Cult of Ecstasy - Revision history

Keith: /* Sh'zar the Seer */

2018-01-20T05:54:54Z

Sh'zar the Seer

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:54, 19 January 2018
Line 69:		Line 69:

	=== Sh'zar the Seer ===		=== Sh'zar the Seer ===
	At the late Dark Ages, a conspiracy arose. It was one that denied ecstasy and other forms of mysticism, one that burned the Sanskrit writings of the Vedas and the Tantric alchemical recipes declaring all of them lies. It was the Order of Reason. A Seer saw the coming storm and his prophesy was clear, Magic would die unless all magicians banded under the same flag to counter this new threat. Nobody believed him at first, but soon they noticed they fooly and understood the truth in his words. He was the one called Sh'zar, and he would be the founder of the Cult of Ecstasy Tradition under the name of the Seers of Chronos.		At the late Dark Ages, a conspiracy arose. It was one that denied ecstasy and other forms of mysticism, one that burned the Sanskrit writings of the Vedas and the Tantric alchemical recipes declaring all of them lies. It was the Order of Reason. A Seer saw the coming storm and his prophesy was clear, Magic would die unless all magicians banded under the same flag to counter this new threat. Nobody believed him at first, but soon they noticed they fooly and understood the truth in his words. He was the one called Sh'zar, and he would be the founder of the Cult of Ecstasy Tradition under the name of the [[Seers of Chronos]].

	===Renaissance===		===Renaissance===

Keith: /* Introduced Elsewhere */

2018-01-19T15:56:28Z

Introduced Elsewhere

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:56, 19 January 2018
Line 257:		Line 257:

	:'''Umilyenye: '''Russian Christian Orthodox Ecstatics who seek visions through an state of raw emotion and religious ecstasy brought by the vision of religious iconography and holy symbols.		:'''Umilyenye: '''Russian Christian Orthodox Ecstatics who seek visions through an state of raw emotion and religious ecstasy brought by the vision of religious iconography and holy symbols.

			------------------------

			<br>
			<br>
			------------------------

			==Rotes==

			===True Form===

			''Entropy 1, Mind 1, Spirit 1, optional Life 1''

			Practitioners of the Ecstatic arts often claim that chemically induced hallucinations reveal the truth of things. By their reasoning, this altered state allows them to see past the mundane and obvious, into the realm of pure truth. By taking a hit of acid, the Ecstatic can see people as they truly are. Those who are wicked are revealed to be wicked, those who are victims are shown to be the weak, wispy things they are, and powerful men appear like beaming behemoths. How the mage actually sees the true form of others largely depends on the mage's perceptions. A staunchly anti-establishment Cultist might see a police officer as a Gestapo enforcer. If the cop was corrupt, perhaps the Cultist would see money falling out of his pockets. Sometimes, the images are deeply personal. A Cultist might pick out the hidden Technocracy agent, thinking that he is, in actuality, a large bully from her childhood.

			System: The mage can get small bits of information about those around herself, although this information is somewhat shrouded in metaphor and layers of symbolism. The sort of information generally involved the target's Nature. These images should be very archetypal and tailored to the mage's outlook. Two people using this rote at once rarely agree on what they see. To the mage sensing True Forms, it is as if he is participating in a filming of Frank Zappa's 2000 Motels, with nuns, djinns, strippers, black shrouded executioners and adult sized children interacting with one another. Adding Life 1 to this rote allows the mage to tell the physical state of those she perceives. This perception could manifest as a physical tumor, a missing limb or, if the target is very close to death, as a feebly animate corpse.

			===Nostalgia===

			''Mind 2 or Mind 3, Time 3, optional Life 1''

			The Dissonance Society, a faction of the Cult devoted to creation of an utopia based around the ideal of self mastery and enlightenment, is said to use magically induced stimuli as negative and positive reinforcement. However, the use of Nostalgia is far more effective and sophisticated than a mere waking of a few nerves. The Cultist actually conjures up her target's memory of some overwhelming stimulus he felt in the past, forcing the target to feel the sensation again, as if it had just happened, which makes the experience a very personal one. This effect is useful for a number of reasons. First off, the effect of Nostalgia is not some random sensation, its roots lie in the target's memory. One tends to respond more to, say, a spanking given as a child, than to a random application of pain. Secondly, the mage can use these associations and tie them to something unrelated. For instance, if an Ecstatic wishes to teach a hard-hearted corporate executive some compassion, she could tie the joy of his wedding night to the act of donating money. Therefor, whenever the corporate executive is generous, he feels the elation of just being married.

