Don't think.
Just know.
The Sphinxes Legacy weaves together the use of Fate and Mind to, in essence, learn to understand the world. This understanding is beyond the simple notion of spoken communication - this is about the ability to understand signs, codes, concepts, and ideas as being interconnected.
About The Spinxes
What makes humanity special? Is it the capacity to Awaken? Such a view is arrogant in the extreme, say the Sphinxes, for to look at the Sleepers as inferior is to ignore one’s own humanity. No, to the mages who choose to follow this Legacy, the true magic of humanity is language. More to the point, it is the capacity for symbolic recognition, to see a gesture or a marking, hear a collection of sounds, and from that understand. Human beings are optimized, either by the design of a greater being or the rigors of evolution, toward speech and language, both anatomically and neurologically. But all of the biophysical adaptations of the human body toward speech mean nothing without the ability to understand symbols. Upon this phenomenon (some would say “miracle”), the Legacy of the Sphinx is based.
Walking the path of the Sphinx is an exercise in abstraction, for the Legacy teaches understanding without processing, learning truth without realizing fact. A Sphinx sees meaning everywhere — in the number of cracks in a sidewalk, in the seemingly random sounds from a baby’s babbling, in the texture of a brick wall. Intrinsic in this ability to find meaning anywhere is the knowledge that this meaning comes from somewhere. Sphinxes who cleave to the Atlantean model of mystical understanding posit that this meaning might come from ancient masters sending information forward in time, in a much more subtle way than with the ananke (see p. 330 of Mage: The Awakening).
Those who do not follow the orders of the Pentacle — and even some who do — believe that this truth comes directly from the Supernal Realms.
The name “Sphinx,” of course, comes from the mythological creature that Oedipus confronted near Thebes. He solved the riddle of the Sphinx, and she leaped to her death in horror that her secret was revealed. Whether the name “Sphinx” was one that members of this Legacy originally applied to themselves or not, they do not see themselves as jealous keepers of secrets. Indeed, they tend to view themselves as searchers trying to solve a riddle. That riddle is difficult to express, because it is so vast in scope, but the basic idea is this: If meaning can be found in anything, at any level of understanding or consciousness, then what is the ultimate meaning? Where does the truth come from, and to what purpose?
History
After the Fall of Atlantis and the subsequent scattering of mages across the world, language became a barrier rather than a tool for the Awakened. The greatest secrets of the Supernal Realms were fractured, shards of power and knowledge spread out among the mages of the world. Without the Island of the Magi’s society to compile the knowledge, the Awakened had to work alone or in small cabals, never knowing enough of the truth to recapture their past glories.
The Sphinx Legacy arose from the frustration of those mages. The Mastigos of the time knew that with the application of the Mind Arcanum they could comprehend any earthly language, but that wasn’t enough. Language wasn’t the true barrier, these mages discovered, because a language is merely a set of symbols. These primordial Sphinxes realized that inherent in the process of making symbols lay the solution to the confusion caused by the destruction of the Celestial Ladder — that they could look beyond graphemes and sounds and simply communicate with pure meaning.
Modern-day Sphinxes sometimes claim that the Legacy was an important part of the formation of the Mysterium, and that might well be
true. Whether or not this was the case, the Sphinx Legacy became, over time, the province of the Wings of the Dragon almost exclusively. While a lone Mastigos might occasionally discover and follow the Legacy, the order guarded its secrets jealously.
Something as basic to humanity as the quest for communication and language, however, wasn’t going to remain under lock and key forever.
The De Velasco Resurgence
The first reliably recorded instance of a mage outside the Mysterium joining the Legacy came in 1575 or so, in a book written by a Spanish nobleman (and Mastigos) named Juan de Velasco. De Velasco had observed his two young cousins, who were both born deaf, being tutored by a Benedictine monk named Pedro Ponce de Léon. Classical opinions on the deaf stated that they had very little education potential and that they could never learn to speak (if deafness occurred pre-lingually). Ponce de Léon, himself a Sleeper, challenged that opinion, and taught the de Velasco brothers not only to read and write, but to speak three different languages. He did not, however, record his methods, and so history would have to wait for widespread methods of educating the deaf, but Juan de Velasco watched his cousins’ lessons with interest. He was less interested in teaching deaf people than in the conveyance of meaning in non-verbal ways.
He wrote several treatises on the topic for his Consilium, the most famous of which was titled “The Art and Science of the Recognition of Meaning.” In that document, he detailed how he was able to send coded messages through paintings and divine the immediate future by listening to hymns at Mass (as later mages have pointed out, de Velasco probably wasn’t reading the future per se; rather, he was reading probability). De Velasco’s writings have been translated into many different languages over the years, although modern Sphinxes have found that reading them in their original Latin yields layers of meaning far beyond the simple message of the words. The Mysterium currently holds most of these documents, but de Velasco was a prolific writer and painter, and historians the world over might unknowingly hold either one of his esoteric writings or hauntingly beautiful paintings. Either type of work might actually be a road map to a rote, an Atlantean temple or some other worthy goal.
