Fate Core: Magi pt. 6

http://www.randyscottslavin.com/

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house

                                                                ~Nursery Rhyme

In this post I will be taking a closer look at some of the core concepts of Magi. How the world is arranged, and all that.

Cycles and Nodes
Because there are very few constants in reality, the Magi do not measure things by time or location. Time is fluid, it exists or it doesn't, the Magi remember things by Cycles. A cycle is when the world changes significantly, like the eight dimensional construct cycle, or the cycle of the inverted stair. When a majority of the nodes are converted to a certain worldview, then that becomes the new cycle.

Locations are also transitory, much like time. the only stability in the universe are the nodes. Nodes can be many things. The most obvious being Nodes that are actual locations. There are other kinds though. Nodes can be part of the collective unconscious(if such a thing exists in this cycle). They can be separated from the world entirely, remnants of old cycles, beginnings of new cycles, or something far stranger still. The important part of a node is that it is a necessary fixed point in the universe.

Shadows
Most things in the world are transitory. They are represented by aspects, and not much else. people(well, the non-Magi ones) are little different. To the magi, these are known as shadows. they are there, but lack the substance of a Magus. They are made up of three aspects and a single skill.
the aspects are Physical aspect(represents how they look), Mental aspect(represents how they think/what they believe), and a Skill aspect. The skill they have can have any rating, though most have the skill at only average. Shadows can become Magi, though it is uncertain how this happens. Most Magi started out life as a Shadow of some sort.

The Other
There are things in the universe that should not be. The believe nothing, think nothing, and have no voice. Yet they have power, they change the world. They have been called many things over the cycles of change: Leviathan, Titan, Fomoire, or Giants. To most in this cycle, they are simply known as The Other. Existing in reality, yet not of reality. No one knows what they want, or why they do what they do. They are completely alien, no matter what version of reality.


Persons of interest
Mother: Some say that she is Hera, Frigga, Tiamat, or Pavarti. Some say that she is older still than that. They say she was the first goddess. Carved in stone and worshiped in languages that were barely that. She is Mother, and she is angry. When she appears upon the world it is as a ravager. Her army of Never Beens and Forgotten sweep from node to node until they are driven back. Then she retreats to her caves. There is no light in her caves just the sound of dripping water, gnashing teeth, and plotting. She will reign over the universe again, for she is the mother of us all.

Belief: I am the mother of all
Style: Dreams and songs
Love: The children of man
Failing: Rage of the forgotten

Seth: The last survivor of the Great Pesedjet of Heliopolis. He seeks to rule the universe as the lord of chaos. He is all creation all the time. Seth fabricates stories and appearances better than anyone. He can blend into any paradigm, and has been known to even get along with The Other from time to time. His mind is alien to most, though his motivations are simple.

Belief: Chaos is the natural state
Style: Shape shifting master of darkness
Love: My brother, my betrayer
Failing: I will rule the universe