Onyx Path lexicon


 * World of Darkness
 * Chronicles of Darkness
 * Mage: The Awakening
 * Second Edition
 * Aether, the
 * A Supernal Realm where the Ruling Arcana are Forces and Prime. Mages who walk the Obrimos Path claim a connection to this Realm.
 * Abyss, the
 * The rift of Lies that leaks into the world with each Paradox.
 * Acanthus
 * A mage whose Path leads to Arcadia. Also known as Witches or Enchanters.
 * Acamoth
 * An Abyssal entity formed in the Astral Realms.
 * Adamantine Arrow
 * One of the Diamond Orders of the Pentacle. Mystical soldiers and warriors.
 * adept
 * A mage who has attained the fourth degree (4 dots) of knowledge in an Arcanum.
 * apostate
 * A mage who has rejected membership in any Order or who was once part of an Order but no longer is.
 * apprentice
 * A mage who has attained the second degree (2 dots) of knowledge in an Arcanum.
 * Arcadia
 * A Supernal Realm where the Ruling Arcana are Fate and Time. Mages who walk the Acanthus Path claim a connection to this Realm.
 * Arcanum (pl. Arcana)
 * The ten elemental principles through which mages understand the Tapestry. A mage’s Arcanum lore is the mechanism by which she draws down the laws of a Supernal Realm. Her Gnosis provides her connection to that Realm.
 * archmaster
 * A mage who has attained the alleged sixth degree (6 dots) or higher of knowledge in an Arcanum.
 * Ars Mysteriorum
 * Magic. The “Art of the Mysteries.”
 * Assembly
 * A democratic political body of Pentacle mages in areas controlled by the Free Council. In areas governed by a Consilium, it more commonly refers to the local Caucus of the Free Council.
 * Astral Realms
 * The internal landscape of souls. Consists of four layers: the personal dream plane, the individual soul (an Oneiros), the collective human soul (the Temenos), and the world soul (Dreamtime). Inhabited by mental entities called Goetia.
 * Attainment
 * A power gained through mastery of an Arcanum (simply an Attainment) or through crafting one’s Gnosis by way of a Legacy (a Legacy Attainment).
 * cabal
 * A group of mages, sometimes formed around a symbolic theme.
 * Caucus
 * A regional organization consisting of all mages of a particular Order who operate within its jurisdiction.
 * Consilium (pl. Consilia)
 * A body of Pentacle mages who help maintain the peace between the Awakened in a local region.
 * Convocation
 * A gathering of mages from several different Consilia to discuss larger concerns and establish Order policies.
 * Death
 * The Arcanum that governs darkness, decay, ectoplasm, enervation, ghosts, ghostly phenomena in Twilight, the Underworld, souls, cold, and shadows.
 * Demesne
 * A weak Supernal Verge created by one or more soul stones.
 * Diamond Orders
 * Four Orders of the Pentacle who model themselves after mages’ roles in the Time Before — Adamantine Arrow, Guardians of the Veil, Mysterium, and Silver Ladder.
 * disciple
 * A mage who has attained the third degree (3 dots) of knowledge in an Arcanum.
 * Dissonance
 * The power of a Sleeping soul to unravel a spell and cause the Sleeper to forget or rationalize away what he witnessed.
 * ephemera
 * Spiritual substance of which spirits, ghosts, and Goetia are made.
 * Exarchs
 * The Supernal beings who enforce the Lie. Served by the Seers of the Throne.
 * Fallen World, the
 * The manifest worlds of the Tapestry, including the material world, Underworld, Astral Realms, and Shadow Realm.
 * Fate
 * The Arcanum that governs blessings, curses, destiny, fortune, oaths, probability, luck, and intent.
 * Forces
 * The Arcanum that governs electricity, gravity, movement, light, radiation, sound, weather, and heat.
 * Free Council
 * An Order of the Pentacle made up of many Nameless Orders that joined forces against the Seers of the Throne and are now allies of the Diamond Orders.
 * Gnosis
 * A mage’s understanding of the Supernal World and the means by which he draws down the laws of the Supernal Realm.
 * Gross Arcana
 * The five Arcana that govern the tangible, manifest facets of the Fallen World; Forces, Life, Matter, Space, and Time.
