but soon strays off into wild realms of symbol Batini have slipped several concoctions into public
and subjectivity. Artificer alchemy is rather basic when circulation that might have been impossible otherwise:
compared to the subtle, strange arts of the Solificati or distilled alcohol, for one. Sleeper healers and Awak-
the Ahl-i-Batin [see sidebar].) But emphasis on mecha- ened inventors fascinated with modifications to the
nism and mechanical force is peculiar to the Artisans and human body make great use of alcohol. Its virtues as a
Craftmasons. Indeed, Artificers’ ideas — the belief that preservative also begin to become common knowledge.
man is the measure of all things; the claim that nothing Many of the dyes and pigments used by clothiers and
in nature, save perhaps skill and diligence, justifies the artists are products of Arabian laboratories, and the
ascendancy of one human over another — are downright process of staining glass is a direct result of scientific
outrageous. Although builders currently remain allied to experimentation and creative use of Matter arts.
the worshipful Gabrielites, and very, very few of them deny However, some Batini laboratories are the sort
the supremacy of God, an Artificer’s deity is a distant, about which devout Christians and dedicated Artificers
rather abstract being, a divine mechanic who created the whisper and grumble — dens of strangely bubbling
world, set it in motion and now stands back. flasks, mysterious vapors and brightly colored liquids.
Alchemy is not an idle waste of time to the Batini, and
Humanism they have proved their conviction well-founded (not
even the Solificati, with their regimented protocol and
Still, Artificers do not go completely against the spirit
of the age. The Renaissance is driven by what is one day near-fanaticism, achieve the heights of discovery that
called Humanism. (Note that the word is not yet in use; the Murshids do). Simply transmuting lead into gold
magus-philosophers talk more generally of “Classical ideas” is child’s play for these sophisticated experimenters.
and “modern philosophy.”) This belief system has grown Creating Lunargent (true silver) or Hermium (true
from study of a mass of newly translated Classical authors mercury) is somewhat more difficult. Yet none of these
into a whole system of thought. It emphasizes human virtues accomplishments suffice for the Ahl-i-Batin.
and capabilities and seeks to improve society by the direct Batini alchemists’ ultimate search is for Omnium,
application of ideas. Many European Renaissance magi, the material essence of all elements. True silver, true
including members of the Nine Traditions, are humanists of gold and even true mercury are wondrous indeed,
some sort. Daedalean Artificers are only peculiar in that they but each is only one thing — one thing in its pur-
are so literal-minded about it. They study material things, est form. Mastery and enlightenment lie in Unity.
apply human capabilities to them and set out to change the Perhaps the keys to spirit, flesh and earth all at once
world by the direct application of the powers gained. will be found in the physical realm.

30
 INSTRUCTION
the second:
THE GREAT WORK

careful agreement to the idea that human virtue is paramount,

then asks which human beings are most virtuous? Does crude
power really make the aristocrat or the magus better, or
Allies
truly more important than the plowman? However, lacking “Master? There are others we can trust, aren’t there?”
a power base in the great universities, Craftmasons never Jasper the Silversmith looked sideways at his apprentice.
succeed in planting these ideas within the new philosophy. “Don’t test me, girl. You’ve heard what I’ve been saying of
Still, with their idea that virtue arises from human effort, the Order.”
they agree with many scholars in many ways. “And what do the others do? Or is that all Craft
And with Daedalean Artificers’ belief that meticulous Secrets?”
logic and study of the material world will grant them all “No… Though they have plenty of secrets, to be sure.”
the power that they need, and that all their Arts, however The master shrugged and sat back. “Very well. You’re already
abstract, serve the very practical purpose of liberating involved in our fights; now’s as good a time as any to tell you
them from the shackles of the past, these creators are such stuff.
well-equipped to change the world. “To begin with, you must realize that we won’t ally with
any who don’t see things as we do, more or less. That’d be

Other Powers foolish — a waste of good effort. But if they understood what’s
needed fully as well as we do — well, they’d be Artisans, not
allies, wouldn’t they? So they all have their flaws and weak
hey builded a tower to shiver the sky and links. Nothing we can’t let pass when there’s greater work to
wrench the stars apart, be done, but it’s all a nuisance.”
Till the Devil grunted behind the bricks: “Are even the Craftmasons flawed then, Master?”
“It’s striking, but is it Art?” “Oh, the Masons are fine and honest craftsmen, girl. But
The stone was dropped by the quarry- they need to be watched sometimes. They’re too — restless.
side, and the idle derrick swung, Too busy hating the sorcerers and witches, I think. I reckon
While each man talked of the aims of art, and each in an that’s why we chose to stand apart from them — or they from
alien tongue. us. They were running around waving hammers while we got
— Rudyard Kipling, The Conundrum of the Workshops on with the True Work.

31
 “There’s others split off from them around that time.
If you ever have the chance to speak to one who was at the
White Tower, you’ll hear some tales of polite back-stabbing
and silly hairsplitting, let me tell you, girl. The High Guild,
for instance — merchants. Imagine old Gregor the Fleming,
down at the market, with all that love of haggling, but a dozen
times more cunning. Strange thought, isn’t it? Well, that’s the
High Guild for you. Peddlers to the core, and that makes ’em
nigh on thieves in my book. They know something of the Sacred
Crafts, but they use it to twist minds around like soft clay.”
The man paused, then smiled. “But don’t treat ’em as enemies.
Once they’ve learned to respect you, they’ll pay a fair price, by
and large. And better to lose your purse through a bit of honest
haggling than your soul through foolish magick.
“And there were others, I’m told, back at the Tower —
spies and knife-men, really tricksy types. But even if they’re
still around, they aren’t a true guild or craft — just servants
to the high muckety-mucks. Servants to do dirty jobs when the
need presses, perhaps.
“Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes. You should know about
the Cosians, too. The Hippocratic Circle, if you remember
what little Greek you’ve learned. Barber-surgeons with more
knowledge of alchemy and old books than you’d ever believe.
Clever folk, from what I’ve seen. They know flesh as we know
metal. But how do you feel about folks who hang around dead
bodies all the time, playing with ’em?”
“That sounds fearful,” the girl answered.
“Then you’re letting the flesh rule you, girl. It’s only flesh
feels fear. But never mind that for now. Who else? Oh yes, the
priests — Servants of Gabriel. They tend to our souls, girl,
so be polite to ’em. But don’t let ’em forget who builds their
churches and forges their swords. Politely. They can be too
quick with the flame or the exorcism sometimes.
“Which just leaves the Celestial Masters and the Explor-
ators. The star-gazers are philosophers with some very strange
ideas, and their friends are sailors and wanderers with a bit
of jumped-up hedge lore. (We’re showing them some new
Machinae, though. Sailors will always accept tools that make
their lives easier and safer.) They seem to get on with each
other, and we keep ’em aligned with us because — well, the
star-gazers have a pretty good grasp of astrology, which you
know is a useful part of the Sacred Craft, and they’re bright.
And the wanderers see plenty. It’s always handy to know what’s
to be seen or where to go to find some rare stone or fine ore.
And they’re both good customers, with crafter members who
work closely with us, and respect us accordingly.
“Mind you, the Masons are less happy with all this than
us. The High Guild aren’t polite to those who aren’t much
interested in trade, and the Gabrielites fight as knights in armor
who’re wont to treat their foot soldiers less than kindly. The
others are too wrapped up in their studies and dreams to join
in pulling down the high and mighty. Hah — they are the high
and mighty.

32
 INSTRUCTION
the second:
THE GREAT WORK

“But the thing to recall with all of ’em, girl, is that they The Gabrielites are none too happy with that, you can be sure
need us, and it’s clever to make ourselves useful. The traders — but it’s better to make the best of ’em your friends than to
want their astrolabes and tide-tables, and their neat little guns have nothing but enemies. The fact is, the Sacred Arts are
and fine steel blades, because they keep meeting bandits and older than the Church — older than Rome, the books say. Our
pirates. Oh, and they keep pestering us for better clocks — word has been spreading longer than the Faith, so naturally
something to do with navigation, they say. The Gabrielites want it’s gone further.
bigger weapons, for when prayer isn’t enough. The body-cutters “But our friends in those distant lands — the Turks’ empire,
want aid with alchemical works, and experts in drawing and India, Cathay — they’ve the same problems we have. Sorcery
measurement, and the strangest instruments you ever did see. and such. All sorts of strange tales have come to us — wizards
And they all want tools, from chisels to lenses. The Masons who worship death, magicians who can shatter rocks with their
don’t grasp that; they make plain tools for their own use and bare hands, mad prophets…. I’d not believe half of it, save that
never see the ways of give and take. my friends among the Mauls — steady fighters, not panicked
“But us — we make ourselves useful. They can’t do without rabble — have talked of facing some strange foes lately.
us, so we’ll always be the strongest of ’em, even if they think “And as for heathens — oh yes, we face such as that
of us as servants. And by being useful, we work together to wild witch-man whose Sending you helped slay. Folk beyond
make the world anew.” the Church can have commerce with demons and ghosts and
even stranger bogies. But not all our enemies are like that; we
The Traditions even have to fight heretics from within the Holy Church itself,
who seem to work miracles. It all looks like wizardry to me,
“So, then — sorcerers are people who know about the and they are allied with the more honest wizards.” The next
Sacred Arts, but who we can’t work with?” sentence was spoken with a laugh. “The Gabrielites truly
The Master Craftsman paused, then smiled darkly. “That’s hate them.”
not a bad way of putting it at that, you know, girl. Save that
it flatters the bastards.
“Yes, there’s wizards out there who know a little of the
Others Awakened
Great Works. But they twist it all. They sit in their towers “Mind you, there’s more in the world than any of us can
and colleges, plotting and communing with who-knows-what know and that’s the truth. Careful who you say this to, girl,
ungodly beings, looking down on the rest of us and never caring but even the Holy Church doesn’t know everything. Some fair
what becomes of anyone but themselves. The Craftmasons hate powerful adepts have scattered to the winds and shrugged off us
’em from way back, because they’re so cruel and cold. Why, and the sorcerers alike. Fools, in truth — they’ll learn better
wizards have to swear all sorts of ungodly oaths to each other sooner or later — but they’re mostly harmless. Don’t assume
just to keep themselves from each other’s throats!” that all the power you meet comes from a friend or a threat.
“They shouldn’t be a terrible danger, then.” “And do understand one thing. The foes I’ve just spoken
“Ah, but some of ’em are cunning, girl, and they spend of are killers and braggarts, and they traffic with powers that
so long about their work that some are pretty damned power- should be avoided and ground back to dust, but for all the priests
ful. And alongside them, there’s the alchemists, damn their say, they aren’t devil-worshippers. They use fragments of the
treacherous hides….” Sacred Arts, alchemy and Greek philosophy and such. They’re
“I thought alchemy was a Sacred Study?” pagans and well-meaning heretics at worst.
“Oh, it has its place. There’s folk within our guilds who use “But there’s worse. First, there’s the mad, who go about
it to good purpose. But the order of alchemists — the Solificati protected by magick much like the magick that preserves children
— swore to our alliance at the White Tower. Then, when they and drunks. The Scourge doesn’t touch ’em. Stay away from
came to see that their ungodly ways and crazy notions would ’em if you can — the mad don’t like the sane and they’ll strike
have to change, they turned against us. you down. Because they aren’t burnt by their own folly, they
can grow fearful strong.
“And the sorcerers have other allies. Pagan witches from
the woods who scream and gibber about blood and trees when “But worst of all, yes, there are wizards who worship Satan
you try to talk sense to them. Creation is sacred, girl — and that and his devils. Every bad thing you hear of them in church is
sort don’t create. They huddle in the mud, scared of anything true. They’re horrible, but they know how to speak honeyed
better. And just lately, it seems, they’ve gone looking for more words and pretty lies. Call upon the Gabrielites if you should
friends. Outlanders from all over the world….” ever chance upon such, for the sake of your soul and the safety
of the world. And don’t take chances — too many wizards who
“Heathens?”
are not sworn to the Sacred Arts tend that way. It’s one of the
“Careful what words you use, girl!” The older Artisan best reasons to fear those who are not your sworn friends.”
snapped back. “We have allies who have never been baptized.

33
 avoid conflict and to govern relations between hermetic
Night Folk wizards. Religious magi have adopted the forms of the
The senior Artisan leaned back. “And while I’ve got you monastery or the temple, but the Artificers have simply
frightened — I devoutly hope, for you are a sensible girl, for all your adopted and extended the system of guilds and trade fel-
brashness — you should know that there’s other demons in the night. lowships, because that is in large part the soil from which
Blood-suckers, mostly. Vile creatures with strength and dark arts given creator societies grew.
’em by the Devil himself.” Admittedly, the oldest source of inspiration for Arti-
“Can such be killed?” the girl asked. ficer groups is more academic than practical: the scholars’
and engineers’ colleges of China and Greece, such as that
“With trouble…. Yes, girl, they can. In fact, they fear fire, as
in Alexandria. By Roman times, urban craftsmen were
you’ve doubtless heard, though otherwise it takes a great deal to bring
grouped in collegia. One special case was the Collegium
’em down. And what better proof is there of the godliness of our arts?
Praecepti that preserved much of the Ars Praeclarus. The
For we wield fire and our smithies bring forth mighty weapons. As
collegia survived in the Byzantine Empire and may have
we learn more of the great crafts, we grow better at slaying horrors.”
inspired similar ideas in Europe — perhaps through the
They shared a smile at that.
secret influence of the early Craftmasons. Certainly when
“But there’s others I should mention,” he went on, “skin-changers, the Masons consolidated themselves in A.D. 997 they did
for example. They lurk in the woods in the guise of wolves and such. so as a trade brotherhood.
They may look like men, some of the time, but the mark of a man is
This, being essentially a friendly alliance of itiner-
acting like a man — and these act like beasts.
ant workers of one kind or another, need not have been
“And — well, I’ve a bad feeling that your mother told you fairy- especially formal. Such a group could have been far less
stories when you were in your cradle. Right?” orderly than a true guild, for example. However, human
The girl nodded. beings have a strange urge, not just to order, but to mys-
“And like most children, you clapped your hands and called them tery, so that even the most innocuous fellowship may
pretty? Well, forget that if e’er you meet a true fairy. Think on the nasti- have passwords and initiations. These codes do help bind
ness in those tales — the child-stealing and the disregard for godliness. members together when unity is needed, say in defiance
Mind you, it’s said that a few of ’em are fair craftsmen and not entirely of an employer. In any case, the Craftmasons taught and
evil — but take a care.” Again, the wolfish smile. “O’ course, they promulgated the arts of sacred geometry, which required
mostly hate iron, which again shows how godly our craft is.” formal study, care and testing. The numerous levels and
“And what of ghosts?” the pupil asked. signs that were developed were therefore needed. Well,
“You should pay more attention in church, girl — not all your often enough.
mother’s tales had much truth in ’em. The dead await Judgment and Meanwhile, the Artisans remained less orderly, but
don’t disturb the living, by and large.” even more given to ritual. Priding themselves on their
“But there are those who do.” mastery of high arts, and mostly having been educated
“Oh, perhaps. The world is a complicated piece of work and as craftsmen, they formed a vast number of small local
even God must allow some exceptions to his own rules. There are groups on the model of the craft guild. Over time, and
tales enough…. Yes, the dead may walk at times. But the philosophers with the encouragement of their Craftmason allies, these
among our guilds say that there are walls and shields protecting the cabals were brought together and adopted some common
world, and I doubt that any ghost could make much trouble. Sacred titles and ideals.
geometry is a living power, girl, and stronger than any threat. Yet these larger groups still remain anarchic. Many a
“Now — you’ve heard enough for the day. No sense in learning great High Artisan sees no cause whatsoever to involve
of what else there is in the world if you never pay attention to your himself in organization — or indeed, to leave his workshop
own craft.” more often than absolutely necessary. High Artisans are
also given to seeking the patronage of the powerful, often
from mere Sleepers or members of other Daedalean Con-
Secret Societies ventions. The Craftmasons may despise this “pandering
to the o’er-mighty,” but the Artisans are more willing to

and Lodges live with things-as-they-are. A patron may be importunate

or annoying, but access to power makes the shaping of a
new world much easier in some ways. Of course, Artisans
ew factions, mundane or otherwise, are
must forever dance a delicate step with such patrons,
as intimately entangled in the complexi-
promising what is desired, delivering enough to sustain
ties of daily life as are the High Artisans
the relationship, but not giving away that which is secret
and Craftmasons. The Order of Hermes
or bringing down the Scourge on one who should be kept
has created a formal organization for
as a happy friend.
itself from the ground up in order to

34
 INSTRUCTION
the second:
THE GREAT WORK

(Seeking the patronage of bloody-handed tyrants, let

alone vampires, is discouraged of course; the cost is never
worth the gain. Still, it can be a temptation for unworldly
Artificers who need special resources.)

Subdivisions
Strictly speaking, the High Artisans and Craftmasons
are Conventions within the Order of Reason. They are
even subdivided into groups that they term “guilds”; in
the former case, the Forgers, Bright Lions, Pythagori and
Mauls; in the latter case, the Chalice, Coin, Level, Sword,
Hemlock, Chisel, Arrow, Stone and Scroll. However,
these terms mislead a little. Mundane guilds are rigid
and exclusive; to enter requires a fee, and to change
from one to another, should anyone ever see cause, is
a feat of politics. The Daedaleans, by contrast, regard
their “guilds” as convenient forms of organization. An
Artificer owes loyalty to Reason, one’s Convention, and
to one’s Daemon, in some order. One’s guild, while not
to be forgotten, is simply a source of commands and a
mark of the nature of one’s talents and duties.
That is not to say that no Maul has ever failed to
mock a Bright Lion for futile mysticism, or that none of
the Chalice has ever complained that the Swords bring
grief upon the weak and unprepared — but most rivalries
are amicable, and movement from faction to faction is
fairly commonplace and not usually criticized. A Dae-
dalean is usually assigned to a Guild on completion of
apprenticeship (and the assignment usually considers
the new Daedalean’s nature and tastes — although fol-
lowing one’s master’s inclinations is considered natural).
Subsequent movement is a matter of request, persuasion
and the needs of Reason.

Lodges
To enhance their potent alliances with the workmen
and craftsmen of cities and towns, Craftmasons have insisted
that Daedalean houses can, and usually should, be open
friendly places. The High Artisans usually agree. Hence,
the typical Artificer-run lodge resembles an unusually
friendly guildhall.
A guildhall is a meeting-place, the head office of a
local gathering of traders or craftsmen. It probably has
small rooms for storage, meetings and accountancy, but
its heart is a true hall in the medieval style — a high-
ceilinged room wherein guild members meet to discuss
policy, conduct initiations and religious ceremonies,
and hold feasts. (Typically, there are ample kitchens
on a low level.) Daedaleans follow this pattern but
add more rooms to facilitate their more complicated
business — perhaps an entire set of secret underground
chambers using ancient, once-lost cellars or caverns
excavated by secret Arts.

35
 Such lodges may be placed in either the hearts of towns spread of printing makes international movements a more
and cities or in more obscure locations. The former enables viable idea.
the hall to be used for the benefit and recruitment of mun- The obvious divisions are between the Conventions
dane allies, although this in itself leads to complications as and among the guilds within each. The Craftmasons of-
the hidden must be kept from prying eyes. Partly trusted ten preach as their reputation implies, demanding revolt
Sleepers are often given to understand that there is a secret against the mighty, aid to the weak and the building of a
“inner circle” to this “trade fellowship,” but are never told better world. Artificers prefer to craft their masterpieces
of its true scope (secret clubs are common enough that this and perfect their ideas before they act. Meanwhile, mili-
can work, although it may excite overmuch interest). A tant guilds — the Mauls, the Sword — are home to a fair
city location also makes it difficult for the guild to build number of hotheads who cry out to the teachers and
upon a truly useful Cray; some must do without a source theoreticians that violent actions, not words, are forever
of Quintessence or must travel to some hidden subsidiary called for. Equally, some wise old men-at-arms believe that
site to gather it. The Craftmasons are unhappy with this. the “warrior” guilds are too easily used as spell-fodder by
Their masters of Prime are not only given to casting spells cold-hearted, scheming leaders, and argue the side of peace
that can channel the stuff of reality where it is required, or at least caution.
but they keenly research applications of sacred geometry Then again, there are other divisions. Daedalean Ar-
that can make Crays out of the most mundane sites. Thus, tificers have a problem with religion in that many secretly
new urban Daedalean guildhalls are usually designed and regard craftsmanship above faith, but the Conventions in-
built with vast and intricate planning. clude their share of devout believers. Some such are locked
Artificers are more comfortable with halls sited in in struggle with less respectful colleagues, demanding that
obscure locales, although these have their own problems. cathedrals should be built before all else, or that weapons
For one, explaining their presence to curious Sleepers should be forged for use against the infidel rather than
can be difficult. This is one reason why this Convention the Traditions. Others again, being visionary innovators
is so given to finding and pleasing powerful patrons. High by nature, align themselves with the dangerous cause of
Artisans may be able to obtain as much wealth as they Church reform and eventually Protestantism. (This last
could ever need through direct use of their Arts, but a might seem a hard-pressed faction, caught between religious
supporter who says, “this hall of master-craftsmen is placed traditionalists on one side and uncaring materialists on the
here because I so wish it” is valuable. Other such lodges other, but it catches the imagination of many Artificers,
may actually be disguised — say as a merchant’s warehouse especially among the Craftmasons.)
or as a low-ranking gentleman’s hall. It is hard to explain And, of course, there are debates over arcane theory.
many full-time craftsmen in one such place, but a small Three major strands of thought are apparent here. The
lodge can pass as little more than a slightly eccentric hold- “Sacred Geometricians” are the most mystical of their kind,
ing. “Hidden” lodges tend to be less open, more focused seeking complex and subtle correspondences between the
on study than their urban counterparts — although they stars, the elements and the operations of the human soul.
can be friendly enough to allies. They are sometimes despised as nigh-on superstitionists,
Groups of like-minded Artisans in the East are quite but their cosmic vision and ability to use many Hermetic
similar to European lodges. However, eastern craftmasters ideas makes them powerful. The “Classicists” are similar
prefer to meet in more traditional areas. In India, builders in some ways, but prefer Greek ideas to older, more subtle
might meet in an orchard or a walled courtyard. In China, and obscure concepts. They are very fond of numbers,
the labyrinthine corridors of the Emperor’s palace provide geometry and music, and are the Order members who are
more than adequate privacy for those mages lucky enough most excited by the growth of Greek and Latin studies in
to have Imperial favor. the Sleeper world and by the discovery of old texts from
that era. Lastly, the “Materialists” are modernists, given to
Factions dangerous heresies. They are the most aware of how much
the modern era has accomplished that the ancient world
Although they have much in common, Artificer lodges did not, which calls into question common Artificer regard
are not immune to internal politics. Matters of policy and for past masters. Materialists are also interested in Chinese
emphasis always lead to debate, and sometimes jealousy and other foreign ideas, burrowing after hard empirical
and ambition arise, even among the Enlightened. Because facts in the mass of contradictory superstitions.
long-distance communication is relatively limited in the And then, of course, there are occasional clashes over
Renaissance, few factions organize themselves across the policy between European, Muslim and Chinese lodges…
breadth of the Order of Reason, but any lodge worthy of not to mention tension over Artificer-friendly factions of
the name has its share of debates and quarrels — and the the various Traditions. House Verditius of the Order of

36
 INSTRUCTION
the second:
THE GREAT WORK

Hermes, for example, is looked upon with great suspicion from that group. Ideologically, too, the entire Techno-
by the factions of Reason. The majority of the Batini view cratic comprehension of the significance and utility of
Murshids who choose to pursue Unity through study and technology derives far more from the enthusiasms of the
invention with thinly veiled disdain. semi-mystical Artisans than from the superstitions of the
In short, the Order of Reason is a mass of debate that Cabal of Pure Thought or from the nervous heresies of
usually remains just on this side of constructive. Some the Celestial Masters.
observers wonder that the Artificer Conventions ever (The Artisans’ close allies — the rather obscure
accomplish anything useful at all. A few wonder if dispute “Craftmasons” — seem to have shared much of our ideol-
is the source of their dynamism. ogy. Although their primitive communism was non-viable
in the contemporary social paradigm, and had eventually

Future Fates perforce to be suppressed, their strenuous defense of the

masses remains a key element of our own ideals, and doubt-
less encouraged the Order of Reason to seek the prompt
e have learned to whittle the Eden Tree to elimination of the archaic feudal system that we certainly
the shape of a surplice-peg, do not mourn.)
We have learned to bottle our parents Thus, we might claim that out own successes are the
twain in the yolk of an addled egg, victory toward which the High Artisans worked so deter-
We know that the tail must wag the minedly. However, that does not mean that their goals and
dog, as the horse is drawn by the cart; ideals correspond to ours. (Indeed, the paradigms espoused by
But the Devil whoops, as he whooped of old: “It’s clever, the renegade ‘Virtual Adepts’ and especially the ‘Sons of the
but is it Art?” Ether’ also derive partly from aspects of the Artisans’ mode of
— Rudyard Kipling, The Conundrum of the Workshops thought.) We can justify our own priorities and agendas; they
From a maximum-security memorandum placed on the are indeed a proven optimum from the points of view of both
files of the Ivory Tower of the New World Order by Educator the masses and ourselves. However, they would require some
Immanuel Chard, Historical Specialist: 09/07/1992: justification and explanation to an individualistic, theistic
Artisan. Our accomplishments are not their Utopia.
Although our colleagues of Iteration X are usually
referred to as the linear successors of the High Artisans, It is fatuous and futile to attempt to derive glib “mor-
it is equally reasonable to say that, with all the reorganiza- als” from the complexities of history, but this example
tions that have been instituted since the first naive era of may at least remind us of a fact that we should not ignore
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries CE, all elements in our long-term planning. Our achievements, however
of the contemporary Technocracy derive, to some extent, important, may not equate exactly to our intentions.

