Sons of Ether
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The Sons of Ether are one of nine Traditions of mages in the game Mage: The Ascension. They are a scientific faction, focusing their magical abilities through scientific apparati and theories. They were originally styled after the mad scientists of pulp science fiction, with outrageous inventions, questionable devices and creative approaches to the laws of science. Originally members of the Technocracy as the Electrodyne Engineers, the Sons of Ether defected to the Council of Nine Mystick Traditions after a idealogical dispute with the other Technocratic Conventions.
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Troubled Past
As the Electrodyne Engineers, the Sons of Ether were often seen as strange and quirky by the other Conventions of the Technocracy. Despite this, they were instrumental in developing the field of Dimensional Science, and worked closely with Iteration X on their mechanical soldiers. Unfortunately, their ideology clashed with that espoused by the inner echelons of the Technocracy, and they were not able to abandon their ideal of the 'ether', a mysterious fifth element which filled the spaces between the stars.
In 1904, when the Technocracy voted to write Ether out of the Consensus, the Electrodyne Engineers rebelled. Taking a great number of Technocratic secrets with them, they defected to the Council of Nine Mystick Traditions. Some of the Engineers stayed behind, changing their name to the Void Engineers, who would dedicate themselves to exploring the reaches of deep space while following the Technocratic theories of the void between the stars and general inhospitability of outer space.
Meanwhile, the newly-renamed Sons of Ether filled the then-vacant Seat of Matter on the council, going into hiding within the scientific community and old boys' clubs, and finally letting their theories run rampant.
Science!
The Sons of Ether draw on the spark of genius within themselves to create devices which function beyond the normal laws of physics, aerodynamics, chemistry, and neuropsychology. Confined only to what she can justify within her own paradigm, the Etherite creates rayguns, robotic servants, and fantastic flying machines. Central to many Etheric theories is the idea of ether, the fifth element.
As the focus of the Tradition is on Science, not magic, a Son of Ether cannot use his mystick powers without some sort of device. To the Etherite, she is merely drawing on the power of the laws of science, unaware that the true effects of her devices originate from her focused will.
The Seat of Matter
Although the Council of Nine distrusted the Sons of Ether from the beginning, their defection was very welcome at the time. The Council, meant to consist of nine members, was down to only seven. The seats of Matter and Correspondence had been empty for many years when the Sons of Ether stepped forward. They were obviously well-suited to the Seat of Matter, as their work dealt with creating impossible devices, machines which functioned beyond the normal rules of science, strange materials and inventions.
It is interesting to note that the previous holders of the Seat of Matter were the Solificati, a Tradition of alchemists. Unfortunately, the Tradition dissolved after a terrible betrayal by one of its leading members, Heylel Teomim.
Despite the inital distrust, the Sons of Ether proved to be in earnest. Their largest stronghold was Victoria Station, a massive train station which became the main lifting-off point for voyages into the umbra.
Troubled Future
The Tradition as a whole suffers from the fact that each Etherite has a solid Theory about how the natural world works, and each theory is radically different. The Ethernauts, Utopians, Cybernauts, Progressivists, and Traditionalists, all different factions of the Tradition, have goals and ideals which sometimes clash with others of their Tradition. This makes it hard for the Sons of Ether to present a united face to their allies, and a united front against their enemies.
There is also a matter of the name. There have been many female Sons of Ether since the Tradition's acceptance into the Council of Nine, and the gender-biased name draws a great deal of heat from their ranks. The dispute over the name of the Tradition is fierce, and often will be seen raging across the pages of Paradigma and through the back rooms of scientific conventions. The term "Etherite" is a common substition, but some older members of the Tradition insist on the old term. Until the name is officially changed, there will always be the debate, one more split within an already fractured group.
References and Inspiration
The Etherites' "Bible" (for lack of a better term) is the Kitab al-Alacir, or "Book of Ether," which states that everything exists and potential is limitless, the exact opposite of reductionism. They publish their findings in the journal Paradigma.
Books:
- Frankenstein<i>, Mary Shelley
- <i>Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne
- The Gernsback Continuum, a short story by William Gibson
Movies:
- Weird Science
- Back to the Future
Characters:
- Dexter, from Dexter's Laboratory
- Q, from the James Bond movies
Questionable History
Since the Tradition books (and all source material for Mage) are written from a first-person perspective, the information presented cannot be taken as unbiased. Historical accounts from different sides of the same conflict often differ greatly. The Sons of Ether are particularly trying, as their defection from the Technocracy was viewed very differently by each side.
External Links
- Paradigma Online (http://www.paradigmaonline.com)
- White Wolf Games (http://www.white-wolf.com)