While some mages prefer to walk alone or spurn any form of society or stricture that might impede them in their quest for power, most are drawn to join one of the mystical orders. The ardors of Awakened life are too rigorous to trust to self-initiation. Once you know about the supernatural world, it knows about you. Mages need someone to watch their backs, and a cabal is not always enough. A mystical order provides a greater network for a mage, not only for defense, but also for the furthering of her power.

To join an order, a willworker must seek initiation. Initiation is a sacred ceremony that commits the applicant to the goals of the society, and the order to the fostering of the mage. It’s a symbolic death of the newly Awakened mage as he leaves behind what he was and is reborn as a novice in the magical arts of his order.

The initiation process varies a great deal, even within an order. A Mysterium mage’s introduction may be a prayerful, orderly rite of acceptance, a magical baptism, or a scholarly introduction into the esoteric elements of his order’s practices. An Adamantine Arrow’s initiation could be a trial by ordeal (like hanging from an ash tree as a sacrifice for Odin).

Once the process of initiation is complete, the initiate has access to the secrets of his new order (at least its readily accessible ones), including the steps of learning its rotes, its codified spells.

Mages are expected to promote the goals of their orders, which often means opposing the goals of other orders. The machinations of mystical societies might come as a shock to those expecting sedate, scholarly brotherhoods. And yet, the sheer conniving nature of Awakened politics is an obvious expression of the basic currency in which mages trade: power.

There are five accepted Orders in Awakened Society:

The Adamantine Arrow

The mages of the Adamantine Arrow are the warriors of the Awakened, ranging from ex-military snipers and close-combat specialists to medieval enthusiast master swordsmen and archers to underground boxing champs and bar brawlers. Some Arrows choose less physical pursuits by becoming tacticians and strategists, but all see the eternal conflict inherent in existence and strive to gain wisdom from overcoming it.

The Free Council

The only order not to rise from the society of ancient Atlantis, the Free Council advocates innovation in Awak-ened society. Instead of looking back to Atlantis, mages should look to the present or even the future and apply Awakened wisdom there. For some, this means incorpo-rating technology into current magical practices, while for others it means updating mage governance to more modern and democratic structures.

The Guardians of the Veil

Magic is a secret Art, and the Guardians are the ones charged with preserving that secrecy. They are perceived as a “secret police,” quietly taking dangerous and unethical missions to preserve the security and wisdom of the other orders. While spymasters and assassins find a place with the Guardians, there are also just as many politicians to help smooth over concerns as well as combat specialists who use intimidation and torture to keep tongues from wagging.

The Mysterium

Obsessed with missing knowledge, the mages of the Mysterium act as both lore-seekers and lore-keepers of the Awakened. They range from meek librarians struggling to piece together ancient spells to adventuring archaeologists braving the danger of ruined temples. All of the mystagogues of the Mysterium believe that it is their mission to recover the knowledge of ancient Atlantis (as well as more modern secret information) and keep it secret and safe.

The Silver Ladder

Every society needs leaders, and the former priest-kings of Atlantis fill that role. Calling themselves the Silver Ladder, they helped to develop the government of Awakened society into what it is today, and even when their order is not in control of a Consilium, they are there acting as advisors and judges — a skill they sometime extend into the society of the Sleepers to help defuse complicated situations that might arise.

The loose affiliation of the Atlantean orders and the Free Council is sometimes called the Pentacle, especially when referring to Consilii in which all five orders participate. Some mages believe there is magical power and strength in an alliance of five orders, for it mirrors the five-pointed Atlantean pentagram (see pp. 129-130). Others scoff, claiming that the age-old alliance of the four orders with true Atlantean heritage — sometimes called the Diamond — is the only proper basis for an alliance. Still others claim that no alliance should ever be enshrined with a title, lest it become magically binding on all parties, hindering the freedom of individual orders."

Not all of the Awakened swear loyalty to one of the traditional Orders. There are those who serve other powers, whether out of ignorance or malice. They are not accepted by Mages of the Pentacle, and in many cases are directly opposed to the good of the Awakened as a whole.

The most infamous of these outsiders and the only ones that could truly considered an Order in their own right serve the Exarchs themselves. The Seers of the Throne are a vast conspiracy that swear allegiance to the Exarchs, claiming that the Exarchs pulled them to the Supernal Realms to swear them in as the prison wardens of the Fallen World. There is no hope in resisting the Exarchs, they say, so why not serve in hopes of reward? The structure of the Seers is labyrinthine and not truly comprehended even by the Seers, with myriad titles both true and false and numerous structures and organizations regimenting their ranks. They are outnumbered by the Atlantean Orders, but their unity in service to the Exarchs makes them strong - even as their infighting and self-deception makes them weak.

Some people are unable of coping with the trauma of Awakening. Shocked and perhaps horrified by what they have seen, they come to view magic as an abomination to be wiped out along with its practitioners. Many of them come from highly religious backgrounds or turn to religion after their Awakening, but this is far from universal. They are a relentless threat, however, seeking out other Mages to end their blasphemy against reality. Fortunately, they are not organized or unified, and most operate alone or in small groups without true structure or guidance. Technically they should probably be classified as Apostates, but most Mages consider them a threat that bears special mention. They are a surprisingly common phenomenon, and wise Mages take them seriously.

Every Mage passes through the Abyss on their way to their Watchtower when they Awaken...perhaps the Scelesti are simply those who have lingered too long. Some are tempted by power and others are insane, but all have sworn themselves to the service of the Abyss. Reviled and feared, the scent of a Scelestus hiding amongst the Orders can send even the most forgiving Mages looking for torches and pitchforks.

Not every Mage joins an Order. Some never find a Master to teach them, while others actively spurn the Orders. A few unfortunates are stripped of their membership in their Order for major crimes. These loners lead a difficult and lonely life, without the knowledge or protection membership in an Order brings. They are almost never given any real respect or recognition by their fellows. If they are lucky, they have a Cabal to fall back upon, but most are left out in the cold.

The Orders are the sturdy structures that hold up Awakened society, but are too large and impersonal for most Mages to really invest in. Most Awakened are members of small groups of fellows called Cabals.