Marauders (World of Darkness)

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The Marauders are a fictional group of mages in the role-playing game Mage: The Ascension embodying Dynamism. Marauders are chaos mages. They are completely insane. To other mages, they appear immune to paradox effects, often using vulgar magic to accomplish their insane tasks.

Whereas Nephandi embody a corruption seductive to mages, Marauders represent the other narrative extreme, the repellent and frightening corruption of unrestrained power, of dynamism unchecked. "There but for the grace of the One go I," as Chorus mages put it.

Marauders possess understanding without wisdom. Having snapped under the strain of awareness, they are now unpredictable rogues.

Chaos Mages demonstrate the virtue of discipline, because their lack of discipline leaves them tormented maniacs.

Chaos and dynamism incarnate manifest in the Marauders. Some mages simply go over the edge, blown into total magical madness by their mystic awareness. Driven by cracked thoughts that only they can understand, the Marauders work without any cohesion or plan, each one simply twisting the world into a crazed design.

Marauders are insane mages whose Avatars have been warped by their mental instability, and who exist in a state of permanent Quiet.

While any mage who favors Dynamism may experience a form of madness in their Quiet, Marauders embody Dynamism; the real world is translated into their fractured version by a constant, subconscious use of vulgar magic.

Within the bubble of alternate reality that surrounds them, their hallucinations and bizarre rules are real; objects and creatures that come into contact with the bubble are transformed to fit in with its rules. They return to normal once the Marauder moves on, without any evidence of what happened, though the effects of conscious magic remain. Awakened mages and supernatural creatures who enter a Marauder's bubble may recognise that something is wrong, as may anyone who possesses some kind of supernatural awareness. The size and power of the Marauder's reality is directly related to the strength of their resonance, which is also dominantly Dynamic, though it may also have touches of Static and Entropic resonance.

The external Quiet of a Marauder protects them from Paradox; their alternate reality supports their paradigm, so the vulgar magic they use doesn't violate the rules of that reality. That doesn't mean they don't attract Paradox, only that most of the backlash is deflected onto other Awakened beings outside the Marauder's bubble.

While the nature of a Marauder's power may make them seem invincible, they are still severely hampered by their madness. They cannot become Archmages, as they lack sufficient insight and are incapable of appreciating truths which do not suit their madness.

[edit] Organisation

Marauders are generally loners, though it is sometimes possible for a small group of them (called a "fusion") to share the same Quiet. There is also the infamous "Umbral Underground", a loose collection of Marauder terrorists who fight the forces of Static and Entropic reality. The most famous cell are the Butcher Street Regulars, famous for their acts of "zooterrorism". This group has grown weak since the Avatar Storm, cut off from their leaders and the mythical beasts they commonly interacted with in the Umbra. They are now led by the Regular's leader, Robert Davenport, a highly self-aware Marauder.

The most terrifying group, however, is the Chaioth ha-Quadesh. Formerly known as Bai Dai, these mages believe that it might be possible to restore the old days of free magic by eliminating several billion humans, making the consensus easier to manipulate. The disparate Bai Dai have been organised by a cabal called the Sitrin. They kill large numbers of people as often as possible. Like the Underground, they are divided into smaller groups whose members' Quiets generally agree with one another's. Chaioth ha-Quadesh generally have a static (Clarity) Quiet distinct from their permanent Quiet, into which they sometimes slip.

[edit] Version differences

In the second edition, Marauders were much more cogent and likely to operate in groups, with the Umbral Underground using the Umbra to infiltrate any location and wreak havoc with the aid of bygones. They were also associated heavily with other perceived agents of Dynamism, particularly the Changing Breeds (who equate Dynamism with the Wyld) and sometimes Changelings. For example, the Marauders chapter in The Book of Madness is narrated by a Corax named Johnny Gore, who relates his experiences running with the Butcher Street Regulars.

In the revised edition, Marauders were made darker and less coherent, in keeping with the more serious treatment of madness used for Malkavians in Revised Vampire. The Avatar Storm was a very convenient explanation for the Underground's loss of power and influence, though they also became more vulnerable to Paradox. In this edition, the Regulars are a cell of the Underground, and like the other cells have highly compatible Quiets.