From nv91-asa@nada.kth.se Fri Jun 11 03:15:48 1996 Status: RO X-Status: A Received: from mail5.netcom.com (root@mail5.netcom.com [192.100.81.141]) by mail.nada.kth.se (8.6.10/8.6.10) with ESMTP id DAA10091 for ; Tue, 11 Jun 1996 03:15:45 +0200 Received: (from daemon@localhost) by mail5.netcom.com (8.6.13/Netcom) id OAA06847; Sun, 9 Jun 1996 14:00:35 -0700 Received: from copper.ucs.indiana.edu (adashiel@copper.ucs.indiana.edu [129.79.1.4]) by mail5 (8.6.13/Netcom) id OAA06807; Sun, 9 Jun 1996 14:00:29 -0700 Received: (from adashiel@localhost) by copper.ucs.indiana.edu (8.6.11/8.6.11) id QAA09794; Sun, 9 Jun 1996 16:00:57 -0500 Date: Sun, 9 Jun 1996 02:01:42 -0500 (EST) From: Abe Dashiell X-Sender: adashiel@copper.ucs.indiana.edu To: mage-l@oracle.wizards.com Subject: Mage...erm..."essay": The Homeless Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII ReSent-Date: Sun, 9 Jun 1996 16:00:50 -0500 (EST) ReSent-From: Abe Dashiell ReSent-To: wod-l@netcom.com ReSent-Message-ID: Sender: owner-wod-l@netcom.com Precedence: list Reply-To: wod-l@netcom.com This all started as a thought exercise. I don't have the urban nightmare book (can't even remember the name of it), so I hope this isn't redundant. -Abe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE HOMELESS By Abe Dashiell (adashiel@copper.ucs.indiana.edu) Discussion Presented by Gunther Kohl, Order of Hermes In my continuing study of minor Awakened groups, I have found myself in a most unlikely place: the gutter. I had never really considered "skid row" to be a breeding ground of the enlightened, but as it turns out, I was wrong. Though we live among all walks of the average man, it has only recently occurred to me that very few of us truly experience life at the very bottom of the scale. Why should we? We have our magick, our chantries...our paradigm. The only thing that could possibly drag us down is ourselves. As I have ventured into the urban wilderness I have found that those of our kind who are contented to live in cardboard boxes, burning trash to stay warm and feeding on refuse are there because they are incapable of existing anywhere else. They have the gifts, certainly, to rise above their station, yet they do not. I once would have said that they live the way they do because they enjoy it, but I have since learned that nothing could be further from the truth. In our struggles against the forces of stasis, madness and oblivion to liberate reality, we have consistently overlooked an important piece of the equation: the Orphans. We discount them, underestimate them and often revile them, but we cannot ignore that they exist and that their numbers are growing. I do not profess to understand them; how anyone can Awaken without a paradigm to guide him is beyond my comprehension, but they are a force to be reckoned with. Too often we sweep them aside, leaving them without guidance or even a common understanding of the nature of reality. It is no small wonder that many have become disenfranchised, not only by us, but by Sleeper society as well. Admittedly some Orphans, like the Hollow Ones, are capable of finding some common ground upon which to build a community, but many others do not. They are forced to live along side their fellow man, incapable of sharing their much larger worlds with anyone other than themselves. Some are content with this and survive, but it is becoming apparent that an alarming number cannot. Forgive me, but to better explain myself, I must take an aside and delve into the messy realm of Sleeper politics and sociology. We all know that for some time the world of the mundane, at least in this country, has been shaped by an exaltation of "rugged individualism." Their leaders, in response, have turned a blind eye to many who are in need. With the Syndicate's help, the wealthiest prosper, but for the nation's poor, life has gotten rather tough. Funding for social programs has dwindled to barely a trickle and for the working poor, destitution is an ever present threat. More significantly, those who would be institutionalized in the past have been "mainstreamed" into general society. Unfortunately, many of them, not being able to cope, have "dropped out." It turns out that not a few of these casualties of society are Awakened. Being Orphans, they have little understanding of what they are or even that they are different. In the past, those who were overwhelmed by Quiet were institutionalized. Others, believing themselves mad voluntarily sought insulations in the Asylums. Now, however, as their Sleeping fellows are turned out, so are they. Most of us avoid the streets. If we are feeling charitable, we may help those in need. Others of us will use an inner city chantry as a refuge. But how many of us truly live among them? I have found the underbelly of the city to be a bleak sea of grey bereft of hope. It is a thriving, unforgiving wilderness, and one that has become the home to many who have nowhere else to go. It is a place for our Acolytes to fight the battle for Ascension, but not