Editing The Gift:Characters (section)

===House Thoth Standing===

House Thoth Standing is devoted to gaining magical understanding through breaking down the barriers between worlds.  This is an inherently dangerous practice and the house is regarded with some wariness due to occasional loss of control of things from beyond.  However, they are also respected for their insight and the Council has long relied on them to help defend it against arcane dangers.  The political influence of Thoth Standing in the Council is second only to Burning Stone.  The order officially requires members to be either Christians, Jews, Muslims or pagans in the Roman or Egyptian traditions.  However, while formal statements of faith are required, many mages treat them as highly metaphorical claims, perfectly compatible with other religions or even atheism.  There is significant tension within the house between mages who wish to see religious requirements loosened and traditionalists who do not wish to upset political power structures.

An apprentice of Thoth Standing receives a rigorous education in scholastic skills intended to aid them in understanding magic and uncovering magical secrets.  An apprentice’s magic training focuses on a general understanding of magic.  The apprentice must successfully summon a being from another plane of existence before they may be considered a mage.

Cost:  31 points

Advantages:  Language (Latin, Accented).

Skills:  Folklore (Modern USA), History (Ancient European), History (Medieval European), History (Modern European), Mathematics, Occultism, Research, Ritual Magic (Western Hermetic), Symbol Drawing (Western Hermetic),  Thaumatology, Theology (Christianity), Theology (Pagan Roman).

Spells:

Air:  Purify Air.

Animal:  Beast-Soothing.

Communication and Empathy:  Sense Emotion, Sense Foes.

Gate:  Planar Summons (Any One).

Illusion and Creation:  Simple Illusion.

Knowledge:  Detect Magic.

Meta:  Counterspell.

Mind Control:  Fear.

Movement:  Apportation.

Necromancy:  Death Vision, Sense Spirit, Summon Spirit, Turn Spirit.

Protection and Warning:  Sense Danger.


House Stances

Magic:  Magic is a union with the supernatural to obtain understanding, enlightenment and power.  Magic is the connection between this world and the worlds beyond.

Themselves:  Thoth Standing exists so that the members may help one another, and our allies, towards understanding and enlightenment.

The Council:  Cooperation breeds power.

The Old Houses:  They have proved themselves to be our must trustworthy allies.

The Young Houses:  The more friends we have the better.

The Circle:  Mad and dangerous.  However, as long as the Peace holds, they won’t organize themselves, and as long as they remain disorganized, they can’t do too much harm.  Their account of human history is bizarre, though.

The Cooperative:  They are too in love with this plane to see beyond it into the universe.