Euthanatos

*Death isn't just a word to me -- It's Genesis...*

Death is not an end but simply part of a larger cycle. Life picks up where death leaves off, and death finishes what life begins, bringing it back around for another go at things. Sometimes, a life becomes toxic to everything nearby. At that point, death becomes a blessing… a blessing the Euthanatos Tradition is ready to bestow.

The Euthanatos… or, more correctly, Euthanatoi… see themselves as keepers of the Wheel. That’s a problematic duty, with fear and corruption its perpetual companions. The will to live is strong, and so the “good death” mages often find themselves cast in the murderer’s role. Even the kindest of them – the ones who become medical professionals, priests, grief counselors, and so forth – spend most of their time around death and its complex passions. Each member of the group has himself died and been reborn. In a literal sense, the Euthanatoi carry a bit of death everywhere they go.

The group’s name itself has been problematic. Aside from the mangled Greek in its common form, that “good death” title has defined the Tradition in murderous terms. Many Thanatoics prefer the old name, Chakravanti, or “people of the Wheel.” As the Council moves toward its new form, the pressure to return to that name – or to choose another, Niyamavanti, “people of our Rule,” that lacks the baggage of those old names – increases. After all, if individuals can reincarnate themselves, why shouldn’t the Tradition based around reincarnation do the same?

Reincarnation forms a vital part of this Tradition. These mages don’t just believe in it – they know from personal experience that reincarnation exists. Rooted in a fusion of reincarnationist creeds from India, Greece, Africa, Tibet, and elsewhere, the group keeps the Great Wheel spinning. In the old days, this was easier. People lived, they died, they joined the Wheel and returned to live new lives. But between the spread of one-life creeds, materialist atheism, resuscitation techniques, titanic wars, and the sheer number of living and dying people, the Great Cycle has been jammed. Abominations like vampires and other undead things have multiplied. The material and spiritual realms have been packed with ghosts of many kinds, and although the Avatar Storm might have offered a housecleaning of sorts, the Wheel has required… shall we say, more direct forms of maintenance. And so, reincarnationists have, all too often, been forced to become killers. Even so, life, not death, is the true heart of this Tradition. Above all things, the Wheel must be maintained.

## Organization

Like their Verbena and Ecstatic allies, the Chakravanti pursue a sometimes sinister Path that other mages often fear and rarely understand. Yet among the Traditions, this group is perhaps the most ethical. Their awful responsibility demands no less. The group’s strict code – the Dharmachakra, or “Eight-Spoked Wheel of the Law” – emphasizes the Cycle (Samsara); unity of all things (Advaita); acceptance of mortality (Kala); responsible guardianship (Pravitra); self-control (Dama); compassion (Daya); avoidance of temptation (Tapas); and the personal experience of death and rebirth (Punarjanman). Although the group itself lacks rigid hierarchies, all members of this Tradition are expected to know and follow this code, on pain of final death and removal from the Wheel.

This strict code requires strong bonds between mentors and initiates. As a result, although the death-Tradition contains many different sects, the relationship between a teacher (Acarya) and her student (Chatra) is essential. The Chatra swears a Vrata (“life-oath”) to both his mentor and to the Tradition as a whole. Breaking that oath disgraces not only the student but the teacher as well… and compels the Acarya to hunt her student down for punishment.

## Factions and Sects

As a diverse Tradition, the Euthanatoi gather groups of mages from all over the globe into their fold. The only real requirements are that the group believes in Fate and the inevitability of death and rebirth. The Tradition itself formed by necessity to preserve their magic, as the rites of death and fate were proscribed and it may not have survived following orthodoxy. Each culture that found their place in the Tradition had its own way to approach the Wheel-spinning arts, but focusing on their similarities instead of their differences they embraced a diversity that for them proved that the truth of the Wheel is greater than any single paradigm.

Several of these factions have their own sub-sects and specializations, as well as histories that are as venerable as those of whole Traditions.

### Aided

Celtic death mages and druids who sought shelter within the Euthanatoi from Christian persecution and have since maintained a strong group identity. Despite being at the far end of Indo-European migration, the *Aided* (a word for legends detailing the death of heroes, or *Death Tale*) had much in common with the indian Chakravanti. They were the ones in charge of “killing” the winter allowing the growing months to appear, to administer the geasa to ensure the well-being of the people, and to doom prideful kings and heroes who tried to cheat the Wheel. That focus is what made them reject the Verbena to instead join the thanatoic Tradition.

They believe that everyone is bound by a geasa that direct everyone to their destiny, and those who violate their geasa are doomed to suffer misfortune until their next life. That doesn't mean people have to follow their fate blindly, but that they should be humble and less active outside of her chosen path. Even if the Aided have a strong cultural identity they are very practical, so they can switch roles or even devote equal time to them.