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Houses are built to live in, and not to look on; therefore let
use be preferred before uniformity, except where both may be had.
Leave the goodly fabrics of houses, for beauty only, to the enchanted
palaces of the poets; who build them with small cost. He that builds
a fair house, upon an ill seat, committeth himself to prison.
— Francis Bacon, Essays: Of Building
s it proved, Rosa the Apprentice was wise to
ask about the other elements of the Order of
Reason, for she would see many of them that
Powers and Secrets
season. Artificers came to ask her about her in- he creations of Daedalean Artificers are
spired act of weapon-making, and Craftmasons based on a scientific understanding of the
came for knowledge after swearing vengeance world. They do not yet fully comprehend
upon the summoner. There were also armored how much their analysis and theorizing
Gabrielites, to whom such a battle was meat and drink, and strange actually shapes the world. Nor do they
physicians in quest of a sample of demon-venom. The other Conven- face up to the novelty of so much of what
tions had less direct interest in the affair, although one or two travelers they do. They retain a vast respect for
and traders, come to visit her master, found an excuse to speak with ancient sources and past masters, and many believe, in their
the girl who had forged the diamond-tipped knife. heart of hearts, that everything they create is actually recon-
But her brief fame did not entitle her to see the end of the conflict; struction — the resurrection of the wondrous achievements
she was, when all was said and done, but an apprentice and not much of the past. Thus, their work is often a bizarre mixture of
trained in war-craft. Still and all, the Artificer-swordsman who had wild experiments and half-understood archaism.
wielded her knife came back once to Jasper’s workshop and presented
another knife for her to keep, as memorial to the fight.
It seemed a crude thing of flint, its hilt bound with thongs of hide,
The Qualities of Things
although when she examined it closely, it seemed to Rosa that the stone Adepts of the Ars Praeclarus actually share many ideas
had been cleverly flaked, giving it an adequate edge. It was strange, but with their arch-rivals Hermetic wizards. In the Hermetic
with nothing of power about it. She put it aside with the small gifts her view of the world, things have “qualities” — hot or cold, wet
mother had given her when she had taken up the apprenticeship. or dry, heavy or light, but also subtler and often mystickal
As he was leaving, the swordsman turned to her once more and aspects. However, Hermetics hold that such qualities cannot
smiled his grim smile. “We have done well, between us,” he said. be determined by reason alone; one can find out only by experi-
“Another door is closed and the price is well worth paying.” ence of the senses whether something is, say, hot or cold. An
Had he meant the price in lives of the battle or something Enlightened Artificer must disagree. Seeking the underlying
more? patterns of the world, he claims that there is no limit to reason.
Rosa put that question aside, too, to consider when she had Drawing breath, the Daedaleans see the significance of their
learned more. own claim and make it the basis of their crusade.

39
 the present manner of action of the world and all will
Elemental Correspondences change forevermore.
Still, there is scope for further agreement. All of these Still, there are essential correspondences — between
schools of though hold that the universe is filled with Heaven and Earth, between the planets and elements,
Resonances and correspondences. As Above, so Below is even perhaps between soul and matter. Astrology is based
the watch-phrase. The heavenly spheres revolve, bearing on good sense (provided that its use does not deny the
the stars and planets, driven by the Prime Mover (who primacy and absolute authority of God), and alchemists
most would say is God), and all this impels the actions seek to master the purification of the elements, that they
of everything within. Indeed, some pagan philosophers may purify their own souls. To Artificers, however, much
hold that when all the spheres return to exactly the same of this is wild, untestable — superstition.
relative positions, the world will return to the same state Artificer workings concentrate on the mundane, test-
and history will repeat itself — perhaps in gross outline, able, measurable qualities of things. A “natural magician,”
perhaps in every single detail. A good Christian must deny working within the Hermetic tradition, can create talismans
this, for when the Day of Judgment comes, God will end of power by drawing the virtues of a specific planet into

Art and Science

In the 20th century, fine art and engineering are a nerdish monomaniac, but a master of all the arts and
about as far apart as two disciplines can get. One is sciences. The much-admired Roman writer Vitruvius
all about aesthetics and beauty; the other is all about said (in his De Architectura) that an architect should
functionality and measurement. Those few people who be “a man of letters, a skillful draftsman, a mathemati-
try and bridge the gap between the two are looked on cian, familiar with historical studies, a diligent student
as crankish; artists who paint pictures of steam trains, of philosophy, acquainted with music; not ignorant of
architects who put heating ducts on the outsides of medicine, learned in the responses of expert lawyers,
buildings, science writers who wax poetic. Most people familiar with astronomical calculations….” The Re-
on either side regard these efforts as futile and messy. naissance takes this as a picture of the true master.
But all of this would sound like complete gibberish to Further, creation is one key to the Ars Praeclarus,
an educated child of the Renaissance. and art — creation — is what marks mankind from
In this era, art and science are intimately mixed. beasts. The art of this new age reflects this belief. In
Leonardo da Vinci is a genius, sure, but his studies of order to make art more perfect, a better depiction
painting, mechanics and military engineering are seen of reality, the artist studies a range of sciences —
as a natural set of concerns for a practical scholar. Plenty mathematics to perfect perspective and proportion,
of lesser professionals move comfortably from painting anatomy to understand the noblest subject matter
the king’s portrait to casting the king’s cannon. of all, geology and alchemy to improve the choice of
This is partly because people are still laying ground- materials, and so on.
work. It’s no good to create a portrait if you can’t get This extensive knowledge has a big practical conse-
hold of the pigments you want, so artists study practical quence for the Order of Reason: Many fine Enlightened
chemistry. It’s impossible to build beautiful buildings Artificers are also competent artists. Indeed, many of
unless you know what will stay up, so architects are the most respected High Artisans make honest livings
also engineers. It’s hopeless to understand and shape as painters or sculptors, and quite a few Craftmasons
the world if you don’t look at it closely. The old idea hold that their works must be beautiful as well as
that facts are all to be found in ancient texts collapses soundly built. An artist-Artificer may find that his or
under its own impracticality; you really have to check her affinity is with Matter (the materials used in art),
them for yourself. So scientists look about them with the Connection (the refined art of the period being greatly
eyes of artists. In another couple of centuries, the basic concerned with perspective and proportion) or Mind
work will have been done and everyone will be able to (for, if the high purpose of all arts is to grant power to
get on with narrowly compartmentalized specialization. the scholar, painting and sculpture, like writing and
But not yet. rhetoric, serve to grant power over the hearts of other
Yet the spirit of the Renaissance is also an aesthetic. men). Such a character should possess a goodly rating
Humanistic philosophy holds that all arts empower those in Artist and Crafts — ideally both, and with several
who study them, and that the complete, refined human different specializations in each, along with a broad
being should have a broad education. The magus is not range of other Abilities.

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TRADE SECRETS

an object made of appropriate materials, or sings “Orphic

songs” that draw those virtues into the talisman — or, more The Spheres
dangerously, into the singer’s own mind. Further arts permit “So — you’ve been sent here to learn something of our
demonic and angelic forces to be likewise invoked. House deepest philosophy, then?”
Verditius claims hegemony over the creation and research
Like the other young Daedaleans present, Rosa thought
of all manner of magical devices for the Order of Hermes;
it best to say nothing, and indeed the gray-beard master
members of this house acknowledge no friction between
continued after a breath. “And doubtless you think it a waste
their status as Tradition mages and their function essentially
of time,” he said. “Well, you may learn better. Or you may
as Artificers. Builders of the Order of Reason see this for
never be more than a journeymen. We’ll see.
hubris. As the Craftmasons say, one must build from the
ground up, upon strong foundations. The correspondences “But let’s begin with the Spheres. They are the founda-
they employ are those that lie within the world, involving tion of the Ars Praeclarus, in a way. You’ve doubtless been
elements and their mundane properties. told that the small grasp you display of Craft is related to
one or the other of them. Well and good. And your own
The Craftmason approach sounds limited, but it has
masters will have awed you by telling you they date back to
one resounding virtue: It is repeatable. Only a Promethean
the ancient masters who met in Egypt to lay the foundations
magus may call down the planets’ virtues; any peasant in
of our crafts.
the fields can use fire and stone. When the Artificers have
the work aright — a long labor, but a worthy one — they “That is all true, but don’t let it overwhelm you. The
will be able to build their towers unto the stars and all may Spheres are simply the ways in which we can measure and
ascend with them. apportion our works. There are nine of them, as you’ll have
heard, but some school-men of our alliance say that there
To the mages of House Verditius, however, material
could as easily be more or less; they may not be part of the
Resonance and elemental correspondences do comprise a
Platonic World — which is something I’ll teach you of another
work done aright. After all, a tuning fork made of metal
day. Myself, I think that there may be some mark of God’s
always strikes the same note. Does this not indicate a natural
ordering of his Creation in that number, but it’s not a divine
affinity of the metal? All that is required for an object to
mystery I’d hope to be able to grasp. It could just be that the
fully embrace all its properties, mundane and magickal,
choice of the nine is like choosing to measure in cloth-yards
is the direction and invocation of the less perceptible
rather than paces….
Resonances. And once the Hermetic has invoked these
properties, the object is usable and complete, taking its “But I’m getting ahead of myself. Now, if you ever
place in the order of the universe. have dealings with the Hermetics or their lore — which I
wouldn’t encourage, but you might find some of their texts
Sacred Geometry in some library — you will find that they’ve lately taken a
great interest in the Spheres. Especially since they’ve made
In its bold claim that reality — the very handiwork of alliance with other wizards and witches and organized a council
God — can be comprehended and thus controlled by mere of nine squabbling societies. In their silly way, they attach
mortal intellects, the Ars Praeclarus actually grows from great significance to the number of the Spheres. They are in
and encompasses an older science: sacred geometry. This love with number; they think of it as magickal in itself and
calling was discovered in Babylon and partly codified later not just something to use to create perfect works. But don’t
at the Thothmeic Gathering in Egypt. Sacred geometry you go falling into that trap; we’re craftsmen, not fortune-
also questions Resonances and correspondences. It studies tellers. Most of us….
the symmetries and patterns and the hidden order of the “Anyway, let us swiftly review the nine, so you can’t
heavens reflected on Earth. This resemblance may be made say you don’t know what they are.”
exact (by application of mathematics) and the instruments
Because the theory of the Nine Spheres does indeed
of man may play the music of the spheres.
go back to the Thothmeic Gathering in ancient Egypt,
This art was first used by the great architect-builders of Daedalean Artisans not only use it — they regard it as
Babylon and Egypt, who could embody their ideas in stone. almost sacred. However, most of them also, at heart, see
Improvements in mathematics made it possible for smaller it as rather abstruse, one step removed from much of the
devices to employ the science. Both the Craftmasons and Work they do. One teaches an apprentice to comprehend
High Artisans regard sacred geometry as the foundation- the universe in these terms, and to build his or her own
stone of their activities. The former still build using secret abilities on this foundation, but then one gets on with
intricate principles, while the latter demand that all their forging blades, polishing lenses or building towers. An
members have at least some knowledge of mathematics. apprentice fails who does not learn what the Spheres
They do not call down wild and unstable planetary forces; mean, but that apprentice can be forgiven for finding
they calculate the effects of the heavens’ influence. the ideas involved rather strange and evasive.

41
 Of course, Matter is no great problem; almost every Work subject of mathematical theory and musical automata are
that a craftsman performs involves some arrangement of part of many an Artisan’s repertoire.
material things, and most spend much of their time analyzing Because of the importance of these previous Spheres,
the nature and capabilities of different materials. A fair few Artificers have a deeply ambiguous view of Prime. On one
are experts or at least students in alchemy, using its mixture hand, they must somehow coerce the universe into permit-
of symbolism and practicality for their own ends. Others ting the creation of new things or powers; on the other,
rely on a deep but un-mystickal knowledge of metallurgy explanation of how this is achieved can be difficult to find.
or other crafts to give their creations reliable form. This Future scientists develop theories of abstract mathematical
sphere is far and away the most common affinity for Artisans “energy” (and more), but such metaphors are not presently
and Craftmasons, and they use it every day for making and available. The response of those who seek to master this
shaping. On the other hand, many of the most daring and sphere is twofold: Some shrug, declare that results are all that
original of these Conventions focus on others of the Nine matter, and deploy the routine alchemical or philosophical
Spheres, treating Matter as a means to an end. formulae that accomplish those results. Others delve deep
Forces is almost as popular, of course, especially among into underlying theory, striving to separate good sense from
those who wish to stride forth and change the world. mystickal folly. (Craftmasons actually manage the latter
The flame of the forge is one of the great symbols — and better than most; they retain odd patches of mysticism in
indeed, many see this sphere almost entirely in terms of the midst of their down-to-earth practicality.)
fire. Lightning is a remote and dangerous power. Ice is Time and Entropy are considered twin Spheres; both
more a nuisance than anything else. That which draws a deal with fate and prophecy. The old motto — As Above,
falling body to earth is only comprehensible in abstruse so Below — is the key to the accepted Artificer approach
and mystickal terms (although it can be defied — flight is to such matters. The spheres of Heaven revolve, set in
an old dream which many Artisans would love to realize). motion by the hand of God, and the actions of the world
The subtleties of the lodestone are but a toy. But there is are likewise often circular, albeit that decay is seemingly
always sound. Ever since Pythagoras, music has been the inevitable (for the world is a sinful place).

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However, in recent centuries High Artisans have been and blatant blasphemy. But too much about it refuses to be
responsible for an entire new view of Time. Traditionally, measured or shaped — and sadly, too many fear what they
the sphere was seen almost entirely as a matter of proph- cannot forge. Thus, they probe the mathematical geometry
ecy; astrology might be used to measure the motion of the of the Seal of Solomon and the pentagram and refine their
heavens and hence to anticipate what was to come. But horoscopes (which gives clues to the spirit world as to all
Artificer-astrologers built machines to measure out that things). And they turn steel blades and mighty cannon on
motion and improve their predictions and thereby realized any spirits whom they see to be a threat.
that Time could be subjected to ever-finer analysis — an
understanding that changes the world. This knowledge
enables creators to confront mysteries that once outraged
Daemons
them — the strange nature of faerie-land, the uncanny Daemons are a mystery and a challenge to European
swiftness of certain mysticks. Artificers. They might be less troubled if they could ac-
Entropy, too, succumbs to analysis. Daedaleans once cept the ancient, intricate Egyptian or Chinese theologies,
saw it as a matter of curses and other irrational witchcraft. whereby the soul has many aspects and parts, or the Greek
Now they can measure probability and change. Advanced concept that useful spirits cluster around people and matter,
alchemy helps them examine and explain the decay of almost but not quite at one with them. However, as fol-
matter, which is their first concern with this Sphere. They lowers of the strict Christian idea that the soul is one and
dislike using it — they are builders, not destroyers — but indivisible, Artificers must see their Daemons as outside
they can comprehend it with effort. forces. That conclusion raises the problem that Daemons
Connection worries Artificers less. Its mysteries are could be either tempting devils or guardian angels, which
somewhere at the heart of sacred geometry, and their phi- are notoriously difficult to distinguish at times. It also raises
losophers have long suspected that distance and space are the practical-theoretical problem that they adopt so many
susceptible to manipulation. (The Viasilicos shows what unlikely aspects.
can be done.) It’s an arcane field, but not without interest,
especially to those who love mathematics.
Craftmason Doctrine
To the Ahl-i-Batin, Connection is mathematics and Craftmasons, always suspicious of that which might be
the other way round. If all things can be described and said to rule them, tend to reject their Daemons, sometimes
calculated through the use of sacred geometry and all actively struggling with them as tempting fiends, more often
things are joined in the web of Connection, then both are declaring them mere signs of incipient madness brought
expressions of the heavenly ideal. Each is a facet of Unity, about by the pressures of evil and their foes (and by tempt-
and there exists neither confusion nor cryptic mystery for ing fiends). A few among the more spiritual or prideful of
the Murshids. If the mage understands one, he understands the Convention wonder if these are something more. As
the other. Is that not the purest essence of Unity? the cathedrals that Craftmasons build reflect the higher
Life and Mind, on the other hand, are problematic but orders of Heaven, might there not be higher orders of
not impossible. Artificers mostly choose to concentrate on Those Who Labor reflected in the souls of those on Earth?
how the world influences the living, thinking creature, Furthermore, although the Craftmason ethos warns against
rather than how the creature can control the world. This hero-worship as leading to vain glory, even the Enlightened
blunt pragmatism may limit innovators’ power with these need heroes and there are tales of past masters, some of
Spheres, but not beyond usefulness. They know how to whom supposedly rebuilt their own souls or spoke directly
reach into thoughts with subtle designs and how to induce with God. Would not such a one still sympathize with those
fear with their weapons. The artists and rhetoricians among who sweat amid the dust of the earth and perhaps seek to
their number are adept at shaping thought and emotion, ensure that no vital lore is lost?
albeit not usually with Machinae. Artificers prefer to There are even those who see the Convention’s great-
leave the higher mysteries of Life to the Cosians (while est accomplishments — the great buildings — as spiritual
respecting those colleagues’ Promethean boldness). That nigh-living entities. To these, the typical Craftmason
is, except for those few daring souls, especially Artisan Awakening — meditating at a site of brilliant works —
Body-Forgers, who declare that a living thing is but an- may have the aspect of a communion and the building
other machine and invoke alchemical or other secrets to itself might literally speak to the worker’s soul. Thus,
change its workings. many cautious debates are conducted in lodges. In system
That leaves Spirit, the sphere which perhaps causes terms, a Craftmason character usually has a low score in
Artisans and Craftmasons the greatest difficulty. They do the Daemon Background; anyone with three or more dots
not deny that the spirit world exists; that would be folly tends to be a troubled soul or prone to engage in fervent
and dangerous debate.

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High Artisan Ideas
The Artificers (and similar factions of other Conven-
tions) find this matter less frightening, if still troublesome.
With more pagan lore embedded in their philosophy than
they wish to admit, the idea of assisting spirits strikes them
as — well, plausible, at the very least. Most speak openly
of the Muse, and if a Gabrielite looks askance at that, he
coughs and says that of course the old Greek word truly
refers to a guardian angel or a benevolent heavenly send-
ing. The more devout among them believe those words
completely.
Artificer Daemons actually take many forms, depending
on the individual’s own nature or beliefs. They tend to be
benevolent, even friendly, if challenging. The academic
hear or see wise figures from the Convention’s view of
history; Pythagoras and Heron are busy spirits, it seems,
although Daedalus presents himself to only those who must
seek deep mysteries — usually implying a Mare essence.
To those whose work is more of the hands, the fire of the
forge itself may speak. Inspiration is a flame; the Daemon
may be thought of as an elemental being or perhaps an
angel, dangerous or protectively warming. Artists within
the Convention often draw directly on pagan myth, per-
haps claiming that the Muses still dance upon Parnassus.
Urania, the muse of astronomy, seems to favor those who
associate with Reason (and with some scholarly Celestial
Masters). Those who find themselves favored of Athene,
goddess of wisdom, craft and war, have hard and productive
lives and avoid Gabrielites.
Eastern Daemons are a more motley lot. Many Chinese
Artificers are led by the spirits of ancestors, especially if
the family has either several minor builders or a renowned
inventor in its line. Occasionally a Chinese mage has the
fortune (whether good or bad is uncertain; who among
the living has the vanity to question the most powerful
of guardians?) to be guided by a dragon. These few can be
certain that interesting fates await them. In the Muslim
traditions, Daemons are most likely to appear as angels,
though afreeti, genii and other spirits of legend are not
uncommon. Hindu Daemons manifest quite frequently
as animals, though minor deities or famed scholars and
innovators are also known.

The Scourge
Daedalean Artificers sometimes seem to take the
Scourge personally. They feel that their work should by
rights be predictable and therefore, once they have com-
pleted every aspect of a task, safe. To their annoyance,
this is not the case.
Their conclusion is that creation’s dangers reflect the
subtle intricacies of the world and their own imperfect
understandings. Being for the most part proud by nature,

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they find this lesson in hubris and nemesis hard, but they are the East. Some, however, attune themselves to Creation in
craftsmen first and foremost. Sometimes work goes wrong. a very typical way: creativity. They retreat to a workshop
Anyone who denies that is a fool. The trick is to learn and and settle down to some simple repetitive piece of work,
to improve. In short, they have the harried, persistent air reminding themselves of the roots of their craft.
of engineers throughout history. Storytellers should acknowledge that this is entirely
One way that Artisans deal with unpredictability is in character for such individuals, but should not let it be
to discuss their work, exchanging experiences and ideas abused; the work involved should be very simple, and not
in their lodges and across their Conventions, trading in especially financially rewarding, if at all. At most, it should
solutions. They do not fully realize that this works largely serve to earn enough to keep the Artificer fed for the period,
because it is a way to insinuate ideas into the popular when it is sold after the purification is complete. In fact,
consensus in the long term. Word of a new inventions many Artificers who use this method burn the handiwork
slips from Enlightened to brethren to peasant and becomes they produce in a personal ceremony, reminding themselves
accepted over time. Still and all, they sometimes achieve of the transience of all things and symbolically “burning
the results they wish. off” the threatening Scourge.
The Scourge is as prone to strike or work through the
Artisan’s tool as it is through the wielder. After all, it is
the tool that creates the effect, while the user’s inspired
Tools
ingenuity simply serves to determine how to make it so. All the Awakened (save the most extraordinary) use
This contrasts the experience of wizards and shamans, who tools of some kind or another in their castings and shap-
draw the powers of the Spheres unto themselves or call ings, but Daedalean craftsmen are by far the most proud of
upon spirits to speak with them and ride their bodies. This it. They are also the least inclined to distinguish between
division is not absolute — the Scourge is unpredictable, something used for mundane purposes and something used
even whimsical, but it is clear. The tendency of Artificer for “Machinae” (something comparable to a fetish or tal-
firearms to explode is well-known, but other more subtle isman). In fact, many of their tools appear to have come
effects are also possible. A Boon related to Fortitude, directly from a workbench, and many of the things that
Prudence or Vanity might render a tool more reliable and serve as tools can themselves be developed into Machinae
invulnerable to harm for its duration, while one based on (Magickal Treasures, in system terms).
Generosity, Prudence, Avarice or Stinginess might cause The difference between tool types is mostly one of
an alchemical preparation to work for longer with less of simplicity of use. Some Artisans use their competence with
the stuff used up in the process. A Bane derived from Faith Forces to fly. The tool they use for this is usually a great
or Cowardice might make a tool shatter — put not your pair of mechanical wings. There are also sets of mechanical
trust in toys! Fortitude or Sloth might cause a heavy but wings that can be employed by those who are not skilled
portable implement to suddenly feel hopelessly cumber- with Forces (these tools have their own Arete and Quintes-
some and intractable. sence reserves). From the maker’s point of view, the latter
Witchwalks may apply to Artificer-built vehicles or requires considerably more effort and inspiration, although
automata or to their makers. Madness might involve a fixa- the guiding theory involved is much the same. The wings
tion on or terror of some Device. In fact, Artificers often have to be made stable and capable of use by one who does
become distracted by the details of their creations, stopping not grasp the complex interplay of forces involved in flight
suddenly to repair or “improve” them at inappropriate mo- (operation is reduced from the active play of inspiration
ments or to examine someone else’s work in tedious detail. and comprehension to a dull hauling of levers).
(But this is not always because of the Scourge.) And as As for the difference between mundane implements
for Scourgelings…. The word “gremlin” is not actually and tools used in Works; there is often none. However,
invented until the 20th century, but many a Daedalean Enlightened Arts must be applied with great care and preci-
would recognize that to which it refers. sion — “good enough” is not enough. Thus, many Artificers
Lastly — although the Ars Praeclarus is generally have a “best” set of tools used for their works, and stored
regarded as very vain, making Artificer workings highly away in padded cases at other times. Such implements
vulnerable to the Scourge, they do have compensations: tend to be hand-crafted by the owner (if her skills permit)
When what they do is simple and clearly explicable, it is or some Daedalean master, usually employing Matter 1
undeniably so. Thus, Artificers often alternate between perceptions to ensure that they are indeed perfect.
severe Scourgings and weeks with no trouble at all. Not that all tools are items of wood and steel. Artisans often
Purification: Most Daedaleans purify themselves of study alchemy for reasons discussed previously. From their point
latent Scourgings by the usual means; prayer is common, of view, alchemy is a well-documented topic that seems pleasingly
although bathing and passive meditation are also used in less susceptible to the Scourge than is the Ars Praeclarus.