ourselves personally! It is also, as I have been startled to learn, a place, though by no means a haven, for many Orphans. There they remain hidden, relatively free to define a reality that they can live with. These street mages are known by many names, especially among other Orphans. I have heard them called Garbage Wizards, Gutter Seers, Uberbums, and a host of other, less savory appellations, but the one I prefer to use is simply "The Homeless." It is a fitting title, for it describes them truly in every sense. It is not true that the Homeless live on the street because they want to. Many desperately want to return to their families and friends, but find that they can't really exist anywhere else. They are not able to live by the rules that everyone else, even we, accept without thought. On the other hand, their hold on the real world is too strong for them to fall away into the fantasy realms of the Marauders. Even the Nephandi have no place for the Homeless, as few have the faith or drive to be easily tempted by the Dark Ones' promises. They are individuals first, living perpetually on the edge of Quiet and thus in their own skewed vision of reality. Nearly all of the Homeless I spoke to regard the Traditions with a mixture of pity and envy. Sadly, they believe we have lost the war for reality and don't understand why we keep trying. One of them, who looked no different than every other bag lady on the street said to me, "If you are so dissatisfied with the way things are, then why haven't you joined with the Marauders or the Nephandi?" On the other hand, I also sensed they held a grudging respect for our convictions and wish they could meld into society as well as we do. They have little contact with the Technocracy, so at least on that point, they are fortunate. I have heard rumors, though, of Progenitors who have tried to use them as guinea pigs for their experiments. Likewise, the Nephandi rarely bother with them, perhaps because neither the Dark Ones nor the Homeless have much to offer one another. The Homeless all have a strong, if skewed, connection to this realm, or they would have joined the Marauders long ago. They are largely mystified by the Chaos Mages. What separates them from other Orphans is their inability to fit in, even among the various cliques and crafts. If you ask a Homeless what his affiliations are, he will usually classify himself as an independent Orphan. Other Orphans, however, are quick to tell you that they have nothing in common with the "Uberbums." The Homeless are not so much of a clique as they are a category. They tend to congregate around any nodes that exist, often sharing the Places of Power with other supernatural creatures. Though some will attempt to horde a Node or try to keep its location hidden, the meager resources and high demand make this difficult. This is not to say that they have forgotten ancient rivalries, but they have found that the need to survive often dictates they share their resources, no matter how much they would like to keep them all to themselves. As a result, the Homeless have managed to foster a loose network both among themselves and with Sleepers and other supernaturals. They know a surprising amount of lore, perhaps because of their forced contact with the Nosferatu, Bone Gnawers and Sluagh. They seem to have a knack for going unnoticed, probably because we do not wish to see them, even when they reek of the sewers and look worse. They tend to find out...things...and trade their knowledge for food, tass, shelter or other necessities. Even though they do know a great deal, they make a point not to get involved or take sides. Perhaps they are too aware of the consequences if they did. Most tend to use their powers to make their lives more bearable. They find it more difficult to deal with static reality than even we do and spend much of their time doing their best to avoid it. At the same time, they find the often capricious nature of the spirit world disconcerting. They seek security, but only on their terms and usually find it is not something that anyone else can give them. This is not to say that they are totally isolated, but their relationship with others are not of the kind that allow them to interact the rest of society very well. They disconcert Sleepers, even many of those who share their streets. Some retreat into themselves, often welcoming Quiet. Others reject Sleepers altogether and use their talents to make a place for themselves among the other supernatural beings. The Homeless have much in common with the Nosferatu; both are outcasts, though for different reasons. They will sometimes offer their magickal services in return for protection and a place within the Nosferatu's warrens. The close knit nature of the Nosferatu, however, sometimes leaves the Homeless feeling more alone than ever. The Nosferatu usually treat them with respect and even those aligned with the Sabbat have been known to accept them. However, these deeply practical and brutally sane kindred really don't