* **Corriguinech**: Assassins who follow the triple-goddess Morrígan and employ a combination of poetic curses, martial combat, and tools that are both practical and symbolic of the Celtic gods. Their name, meaning *death cranes* refers to the ability of the God Lugh to extract power from the Otherworld. They see rage as an instrument to enhance their abilities and channel the power of the Triple Goddess, while also bounding themselves to geasa. That combination gives them great power but also leads the Corriguinech to their fated doom.
* **Filidh**: Seers and practical wizards who watch over local communities, often employing animal husbandry, protective magic, and weather-crafting for the benefit of their flock. Their name comes from the old gaelic word to describe prophetic poets. The god of healing Dian Cecht is a popular patron for them, but the god of death Donn is also revered when one of the community dies. That close relationship means that the Filidh makes sure to watch over the graves of the recently deceased to make sure they don't come back as undead.

### Chakravanti

The oldest group of Euthanatoi who represent the Tradition's core identity and ethos. The Chakravanti (or *People of the Wheel*) formed from the union of the numerous Thanatoic cults in the southern India during the Himalayan Wars against the Akashic Brotherhood. Ancient even by the time of the Grand Convocation, they have been able to maintain their ways while also encouraging an ever-expanding array of cultures and methods. This has been shown in present times by having two main faces to the faction, the traditionalist Natapas and the innovative Lhaksmists. Even if they have a common cultural identity, the Chakravanti don't act as a single organizational body except when there is an important reason to do so. In the past there were more sects within the Chakravanti, like the Handura, the Dacoits and the Sapindya Sadananda, but they were destroyed or fell.

They believe in the reincarnation of souls, follow Vedic customs and believe that lives prosper or wither according to the karma that they accrue. For them, magic (or Siddhi) are the representation of a enlightement that allows to make contact with the oversoul, exchanging karmic attributes for that of a divine being or universal property.

* **Devasu**: The *holy arrows* are a new sect of assassins and death mages which has taken over responsibility for protecting Thanatoic cults and holdings from outsiders. They formed to serve as a replacement of the Consanguinity of Eternal Joy and proved themselves by defending the Tradition against the Technocratic operations in the Week of Nightmares. They use martial arts and yoga to channel the power of the god Rudra, the archer of the gods and another manifestation of Shiva as a purifying force. Unlike the old Consanguinity, they do not serve as a policing force inside the Tradition, leaving that role to the Albireo.
* **Lhaksmists**: With the name of goddess Lakshmi, these mages focus entirely on luck and manifestations of chance. They rely on total randomness in just about everything — magic, living or even important decisions. Though traditionally associated with gods or goddesses of luck, many modern Lhaksmists see information theory, mathematics, and quantum physics as areas where the dictates of karma manifest. Lhakmists embrace cutting edge technology and don't want to just see new ideas as affirmation of the old ones, but to call them into question and update the Thanatoic paradigm for the 21st century. That makes them the most revolutionary sect of the Euthanatoi.
* **Natatapas**: One of the two original Chakravanti sects (the other being the Consanguinity of Eternal Joy), these Natapas (*holy dancers*) are a conservative group who practice Shaktism, Shaivism, Hinduism and Buddhism while preserving the oldest Thanatoic rites. Originally a female only sect, they abandoned that limitation while their rites are still overseen by the Dakini, female wheel-turners. Their arts focus in the act or merging oneself with the vedic deities and serve as a conduit for their power to affect the world. Their withdrawn world-view makes them suspicious of other Traditions, but the Natatapas make up a reasonable, if conservative, group.

### Hierochthonoi

Descendants of Chthonic cults from Greece and Rome, the **Hierochthonoi** (*priests of the earth*) are less an organized group and more category of those Euthanatoi who employ Hellenic rituals and beliefs. Unlike other greco-Roman pagans, these mages don't employ traditional sacrifices or worship, instead choosing to rather sacrifice themselves by the act of doing their duty. Other than the urban Olympian gods, there were gods of the earth who regulated life and death, and these mages traditionally worshipped them in caves or natural sanctuaries close to nature and the underworld. During Alexander the Great times they found the Chakravanti in India, and centuries later when the Tradition was stablished they renewed ties and acted as a bridge between the thanatoic groups and the more European Traditions. From this exchange, the Tradition got its name and the omega as its heraldic symbol.

Members typically draw upon the power of deities who regulate destiny, death, and the Underworld. The Hierochthonoi believe in Fate and natural order, with only the foolish and prideful opposing it via wanton destruction, disrespect for the dead and betrayal of the laws of hospitality. All of those acts of hubris are punished by misfortune or death. By channeling the power of these gods through excellence and compassionate wisdom, the mage takes on their divine attributes.

