Mastigos
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- Their theme is Triumph Over Adversity, their mood is Antagonism, and their Tarot card The Devil.
- Ruling Arcana: Mind and Space
- Inferior: Matter
The Mastigos
The Mastigos, or Warlocks as they are sometimes called, are those Awakened who gain their magical power from the realm of Pandemonium, the realm of demons, nightmares, and punishment. Mastigos have a reputation for being deceptive, manipulative, and evil, and in some cases, this reputation is fully deserved. However, many Warlocks take great pains to remain on the path of virtue and many more are as difficult to categorise as simply good or evil as anyone else. Many Mastigos believe that they function in a Darwinian role, exposing the weaknesses of their fellow mages, that these mages may then improve themselves. This sounds callous to outsiders, but during the quest for ascension, any weaknesses unknown to the mage may be exploited by their enemies, so it is best to expose and remove as many of one's weaknesses as possible.
A great number of Mastigos are characterised, at least in the early stages of their Awakening, by paranoia. Sudden awareness of the many minds surrounding them leads them to wonder what secrets those myriad minds are harbouring, and this in turn leads to the Mastigos spying on or manipulating the people around them, giving each Mastigos a useful set of espionage skills, but also bestowing a reputation as an amoral mind-rapist. The Warlocks are fiercely independent, acknowledging no master save themselves. They throw cultural mores out the window, following only their own personal code of behaviour. Sometimes, this leads to an excruciatingly strict code of conduct more at home with a monk than a Mastigos; at other times, this philosophy is taken by the Mastigos as an excuse to do whatever they want, ignoring the consequences for themselves or others.
The Warlocks are often perceived by the more xenophobic members of other Paths as corrupt, scheming, and extremely ruthless. But this reputation only takes into account the basest applications of their self-sufficient lifestyle. It is true that, for a person already leaning towards destruction and chaos, the path of the Mastigos grants many new tools with which to fully realise this vision of turmoil and ruin. But an Awakened on the Mastigos path with a predisposition towards caring and respect for their fellow man will be just as able to use their powers for good. In turn, the traditional view of the Warlocks perceives members of other Paths as preachy, critical, or simply crude. Each Path resonates with a particular flaw to them; the Acanthus are flighty, the Moros overly dramatic, the Obrimos hypocritical, and the Thyrsus savage.
The Mastigos specialise in the Arcana of Mind and Space, and suffer penalties when trying to learn the Arcanum of Matter.
The Mastigos Outlook
Below are presented common views, stereotypes, and prejudices held by the Mastigos. An individual Warlock may disagree with some or even all of these descriptions; as Paths are hardly united fronts, the individual outlooks of those who walk them vary greatly. As a whole, however, the following descriptions sum up what the perceived majority of Mastigos believe about the world, and what the world believes about them.
Orders
Adamantine Arrow
Mastigos in the service of the Adamantine Arrow are often spies or scouts; their powers to read minds and innate understanding of positioning make them staggeringly suited for these roles. Of course, the Mastigos are useful front-line soldiers, too. The sense of spatial awareness that a Warlock will usually have is invaluable in a firefight, and their ability to directly damage an opponent’s mind makes them useful against heavily armoured foes.
The Warlocks are acutely aware of the need to defend humanity from the demons that swarm in the depths of Pandemonium. It is the belief of those who take up the Adamant Way that training with the Adamantine Arrow provides the best preparation for this purpose. Other members of the order may not approve of their subtle approach to warfare, thinking it more appropriate for the Guardians of the Veil. But the Mastigos would argue that such tactics simply exemplify one of the precepts of the Hand: “Adaptability is Strength.”
Free Council
Those Mastigos who follow the tenets of the Free Council are true idealists, believing that one day all of humanity can know the same liberty that the Awakened possess. This stands to reason; while an individual is blind to much of the world, they will never be able to truly master themselves. Many Warlocks are drawn in by the idea of helping the Sleepers to Awaken or protecting them from the dangers of the World of Darkness.
However, not every Mastigos is so moral, and for the Warlock more conscious of his own well-being than that of others, the Free Council’s ideas of a free market offer innumerable opportunities for the buying and selling of arcane secrets, forbidden items, or simple extortion of gullible customers swayed by their mastery of Mind magic. Indeed, the ability to pry the secrets from a person’s head for no price at all gives many Free Council Mastigos an excellent source of wealth and power, as many mages would pay extremely handsomely to learn the arcane lore of their fellows.
Guardians of the Veil
The Guardians of the Veil are a natural fit for the Warlocks. The Visus Draconis fosters an environment in which their talents for secrecy and manipulation are not merely a useful set of tools but imperative to survival in the order. Mastigos are superbly duplicitous and guileful, and this allows them to do what the order does best - turn inquistive Sleepers away from the arcane world - without detection or even much in the way of supervision.