45
 Artificers also make some good use of astrology. This However, inheriting tools is not thought especially clever
may seem odd to modern readers, for their successors in the either and the practical dangers are obvious.
Order of Reason reject this field of study utterly, declaring
that the stars are but distant balls of flaming gas with no
conceivable direct influence on human life. However, As
Above, so Below remains a high law of nature and astrol-
Formulations
ogy remains a respected science. Sophisticated clocks and am vanquished; these haughty words of
astronomical instruments even make Artificers supreme hers/Have batt’red me like roaring cannon-
experts in astrology’s practical application. No Artificer shot.
student of Time is likely to be without such tools, as well — William Shakespeare, Henry
as volumes of tables and references. VI, Part 1
Favored Artificer tools include common implements of Enlightened Artificers do not
the workbench, building-site and forge; weapons (which are, cast spells. That would demean them,
after all, nothing but well-designed levers and such designed reducing them to the status of posturing entertainers or
to amplify the wielder’s effective strength); parchment and hysterical Infernalists. Rather, they perform Works. Nor are
charcoal (enabling the user to plot out and contemplate they bound by doctrinaire restrictions on the exact form
some form or symbol); lenses in countless strange configura- that their use of sacred geometry may take. Unlike their
tions; and lanterns (useful for various basic forces effects successors of the Technocracy, Artificers are enthusiastic
as they permit one to manipulate fire and light). improvisers who pride themselves on adapting their art
and lore to the exigencies of the moment.
System Effects Verditius mages do not necessarily perform Works. In-
The precise nature of an individual Artificer’s tools stead, they discern what affinities already exist in an item
depends very much on his understanding of the world and and then align the item with the virtues it must have to
the types of working he performs, but all must have some become complete.
kind of logic. This should be related, in system terms, to That said, all Artificers do have a vast array of known
the character’s chosen Abilities. For example, a character techniques, which they catalogue precisely and study with
who uses alchemical potions, philters and pastilles to care. To an Artisan, learning from those who have gone
accomplish Life and Matter effects should have at least before and sharing useful ideas is not only respectable — it
one dot (preferably more) in Metaphysics (Alchemy), is a sacred duty. Hence, they have their equivalent to the
and must spend time in a laboratory, performing routine sorcerer’s book of spells. They use many names for this sort
preparations. Influence over Mind might be the result of of material, but “Formulations” does as well as any. The
these same studies, involving especially subtle use of cor- following are merely some examples.
respondences between the alchemical works and the target
(or cruder application of alchemical drugs). Or Mind might Aiming Grid (• Connection)
be associated with Artist training, as the creator draws, This piece of inspired craftsmanship is Chinese in
shapes and arranges the forms of things to influence the origin, although the ideas involved are basic to sacred
thoughts of those perceiving them. (The latter application geometry. It consists, quite simply, of an intricate sighting
of Mind has the advantage of requiring minimal special device that must be attached carefully to a crossbow or
materials, but the drawback of taking much longer than personal firearm and specifically calibrated for that weapon.
other works.) The Artisan may use it to aim with extraordinary accuracy,
Most “conventional” Artificers use mechanical De- even lobbing missiles on high arching trajectories over
vices. Invention is the obvious Ability here, but a character intervening barriers.
who combines it with low Dexterity and no training in [In system terms, take one turn to align the grid with a
any related Craft produces unreliable and dangerous tools. target. Roll Arete as usual for a magickal effect and reduce
Conversely, a high rating in Crafts or Artillerist suffices to the difficulty of subsequent shots by the number of successes
come up with conventional but workable devices that may achieved. New targets that were not very close to the first,
be used with inspired ingenuity (the addition of training in or the same target if it moves rapidly and the caster fails
a Science can make for very interesting workings). to “track” continuously, must be “aligned” as new. Point-
A character may also acquire tools that he could not blank shots cannot benefit from this effect. High-arching
actually create for himself through an Allies Background, “lobbed” shots may be made up to three times the weapon’s
perhaps from an alchemist or an armorer. There is no great base range, but take +5 difficulty before the effect bonus
shame in this; to most Artificers, the whole point of their is applied, and do -2 damage. Because the weapon is not
Works is that they can be passed on, their use taught. enhanced in itself — it still has the same range and damage

46
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Viewpoints of Technology
So (says the old-hand Mage player), the Artisans its purposes, by and large. But none of these percep-
are the Renaissance equivalent of Iteration X, right? tions of machines make sense to the people of the
Technocrats who use heavy-duty super-technology Renaissance.
instead of spells and whose souls are all cold iron?
To begin with, machines are rarely truly vast.
Okay, the décor’s a bit different — rivets and coal and
A big farm cart, a mill or a siege cannon is pretty
hot-air balloons rather than cyborgs and machine guns
imposing, but each is still built on a human scale.
— but it’s still the Power of the Machine, right? And
They may be powerful — that cart will crush you if
the Craftmasons — well, they’re a bit more liberal,
it runs you down — but it’s a comprehensible and
but the thinking’s obviously much the same.
unreliable kind of power. As for precision — that’s a
Wrong, wrong, wrong. dream. A few monks tinker with their clocks, driven
Yes, the Artisans lay the philosophical ground- by the belief that their prayers and devotions should
work that eventually underpins Iteration X, but that’s be governed by the divine will that rules Time, but
a long way down the line. Ethics aside, these folks are the results are pretty shaky. Ten-figure precision is
a bit more mystical and quite a bit more crazy — in an abstraction for unworldly mathematicians, not a
an inspired sort of way — than any 20th-century standard for practical craftsmen. (Although they can
Technocrat. There’s no way they could be otherwise show remarkably precise and exacting judgment-by-
in their time. It’s Paradigms again. eye when the job demands it.)
Remember, to the Sleepers of this age “machine” Repetition is a legitimate aim for Renaissance
has very different implications compared to what it inventions, but it demands that a machine be tended
implies in the 20th century. Thanks to the Industrial and supervised constantly. Machines aren’t tireless;
Revolution, modern folk think of machines as vast wood splits, metal bends, ropes break. A mundane
and not only superhumanly powerful, but superhu- version of the Scourge seems to descend upon the
manly precise — built to tolerances of a thousandth simplest Device. A machine cannot demand anything
of an inch, working to timings of a hundredth of except the patience of its tenders, who must wheedle
a second. Thanks to mass production, we see The and improvise to make it work. Machines are painfully
Machine as repetitive, tireless and remorseless, impos- far from obedient. Although they may incorporate
ing its demands on human servitors. Thanks to the great ingenuity and wit, they are self-evidently less
computer, we think of machines as obedient to the intelligent than the pigeons in the dovecote or than
instructions of a skilled priesthood, and potentially the bees in their hive for that matter.
(if not actually) sentient. In the face of all these limitations, regardless of
Much of this belief may be the result of the the derision their ideas must attract from practical
Order of Reason’s manipulations as it transformed folk, Artificers have a vision, a vision of the potential
into the Technocracy. Such concepts certainly serve of their strange creations.

capabilities — the formulation is generally casual, unless application according to a vast range of principles, from
it is used for overly fancy “trick shots” such as firing a the trivial to the exotic.
crossbow bolt over a wall to kill a briefly glimpsed enemy [In game terms, each success rolled reduces the dif-
commander on the other side.] ficulty rating of all parts of the planned task by one, for
the duration of the spell. This is a minor effect, almost
Perfection of the Tools always entirely casual — but it should be monitored in use
to ensure that it is not applied to multiple tasks with one
(• Matter, • Mind) casting. Also note that it cannot be applied to magickal
An Artisan who has attained a little mastery over projects or markedly innovative works; the craft cannot
both her own mind and the materials with which she feed on itself.]
works can use that knowledge to improve her performance
of mundane tasks. Before commencing some specific and Assess Affinity (• Matter, • Prime)
well-planned work of conventional craftsmanship, she All matter has Resonance in the eyes of the mages of
lays out her tools and assesses their suitability and best House Verditius. It is a relatively simple undertaking to

47
determine what element, astrological sign and property ing) armor apart with every blow. Once this working is
should be assigned to a particular object. Said over the complete, but before dice are rolled for each subsequent
object in question during a formal ritual of dedication and attack, the player may declare how many successes from
questing, this incantation allows the magus insight into a blow are to be directed at armor worn by the target (up
the nature of the item. Certain Artificers use a similar to a number of dice equal to the successes achieved in the
procedure to achieve comparable results, but do so through Matter effect), rather than at the target’s person. Armor
theories of refraction and correspondence. can soak physical damage thus inflicted on it, with a num-
[The Hermetic needs to take the object she wishes to ber of dice equal to twice its protective value, minus the
assess into a proper circle and perform a dedication ritual primary effect of the magick, at a difficulty of 6. Each level
to invoke the charm. This effect is quite obviously vain; it of damage that penetrates reduces the armor’s soak value
requires preparation, care and accuracy to work correctly. In by one against all subsequent attacks, until the shredded
game terms, each success gives the character one piece of armor can be repaired.
information regarding the object’s affinities. Failure garners By way of example, a Daedalean guardsman attacks
no results, but the character may try the procedure again. a brigand. The guard’s blade was forged by an Artificer
A botch indicates that the spell is misspoken or otherwise and was designed to cut through armor. The Artificer
miscast; no information is retrieved and the charm may achieved two successes during the working, so up to two
not be used again until the next day.] dice of damage from each of the guard’s blows can be di-
rected at the brigand’s armor. The brigand wears furs and
Splitting a Cuirass padding worth only one point of protection. The guard
hits and inflicts five dice of damage. His player starts by
(Various Spheres) rolling two dice of damage against the armor (difficulty 6)
Artisans take a methodical, analytical approach to and gets one success. Twice the armor’s value is two, but
hand-to-hand combat; they are not necessarily great masters since the Artificer weapon had two successes invested in
of fencing or such arts, but when their blows land, they its creation, the armor gets no soak attempt and is riven.
tend to tell. They accomplish this by ensuring that their The remaining three dice of damage are then rolled against
weapons are stronger than any protection. the brigand who now has no remaining armor to absorb
[At the simplest, an Artisan with Entropy 1, Life 1 the punishment.
or Matter 1 can use casual perception magick to identify Applying an armor-rending effect at missile-weapon
weaknesses in an opponent’s protection. (Matter works to range is much harder, even if the Artisan forges special
see failings in only unliving armor; Life detects weak spots armor-destroying arrowheads or whatever. The effect really
in a beast’s hide, a dragon’s scales or suchlike.) For each requires a clear, close view of the protection; it is very hard
success on the Arete roll, reduce the armor’s protection to hit a small spot on a moving target at range. The ranged
by one for the duration of the effect — but against only working must incorporate Connection 2 and all difficulty
blows struck by the Artisan. Furthermore, the Artisan’s penalties are doubled. Repeated or over-spectacular uses
attacks suffer +2 difficulty as they must be directed at very of the effect are considered highly vain. (Putting arrows
specific points. The Artisan must have at least one dot or bullets through heavy armor once or twice is plausible,
in an Ability appropriate to the weapon being used; the but several shots or shooting away armor — that’s not
weapon itself serves as the focusing tool. natural.)
There are a number of ways to enhance this technique. Enlightened Artisans with the Builder or Stonemason
Many Artificers with Matter 2 carry heavy swords or polearms Craft (and who know anything about fortifications), or
which they have forged for themselves, with points or spikes those with such advanced Crafts as Architect or Military
of special hardness. A few who have studied Fencing prefer Engineer (in those decadent lands where one can learn such
slender but unbreakable rapiers of needle sharpness. (These trades “academically,” without having worked one’s way
are not magickal treasures, although the enhancement is up through honest hand-work and rule-of-thumb experi-
permanent; rather, they are considered casting tools that ence), may assess the weaknesses in a fortress’ walls with
happen to have involved magick in the creation.) Such similar effect. One usually also needs Artillerist Skill to do
weapons reduce the difficulty modifier to +1 as they are ideal anything with the knowledge. Craftmason artillerists are,
for this purpose. Alternatively, an Entropy 2 effect permits the of course, the masters of all this. If detailed plans of the
Artisan to strike at the weak points “by luck,” without any target building are available, the attacker simply spends a
penalty; this requires a separate working unless the Artisan few minutes with them, then gets on with supervising the
uses one of those specially made weapons, which make the artillery aiming. More commonly, the working requires
wielder’s blows an extension of her perceptions. some kind of Connection effect to survey defenses closely,
By incorporating a Matter 2 effect into the working, and plenty of drawing materials with which to plot out the
the Artisan can determine how to shred a target’s (unliv- likely internal form of the place.]

48
INSTRUCTION
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TRADE SECRETS

Filter’d Lantern-Light (•• Forces)

Many folk carry lanterns to light their way through the
dark. Artificers study the ways in which these implements
serve their purpose. A subtle understanding of light in all
its variety proves very useful (and is usually casual unless
employed too dramatically).
A typical Artificer’s lantern is designed so that slides
of colored glass may be placed across the beam, and has a
reflecting back-plate of flexible polished metal that may
be adjusted by use of small screws. It can be set for various
effects: to cast a subtle, diffuse light that illuminates with-
out making its origin obvious; to produce strong beams of
any desired color; or to burn hot but dull, as a local source
of warmth that can be kept hidden. (A second Forces 1
effect, usually achieved with lenses over the eyes or an
alchemical unguent, enables the user to see patterns of
heat; combining this with a properly set lantern makes for
very easy movement in pitch darkness.)
Given a moment’s warning, the Artificer can even cre-
ate a sudden flash of exceptionally bright light that dazzles
a foe briefly (adding the number of successes rolled, plus
one to the difficulty of any task which requires the victim
to see, including combat, for a number of rounds equal
to twice the successes rolled). Such a burst tends to burn
through the lantern’s stock of oil after a use or two.

The Swift Lock (•• Forces)

The drawback of firearms is that they take so long
to prepare. They must be loaded with powder and shot,
primed, aimed (as well as possible) and fired only then. The
mechanism that ignites the powder — the lock — is the most
complex part and hence the least reliable. Ignition-holes
can be blocked with burned powder, slow-matches can burn
out (and need continual adjustment) and wheel locks need
“spanning” (tensioning) and can break or jam.
Hence, some pragmatic Artificers cheat a little when
needs must and use Forces effects to fire a load of powder
without actually using the lock. Purists sniff at this trick
as lazy and sloppy, but it is often a life-saver — and it is
almost always casual. After all, the lock might have been
prepared in advance, the gunner might have loaded with
unusual swiftness or the powder might have ignited spon-
taneously in a hot barrel.
(Don’t forget that the Scourge can always find ways
to express itself unpleasantly through a carelessly handled
gun.)
[Using this formulation improves a suitable weapon’s
Rate of Fire by one turn per shot — so an arquebus goes from
Rate 1/6 to 1/5, a wheel lock from 1/4 to 1/3, and so on. As
only a spark is needed, a single success is usually enough for
the working to succeed. If it fails, the Artisan can usually
try to fire the fully loaded piece again next turn: A botch,

49
 however, can be unpleasant. Multi-barreled weapons are
too tricky and complex to benefit from this effect.]

Grand Salvo (•• Forces)

Certain weapons — banks of rockets or multi-barreled
guns — unleash a hail of fire and shot on enemies, overwhelm-
ing victims with a rain of destruction. Clever Artificers know
how to use this sort of device to exceptional effect, subtly
amplifying and multiplying the damage. This effect is casual,
unless the weapon itself is a vain Machina. The attack must
generate at least five shots within a single turn for the trick
to work, and the weapon must be fired by the Artificer alone
or with the aid of none but cooperative Awakened allies.
[For every two successes rolled on this effect, one
more missile strikes the target — provided that at least
two “normal” missiles hit unaided. There must be a practi-
cal upper limit to the size of weapon on which this effect
works, but multi-shot weapons have an upper size limit of
their own anyway. Very well-drilled bands of Enlightened
handgunners can create a similar effect when firing their
weapons simultaneously.
For instance, Saung the Artillerist directs a salvo
from six cannon crewed by Awakened apprentices. The
Storyteller judges that the player must roll Perception +
Artillerist, with each success denoting a successful strike.
Saung’s player rolls four successes, indicating that four of
the cannonballs hit. Using his Arts, Saung insures that
others in the salvo strike, too. The player rolls three suc-
cesses on his effect, so one additional cannon scores a hit
(the extra single success is not enough to guide the shot
of the last cannon). Five cannons roar and strike down
the castle walls!]

The Argument of Princes

(•• Mind)
Artificer weapons do more than destroy with great
force. They terrify with their superiority, intimidating those
who are less acquainted with the arts of destruction. Hence,
guns, rockets, cannon and Greek Fire may serve as the tools
of a casual Mind effect, terrifying one foe into submission
even as they are used to blast away at another.
(A few Enlightened Artillerists have been known to add
Connection effects to this spell when besieging fortresses.
The thunder of siege guns is never pleasant if one might be
on the receiving end, even if one cannot see them.)
[In system terms, the Artificer takes extra time to
deploy and direct this effect while preparing and aiming
the weapon, which can be virtually anything that makes
plenty of noise or smoke, does massive damage or that is
blatantly unusual. The effect simply makes the threat of
death especially terrifying — a casual effect. Successes on
the effect are expended to determine how long this terror

50
 INSTRUCTION
the third:
TRADE SECRETS

lasts and how many people are affected (see The Sorcerers
Crusade, page 240). Any opponent who clearly sees the
Sulfurous Darkness
weapon used when the working is activated must make a (•• Forces, • Matter; sometimes
Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or be struck with terror. A
victim is unable to do anything other than save himself adds •• Life and •• Entropy)
(flee, duck for cover, surrender), unless a Willpower point The simple form of this spell uses the typical smith’s or
is spent. If the weapon suffers some kind of dramatic or alchemist’s experience of working with fire; a substantial flame
spectacularly comic accident while in use the effect is is the main tool. Taking up some appropriate stuff — a pinch
canceled and victims take heart.] of strange chemicals or a much larger quantity of almost any-
thing flammable that comes to hand — the Artificer casts the
High Rhetoric (•• Mind) effect on the fire. The flammable substance catches and flares
This is not in any sense an Artificer working, save (thanks to use of Forces). Within seconds, the area is filled
that rhetoric is considered an honorable art. Yet the effect with dark unpleasant smoke, making vision nearly useless.
is vastly useful, so is often employed by both Craftmason One success on the roll fills a small space, two a full-
rabble-rousers and politicians schooled in Classical ide- sized room, three a great hall. Blind victims add four to
als. the difficulty of most tasks that require vision. Storytellers
It is almost always a casual working. The only “tool” can change the exact modifier as seems appropriate, but
generally employed is considered, calculated speech. note that botches under these circumstances tend to be
When it works, such speech can make an audience believe catastrophic (or comical).
almost anything, follow almost anyone or fight for almost Using this effect to counter Forces-based enhanced
any cause. vision or the uncanny senses of a few types of creature is
[The user must have a total of at least six dots in Ma- harder. Add one to the difficulty of the working if the Ar-
nipulation + Expression. The combination of Mind and tificer uses a special and expensive alchemical preparation.
rhetoric can convey almost any emotion to an audience, Add three otherwise. Cunning weapons experts sometimes
which tends to follow the speaker’s lead so long as the ef- carry guns loaded with smoke-powder rather than shot,
fect lasts. This working cannot change a listener’s moral which can be fired without aiming to surprise a foe and let
code or general inclinations completely, but someone the warrior escape or close to sword’s length.
who has spent an hour cheering a speech usually takes a This is a conveniently casual effect, unless the user
while to recognize its flaws afterward. Attempts to subvert must make do with implausibly small amounts of impro-
an audience’s ideas too radically give listeners Willpower vised flammable material. However, some Artificers use
rolls to resist.] a more advanced version of this effect that is definitely
Geometric Jars (•• Connection; vain unless they are known (or thought) to be using some
nasty, advanced piece of practical alchemy. In this case,
• Forces may be added) a combined Life and Entropy effect serves to make the
The sphere of Connection is always useful for survey smoke choking and foul; anyone caught within it must roll
and spying; some Artificers employ a mixture of Chinese Stamina, difficulty 8, each turn or do nothing but choke
ideas and the Resonance effects of sacred geometry when and gag for two turns. A botched Stamina roll causes loss
invoking it. An array of specially made, water-filled jars of a health level.
are placed in the vicinity of a site of interest. The slightest
vibrations in the liquid are watched, counted and mea-
Perfect Fuse (•• Forces, • Time)
sured. Intricate mathematics can then be used to derive Any half-competent artillerist can lay a simple fuse
considerable information about the structure and layout to give himself time to get clear of a prepared explosion.
of the subject area. Even more meticulous work can pick Enlightened Artificers can be subtle, clever and precise
up resonating “echoes” of sounds and voices therein. The about it. This is a flexible sort of effect, often improvised
inclusion of a Forces 1 effect allows those sounds to be using whatever materials are at hand.
amplified for audibility. The Storyteller can modify the difficulty of such work-
[This effect is vain, at least if the information derived ings up or down (up if the trick involves damp powder
is to be at all useful, but it is not usually observed by Sleep- and an old candle, down if the Artificer sacrifices a piece
ers; they may see the deployment of the jars, but rarely of intricate clockwork and takes some time to construct
understand the supernatural applications.] a mechanism).

51
 A good fuse is a casual effect if it is simply made more even be suitable for use by unsupervised Sleepers. However,
reliable and precise than most Sleepers could manage; vain their current designs demand piped air for any sort of extended
if its precision is truly awe-inspiring. Sophisticated “booby- use, limiting the depth at which they can plunge, even if the
trap” fuses, triggered by the Resonance of nearby living things problem of visibility in the murky depths can be solved. Divers
or large objects through sacred geometry, are wildly vain. are also painfully vulnerable. Still, they have already been used
quietly to plant explosive mines against enemy ships.]
Ghost-Burning
(•• Forces, •• Spirit) Branding the Heart
Those Artificers who spend too long tinkering with lenses
(•• Forces, •• Mind)
sometimes discover things that are not “there.” Indeed, some Most Enlightened Artificers regard torture with mild
don strange, distorting eyeglasses to make use of Spirit 1 sensory disdain. Those who do not may become unpleasantly adept
effects. By rigging up an intricate array of lenses, lanterns and at it, wielding Life, Mind, Forces or Entropy with intense
mirrors, more advanced workers can do more. effect. But when a special kind of terror is needed, or no
[Adjusted with inspired skill, such contraptions can be marks may be left on some significant prisoner’s flesh, they
used to direct searing, burning light — the Forces element of have to become more subtle.
the working — through the Gauntlet to injure an entity on the [A blazing flame must be prepared in the midst of an
other side. Of course, a simple Spirit 2 effect allows someone to intricate design on the ground, based on detailed use of sacred
strike an ordinary blow in much the same way, but many lesser geometry. The Artificer first touches the design and then
malevolent spirits are thought to suffer a terror of light, and this the victim with cold iron. The effect channels the essential
special attack does seem to startle them dramatically. It also sensory nature of the fire — but nothing else — directly into
startles un-Enlightened observers and is invariably vain.] the victim’s perceptions. The result is every bit as painful as
actual burning, but not physically harmful. (It does two health
The Barrel of Iskander levels of “damage” per turn, but the victim cannot be reduced
below unconsciousness by this means, and recovers one level
(• Forces, •• Matter) per turn once the torture ends.)
Inspired by eastern legends of the ventures of Alexander This formulation is vain, but the victim cannot count
the Great, some Artificers seek to explore the depths of the as a witness, at least at first, being all too convinced of the
sea. Their favorite tool for this is a “crystal barrel” — actu- mundane reality of the heat!]
ally a barrel-shaped iron-and-glass construction, lowered
into the water on a heavy chain from a large crane. Fine The Frenzy of the Spinning Wheels
craftsmanship and alchemical subtleties (Matter effects)
keep the barrel watertight at almost any depth, and the air (••• Time)
within fresh. The special glass permits the single occupant Complex machines may do many things at once. By use
a clear view of the surrounding waters, despite the gloom of sacred geometry, those who apply the Ars Praeclarus to
and sometimes murk of the depths (using Forces 1). Time may accomplish something similar themselves, albeit
[This creation is casual for short-term use, as most through a vain formulation. They appear almost to dance
Sleepers don’t actually understand the problems it resolves, among complex arrays of rotating wheels and shafts, some-
but lengthy or deep descents make it vain (“She’ll surely times using them to hold and place tools just as required.
suffocate!”). Some sophisticated Artificers may add Life 2 [This is the common Time 3 effect, of course, similar
effects to keep themselves comfortable for extended explo- to St. Vitus’ Kiss, but in a distinctively Artificer version.
rations and to accomplish various tricks to communicate A few prefer to use alchemical drugs for similar effect.]
with the surface.
A crane used to lower a barrel is usually a large but Glorious Is the Temple
mundane device, operated by crews of three or four burly
brethren. More refined exhibitions of the Ars Praeclarus
(••• Prime, •• Mind)
may substitute for their control and muscle-power. Attempts Craftmasons regard great buildings as symbolic of
to rupture the barrel require four successes, difficulty 7. If their relationship with divinity and eternity. In a real
the chain is broken, another Matter effect causes the barrel sense, buildings are the greatest of Craftmason tools. This
to rise safely through the water like the bubble of air it is formulation is one of the highest of Craftmason rituals —
(two successes required). Otherwise, it tends to sink not but it is also very practical.
quite as swiftly as a stone. It takes about an hour and is always conducted in a
Some German Artificers experiment with diving suits of Craftmason-made building sited on a Cray (which the Masons
a remarkably sophisticated pattern, and claim that they may often prefer to call a “wellspring”). The working is performed

52
 INSTRUCTION
the third:
TRADE SECRETS

by a single Mason (the “leader”) with the necessary grasp of

the Spheres and a “congregation” of any size. The result is Secret Labyrinth
to make Quintessence available to those who need it and to
inspire all those involved with renewed determination. The
(•••• Spirit, ••• Mind, •• Prime)
ceremony is not taken lightly; no Mason may participate in The Craftmasons know somewhat of the spirit world, but
it, in any function, more than once per day. do not like what they know. Drawing on the peasant lore of a
[For each success that the leader achieves in an Arete dozen lands, then organizing and applying it, they have come
roll, one point of Quintessence may be drawn from the up with a way to protect honest folk from such beings.
“wellspring” and distributed to any chosen member of the The builder of this Work begins by plotting out an
congregation. If the recipient already has as much Quintes- intricate maze design, using sacred geometry and ancient
sence stored as his Daemon Background permits, he needs lore. The maze may be within a large room — hall- or
to use the usual Prime 1 effect to store more. In addition, church-sized — or in the open, and may entirely surround
all participants in the ceremony gain one Willpower, use- something up to the size of a small cottage. The design
able only so long as they work faithfully in the cause of must be visibly traced out; it may be marked in chalk on
the Craftmasons, for a period determined by the successes bare rock, plowed in a field, marked in tiles on a floor or
rolled. Those who receive Quintessence also regain any planted. Some subtle Masons incorporate the design into
temporary Willpower expenditure equal to the Quintes- a stained-glass window so that sunlight projects it onto
sence gained. The ceremony looks a little ungodly to the the floor below. This approach proves to work, despite the
un-Enlightened — like a parody of religion —and hence is fact that the maze is only visible intermittently. Finally,
considered vain. Sleeper witnesses are rarely permitted.] the shaper walks the maze once to activate it.