* **Knights of Radamanthys**: Originally called the Knights of Nyssa, they were an offshoot of the Pomegranate Deme who formed in 1144 to act as guards for Chthonic cults, and later became their own group as highly sought mercenaries for the other Traditions in the Ascension War. One of the more popular sects, they offer their command of entropy and fearsome fighting skills only for causes that they feel are just. Their magic centers on vows of loyalty to their patron and the promise to judge fairly who should live or die, combines knightly sacraments with faith of the chthonic gods. They are very cosmopolitan, and the relations to other Traditions makes them very open to other magical arts.
* **Pomegranate Deme**: A collection of pre-Christian mystery cults that focus on the triple goddess Demeter, Hekate, Kore-Persephone, and the Fates. Their numbers have been steadily declining as new Awakened join other, less theological, sects of the Tradition. They study the mysteries of these goddesses and the Greek Underworld, the modern sect recognizes these goddesses as a metaphor for the larger threefold cycle of creation, with the Maiden representing the primal potential of creation, the Mother giving birth to its form, and the Crone presiding over its necessary end. Some of this group mastered the Spell of Life and became the Cabiri, losing Sphere magic, but adquiring potent linear arts to compensate.

### Madzimbabwe

An ancient society from Africa, the Madzimbabwe (*courts* in Shona) have long protected their people by learning from ancestor spirits and quietly dispatching evil with poisons and disease. Theirs is a heritage of ghost-calling, soothing and compassion from the old cities of Africa, like the Great Zimbabwe when it had a civilization before European invasions and colonizations. From those times, what remains are the name of the group and their leader, the old man Senex. Even centuries before the Grand Convocation, the Madzimbabwe existed as a group with common rites and goals, linking their history to the citadel of Great Zimbabwe as common meeting place for mages in southern Africa. From there different *courts* dotted the landscape, giving that name to their modern incarnation. They opposed the Ngoma, who the Madzimbabwe blame for the fall of the city. Despite centuries of decline and weakening identity, their numbers are growing and they have become a greater presence in the Euthanatoi.

Madzimbabwe act as secret benefactors for their people. The ghost of the ancestors are revered and asking guidance for the affairs of the living. Magic represents both sides, using the knowledge and wisdom of the dead to help the living and to fight against the influence of evil spirits. As illness and poisons are tools used to eliminate the wicked, some can see them as the witches who create misfortunes, never realizing they are acting as benefactors to their people.

* **N'anga**: The name for the traditional healers for the Shona people, these mages are devoted to ancestor spirits in the form of Wraiths, Umbroods, or even the Avatar. They know and understand the differences between those types of spirits, but see them as parts of the movement of the whole Cycle, which makes them consider the urgings of the Avatar as important as the ones from other spirits. They watch and fight against the evil spirits that the ancestors they honor are more cautious about. The N'anga can be said to be the orthodox Madzimbabwe who consider themselves the inheritors of Great Zimbabwe.
* **Ta Kiti**: A subset of the Madzimbabwe tied to the Shona. They mix Santería and Voudun beliefs, while calling on the Iwa or Orishas (what they consider to be Ascended ancestors) for power and prophecy. While other members of the Tradition think they merge with divine beings, the Ta Kiti think that it works the other way around. Unlike the other Madzimbabwe, the Ta Kiti has declined in recent times, and the more abstract view of gods and ancestors that the Euthanatoi have as a whole don't mix perfectly with Ta Kiti's beliefs. Even so, the influence of their practices is evident within the Tradition.

### Vrati

The **Vrati** are groups dedicated to specific duties needed by the Tradition as a whole. Promising members are typically selected from other factions, promoting continued trust and understanding between the Vrati and their more spiritual brethren.

* **Albireo**: Once considered inter-Tradition diplomats, it has recently come to light that they have long policed internal threats to the Traditions. Their attack on the traitorous House Janissary has exposed their secret, and now Tradition mages are divided on whether to condemn or welcome their actions.
* **Chakramuni**: These mages track the cycle of reincarnation, particular the Avatars of mages. They research the Tradition's history, watch for the return of ancient dangers, and pursue practical applications for their knowledge of the soul.
* **Golden Chalice**: Assassins descend from ancient Byzantium who specialize in eliminating Nephandi and corrupt Sleepers. They are divided into two groups: the Alphas focus on infiltration, disguise, and poisons, while the Omegas are experts in hostage retrieval, demolitions, and executions.