 * Guardians of the Veil
 * One of the Diamond Orders of the Pentacle. Spies and secret police.
 * Gulmoth
 * An abyssal entity formed in the material world, Underworld, or Shadow.
 * Hallow
 * A place where Mana forms and collects.
 * High Speech
 * The symbolic language of the Supernal Realms that all mages learn to speak during their Awakenings. Statements made in it can alter reality itself.
 * hubris
 * The excessive pride that causes mages to sin against Wisdom as they suppose that the fundamental laws of the universe are theirs to command.
 * Imago
 * The image of a spell in the mind’s eye of its caster.
 * improvised spell
 * a spell Imago designed and cast in response to a need, the majority of spells, as opposed to a Praxis or Rote.
 * initiate
 * A mage who attains the first degree (1 dot) of knowledge in an Arcanum.
 * Iron Pyramid
 * The hierarchal social structure of the Fallen World as the Seers of the Throne understand it, with Sleepers at the bottom and the Exarchs at the top.
 * Legacy
 * A group of mages practicing a magical style so much members shape their Gnosis and develop Legacy Attainments.
 * Lex Magica
 * The body of magical law used by Consilia to establish limits on the behavior of the Wise and to punish infractions.
 * Lie, the
 * The force that tries to hide the truth of the Supernal Realm from Sleepers. A manifestation of the Exarchs’ power in the Fallen World.
 * Life
 * The Arcanum that governs disease, poison, evolution, healing, metamorphosis, vigor, health, and growth.
 * Mana
 * Magical energy mages use to draw down the perfection of the Supernal Realms into the Fallen World. The “liquid” form of tass.
 * master
 * A mage who has attained the fifth degree (5 dots) of knowledge in an Arcanum.
 * Mastigos
 * A mage whose Path leads to Pandemonium. Also known as Warlocks or Psychonauts.
 * material world
 * The physical or concrete portion of the Fallen World, separated from the Shadow Realm by the Gauntlet.
 * Matter
 * The Arcanum that governs base alchemy, air, chemicals, earth, water, shaping, transmutation, tools, machines, and enhanced items.
 * Mind
 * The Arcanum that governs communication, willpower, training, pain, hallucination, mental projection, mental phenomena in Twilight, thoughts, possession, emotion, telepathy, dreams, and Goetia.
 * Moros
 * A mage whose Path leads to Stygia. Also known as Alchemists or Necromancers.
 * Mysteries, the
 * Manifestations of the supernatural in the Fallen World, which mages study in order to improve their understanding of the Supernal Realms (their Gnosis) and increase their mastery of Arcana.
 * Mysterium
 * One of the Diamond Orders of the Pentacle. Scholars and explorers.
 * Nameless
 * A mage who has not joined an Order, either because they have not yet chosen one or because she hails from an area with few or no mages of an existing Order.
 * Nameless Order
 * A small or regional Order as opposed to one of the six global Orders.
 * Obrimos
 * A mage whose Path leads to the Aether. Also known as Theurgists and Thaumaturges.
 * Order
 * A formal organization of mages that seeks to cultivate the Ars Mysteriorum among its members and disseminate its goals to other mages.
 * Pandemonium
 * A Supernal Realm where the Ruling Arcana are Mind and Space. Mages who walk the Mastigos Path claim a connection to this Realm.
 * Paradox
 * An intrusion of Abyssal energies into the Fallen World caused by a mage’s hubris.
 * Path
 * A mage’s personal connection to a Supernal Realm by which he can work magic.
 * Pentacle, the
 * The loose alliance of the Diamond Orders and the Free Council.
 * Practice
 * One of thirteen general categories of spells universal to all Arcana. A mage’s acknowledged title (initiate, apprentice, disciple, adept, or master) depends on which Practices she has proven capable of in that Arcanum.
 * Praxis
 * a spell that a mage has cast so often it is becoming second nature to her, as opposed to improvised spells and rotes.
 * Primal Wild
 * A Supernal Realm where the Ruling Arcana are Life and Spirit. Mages who walk the Thyrsus Path claim a connection to this Realm.
 * Prime
 * The Arcanum that governs Hallows, Supernal Truth, Mana, the Nimbus, tass, imbued items, Grimoires, the divine, Imagos, and dispelling.
