By The Mirrorball Man (j_hirt@yahoo.com)
Dreamspeakers were never much more than a fiction invented by the Order of Hermes to prevent Primal Mages from gaining too much influence within the Council. They have always been a diverse lot, gathered from a thousand different lands and cultures. They were forced to rely on what they had in common to build a real Tradition. They forged common symbolism, Arts, loose institutions, and protocols. They all shared a deep respect for nature, natural creatures and natural cycles. They all felt a strong bond with Spirits and the Spirit World. They all had animistic beliefs, and relied on their visions and dreams. And after centuries of long, hard work, the Dreamspeakers had become a real magickal Faction, united, yet diverse.
Dreamspeakers were the first to foretell the end of the world. They had seen signs and portents decades before the other Traditions, and were appalled to be the only ones who seemed to care. Their bonds with shapeshifters had made them more sensitive to this question, but once that it had been foreshadowed, it could still be prevented. Unfortunately they were unsuccessful in convincing the Council to do anything against it. Most of their partners thought it was nothing more than a primitive prophecy, an image mirroring the decay of the Third World. They couldn't make a difference without their help.
So Dreamspeakers gathered in the Kalahari desert, and decided that they had to leave this planet. Other Factions would eventually find a way to reach for the stars and would settle on other planets. And if Dreamspeakers couldn't save the Earth, they could at least help native populations in their future struggle against space colonists. They asked the Spirits what they thought of that, and the Spirits agreed that it was the best course of action. Before they scattered, Dreamspeakers made a huge ceremony in the desert to summon some help from the sky.
Two years after the Kalahari gathering, observers posted in the desert met some new friends. Eight lean creatures came from the sky, answering the Dreamspeakers' call. They belonged to a race that would later be called "The Gemellites". Gemellites had a strong shamanic tradition, talked to Spirits and walked among Dreams. Dreamspeakers had no problem understanding these alien creatures, and they started to learn from them. The extra-terrestrials taught the Mages how they traveled through the Void. They painted ritual tattoos on their bodies, and jumped in the sky. From there, they could access what they called "The Other Side," a passage to other worlds.
Gemellites helped the Dreamspeakers leaving the Earth. After eight years, all of them had left. Tradition Mages wondered where they were gone, and found no answer. From then, they scattered through the entire galaxy, looking for primitive civilizations and protecting them from most of the other Factions. They have enjoyed lots of successes so far. Having successfully kept a low profile, they are considered extinct by many, nothing more than an settler's legend.
Extraterrestrial Mages are welcomed in this faction, and the Dreamspeakers have incorporated many elements from very foreign cultures along their travels.
There are no formal ranks among the Dreamspeakers. Respect and wisdom are the only measures of a Dreamspeaker's influence within the group. When members of the Faction meet in large numbers, they usually organize tribal gatherings in the Other Side, to exchange news and insights.
To commune with spirits of nature, Dreamspeakers use ordeals, invocations, offerings, trance-states and music. They paint signs on their faces and bodies, they carve images in trees, they use natural drugs or dance under the moon.
Nephandi: As long as they stay in the Void and don't try to poison our worlds, we will not fight against them.
Teknolords: These people are responsible for the destruction of many worlds. They will pay for that.
Wu Lung: We respect them. They too are protecting of their culture.
Cybermancers: They rely on technology but do more for native cultures than any other faction apart from us.
Euthanatos: Dark spirits are their masters. These people are evil.
Freetraders: Selfish, materialistic ones. We don't need their "ecstasy".
The Order: They are not looking in the right direction if they want true wisdom.
Progenitors: Nature is not a slave, it is a friend.
Marauders: They could be so helpful if only they decided to work for a cause.
Verbena: One step further and they could really grasp the true nature of the world.
Mages are the embodiment of Change, and Marauders are perfect Mages. They are the ultimate warpers of reality, for they have reached the stage where reality is no longer relevant. They are no longer puppets playing their parts, they are able to cut the wires, to go backstage, and even to set the whole theatre on fire. They no longer rely on tools, superstitions or technology to perform their Art. They know the Truth, they know how the universe works, they know everything. The only problem being that nobody warned the universe beforehand.
Marauders are a strange lot. Not only are they mad inside their brain, but they're also mad outside. And that's the real problem. Their very presence disturbs reality beyond recognition. They are utterly dangerous, amoral, following their own set of weird, ever-changing rules and ethics. Each Nameless One is a case of study in himself. Some are paranoid freaks, others are pathetic clowns, and others are lunatics trapped in dangerous delusions.
In the Void Age, Marauders are still the same as they always have been, which basically means they always change. They are not exactly a Faction, but merely a category of individuals loosely sharing some common characteristics and goals. Some of them live in the Void, among the stars, isolated from mankind. Meeting these mad hermits is always dangerous. Others live among humans, living strange, romantic adventures, hunted by Mages from all Factions. There are some who pursue their old terrorist ways, concentrating mostly on the imperialistic Factions, the Crusaders, the Nephandi and the Teknolords and fighting alongside with mystic Beasts from the entire universe.
