The Gift:Conflict

Conflict

The Peace

The Peace may sound safe, but it has more in common with the Wild West or Renaissance Italy than suburban mortal America. There is law and government, but Mages scheme and plot and sometimes kill each other as they have always done and the arm of the law isn’t always long enough to reach them. The mages around you are potential allies but also potential competitors or enemies and they see you the same way.

Mages of the Peace fight over all the same things that mortals do. They fight over religion, and politics, and who stole whose girlfriend away. In addition, mages often fight over “treasure” and “turf”. “Treasure” generally refers to moveable assets and “turf” to immovable assets. “Treasure” might refer to magical artifacts, to books that contain secret knowledge, or to unique specimens ripe for study. “Turf” in the strictest sense means the Resonance locations that the mage has control of. These mana fountains are the oil wells of mage society and more and are hotly contested. In a broader sense, “turf” refers to the places or social groups that the mage can make use of as they wish without being stopped by other mages. The following are a sampling of frequently contested turfs.

Aid Organizations

Aid organizations, such as Amnesty International and UNESCO, are often used as recruiting grounds by the more idealistic magical traditions. Particularly active are House Rat Sniffing, the Sacred Chalice and the Order of St. John of Manhattan, searching respectively for the academically inclined, the mystically inclined and the courageous. The Church of St. Christopher on the Mountain is also liable to approach talented individuals if they are Christian or can be converted to Christianity. Conflict over apprentices is rarely violent but can be surprisingly bitter as competing worldviews clash. Aid organizations have occasionally been used as an apprentice hunting ground by mages of the Temple of the White Garland, either looking for an enlightened soul or seeking to break someone’s idealism in order to awaken them. Also, mages are often directly interested in these groups and which causes receive most support. Fervent ecologists and/or animal rights activists, like many Circle mages, sometimes clash with mages who want to spend more funds helping human beings.

Archaeological Sites

Archaeological Sites are often treasure-houses of secret knowledge and mages compete for them with great fervor. Sites in North America particularly attract mages of Houses Rat Sniffing and Snake Drinking of the Council, mages of any tradition of the Circle, and mages of Circle Road, Exeter and the Sladensville Church. Archaeological sites have a wide variety of Resonances reflecting the exact nature of who left the artifacts and what happened to them. Enchantment, Gate, Knowledge and Necromancy Resonances are particularly common. Archaeological sites are also likely to interest the Old Houses of the Council if they involved a city-building culture.

Artists

Playing patron to a talented mortal artist is a status symbol for many houses of the Council, including all of the Old Houses as well as House Crane Flying and House Snake Drinking. Artists are often sought as apprentices by House Crane Flying, the Golden Path, the Unchained and the Temple of the White Garland.

Churches

The churchgoing community is often used as a place to recruit apprentices by Christian traditions. There is particular competition between House Burning Stone, House Osiris Risin, and the Church of St. Christopher on the Mountain. The Paulites are also known to associate with the more Apocalyptic congregations while some Golden Path mages delight in corrupting the innocent. It is also common for mages to clash over what church doctrine should be. Mages of the Council are particularly likely to take a hand it attempting to sway doctrine one way or another. Positions taken tend to depend less on official house doctrines than on the personal religious or political convictions of the mage. Lastly, churches often have a range of powerful Resonances. Common Resonances include Communication and Empathy, Enchantment, Gate, Healing, Illusion and Creation, Knowledge, Light and Dark, Meta-Spells, Mind Control, Necromantic, Protection and Warning, Weather.

Corporations

Even mages who reject materialism usually accept that money can be a very handy thing to have, and many mages take an active hand in the corporate world, overtly or covertly. House Osiris Risin has a special mandate to ensure that the corporations do not expose mage society or otherwise act against its best interests. Other particularly active traditions are House Isis Watching and Exeter. House Isis Watching’s stronghold is the pharmaceuticals industry, while Exeter power is founded on manufacturing.

Ecological Groups

The Circle often uses ecological groups as a recruiting ground, looking for those who feel a responsibility towards nature. Of circle traditions, only the Line of Mary Wood refrains from doing so. Competition is usually civilized, but is often intense. Mages of the Circle also frequently want to influence the politics of ecological groups, with Crescent Moon mages being famously militant and Sacred Chalice mages being famously pacifistic.

Ghettoes

Ghettoes often produce tough, driven individuals who are looking for a new life. Many mages actively hunt the poorest and most desperate communities, looking for apprentice material. Traditions known to compete for ghetto turf include the Crescent Moon and line of Mary Wood of the Circle, and the independent traditions the Church of St. Christopher on the Mountain, the Circle Road, Desvio, the Golden Path, the Order of St. John of Manhattan, the Paulites, the Sladensville Church and the Temple of the White Garland.