			System: The Ecstatic has no control over what sensations are conjured when she uses Nostalgia, but she may set it as either "positive" (pleasure) or "negative" (pain) stimulus. Doing so generates memories of stimuli, it does not engender full activation of the nervous system. However, using Life 2, the mystic could conjure not only the memory of the stimulus, but the actual stimulus itself. In conjunction with Mind 3, the mystic can "tie" the stimulus to a trigger. By doing so, the mage can encourage or discourage certain behavior.

			===Grand Style===

			''Mind 2, optional Matter 1, Prime 2''

			[Editor's Note: I believe this rote had a printed error. In the book it says "Mind 2, Matter 1, optional Prime 2," but after reading the system description I fixed it to what it's supposed to say.]

			A variation of a Mind 2 effect known as Mood Swing, Grand Style allows the Ecstatic to use mass communication on an intuitive level. To do so, the Ecstatic must use some form of art. Although live music is the most common vessel for this effect, it can also be placed on visual art pieces. This effect causes those who perceive the artistic display to feel a certain way. Predominantly, this rote is used to bring about feelings of well being, joy, pride, contentment and reverence, although other factions use it for less altruistic purposes. The militant Hagalaz faction uses Grand Style to create riots, militant vigilante activism and good old-fashioned chaos. The occult Acharne use it to fuse brotherhood among its members and create feelings of having been raped for those unlucky enough to learn of their existence. Klubwerks DJs excel at its use and use it to create an atmosphere of pure human impulse. Even the Dissonance Society ties emotions into its pamphlets.

			System: The Grand Style effect is generally achieved through music. By using Prime 2 and Matter 1, the mystic may "tie" the effect to a visual work of art. Obviously the type of art that the effect is based on decides the emotion it conjures. A Lords of Acid fast pumping dance track would be ideal for increasing people's libidos, but the medieval painter Hieronymous Bosch's "Temptation of Saint Anthony" triptych would not be able to get a similar effect. But, whereas the dance track would not put the fear of damnation into its listeners, those beholding the triptych would be left shaken and questioning their place in God's Kingdom.

			===Tolerance===

			''Life 2, Mind 1''

			Cultists have an amazing survival record in spite of their brushes with overindulgence, and luck's only part of it. Those who dabble too much in damaging habits - drugs, sleep deprivation, asceticism, whatever - generally learn to use meditative techniques and chakra-channeling to focus themselves and overcome the after-effects of their foci. Simple methods to prevent overdosing, flush body toxins and focus the mind all help to keep the Cultist alive. Often, this requires a specific regimen combining yoga or meditation with a lot of water and the occasional herbal additive.

			System: Use of the Tolerance rote mitigates some of the potential problems of nasty drugs or other habits. A Cultist might suffer bashing or even lethal damage from a particularly foul overdose; this rote's successes grant extra soak dice against that damage, if the rote's prepared in advance. This isn't a sure defense, but it'll probably help avoid using the adrenaline plunger.

			===Crime and Consequence===

			''Mind 2, Time 2''

			As modern Cultists have learned, responsibility for the aftereffects of ecstasy are just as important as the ecstatic experience themselves. Some people refuse to recognize the consequences of their actions, though, and foolishly endanger themselves and others. Cultists use this rote as a sort of warning, to engender a sense of responsibility in others. The Cultist projects ahead the possible outcome of an ill-conceived decision and then sends the emotional impulse of everything that goes wrong into the mind of the subject.

			System: The Player must score enough successes to see forward in time to the point of consequences (this might be only a few minutes ahead for a drug overdose, or months ahead for an ill-considered pregnancy or other life-changing event.) The Cultist must also gain a success to project this moment empathically to the subject. If successful, the subject experiences all of the frustration and remorse of this badly chosen course of action as a series of flashes of anger and disappointment, with premonitions of things to come. For instance, a drug abuser might feel his body contracting in spasms, then see himself from the outside as he's dying and convulsing. A careless sex-hound might feel the pain of labor and sense the terrible burden of unassisted, life-crushing poverty for a victim he plans to love and leave. Often, such a flash is enough to at least give pause to the target. This doesn't necessarily give concrete flashes of the true future; it simply provides concentrated glimpses at things that could go horribly wrong due to someone's bad judgment or lack of responsibility.