53
 The result is that any spirit attempting to cross the
location of the maze, in our reality or any adjacent spirit Medicine
world, is blocked and forced to attempt to follow the path,
Although medicine is not quite considered an ex-
usually without escape. Powerful spirits may deny the
pression of artisanship, it deserves some mention here.
compulsion; most cannot.
The Ahl-i-Batin and Chinese Artisans have studied
Unfortunately, this working has proved recalcitrantly the uses of herbs, tinctures and other drugs for centuries
vain — except where it is worked into the structure of a and have given as much attention and effort to their
church. (The truth is that the defeat of malicious spirits medical endeavors as to their alchemical or otherwise-
is generally considered the province of the sacred by traditional Artisan pursuits. Thus, in the East, the
Sleepers.) science of medicine has been refined to the point that
[An Arete roll is required to complete the working. it may be considered a Craft in its own right.
It strengthens the local Gauntlet as per the usual Spirit 4 In what will become known as Turkey, pharmacists
effect. Use of Prime allows the effect to last beyond a scene. were being licensed — by Sleepers! — in the late eighth
The Prime element also creates a reflection of the symbolic century; the first drugstores were also opened around that
labyrinth in the spirit world, formed of the very stuff of the time. 1279 saw the translation of Baghdad surgeon al-
Gauntlet. The Mind aspect impels spirits encountering the Razi’s comprehensive medical encyclopedia into Latin.
maze to walk it and become lost. They may roll Willpower, It detailed the treatment of bladder and kidney stones,
difficulty 7. If they achieve more successes than the shaper presented a clinical report on smallpox and explained
of the maze, they may refuse to enter it. Otherwise (or if a variety of surgical techniques previously unknown
they enter because they must cross that region), they can to the western world. Ibn-Sina, or Avicenna, perhaps
roll Intelligence + Enigmas after an hour, and once per day the most famous medical expert of the 11th century,
thereafter, to escape the maze on either side. One success discussed contagion, diagnosis and effective treatment
allows escape back; three grants passage through. The dif- of hundreds of diseases in his encyclopedia.
ficulty is 6 if the maze was entered voluntarily, 8 otherwise.
This startlingly developed knowledge of medicine
The effect continues even if the material representation
indicates the level of advancement Awakened medi-
of the maze is destroyed, but all difficulties to escape it are
cine has in the Renaissance. Life Arts combined with
reduced by one. If the material form survives the fading
such knowledge can surely work nigh-miraculous cures
of the working itself, the same caster may reactivate it at
and feats of surgery. In game terms, Storytellers might
any time by walking the maze once more and making an
choose to allow eastern healer-concept characters to
Arete roll (although it is advisable to take some time to
use Medicine as a Craft specialty or to specialize in
ensure that the puzzle is entirely intact first). Alternatively,
a particular aspect once four dots in the Knowledge:
the caster might use an extended roll, walking the maze
Medicine are earned.
repeatedly to make its spiritual reflection more durable
from the first by achieving more successes.]
is strange is the Artisan idea that such replacements could
Tattoos and Prostheses somehow be better than the limbs replaced. (A few Arti-
sans even dream of replacing organs as well as limbs, but
The strangest and most daring of all High Artisan
given the fact that even the Cosians are prone to blazing
activities comes from their occasional willingness to treat
arguments about the exact function of each internal or-
the human body itself as simply another tool of their art.
gan, such replacements are either functionally impossible
This is not in any real sense medicine (although some such
or at best so wildly vain that the Scourge would destroy
Artisans study with members of the Hippocratic Circle).
the recipient within moments.) Artisans who must wear
Rather it is a mad, blasphemous matter of looking upon
prostheses (accidents happen, even in the best-regulated
bones as levers, the blood as a stream and skin as parch-
workshops) often fit them with tools, blades or weapons
ment. The best that most say for protagonists of this study
by way of making the best of things. A very few go on to
is that they are generally willing to use their own bodies
use arcane engine-magick to make replacements function
for their experiments rather than inflict their insanity on
as true limbs, at least in some respects — and these can
others. The fact is that unwilling or untrained recipients
be limbs of exotic strength and resilience.
rarely use such magicks to any good effect.
(Note, however, that this sort of device is still highly
Of course, there is nothing especially novel or bizarre
unreliable and vain. The HIT Marks of Mage: The As-
about prosthetic limbs; old soldiers and accident victims
cension are centuries away. Only an Artisan with truly
have hobbled about on wooden legs for centuries. What

54
 INSTRUCTION
the third:
TRADE SECRETS

insane obsessions and willpower would even contemplate Scars and tattoos incorporating designs from the
deliberately mutilating herself for the sake of gaining a archives of sacred geometry may be used to channel Quin-
clockwork limb.) tessence and other magickal phenomena. They can also
An alternative, rather less demented idea, but with be used for other effects, mostly centered on the Sphere of
much more of the stench of superstition about it, is to Life. However, doing so is not only frequently highly vain,
mark the surface of the body — the skin — with symbols it tends to irritate other Artificers. Common examples are
of power. Some high-minded Artisans disapprove of such symbols that hasten healing (Life 2), protect against fire
tattoos, suspecting that the idea owes rather too much to (Forces 2), help hold Quintessence (Prime 1) or simply
the enigmatic “House Criamon.” Yet others find tattoos strike terror in enemies (Mind 2).
tempting. Sacred geometry is in part a matter of symbols Tattoos and prosthetics may also incur Flaws such as
and representations, and what better way to keep such at Disturbing Mannerism or Deformity (see Crusade Lore).
hand than to bear them on one’s very person? Still, it’s Some are treated as Witch Marks by witch-hunters, who
difficult to combine the Artisan style of work with this laugh coldly at claims that these are natural or self-inflicted
approach for very many purposes. mutilations. The chief drawback of these highly convenient
[Prosthetics, scars and tattoos may be used as tools for “tools” is that they draw the Scourge direct to the bearer.
all manner of workings; players and Storytellers should be Whenever the body-crafter botches an Arete roll while using
able to agree on what’s broadly plausible. A simple artificial such “tools,” add an extra Scourge point. If the result takes
limb is mundane, of course. If it incorporates a hidden the character’s total to 10 or higher, one of those points
blade, that’s just clever workmanship. However, using it becomes permanent! The effects of Scourgings on a much-
to manipulate objects or to display more-than-human or marked character tend to be close and intimate — further
noticeably precise strength is another matter, and is usually diminished appearance, persistent physical discomfort,
vain (unless done very cleverly). heavy blows of the Devil’s Brand….

55
 INSTRUCTION
the fourth:
MASTERS OF THE ART

So he made rebellion ’gainst the King his liege,

Camped before his citadel and summoned it to siege.
“Nay!” said the cannoneer on the castle wall,
“But Iron — Cold Iron — shall be master for you all!”
— Rudyard Kipling, Cold Iron

t had been six long years of apprenticeship

for Rosa the jeweler’s daughter — six years Craftsmen and
of hard work and study, enlightened only by
that brief moment of terror-driven inspira- Scholars Both
tion. She was never even able to say when
Daedalean Artificers are truly a disparate lot. Their
she Awoke. It was almost certainly before
rivals, and even their allies, may think them a mob of single-
the battle with the Summoning, for what she
minded blacksmiths and revolting peasant-stoneworkers
had done with the diamond involved a sense of the structure of
mumbling about the doubtful beauty of their work. But
the thing that few master-jewelers could have matched. But she
that assumption misses a range of ideals and dreams, the
had certainly not felt Enlightened when she had been formally
burning fire of creativity and a practical style of Human-
greeted into the Secrets, bare months before that.
ism. Artificers may be ready to die for peace or to kill for
When she pondered the question, those six years seemed to justice. Their arts may be a simple means to a wondrous
her like a long gradual process of forging, with the battle in fact end or the essence of their existence. They may be born
being a spectacular moment of white heat and quenching. But few to wealth or fight their way up out of the mire.
apprenticeships involved any moment so dangerous, and her master
Likewise, Artificers may live by the Sermon on the
could never have calculated that the process should include such.
Mount, the Koran or the Analects of Confucius. Regard-
Now at last, Rosa stood in a plain robe of unbleached linen less, their manner of worship is almost always practical
and prepared to take vows of which she had previously known and personal. They may follow the forms of a communal, a
nothing. Behind her stood others, also ’prentices about to be ritual religion, but if their hearts were known at such times
made journeymen, but some of them looked even less the part they might be in trouble. Their Daemons are particularly
than herself — a monk in tonsure and habit, a man-at-arms in problematic to them. They often deny that such are truly
mail…. Well, such was the way of the Enlightened. Although divinities or ancient teachers, believing their inspiration
the other side of the room was shadowed and the smoke of the comes from their own hearts. But they also see those
forge stung her eyes when she blinked, it seemed that those who visitations as representations of the divine spark. Thus,
prepared to accept her vows were little less strange. Artificers are sometimes accused of being self-made men

57
who worship their makers. Some deal with this by deny- They may be used as examples of beginning characters for
ing the importance of their Daemons, pushing them away players to use as presented, to adapt as desired, or as figures
and progressing by struggle with their own souls. Others for the Storyteller to deploy when the players’ characters
formulate complex theologies of personal divinity. Oth- enter a Daedalean workshop.
ers still remain tactfully quiet on the subject. It is more This chapter also includes brief biographies of a number
useful to struggle with the intractability of matter, the of noteworthy Artificers of the game period and the near
unpredictability of fire or the perversity of the Scourge future. Meetings with such notables should be rare and
than it is to fight oneself or the priests. striking events. However, their histories and activities
The following templates represent a little of the full may provide players and Storytellers with inspiration — as
range of these driven, high-minded, practical creators. they do their fellow Artificers.

58
 INSTRUCTION
the fourth:
MASTERS OF THE ART

Alchemist
All men and jinn in collaboration could not produce its
like.
— Muslim saying
Quote: Please do not jostle that flask.
Prelude: As a student, you thought your place in life
was secure. Commerce, trade — those were the paths for
your future. All those lessons in mathematics had honed
your mind to an analytical point, quick and eager to follow
any given exercise or problem to its logical and beneficial
end. But something drew you to the Ibn-Jadh’s chemistry
lesson, and something held you there long after the rest of
the pupils had left the laboratory for their evening meal.
Under your instructor’s watchful eye, you mixed the last
of the tinctures — and you realized what it was that had
drawn you to the laboratory.
You couldn’t miss it, really. It hovered in the gray-
ish cloud of smoke that puffed from the ceramic crucible
and looked directly at you. Life as a merchant suddenly
seemed eminently uninteresting, and you became the
alchemist’s sole student. Now the afreet shows up
occasionally to give you point-
ers on your measurements;
Ibn-Jadh watches over the
rest of the never-ending
Roleplaying Hints: Focused, driven and intense —
procedures in the search
all these words describe you. But you’re still young and
for the One Essence.
the world is so much richer now that you are aware of the
Concept: You were great web that holds all things together. You are part of
raised a duti- the whole and the desire to experience it is strong and
ful Muslim, seductive. In addition to all this, you know what’s at stake
following the in your studies: the very unity that draws you out of the
Five Pillars laboratory and into the world. If you can just take the first
f a i t h f u l l y. step to learning the secret of Omnium, the beauty and
Since your holiness of the world would be so much stronger.
Awakening,
Art: Precision and patience are your greatest tools. If
however, find-
a man is willing to invest the time necessary to thoroughly
ing the right balance
analyze a substance or a reaction, he stands to receive much
of elements to create
greater benefits than the man who rushes his assessment.
whatever substance
This patience and practice has developed your skill in the
you’re after this week
Matter Arts, and you have some small skill in discerning
has taken precedence in
the flows of Prime through your workings. However, you
your heart over your trip
don’t spend all your time bent over a flask; there lies a
to Mecca. Still, the words
whole world to be seen outside the workroom. You have
of the Prophet are sacred —
no time to travel too far, so you content yourself — for
they’ve just been supplanted
now — with exploring through Connection Arts.
by the Ahl-i-Batin doctrine of
Equipment: No alchemist would be without a few vi-
Unity. All the intensity you
als of his favorite powders and extracts tucked in strategic
used to feel for your religion
places about his person. A small belt pouch or two provide
and the prospect of growing rich
you with these places — and a place to put your precious
from your efforts in the
spyglass, a gift from your teacher. The sophisticated little
expanding textile trade
piece is an ideal Connection-augmented means to satiate
has been channeled into
your curiosity about what’s out there in the wide world.
your alchemical studies.

59
Artist
In framing an artist, art hath thus decreed,
To make some good, but others to exceed…
— William Shakespeare, Pericles
Quote: It’s not surprising that Florien can’t paint limbs
right; he fainted during anatomy classes!
Prelude: Many artists speak of the Muse, but few
expect to be torn from sleep by a goddess wreathed in fire.
The experience was… startling. You retain an uncertain
relationship with the lady, who demands that you ever
labor to improve and extend your skills. Well, the Greeks
knew that goddesses could be importunate bitches.
Not that they’d have said so — but your ever-change-
able higher mistress is tolerant of your crude tongue, so
long as you keep her amused. The world must be shocked
sometimes, else it will slumber. She drives you — to the Or-
der, to ever-finer work and to distraction. And you worship
her in the ways
she demands.
Concept:
Despite what
some “practical”
folk mutter, your
kind is not pe- Roleplaying Hints: You may have a fine eye for beauty,
ripheral to the but there is little fey about you; your whims are a matter of
Order. You work amusement, not the center of your life. You are at heart a
at the very heart serious scholar of creation, perception and underlying forms.
of its philosophy Your grasp of such merely happens to be expressed in the
(though you are form of fine art. (Which earns you an honest living, too.)
barely a begin- Still, you do know how to enjoy life and you balance
n e r, a s s h e the intensity you bring to your work with a little fun in
often tells the evenings. Anyway, potential patrons expect you to be
y o u ) . Yo u flamboyant. But a sense of proportion is the first requirement
can paint of your calling.
a portrait Art: Your application of the High Art is mostly a mat-
this month ter of perception; you prefer to leave violence to cruder
and design adepts or to rely on mundane weaponry if you must fight.
a building You have a basic knowledge of several Spheres, the better
the next. to know the world. Because of this subtlety, you need only
You know the a few small tools: drawing materials help you concentrate,
lowliest tav- sharp blades act as probes and you have a few philters and
erns of the potions, courtesy of a friendly alchemist. You are discovering
town, but the inherent properties of materials, allowing you to piece
you are also together sculptures, works and weapons that hold both art
tolerated in and Art simultaneously.
the palace. And you Equipment: You admit to owning little more than the
meet your fellows shabby-peacock clothes you stand in. Your artistic materials
regularly, trading lie scattered round your rented room. Much else of yours is
in the knowledge at the pawnshop. In truth, you are a little more organized
you acquire along than you claim. Your cloak has a number of hidden pockets
the way. (good for embellishing casual workings), and both a fencing
blade and a needle-pointed dagger hang at your waist.

60
 INSTRUCTION
the fourth:
MASTERS OF THE ART

obscure lore that matched your concerns. You were set

Body-Forger upon a wondrous path.
I think that one cannot know anything certain respecting Concept: Now Enlightened, your determination
nature from any other quarter than from medicine; and that this is absolute and you have disregarded many pointless
knowledge is to be attained when one comprehends the whole limits. Even certain eccentric old Hermetic texts have
subject of medicine properly, but not until then…. taught you something: You’ve learned to mark your
— Hippocrates, On Ancient Medicine flesh with symbols of power. One hubristic experiment
almost destroyed you, and when you recovered from the
Quote: Our bodies are machines. There is no miracle
corruption-induced fever, it cost you an arm — but even
and no blasphemy in this: The truth is merely simpler than
that could be turned to your advantage. You have seen
men wish to believe.
that your miraculous art transcends the flesh — which is
Prelude: Once upon a time, you were no more than
surely not blasphemy!
a humble woodworker — albeit a talented and thoughtful
Roleplaying Hints: Once simply a perfectionist
craftsman who had learned reading and numbers. Then,
craftsman, you have become a fanatic, albeit with a
following a terrible battle fought not far from your home
mostly private set of goals. Still, you are prepared to use
city, a barber-surgeon of your acquaintance approached
your genius for the good of the Order. It does not worry
you. He had saved the lives of several wounded soldiers,
you that even other Artificers seem to flinch from you.
but at the cost of legs or arms in each case, and he felt
You can show them the truth in all its glory.
that the peg-legs and hooks they had been given were poor
things. Could you make something a little better? Art: You are a polymath or perhaps a dilettante,
merging techniques and ideas from a dozen sources into
You did your best and in-
one wild and terribly vain art. Your scars and tattoos
deed the men were grateful;
and the intricate internal mechanisms of your artificial
but more had
arm focus many of your effects. Others involve simple
surely to be
alchemy or physic.
possible. You
began to study Equipment: Your artificial arm (made with the aid
the workings of of more powerful fellow Artificers), a set of razor-edged
the human form, of knives, craftsman’s clothes (some stained with blood), an
the basics of surgery, of assortment of potions and medicines.
anatomy and of artists’
texts that discussed
the representation
of such things. Your
Awakening came
with dazzling in-
sight: The
bodies
you
studied, wondrous
and intricate
though they
were, func-
tioned as mechanisms much
like you yourself could make.
Subtler to be sure — but subtlety
could be learned.
The Daedaleans found you by
the twisted fame you had acquired,
and showed you that you were not
alone or the first in your comprehen-
sion. You became a scholar, studying

61
 Roleplaying Hints: You are a practical sort of thinker
Clock-Maker who approaches life as something to be measured and weighed.
And if a line be divisible to infinity, it is not impossible Although you are rarely violent and have sworn monk’s vows,
for a space of time to be so divided. you would rather see a problem solved than let it fester. Your
grasp of past and future makes you more formidable than
— Leonardo da Vinci, Notebooks
your monkish, scholarly air might suggest.
Quote: The question is not what is written, but how it
Art: Time is your affinity and your grasp of astrology
is read — in terror or in awe.
makes past and future alike clear to you. You not only build
Prelude: Born the son of a skilled clocks to measure time, you use models and astrologi-
blacksmith, you were a scholarly cal charts to plot and predict events. Your fine and
boy with just enough religious delicate Machinae also demand an Enlightened
devotion to lead you to grasp of Matter, working mostly with delicate
the Church. Once well- tools and lenses. Fate and decay are related
established in an abbey to Time, so you are also competent at
library, you became probing, predicting and manipu-
fascinated by as- lating Entropy, while intuitions
tronomy, astrology about the patterns of the world
and mathematics. give you some competence in
The abbey wanted Connection.
a better clock to
Equipment: As a member of a
mark the times
monastic order, you own little more
of services; your
than the habit on your back — but you
grasp of the logi-
carry many intricate devices, tools and
cal principles and
astrological references. Machinae work
an old knowledge of
well in your hands and you carry at least
metal-working made
one special device — perhaps a Truth-
you the person to design
Seeing Stone (see page 89).
and create this new instru-
ment.
After that, clockwork
fascinated you. Your study time
was spent shaping a series of
increasingly intricate models
of the celestial spheres, and
you corresponded with other
experts, one of whom gave
startlingly brilliant advice.
You Awoke while meditating
on the numerical, mechani-
cal structure of the world. After that,
learning more of the brotherhood
of similarly enlightened folk was no
surprise. It was written in the stars.
Concept: You are eccentric by the stan-
dards of your age; you think in minutes and
seconds when most folk have trouble with anything less than
a season. You insist that Creation is regular, structured and
numerical (which sounds like gibberish to most). You build
instruments to emulate and measure what you comprehend.
You see no incompatibility between this and your vows; your
God is the Great Clockmaker. Your abbot knows you as a
master craftsman and permits — even encourages — you to
travel between abbeys and cathedrals, employing your skill
for the glory of God and His Church.

62
 INSTRUCTION
the fourth:
MASTERS OF THE ART

combined with your potential, is what makes perceptive

Craftsman’s Daughter Daedaleans watch you with special interest. You try to
Children sweeten labors; but they make misfortunes more maintain contacts in the mundane world — you do still
bitter. They increase the cares of life; but they mitigate the love your family and wish them to think well of you —
remembrance of death. but the High Arts come first. Nothing must bar you from
mastery.
— Francis Bacon, The Essays
Roleplaying Hints: Hard experience has shown you
Quote: Don’t tell me that hammer is right for this task.
that you must work — and fight — for what you need.
It’s heavy enough, but the shaft is askew!
You remain quiet for much of the time, then erupt into
Prelude: No one called you a problem when you were angry outbursts when you hammer what is obvious into
a child. Your father, a mundane but talented craftsman, the thick skulls of others. You are sympathetic to those
was happy when you came into his workshop and asked who have been persecuted, but impatient with laziness
about his trade; perhaps it flattered him. Even when you or self-pity. In short, you are not easy to like, but you are
persisted in asking questions as you approached a mar- impossible to take lightly.
rying age, your parents were not too concerned. A wise
Art: You are still little more than an apprentice, but
master-craftsman might well appreciate a young wife who
your power and potential is evident in the ease with which
understood something of his business, and perhaps could
you perceive the functions of the art, and in your keen,
even help a little in the workshop in emergencies.
uncomplicated eye for much that ordinary folk consider
But when you realized that some of your father’s friends arcane. You study the Ars Praeclarus intensively, and use
and fellow-craftsmen were using arts beyond what might it conventionally through lenses and basic alchemical
be called natural — that led to tests. Matter is your affinity.
trouble. In fact, it led you
Equipment: Plain craftsman garb (that sometimes
to seek something
gets you mistaken for a boy at first glance); a set of good
pretty much un-
tools, mostly of your own making; a keen-edged knife,
precedented.
worn hidden in case of emergencies; and a small item
Womenwere
of jewelry of low monetary value but great sentimental
n o t p e r-
importance.
mitted in
most craft
guilds,
after all.
It was
scandalous.
It took
the support
of a certain se-
cret master of the
Daedalean arts, and
a lot of shouting, to get
your way. Well, perhaps
delicate hands and fine
judgment could be use-
ful in certain trades; a
girl-apprentice might
almost have a chance.
But few folk expected
you to keep up this
craziness — not even
those who understood
its true nature.
Concept: Sheer
stubborn determina-
tion is the key to
your history. That,

63
 your Awakening (when already in possession of many
Geometrician strange theories). You were inducted and taught by others
There is no certainty where one can neither apply any of of a scholarly bent who believed that books were more
the mathematical sciences nor any of those which are based important than personal instruction. Now you plow a lonely
upon the mathematical sciences. furrow, even by Awakened standards. Other Daedaleans
think your ideas foolishly mystical and vague, while Sleep-
— Leonardo da Vinci, Notebooks
ers see that your Machinae are wildly vain and ungodly.
Quote: The spirit spoke of five gilded keys and three The Order might exclude you (or worse), except that your
crimson torch-flames. Do you not find that significant? grasp of sacred geometry is vast and unique.
Prelude: A student at a great university, fascinated Roleplaying Hints: Like many students of the spiri-
by ancient mysteries and complex mathematics, you left tual, you are strange and unworldly — but you are also an
behind your fellow scholars in the wild pursuit of knowl- Artificer, given to analysis and determined to name and
edge. Some whispered that the drawings on your slates were enumerate all that you find. Speak little and cryptically,
not geometrical figures, but pentagrams of summoning. At but make sure that when you do speak your words carry
heart, you were not sure there was a difference. But mere uncanny weight.
drawings were not sufficient to create the effects that you
Art: You apply sacred geometry more directly than do
sought. It was the peculiar blend of alchemy, craftsmanship
others, sculpting charms, symbols and even physical portals
and geometry described in that old obscure volume that
to other realms. When pressed, you scribe powerful designs
brought you the startling truth.
in chalk on walls or floors — and they sometimes work.
Concept: You were re- Your affinity is with Spirit workings. You also command
cruited by the Order the patterns of this world through your figures, giving you
of Reason a little power over Connection. Your deep grasp of the mysteries
while after makes you competent with Prime.
Equipment: Shabby academic robes; pockets full of
chalk; a room somewhere filled with old books, letters
from fellow theorists (not all Daedaleans) and strange,
apparently pointless devices, warded from all manner of
problems by esoteric symbols.

64
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the fourth:
MASTERS OF THE ART

with the subtleties of morality, you enjoy the sense of

Weapons-Crafter working for a good cause.
Bring me my bow of burning gold! Roleplaying Hints: Even your friends might disbe-
Bring me my arrows of desire! lieve it, but you are not a natural killer, or even especially
violent. You merely act as though you were. You are
— William Blake, Preface to Milton
fascinated by weapons and your enthusiasm encompasses
Quote: The Hussites weren’t the first Sleepers to use both using and creating them. After all, there are plenty
the carriage-gun. They were used in Nuremberg nearly a of circumstances in which force is necessary, so you might
hundred years ago. Not a very good design, but workable. as well make sure that it’s done right.
Prelude: Inveigling your way into a company of Other people are unlikely to regard you as evil once
artillerymen in your early youth, you rose swiftly in the they know you, but they may consider you something
profession; enthusiasm and applied intelligence always of a bore. Still, you enjoy life’s simple pleasures — al-
prosper. Indeed, you found yourself impatient with most though you may become almost as obsessive about the
of your fellows. Could they not see the possibilities of quality of good ale or the skills of a minstrel as you are
their craft? They sometimes said that your ideas were about weapons.
dangerous (and it takes a lot to frighten an artilleryman),
Art: Your works are pragmatic in the extreme.
but that was foolishness. Much of what you suggested
Forces is the key and your affinity. Prime empowers it
would actually improve safety.
and Matter ensures that your materials are correct. You
It was a great relief to find work with a master- know one or two rote alchemical recipes, which act as
gunner who seemed more sympathetic to your ideas, and your doorway to Prime; you may one day study formal
who showed you some secret lore that surprised even alchemy to enhance this.
you. You applied yourself with
Equipment: You own an array of fine and exotic
redoubled enthusiasm and
weapons and armor, including some exceptional Devices.
were soon welcomed across
Perhaps you have your own Titan’s Armor, Horatius’
the forge.
Thunder or Helm of Heimdal. Your mundane possessions
Concept: While you are rather plain, if well-made. Your tunic and cloak are
are primarily a crafts- fine for the guild-house, but won’t do at all if you’re
man, you are also a invited to a grand party.
soldier and your
quest for underly-
ing principles has
led you to study
all the tools of
w a r. I n d e e d ,
w h i l e
y o u r
greatest
skill is
with can-
non, you now
investigate the
potential of
s m a l l e r, p o r-
table weapons.
Reason is a
noble cause.
While you have
never felt it was
a craftsman-sol-
dier’s place to
concern himself

65
 vidual inspiration so highly, they have high regard for

Masters and historical hero-figures. However, they generally try to

remember that these folk were human beings, not gods;
the fire of inspiration burns within rather than being a
Inspirations gift from above. The concept of an “oracle” is one they
often distrust. The worthy master remains among his
s has been noted before, Artificers see apprentices, teaching them rather than vanishing into
the history of their Convention in transcendent obscurity.
terms of great inventions and master- The historical overview in Chapter Two describes some
craftsmen. They also pride themselves of the ancient figures whom Artificers revere. However,
on the ancient lineage of their craft, innovators are not sentimental. They hold that their
and some of the more scholarly of greatest figures of the present age bear comparison with
their number delve forever into old scrolls and tomes some of the past. The following may be counted among
in pursuit of lost craft secrets. Because they value indi- these contemporaries.