De Velasco left no record behind of a pupil, but it is widely accepted that de Velasco passed his learning along to another Mastigos. Whether this pupil was a member of the Mysterium or not is a debated issue; the order claims that he was, while members of all of the other orders also claim him (and often have records that seem to support their claims). The Mysterium has history on its side, of course, but after de Velasco the Legacy became available to any mage of the order who wished to become a Pathfinder. Since then, the Mysterium has tried to project the image that they created the Legacy in the first place. Even so, the Legacy remains the province of the Warlocks just as much as that of the Alae Draconis.
Other than de Velasco, history has not produced famous Sphinxes. The Pathfinders tend to be inscrutable and unobtrusive, even by Awakened standards, and, of course, any mage who achieved mastery of the Legacy’s Attainments would be exceptionally difficult to find in any record (see the Off the Path Attainment, below). The Mysterium, true to form, tries to keep records of the members of the order who have gone on
to become Pathfinders, but the Sphinxes themselves often alter such records, leaving behind only obtuse riddles that, properly interpreted, might lead to the mage in question.
Attainments
1st - Hidden Meaning
The Sphinx’s first Attainment allows her to find and decipher wisdom in the mundane. Anything that has a pattern can be used for this purpose, be it cracks in the ceiling or the calls of a flock of birds. The mage merely needs to study the pattern for a few seconds to gain the information contained therein.
The effect is similar to the Fate 1 “Interconnections” spell(see p. 148 of Mage: The Awakening), except that the Attainment requires only an instant action and bestows information as though the mage had achieved five successes on the roll. Sphinxes, therefore, are awash in nformation if they stop to consider it, able to see connections, however faint, between any objects, people or places in sight. In addition to see these sympathetic connections, a Sphinx can use this Attainment to solve puzzles and riddles, since she can see the patterns behind their creation. Sphinx characters with this Attainment receive a +3 modifier to all Mental rolls involving riddles, puzzles, mazes or other such conundrums.
A more common use of this Attainment, however, is its ability to hide meaning within seemingly random patterns. A Sphinx can use Hidden Meaning to write (or draw or record) a message in a code that no Sleeper cipher can crack. The mage must physically create the message, either by writing a seemingly innocuous letter, drawing a picture or any other method she prefers. The player rolls Manipulation + Investigation or Academics to encrypt the message. When another mage with this Attainment tries to decipher the code, her player must make an extended Intelligence + Investigation roll to do so, with a number of required successes equal to [5 x the successes on the encryption roll]. Again, each roll requires an hour of deciphering.
The encoding mage may choose to forego her roll, meaning that any Sphinx can decode the message automatically. A mage with Fate 2 can also attempt to uncover the meaning in the message. First she must be aware that the underlying meaning exists, which is by itself difficult (she might be tipped off by an ally, a hunch or even the Dream Merit). She then casts an improvised and extended Fate 2 spell, with a number of required successes equal to [5 x encoder’s successes, minimum of five].
Optional Arcanum Effect
A Sphinx who has studied the Arcanum of Mind can use her knowledge of the patterns and intrinsic meaning to aid her in interactions with others. By studying a person’s movements, the subtle messages conveyed by facial expression, body language and breathing and even how others react to him, the Sphinx gains an advantage in dealing with him. This effect is similar to the Mind 2 “First Impressions” spell (see p. 208 of Mage: The Awakening). The Sphinx may add her dots in Mind as a dice bonus to the first roll made with a given target. Many Pathfinders discover that the first Attainment of the Legacy is all that they require. Indeed, much of the Legacy’s reputation is based upon the knowledge and insight conveyed in Hidden Meaning — the ability to solve puzzles and escape labyrinths, to see meaning in the mundane.
Sphinxes who continue on use this Attainment as a basis upon which later, more powerful magic rests. Those who pursue other agendas, however, use Hidden Meaning to send messages to double agents in other factions (or even orders), to share research with colleagues around the world, right under the noses of their enemies, and to help Sleepers and even other mages solve puzzles that no methods the Fallen World has produced can fathom. Sphinxes who make frequent use of this Attainment to encrypt messages often develop a preferred format for those messages. One Sphinx might design websites dedicated to some inane fandom, while another writes poetry reproduced only in small-circulation periodicals. As long as the message reaches its intended viewer, the Sphinx doesn’t often care how the vehicle for the message is regarded.
Sometimes, though, a Sphinx creates a vehicle for a message that has resonance and value in its own right. When this happens, the message might gain fame and widespread circulation, inadvertently passing the message along to any mage who knows how to look for it. Some such messages are even rumored to trigger Awakenings, as Sleepers on the verge of enlightenment see the Supernal Realms lurking in an otherwise mundane painting or song.