			===Zeitgeist===

			''Mind 2, Spirit 2, Time 2''

			Sometimes, an element of an age carries Resonance so powerful that it ripples through time in a memory carried by a huge mass of humanity. People establish pictures of an era so vivid that just a simple phrase conjures bright pictures and strong emotions - "The Summer of Love," "The Burning Times," "Black Tuesday." As the masters of time and passion, Cultists can call forth these spirits of ages, these zeitgeists, to make manifest all of the wonder - or terror - of a given point in time.

			The Cultist simply associates an ecstatic practice with trappings that call forth the spirit of the age itself. This might mean listening to certain music, putting on specific clothes, burning incenses or smoke of a particular type, maybe even playing a movie or going to a specific place. The more the Cultist does to make the mundane surroundings match up with the zeitgeist, the more powerful the manifestation. At the completion of the rite, the Cultist unleashes the spirit's Resonance to touch everyone's emotions in the area. Anyone in the right place, who can see the Cultist and recognize the things she does, feels a sudden surge of that era.

			System: Successes apply to the range and to the strength of the effect. The Cultist doesn't necessarily need successes to affect other people; in this case, the Cultist calls forth a spirit, which then does the work of generating the spirit of the age, and the Cultist simply uses magic to help project that spirit. This could provoke actual memories or just passive emotions regarding a specific scene, so a character might feel the unbounded sense of love and heedless joy from the Summer of Love, or the soaring pride and wonder of the the Age of Reason. It helps if the Cultist was personally there (as per arcane connections,) but it's not absolutely necessary.

Keith: /* Historical Factions */

2017-07-14T19:44:33Z

Historical Factions

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:44, 14 July 2017
Line 176:		Line 176:

	The historical factions are, simply put, those factions that pre-date Sh'zar and the establishment of the Code of Ananda. These factions have very stable, ancient, and ritualized styles. Although they exhibit some measure of innovation, for the most part the ways of the Historical Factions are set in stone. Whether through Taoism, Greek indulgence, or Voudoun faith, the Historical Factions gain their strength by standing on the shoulders of those who have come before. These tend to be among the most "serious" Cultists, who actually understand their place in history, and how ecstasy has long been considered a path to enlightenment.		The historical factions are, simply put, those factions that pre-date Sh'zar and the establishment of the Code of Ananda. These factions have very stable, ancient, and ritualized styles. Although they exhibit some measure of innovation, for the most part the ways of the Historical Factions are set in stone. Whether through Taoism, Greek indulgence, or Voudoun faith, the Historical Factions gain their strength by standing on the shoulders of those who have come before. These tend to be among the most "serious" Cultists, who actually understand their place in history, and how ecstasy has long been considered a path to enlightenment.

			:'''Aghoris: ''' This centuries-old faction near Bengali in India, who practice mutilation, pain and destruction as tools to surpass the mortal body. By destroying the shell, they reason, they can encourage the growth of the soul. This rather extreme philosophy denies the Ecstatic Code of Ananda, and most other Ecstatics stay the hell away from these dangerous types.

	:'''Erzuli Jingo: '''Primarily female Vodounistas aligned with the Cult of Ecstasy from the days of their African forebears. These mages practice Voudoun faith and devote themselves to healing the minds of others by clearing their dreams with the help of their Loa, Madame Ezuli. Their magic involves astral travel and spirit channeling, and occasionally curses and other sorts of black magic. The Jingo call their arts with ecstatic dance, frenzied religious experiences, and fire. Since the Jingo have lost much of their power lately, younger members have taken that loss out on others.		:'''Erzuli Jingo: '''Primarily female Vodounistas aligned with the Cult of Ecstasy from the days of their African forebears. These mages practice Voudoun faith and devote themselves to healing the minds of others by clearing their dreams with the help of their Loa, Madame Ezuli. Their magic involves astral travel and spirit channeling, and occasionally curses and other sorts of black magic. The Jingo call their arts with ecstatic dance, frenzied religious experiences, and fire. Since the Jingo have lost much of their power lately, younger members have taken that loss out on others.
Line 193:		Line 195:

	:'''Vratyas: '''Nepalese ecstatics who practice the deepest secrets of Tantric magic and live in seclusion. They militantly defend their ways from outsiders, including other Cultists. It is said that Sh'zar learned from the Vratyas, and that they possess a love for humanity as great as the Joybringers and a willingness to destroy as great as the Euthanatoi. They are taught from birth (and with magic even from conception) the secrets of the human body and how to unlock its utmost potential.		:'''Vratyas: '''Nepalese ecstatics who practice the deepest secrets of Tantric magic and live in seclusion. They militantly defend their ways from outsiders, including other Cultists. It is said that Sh'zar learned from the Vratyas, and that they possess a love for humanity as great as the Joybringers and a willingness to destroy as great as the Euthanatoi. They are taught from birth (and with magic even from conception) the secrets of the human body and how to unlock its utmost potential.
	Specialty Sphere: Life, Mind, Prime, Spirit		Specialty Sphere: Life, Mind, Prime, Spirit

	===Dissidents Against Ananda===		===Dissidents Against Ananda===

Bruce at 20:04, 20 June 2017

2017-06-20T20:04:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:04, 20 June 2017
Line 1:		Line 1:
	;[[Wizards & Witches]] -M20- [[Mage Information]]		;[[Wizards & Witches]] -M20- [[Mage Information]]
	[[ \|200px]]		[[File:LogoTradCultofEcstasy.png\|200px]]
	<br>		<br>
	<br>		<br>

Bruce at 19:36, 20 June 2017

2017-06-20T19:36:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:36, 20 June 2017
Line 1:		Line 1:
	;[[~~Main Page~~]] -~~Mage~~- [[Mage Information]]		;[[Wizards & Witches]] -M20- [[Mage Information]]
	[[]]		[[ \|200px]]
	<br>		<br>
	<br>		<br>

Keith: /* Nine Sacred Passions */

2017-05-02T21:56:30Z

Nine Sacred Passions

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:56, 2 May 2017
Line 138:		Line 138:

	In her book of the same name, Tali Eos defined Nine Sacred Passions that she felt lie at the root of all other emotions. These are: Joy (or Wonder); Love; Empathy (or Sympathy); Lust (or Ambition); Grief (or Sadness); Fear; Jealousy (or Envy); Hate; and Rage. The concept wasn't new, but her book defined their meaning in Ecstatic lore. To Eos, each passion has a constructive and destructive side. Joy can blind you as you stumble over a cliff, while Envy can drive you to achieve something that you might not have bothered with otherwise. Even Hate is necessary, as some enemies deserve it. Eos' list has never been considered infallible; Cultists have debated her concepts since the founding of their Tradition. Still, most mentors pass the idea on to their students. Although the Cult believes in breaking down barriers, it helps to know where those limits are before setting out.		In her book of the same name, Tali Eos defined Nine Sacred Passions that she felt lie at the root of all other emotions. These are: Joy (or Wonder); Love; Empathy (or Sympathy); Lust (or Ambition); Grief (or Sadness); Fear; Jealousy (or Envy); Hate; and Rage. The concept wasn't new, but her book defined their meaning in Ecstatic lore. To Eos, each passion has a constructive and destructive side. Joy can blind you as you stumble over a cliff, while Envy can drive you to achieve something that you might not have bothered with otherwise. Even Hate is necessary, as some enemies deserve it. Eos' list has never been considered infallible; Cultists have debated her concepts since the founding of their Tradition. Still, most mentors pass the idea on to their students. Although the Cult believes in breaking down barriers, it helps to know where those limits are before setting out.

			====Nine Sacred Passions====

			This is a book written by the mage Tali Eos to underline the common themes among members of the myriad of highly diverse factions within the Cult of Ecstasy. Each Passion has two aspects, a constructive and a destructive. Both are important for the person's overall well-being, but have to disciplined by the Ecstatic in order to harness their full potential. Each Passion also corresponded originally to a Sphere, while the Tenth Sphere is the pulse of Lakashim itself. In the Final Nights, however, this system has fallen out of use.