66
 INSTRUCTION
the fourth:
MASTERS OF THE ART

Filippo Brunelleschi (A.D. 1377-1446): An

honored architect, secret representative of the High
Artisans and dedicated “revolutionary of the mind,”
Brunelleschi is responsible for introducing a major
new style of building to the Renaissance world. In the
process, he slightly annoys some traditionalist Craft-
masons who hold that architecture is their domain and
who preserve a fondness for the old “Gothic” style.
Born in Florence, Brunelleschi was trained as a
goldsmith and sculptor. (Goldsmiths are among the
elite of Italian craftsmen, receiving a broad education
in the arts and engineering.) Becoming a (mundane)
master in 1401, he entered a contest to design the
bronze doors for the Baptistery of Florence. Working
on this design in competition with some of the finest
artists of the age, he Awoke.
The contest was in fact won by another — Lorenzo
Ghiberti. Brunelleschi feigned deep disappointment
to cover the training he then undertook with the
Daedaleans and his move to their great projects.
Brunelleschi first reintroduces the idea of per- Adolpus Gent (A.D. 1370-1418?): Gent is an old
spective to the art of painting, making it a more enemy, not a hero, to most Artificers, but many secretly
powerful tool for extending status and influence admire him a little. In fact, he is — or was — that authentic
over Enlightened artists. In 1420, he becomes chief rarity, an independent master Artificer — or a renegade,
engineer of the half-finished Florence Cathedral. He depending on one’s judgment.
not only designs a dome for the building, the greatest Gent was born and brought up in Bavaria, where he
of the age, but constructs new machines that allow it trained as a blacksmith and helped in the construction of
to be built without vast quantities of scaffolding. He clocks for local monasteries. He then served as a smith-
also works on numerous other buildings and military armorer in the ill-fated crusade against the Ottomans in
defenses. Later Daedaleans credit him with turning Hungary, 1396. Disgusted by the aristocratic incompetence
the Sleepers of Italy firmly toward acceptance of the he saw there, he was recruited by the Craftmasons. They
Humanist paradigm. state that he was one of their valued but un-Enlightened
brethren, and that he soon slipped away; it is not clear
when he Awakened.
He reappears in 1410 as the maker of a series of in-
creasingly exotic and powerful machines, all of which use
advanced clockwork. Building his personal power before
anyone can determine what best to do about him, he soon
proclaims himself an independent local ruler, defying the
“noble fools” and “prattling priests” of the age. The secu-
lar and papal powers respond predictably and eventually
overwhelm Gent’s mechanical armies by sheer weight of
numbers, aided by a number of Daedaleans who claim
to fear that he has aligned himself with doubtful powers
(although there is never any firm evidence of this). Gent
is supposedly killed when his personal “clockwork chariot”
is destroyed by cannon fire, but details are uncertain. The
Artificers salvage what they can of his machinery while
other Daedaleans seek to confuse tales of the affair to
avoid dangerous associations with their own mechanical
creations. The cover-up is aided by the embarrassment of
lords whom Gent and a few hundred irate peasants and
clever smiths hold off for months.

67
 Elena Anna Palomatheides, “Maxima Ariadne”
(A.D. 1389- ): Born and brought up in a merchant’s
family in Constantinople, Elena Palomatheides grew
up a driven, scholarly woman who gradually discarded
all mundane affectations and allegiances once she had
become Enlightened.
She brings the High Artisans an extensive
knowledge of ancient and modern scholarship from
both the western and Islamic worlds (being fluent in
Greek, Latin and Arabic). She also harbors an inter-
est in small ingenious devices that owes most to the
last tradition.
Traveling widely, she earns the respect of her col-
leagues through her exceptional skill with pneumatic
and hydraulic devices. Although she works primarily
on a small scale, her advice leads to many improve-
ments in the designs of balloons and water-craft.
She proves a mistress of Forces, Matter and Time.
She also displays impressive political skills, which
others credit to her “Byzantine” upbringing. These
capabilities enable her to retain the office of Maxima Leonardo da Vinci (A.D. 1452-1519): Future genera-
in her Convention (and hence the official name of tions, even of Daedaleans, find it difficult to determine
“Ariadne”) for an unprecedentedly long time. Leonardo’s true historical role. Master Artificer? Inspired
She is a dark, short, plain woman, charming when Sleeper, too unique to Awaken in any traditional way?
she wishes to be but more often displays a cool, fo- Useful but eccentric channel used to insinuate Artificer
cused will. She is sometimes accompanied by a large, ideas into the consensus once the true nature of the
unspeaking brass automaton, presumably of her own Scourge is understood? Those who may know are strangely
construction. She never discusses the device and no evasive….
one has ever dared test its capabilities. The mundane facts of his life are in a thousand books.
Born illegitimate but not poor in Florence, he is apprenticed
to an artist at 15, accepted in the Painters’ Guild at 20
and moves to Milan (and begins studying mathematics)
at 30. He remains there as a painter and occasional engi-
neer and consulting architect for 17 years, although his
masterpiece, a giant equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza,
is left unfinished because of war. Then, after a couple of
years back in Florence, he enters the service of the power-
hungry Cesare Borgia for a year. After that, he continues
moving among various Italian cities. He spends the last
three years of his life as an honored servant of the King
of France. The reason for some of his moves is unclear;
Sleeper historians believe he may be homosexual and must
move frequently or he may just be utterly restless. He is
a uniquely brilliant painter, but not very productive, and
his notebooks are full of extraordinary, beautiful sketches
and casual observations on anything and everything,
especially in relation to art.
The machines that he sketches — ornithopters, sub-
marines, parachutes, horse-drawn “tanks” and many others
— typify the High Artisan ideal, but are probably vastly vain
(although some of the detailed mechanisms he sketches are
highly practical and often innovative). If he builds many,
if any, of these devices, it is in secret. To the Enlightened
as to Sleepers, Leonardo is a unique enigma.

68
 INSTRUCTION
the fourth:
MASTERS OF THE ART

Roland Hoffmann (A.D. 1421-1472): A Magistrate

of the High Artisans in northern Germany, Hoffmann
began as a monk and a scholar. Finding the cloistered life
too confining, he fled and eventually fell into mercenary
service. However, he retained some intellectual interests
and training and applied his intellect to the artillery.
Becoming Enlightened, he enters the Order of Reason
and proves himself a competent Artificer, leader and or-
ganizer. He is a stocky, red-haired man who begins to turn
gray at the temples while still young. His terse, military
air disguises a restless curiosity.
At the Battle of Harz, the Order’s last climactic struggle
with the Infernalist Tezghul the Insane, Hoffmann not
only commands the Artisan contingent, he personally
supervises a battery of very powerful rapid-firing cannon.
Tezghul, seeing his vilest allies ripped to shreds by these
guns, desperately sends a screaming horde of followers
against them. Surrounded when the fourth wave of assail-
ants finally gets through, Hoffmann and his crews calmly
detonate their entire powder-stores, leaving that entire
flank of the field devoid of life (and undead).
King Sejong of Korea (A.D. 1397-1450): In a cold,
barely known country on the far edge of the Eurasian land
mass, beyond even far Cathay, a king has dreams that
Daedalean travelers can respect. He may be Enlightened;
he is certainly wise. He has banned Buddhist monks from
his capital on the grounds that they have become corrupt
(and thereby foil Akashic schemes). Sejong institutes a
Confucian-style bureaucracy with entry by examination.
His “Hall of Worthies” is a center of learning and he
welcomes Chinese Artificers (who find their homeland a
little less congenial in recent years) to his capital.
But Sejong is not in thrall to Chinese culture. Chinese
writing is not appropriate to the Korean language, so he
invents a new phonetic script: “Hangul.” As the Koreans
invented moveable-type printing centuries before, this
script becomes a powerful tool. Sejong is also an astronomer
and a patron of geographers and musicians.

69
 INSTRUCTION
the fifth:
THE CRAFT SUPREME

Though our smoke may hide the Heavens from your eyes,
It will vanish and the stars will shine again,
Because, for all our power and weight and size,
We are nothing more than children of your brain!
— Rudyard Kipling, The Secret of the Machines

he Army of Reason was camped before the Castle we’d all have been dead or stark mad by the end of the third night.
of Superstition. Its numbers would have seemed Demon-winds send our missiles wide of the mark.”
laughably small to any mundane captain. The “I know,” said Rosa, Artisan among High Artisans. “We
Gabrielites stood, swords in hand, praying for have fought their band before.”
flame to descend upon their enemies. Cosian “Ah,” said the swordsman, “and do you have diamond
physicians scurried about, preparing potions and knives for us this day?”
poultices upon which the warriors of Pure Thought
“No need for diamond,” the woman replied, “for I have
looked with unconcealed distrust. Amongst all this, the Artisans felt that
looked into the heart of such stones with lenses and strange fires.
they alone were actually being of immediate use as they aligned cannon
Even iron may be made hard as diamond, if it is transformed
and siege engines, brewed Greek Fire and sent volunteer observers aloft
aright.” And with that she turned and opened the box. The heavy,
on great kites to assess the defenses. A clockwork war-machine sat at
needle-sharp darts within caught the sparse sunlight and seemed
the back of the camp, tended by loving apprentices, awaited the moment
to amplify it, to make it sparkle off faceted edges. “Silver is even
when the walls were declared weak enough for direct assault.
better,” Rosa declared. “These are merely examples. Give me a
But that moment looked to be some while away. forge and three apprentices and there will be many more.”
A horse rode into camp, challenged briefly by a dutiful sentry “And they will slay evil spirits?” the swordsman asked with
until its rider showed a badge and was scrutinized by a grizzled vet- cautious hope.
eran who looked at everything through a polished crystal lens atop a
“Hurl them from your cannon and they will not be turned
silver staff. What he and the sentry both saw was a young woman,
aside. They will cut through the wind itself and shatter witch-
smudged by smoke and travel, clad as a messenger or suchlike in
enchanted stone.”
tough leathers and furs. She was wiry and whipcord-muscled. A
“An’ this is your masterpiece?” the swordsman asked with
small iron box was strapped firmly behind her saddle.
his grim smile. “You can pay the price of that rank?”
She asked directions of the sentry and followed them, riding
“Such it is,” Rosa the Artisan returned the smile exactly, “and that
a few hundred paces around the camp until she found the small
price I can pay. I have looked into the heart of silver and diamond.”
party of Artificer-Mauls. There, she was hailed as an old ally by a
dour swordsman. She dismounted to greet him; they clasped hands The swordsman nodded and looked upon the woman. She
and then she turned back to her horse to gather up the box. looked back. “I think I see your thoughts, though that is not my
Craft,” she said. “You think that I have looked into my own heart
“It’s a hard fight, this one,” the swordsman said conversa-
and found that, too, hard as diamond, cold as silver.”
tionally. “If the Masons hadn’t thrown up wards and labyrinths,

71
 “I would say no such thing to an old friend.” The word Device is used in a very broad sense in this
“No — well, as you will. I thank you for your courtesy. book, to encompass not only building-sized machines, but
But in truth, my heart remains human, and mine own. But it, also buildings that use or embody a certain amount of inge-
too, I may transform for a while if the need presses. I would not nuity. Architecture and stonework are crafts on a par with
otherwise be fit for the rank that I intend to claim.” And with smithying. After all, a 20th-century architect will call a house
that, the woman turned to seek the siege-guns to offer them the a “machine for living in.” Some alchemical and medical
weapons she had forged. preparations are also covered by the same rules.
Mundane Devices are precisely that. Their designs are

The Needful Work commonplace and their manufacture is perfectly possible

without any trace of Enlightenment. Examples include spears,
plows, standard crossbows, muzzle-loading cannon, matchlock
he whole purpose of Artificer characters arquebuses, simple weight-driven chiming clocks, wind- and
is to create Devices. If such characters are water-mills, Gothic cathedrals and almost all musical instru-
to be played effectively, some thought and ments in existence apart from some demented organs.
a few system mechanics must be applied Sometimes an Enlightened Artificer comes up with a
to the process. device that does not already exist, but which uses an “ob-
This chapter extends and com- vious” principle or which combines two existing Devices,
plicates the brief rules given on page 257 of Mage: The preferably completely visibly — a clock that is rewound
Sorcerers Crusade. Such complications are always optional, by an attached water-mill, or a large cannon fitted with a
of course; these rules should be treated as guidelines, not matchlock mechanism and pull cord that enable it to be
something carved in stone. Yet Storytellers should certainly fired from a slightly safer distance. Some such ideas work, at
pay a little attention to the subject. least some of the time. Enlightened Artificers can be rather
Artificers make rich and complex characters, but some poor at assessing what is “obvious” to Sleepers.
players may become rather enthusiastic about the raw fire- Unusual Devices are the sorts of things that aren’t seen
power that they can wield. And if characters turn to Artificer very often, if at all, in Sleeper society, but which do not
Devices to resolve every problem they encounter, opportuni- actually violate any Sleeper’s sense of propriety. Once seen,
ties for roleplaying are diminished. Daedalean innovation they are generally accepted and tolerated (although curious
is supposed to be hard work, literally character-forming; it Sleepers may persist in coming back for “another look”).
should be a part of roleplaying, not a substitute. Thus, these items tend to require an Enlightened imagina-
Of course, if you as Storyteller come up with Devices for tion willing to transcend the tiresome limits of what has
background characters to build or wield, feel free to treat these gone before for conception and initial design work. (Though
rules as the loosest of guidelines. If something is necessary for not necessarily — Sleepers are capable of originality and
the plot, there is usually some way it could be built. However, ingenuity and Storytellers should never forget it, even if
try to play reasonably fair; if spectacular machines consistently arrogant, snobbish characters might.) That done, though,
appear in the hands of mere apprentices, players rightly become Unusual Devices can be produced as easily as Mundane
suspicious. If the players of Artificer characters feel that they are Devices, by competent, trained Sleeper craftsmen as well
barred completely from accomplishments that their rivals and as by the Enlightened.
foes can manage, whatever their level of supposed accomplish- Examples in this category include the one-handed
ment, players are likely to be dispirited and irritated. crossbows beloved by Craftmasons (which most soldiers
would regard as too light for warfare and too expensive for
Definitions street-fighting), repeating crossbows (although these have
been known in China for many centuries), certain very crude
A number of terms with specific meanings are used in this diving suits, great domed buildings, armored chariots, simple
chapter. Terminology is not a matter of such precision among hydraulic systems such as some of the coin-operated devices
Daedaleans themselves! Apart from the fact that members and “self-opening” doors built by Heron of Alexandria, and
of the Order of Reason speak scores of different languages, the more complex, highly accurate clocks that incorporate
each has his or her own history of education, attitude to the visible displays as well as bells. Wheel-lock firearms (see
Craft, mundane habits of thought and personal foibles and Chapter One) just slip into this category from the next.
eccentricities. Any Daedalean text written for widespread Unusual Devices are not usually susceptible to the Scourge,
use should ideally commence with a set of definitions (but but are often highly, aggravatingly unreliable.
few do). Meetings of Enlightened craftsmen are full of
Extraordinary Devices are somewhere amidst the van-
crossed purposes. A consistent terminology is one of the
guard of 1450 technology, and are sometimes a century or
most important ambitions of the Order’s more clear-sighted
two ahead. Although they do not actually violate high laws
Magistrates. Some century to come, it will happen.
of nature as understood by Sleepers, they can be mistaken

72
 INSTRUCTION
the fifth:
THE CRAFT SUPREME

for magick of a stunted sort if one does not pay attention. musicians and a few poets among their number. The Order
Examples include hot-air balloons, reliable breech-loading can be very good for an artist’s name and finances.
cannon, complex horse-propelled “tanks,” spring-powered Machinae are devices that definitely require an En-
pocket timepieces, very simple steam engines, very intricate lightened hand and eye. They incorporate the applied Ars
hydraulic and pneumatic devices and crude submarines. Praeclarus, usually in the form of sacred geometry, or perhaps
To conceive such devices requires Enlightenment and a pow- involve an advanced but pragmatic form of alchemy or
erful imagination. Once a moderately detailed design exists and some other application of Elemental Correspondences. In
the principles have been demonstrated by large models, rigorous system terms, a character owning one of these creations has
argument and perhaps by a first experimental construction, mun- the Magickal Treasure Background (whereas the preceding
dane craftsmen may take up the work. Such ingenuity oversteps categories require only a plausible character story and perhaps
the precipice of hubris, though. Extraordinary Devices sometimes the Resources Background to cover the cost).
bring down the Scourge upon those who employ them. Examples of Machinae include multi-barreled wheel-
These inventions may seem a little pointless in many lock firearms that throw flaming bullets; heavier-than-air
ways; they are almost as hard to make and unreliable to flying machines (such as ornithopters or “helicopters”);
use as true Machinae, are rarely as effective and may bring grossly strong and yet useable “Titan’s Armor”; any craft that
on the Scourge. However, they have their compensations. can pierce the clouds and travel to other worlds; clockwork
Extraordinary Devices are easier to build than are Machinae, “tanks”; any device or substance that influences the mind from
especially in large quantities, and are also easier to operate. a distance, promotes rapid healing or displays power over the
Indeed, many can be passed on to un-Enlightened breth- spirit world; and useful, powerful steam engines. Virtually all
ren. They certainly tend to be cheaper in monetary terms; such items are intrinsically vain, although their nature may
Machinae demand the very best materials and sometimes be disguised for a while. Titan’s Armor, for example, can pass
impossibly obscure components, whereas Extraordinary for mundane plate to casual inspection. A subtly made gun
Devices merely demand high-quality stuff. might seem conventional — until the second shot.
Works of Art are an unusual case but nonetheless of some However, not all Machinae need be strictly functional.
concern to High Artisans, who count painters, sculptors, Some of the most dazzling, enchanting and indeed Scourge-

73
calling creations are created for the sheer pleasure of creating. In the case of a House Verditius mage imbuing an
Some Machinae are wonderful toys. For example, tiny clockwork object with a particular virtue, the Quintessence may be
animals never fail to delight queens — miniature birds, worked completely invisible and intangible; Hermetics do not de-
in gold and set with jewels that cock their heads and whistle a mand that all procedures be perfectly scientific according
tinny song or flap their wings fetchingly are truly prizes to be to the Daedalean concept of science. However, should a
coveted and cherished. But let the builder beware: If a clock Hermetic Device require a tangible form of Quintessence or
cannot be made according to common Sleeper knowledge, surely fuel, it is likely to take the form of traditional Vis-charged
this miracle of craftsmanship cannot be possible either! items such as powdered dragon scales, gold dust or a glyph
Operating Machinae requires more than simple drill. of power engraved upon a silver bracelet.
Whereas any oafish mercenary who’s learned to use an Your game can seem a little odd if Machinae are treated
arquebus can grasp the aiming of a wheel lock in a few exactly like fetishes or talismans. Most Quintessence reserves
minutes, a Machina is a delicate, intricate piece of inspired are replenished through use of a Prime 3 effect — an act of
workmanship and science. It demands an understanding of magick that pours the raw stuff of creation into the object.
the latter. In system terms, at least one dot in an appropriate That’s all well and good, but topping off a flask of oil hardly
Science Knowledge, or perhaps a couple in some related seems like an act of magick. Thus, for a greater sense of
Craft are required. Use of Machinae — at least in an active “realism” and detail, the Storyteller may define a different
way — also tends to demand Awakening or Awareness, “replenishment process” for each Machina. This need not
which give a deep grasp of the subtleties of the business even require supernatural activity, but it should be at least a
and perhaps a sense of the play of forces involved. However, little special or dramatic. Characters could have to acquire
because Machinae are machines before all else, they may a heavy barrel of Abundanti’s Oil, haul it aboard their
just respond to the hand of a Sleeper. Sometimes. Skyrigger, lower it into the aft hold and siphon it carefully
Great Machinae are theoretically the largest of Machinae, into a main tank (not a task to be undertaken in a storm or
but in practice — in game terms — they are more in the nature in battle). Or characters could spend hours in a laboratory,
of plot devices. Players should be discouraged from asking for carefully balancing the resonant planetary influences in a
such things as permanent possessions for their characters, mostly complex alchemical compound, one distilled drop of which
because they are too powerful, but also because they would brings a certain crystal back to life.
be rather cumbersome and ludicrous in use. Being vast in size For the sake of both drama and system balance, replen-
and generally experimental in nature, Great Machinae cause ishment processes should certainly never be too mundane.
massive damage when they function correctly and usually fail Horatius’ Thunder isn’t simply reloaded with any old powder
to function correctly or for long. Examples include most au- and lead shot; the powder must be of exceptional quality,
tomatons (especially the giant clockwork contraptions described else the residue clogs the complex mechanism, while the
in Crusade Lore), galleon-sized flying ships and building-sized shot — iron balls impregnated with sulfur using a subtle
devices designed to exert power over entire countries. chemical trick — must be made precisely to fit the weapon
(In late-20th-century terms, Great Machinae can be used in or it does not fire as well as it is able. Likewise, fuel for a
stories owing far more than is healthy to James Bond movies.) Daedalean steam engine must burn hot, leaving negligible
The process of creation for each order of Device differs. ash. Remember, these are wild implausible devices for
Machinae must perforce be especially distinct. However, their time, at the very least the Renaissance equivalents to
Enlightened Artificers regard all such works of the hands as Formula One racing cars, not sedans. A race car burns an
essentially equivalent, and it is reasonable to view all within expensive special formulation, not regular gasoline from
the same framework of ideas and system mechanics. the corner station.
Preparation of such fuel probably requires the skills of a
Quintessence, character with good knowledge of alchemy or some advanced
science. The Storyteller should decide what is required when
Fuel and Powder the Machina is first introduced. It is likely that the builder
has the necessary abilities, but it isn’t guaranteed (Artisans
Many devices require some source of power. This be- often trade ideas and products). The task need not be trivial
comes a complex issue only in relation to Machinae. Such for even that maker, either.
items are defined as having a certain amount of “Quintes- Breaking from traditional power sources can represent
sence” in exactly the same way as other Magickal Treasures; a a definite advantage for Machinae users. Their “fuel” is
point or two is used up whenever the Device’s capabilities are standardized, can usually be stored and lent to others at
exercised. However, the nature of the Ars Praeclarus is such whim, and does not require any particular Sphere expertise.
that this Quintessence often has an entirely tangible, even Call it one of the small benefits of being a Daedalean; the
mundane-seeming form. It may represent or be represented persistent vanity of Machinae and of many other uses of the
by, say, a flask of fuel, a load of bullets or whatever. Ars Praeclarus should more than compensate.

74
 INSTRUCTION
the fifth:
THE CRAFT SUPREME

Trained Animals can run in complex treadmill mecha-

nisms to propel vehicles. Speed is limited to the animals’
Extraordinary Devices natural movement rate, assuming the animals perform as
and the Scourge hoped; the Devices are usually so noisy and strange that
they frighten beasts beyond usefulness.
Extraordinary Devices teeter on the edge of
The modern harness (claimed to be a Daedalean cre-
magick. Although they may be used without Awaken-
ation) permits fairly efficient use of carts and such, especially
ing, they do sometimes bring down the Scourge.
on reasonably flat ground. Horses walk at 10 yards per turn
When they are used quietly, however, this is not a
and gallop at about 35 — but only a flimsy lightweight
great risk. If the only witnesses to their employment are
chariot would approach that speed. Most mundane carts are
Awakened, or Sleepers who have some idea how these
pulled around at a slow walk. Cattle are harnessed for their
items might work (mostly meaning Daedalean brethren),
brute strength, not for speed; ox-drawn vehicles remain at
they should suffer only ordinary failures. If Extraordinary
a walk. Other species are rarely found in harness (and very
Devices are used with hubris, however, and a botch is
few can be domesticated usefully).
rolled, the operator may acquire a Scourge point. For
Oars and Treadmills are means of employing human
example, a simple submarine or a horse-powered tank
muscle-power to good effect, usually on water. They range
sent charging into battle, all weapons blazing, might
from the ancient (the oared boat) to the bizarre (treadmill
suffer a temporary failure and suffer Scourging.
paddle-boats, which actually rate as Mundane Devices in
If such Devices are used in the presence of ordinary
China). Oared ships cruise at a fairly stately pace, say seven to
Sleepers, the risk grows. When an item is first seen,
15 yards per turn. A healthy crew can keep this up for hours.
the player rolls Wits + Awareness or Wits + whatever
“Ramming sprints” at around twice this speed are possible
Ability is used to operate the machine, difficulty 6.
for only brief bursts, but that can be enough in battle.
The operator gains a Scourge point unless three suc-
Sails give a ship wondrous speeds — if fate (or a phenom-
cesses are obtained. On a botch, the Device suffers a
enally powerful magus) sends sympathetic winds. Modern
catastrophic failure of some sort during the scene.
rigging permits flexibility in the exploitation of conditions,
Sleepers who acquire Scourge points in this way
but a dead calm is not to be argued with. Sail-powered land
should thereafter roll a Fortune Die whenever they
vehicles pass as mundane curiosities in most places, and are
use a complex mechanism or deal with any kind of
built for amusement in some, but they need flat terrain and
supernatural phenomenon — until they roll a 1 or
are cumbersome on that. Daedalean war-balloons and the
10, at which point the effects are much like a mage’s
like also ride the winds, with far greater steering problems.
Scourging (often taking the form of spectacular me-
Movement ranges up to 20 to 25 yards per turn; stronger
chanical failure or bizarre effect). Alternatively, the
winds wreck ships rather than aid them. (Of course, a day
Storyteller may inflict such an event on the Sleepers
of good winds in the right direction means a ship maintains
(burning off their Scourge points) at what seems like
speed all day, without any man or beast becoming tired or
an appropriate moment, preferably while they operate
fuel being burned.) Daedalean craft are built slightly better
the same Device. If Sleepers toy with something beyond
and skim a little swifter, but rarely surpass mundane craft by
the natural, they may have to pay the price.
more than a yard or so per turn in any given conditions.
Advanced Skyriggers and such ride “aetheric winds”
to the heavens. Their apparent speeds on long voyages are
Movement Forms incalculable and are aided by arcane Arts of Connection,
but that manner of travel is attained only in the Void. Below
and Speeds the clouds, a Skyrigger catches the wind like the sailing
ship it resembles.
Devices built for personal transportation are particularly Gliders are aerial devices that float on the winds rather
varied, especially with regard to the speed at which they travel. than rely on active propulsion. They use no fuel and verge
Again, the Storyteller must apply common sense and arbitrary on the casual, but are otherwise limited. They normally move
authority here, but a few rules of thumb are provided. at about 25 yards per turn and lose a yard of altitude every
The primary question concerns the form of propulsion. turn until they land; each extra yard of descent adds one to
One may generally travel swiftly over short distances or at a horizontal movement rate, but diving at more than 10 yards
more leisurely pace for much further. Vehicles that can travel per turn is probably suicidal. Swooping climbs and ascending
in whatever direction the driver wishes, irrespective of the on breezes are left to the Storyteller to administer; they are
perversity of weather or of trained beasts. They are also far possible but require some mixture of skill and luck.
more vain than are more traditional forms of transport. The “Clockwork” vehicle mechanisms store propulsive force
most common modes of locomotion are as follows: in great metal springs. The Ars Praeclarus is required to pro-