2nd - Truth Without Knowledge
Knowing the truth of the world by interpreting its many hidden messages is only the first step toward the superlative understanding that the Sphinx hopes one day to reach. Along that way, however, she learns to take advantage of the clues that surround her as to the fundamental nature of reality. To the untrained eye, she looks lucky or simply confident, but to a mage, every action she takes is fraught with significance.
The second Attainment that a Sphinx can achieve allows her to mimic the effects of the Fate 2 “Exceptional Luck” spell (see p. 151 of Mage: The Awakening). No roll or Mana expenditure is required. The mage simply takes an instant action to study the patterns of meaning around her, in the same way as described for the Hidden Meaning Attainment. The player may then designate a number of rolls equal to the character’s Gnosis rating during the same scene to have the 9 again quality.
Pathfinders also find that the more they rely on this Attainment, the more resonant their actions become. Mage Sight cast through the Fate Arcanum can easily detect them. Mages attempting to use Fate spells such as “Interconnections” or “The Sybil’s Sight” receive a +1 dice bonus during any scene in which Sphinx has used this Attainment to gain the 9 again quality. This bonus can cancel penalties levied by the Occultation Merit and spells such as Fate 3 “Fabricate Fortune.”
Optional Arcanum Effect
By listening to patterns of sound in speech (or watching patterns of letters in written discourse), the mage can understand anything she hears or reads. This mimics the Mind 3 “Universal Language” spell, save that the mage can only understand rather than express with this Attainment. Also, she can perform research and learning-related extended Mental tasks in half the time they would normally take (that is, if every roll in an extended task would normally take an hour, this time is reduced to 30 minutes).
The second Attainment of the Sphinx Legacy opens the mage further to the truth of the world and the hidden messages it contains, but still does not address the question of who or what might be sending these messages. Pathfinders at this stage make superb interpreters, translators and researchers (which is one reason the Mysterium teaches this Legacy). More martial Sphinxes enjoy the tactical benefits of this Attainment, but are careful when using it in conflict with other Awakened, as the Sphinxes are wary of coming to the notice of powerful mages by weaving themselves too tightly into the universe’s inner workings. Indeed, the Sphinxes tell stories of members of the Legacy who have become unable to see the world as anything other than an abstract mess of implication and possibility — unable to perceive light or sound anymore, they function solely through the information this Attainment grants.
3rd - Off the Path
The mage learns to “walk between” the paths of meaning in the world, disappearing from the cycles of destiny. As far as the world and its many layers of hidden messages are concerned, the Sphinx no longer exists (for as long as this Attainment is active). The Sphinx spends a moment in silent meditation, perceiving the threads of fate and stepping between them (this requires three turns of contemplation). After this, the mage’s destiny can remain “invisible” in this manner for as long as she wishes, but during this time she cannot use the Truth Without Knowledge Attainment to gain the 9 again quality, or cast any spell altering another person’s destiny (this include spells dealing with oaths, such as “Alter Oath,” as well as spells such as “Occlude Destiny” or “Destroy Bindings”). While the Attainment is active, however, she is immune to all spells that would perceive, alter, improve or denigrate her fate (including the spells just mentioned). All sympathetic magic targeted against her is considered to be four steps further removed. (So, to even attempt targeting her with a sympathetic spell, the caster would need an Intimate connection, which would then suffer a –10 penalty as though it were Described.) Also, the Sphinx is extremely difficult to scrutinize magically. She is considered to have the Occultation Merit at a rating equal to her dots in the Fate Arcanum. This Attainment does not make the character physically invisible, but does make her easy to ignore. She receives a +3 on all Stealth rolls while the Attainment is active.
Optional Arcanum Effect
Reading a person’s intentions isn’t difficult; a Sphinx can decipher a target’s basic mood and reactions enough to play off them with the first Attainment of the Legacy. At this advanced stage, however, a tic of the eye or a shift of the hand betrays everything about the target — his hopes, his fears and even his memories.
This effect is much like the Mind 4 “Read the Depths” spell (see p. 215 of Mage: The Awakening). The mage must spend at least one turn studying the target before using this Attainment. After that, the player rolls Intelligence + Academics – the subject’s Composure. Unlike Read the Depths, mages with the Mind Arcanum do not get a chance to detect the Attainment’s effect, since it is based entirely on external observation rather than telepathic intrusion. Modifiers for distant memories might apply, but memories or experiences that significantly contributed to the target’s development (such as child abuse or the death of an important figure) might actually grant bonuses, even if the target has repressed them.
The third Attainment of the Legacy allows the Sphinx to exert some influence over the world’s meanings. Very few Sphinxes progress to this point, because most of them focus more on discovering what being or phenomenon is responsible for the meaning of the world. Those who do are among the most powerful and inscrutable beings in the World of Darkness, fully in tune with the world’s patterns and able to step outside of those patterns at any time.
Current Sphinxes