			The Nine Passions of the title are:

			*:Joy/Wonder, aligned with Prime
			*:Love, aligned with Mind
			*:Empathy/Sympathy, aligned with Correspondence
			*:Lust/Ambition, aligned with Life
			*:Grief/Sadness, aligned with Time
			*:Fear, aligned with Entropy
			*:Jealousy/Envy, aligned with Spirit
			*:Hate, aligned with Matter
			*:Rage, aligned with Forces

			The Cult of Ecstasy argues over the inclusion of new passions, but most recognize the nine as the core emotion from which more sophisticated forms spawn.

	==Organization==		==Organization==

Keith: /* Code of Ananda */

2017-05-02T21:54:06Z

Code of Ananda

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:54, 2 May 2017
Line 119:		Line 119:

	The Code is teach by most of the Tradition Chantries, and it is expected for their members to adhere to it. It is not really a law, it is more a declaration of ethics. There are fierce and extreme groups who reject the Code, like the Aghoris, the Hagalaz or the Acharne.		The Code is teach by most of the Tradition Chantries, and it is expected for their members to adhere to it. It is not really a law, it is more a declaration of ethics. There are fierce and extreme groups who reject the Code, like the Aghoris, the Hagalaz or the Acharne.

			====The Code of Ananda====

			*:Thou art miraculous:So are we all.
			*:He who spits on his good right hand shall find the left one fails him in need.
			*:Each gold coin yields two like it; each stalk given creates a bundle. Yet, each coin taken turns the rest to dross, and one bundle gone creates a famine. Thus shall a Seer count his deeds.
			*:Some minds rest best asleep. Stir not those who would not waken otherwise.
			*:Truths foreseen are not always truths.
			*:If a man (or a woman) would rend anothers passions, let him be as one torn by wild dogs. For passions are the seat of the Self, and if they bleed, so too does the soul.
			*:Let each Seer account his own deeds and if those deeds should want for wisdom or kindness, let him be put forth to weep alone.
			*:Humor cooleth blood: Wrath spillith it.
			*:Even trees rent by lightning may grow new fruit.
			*:A fool feels no fear; a Sleeper remains shackled by it; a Master transcends it, yet recalls its wisdom. It is good to be afraid: It is folly to bow to terror.

	===Nine Sacred Passions===		===Nine Sacred Passions===

Keith: /* The Cult of Bacchus */

2017-05-02T20:59:23Z

The Cult of Bacchus

Show changes

Keith: /* Sh'zar the Seer */

2017-05-02T20:46:20Z

Sh'zar the Seer

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:46, 2 May 2017
Line 70:		Line 70:
	=== Sh'zar the Seer ===		=== Sh'zar the Seer ===
	At the late Dark Ages, a conspiracy arose. It was one that denied ecstasy and other forms of mysticism, one that burned the Sanskrit writings of the Vedas and the Tantric alchemical recipes declaring all of them lies. It was the Order of Reason. A Seer saw the coming storm and his prophesy was clear, Magic would die unless all magicians banded under the same flag to counter this new threat. Nobody believed him at first, but soon they noticed they fooly and understood the truth in his words. He was the one called Sh'zar, and he would be the founder of the Cult of Ecstasy Tradition under the name of the Seers of Chronos.		At the late Dark Ages, a conspiracy arose. It was one that denied ecstasy and other forms of mysticism, one that burned the Sanskrit writings of the Vedas and the Tantric alchemical recipes declaring all of them lies. It was the Order of Reason. A Seer saw the coming storm and his prophesy was clear, Magic would die unless all magicians banded under the same flag to counter this new threat. Nobody believed him at first, but soon they noticed they fooly and understood the truth in his words. He was the one called Sh'zar, and he would be the founder of the Cult of Ecstasy Tradition under the name of the Seers of Chronos.

