High Speech

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High Speech
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Your character knows the rudiments of the Atlantean High Speech. He can utilize it in spellcasting for a burst of power as well as to extend a spell’s duration using runes.

If your mage begins play as a member of an order, he learns this merit at no cost. If he is not a member of an order, he must purchase this merit using his initial merit dots or with experience points (assuming there is someone who can teach it to him).

High Speech can be spoken and comprehended only by the Awakened. Sleepers’ minds cannot process it. They might hear an Atlantean Phrase as a series of nonsense words or even silence. Particularly willful Sleepers might catch bits of it, but even then it might sound like a tape-played too slow with the bass turned way up.


Contents

Language

Speech The orders routinely include High Speech in their members’ training. Student mages learn that by chanting selected phrases in this ancient language, the mages increase the chance of their spells’ success, and more easily add to the spells’ power. One theory among mages is that High Speech is the native language of the Oracles and Exarchs. Either these Ascended beings deliberately shaped the Fallen World so phrases in their tongue would have power, or speaking their language creates a sympathetic link between a mage and the Supernal Realm.

Students quickly learn that High Speech is a distinctly incomplete language. High Speech seems to consist entirely of formulas for casting spells. A mage can learn enough of these formulas to mix and match phrases, and so devise new incantations to go with improvised spells. A mage could not hold an actual conversation in High Speech, however. A mage could command the veils of Time to part and show her the future, but she could not say, “Meet me tomorrow for lunch.”

Mages also know that Sleepers cannot learn to understand High Speech. Over the millennia, willworkers have tried to teach Sleepers the tongue of magic, in hopes they would Awaken. It hasn’t worked. For further information, see Secrets of the Ruined Temple, pps.123-128.

This is information about the mechanic. Given time, Seekers may discover enough High Speech to treat it as a real language, instead of a jargon for spellcasting. In this case, the character must buy a separate Language Merit, “Atlantean.”

Chanting[1]

Every spell can be spoken or “spelled out” with an Atlantean word or phrase. The Atlantean tongue is no longer known with enough fluency to be used for common speech, but enough words and phrases remain to empower magic.

This is a benefit of the mechanic. Chanting adds a +2 dice bonus to the spellcasting dice pool in the following turn, during which he punctuates his casting with more chanting. (The dice bonus applies to only spells cast immediately after chanting.)

This is a drawback of the mechanic. Covert Spells accompanied by a strange chant and witnessed by a Sleeper might be perceived as improbable, raising the risk of a Paradox.

This is a drawback of the mechanic. The mage must speak in at least a loud whisper, with enough volume that others nearby might hear him with a successful Wits + Composure roll. Loud noises might levy dice penalties to this listening roll, while absolute silence might offer a bonus for others to hear the throaty whispers.

This is information about the mechanic. Instant Casting: The mage must spend a Turn chanting prior to casting.

This is information about the mechanic. Extended Casting: The mage must spend 30 minutes chanting prior to casting.

Atlantean Runes[2]

The alphabet of Atlantis, like the words of that language, reverberates with power. Atlantean runes can be inscribed onto the target of a transitory or prolonged spell to automatically extend the spell’s Duration by +1. The mage does not have to extend the Duration himself by assigning dice penalties or extra successes; the rune does all the work.

This is information about the mechanic. The spellcaster must personally inscribe the rune himself by drawing, painting or carving it no more than a day before spellcasting.

This is information about the mechanic. Mages cannot use pre-made runes, printing them out in bulk and slapping them onto targets as needed. Each rune must be handmade in the moment.

This is information about the mechanic. Runes do not affect spells with Durations of lasting or concentration.

This is information about the mechanic. Mages who know High Speech can recognize runes.

This is a drawback of the mechanic. A spell becomes inert if the rune (or one of the directional runes marking an area or radius) is removed or erased, even if the spell’s Duration is still active. The caster can redraw the rune upon the target (or replace a removed area marker) to reactivate the spell; no casting roll is required. Any time that has passed still counts against the spell’s Duration, even though the spell’s effect wasn’t active.


Inscribing

If the spell is area-affecting, the periphery of each cardinal direction must be marked with a rune.

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