Graveyards

Graveyards often have powerful Resonances, especially for Enchant, Knowledge and Necromancy. They are particularly often sought after by mages of Houses Thoth Standing and Cat Hunting of the Council, the Line of Mary Wood of the Circle, and the Sladensville Church.

Hermetic Orders

Mundane Hermetic orders are a natural recruitment pool for Hermetic mages. The Old Houses are by far the most active recruiters here however. The Young Houses usually prefer to turn someone academically gifted into a Hermetic rather than to try turn a Hermetic into a scholar.

Hospitals

Hospitals often have Resonances for Body Control, Healing, and Necromancy. Burns units may have a Resonance for Fire. Hospitals are particularly attractive turf for mages of House Isis Watching, the Circle traditions Sacred Chalice and the Line of Mary Wood, the Church of St. Christopher on the Mountain and the Vale Institute.

Insane Asylums

Insane Asylums have a wide variety of Resonances, but particularly common are Communication and Empathy, Enchantment, Gate, Illusion and Creation, Meta-Spells, Mind Control and Necromancy. Asylums are passionately sought after by not only by mages of the Vale Institute, but also of House Crane Flying of the Council, the Unchained, the Silver Mirror School and the Temple of the White Garland.

Libraries

The practice of finding promising apprentices by haunting libraries was widespread once but is rather dated now. Mostly, only mages from the Old Houses of the Council compete for recruiting rights within particular libraries anymore. More importantly, libraries often have Resonances with Gate, Knowledge and Meta-Spells. Libraries devoted to a specific topic may develop an associated Resonance.

The Media

Almost all magical societies have a view of the world they would like to spread, so almost all of them contain mages who exert control over the media. House Osiris Risin has a special mandate to prevent the media from exposing, or otherwise harming, mage society as a whole, but tries not to take control of media content in general. Other groups have been less restrained, particularly House Isis Watching and Exeter. Particularly since the invention of television, the Silver Mirror School, the Unchained and the Vale Institute have all been drawn to explore the connection between media illusion and reality. These three traditions are particularly influential in youth media.

The Military

Many mage traditions seek tough, disciplined apprentices from the military. Known active recruiters include the Crescent Moon, the Church of St. Christopher on the Mountain, Desvio, the Order of St. John of Manhattan and the Paulites. Ironically, competition for military apprentices has a history of leading to violence. Some Desvio mages have openly attacked competitors as a practical demonstration to the prospective apprentice as to which prospective mentor has the greater abilities.

Murder Sites

Murder Sites often have powerful resonances of Necromancy, particularly if violence was involved. The Line of Mary Wood is particularly famous for hunting such Necromantic Resonance. Depending on the nature of the murder, the site might have other Resonances as well. Death by drowning might produce a Resonance with Water, death by burning with Fire, and long-term abuse with Mind Control. Battlefields often have very powerful Resonances for Necromancy and are hotly contested.

The Internet

The internet is a chaos of warring ideas and ideologies and the site of constant, and usually pointless, angry bickering between mage traditions of all kinds. It is also a place where mages of different traditions from all over the world come together to share ideas and collect information. Many mages make initial contact with prospective apprentices over the internet. The most efficient users of the internet as a propaganda and recruiting tool are House Atom Turning, Crescent Moon, Sacred Chalice, all traditions of the Cooperative, Circle Road, the Golden Path and the Paulites.

Pagan Groups

Mundane Pagan groups of all kinds are a natural recruiting ground for almost all mage traditions. Particularly active are the Children of Sol, the Sladensville Church, and all Circle traditions except for the Line of Mary Wood. The Crescent Moon has caused some conflict by encouraging mortal Pagan groups to take on a more politically militant character.

Parties

Some traditions do much of their hunting for apprentices at parties and social events and may not welcome competition from other mages for the same social group. They may be looking for lost souls in need of direction, experimental risk-takers, or even just really fun people to celebrate being a mage with. Formal social gatherings are often the turf of mages of the Old Houses of the Council, or of Exeter. More relaxed events are often contested by mages of Crescent Moon, Sacred Chalice, the Unchained and the Golden Path.

