| While in the Mysterium Book, this does not list a Parent Order and thus doesn't have one.
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You can only understand the nature of magic by testing its limits.
Magic is at its heart a mystery. No one knows, or perhaps has ever known exactly how or why it works — why the 10 Arcana are arranged as they are, what creates the various limits on magic or why some few human awaken and most remain forever cut off from the Supernal World. The vast majority of mages consider these questions best suited for philosophers. Instead, most mages with an interest in theory focus their efforts on practical goals, such as creating new rotes, finding more efficient methods of harvesting Mana or easier ways to create imbued items.
However, just as Sleepers with an interest in science occasionally turn their intellects to abstract pursuits such as theoretical physics, some mages seek to inves- tigate the nature of magic itself. The most devoted of these students of magic often choose to pursue this Legacy. The Eyes of Ain Soph are mages who dedicate themselves to learning to understand magic in its most complex and powerful manifestations. The Legacy is after the eternal and formless light that represents pure, raw divinity as yet unmanifested in the Kabalistic Tree of Life, a realm of perfect enlightenment and mystical understanding, the members of this Legacy seek to understand the totality of magic. As a result, their Attainments are a mixture of abilities that aid their observations and those that allow the mages to remain safe while performing these observations. Mages who pursue this Legacy are often obsessed with understanding the secrets and intricacies of magic.
One of the central tenants of this Legacy is that the knowledge of magic is inherent in the structure of magic and so the best way to understand how and why the various Arcana work as they do is to experiment with them. A very few Seekers, as the members of this Legacy are frequently called, confine their efforts to working out lengthy theories about the nature of magic. However, the vast majority believe that theory cannot be separated from practice in any useful fashion and spend much of their time examining and experimenting with various unusual types of magic’s and various unusual phenomena. Most members of this Legacy are tireless in their pursuit of new styles of magic. They regularly seek out the oldest or most obscure rotes they can find in the hope that some features in these magical formulas will reveal some deeper truth about magic. These mages tirelessly study newly discovered rotes and any notes about magical theory written by those who created these rotes. However, these same Seekers also actively experiment with any new rotes they find, seeking unusual quirks or advantages in their use.
In their efforts to further understand the nature of magic, many Seekers also attempt to learn as much as they can about the various other unusual phenomena found in the World of Darkness. Some study the limited mortal phenomena of thaumaturgy or psychic powers. Some Seekers attempt to learn all they can about the various other supernatural beings who also inhabit the World of Darkness, and many seek to learn all they can about Twilight, the Shadow Realm and the spirits that inhabit it. Because of these studies, many Seekers amass large collections of esoteric books and occult relics, ranging from decades-old books on psychic powers, vials of vampire blood and strange relics physically retrieved from the Shadow Realm or the Underworld. Although most other mages care little for these exotic collections, various supernatural beings and occasionally mortal thaumaturges or even powerful spirits can take an interest in the items in these collections, and so many Seekers protect their more exotic items with potent wardings.
Although many Seekers are quite methodical in their investigations, some of their research is inherently dangerous, and most are perfectly willing to take significant risks when investigating unknown phenomena such as newly discovered artifacts, magically protected ancient ruins or unique spirits. Although some Seeker Attainments are designed to help protect Seekers from the negative consequences of these investigations, some degree of risk often remains, which has given the Seekers a general reputation as mages who often meddle in matters best left alone. A few outsiders consider Seekers to be dangerous, but most believe that Seekers simply have an over-developed death wish, and many mages who lack the protections granted by this Legacy remove themselves from the vicinity of any major Seeker investigation.
Although this reputation is often far from deserved, it is also true that many Seekers are sufficiently determined in their efforts to learn the secrets of magic that they regularly engage in magical experiments that entail some degree of risk. However, few members of this Legacy are daredevils, and almost none are particularly careless. The vast majority are obsessive researchers who make certain that they can repeat any successes and avoid having any particular failure or serious problem occur more than once.
Attainments
- Seeker's Eye
- Seeker's Aegis
- Seeker's Mastery
