We are Magi. We have existed since time immemorial. We reincarnate repeatedly, and remember our past lives generally in our teens or twenties, though each death strips us of close to 95% of our memories. We spend our lifetimes relearning what we once knew. All our memories still live within us. With effort we can trigger them.

We are Magi of power. We speak the language of creation, Sehimu Thinara, also known as the Serpent’s Tongue. We do not know why we are special among humanity. Some of us try to teach the mutes, but though their tongues can form the words, their Will cannot power the effects. We, on the other hand, use Sehimu Thinara to restructure Reality. Written Sehimu Thinara is called Awatum.

We are Magi from Eden. We do not know where it was or why we left or whether we can return. We know most of us carry trace memories of joy there. We know a few of us were very unhappy. We know that Cain existed and still exists. Whether he is a savior or a destroyer is a great debate.

We are Magi at war. Originally, we fought to defend Earth against Outsiders — beings from the Void hungry for the rich world we inhabit. More and more, we fight among ourselves. We have broken into factions. Few Magi are able to live factionless. Without friends, Magi become fodder in this war.

We are Magi under the Ordo Principia. We created a neutral organization to help Magi of all factions. We fill a special chest with knowledge and power. When we die, the Ordo recovers that chest for us, and returns it to us when our memories return in our next life to kickstart our awakening. The Ordo is magickally guarded against corruption. Tamper with it at your peril.

We are Magi after the Tower. Those who wished to recreate Eden banded together and raised up the Tower of Ba’bel. The monolith stretched into the heavens and became a beacon of learning, a repository of wisdom. Of that, no one disputes. But some said it was something else: all that knowledge was just bait to draw us into a trap. Those who believed this toppled The Tower.

We are Magi estranged. Any hope for peace died the day The Tower fell. Each faction has its own idea of what needs to happen next.

We are Magi constrained. “The tonal” is the flavor of Reality, the baseline rules by which everything operates. Given enough Will and the right phrases of Sehimu Thinara, anything is possible, from a single stone that levitates to changing the gravitational constant of the universe as a whole. Salt and salt water weight the tonal on Earth and keep it from shifting. Salt retards magick. Our oceans are one reason that Earth is so stable. But the other reason is the Keepers, three of the Magi factions who work together to set the tonal to minimize the free flow of magick. They claim to do this to avoid another Fall. Others say they just enjoy control. The Keeper magickal strength outstrips all other factions combined.

We are Magi awakening. In the early 1800s, Magi stopped reincarnating. Fewer and fewer of us lived on Earth, extending their lives with magick, praying for our return. Then, in 2012 C.E., we began reincarnating in droves: all the Magi that have ever lived seem to be awakening together. Why the Age of Silence? Why the new Age of Awakening? No one seems to know. We awaken to a new world. The mutes innovated while we slept; the Outsiders we once held at bay gained toeholds on our Earth; and the rules of magick changed. Now Keepers worry. Cain stirs again. And each Magi must ask their heart: what do I believe?