Police

House Osiris Risin has a special mandate to keep an eye on moral police, making sure that they do not expose or otherwise act against the interests of mage society. Influence with the police is always useful and is often sought after, particularly by “establishment” groups like the Old Houses of the Council and Exeter. The Vale Institute has also taken a great interest in the police, exploring the connection between the criminal justice system and madness. The police are sometimes used as a pool in which tough and streetwise apprentices are hunted. House Osiris Risin recruits from the police, valuing their experience in law enforcement. The Church of St. Christopher on the Mountain and the Order of St. John of Manhattan also often recruit from the police, believing that police officers are particularly likely to be idealistic. The Unchained have been known to recruit from the police, just for the pleasure of corrupting a police officer.

Political Parties

Mages in the North America have been killing each other over mortal politics for as long as history records. Modern mages of the Peace, on the other hand, generally avoid overt control of mortal government, not out of respect for the mortals, but for fear of triggering mage war. Having been raised in the same environment as mortal Americans, most mages view democracy favorably and have some genuine attachment to the United States. Allowing the mortals to rule themselves isn’t ideal, but it is generally thought to be better than any of the available alternatives. House Osiris Risen has a special mandate to keep an eye on politicians to ensure that they do not expose mage society or otherwise act against its best interests. They keep very light reigns, however, only too aware of how politically delicate their own position as watchdog is. In general, mages tend to be more attracted to political idealism about rights and freedoms than to political idealism about duty and responsibility. A Council mage might jealously guard their privacy, a Circle mage their freedom of religion, a Paulite their right to own weapons, and a Human Society mage their right to do whatever they like with their own body. Still, there are mages that are passionate about every political position that mortals become passionate about. Like mortals, these mages are not always above bending the rules for an important political end.

Prisons

Prisons often have Fire, Light and Darkness, Mind Control and Necromantic Resonances, but unless they are abandoned, they are difficult territory to access. All the same, some groups actively recruit from prison populations, seeking to offer people a new chance in life or just to harness rage. The Church of St. Christopher on the Mountain, the Circle Road, the Order of St. John of Manhattan and the Paulites are all known to recruit in prisons.

Schools

Mages fight for turf bitterly in schools as they have done throughout history. Control over education is control, to some degree, on what humanity thinks and most mages, like most mortals, think that they know something humanity ought to learn. Schools can also be excellent places to hunt for new apprentices for almost any tradition. Even if they do not wish to make apprentices of schoolchildren, they may still want to keep track of promising youngsters. Schools often have Fire and Mind Control Resonances. The character of any conflict over schools in an area will be the product of the particular mages that happen to be living in that area.

Universities

It is an unwritten rule of the Peace that universities are neutral territory, turf to nobody. They are considered to be prime apprentice hunting grounds by many traditions. Every House in the Council and every tradition in the Cooperative is active on university campuses across New Spain, keeping an eye out for brilliant minds with magical talent. Also particularly active are Circle Road, Exeter, the Golden Path, the Silver Mirror School, and the Vale Institute. The Old Houses of the Council are often most competitive in Business and History departments, House Atom Turning in science departments, House Crane Flying in Art and Media departments, Houses Cat Hunting, Rat Sniffing and Snake Drinking in the humanities. Circle, Cooperative and Independent groups often prefer to meet students or faculty in informal settings rather than by department.

Areas on University campuses often have Communication and Empathy, Enchantment, Knowledge, Mind Control or Technological Resonances.

Wilderness

Wilderness areas often have powerful Resonances, and are often contested for by mages and other supernatural creatures. Particularly common are Animal, Earth, Enchantment, Healing, Illusion and Creation, Knowledge, Light and Dark, and Plant. Depending on the history of the area, it might have any other kind of Resonance as well. All mages of the Circle are liable to be particularly interested in having access to wilderness territory, as are the Paulites and the Sladensville Church.

The Outlaws

Not all traditions in New Spain are included in the Peace. Some were simply too independent, suspicious or unforgiving to join, or were too cursed, insane or dangerous to be allowed to join. These traditions tend to geographically isolate themselves, clinging together for mutual protection, so different parts of New Spain contain very different Outlaws. These mages either hide from mage society or dig in hard in their enclaves. Magical training is always arduous and Outlaw traditions should contain at least 20 points worth of skills and spells.

The Monsters

This world holds mysteries and horrors that lurk hidden in the shadows and ours is not the only world there is. The nightmares of all belief systems infest New Spain along with stranger things besides. Most supernatural creatures from horror or dark fantasy sources should be appropriate, at least as inspiration. G.M.s looking for hard stats can plunder GURPS Blood Types, GURPS Creatures of the Night, GURPS Faerie, GURPS Spirits, and GURPS Voodoo.