The Silver Ladder, a humanist Order dedicated to the ideal of lifting every human soul to its natural level of enlightenment, healing the Fallen World of the Exarchs’ influence.
Order Rote Skills: Expression, Persuasion, Subterfuge
Magic is Humanity’s Birthright
All souls reach for enlightenment. Traitor-Gods have chained humanity’s souls with a grand Lie, yet humanity still strives for truth and divinity. The dream of Awakened destiny will endure, even in a ruined realm of Tyrannical rule.
It is the duty of those more advanced to reach down and free the others, raise their fellows up, bringing everyone to their own perfection. A helping hand is only of use if the recipient has the Will to climb, though. The Awakened have hefted themselves up the first rungs on their own, but the climb — the Ladder — is all there is.
The Silver Ladder is invested in the Diamond and Pentacle as a whole, not just the goals of their Order — beyond their status as creators and definers of Awakened society, the Ladder requires them to advise other mages on the best path to freeing humanity from the Lie. The Enemy seeks to keep humanity in chains, turning their slaves towards keeping the Sleeping rabble ignorant and Quiescent.
The Order defies those efforts by dreaming big, spreading the flame of Awakening and sundering the chains of the Lie. They create Cryptopolies, mystery cults that encourage Sleepers towards enlightened behaviour, continually working to counter the Seers’ influence over humanity. More than any other Order, they seek out and shelter families of Proximi in the hopes of fostering an enlightened class of human.
Ladder mages (who call themselves théarchs) settle disputes between Awakened, believing in a unified mage-nation. The Ladder is the glue holding Awakened society together, including the Seers (if only by opposition). Their ethos of personal rights and mediation of conflict form the backbone of the Pentacle, the Consilia, and especially Convocations.
The Ladder is even responsible for the Diamond’s legal system, Lex Magica. It was they who pronounced the sovereignty of the individual mage, citing commandments from the unseen Supernal Oracles. It was they who linked magic to an unknowable past of wonder and supremacy. It was they who created the Diamond, and then the Pentacle, by holding the other Orders from interfering with the formation of the Free Council.
Consequently, even when the mages of the Ladder don’t hold political positions, they remain interested in societal politics. A Hierarch from a different Order will often find himself picking up several unofficial advisors, and théarchs are the first to volunteer themselves as mediators and communicators.
Mages join the Silver Ladder when they want to grasp control of their lives; when they want to help Sleepers become more enlightened, or to help individual loved ones to Awakening; when they admire classical Awakened society and wish to perpetuate it; or if they feel a call to public office not out of a need to serve but to lead.
Core Beliefs
The Elemental Precepts
The Ladder espouses a legalistic philosophy that leads members towards brash yet introspective personalities, steadfast in their beliefs yet compromising when it comes to maintaining the overall integrity of Awakened society.
It’s simple, but all-encompassing. Much of the Diamond Orders’ cohesive philosophy and structures owe their genesis to the Silver Ladder. Even the name “Diamond” originated with the precept, rather than geometry (there were five Diamond Orders when first formed, thanks to the Mysterium’s late unification.) Despite the complexity of the Lex Magica, the Elemental Precepts are deceptively simple
Thunder: Imperium is the Sovereign Right of all Humanity
There is no original sin, no deserving of the punishment levied by a Fallen World. Ascension is the birthright of all human souls, denied by the Exarchs’ Lies. Sleepers can’t see past the distractions of a World that keeps them from self-actualization, destroying one another’s chances of escape in a vast prisoner’s dilemma.
In response, the Ladder strives toward a perfected society, defined by mastery of magic and progress towards Awakening and Ascension.
Diamond: The Awakened are One Nation
Mages have a common bond to the Time Before and the Supernal, constituting a nation and rendering all citizens beholden to the law within a perfected and equivalent array. Banishers and Seers are obviously in open rebellion and are to be treated as such, but they still have rights and privileges as mages.
The Awakened are bound to Consilia, which they must exalt above any Sleeper government. This principle was extended even in the Ladder’s ancient days, precipitating the formation and structure of the Diamond Orders and their millennia-long association.
Blood: The Sleepers Follow
Once all souls are free, the Exarchs will surrender or be annihilated, their conceptual identity relegated to mere theory. The perfect Awakened city will arise, not some time-lost ruin that Fell but a true utopia the Ladder will build.
Humanity will rise as one, and then the Ladder’s true work will begin. Until that point, the Ladder leads, commanding Sleepers for their own good and against their own unwise impulses.
Star: The Silver Ladder is the Path to Victory
The Ladder defines the stages of enlightenment souls progress up, from laborers to Ascended Sages; but despite the Free Council’s rhetoric, the Ladder believes that everyone and anyone deserves the right to move to a rung that best suits her, even if it’s not at the top.
Let artists be artists, let managers, manage… and let mages work miracles. Awakened souls have a destiny and an obligation to uplift the Sleepers and bring Sleepwalkers to Awakening.
Origins
The Ladder grew from the intersection of low-born cultural mages and proto-Stoic philosophers in the ancient world; when Plato spoke of the duty of those who left the cave to turn back and help others, the Ladder’s founders listened at his feet. By the time the Diadochi Wars erupted in Alexander’s wake, the spat-upon hedge practitioners had reinvented themselves as respected sages, claiming the mantle of philosopher-king from proud Pelasgian traditions.
The creation of a mythic, respected past before the teachings of Plato was the foundation of Atlantis, the ideal upon which the Diamond functions and subsumes all others. After surviving an early schism where those who thought that those less enlightened should worship their betters (and mages should worship the Tyrants — this group split off to become the ancestors of the Seers), proto-théarchs successfully forged alliances within Hellenistic culture and formed the Diamond with the other nascent Orders
The Diamond systems of Consilium and Convocation were Ladder inventions, and they retain a slim majority of leadership roles still. Order philosophy has evolved from an enlightened ruler to describing the perfect mage as a Sage, a wise advisor who enables her charges and empowers those she leads. They take the roles of teachers, wise authority figures, and counsellors when dealing with Cryptopolies.