75
duce a metal that serves this purpose and even then springs battle-designs, down to seven to 10 yards for long-distance
sometimes fail catastrophically, perhaps through the Scourge, steam carts. Steam boats tend to be steady and powerful rather
bursting outward to shatter surrounding machinery and its than swift, achieving about 10 yards per turn. Steam engines
operators. Few clockwork devices can operate for more than usually prove too heavy for use in Artificer flying machines;
eight or 10 turns before they wind down. Their advantage is those that fly under their own power can manage only eight to
that they are fairly easy to recharge; a few burly brethren or a 12 yards per turn, and that for minutes at best. A few steam-
farmyard ox can have them running again in a few minutes. powered balloons have achieved 15 yards per turn on calm
[In system terms, a clockwork mechanism does not generally days, with enough fuel for half a day’s operation.
employ Quintessence in any form for its routine operations.] [Steam-powered Machinae may have Quintessence re-
Clockwork devices are swift while they do work. On land, serves to represent the high-grade coal that they burn. Most
some bizarre unreliable clockwork automata have achieved 25 use about one point per hour, but vehicles built for speed
or even 40 yards per turn, although decently armored “tanks” use it at about two to five times this rate. A heavier-than-air
rarely exceed 10. Water-craft accomplish similar speeds (the machine is likely to use one point per minute.]
swiftest usually being designed for one-time ramming assaults), Oil Engines are exotic devices built by certain High
while clockwork ornithopters and helicopters manage as much Artisans to exploit the Craftmason invention of Abundanti’s
as 20 to 30 yards. Land-based designs built to work on flat Oil. Complex and enigmatic contraptions exploiting Forces
ground are typically faster than large-wheeled or long-legged and Matter effects, alchemy and sacred geometry, these
devices designed to deal with rough country. inventions defy the understanding of many Enlightened
Steam Power is a High Artisan creation drawing on the Artisans. They slightly exceed the movement rates of steam
ideas of Heron of Alexandria, but extending them considerably engines of comparable size, and markedly surpass them in
to make them useful and efficient. Daedalean engines have endurance (thanks to their fuel). These advantages come
great spherical copper boilers, whirling mechanisms that emit at the expense of high running costs, fire risks and a great
gouts of steam from odd points, and intricate linkages of belts deal of tricky maintenance work. Oil engines may be the
and chains. They can run for hours, though only the largest best option for swift, short-range ornithopters capable of
carry enough fuel for a full day. Swift war-machines run for matching the pace of a galloping horse.
bare minutes on what is shoveled into their furnaces. Speeds [See page 287 of the main rulebook for Abundanti’s
on land range from 15 to 20 yards per turn for lightweight Oil. Most small vehicles have a tank large enough to hold

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one barrel’s worth, which lasts for perhaps a week of fairly Self-power may seem like an advantage for those who
continuous standard use. High-speed flying machines and make and use such items. After all, they may aid the wielder
large vehicles burn through the stuff much faster.] countless times in an adventure, rather than merely once
Rockets are still generally seen more as weapons than as per Quintessence point. However, these devices tend to
means of transportation, but some High Artisans, seeing the be intrinsically limited and passive; the effects balance out
speed and power granted by gunpowder, cannot help but dream. overall. It is up to the Storyteller to decide if a new Machina
In the air, a rocket might carry a foolhardy pilot at 50 yards is “active” and dynamic enough to require Quintessence.
per turn for a few moments. There are also some Artificer- A very few devices may also require a high rating in
built rocket-powered “chariots” capable of 40 yards per turn, some Sphere for a “passive” effect, which does not expend
but they’re likely to crash catastrophically at the first bump. Quintessence, and a low rating in another Sphere, which
Rocket boats have achieved 30 yards per turn on calm water. does have a cost. The Quintessence reserve should be de-
A mechanism capable of turning rocket propulsion on and termined from the highest Sphere rating that does require
off requires considerable ingenuity and often fails. energy, rather than from the device’s full Arete. For example,
[Rocket-propelled Machinae use a point of Quintessence a suit of armor built for a warrior who has to fight numerous
every turn. Starting, stopping and steering are all likely to Dream-speakers might incorporate a simple but powerful
require an Arete roll, and when it is botched….] Spirit 4 effect — a complex set of engravings based on sacred
geometry, with alchemical preparations “enameled” into
Direct Use of Quintessence the design. The spirit power makes the wearer immune to
possession by minor spirits. The suit also contains a Forces
A few types of Machinae — especially some older Craft- 2 power that causes nearby torches to flare on command
mason creations — do use Quintessence “directly.” This type of at the cost of a point of Quintessence. This is a “four-dot”
Machina tends to be the creation of Artificers who do not belong Magickal Treasure, with Arete 4, but its Quintessence reserve
to one of the European Daedalean conventions. Both Hermetic is limited to 10, not 20.
inventors and eastern craftsmen have a stronger belief and faith
in intangible, spiritual forces than do the Daedaleans, so neither
finds the concept of invisible fuel improbable or Promethean.
Design
Examples include certain instruments that are constructed Of course, merely conceiving of a device, wondrous or
around exotic crystals or gems that have been stressed subtly mundane, does not bring it into being. In fact, most Craftma-
and imbued with obscure energies. As these sources are used, sons and many High Artisans hold that the hard, meticulous
the crystals deform, displaying internal flaws or simply cloud work demanded in their making is part of that which gives
over as they are “polluted.” The required Prime 3 recharging devices their virtue (in several senses). And because these
process in these cases takes the form of a purifying treatment or are meticulous folk, the first stage of the process is to study
a nigh-ritualistic “re-attunement” (as an Artisan with a special or prepare the design.
awareness of the deep structure of the world works on a crystal, Mundane Devices have familiar established formulae or
it grows clear). Then there are certain Daedalean attempts at methods of manufacture. These may be adapted or improved,
perpetual-motion engines, which work by investing a complex but that in itself must be a methodical decision. At the
substance into the motive process and then returning it to its other end of the scale, all Machinae involve detailed design
original state in the last phase. Unfortunately, impurities creep work during creation, for they are the personal products of
in and the “virtue” of the empowering compound is lost. An inspired craftsmen. Even relatively commonplace designs
alchemically based Prime 3 procedure serves to purify the such as Horatius’ Thunder is regarded primarily as an abstract
compound, restoring its balance of essences. concept, a good idea. An Artificer setting out to make such a
The point about these “magical” devices is that the Prime weapon would sit down with what he knew of other versions
working tends to be mediated through a physical element and decide how he would set about the task.
of the Machina, which must be subtly “re-empowered.” (Partial exceptions in this category are some exotic
Artificers tend to take a fundamentally materialistic ap- alchemical formulae, such as that for Abundanti’s Oil, which
proach to Prime. are fairly well-standardized “recipes.” But even then, any
alchemical expert setting up a new lab would put a subtle
Machinae without Quintessence personal stamp on the required layout of vats and retorts.)
Some Machinae do not require any kind of “fuel” at Although the design process may be formal, even ritu-
all. These are listed with “N/A” for Quintessence in the alistic, it is also highly personal and not at all standardized.
Appendices. Such devices are usually “reactive” in function Renaissance craftsmen do not prepare blueprints, let alone
— they include armor and other protections, which simply hold them in filing cabinets for future reference; that de-
block anything that strikes them. Some are instruments and velopment is part of the Industrial Revolution. Rather, they
aids to the senses. prepare rough sketches (probably in charcoal on old scraps of

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parchment), make terse notes that anyone but themselves and
perhaps their apprentices find nigh-impossible to understand,
pore over old manuscripts and build partial models.
Size Matters
The maximum size of a Machina is dictated by
Research its Background rating. A one-dot Machina is never
more than a hand-held instrument, whereas two dots
“Designs” for Mundane Devices probably have no physical permits it to be human-sized (such as a full suit of
existence at all. Every blacksmith knows how to make a plow- armor). A three-dot Machina can be large enough to
share or an ax head. Why put anything down on parchment? hold or carry two or three people — perhaps four at
A few crankish scholars may sketch these things, but that just best; the size of a chariot or some such light vehicle.
shows how unworldly scholars are. In system terms, anyone with Four dots permits something the size of a large cart
ratings in appropriate Crafts knows how to make these things or a peasant’s hovel, while five-dot Machinae can
(two dots means one is sure to know all the details). Anyone include full-sized ships and decent-sized buildings.
else has to ask or to work it out from first principles (requiring
Optionally, the size of a Machina may be increased
several successes on some kind of Intelligence-based roll, at the
one level in this series by adding one Background
Storyteller’s discretion). Pre-existing Unusual and Extraordinary
point to its cost. Hence a chariot-sized vehicle that
Devices and Machinae may be described in Daedalean libraries.
uses Forces 2 to fly while carrying a pilot and two pas-
The Storyteller always has the right to say that a design is or is not
sengers has a cost of five. However, each such increase
available, and an Intelligence + Research roll may be required
adds two weeks to construction time, and every two
for the search. (If you want a totally random check, make such
increases adds one to the difficulty of the final Arete
a roll with difficulty 9 for Machinae, 8 for other Devices; four
roll in the process. Also, at the Storyteller’s option,
successes result in a decent design, fewer turn up a few useful
large Machinae almost certainly burn through Quin-
ideas in proportion to the successes made. (The Storyteller may
tessence (fuel) much faster than “normal.”
still require a design to be produced from scratch, but permit
research successes to be used to reduce the difficulty.) Each
search takes half a day, no extended rolls are permitted and the dry of all virtue. Because the object has already been specifically
number of attempts that may be made is equal to the library’s dedicated and given particular properties, it no longer accepts
rating as a Background.) any attunement other than its original. If there is no one to
Works of Art cannot be researched in this way; they must be explain the device and no written reference, the mage is faced
original by definition. However, browsing through a good library with the challenge of discovering the item’s precise attunement
may turn up some interesting ideas or techniques. Take a day and function, and of recharging the device. Assess Affinity (see
and roll Perception + Research, difficulty 7, if you don’t mind page 47) may be used to determine properties and affinities, but
producing something blatantly derivative and a little dull. The the mage must follow the same procedure outlined above for
number of successes achieved is subtracted from the difficulty Artificers to ferret out the exact attunement.
of one stage in the actual creation process, but the reduction
can never be better than -3. Only one such search is permitted; Design Ab Initio
two (as an extended roll) in a library with a Background value If useful research proves impossible or incomplete, the Artificer
of 4 or more. must sit down and compose a design for herself. This requires a day
(All difficulties may be adjusted up or down by the Storyteller or two for simple works, up to a week for complex Extraordinary
if the library is especially apt or inappropriate for the sort of task Devices. A Machina requires three times its Background rating
at hand. A Hermetic sorcerer’s books are likely to be of little use in days. (Pure Works of Art disregard this stage, but the artist
to someone trying to create a helicopter, although they might should probably pause for a few days and prepare some preliminary
contain some interesting observations on experiments concerning sketches, if only to show his patron.) At the end of the period, roll
the Elemental Correspondences of Air, or a cynical note on the Intelligence + Invention, difficulty 6 for Mundane and Unusual
failures of some past magus of House Golo.) Devices, 7 for most Extraordinary Devices and Machinae, or 8
Once a design is found, the Artificer must analyze and adapt it for really bizarre concepts (including most Great Machinae). Five
for her own use, taking (6 - Intelligence) days for Machinae, one day successes are usually required for Machinae, four for Extraordinary
for other Devices. Roll Intelligence plus any one appropriate Craft Devices and three for anything else. Repeated efforts may be made,
or Science, difficulty 7. Three successes are required for Devices; treated as extended rolls, but a botch wastes all design efforts so
three plus Background rating for Machinae. Multiple attempts far. (Leaving one’s parchment covered in erroneous scrawls….)
may be made in extended rolls. (A botch means that the Artificer When Machinae are involved, the Storyteller can and usually
cannot make head nor tale of this crazed nonsense!) Adapting should demand that the designer possesses some appropriate Sci-
previous ideas is not necessary concerning Works of Art. ence and may request a roll with that.
Occasionally a Verditius mage comes across a device that Once a design has been prepared, it may be used repeatedly
has been used before — used to the point that it has been bled by the creator, perhaps even by her apprentices (once they attain

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decent levels of skill) and others who work closely with her for be the limit for flickering Daedalean lamps and signal-flags
years. The premise may also be explained to others who share (without vain use of Mind or Time Arts). Armor can exceed
the designer’s language and assumptions, usually taking a few a protection rating of 6 (equal to expensive tournament plate)
hours; roll Wits + Instruction if the Storyteller feels tiresome. only through the Ars Praeclarus — and so on.

Determining Capacities Materials

The Artisan having conceived and planned a work of Artificer creations take the capabilities of the age’s En-
creation, some further thought may be applied at the game lightened science to its limits and hence demand the highest
level. It is all very well to say that the character may create a capabilities of their materials. Inventions are not quite as exotic
cannon, a clockwork telegraph system or a star-faring ship — but as some more ostentatiously “magickal” devices (which forever
what damage can it inflict, how far can it transmit messages or require the scales of dragons, feathers of griffins, bark from un-
at what speeds can it travel? known trees or gemstones from lost mines). But even so, an
There are many concerns applicable to this determination inspired designer sometimes conceives of a Machina that can
and not all possibilities can be described here. The Storyteller’s be built only with materials that present a challenge to even
cautious good sense is always called upon. However, some Void Seekers.
generalities can be made. By and large, however, materials need simply be very good
The basic determinants in most cases are: What com- — absolutely pure, perfectly tempered, cut with diamond and
monplace devices may accomplish, and what magick achieves. polished with silk. The Sphere of Matter can be a great help
Thus, Mundane Devices and Machinae are actually the two in such endeavors — but curiously enough, not for creation so
simplest categories. Let us take a sadly popular idea: a personal much as for testing.
firearm. Given their long-established knowledge of practical alchemy
The system mechanics for such are given in Mage: The and other such arts, Daedaleans can often create or transform
Sorcerers Crusade; difficulty from 6 to 8, damage from 5 to 8, and base matter into something like what they need, but the results
so on. A well-crafted weapon built by a Sleeper-court gunsmith are rarely satisfactory. An Artificer may believe that some such
probably doesn’t surpass these capabilities. It is simply a little transformation is permanent — and indeed, it may be under
lighter, more reliable in the long term and finely decorated. A normal circumstances — but the conditions under which it is
multi-barreled weapon built as a relatively simple Machinae, then used may be abnormal, rendering the material unreliable.
on the other hand, uses the magick rules: Roll Arete for its Furthermore, transformations may have all manner of unknown
innate Forces/Prime effect, determine successes and calculate side effects. As the Craftmasons often observe with dour satis-
damage from that. A certain amount of juggling of numbers faction, laziness often leads to more trouble than it saves. Even
and interpolation is likely when Enlightened Artificers apply use of Matter 3 shaping arts to facilitate work is often disdained;
their ingenuity, but Storytellers are doubtless capable of that. the Resonances created by such workings can play havoc with
These numbers define limits — say, two to nine levels of dam- delicate preparations across the workshop.
age, after a roll. However, simple Matter 1 Arts give Artificers many methods
Thus, a wheel lock (an Unusual Device) has characteristics for examining the quality and nature of material, enabling them
similar to a matchlock, but fires a little faster and more accurately. to determine whether it is indeed up to standard. A Daedalean
A well-balanced, double-barreled wheel lock with simple sights workshop is full of strange crystals and phials of testing reagents,
might qualify as an Extraordinary Device, with slightly greater used delicately and deftly at each stage to ensure that the Work
range and the option to fire a second shot (but beware the day is sound and is not damaged by what is done to it. Craftmason
when a spark from the first shot sets off the second). A heavy building sites undergo similar effects achieved by careful testing
shoulder-braced weapon might be Unusual, depending on its of Resonances and intricate geometrical measurement.
other characteristics. But if that large weapon has a damage Thus, making Machinae and other Devices often involves
rating of more than nine or 10, it stresses the limits of what Matter, even if the functions of the finished item bear no obvious
nature permits at this date — and its cumbersome design prob- relation to that Sphere. This is not to say that those few Artificers
ably gives it poor accuracy (difficulty 8 or maybe even 9). who know nothing of Matter cannot make things, but their efforts
Similarly, mundane clocks are large, chime the hours and perforce involve greater expense, additional mundane tests, false
are accurate to a few minutes every day, while those Enlightened starts — and perhaps less reliability in the finished item.
in the Sphere of Time can judge seconds with precision. A The other Spheres sometimes employed in the selection
Daedalean-made clock might “chance” to be precise to within and application of materials are Entropy and Prime. The former
a minute a day. An Extraordinary ship, built by and for Void is useful most often in its simplest form, as an adjunct to Matter.
Seekers, might end each such day having gained a couple of It is also called upon once an assemblage has progressed too far
miles on its mundane rivals. In the 20th century, a Morse Code for simple examination by eye; Entropy can reveal weak points
operator is said to have sent 40 words in a minute, so that might and instabilities (and unexpected strengths). When a particular

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item is to be reproduced many times, a perfectionist Artificer may
actually build a Machina incorporating Matter 1 and Entropy 1 Manufacture
effects — a “testing frame” that ensures that each copy is built With designs complete and materials gathered, creation
perfectly. Prime is used mostly when laziness or necessity causes an can begin. This is often a lengthy process that has at least the
Artificer to resort to creative Arts in the course of manufacture. appearance of ritual. Fixed and scrupulous formulae usually
However, Prime 4 effects may be built into subtle but powerful ensure that a craftsman performs a task exactly the same way
Machinae, especially fortresses and portable defenses, which be- on each occasion; ritual maintains a sense of pride and mystery
come perfectly robust when activated. Some Platonist Daedaleans about important works.
also claim to use Prime to access the realm of pure form, providing
The time taken for manufacture depends very much on
perfect templates for their Work — but that is a controversial
the thing being made, of course, and is left to the Storyteller’s
technique, subject to many accusations of pride and vanity.
judgment. Blacksmiths make or repair scores of horseshoes
and can turn out arrowheads in even greater quantity — but
a suit of plate mail requires days of work, careful fitting and
Cannon and Damage the specialized knowledge of a master armorer rather than a
Daedaleans have access to at least one mundane common smith. Some projects — especially exotic ones —
tool that does far more damage than any but an arch- are joint efforts, requiring more than one Craft; a Daedalean
mage could inflict: artillery. If any Sleeper mercenary war-balloon, for example, involves seamstresses, alchemists,
can inflict 10 or even 25 health levels with a lump of wood-workers and fine metalwork — even before its guns
brass and some black powder — who needs spells? (A are mounted.
question that the Order of Reason intends to ask the (Works of Art, incidentally, can involve anything from
whole world.) a few days — for a clever portrait sketch — to years, as with
Although the Ars Praeclarus may be employed Leonardo’s great unfinished equestrian sculpture.)
to improve upon cannons, the engines are ultimately In game terms, routine work such as day-to-day smithy-
limited in scope. Use and study of cannons does little ing does not require die rolls (except perhaps once per game
to advance knowledge in general; their sheer violence week for color, with a botch implying some small accident;
makes them useless tools for creating other Works. The multiple successes indicate a profitable week). Interesting
Order of Reason deploys cannon that are better made and work carries the implied risk of failure. Tests usually involve
more precise than those of mundane armies, but Reason’s rolling Dexterity + Craft for relatively mundane pieces,
aren’t very different in kind. Marked improvement in Intelligence + Craft for more cerebral efforts, Perception +
artillery comes through a long, relatively dull process of Artist for Works of Art, and Intelligence + Alchemy for the
experimentation and gradual enhancement. brewing of exotic potions.
That subtle improvement has its own appeal, Creating Machinae usually requires one month per dot in
though. Daedalean-made artillery rarely does more than the Background rating of the intended product, with good or poor
a level or two additional damage over mundane artil- designs, materials and secondary talents raising or lowering that
lery. However, application of the simplest knowledge number (but hardly ever to less than three-quarters of the base).
of Matter and Entropy means that it is far less likely Double that time or more for Great Machinae. Creation time
for an Artificer gun to misfire or burst (at least until may be required to establish a consistent, continuous laboratory
enemy wizards have their say). Similarly, application process with some relatively well-known alchemical formulations,
of Connection Arts (in the form of the most practical such as Abundanti’s Oil. The stuff may then flow out at the rate
aspect of sacred geometry) makes Daedalean gunners of, say, a barrel a week given a supply of the right ingredients.
deadly in their aim (and for that matter, Craftmason (Fortunately, Storytellers have many ways to control characters
knowledge of building means that they know exactly who acquire a productive lab; equipment can break, rivals can
where to target attacks on fortresses). Forces can make be jealous and laboratories can always burn.)
a shot smooth and well-timed. At the end of the creation period, roll the maker’s Arete
Such artillery improvements are mostly a matter of vs. difficulty 4 + the completed Machina’s Background rating.
roleplaying and Storyteller judgment — refraining from Three successes are required (more for Great Machinae). So
inflicting the persistent accidents and supply problems long as the roll is not botched, repeated rolls can be made
that afflict mortal artillerists. Daedalean cannon usually weekly until enough successes are accumulated. (“It is nearly
count as Unusual Devices (for their perfection), Extraor- done, my lord, but the clockwork requires a little more tension-
dinary at most (for small but sensible enhancements, ing….”) A botch wrecks the work, often dramatically.
giving a point or two of improvement here or there). Building a Machina is usually treated as a vain work, but
They are rarely Machinae. without witnesses; the Scourge notices the hubris of Daedalus.
Be sure to call for a Fortune Die in the final Arete roll; Scourge

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effects at this point can be interesting. They should not, for the
most part, wreck the Machina (unless the Arete roll botches),
but they may twist it, giving it all manner of unforeseen quirks.
Unreliability, excessive noise in use, curious mystickal Reso-
nances…. Boons are just as possible as flaws, too. A Machina
might well emerge slightly better than expected. Clever engineers
try to learn from lucky accidents. A few succeed.

Special Cases
Automata, Machine
Intelligence and
“Senses”
rtificer devices — even Machinae — are
essentially simple tools; extensions of the
wielder’s arm and intellect. They may
permit the application of great force in
arcane ways, they may behave in perverse
and unpredictable fashions, but they do
not make their own conscious decisions,
despite what some brethren think.
This makes Devices rather different to, say, the fetishes
wielded by many a shaman, which are empowered by the
spirits they contain. Life for Artificers is usually simpler
and sometimes more frustrating as a consequence. Tools do
what they are built for and asked to do, not necessarily what
is wanted. Even the most advanced vain automaton that
seems to mimic life in every respect with its clockwork or
pneumatic mechanisms is bound by the determinate nature
of its construction. The creation follows a limited set of com-
mands, not because it is subject to a Geas (like some bound
spirits), but because that is all it is ever capable of.
One may deduce correctly from this that few if any Arti-
ficers have advanced to the limits of the Mind Sphere (Mind
5). Even those who have probably seem limited compared to
the more supernaturally inclined masters of the Sphere. Ex-
plaining the existence of Mind in terms acceptable to the Ars
Praeclarus tends to lead to a dualistic philosophy, placing the
higher functions of Mind forever in the realm of mysteries.
(In truth, a few wild automaton builders wonder if
machines can be made complex enough to defy prediction.
Tales of Roger Bacon’s “Brazen Head” seem to suggest that
machines may acquire ideas other than those given them
by their makers. But this is arrant nonsense to materialists
and horrendous blasphemy to theologians.)
The question of how automata “sense” the world around
them is one that many folk forget to ask — perhaps fortunately,
as any 20th-century researcher of computer senses can attest.
The answer is usually that automata use (rather mystickal) prin-

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 Artificer Improvisation
Players brought up on comic books and bad television may Invention or the relevant Craft or Science, difficulty 7.
argue that their characters should be able to modify machines Four successes are probably about enough to come up with
in the midst of action, perhaps radically revising their functions. a way to accomplish most bright ideas. (No extended rolls
“After all, we unconsciously control reality, right? And if there’s or repeated attempts are permitted!) The character also
one bit of reality we know about, it’s these gadgets! So — I’m needs tools appropriate to the task; the Storyteller can
turning my flame-thrower into a jet pack….” decide about that. The effort takes a number of turns equal
Well, maybe. to at least three times the modified Machina’s Background
Once in a while “gadgeteering” along these lines makes rating. (A flat three turns is the minimum if it’s a simple
for an entertaining story or resolves a problem that would device — but then, it’s unlikely to have the power to be
otherwise stymie the characters. However, any Daedalean worth modifying.) The Storyteller secretly rolls Dexterity
device worthy of the name teeters on the brink of plausibility + the most appropriate available Craft, difficulty 8. Five
to begin with; revising its function is playing with fire, liter- successes usually means a completely successful modifica-
ally. The results are almost invariably vain and the Scourge tion, three or four means something that sort of works, and
is likely to come down with interesting effect, punishing the a botch…. Well, use your imagination. The Storyteller also
error of pride as well the sin of over-hasty engineering. And rolls Perception + the most appropriate available Science,
remember: The power of the Ars Praeclarus comes from difficulty 6, and decides from that what to tell the player
recognizing, defining and working within the rules that about the relative success of the attempt.
govern the universe. Warping such rules is a denial of the Then the fun begins. Scourge effects resulting from
whole point of an Artificer’s existence. jury-rigged equipment are especially colorful.
But it’s going to happen anyway, so let’s talk systems. (Of course, one can simply use a Machina in inap-
A character who comes up with such an idea must propriate ways as the relevant tool for a vain working.
have several dots in Crafts or Sciences appropriate to the That’s probably slightly safer than modifying, but Sto-
proposed trick, else any ideas are vague. Take a turn or rytellers are always entitled to pile on extra difficulty or
two to assess the possibility, then roll Wits + the worst of Scourge effects if ideas get too silly.)

ciples of correspondences. The typical High Artisan-designed her inert body to use the automaton’s powers instead. An
automaton’s “eye” consists of a set of tiny material “samples,” interesting concept….)
tempered and attuned so that they respond to similar or “op-
posed” materials nearby with slight but definite physical actions. Spirits
(A magnet’s response to iron is the first and simplest such One way to produce a “Magickal Treasure” with its own
reaction that Artificers study.) Complex mechanisms detect intellect (the classic shamanic approach) is to awaken or
and respond to this reaction. Thus, an automaton is unlikely to implant a spirit within it. Although Daedalean Artificers
be, say, dazzled by bright light (although anything is possible), do not deny the existence of spirits — a few hold that such
but an alchemist with detailed knowledge of an automaton’s entities have a special relationship with Devices, from in-
design might come up with all manner of innocuous-seeming spirational muses and angels to beings called into existence
compounds that could blind or “befuddle” it. by the power of invention — they are not much given to
In system terms, building an automaton capable of even working with them. Yet every rule has exceptions.
the most limited actions requires that it be granted a number There are a few dark tales of renegades offering immaterial
of distinct effects. A Matter 1 working is needed to grant it the demons or Umbrood use of automatons as material bodies,
ability to respond to its surroundings. Forces 1 is needed if it granting them power in the real world. There are clearly
is to “hear.” A Mind 3/ Prime 2 effect is needed for even the magicks that would permit this, in obscene defiance of the
basic semblance of reactive thought, shaping the automaton’s high ethic of the Ars Praeclarus. More tolerable theories
“brain” to follow subtle patterns modeled on thought, and hold that spirits might be “awoken” from potentiality by an
then setting a flow of Quintessence to render the shadows of Artificer of sufficient wisdom. This notion is sometimes put
intellect permanent. A few automatons may have personalities forward as an explanation of Roger Bacon’s legendary Brazen
of a sort, granted through true Mind 5 workings, but these Head. (The swift self-destruction of that device may show
should always be wonders and mysteries. how vain such ideas are.) Some academic High Artisans
(Some Artificers with a special interest in Mind claim that further say that Hebrew lore concerning the creation and
it would be possible to build an automaton whose mechanism animation of golems may not be incompatible with the Ars
Resonated with the intellect of a specific individual. This Praeclarus, and might even provide a bridge between that
would imply a Mind 4 effect whereby the “operator” leaves and the powers of Spirit.