			===Renaissance===

			====The Council of Nine====

			Sh'zar spoke to 23 Masters, explaining that the Order of Reason would cast a net over humanity's minds and they will turn it into a world of Reason. Three Divyas, his Initiates Akrites Salonikas, Tali Eos and Kalas Jnana, followed him on his journeys through eastern Europe and finally reached France, where he met Masters using his own mastery of Time. Three Masters listened, Nightshade, Valoran and Baldric La Salle, bitter enemies who changed their own minds after hearing to what Sh'zar said them. By 1440, the foundations to the Council of Nine Mystic Traditions were ready. All of them traveled across the world to look for others of their kind, and Sh'zar knew he needed enough political power to force the Traditions to do the right thing, not mattering his own pride. His disciples found the Tantric Hindu and the Mayan Master Xiootan Iox among others. The second meeting was arranged, and after nine years of debate they finally founded the Council. Sh'zar melded all the different sects who knew the ecstasy into a single Tradition to stand along all the other who formed the new Council of Nine. Each Tradition needed a specialty, and Time was the most obvious for the Ecstatics, who were named the Seers of Chronos.

			Sh'zar stayed as the representative of the Seers, while firmly believing that the abuse of power was a blasphemy to the Divine Gift of life, so he wanted to show that if people could just understand the miracle they lived in, they would live in harmony. He had an idea to the Seers, so after many debates he devised the Code of Ananda, a list of proverbs that illustrated the wisdom an Ecstatic should have and the responsabilities she should uphold. Sh'zar preached the Code with a real fervor, and his message of "do what you want, but never harm anyone" resounded not only across the Seers, but all the nine Traditions. They had their own freedom to explore their limits, but that was on their terms. They were to understand how what they do will impact other people and how they feel in that position. It was also when the Diksham, the mentor-student bond, was standarized. It was then when the Seers gained the respect of the other Traditions by the force of their personalities and arcane powers. Tali Eos bested knights, Akrites Salonikas debated with Christian priests and won, Xiootan Iox puzzled Hermetic magi with his astronomical knowledge... all while they also exemplified not the power-politics of other but a respect for their own Divinity.

			====The Great Betrayal====

			In 1466, after the Council passed the Compact of Callias, the First Cabal was formed. It was a group of mages from different Traditions who represented the hope of the nascent Council of Nine in the Ascension War. Akrites was the representative of the Seers of Chronos in this Cabal. They initiated the March of the Nine with the goal to revitalize wonder and magic with the inspiration of the deeds against the clutches of the Order of Reason and other enemies like the Infernalists. But in 1470, they were betrayed by their own leader, Heylel Teomim bani Solificati, and some of the other members of the Council blamed Akrites for it, saying that his own friendship with Heylel made him to cover the Solificati even if he should have known what would happen given his abilities as a Seer. Even if he, Tali Eos and even Sh'zar himself went to rescue the captured members of the Cabal, the Seers of Chronos had a stain in their name. Akrites did nothing to defend himself, no one knows if it was for as really wasn't able to predict Heylel's betrayal or if he just didn't do anything, and disappeared into the unknown. Sh'zar followed him and vanished. Xiootan Iox died about this time too.

			====The Nine Sacred Passions and the Sahajiya====

			The other Divyas refused to let the Tradition collapse. Eos and Jnana struggled to continue Sh'zar dream. Eos would complete Sh'zar's work with The Nine Sacred Passions, a book who described the connection between soul, passion and Ascension, reinforcing the Nichomachean Ethics and the Code of Ananda. The Nine Sacred Passions that she did completed the Code, as unlike it, explained to the Seers not only what not to do but what they should do.

			It was during this time when Europe went crazy with religious wars, inquisitions, reformations and persecutions of all kinds, all while the Order of Reason fanned the flames of it for a while. Mages went underground, and the Seers of Chronos renamed themselves as the Sahajiya and most of them fled to India and the Middle East to avoid these conflicts. They choose this places because their strong roots with that lands and the other Traditions claiming Europe for them. The ones who remained in Europe where wanderers and considered mad beggars. In the Council, the Code of Ananda struggled to be considered an official protocol. Eos died in 1562, and Jnana's second son, Siddhu Asva, fought against the Aghoris, who were behind a plot to eliminate the Code as they thought there should be no limits in ecstasy. Siddhu defeated the greateast Divya of the Aghoris in a certamen, so they ceased their intents in 1573.

