[Mage: the Awakening 101] Metaphysics Part 3, Moros

Moros

The Moros Awaken by finding themselves called towards Stygia, the land of the Dead.  Surrounded by the metaphysical reflection of one of life’s greatest and most inevitable truth, the souls that find their way here are transformed, shedding off materialistic needs and fleeting pleasures as they realize that all things will fade in time. It is no wonder then that the Moros tend to be contemplative and thoughtful, knowing that this is the only life they have, and that they had better make the most of it.  The Moros are also the mages who are most interested in the process of transformation, of shedding the old and bringing in the new.

Many of those who awaken to this path have a close association with either Death or materialism.  Doctors, Morticians and Hitmen are among those who find themselves reaching the kind of epiphany required to find themselves in Stygia, while Bankers and Industrialists may find their experience in Stygia to be most enlightening.

The Moros are notable for their command over two very interesting arcana: Death and Matter

Death is the Arcana that governs ghosts, shadows, weakness and decay.  How someone or something die, the rate of decay and manipulating the dead all fall under this Arcana.   While somewhat difficult to use, this Arcana is remarkably helpful in investigative games involving murder, enabling the Moros to speak with the dead, determine or obscure a cause of death, and even raise the dead as zombies.

It doesn’t take a large stretch of the imagination to recognize that Death is a powerful Arcana in combat.  Enervating the enemy, destroying their weapons and summoning ghosts and raising zombies to bolster their numbers is just a few of the things that a Death mage can bring to bear.  Add the metaphysical fact that shadows fall under their purview, and Death mages are also capable of setting up excellent ambushes, using the cover of darkness.

Matter is the Arcana that controls states and properties of non-living things.  With it machines can be made more efficient, circuits more conductive, and concrete walls given the elasticity of a rubber band.  Even at the lowest levels of Matter Magic a mage can discern chemical compositions of substances, identify traces of possible evidence in a crime scene, and determine how long a drunken person had passed by from chemical trails from his breath.

In combat Matter mages might not seem all that special compared to the flashy spells of Space or Time, but the ability to turn your shirt into the equivalent of a kevlar vest, or amplify the accuracy of your weapon can’t be overlooked.  Forcing a target to lose his footing by making the asphalt melt, or giving him a nasty surprise by making his armor as tough as wet tissue paper are also good tricks to use.