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 APPENDICES

innovators even make detailed study of such topics. Pure met-

Appendix 1: als of perfect strength or fuels that burn almost without being
consumed are too useful to spurn. Abundanti’s Oil (see Mage:

Exemplars The Sorcerers Crusade, page 287) is the most widespread

Daedalean alchemical formulation, but there are others.
(In fact, the incendiaries detailed in Crusade Lore probably
here may be made instruments of navigation constitute the greatest practical advantage granted the Order of
without men to row in them, as huge ships Reason by its alchemists — but they represent the alchemical
to brook the sea only with one man to steer equivalent of Unusual or Extraordinary Devices at most.)
them, which shall sail far more swiftly than •• The Bond of Ibn Daud
if they were full of men. And chariots that
Arete 2, Quintessence 10, Cost 4
shall move with an unspeakable force
With some of their more experimental Devices involv-
without any living creatures to stir them…
ing truly bizarre combinations of delicate materials, High
yea instruments by which to fly…
Artisans must sometimes use fastenings more refined than
— Roger Bacon nails or chains. Glues made of boiled-down bones are good
The creations of Daedalean Artificers can be divided enough for mundane purposes, but when the joint must be truly
into a number of categories. Those presented here would be perfect, an alchemical formulation that actually transforms
disputed bitterly by Artificers of different cultures and schools and interlinks the material structure of the two parts seems
of thought, but they serve. Obviously, the instances given appropriate. Finding other more whimsical uses for this bond
for each are merely examples; the burning creativity of High is left to individual Daedaleans.
Artisans ensures that the full list grows every day. [This is basically a Matter 2 effect; an additional Life 2
component enables it to work on living materials. Each point of
Alchemical Formulae Quintessence rendered to this “essence of adhesion” produces
Although many Artificers prefer solid metal and physical a drop of liquid that instantly joins up to a square foot of any
force to the subtleties of the alchemical arts (which retain two solid surfaces, creating a bond as strong as the weaker of
the disquieting tang of mysticism imparted by the Solificati), the two materials. The bond can be released only by various
most pride themselves on their pragmatic adaptability. Some moderately tricky Matter 2 effects (or by crude cutting). Glues

83
are a casual enough idea — this one merely seems very good.
Any occasional Scourge effects associated with this substance
Weapons of War
strike the character who applies it and may take the form of The obvious way to use the Ars Praeclarus in the cre-
accidents or odd side effects with the chemical itself.] ation of weapons and armor is in Forces effects, with Prime
The substance is carried in crystal flasks. It dries out slowly added as necessary. However, there are many other options
if spread thin, taking about an hour to lose its effectiveness. and the needs of the combatant guilds (and of many folk
However, it takes effect immediately if a second solid surface in other Conventions) ensure that Enlightened armorers
comes into contact in this time. This drying time permits remain busy. Matter workings are often involved in crafting,
the substance to be used for tricks and traps, but it is an odd if not in a finished item’s overt powers; military gear is best
dark green color and has a slight but strange odor, so victims made strong.
usually have to be tricked rather cleverly. The two instances of weapon-Machinae in Mage: The
•• Vap’rous Candles of Lethe Sorcerers Crusade (page 287) both need some comment:
Arete 2, Quintessence 10, Cost 4 First, the cost and creation of Titan’s Armor is an example
Craftmasons are not as crass and blundering a crew as of some interest. The strength of refined “dragon’s egg” comes
some would claim; subterfuge has its place in their schemes. from a Matter 2 effect, refining what are by some standards
Finding that certain sleep-inducing formulations release their “natural” metals to the limits of their potential strength and
virtue when burned or heated, Masons swiftly conceived a use usefulness. This is generally a passive effect, but the secondary
for the effect. About a minute after being lit, these candles awe-inspiring effect of the fine and impressive suit sometimes
release an invisible vapor with a very slight spicy scent. The requires testing in system terms (yet the metal’s strength may
effect induces deep but natural sleep. be assailed by other magicks). The Arete of this two-dot
“Sleep-inducing vapors” are recognized widely enough Magickal Treasure is therefore raised to 4, for a total cost of
that these candles are generally treated as casual; Scourge 6. Many other defensive creations may be built along similar
effects are almost unknown, save in the slightly tricky manu- lines. Scourge effects tend to be limited to the manufacturing
facturing process. processes and to Pride or Vanity Scourgings associated with
the intimidating look of the suit.
[The candle works only in enclosed spaces no larger than a
good-sized private room. Multiple candles can flood a hall with va- Second, Horatius’ Thunder has an incorrectly calculated
pors, but a well-ventilated area prevents anything more than partial cost. Its enhanced Quintessence brings its actual cost up to
effects, if that. Victims have a chance to notice the scent — roll 8.
two successes with Perception, difficulty 8 — but may or may not •• Serpent Blade
realize what effect it has on them (Storyteller’s option). That effect Arete 2, Quintessence N/A, Cost 4
is a simple combination of Mind 2 and Entropy 2, causing a victim’s Named because it strikes swiftly, quietly and lethally,
thoughts to decay toward a simple desire and inclination for sleep, this weapon might seem mundane at first (its use should be
usually succumbing Stamina + 1 turns after exposure to the vapors. considered casual unless witnesses are expert smiths or weapons
Characters within two turns of dozing off are too sleepy to respond masters). The Serpent Blade is in fact merely a nigh-perfect
to the fact that others have already done so. This sleep is perfectly sword for use with the still-obscure art of fencing, forged from
natural-seeming, and victims can be woken in conventional ways, some of the finest steel known to Artisans. There is a little
such as by a little shaking. Those not otherwise in need of a regular dragon’s egg ore in the alloy and also a touch of “perfected lead,”
night’s sleep doze for about 6 - Stamina hours.] making the blade dark and less prone to ringing. Apart from
••• Lethe’s Spheres being virtually unbreakable, the Serpent Blade can actually
Arete 3, Quintessence 10, Cost 4 cut through hostile Matter or Forces magicks. [Roll Dexter-
It didn’t take long for someone to point out that the Vap’rous ity + Fencing, difficulty 7, to intercept such assaults. On any
Candles of Lethe were all very well, but only when the user knew successes, the user gains use of Countermagick based on the
where people were going to be. What about something similar, blade’s Arete or can add a die to her own Countermagick.]
but that could be thrown much like Greek Fire? An ingenious A Forces 2 effect prevents the blade from glinting when it
alchemist and glassblower from India had the perfect answer: catches the light or making overmuch sound when drawn or
orange-sized glass spheres filled with the same sort of vaporous used, if the wielder prefers to remain unobserved.
concoction. These are considerably more obtrusive than candles, ••• The Purifier’s Needles
as the glass must be shattered to release the vapors, but a cunning Arete 3, Quintessence 15, Cost 6
character can likely manage to use them quietly. Named with a certain amount of irony, these slender metal
[The vapors work exactly like Vap’rous Candles; the differ- darts are the creation of a rising young High Artisan with an
ence is the vector for the fumes. Each sphere holds about as much interest in the fine qualities of metal. Unfortunately, the alloy
as a candle would give off. If a character wants to immobilize an of which they are made is mostly silver, which makes them
entire hall, she must find a way to open multiple spheres.] expensive — but they are considered invaluable.

84
 APPENDICES

Each has a needle-sharp point and is finely balanced, but ••• Hail of Division
that is not their primary value. Silver is famously sovereign Arete 3, Quintessence 15, Cost 6
against all manner of spirits and bogeys and the “needles” This five-barreled firearm resembles a smaller, lighter copy
exploit of this weakness. The points are also prepared and of Horatius’ Thunder, which is not entirely misleading. Being
actually faceted using subtleties of sacred geometry. They can made light enough to use one-handed at a pinch, its simple
cut through all manner of magickal defenses as a result. lead bullets are rather small. Indeed, an ordinary single-shot
These darts may be recovered after use and eventually firearm usually does more damage than this weapon’s Forces
reused. However, if they strike metal or stone or fail to pen- 3/ Prime 2 attack. However, the firearm is less expensive
etrate some powerful magick, they have to be re-forged. than Horatius’ Thunder and its superior range and multiple
[A needle can be hand-hurled much like a spear, but for shots still make many Daedaleans prefer it to conventional
only Strength +1 damage and with +1 difficulty. They may firearms. As with Horatius’ Thunder, this weapon’s Quintes-
also be fired from a heavy crossbow, pot-de-fer, small cannon sence actually represents a batch of ammunition. Its unlikely
or bolt-throwing ballista. In each case they do normal damage rapidity of fire makes it vain.
for the weapon, with a maximum of 8. (When fired from larger With a further enhancement, the weapon can have a
weapons, needles must be wrapped in wadding or mounted basic Truth-Seeing Stone (see below), attuned to the Sphere
on a wooden carrier.) They are made to penetrate the subtle of Entropy, affixed to its upper section by way of an aiming
defenses often thrown up by users of Forces or Spirit magick. sight. If the wielder takes a turn to aim and the target has
The damage they do is augmented by an Entropy effect. Roll a significant weakness (determined by the Storyteller), the
their Arete as Countermagick versus any Spirit or Forces spell next shot may be able to exploit that failing.
intended to deflect them from their flight, and reduce the ••• Helm of Heimdal
protection or armor value of any stone, metal or magickally
Arete 3, Quintessence 15, Cost 6
enhanced material by two. Needles do not eliminate the
spells they overcome — merely punch straight through them. Named after a Norse god by a disrespectful High Artisan,
The weapons are generally casual in use because they simply this helmet appears to the most casual glance as a typical,
appear to be fine-quality missiles.] if ridiculously ornate, component for a suit of overpriced

85
tournament armor. Indeed, it serves well enough as protec- this makes it difficulty for the wearer to accomplish many
tion, although heavy blows may knock some of the internal mundane tasks, so the armor can be deactivated — but it
mechanisms out of alignment. In truth, it was designed as a still makes climbing, jumping and much social interaction
useful tool for an Enlightened artillery captain. rather hard.
Within the visor is an array of lenses and gems, some Although it is light and cumbersome, the suit is built
of them extraordinary crystals from mysterious and remote using a true High Artisan grasp of the Sphere of Matter;
sources, cut and polished to refract not only light but all man- treat it as the equal of mundane Mail armor for protection
ner of subtle Resonances. Many of the features that appear to and encumbrance.
be florid decorations on the helm are not; they are switches [Activating the armor takes one turn and a point of Quin-
and levers that allow a practiced wearer to move the lenses tessence; roll its Arete for the usual Time 3 effect, including
into an uncountable range of positions. Below the visor slit, duration. If the armor is switched off at any point or the wearer
but still in the wearer’s line of sight, is a miniature mechanism is rendered unconscious, it must be reactivated for further
that acts as a sort of mechanical calculator, also controlled use. “Quintessence” represents tension in a small, incredibly
by external levers. powerful spring. Restoring the armor’s charge requires that it
All of these features would give an un-Enlightened be dismantled by an expert Artificer who knows the design,
wearer nothing but a skull-splitting headache, but those who and the spring must be rewound using complicated devices
are intended to use this device soon grasp its significance. By built to exploit the Spheres of Forces and Matter.]
transforming Resonances and subtle influences into “sen- •••• Jagg’d Blade of Rending
sible” form, the helmet grants the Connection-based ability Arete 4, Quintessence 20, Cost 8
to perceive any object, however remote, in every aspect as In the hands of a Sleeper, this seemingly overcomplicated
if from every angle at once, within and without. A linked polearm functions as a halberd, with +1 difficulty due to poor
Mind effect enables the wearer to comprehend what is seen, balance. An Awakened or other supernaturally aware wielder
despite its infinite subtlety, and to calculate its weaknesses can use it in the same way, but without the difficulty penalty
and strengths (using Entropy effects). (being able to recognize the weapon’s subtle elegance). How-
Thus, the wearer may assess a fortress and make a rough ever, the wielder may press a secret catch in any combat turn
count of its garrison almost at a glance. Slightly more prosai- to activate one of the spring-powered mechanisms hidden
cally, the helm-wearer can examine a cannon for weak points within the head and shaft.
and warn if it is about to explode. Other applications, such The Jagg’d Blade was in fact created by a warrior High
as looking along a planned line of march for ambushes, may Artisan of rather dark humors. Many of his own Convention
be improvised as one goes along. Note that these effects are consider it an unduly vicious weapon, which in A.D. 1450 is
vain. Swift, private uses may pass as “unobserved,” but detailed an opinion that takes a little provoking. It uses a number of
examination of that which one cannot actually see — and interacting Entropy effects, involving parts of the head that
then described to others — is rather ostentatious. extend and retract, while weights shift within the shaft so that
Unfortunately, the helm’s delicate mechanism is prone to the blade weaves through the air, striking with ease, accuracy
slip out of alignment and the gems and lenses must be polished, and near-total unpredictability. [The attack is resolved normally,
treated alchemically or replaced periodically. Any use therefore but is difficulty 5 and does Strength +7 damage.] The real terror
costs a point of Quintessence (in the form of delicate attune- of the blade is that it rips targets to shreds; inanimate objects
ment rather than gross fuel), which can be replaced by only are rendered beyond repair, while living victims are wounded
days of work in the shop of a highly skilled Artificer. horribly, bleeding from a half-dozen gashes and often crippled
••• Armor of Achilles for life despite their best armor or parrying skills.
Arete 3, Quintessence 15, Cost 6 [The blade’s destructive power is an Entropy 4 effect.
This Machina resembles a rather archaic and much over- The damage is therefore Aggravated and may demand swift
decorated suit of lightweight plate, with “Classical” styling medical treatment. The weapon can also leave scars. Each
and many brass components. However, even a casual observer such employment uses a point of Quintessence, representing
notes the spindly wheels attached to the feet. A closer look a spring much like those in the Armor of Achilles above, and
reveals that most of the joints incorporate intricate springs is recharged by similar means.]
and levers.
In fact, this is a diligent if oddly literal-minded application Vehicles
of the Ars Praeclarus and sacred geometry to the Sphere of The idea that a machine should be vastly useful to a traveler
Time. In order to accomplish the well-known Time effect of is strange to many folk of this era. Carts and chariots are ancient
speeding up its wearer, mechanisms respond to the slightest enough, but they are simple things that serve to merely direct
movement — seemingly little more than the decision to act the energies of harnessed beasts. It is muscle and live sinew that
— by accelerating and amplifying the motion. Obviously, does the work. Daedalean Artificers have their own ideas.

86
 APPENDICES

Machinae built as vehicles often demand the expenditure •• Clockwork Sycamore

of extra Background points for increased size, as described in Arete 2, Quintessence N/A, Cost 4
Chapter 5. They need not incorporate especially powerful use of Said to have been inspired by the seed after which it
any Spheres — motion is simply motion — but they tend to be is named — or more likely by the screw-propulsion used in
financially expensive, rather vain and sometimes invaluable. some Daedalean submarines — this spring-powered helicopter
Expeditions into the starry void require Spirit 5 effects — the takes half an hour for a half-dozen burly fellows to wind up.
region beyond the clouds is perceived as the domain of spirits. It then flies for a bare half-dozen turns [but at 35 yards per
Venturing there in one’s own body requires mighty workings. turn, swift as a galloping horse]. Its uses are limited, though
Skyrigger vessels are five-dot Machinae that also embody effects there are some.
from the Spheres of Connection (which can transcend the ter- •• Bird of Reason
rifying expanses of the Void), Forces (enabling controlled flight Arete 2, Quintessence 10, Cost 5
in atmosphere), Matter (so that hulls hold together in such exotic
A simple steam-powered ornithopter with the ability to
realms) and Prime (to empower the rest).
carry a pilot and one heavy passenger or two slender allies in
Crusade Lore offers brief details on a number of vehicles a pinch, the Bird of Reason is most often used for messenger
with a military purpose. Of these, the Armored Chariot is con- duties and reconnaissance. Some large Explorator ships carry
sidered an Unusual Device, (attaching armor, guns and blades one of these Machinae in their holds, for use in spying out
to a chariot is easy enough, if eccentric), while War Balloons land or sea ahead. Otherwise, the device’s hunger for alchemi-
are rated as Extraordinary Devices (although mounting useful cally refined coal as fuel, its unpredictable vulnerability to
cannon, let alone building multi-decked fighting craft, is far the Scourge and its general limitations restrict the vehicle’s
more than any Sleeper knows for centuries). usefulness — but do not negate it.
Clockwork tanks are true Machinae. They use Matter 2 effects [The vehicle burns one Quintessence point of fuel every
to render their propulsive systems reliable, and have two levels three minutes and has a movement speed of nine yards per
of increased size. Thus, they can be considered two-dot Magickal turn. Passengers may carry missile weapons or bows if battle
Treasures with Arete 2 and Cost 6. (They have no need for Quin- is imminent and they are bold. The bird’s structure is rather
tessence, being clockwork-powered.) However, these vehicles are flimsy, with an Armor rating of 3.]
cumbersome and expensive and need large crews. They are not
••• Iron Kraken
really appropriate for players’ characters to own and should require
a high Resources Background to crew and run. Arete 3, Quintessence 15, Cost 8
Many Machinae-vehicles require their own special Skill If Jonah’s Chariot grants the Order of Reason the ability
to use, although some are built to be handled with common- to seek power beneath the waves, this evolution of the idea
place Crafts such as Coachman, Boatman or Sailor. enables them to make war in the realm of Poseidon. The Iron
Kraken is a submarine craft in the form of a great metal squid;
•• Jonah’s Chariot
its power comes from an engine that burns about one Quin-
Arete 2, Quintessence N/A, Cost 6 tessence point’s worth of fuel (Abundanti’s Oil) per hour, to
Named with somewhat blasphemous wit, this vessel is either move the craft with a pair of screw-propellers at up to
actually a simple shallow-diving submarine with a crew of 10 yards per turn, or at up to 15 yards if the crew is prepared
10 — eight of whom are required to man the retractable oars to burn through a point of fuel within a minute or so. The
that usually serve to propel it (at about eight yards per turn). engine can alternatively be used to wind a large clockwork
The craft uses Matter 2 effects to maintain hull integrity and mechanism that enables the craft to move at eight yards per
the clockwork engine that can be used to propel it (through a turn; an hour’s winding sees the spring fully tensioned, which
screw-propeller) at up to 15 yards per turn for up to six turns. A is good for half an hour’s useful operation. The clockwork
simple periscope and snorkel are fitted for obvious purposes. engine is sometimes necessary because the oil engine swiftly
The chariot has a small but adequate ramming-spike on the renders air foul and unbreathable, and the craft often has to
prow, so the vessel has some value in battle. The hull has an Armor dive deeper than its snorkel can extend.
rating of 8 (see Crusade Lore), but a mere couple of damage (Some Iron Krakens also carry sails to increase their
levels are enough to cause a significant leak. A normal tactic range. They are slow, wallowing things when they set sail,
is to approach enemy shipping slowly under oars, then pause not managing more than four or five yards per turn, but at
for a few minutes while the oarsmen wind up the clockwork. A least doing so costs no oil.)
swift sprint hopefully sees an enemy holed, with enough spring The Iron Kraken can carry a score of men with full arms
power left for the chariot to make its escape. and equipment, and has space for a trio of light cannon that
Most crews prefer reconnaissance missions, dropping off can be deployed swiftly through sealable portals in the hull
spies in hostile lands, and quests for sunken secrets. Void Seekers for surface battles. However, the ship’s most startling weapons
have copied this design of Machina and proclaim themselves are its 10 fully effective tentacles, which draw power from the
very pleased with it for purposes of peaceful exploration. engine or clockwork through intricate mechanical linkages.

87
Each has Strength 5 and can be operated from behind a crystal the ability to skim over short stretches of swamps and open
viewing portal by a trained crewman (using his Dexterity if water) and to leap chasms thanks to its kite-like gliding wings
required for combat purposes). Each crewman can work one that may be unfurled from the sides. Alchemical trickery allows
tentacle. The ability to grasp crew off enemy vessels’ decks the rocket to be slowed or stopped if required. The only actual
and to drag entire boats down strikes fear into even those who use found for this device is military — mostly scouting and
recognize the Kraken for a device and not a monster. terror-attacks, although scythe blades fitted to the sides can
The Iron Kraken uses a combination of Forces, Matter make a butchery of opponents (if they do not scatter first).
and Prime effects. Its hull has an Armor rating of 9. [The Chariot moves at 40 yards per turn on flat ground
••• Artificer’s Badger and burns a Quintessence point of fuel every turn. Stopping
Arete 3, Quintessence 15, Cost 6 takes a turn or two. Blades do damage equal to the chariot’s
The eccentric Enlightened scholar Florian of Arles is con- current movement divided by five.]
vinced that lost races of beings guard ancient secrets beneath
the earth. (He claims that ancient treasures occasionally found
Tools
in the ground are proof of this. “After all, if they were dropped Machinae can be means as well as ends. Many are in-
and sank into the soil by their old owners, why would they deed tools used in Daedalean workshops, of no interest or
suddenly rise up again? No, they must be somehow drawn to use beyond.
the light from subterranean hoards, whither they were taken •• Hephaistos’ Tables
deliberately!”) Florian was drawn into the Celestial Masters by Arete 2, Quintessence N/A, Cost 4
fellow scholars and there joined the House of Daedalus. Working This set of three three-legged, wheeled tables were built
in alliance with various High Artisans, he has created a Machina as a demonstration masterpiece by a High Artisan with a taste
to prove his theories (and to prove that exploring beneath the for Homeric myth (and little shame about vanity in his works).
world is as important as exploring above the sky). The tables incorporate small hidden clockwork motors, so
The Artificer’s Badger is an experimental self-powered perfect that they need to be wound only once per hour or so.
tunneling machine that uses a steam engine for power. Florian The tables can move under their own power bearing several
points out that on long expeditions he can plan to seek out coal score pounds on reasonably flat floors. Moreover, they are at-
for fuel — but the machine’s current range of a few miles prevents tuned through the mysteries of sacred geometry to the mind
him from accomplishing much as yet. (He may be eccentric, of the one who made them, following him around the room
but he is not suicidal; he always turns back with a margin of so that his equipment and materials are ever at hand.
fuel in hand.) Florian currently argues rather fruitlessly with •• The Adze Unparalleled
numerous Daedalean groups for aid and resources in building
Arete 2, Quintessence 10, Cost 4
a bigger machine. So far no warrior-Daedaleans have chosen
to explore this idea’s rather obvious potential as a siege-craft. Sometimes Daedalean workshops must produce stan-
They probably consider it too cumbersome and vain. dard mundane items in large quantities, especially when war
threatens. Wise masters anticipate this and produce simple but
[The current Badger has a two-person cabin, lit by a
nigh-perfect tools that save immense amounts of time later. For
lamp with a small supply of Abundanti’s Oil. Alchemical
example, this carpentry tool almost seems to guide the hands of
preparations keep the air fairly fresh through Matter 2 ef-
a junior but Enlightened craftsman, splitting wood evenly and
fects, which are not part of the vehicle design as such, but
neatly every time and never breaking or growing blunt.
which are produced by an Enlightened occupant with the
correct capabilities. The tunneling itself is a Forces 3, Mat- [The Entropy and Matter effects are self-explanatory. Actu-
ter 2, Prime 2 effect; great steam-powered claws ram earth ally, the adze uses a point of Quintessence with each application
aside and compress it or force it behind the vehicle. Each of its power, so it is employed judiciously — but even so, it can be
point of Quintessence represents high-grade coal that keeps invaluable. The Quintessence is restored by a Prime 3 procedure
the Machina running for about an hour. The Badger also using a small forge; there should always be one Artificer available
requires days of maintenance after every use. It can move at with the ability to re-energize these tools.]
up to 10 yards per turn through the softest earth, but denser Craftmasons, with their veneration of hard work, are of
conditions slow it considerably. Only solid granite actually two minds about such “lazy” devices. They approve of any
stops it dead.] that accomplish goals that could not otherwise be fulfilled.
••• Rocket Chariot For example, Craftmasons’ mastery of sacred geometry and
building skills allows them to create winches and cranes that
Arete 3, Quintessence 15, Cost 6
can raise startling weights and to place them with great ac-
Driven, it is remarked, by Daedaleans who are generally curacy. However, if creation can be accomplished through
assumed to be the next thing to Marauds, the Rocket Chariot sheer handiwork, it should be.
has two clear advantages: ridiculously fast movement (including

88
 APPENDICES

Instruments stones show the world in interesting ways — but each use is
slightly stressful for the stone and the user, as reflected in a
Strange as the applications of Artisan philosophy may Quintessence cost. When its Quintessence reserve is used up,
be, a deeper strangeness underlies: the idea that the world a stone becomes cloudy and opaque until recharged.
can be measured out and divided like so much cloth. Thus, • Spy-Glass
the most subtle and “passive” of Artificer creations are also Arete N/A, Quintessence N/A, Cost 2
the most extreme. These are the instruments by which they
Lenses have been in use for years (eye-glasses are known,
assess the universe and thus dominate it.
albeit rare and expensive), but the telescope is not given to
The Scourge strikes through even these Devices, but Sleepers till the beginning of the 17th century. The Celes-
in subtle forms. They rarely burst or shatter. Rather, as they tial Masters are not prepared to wait, and other Daedaleans
extend the senses of their users, these items twist and invade can find uses for such devices. Design involves Connection.
those users’ minds. Merely because something is observed Manufacture requires some aptitude with Matter. The result
does not make it true — and truth itself can be a very dan- is a delicate instrument of unknowable value.
gerous thing.
(The mundane reasons why Sleepers do not create
• Time-Divider such instruments are various and weighty. They include the
Arete N/A, Quintessence N/A, Cost 2 poor quality of available lens-glass, the technical problem
Artificers can transcend the limitations faced by Sleep- of grinding lenses accurately and a lack of understanding of
ers when creating accurate portable clocks. Such a fist-sized mathematical optics. Of course, none of these obstacles are
mechanism, enclosed within an engraved brass case, is created insuperable to the masters of sacred geometry. However, the
using subtle knowledge of materials and mechanisms and works instruments they create are the products of personal inspira-
better than anything that Sleepers will see for centuries. (In tion, magickal thought and arcane theory; they are intricate,
fact, the principles involved are so eccentric and the workman- delicate, powerful and varied.)
ship required so exceptional that the design never becomes The power of a Daedalean Spy-Glass is proportional to its
known outside the Order of Reason; the chronometers of size and portability. A pocket-tool barely manages 10 times mag-
future centuries are actually far simpler.) nification. The long, heavy brass instrument used by a captain on
This type of device is often sold to or copied by Void the deck of an Explorator ship might manage almost a hundred
Seekers (to aid with navigation) and Celestial Masters (to times. A huge astronomical glass, employed in a Celestial Master’s
make their astronomical work more reliable). The external observatory and not designed to be removed, might magnify the
appearance and the exact information displayed varies sig- heavens a thousand times (to frightening effect).
nificantly among individual examples. Few have anything
like the sort of clock-face that a modern observer would Prostheses
recognize; many show the positions of the stars or the phases
The idea of incorporating mechanical constructs into the
of the moon, or chime at certain significant moments (on
human body is considered exotic, even among High Artisans.
the hour, say, if the maker is unimaginative). Although an
However, accidents do happen, so there has always been a
un-Awakened user may be able to employ such a device, one
place for the well-made prosthetic — and Artificers make
generally requires at least a dot or two in some relevant field
them very well indeed.
of knowledge to understand the piece.
•• Body-Forger’s Arm
• Truth-Seeing Stones
Arete 2, Quintessence 10, Cost 4
Arete 1, Quintessence 5, Cost 2
This simple replacement forearm is a basic but useful
Many Artisans have difficulty with such “mystickal” spheres
example. Careful mechanical attachments to the wearer’s
as Prime or (especially) Spirit. To aid them, their less limited
upper arm and body, and judicious use of advanced knowl-
colleagues provide these gem-stones. Each is prepared using
edge permit the limb to respond almost as well as a natural
gem-cutting techniques (considered new and experimental in
arm [a specific Mind 2 effect]. It cannot be used for delicate
the mundane world) in combination with the laws of sacred
purposes, but it can grip and punch. It can also transmit mus-
geometry, and mounted in silver wands engraved with complex
cular effort from the upper arm. Hidden clockworks within
symbols (which are actually shorthand notes on the correct use
may even allow the strength of some actions to be amplified
of the items and the interpretation of what is seen).
slightly [accomplished with Forces 2]. A prosthetic arm’s lack
The user gains the benefit of a single specific Level 1 of sensitivity (except for the slight sensations that do cross
sensory effect simply by squinting through the facets of the back through the Mind link) can even be an advantage; the
gem. Many different types of gem exist; common versions of hand feels no pain. Lastly, as a mundane but useful touch,
this type of instrument grant the ability to perceive ghosts, the arm has a keen-edged, needle-tipped blade folded away
Crays or weak points in physical structures. This is generally within, ready to be unfolded in a moment — a useful hold-out
casual magick — anyone can see for themselves that gem- in some emergencies [treated as a dagger in combat].