 * Pylon
 * The equivalent of a cabal among the Seers of the Throne. Each usually consists of mages from a single Ministry. A Pylon has an internal chain of command in accordance with the Iron Pyramid.
 * Quiescence
 * The Sleeping curse that prevents most souls from Awakening to the truth of the Supernal World and causes the Sleeper to forget or rationalize away what he witnessed.
 * Rote
 * a spell Imago designed by a master and taught to other mages, as opposed to an improvised spell or Praxis.
 * sanctum
 * The place where a mage or cabal performs magical studies and practices the Ars Mysteriorum.
 * Seers of the Throne, the
 * An Order of mages, opposed to the Pentacle, who serve the Exarchs and work to sustain the Lie. Commonly referred to as “the Seers.”
 * Shadow Name
 * The magical identity and symbolic idealized self a mage uses when performing magic or meeting other mages.
 * Shadow Realm
 * The spiritual or ephemeral portion of the Fallen World, separated from the material world by the Gauntlet. Inhabited by spirits.
 * Silver Ladder
 * One of the Diamond Orders of the Pentacle. Leaders and priests among the Awakened.
 * Sleeper
 * A human who is not Awake, which includes the majority of people. As victims of the Lie, Sleepers suffer Quiescence, generate Dissonance, and worsen Paradox risks.
 * Sleepwalker
 * A human who, although not Awakened, possesses enough awareness of the Supernal World to escape many of the effects of the Lie. They do not suffer from Quiescence, generate Dissonance, or worsen the risk of Paradox.
 * Solitary
 * A mage who is not a member of a cabal, whether because she has not joined one, because she left their former cabal, or because all the other members of her cabal died or left the cabal.
 * soul stone
 * An object suffused with a piece of a mage’s soul, voluntarily created at the cost of the mage’s own magical potential. The necessary foundation of a Demesne.
 * Space
 * The Arcanum that governs conjuration, distance, barriers, scrying, sympathy, wards, teleportation, and mazes.
 * Spirit
 * The Arcanum that governs exorcism, spirits, the Shadow, spiritual phenomena in Twilight, the Gauntlet, and Essence.
 * Subtle Arcana
 * The five Arcana that govern intangible, unseen facets of the Fallen World — Death, Fate, Mind, Prime, and Spirit.
 * Supernal Realm
 * One of five realms whose symbols manifest in the Supernal World — the Aether, Arcadia, Pandemonium, the Primal Wild, and Stygia. Each mage calls upon the Supernal Realm associated with her Path to use magic.
 * Supernal World, the
 * The world of magic as the Awakened see it. The world beneath the Lie where concrete and abstract mix.
 * Stygia
 * A Supernal Realm where the Ruling Arcana are Death and Matter. Mages who walk the Moros Path claim a connection to this Realm.
 * Tapestry, the
 * A metaphor for the whole of Creation.
 * tass
 * Magical substance that commonly forms at Hallows. The “solid” form of Mana.
 * Thyrsus
 * A mage whose Path leads to the Primal Wild. Also known as Shamans or Ecstatics.
 * Time
 * The Arcanum that governs speed, divination, prophecy, the future, the past, progression, and history.
 * Twilight
 * The state of existence of most ephemeral beings (including ghosts, Goetia, and spirits) when in the material world. Twilight objects and beings cannot be seen or touched except by magical means.
 * Underworld
 * The chthonic world inhabited by human ghosts and the never-born chthonians.
 * Veil, the
 * The body of customs used by the Awakened to keep magic hidden from the uninitiated (including Sleepers) in order to protect the Mysteries from those who might misuse them and to minimize the intrusion of the Abyss. Actively enforced by the Guardians of the Veil.
 * Verge
 * A place where a Supernal Realm or the Abyss is especially strong, overwriting the laws of reality with those of the originating realm.
 * Watchtower
 * A mystical edifice in a Supernal Realm that some mages see during their Awakenings.
 * will
 * The force of intent someone can bring to bear to accomplish a task. For mages, this has the extra meaning of “the magical will,” the intent to alter reality through magic.
 * willworker
 * A mage.
 * Wisdom
 * The quality of a mage’s understanding of how to minimize the damage his magic causes by exercising restraint and practicing the Ars Mysteriorum ethically. The moral opposite of hubris. Also called “Sophia.”