			===Age of Reason===

			Centuries of religious warfare were followed by centuries of colonialism and revolution, and the Council of Nine was shaken during all of it. Colonialism brought the loss of many allies within the Dreamspeakers ranks, and as enlightment spread across the world, the colonial powers encroached the Sahajiya with strongholds in India and the Americas and the Ecstatics counterattacked. The ideals of the Victorian Era didn't help either, as their strict moral stood against the ecstatic ways.

			====The Cult of Bacchus====

			In India, the Kali cults known as the Kalika Rajas violently fought against the British powers with assasination, madness, plagues and uprisings. The Sahajiya became a real terror to the Technocratic Union, destroying everything important before they could finish it up. These Kalika Rajas were disbanded in the 1840s, but supposedly still survive today in some form. In America, the Sahajiya ferociously fought against settlers, even using magic to cause whole cavalry units to dissapear. Meanwhile in Europe, Hellfire Clubs made its entrance and Romantic poets showed their disillusionment. The Tradition fell in debauchery and indulgence, and it was renamed as the Cult of Bacchus.

			This sudden shift into violence after centuries of borderline pacifism made many mages in the Council to grow worried, so the Divyas in Horizon called a meeting in 1867 to discuss the problem. This brought infighting, over 150 Ecstatics came to the Council discuss the matter, with the older mages accusing the new mages of shattering Sh'zar dream by turning into a group of self-serving revolutionaries that caused conflict wherever they went and the newer ones calling the Divyas in their cowardice, saying that ecstasy was never supposed to be kind. That was when a miracle happened, and in a cloud of hashish Sh'zar suddenly appeared, making clear he was a Master of Time. Even if he didn't understood the times, he definitely knew the problem. He spoke for hours, reminded his descendants that the highest passion was supposed to be Joy and not Hate and poured the accumulated misery of all the victims of the renegades onto the crowd just for them to understand. He explained the that the cult was now a tool of vengeance and not enlightment, and their mission was to bring ecstasy to the people, to heal humanity and not just indulge in sensations and anger. He knew that the way the Cult was headed was only to end in the Cult own destruction, that instead of spread passion among people they were just fighting over national interests and propaganda. Like the Maenads of old, the Cult of Bacchus lacked vision, was violent and devoured others who could have been inspired. In other words, the Cult of Bacchus was devoted to self-gratification and orgies of violence, so Sh'zar final decision was to change its name to Cult of Ecstasy, one who would be devoted to exploration and breaking personal boundaries of enlightment and passion. The Tradition as a whole embraced again the Code of Ananda, and Sh'zar vanished as he appeared. Nobody knows what happened with him, maybe he jumped into a future crisis or maybe he is still floating in the realms of time, adjusting things here and there across history.

Bruce at 22:41, 17 March 2017

2017-03-17T22:41:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:41, 17 March 2017
Line 43:		Line 43:
	==== Music ====		==== Music ====
	Music is one of the safest kamamarga, and even if slow offers an experience that no other focus can replicate if done correctly. Young Ecstatics consider that even if all music have potential, rock music brings a resonance only matched by primitive drumming. The most important point behind music is the passion, when there is caring and the artist is trying to say something with it, the music itself carries the power.		Music is one of the safest kamamarga, and even if slow offers an experience that no other focus can replicate if done correctly. Young Ecstatics consider that even if all music have potential, rock music brings a resonance only matched by primitive drumming. The most important point behind music is the passion, when there is caring and the artist is trying to say something with it, the music itself carries the power.

			== History ==
			Being the Tradition that has taken the seat of Time, trying to describe their history in any sensible and continuous means is understandably difficult. Keep in mind that any Ecstatic that is asked the history of the Cult may, quite readily, laugh at the questioner. Some may take pity and attempt to explain a thing or two. Certain events can be pointed to, but fixing their exact location on the timeline is not necessarily even possible.

			It is better to think of the Cult's history as a stone skipping across the waters of the timestreams and you've come to as close of an analogy as possible to the truth of it. Given that, some events and a timeline can be pointed out.