89
 points to any character who wants something of such limited
Automata usefulness. Remember, these two devices are functionally
The creation of machines that look and walk like men is mindless in battle and their clockwork runs down after a few
one of the recurrent myths and dreams of every culture that turns. Using steam power rather than clockwork and perhaps
has developed any sort of mechanical contraptions. In prac- replacing controlling mechanisms with a human operator
tice, the trick always proves painfully hard and continues to (thus turning automata into vehicles) might improve these
do so for centuries to come — there are a thousand separate Machinae a little — but at what cost in convenience?
problems to resolve along the way. However, those who are Artisanship does have its lighter side: Some automata are
Awakened to the mysteries of sacred geometry can work with built not for war but for pleasure. These are the most exacting
laws and powers that resolve any problem. Artisans have built of the clockwork machines as they are the very smallest — only
a number of automata. the steadiest hand and the most ingenious mind can create such
Of course, these devices are generally terribly vain; they tiny springs and gears. When the basic machinery is finished, the
represent a direct challenge to God, for creation in the image most refined eye and practiced hammer are required to create the
of man is a mockery of His creation. There are many Artisans outer body. Most are made of delicately worked gold and set with
who dislike such works, let alone more devout folk such as jewels. Though these items do not do anything in particular of
Gabrielites — and the Scourge displays its own opinion of the use, there is no doubt that these Machinae are priceless in both
idea. On the other hand, to command a servant of reliable a mundane and an Artistic sense.
metal is a very appealing idea to many Artisans. One other factor limits automata availability: the Scourge.
The two battle-automata detailed in Crusade Lore are This fine technology is still on the very outer reaches of even
relatively simple examples. With Mind 3/ Prime 2 to give them Awakened ability; Sleepers are stunned into disbelief by its delicacy.
any kind of semblance of thought, Matter 1 for basic senses Building a near-perfect replica of a living thing treads too close to
and Matter 2 for their clockwork mechanisms, these devices the domain of the Divine Creator. The sheer hubris of the act is
rate as four-dot Magickal Treasures and cost eight Background enough to send any but the most resilient of Artificers reeling.

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 APPENDICES

Treat these precious items as five-dot Unique Magickal

Treasures, costing 10 Background points. Creation of what
amounts to a wind-up toy is highly individual; Storytellers
and players should generate their own ideas and work the
actual building of an item into a story.
••••• The Emperor’s Songbird
Arete 5, Quintessence 20, Cost 10
An emperor in a faraway land loved birds dearly. He
had rooms full of caged songbirds, a mew full of the fiercest
hunting hawks and an orchard full of wild sparrows. But
the emperor was not satisfied with the creatures he had.
All were too brown, too dull, too big, too small, too ugly
— always there was something amiss with his birds. So the
emperor called his finest advisors and craftsmen together
and offered a thousand gems and a thousand gold pieces
to the man who could bring him a perfect songbird. Each
advisor returned with some exotic species of bird caught
in a bamboo cage, and each advisor was turned away.
The last craftsman came forward with a small box.
Stooped and crabbed with age, the doddering inventor
slowly lifted the lid to expose the most beautiful golden
bird the emperor could have dreamed. Hands steady despite
his years, the man pressed a tiny ruby set in its head, and
the bird began to sing. The emperor snatched up the box
and ordered a gilded cage built and all the other birds
released — he had his perfect songbird, a bird that would
never fly away, never refuse to sing, never sing any but
its one little song.
[This device requires seven points of Quintessence
each time it is triggered. For such a staggering amount
of fuel, this little bird does nothing at all but warble a
sweet, if short, tune.]

Buildings
A well-constructed building can be a work of Craft
— perhaps the highest of all Works. This value makes the
Craftmasons’ few overt strongholds formidably powerful;
every stone embodies the power of sacred geometry in some
way or another.
One obvious common feature of such special buildings is
the strength of their walls. Alchemical tricks and old mundane
secrets are combined to make stonework and mortar up to
twice as strong as any mundane structure of like dimensions.
Other tricks may be more vain, but can still be justified….
•••• Daedalean Passages
Arete 4, Quintessence 20, Cost 9
Those who honor Daedalus can hardly fail to pay tribute to
his most famous building-work; those who master sacred geometry
know exactly how to use this inspiration. The inner passages and
corridors of Artificer-built structures often seem to defy normal
ideas of space and logic — mostly because they do.

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 A building constructed with Daedalean Passages actually at +1 difficulty as the machine twists the very fabric of the
permits one who knows the nature and secret logic of the place to world. But that is not its main purpose. After about five turns,
lead small groups through illogical-seeming convolutions, making the weather in the area turns downright stormy as vast sparks
it easy to catch or ambush intruders. However, each such use of the leap upward from the rods. After 10 turns, lightning bolts
place in defiance of normal geometry is inherently vain and expends shoot from a doom-laden sky, supposedly on points selected
a point of ambient Quintessence (which can be restored later by by the Machina’s operator.
certain ancient Craftmason ceremonies). Defenders prefer to rely This is a Forces 5 effect, with extensive use of Prime to
on a latent Mind 3 effect to find their way (which unfortunately empower it. Observers tend to find the machine terrifying,
also tends to make life difficult for new apprentices and many which may or may not be a deliberate Mind effect. Needles
brethren). Quite simply, anyone unaccustomed to the system who to say, use of the Javelinman is quite phenomenally vain.
ventures through it tends to become lost and confused — space
not actually warping for them, but persistently seeming to.

Quintessential Ingeniae
Appendix 2:
Many High Artisans believe that the once-much-admired
Master Liam O’Thomas has studied the superstitious myster-
Mundane
ies of alchemy too long. Oh, to be sure, his aptitude with the
Sphere of Prime has grown impressive, but the idea of building
Machinae to weave the “Stuff of the World” directly — that
Destruction and
surely is a denial of the rational basis of the Ars Praeclarus.
O’Thomas and his few wild-eyed disciples build strange
Defense
Devices that appear half-complete to other Artificers’ eyes. ut remember, please, the Law by which we live,
These inventions typically incorporate potent Prime effects We are not built to comprehend a lie,
to gather and manifest Quintessence (in the form of raw force We can neither love nor pity nor forgive.
“from nowhere”) and then channel it into specific effects
If you make a slip in handling us you die!
based on other Spheres: fire, images, dreams, ice, ghosts. All
Spheres have been created or invoked by these “Quintessential We are greater than the Peoples or the Kings-
Ingeniae.” Needless to say, the Devices are also immensely Be humble, as you crawl beneath our rods!—
vain and Scourge-ridden. Our touch can alter all created things,
Even the Enlightened tend to mutter away hubris after We are everything on earth—except The Gods!
hearing O’Thomas speak, but his results do attract some — Rudyard Kipling, The Secret of the Machines
interest. His unattended Machinae can produce effects that The Artisans fight a war. They comfort themselves with
are normally considered to require a trained and active mind. the knowledge that no one else is as well-equipped for the
None of the Order has ever proven that the obliging and struggle. Inevitably, they are the single group best acquainted
courteous O’Thomas is guilty of violations of their laws, so with the mundane military technology of the Dark Fantastic.
some continue to study with him. Thus, given the tragically endemic violence of the times (and
[Quintessential Ingeniae are easy enough to define of roleplaying games), it is worth reviewing the contents of
in system terms, but should not be accepted or trusted by mundane armories of the age.
most Daedaleans. They should serve as plot devices, not as
personal toys.] Melee Weapons
••••• Pluvius’ Javelinman Bring up the brown bills.
Arete 7, Quintessence 35, Cost 12 — William Shakespeare, King Lear
A relatively minor Quintessential Ingenia, Pluvius’ Renaissance warfare involves a goodly assortment of hand-
Javelinman is a hut-sized assemblage of crystal discs, set at to-hand weapons for warriors to choose from — not that one can
all angles and driving each other by friction. Around and or should generally wander around with battlefield equipment.
among these discs is a towering array of copper rods. On one The armies of the age mostly use cavalry lances and infantry
side is a set of wooden levers and cranks that operate the polearms — long shafts, deadly at the charge or in massed
mechanism. Once set in motion, the discs spin freely and formations, clumsy elsewhere. The halberd and its cousins are
even accelerate, drawing energy (Quintessence) from the also frowned upon by Sleeper watchmen and innkeepers as a
world around them. sign that the peace is threatened. The favored tool of the lone
After three turns, the Machina begins hissing and spark- hero is the secondary weapon of the soldier: the sword.
ing. The very air seems to grow oppressive and ominous. Any The swift, slender fencing-rapier is becoming popular,
magick worked within 30 yards of the Javelinman is performed but it remains a gentleman’s personal defense — something

92
 APPENDICES

that doesn’t weigh one down or get in the way too much. from a single piece of yew-wood. (An expert bowyer knows and
To a serious soldier, fencing blades are a joke, too feeble to works with the subtle structure of the wood.) The drawback
penetrate decent armor (although a good fencer can aim for is that it requires considerable trained strength to even draw
eye slits and junctions between armor plates). The battlefield such a weapon correctly. Real skill is also needed to unleash
sword of the day is a slightly more refined version of the old devastating arrow-storms with decent accuracy and effect. The
knightly broadsword; fairly heavy, two-edged, good for cut and old joke is: To train a longbowman, you must start with his
thrust. In the east, where light cavalry has long been important grandfather. Only the Welsh and English ever really decided
in armies, the preference is for the curved scimitar — much to trust their free peasants enough to train and muster longbow
like the saber of future days; a slashing weapon, good for use armies. These days, those peasants are tired of the incessant
from horseback. The Swiss, Germans and Scots — big men, practice involved and ignore strict laws banning such frivolous
proud of their personal heroism — may show up with huge and sinful alternatives as football and shove-ha’penny. In a
two-handed swords worn over the back without a scabbard, few decades, the skill becomes a hobby for crusty traditional-
and horrible in action if a trifle clumsy. The one-handed ists — one of whom, Roger Ascham, makes it a philosophical
“Swung Weapons” listed in Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade exercise of some subtlety.
are less common, mostly being carried by knights in armor (Incidentally, the great bows borne by the samurai of
who desire something to batter through the plate armor worn far Japan can be considered equal to the Welsh longbow for
by their counterparts. practical purposes. Samurai, too, must train for long hours
As for those halberds and pikes, they come in many varied to achieve acceptable bow-skills. Their bows are asymmetric
shapes and names, but the differences are largely a matter to facilitate use from horseback, but are used in displays of
of show and national tradition. The English among others individual mastery rather than to throw up arrow-storms.)
favor the “bill,” with a curved edge and a vicious projecting The compound bow is the most complex expression of
pointed hook. Others prefer the true halberd, with its ax-like the bowyer’s art. It’s designed to project arrows with force
blade. Most have a spear-like point, allowing them to stab approaching that of the longbow, while remaining shorter
as well as swing. Multiply spiked and mace-like heads look and handier in form. It is the traditional weapon of Asia’s
formidable, but don’t cut through armor as well as a blade horse-archers. The bow’s construction involves laminated
or single spike. horn and various woods, and is something of a secret. In ages
Spears can range from short strong boar-hunting imple- past, European kings imported Asian craftsmen to make and
ments to lances and pikes. Some such as the “partisan” have tend their personal hunting-weapons. Even today, this skill
broad bladed heads, close in weight to those of halberds. These could give an eastern Artisan an excuse for making his way
are common junior-officer’s weapons as they look imposing and to Europe and to find well-paid employment once there.
can be used to point the way without being too cumbersome. Crossbows had their antecedents in ancient Greece and
(Treat partisans as ordinary spears, used two-handed.) The pike early Byzantium, but were then forgotten in Europe, save in
is the mass combat weapon of the coming age, when the Swiss the West. (It may be that the Craftmasons chose to preserve
and Germans demonstrate the devastation that a determined crossbows to grant the peasantry a way of defeating the
mass of pikemen can wreak on almost any foe. Yet the pike is ever-heavier armor worn by noble knights.) An important
always far too long for a one-on-one brawl. element of crusader armies, crossbows have grown ever more
sophisticated and powerful; they may incorporate a compound
Muscle-Powered Missiles bow or even be made of fine steel. This makes them able to
That fellow handles his bow like a crow-keeper. Draw me punch bolts through the heaviest armor — but at the cost of
a clothier’s yard. ever-greater loading times. For this reason and their expense,
— William Shakespeare, King Lear crossbows never gain a convincing edge on the battlefield,
leaving the nobility secure in their disdain for missile-armed
A few shepherds still practice with the sling. A few
peasants (unless they are English longbowmen). Light, per-
eastern cavalry still carry darts or javelins. But in this age
haps one-handed crossbows are possible, but utterly lacking
the best non-gunpowder missile weapons use the power of
in hitting power. Even the finely crafted crossbows beloved
the bow. This ancient technology has spun off several useful
of many Craftmasons and some Artisans are useful mainly in
ideas, which remain of interest to Artisans.
only street-fights and for clandestine work.
The simple short bow is for poachers and peasant levies
In China, the crossbow has been the favored missile
who can be hoped to get a few shots off in battle before they
weapon for centuries. Chinese Artificers invented clever trigger
sensibly run away. Professional soldiers know that the short
mechanisms that gave their homeland a deadly advantage over
bow is far out-performed by other missiles to be much real use.
its barbarian neighbors. Chinese troops may even carry repeat-
The longbow is much more effective. Nearly as tall as a man,
ing crossbows, with from two to 10 bolts held in a gravity-feed
it grants yard-long arrows the force to punch through plate
“hopper,” and a winding mechanism that draws and releases
armor, and yet it is relatively simple as weapons go, being cut
the bow repeatedly. [In system terms, this weapon is difficulty 7,

93
damage 2, range 40, and concealment class L, with a minimum
Strength of 2. It can fire at least every turn, possibly faster with
Rifling
increased difficulty. The repeating crossbow’s main purpose is Rifling becomes known to European Sleepers around
to enable massed troops to put up a short, withering burst of A.D. 1475, so the Order of Reason knows about it through-
fire. Reloading the “magazine” takes two turns.] out the Dark Fantastic age. Some of the deadliest guns used
Longbows and crossbows are serious military weapons, by Enlightened warriors incorporate rifling. However, rifled
despite the spread of guns (which are clumsy, unreliable and guns are not used much by Sleepers — or even by brethren
dangerous to use). Yet they have limitations that make guns of the Conventions.
increasingly appealing: Bows demand all that training, lose Rifles can be more trouble than they’re worth. A muzzle-
effectiveness as the wielder grows weary and are vulnerable loading rifle is not only expensive, but the bullets must fit
to bad weather. (A damp bowstring stretches and slackens. snugly in the barrel (so that they engage with the rifling
A clever Artisan with an eye for detail might think about when fired). All that means weapon and bullets must be
finding some fiber that does not.) manufactured more precisely. The guns are also hard work
The sling should not be ignored entirely. Some Daedaleans to load. Rifle bullets may fly more straight, but the tight fit
find it a handy means of hurling flasks of exotic formulations as they are fired means that they do not necessarily fly so far
over long distances. It takes a little mastery, but it is cheap overall, or at least not with so much force.
and simple. Its cousin is the staff-sling — a sling on the end [For a quick system adaptation, say that any type of
of a shaft, swung to hurl projectiles with greater force if less personal firearms may theoretically be rifled. (Rifled artil-
accuracy. [Each is fired using Dexterity + its own special Skill. lery is a ways off yet.) Rifling reduces difficulty numbers by
Slings are difficulty 7, do damage equal to the user’s Strength, one when shooting (except at point-blank range), reduces
rate 1/2, are trivially concealable, have no minimum Strength damage by one, has no effect on range (greater accuracy be-
and a range of 40. Large unbalanced missiles such as alchemi- ing balanced by lower velocity) and increases the number of
cal flasks may reduce range and increase difficulty. Staff-slings turns to fire by two.]
are difficulty 9, damage Strength +1, Rate 1/2, concealment
class L, minimum Strength 2 and range 60.] Armor and Shields
There’s my gauntlet; I’ll prove it on a giant.
Personal Firearms — William Shakespeare, King Lear
If the longbow showed what could be done to destroy The advance of firearms one day renders armor superflu-
the aristocracy’s mastery of the battlefield, the gun makes the ous, but for now good plate can still be called “bullet proofed”
lesson easy to teach. With cannon evolving into handguns, with plausibility. Enough fights involve swords and spears
death is becoming democratic. that even chain mail or leather seem well worth the wearing.
There are three designs of firing mechanism (“lock”) However, good armor is expensive and the truly useful stuff
approaching widespread use in this era: the cannon-lock, is horribly heavy. Most rank-and-file footmen get by with
the matchlock and the wheel lock. However, no Artificer scraps of leather and old chain (“Crow’s Mail” in system
with any self-respect is seen with a cannon-lock, which is no terms), although wealthy employers may issue helmets and
mechanism at all — just a touch-hole and a hand-held match breastplates.
or hot wire. The wheel lock is a new invention (see page 17). Armor is not something to wear in polite company without
That leaves the matchlock as the casual standard. good cause, but kings and nobles supposedly at peace may
The matchlock consists of a burning slow-match and a small invest in finely made shirts that hide metal plates or links
“pan” that holds a little “priming powder” adjacent to a larger under silks and velvet — the age’s equivalent of a bullet-proof
charge behind a bullet. Pulling the trigger brings the match down vest. [This armor gives a couple of points of protection against
on the pan. A good design such as a Daedalean construction has attacks that are likely to hit the torso or arms; the penalty for
a built-in protective cover over the pan to keep rain off and to encumbrance is negligible, although this stuff is uncomfortable
prevent accidents. This cover is moved aside immediately before on a hot day or if worn for long periods.] Shrewd Artificers
firing. The system is crude and vulnerable, but functional. might recognize the creation of good secret protections as a
A really clever Enlightened Artificer might come up with potentially profitable project!
the flintlock — something unknown to Sleepers for another The large shield of the Middle Ages falls out of favor
century. This firearm uses a flint to strike sparks from a piece these days — it doesn’t stop a bullet unless covered in heavy
of steel. The weapon, along with its pre-prepared cartridges and expensive metal. The halberd and arquebus are also two-
and standardized-caliber ammunition, is far too convenient handed weapons, which makes carrying a shield impossible.
and deadly to be thought godly by most folk and is hopelessly However, the small round “target” or buckler is still used; it
vain in any use until the wheel lock is generally accepted. can be made light enough to not get in the way when not

94
APPENDICES

wanted. This small shield can even be used with fencing

weapons. In practical terms, only professional soldiers have
much excuse to carry the “War Shield.” Bucklers are com-
monplace enough.

Artillery and Wagons

Siege engines (as described in Crusade Lore) are well-
known across the civilized world. When gunpowder arrived,
it was first used in large cumbersome cannon and rockets.
All such weapons have mostly been used to bring down
enemy fortresses; they are too slow for armies on the march
or for fighting scrappy combats in the open field. The “siege
train” — a mass of straining oxen, sweating laborers and
thoughtful practical specialists — follows behind until the
enemy is driven back into cities and castles, when walls must
be hammered down. Archaic engines are often built on the
site where they are used, with only the essential mechanisms
being carted about the countryside. Even cannon have to be
cast on the spot or abandoned when retreat must be hasty.
Many a fallen town’s church bells are claimed for melting by
the captain of the artillery.
Light engines have been used in open battle. A number
of simple-seeming but useful embellishments make guns more
mobile; wheeled carriages are the most obvious. Cannon still
fire slowly and are not accurate enough to slaughter entire
enemy regiments — but they may frighten green troops or
horses, or “sting” a unit that has been ordered to hold posi-
tion during a rash charge.
Incendiaries (in the form of Greek Fire and such — see
Crusade Lore) are useful in sieges, but generally lack the
range to make them very useful in open battle (although pots
can be hurled from large siege engines).
War-Wagons: The nomadic peoples of the eastern steppes
have long used wagons to carry their families and belongings,
and have sometimes used such to form barriers when under
attack. In recent centuries, this idea has been taken up and
developed by some of their more settled neighbors in eastern
Europe. The tactical system has perhaps reached its height
among the armies of the nationalist religious reformers of
Bohemia — the Hussites.
This peasant movement faces a deadly threat from noble
Catholic armies that include well-trained knightly cavalry.
The Hussite response, perhaps inspired partly by Craftmason
emissaries, is to develop their wagon-trains into mobile for-
tresses from which crossbowmen and gunners can shoot the
aristocratic enemy with impunity. Craftmasons and their allies
regard this tactical system with great interest (despite the fact
that Gabrielites regard Hussite independence as dangerous).
Whenever the Order fields a true army, it may well draw on
Hussite ideas. Although the Hussites originally use ordinary
farm wagons, they soon build vehicles intended purely for war,
reinforced and armored to hold off enemy counterfire.

95
 (The campaigns and wars of the age are very much a part
Appendix Three: of the book’s general history and are often covered in social
and political context.)

Bibliographica Non-European Technology

he histories of technology and of craft The history of technology in China is covered in Joseph
training, science and art in the Renais- Needham’s monumental multi-volume Science and Civili-
sance are substantial topics. Rather than sation in China. Most readers will find more than enough
attempt to provide a comprehensive information for their needs in Colin Ronan’s abridgment;
bibliography, it is better to offer some Volume 4 deals with some useful topics.
suggestions. For early Indian technology, see Professor O.P. Jaggi’s
Little is as useful as a good encyclo- History of Science, Technology and Medicine in India,
pedia. The Britannica still leads the field another huge work.
for sheer depth of information, but plenty of other books and Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel: Technology and
CD-ROMs serve well enough. The art of this period is also very Invention in the Middle Ages, by Frances & Joseph Gies.
well-documented in specialist volumes, usually full of appealing This book provides an excellent foundation for understanding
illustrations. In addition to reading, a visit to a good museum how much eastern technology was integrated into European
— especially one that focuses on arts and crafts of the period life by the Middle Ages. It does leave off a bit short of the
or on military history — can be worthwhile, if possible. Renaissance period, but its information is presented in such
For a good general introduction to the history of tech- a way that it’s not hard to draw conclusions a few decades
nology and some idea of just how much had been achieved further out. The book is also a good resource for western
or suggested by any given date see Ancient Inventions, by technology and its development.
Peter James and Nick Thorpe. The Middle East: A History, Third Edition, by Sidney
Nettleton Fisher. There’s a reason textbook-style works are
Military Technology used in college courses: They are packed with information.
This one is quite perceptible, but the chapters on Middle
Late-medieval and Renaissance warfare is quite well-
Eastern history are all-inclusive — technology, academia,
documented, but descriptions of the arms and equipment used
culture; what more could there be? Though he leaves out
can be sketchy and spread throughout large volumes. The best
six-demon bags, Fisher spends most of the book on more
places to look may actually be books published for wargamers or
modern Arabic history, which is generally useful for players
model-makers, who share the roleplayer’s interest in the look
and Storytellers looking for future fates for their Sorcerers
of things and the Artificer’s love of telling detail. Such books
Crusade characters.
are also usefully pitched at the intelligent amateur.
The Wargames Research Group publishes Armies of the Other RPG Material
Middle Ages, by Ian Heath, in two volumes. It combines useful
line-drawings with extensive historical research. Renaissance Steam Age and The Lost Notebooks of Leonardo da
Armies 1480-1650, by George Gush, published by Patrick Vinci (R. Talsorian Games) are supplements for Castle
Stephens Limited, is similar but may be harder to find. Falkenstein, the “Victorian fantasy” RPG. The game is
full of weird and nicely depicted ideas for steam, clockwork
GURPS High Tech, by Michael Hurst, published by
and magick-powered technology. The Lost Notebooks
Steve Jackson Games, deals with technology — mostly fire-
are actually presented as a fictitious Renaissance tech-
arms — from the Renaissance through to the modern day.
nomagickal text and could be a good source of distinctly
This is a very useful guide to the tricky practicalities of the
strange Machinae.
things Artificers like, if you want to get realistic.

96