This subtlety and independence comes with a drawback. Order masters must watch their Warlock operatives very closely for signs of hubris and degeneration. With the ability to bend others to their will and a mandate from the order to go so far as killing with the goal of keeping the Mysteries safe, it's easy for a Mastigos to believe himself a superior being, without obligation to anyone, not even his order. And once a Warlock goes rogue, tracking them down to deal them their punishment is nigh on impossible.
Mysterium
Knowledge is power, says the Mysterium, but it comes with a price. At this, many Warlocks nod their heads sagely, for they learn better than any other Path that their powers cost them dearly, as they suffer the horrors of the Kingdom of Nightmares during their Awakenings. Many of the Mastigos who join the Mysterium pledge themselves to finding and meditating upon the secrets of the past, striving to locate lore for controlling or dismissing the demons that torment them and the rest of the world.
The Mastigos of the Mysterium often find that the ideal position for them is that of Censor. Warlocks are by nature organised, efficient, and independent, and consider themselves ideal judges of which items of knowledge are harmless and available to all orders and which are dangerous and best kept under lock and key in a Censorium. The Mastigos are generally also staunch-willed and resistant to most temptation, and so can best resist the lure of dangerous lore. But they can succumb to the temptation and study the profane lore they are trying to keep hidden, unleashing a plague of problems upon the local supernatural community.
Silver Ladder
Of all the orders, the Silver Ladder is perhaps the one that draws in the greatest numbers of Warlocks. It allows a community-minded Mastigos to look after the Sleepers whilst at the same time allowing him to exert his dominance over the unAwakened. The order provides opportunities for power over other mages, something the Warlocks gravitate towards, and have a natural aptitude for. Thus, as an order of hierarchy, control, and responsibility, the Silver Ladder holds greater appeal to the Mastigos than any other.
Of course, to hold a position of leadership within the Silver Ladder, one must first gain the trust of one’s subordinates, and this is where the Mastigos fall down. Mastigos are commonly stereotyped as untrustworthy and the Warlocks do little to help that image. A Mastigos théarch must prove himself to be worthy many times over to be granted any trust, which is still minimal because, inevitably, followers start questioning whether or not the Warlock is in thrall to demons or magically commanding their obedience. Irritating as it must be, this constant self-examination still fits in with the Warlock philosophy of helping others understand themselves, and is often tacitly encouraged by many Warlock leaders.
Other Paths
Acanthus
Though few Warlocks would ever admit it, the Mastigos are somewhat frightened of the Acanthus. It’s not so much their power over the forces of Time that intimidates the Mastigos; though the Warlocks understand the utility of the Enchanters’ ability to look into the future, they also realise that such abilities pose little threat. The common Mastigos belief about the nature of time is that it is ultimately subjective to the individual experiencing it, and that control over time means nothing when faced with the prospect of an eternity in the nightmare realm of Pandemonium.
No, the power of the Enchanters that really scares the Mastigos is their command over the powers of Fate. This nebulous Arcanum has the power to supernaturally enforce any oath a mage makes, thus effectively enslaving them to their promises and robbing them of the free will that the Mastigos exult so fanatically. And their power to break such magical obligations is just as concerning; could an Enchanter release a summoned demon from its bonds, unleashing it from any contract it has with its summoner? Though many Mastigos learn the powers of the Fate Arcanum, few gain true understanding of the forces at work behind the effects of Fate magic, much less the effect that such energies may have on the concepts of free will and responsibility.
Moros
The Necromancers of the Path of Doom have much in common with the Warlocks. The two Paths must both deal with entities outside of the natural order on a fairly regular basis, and in their dealings with these creatures they must at all times retain the upper hand. Moros and Mastigos are also known for their intense self-discipline and focus. The differences between the two become apparent when one examines this trait of self-control, however; the Necromancers focus on good living because death could befall them at any time, whereas the Mastigos focus on rigid self-control because they believe the only alternative is servitude. Though the difference is understated, it is all-important.
The Mastigos are often drawn to their Moros cousins seeking information about ghosts and revenants, as many are intensely curious about the nature of these beings. Why, they ask, do some mortals linger after death in the Fallen World? Is it perhaps the sign of a will so robust it can conquer death? Or is it the symptom of a mind so weak it cannot overcome its own emotions and pass on? Those Warlocks who enquire amongst Moros friends and cabal mates often learn to their chagrin that the answer is sometimes “Both.”
Obrimos
Organised religion holds sway over the minds of much of the masses. People all over the world are prepared to kill and die for their faith. Only the most foolish of Warlocks could fail to realise the potential in religion for control of hundreds or even thousands of people at any given time. But the Mastigos have a problem in their interactions with faith; their trafficking with demons gets them painted in a hostile or unholy role, especially by their main religious rivals, the Obrimos. The Theurgists have a heavy hold on religion, as they believe themselves to have been touched by the divine, and they don’t appreciate others muscling in on their turf.
