The Adamant Fractal
This Civilization represents my best effort to add an organization of warrior-mages to the SsA setting. In SsA terms, they work as a rather decentralized Civilization, although in certain regards they may be better regarded as more akin to an 'Order', as in the Jedi/Sith Order. They are obviously quite different from the Jedi, although they may show a few vague affinities with a less destructive version of the Sith. However, the main inspiration is a more anarchic version of Mage the Awakening's Adamant Arrow, with a few important differences to account for the very different setting.
History
This Civilization originated as a major offshoot of the Nova Commonwealth but split off when their adoption of eternal conflict as an ideal and vision of reality set them at odds with the ‘Do No Harm’ values of the NC. Since then the Adamant Fractal has evolved as a decentralized order of warrior-mages, mercenaries, freelancers, fixers, and adventurers. Their notion of war as the true nature of the universe naturally led the Fractal Sages to pick fighting as their most typical and recognizable calling.
However, they soon came to realize universal conflict meant a true warrior had to master many, perhaps all, fields and they learnt to temper their passion for fighting with a vision of adaptability as the source of true power. Therefore, members of the order typically strive to excel in many – ideally all – different fields and may be expert professionals in several jobs. As a rule, they tend to be competent at fighting and crisis management by magical and mundane means in addition to everything else they do for a calling. They pursue excellence in whatever task they engage in with the same dedication and zeal they show on the battlefield. Many Fractal Sages over time become enthusiastic Polymaths and/or achieve Satori expertise in some field.
Their vision of existence as war and adaptability as a source of strength led them to embrace an internalized, self-reliant approach to magic and a concept of the self and reality as a microcosm and macrocosm system in a dynamic balance of eternal conflict. Because of their polymath ideal and their Nova Commonwealth heritage, they do not regard any school of magic or any field of mundane expertise as entirely devoid of interest or value for potential insights. However, they often see Traditions that internalize use of magic and make little or no use of tools or external patrons as the most valuable, and focus on their preferential use and development. Most followers of the Adamant Way study several Traditions and they often strive to develop their Natures to the fullest by some combination of their magical practices.
Fractal Sages also learnt to balance the destructive impulses inherent in their warrior calling with a drive to be true to their commitments, and make the world a better place according to their own ideals. Their notion of honor and service focuses on responsibility, sincerity, being true to their word, and caring for the outcome of their actions. They typically scorn chivalric notions of warfare as foolish and regard deception and exploiting advantages in a conflict as admirable. Their ideals call for individual freedom, self-reliance, and self-empowerment tempered by responsibility, trustworthiness, and allowance for potential to flourish. Therefore, they protect children and temporarily incapacitated people, show ‘esprit de corps’ solidarity to their fellows, and display ‘noblesse oblige’ care for deserving strangers. They usually strive to fulfil their commitments with their usual zeal according to the spirit of the pledge, although they are often reluctant to make hasty, unwise, overly complex, or excessively restrictive oaths.
On the other hand, they typically show little concern for any law or authority besides their own and the pledges and contracts they make, and they have a very limited notion of inherent, natural rights. They believe any rights you claim should ultimately be proportional to your ability to defend them and fulfil your own potential. Others can and should test any right you claim if you seem to expand it too much or waste resources you own. The order frowns on wanton destruction and egregious attempts to grab power from others, but also believes people too lazy, coward, or stupid to stand up for themselves or fulfil their potential deserve nothing but scorn and ruin. The Adamant Fractal hails immortality and Aum’s Gift as a wonderful opportunity for personal self-realization and evolution of sapient beings. They celebrate magic as the highest expression of a sapient’s potential, but also expect it should never be used to compensate for mundane incompetence.
Members of the order typically live as isolated individuals or in small groups that are no bigger than a few hundred and work as adhocracies. They have shown a surprising aptitude to organize themselves temporarily in bigger groups to deal with external threats. When they feel the need to band together this way or to make some authoritative declaration for the civilization as a whole, they use representative democracy. Many Fractal Sages switch their genders and change their bodily and personality features on a semi-regular basis to gain a more complete perspective of existence. Others stick to a preferred gender, form, and mindset. They give no importance to racial or gender differences: any sapient individual that can follow the Adamant Way is valuable and deserves to be judged on their own merits.
Much like their spiritual ancestors in the Nova Commonwealth, the Adamant Fractal has minimal laws and uses social pressure to deal with individuals that make themselves too much trouble or embarrassment for their fellows. In the worst cases, this may well mean a sizable posse of experienced warrior-archmages. People are ‘encouraged’ to go into exile if they publicly show beliefs or behaviors at odds with the ideals of the order, such as wanton destruction, pacifism, recidivist oathbreaking, a taste for atrocities, or sympathy for Returner cults. If they refuse to leave or look like a threat for the order or the world at large, they are hunted down like rabid dogs. Traitors likewise face the penalty of death.
Core Values
The Adamant Fractal’s basic Core Values are The World is War and Adaptability is Strength. Members of this Civilization gain a third Core Value as their Benefit, which may vary between Magic is the Self and Mastery is Honorable Service. Typically, the individuals more focused on self-development embrace the former, and people more concerned with their responsibilities to their companions and the world adopt the latter.
Traditions
The Adamant Fractal sports an array of Traditions, but they typically include some combination of Belief, Blood Magic, Discipline (both kinds), Language, or Wild Magic as Paths with Arete, Earthpower, Elementalism, Glory, or Necromancy as Founts. No Path and Fount combination is entirely unheard of in the order’s quest for universal expertise, but members often see other options as too limited, restrictive, or excessively reliant on tools or external support. Almost all Fractal Sages have multiple Traditions and pursue mastery in all Natures by some combination of them. Many study at least 2-4 Traditions, and seek to maximize every Nature in most or even all of them.
A few examples of the most popular Traditions in the Adamant Fractal include: The Way of Identity (Path of Discipline (Mind) to the Fount of Arete), The Way of Struggle (Path of Blood Magic to the Fount of Earthpower), The Way of Energy (Path of Discipline (Body) to the Fount of Elementalism), The Way of Memory (Path of Language to the Fount of Necromancy), The Way of the Wild Heart (Path of Wild Magic to the Fount of Elementalism), and The Way of the Endless Road (Path of Belief to the Fount of Arete).
The Fractal Sages usually welcome access to Polymath through some Tradition of theirs; although they often train so much they would have an equivalent level of expertise by mundane means. Expertise in Soldier and Samaritan is practically a membership requirement in the order. A few followers of the Adamant Way eventually find the calling that suits them best and focus on developing Satori-level competence in the relevant abilities. Others keep switching from field to field and gradually deepening their generalist expertise. Either approach enjoys equal respect in the order.
Benefit
Three Core Values (see above).