 * Wise, the
 * A collective term for all mages.
 * Yantra
 * Symbols that hold the Supernal nature of a concept, helping the mage fasten onto an Imago.
 * Imperial Mysteries
 * akathartoi
 * The “Unclean,” creatures formed from human evil that hunger for Mana. Inhabitants of Abaddon.
 * Abaddon
 * The “Lower Depths” of the orders’ cosmology, realm of the akathartoi.
 * Aeon
 * An Astral spirit representing one of the ten Arcana or Paradox, inhabitants of the very far edge of the Dreamtime.
 * Agama
 * A grimoire containing spells powered by one of the Old Gods.
 * Alienated
 * An entente of archmasters focusing on the natives of the Supernal, aiding the Old Gods against the Exarchs.
 * Aponoia
 * The alterations to Fallen reality caused by staying too long in the Supernal Realms or causing damage to the truth-symbols there.
 * Ascension War, the
 * The confl ict between archmasters, godlike entities and Ascended beings in which the ententes attempt to promote their rival meanings for the Phenomenal World.
 * aspirant
 * A mage attempting to become an archmaster who is within the process of a Threshold Seeking.
 * Astra
 * A Supernal Artifact forming part of the regalia of an Old God.
 * Astral Path
 * The imagined journey meditating mages use to enter the Astral Realms, used by archmages as the basis of the Golden Road.
 * Aswadim
 * An entente of archmasters who believe that the Abyss offers the only true freedom from a universe of forms and laws.
 * avatar
 * An alternative name for an Ochema, used by archmasters who do not see their sub-souls as servants but equal representatives of the whole.
 * Banishment
 * Supernal counter-magic; an attempt to interfere with another archmage’s Imperium Rite.
 * Bodhisattvas
 * An entente of archmages focusing on Wisdom and guiding humanity to Awakening, attempting to follow the example (as they see it) of the mysterious Oracles.
 * Chantry
 * A physical pocket-world created within an archmaster’s soul by copying a region of the Fallen World as a Seed, serving as combination fortress, hermitage and laboratory free from the threat of Paradox.
 * Cintamani
 * The site in the Supernal that serves as the symbol of an archmage’s power, created during the Threshold Seeking.
 * common Practice
 * A term for the first ten Practices of the Arcana, distinct from the Imperial Practices.
 * Dhatu
 * A region in the Supernal ruled by an Old God.
 * Emanation
 * One of several stable realms on the far side of the Abyss, linked to the Supernal Realms but not fully Supernal.
 * entente
 * A loose alliance among archmasters of similar philosophy.
 * epitome
 * A mage or archmage who has learned the fourth Attainment of a Legacy.
 * Exarchate
 * A region in the Supernal containing the throne of an Exarch.
 * Exemplars
 * An entente of ex-Pentacle archmages remaining loyal to their orders, taking an interest in lesser Pentacle mages and performing feats of Imperial magic on their behalf when the Pax Arcanum will allow.
 * Final Key
 * The item, solution, Quintessence or realization that allows the Ascension of the mage experiencing it.
 * Golden Road
 * Also referred to as just “Road,” an archmaster’s personal connection to the Supernal, built from the archmage’s Astral Path and the symbols of every Quintessence she has ever used.
 * The Ascension sought by the majority of archmasters, in which they forge a vision for the Fallen World and make it reality by altering the Supernal in Imperium Rites.
 * greater Abyssal entity
 * A stillborn or castoff world within the Abyss, made of hundreds of smaller Abyssal beings.
 * Imperial Practice
 * The Practices of the Arcana that an archmaster can learn to use in spells by channeling the Supernal through the Road rather than the Path; the Practices of Dynamics, Entities, Excision, Dominions and Transfi guration.
 * Imperium Rite
 * A magical ritual conducted within the Supernal Realms as part of the Golden Road Ascension.
 * Invisible Masters
 * A Pentacle order term for archmages, based on their legendary reclusiveness from the point of view of Travelers.
 * Iris
 * A gateway between worlds. Many types of Irises exist, but archmages are most familiar with those they create to connect the Golden Road to another realm.