Aether and Pandemonium alike contain beings of immense power, and a Warlock or Theurgist cannot deny that these beings can be served or be made to serve. The difference is in the details of their Awakenings. The Obrimos experience the benevolence of the Most High, basking in their radiant glow. They are happy to serve these beings, as they strike the Obrimos as good and virtuous. The Mastigos, on the other hand, go to the Kingdom of Nightmares and experience terror and torment at the hands of the Demons. The idea of submitting themselves to that sort of torture again seems repugnant to a Mastigos, and so they guard their independence jealously. An Obrimos may look at a Warlock and see arrogance and egotism, but that’s only because she didn’t experience the perils of the Supernal herself. It’s a common belief amongst the Mastigos that the Theurgists got off easy.
Thyrsus
The primary point of difference between the Mastigos and the Thyrsus is over the nature of demons and spirits. The spirits of the Primal Wild and the Shadow and the demons of Pandemonium have little in common, and yet the Shamans often make the mistake of referring to and dealing with demons as though they were some sort of regular vice spirit or pain spirit or another sort of negative conceptual spirit. This not only annoys the Warlocks no end, it makes a Thyrsus who stumbles across a demon likely to damage herself or others around her via this misconception; unlike spirits, demons can never be trusted, and any bargain made with them always has a high if sometimes hidden price.
Once a Shaman knows she’s not up against a regular spirit, however, she can be a superb exorcist of demons, if guided by a Warlock with some experience in the banishing of Pandemonaic creatures. Most philosophical differences between the Paths can be assuaged by the Mastigos spirit of practicality; love them or hate them, offending those mages best suited to healing oneself and one’s allies never pays.
Other Creatures
Sleepers
Among the Warlocks, the most common attitude towards Sleepers is that they are a resource to be exploited for personal gain, the good of the Awakened, or the collective needs of humanity. This is not to say the Mastigos are abusive towards regular humans; while the Mastigos are all too happy to use Sleepers as tools, most do not send their instruments into situations that would put their lives, souls, or sanity at risk. Of course, not every Mastigos is quite so considerate, and many will use those Sleepers they can control as pawns, bargaining chips with powerful entities, or suicide troops. Though this can be devastating to Wisdom, the Warlocks who do such things aren’t especially concerned with morality.
Of course, many Mastigos have a very different outlook on Sleepers. Their own Awakenings have made them uncomfortably aware of the dangers that lurk in the shadows of the World of Darkness, and they feel a great sense of responsibility towards the unAwakened, who are still blind, weak, and highly vulnerable to supernatural predation. Using their magic as sword and shield against the unholy denizens of the night, these Warlocks fight to protect the people of the Fallen World against demons and monsters.
Vampires
With their command over the Arcanum of Mind, and thus the ability to read auras or thoughts, perform mind wipes and brainwashing, or even simply blatantly dominate people, one would expect the Mastigos to be the unparalleled masters of manipulation. But some of the Kindred, especially those belonging to the Ventrue or the Daeva, have powers of manipulation or mental control that can, if not exactly equal, than at least challenge the Mastigos’ power over the minds of others. Add this to the fact that a given vampire can hone his skills in manipulation for centuries on end, and the Mastigos have a serious rival for control of the world’s mental landscape.
But the vampires have a major weakness, one that any Mastigos worth his salt can easily strike at; their egos. The Kindred hold themselves in ridiculously high esteem, and tend to have vanity that excels their powers by many degrees. A skilful Warlock can easily play a vampire, and better yet, can even dupe him into thinking he’s the one pulling the strings. So long as the vampires can be torn from their melodramatic power struggles for a few minutes, a Mastigos can easily recruit them to his cause. A few displays of strength, and a few promises of power, can get even the savviest Kindred stabbing his peers in the back for a chance to “ally” with a Warlock.
Werewolves
The Mastigos have a rather more different relationship with werewolves; more accurately, they don’t have a relationship with werewolves. The average Warlock thinks in terms of politics, perceiving others as allies, enemies, or pawns. The Uratha pose a challenge to this paradigm. They’re too savage to be reliable allies, too powerful to be safe enemies, and too blatant to be pawns in the Warlocks’ power games. Their outward appearance of brutality suggests they can’t carry out complex plans, and their loyalties to their packs makes it difficult for a Mastigos to manipulate a single werewolf effectively. Mastigos often believe it’s best to avoid them.
Of course, this isn’t always the case; if properly coerced or even simply enslaved by magic, a werewolf makes a powerful bludgeoning instrument for when the Mastigos’ plans demand it. And if the mage can gain the trust of an Uratha pack, he gains a set of powerful and loyal allies. Those Mastigos who seek the company of the werewolves will likely have difficulty gaining their friendship – Mastigos have a slippery nature to them, and Uratha tend to be rather straightforward – but those who do can from reliable and lasting alliances.
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