Théarchs have even been known to make common cause with the Seers, when something threatens the Awakened as a people. They did so during the First Crusade’s Siege of Jerusalem, to preserve their power over the Sleepers of the Holy Land and stave off mutual annihilation by the soul-stealing demon Desiderus. So again, when Atlantean symbolism failed in a Triangle centred on the Pirate Republic of Nassau, caused by a democracy-devoted Nameless Order seizing power.
Mysteries
Théarchs look for Mysteries that give clues to the great ladder of being, especially Sleepwalkers who manifest magical abilities, ancient records of the Awakened, and Supernal Entities. Save perhaps the Mysterium, the Ladder is the Order most obsessed with finding temples and artifacts of Atlantis.
Despite the dangerous, oddly contradictory, and often Paradox-ridden nature of the ruins, théarchs justify their actions in search of such relics, trying to grant the Awakened pride in their past and a vision of a united future. In doing so, they hope to continually climb their Ladder. Théarchs are dedicated to the goal of freeing every soul from its shackles — Sleepers must be encouraged to Awaken, and the Awakened towards Ascension.
Magical Symbolism: Authority
The Ladder is responsible for the Diamond’s claim to wisdom from an ancient ur-culture, and it strives ever to maintain that magical symbolism in the form of the Diamond and Pentacle. They are Vox Draconis: Voice of the Dragon, priests of Atlantis, granted primacy not because of conferred authority or divine right but recognition of wise leadership. Théarchs often use the trappings of priests and other authority figures as Yantras, but they’re a humanist priesthood, exalting the potential of humanity rather than gods.
As befits a global outlook, théarchs claim symbols of authority from many cultures as tools. Their symbolism incorporates badges of law and judges’ robes. Théarchs also tend to adopt the personal trappings of the strongest member of their Order within a given Consilium. The modern Order doesn’t use crowns or royal regalia. Besides being too ostentatious for good taste, it’s a reminder that a théarch’s purpose isn’t to rule, but to lead.
Hubris
Hubris is a coward’s word; magic is the right of every human being. Destiny lies in Ascension, in forcing reality to bend the knee. Paradox is a curse imposed by The Abyss, and The Abyss is the creation of the Enemy. Rhetoric aside, Ladder mages go too far when they overestimate their abilities and ignore advice when it advises them against acting boldly or in accordance with their pronouncements.
They also succumb to Hubris when they mistake the role of a leader for the role of a sovereign, or when they spin Cryptopolies and Consilium politics into temporal power, neglecting the eternal truth and grand vision their tenets stem from. Lastly, they commit unwise acts when, ironically, they believe their Wisdom to be paramount above all others, especially Sleepers.
Concepts
Cabal Negotiator
“We’re agreed,” their leader says, a member of the Ladder himself. It’s been a hard month of negotiation; one cabal’s ley line configuration is another’s Resonance nightmare, and this Consilium has seen enough bloodshed.
I wear the title of solitary as a badge of honour. Because I’m beholden to none but myself, I can represent the interests of all within the Consilium. More than that, I can represent the interests of the Awakened. This particular Resonance will shepherd the Sleepers towards introspection, and hopefully, enlightenment. It’s been a good month.
Self-Help Guru
I step into the spotlight, shining bright and hot on my black suit. Before me stretches a packed auditorium; behind me, my own face is blown up to monstrous proportions on a high-definition screen. It doesn’t capture the silver of my jewellery quite right, and the etched pentacles on my buttons don’t quite show up. “Help me, help you,” I say, and the crowd roars.
I talk about climbing the ladder of our lives, how we all get tired and rest on rungs, but how we must keep climbing or fall. They feel it speaking to them, even if their souls struggle to understand. If one of them grasps a rung, it’ll all be worth it… but even if they don’t, I’ll pass what I know down the ladder.
Stereotypes
Arrow:
Loyalty, honour, and service. We cannot ask for more.
Guardians:
Every tale has its necessary villains, and fear must go along with love for effective rule.
Mysterium:
Reclaimers of our birthright. We climb the ladder, but they blaze the trail.
Free Council:
Even democracy must recognize the firsts among equals.
Seers:
True wisdom comes from leading all, including your enemies.
Lore Bite
Please don’t take my pronouncement during the apprentices’ gathering too seriously. You’re all full-grown adults, but children among mages. Look down on it from our view: if you’re not heavy-handed, it won’t be taken seriously. Accuse publicly, apologize privately, which brings us here.
You’ve been approached by the other Orders, and I don’t doubt they’ve been persuasive. We all want you to join and bring your unique talents to aid the Consilium. Any of them could teach you what it means to be Awakened. I see in you something else, though. Ambition, desire, enjoyment of the freedom magic offers. Hold fast to that feeling; every spell cast in joy and liberty is a victory for humanity.
The Orders are all worthy endeavours. They have their place. We define those places and link them. It was we who seized the inheritance from Atlantis, who forged a Diamond from the base common elements remaining from our precursors, who formed a Pentacle against the onslaught of the Throne. With us, the exile ended, and all of human history was rendered interregnum between when mages ruled and when mages will rule. It begins again with us, here and now.
I’ve got to address the apprentices again before the full moon, teach them how to properly declare their position with their mentors before the Consilium. It’d be my honour if you’d lead the way by teaching others. They’ll all join other Orders in the end, but we must build bridges and lead the way.
Climb the Ladder, and others will follow.