When a Sleeper encounters magic or the supernatural, he cannot usually cope with what he sees. Supernatural disturbances trouble Sleepers who witness them — until the embrace of Disbelief erases all evidence of the occurrence from their minds.
Mages debate endlessly about why this is so. Ancient records have no references to any such effect before the fall of Atlantis and the division of the worlds. It seems that human souls, cut off from the Supernal World and exiled to the Fallen World, cannot cope with the truth of magic. Something violently tries to keep their eyes shut.
When a Sleeper witnesses a vulgar act of magic, it always triggers Disbelief. The Sleeper’s reaction depends on his Willpower. In many cases, the effects alter or amend the Sleeper’s memory of the event, but humans have been known to react in unpredictable ways. If multiple humans witness the same vulgar act of magic, each interprets it differently according to his Willpower and the resources his unconscious mind uses to explain the event.
Covert magic does not trigger Disbelief unless it strains credulity (see Improbable Magic). Also, the powers of supernatural creatures do not trigger Disbelief. Vampires, werewolves, spirits, ghosts and other strange beings can use their powers freely before the eyes of Sleepers. Mages theorize that Disbelief is a Sleeper’s soul denying the truth of the Supernal World, as displayed by vulgar Awakened magic. The powers of other creatures, mages believe, originate in the Fallen World and do not stir the soul’s memory of its fallen tragedy. In a sense, Disbelief is a near Awakening, but one that denies Awakening itself.
Sleepers can also Unravel spells.
| Willpower
| Memory
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| 1 to 4
| The Sleeper completely forgets that he ever saw anything unusual.
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| 5 to 7
| He forgets what he sees but has a feeling of unease. He might remember events later as if they were something he dreamed. Or he misinterprets what he sees; he might mistake a spell for a technological phenomenon or anything to explain it away in “normal” terms.
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| 8 to 10
| He remembers everything.
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