Marauders call the Flux "home." Some say they are part of the Flux, this strange Umbral Zone made of infinite possibilities. It's as if the Nameless Ones were not sentient, Awakened creatures, but mere manifestations of this mad metamorphic dimension. The only thing we know for sure is that few Mages have ventured in this Area of Madness without losing a part of their sanity.
Nephandi: Most people don't know this, but they actually don't exist. It's all in your mind, see?
Teknolords: I might state that there is a slight divergence of opinion between us.
Wu Lung: They are riding Dragons. Cool dudes.
Cybermancers: Funny thing is, I bet they don't even know the Infosphere is directly connected to the Flux.
Euthanatos: Death is actually not that interesting.
Freetraders: They apparently need us to feel the need to need something.
The Order: Keep on being secretive and one day you will forget your own Name.
Progenitors: I want some of their candy.
Dreamspeakers: We feel close to them. If only they were Marauders, they would be exactly like us.
Verbena: Burn the witches! Burn the witches! Burn!
Do ye sit in the open that ye might come to know Nature? If so, it is good. But verily, I say unto you: Many there are who have sat for hours and have risen up knowing less than when they sat down."
Life is not meant to be dull and sterile. Cities are not meant to be gray and polluted. The Verbena remember that life is supposed to be enjoyed, lived in a brutal, blissful manner. They know that people should follow their passions, and should accept to burn in flames if that's the price to pay. Their ways are frightening. They live in the woods, in the heart of the night, and indulge in ceremonies involving blood spilling, sex, sacrifices, old pagan rituals meant to awaken their carnal instincts. They open up to the brutal joy of existence, and they enjoy this mix of pain, pleasure and defiance.
While they were once earthbound and on the verge of extinction, they are now one of the most promising Factions. On Earth, they were persecuted by the Technocracy, despised by Sleepers, and even their brothers and sisters of the Tradition did not understand them. The scars left by centuries of suffering are still there; they still feel the pain, and they have not forgotten.
However harsh their previous history has been, the Verbena's escape from the Earth was relatively straightforward. When Dreamspeakers told them about the end of the world, they did not believe them. But soon Celestial Choristers discovered a Soulgate. Verbena Cabals found out that Iteration X was making plans about their escaping from planet Earth. They realized that the Dreamspeakers were right, and that they should react before it was too late. They tried to turn to the other Traditions, but it was clear enough that everybody was fighting for his own camp. The Council did not really exist anymore.
Wise Verbena followed Those Who Smile in Twilight in the Umbra, and tried to find a way for their Faction to leave the Earth. Old Pagan Spirits finally guided them to Annwn, the Celtic Afterworld, and granted them the right to pass through it. Unfortunately they didn't tell them how to travel through Annwn, and the Verbena had to find the proper way themselves.
The oldest witches and druids of the Verbena recalled a time when their Tradition was allowed into the Land of Annwn. Old legends spoke of Huttrasels, gigantic oaks that ancient druids used as means of transportation. A quest began, and every Verbena started to look for the remaining seeds of Huttrasel trees. It took them five years, and finally, a crippled witch named Margaret Boann found three intact seeds in the ice of the Antarctic. The Verbena then planted the seeds, and through the help of Blood Sorcery, managed to accelerate their growth. One year after, the trees were more than one kilometer high. Verbena elders uttered the ancient words of power that launched the Huttrasel trees in the sky, and from there, through Annwn.
Verbena settled on three, then seven planets, and are now considered one of the rising powers of the Void Age.
Rank is mostly determined by age and experience, roughly divided into elders, who oversee the education of the others and settle disputes, middle-aged Mages who are responsible for rites, actions against other factions, spacefaring, etc, and young Initiates who learn the Arts and perform menial tasks.
Nephandi: Cowards. There are no answers in the Void.
Teknolords: One day, the universe will rebel against them.
Wu Lung: Keepers of the old ways, like us. Why are they so full of themselves?
Cybermancers: Keep these soulless shells afar from me.
Euthanatos: Death holds no power. Only life is sacred.
Freetraders: Everything I need, nature brings it to me.
The Order: Truth is the heart, not in the mind.
Progenitors: They understand how nature works but forget to show it any form of respect.
Dreamspeakers: Our brothers and sisters. Why are they so radical?
Marauders: We envy their freedom, but pity their madness.
A small group of young Chinese Brothers refused to die and managed to get accepted among the Wu Lung. They are known nowadays as the Keepers of the Way.
Well, maybe not all of them, but the couple of mad scientists left are not united enough to form a Faction, and it would be a very weak Faction anyway. They pursue their zany researches in a world that doesn't need them any longer.