			=== Ancient History ===
			There were always people who felt the World's Heartbeat. Some were called shamans, others artists or madmen, but they were all the same. Some believe that the very first time that the human mind was able to grasp the Lakashim was when the primate ancestors ate hallucinogenic fungi and plants, so mystic insight and abstract reasoning were shown to them for the first time, but nobody really knows when it began. The few who continued down that path were masters of crazy wisdom and seekers of what other supressed in their fear. The Vedas, the oldest texts of Sanskrit literature, would be compiled later becoming the basis of early Hindu thought, becoming the basis to the people who lived along the Indus River and in some way to the foundations of what would be the Cult of Ecstasy. Religions were born around passions, with gods who represented them. Aphrodite, Astarte, Dionysus, Freyja, Tlaloc, Ga-Oh, Shakti, Shiva...

			=== Greece and Rome ===
			During Greece clasical age, the Dionysian tradition was inherited from Thrace and with it, wild festivals and reverly. They celebrated all the aspects of intoxicated insight, both in celebration and wrath, trascending their own mortality. Dionysus was a god of inspiration, one who brought joy and also roused anger, all while rejected normal vision to substitute it with fantasy. One its the most infamous followers were the ''Maenads'', an all-female cult that ended all their festivities with human sacrifice, while one of the most friendly were the Roman ''Bacchantes'', witty artists and philosophers with inhuman tolerance to alcohol.

			Aristotle, even if not Awakened, would be one of the preponents of the Cult's ideology in the Nicomachean Ethics, claiming that the greatest goal of all human being is to achieve happiness. A society of happiness is one who strives to realize their greatest potential, being true happiness something eternal that requieres work and not just momentary gratification.

			But finally repression arrived and in 186 BCE the Roman Senate, alarmed by the ''Bacchanalia'', outlawed all lodges and play-houses of Bacchus (the Roman Dionysus), the communions and celebrations were ended and their followers were forced to flee or they were imprisoned. Separated, only a few were able to touch the Lakashim alone, and even them met with the government and were supressed. But even outlawed, the festivals continued in secret along the Mediterranean, in the form of communities of storytellers that discussed fantasy and imagination in a serious manner.

			=== Mesoamerica ===
			At this point in time Mayans were not part of the Cult of Ecstasy, as the Cult had not existed yet, but they had their own Ecstatic practices. Priests offered blood, burned it and gave it to heaven for the rejoicing of their gods, entering in Ecstatic trances without the need of other substances and the Lakashim flowing freely through them. They looked into the future to gain good fortune for their people's sake, so it was ecstasy tempered with responsibility, with the priest being the sole sacrifice of the ceremonies.

			=== Dark Ages ===
			It was a long time without actual organization for the Ecstatics. In Europe, the Roman Empire was dying, Christianity was spreading like fire and Ecstatics ideals survived in the theaters and philosophy even after the outlaw of the Bacchanalian rites. In America, the Aztecs subverted the previous ways and with their human sacrifices pushed other people against their wills into the position of the sacrifices.

			=== Tantra ===
			In Asia, Buddhism rised along with other obscure cults in Hinduism, and around the 500 AD the Shakti cults were arising. Those were fundamented in the divine and feminine power of a mother goddess, and they would be integrated into mainstream Hinduism. A confrontration began between the followers of Buddhism and Hinduism, getting the first esoteric knowledge and support from western China and the latter getting a hold in the caste social structure. At the end, Buddhism became a mystery cult in the Hindu doctrine, but Muslims invaded India and with that the Buddhism mysticism fused with the Hindu theology to create Tantra as the Cult knows it today. With it, the Lakashim awakened again in the form of spirituality, sex rites, dance, worship, meditation, alchemy and mysticism. Muslims had little patience for the Tantric ways, given that they stood against a lot of foundations of their own beliefs, so they had a special animadversion against it but the region that held all the centuries of development of Buddhism and Hinduism resisted against them.

			=== Sh'zar the Seer ===
			At the late Dark Ages, a conspiracy arose. It was one that denied ecstasy and other forms of mysticism, one that burned the Sanskrit writings of the Vedas and the Tantric alchemical recipes declaring all of them lies. It was the Order of Reason. A Seer saw the coming storm and his prophesy was clear, Magic would die unless all magicians banded under the same flag to counter this new threat. Nobody believed him at first, but soon they noticed they fooly and understood the truth in his words. He was the one called Sh'zar, and he would be the founder of the Cult of Ecstasy Tradition under the name of the Seers of Chronos.