 * Kenoma
 * The Ascension sought by Aswadim through freeing themselves of the universe, usually by attempting to destroy it.
 * Lustrum
 * The subjective experience of the Supernal Realms, formed by interpreting the raw power of the Supernal through Gnosis into something a human mind can withstand.
 * Mandira
 * A site in the Fallen World that resonates with a particular Old God.
 * Minister
 * The chief slave in the Fallen World of a particular Exarch, head of one of the internal Ministries that divide the Seers of the Throne. The most powerful Ministers are archmasters that are partially merged with their Supernal patron.
 * Mitrata
 * The Ascension sought by Bodhisattvas through Wisdom.
 * move
 * A measurement of time in the Supernal.
 * Noumenon
 * An Imago formed by an archmage of her own Ascension; the vision of the Fallen World she is working towards in her Omens.
 * Ochema
 * Lit. “Vehicle,” a self-aware sub-soul of an archmaster created as an autonomous servant with abilities up to those of its creator. Plural “Ochemata.” Also see “avatar.”
 * Old One
 * A godlike native of the Supernal, often indistinguishable from the region of the Supernal Realms in which it is encountered.
 * Omens
 * The specific goals of an archmaster in the Golden Road Ascension, the changes she is attempting to make to reality in order to achieve her Noumenon.
 * Pax Arcanum
 * The rules of behavior for archmasters, which new Seekers are informed of shortly after overcoming the Threshold. Breaking or being seen to be intending to break the Pax leads to intervention from other archmages.
 * Phenomenal World, the
 * A term used by some archmasters to refer to the non-Supernal world as a whole, denoting a respect for the material realm and related cosmology that “Fallen” lacks. Based on the idea that while the Supernal is the realm of pure truths, those truths must be expressed as phenomena in the world Travelers are familiar with.
 * Pneuma
 * The spiritual energy making up the Golden Road.
 * Royal Avatar
 * A representative of a spirit entity of godlike power; a rank 5 “face” for a rank 6 or more being.
 * Qliphoth
 * A once-human “shell” filled with the lies of the Abyss, created from a failed aspirant or an established archmage who succumbs to the most severe forms of Paradox.
 * Quintessence
 * A symbolic representation of a spell drawing on the Imperial Practices that an archmaster intends to cast. A Quintessence is much more than a mere sacrament, it is a Mystery; the act of seeking Quintessence out is what enables the Archmage to cast the spell.
 * Sarira
 * The physical remains left behind after an Ascension, containing jewels or crystals formed of solidified resonance.
 * Seed
 * The area of the Fallen World used as a basis for a Chantry. At the heart of every Chantry is a duplicate of the Seed, containing a gateway to the corresponding location.
 * Seeker
 * A term used by archmasters to refer to one another, distinct from “Traveler.”
 * Siddha
 * An entente of archmasters focusing on the pure study of the Arcana.
 * sub-soul
 * An independent soul created from that of an archmaster, usually with a Gnosis Trait and Arcana included. Sub-souls remain mystically part of the archmage but survive after death and are capable of casting spells of their own. Also see “Ochema” and “Talisman”.
 * Supernal Work, the
 * A theoretical spell that causes the Ascension of the caster.
 * Talisman
 * An Artifact that is also a sub-soul of the creating archmage, enabling it to cast spells without a user.
 * Tetrarchs
 * The entente of archmasters claiming membership in the Seers of the Throne and serving the Exarchs in the Ascension War.
 * The political position within the Seers of the Throne hierarchy held by Seer archmasters who are not Ministers.
 * Threshold Seeking, the
 * The process in which a mage attempts to become an archmaster, starting as an obsessive need to understand a mystery relating to their Arcanum of choice, progressing to a Mystery Play and culminating in the aspirant vanishing to face tests in both the Abyss and the Supernal Realms.
 * Traveler
 * A mage who is still bound by a Path; a nonarchmaster.
 * Tyrannate
 * A Chantry used by a Seer archmaster (usually a Minister), which has been passed down from one archmage to another for centuries and may have originally been built by the Exarch the Seer worships. Due to their nature, Tyrannates are larger than normal Chantries, but are not entirely within the occupant’s control.
 * Wending
 * The Golden Road of a deceased or Ascended archmage, which can still be accessed through any Irises that remain.