have the same world view as the Homeless. The Nosferatu have no choice but to stay on the fringes and often take perverse pride in this fact. They often look upon the Homeless as loafers or hopeless nutcases; it is certainly the Nosferatu who coined the term "Uberbum." Their relationship with the Bone Gnawers is a bit more complex. They often find themselves competing with one another for access to nodes. When other garou are involved, this usually leads to conflict but if the caern is used only by Gnawers, the two groups often are willing to share, sometimes with Sluagh and even wraiths, if they can agree to how the node will be used. Bone Gnawers often regard Homeless as being part of their Protectorate, which pleases some, but annoys others. The mysterious Sluagh keep to themlselves more than even the Nosferatu. However, some Homeless, especially those with an Affinity for the Fae, will sometimes be able to ally with the Underfolk. In many ways, the Sluagh and the Homeless have a great deal in common. Despite their situation, the Homeless are not consumed by banality and have a somewhat faerie-like mindset. (Do not ask me to explain what I mean by that!) The warrens controlled by the Sluagh are often more attractive homes than those of the Nosferatu simply because of the Changeling's knack for not being noticed even when in plain sight. Nevertheless, many of the same problems the Homeless have with Nosferatu surface with the equally fraternal Sluagh. The Homeless even have a fair amount of truck with the Restless Dead. The inner city has more than its share of Nihils -- often deserted tenements that the Homeless make their homes in. The Homeless say they understand the Wraiths' loss and can even identify with their pain over their separation from their loved ones. The Homeless also have contacts with some of the less savory denizens of the city. They are aware of the reclusive clan of vampires known as the Giovanni and know what these Necromancers do when they aren't initiating corporate takeovers. Fortunately, they stay as far away as possible from the catacombs underneath their mansions and towers. More worrisome is their relationship with the Black Spiral Dancers. These mad garou frighten most Homeless and they avoid them whenever possible. They know to avoid the deepest levels of the undercity. Nevertheless, a few of the more insane Homeless have been seen cavorting with the Black Spirals in their pits. I suspect that is why many of them have such intimate knowledge of the Nephandi... The Homeless have also described a newcomer to the sewers and tunnels; they call them Freakfeet and describe them as an infestation that began only a few years ago. Like most of the street denizens, the Homeless see these wretched fomori as pests at best and dangerous territory grabbers at worse. The few times Nosferatu, Bone Gnawer, Sluagh, Giovanni and Homeless have come together were usually to exterminate these fast breeding monsters. However, some Homeless whisper about a Master of Life who has taken control of a pack of these beasties and has even been using her own body as an incubator for them. It is not a thought that I wish to dwell on. Concepts Despite sharing the same name, Awakened Homeless are often very different from their Sleeper counterparts. They usually do not end up on the streets simply because they are incapable of making enough money to pay the rent. Instead, they are there because they can find no place that will accept them or that they can accept. They come from all walks of life; they often have family and friends, but something about Awakening shattered their personalities. A Homeless might look like a bag lady, wino, street mime or other performer, a prostitute (she'll never have a pimp though), street urchin, an urban hermit (think Sebastian from Blade Runner), an addict, a madman or any of the other skid row stereotype you can think of. However, appearances are deceiving, even among Sleeper street people; for the Homeless, this is even more apparent. While Gunther Kohl may portray them as uniformly hopeless and disconnected, remember that he represents the point of view of an outsider. The Homeless are people with problems yes, but they are every bit as complex as anyone else. In fact, with their expanded view of reality, they are even more so. Magick Most Homeless are Orphans, though fallen Tradition mages and even the occasional technomancer can be counted among their ranks. Those who use them choose from a broad range of foci. There are many disciples of Life among them; Entropy and Mind are also popular. Character Creation Common backgrounds are Arcane, Familiar, Sanctum and Dream. Streetwise, Alertness, Stealth, Blatancy ("Ah, it's just a bum."), Scrounging, Area Knowledge and various Lores are common abilities. Merits include Common Sense, Supernatural Companion, Faerie Affinity, and Spirit Magnet. Flaws often possessed are Dark Secret, Compulsion, Addiction, Nightmares, Shy, Flashbacks, Confused, Spirit Magnet, Strangeness and Echoes.