### Other Factions

* **Pallottino**: A family of Italian death mages who preserve the magic of their Etruscan ancestors. They are only loosely associated with the Euthanatoi; they focus on protecting the graves of Italy's former rulers and preserving the rites that keep their ancestor spirits at peace.
* **Scholars of the Wheel:** The Scholars of the Wheel number a dozen or less, but the importance of their work grants them authority and influence within and without their Tradition. Simply put, the Scholars track souls and Avatars through their varied lives. Records of Rustam's samashti show that after the initial linguistic difficulties had been overcome, the Scholars dragged out their books, memories, abaci and (in one case) quipu and began enthusiastically filling in the holes in each other's genealogy of souls. Formed by reincarnationalists from all of the five cultural hubs of Thanatoic mages, the Scholars were the first Euthanatoi (rather than Chakravanti) sect.
* **Yggdrasil's Keepers**: Worshippers of Odin and Mímir, the Gallowsmen believe the gods take note of those who perform glorious deeds at great risk to themselves. Many study medicine and become combat medics so that the worthy can pursue their destinies.
* **Yum Cimil**: Secretive followers of Ah Puch who joined the Euthanatoi during the Grand Convocation but have largely been absent ever since. They are sometimes encountered when traveling through Central America.

## Initiation

Each Thanatoic mage undergoes the Diksha: a ritualized physical death. Returning from the Shadowlands, that person undergoes a long apprenticeship that includes memorizing the Niyama and learning the many arts of healing, fate, and murder. Such apprenticeships can last for years and typically involve quests, tests, and challenges in which the student confronts the awful implications of his Path. Without that awareness, after all, a “death-mage” is exactly what people think he is: a monster who’s everything this Tradition has sworn to destroy.

## Focus

As masters of life, death, Fate, and Fortune, the Euthanatoi view magick as an extension of the Cycle. By turning the Wheel, these mages control probability as well as the forces of mortality. That turning focuses on the cyclical nature of existence, and so a Chakravat uses practices and instruments like crazy wisdom, faith, High Ritual, medicine-work, reality hacking, martial arts, shamanism, and occasionally Voudoun to direct those energies toward the desired end. Yoga has an essential place in this Tradition’s Arts. Divine Order and Earthly Chaos might be the group’s most common paradigm; others include Everything’s an Illusion, Creation’s Divine and Alive, and even, believe it or not, It’s All Good – Have Faith.

## Glossary

* **Acarya:** A Mentor or Master.
* **Agama:** The journey between the worlds of the living and the dead. Agama Te refers to the initiation ritual(which sends a shravaka through a short or little death), although it also applies to greater travels beyond the Pana. In the modern era, actual trips to the Underworld are rarely used as Agama.
* **Atman:** The Avatar. An indestructible self joined to the whole of creation.
* **Avatara:** A divine being embodied in human form. An Oracle. Not to be confused with the Traditions’ term for the mystic self, or Atman.
* **Chakra:** The Wheel of creation and destruction that regulates the Tellurian. Also a cabal of Euthanatoi.
* **Chakradharma:** The sacred duty to the Great Wheel that empowers a Thanatoic mage and charges her with helping all others to adhere to their own dharmas (duties).
* **Chakravanti:** Alternate name for the Euthanatoi, favored by an outvoted faction during the Grand Convocation.
* **Chela:** A talented student, such as a Disciple or Adept.
* **Chodona:** The Euthanatoi belief system and legal code, derived from the Eight-Spoked Wheel of the Law. The agreement that bound fate- and death-aspected mages into one Tradition.
* **Coumatha:** Literally “Crossroad”, the point at which a Euthanatos’ old life ends and her new life begins. Sometimes used as a term for the Awakening, Coumatha usually refers to some life crisis that leads to a bigger revelation — like an Epiphany. Also a major event in Euthantos history, such as the White Coumatha that sparked the Himalayan War.
* **Diksha:** The near-death experience that leads a Euthanatos into his new life as a mage. The Thanatoic Awakening.
* **Euthanatoi:** The proper plural form of “Euthanatos.” Often ignored, even within the Tradition, in favor of the more accessible common name, but preferred in formal contexts.
* **Jhor:** The inward-turning taint and callousness that comes from casual acceptance of death and destruction, a powerful negative energy that pervades Euthanatos who become too callous, too revengemotivated or too distant from the eventual hope of rebirth. Jhor taints the thoughts and eventually the body and spirit. It can strike anyone but by nature of their work Euthanatos most commonly experience it.
* **Kali Yuga:** The final Age of Iron or Darkness that precedes the end of the universe. Hindus calculate the Kali Yuga as having begun in March 18, 3201 BC. Therefore, the years 2001 and 2002 AD are Kali 5102 and 5103 according to the Yuga reckoning. Many Euthanatoi believe that the Yuga will conclude sooner than expected, ending the current Cycle and, for all intents and purposes, destroying the cosmos.
* **Lohka:** The Tellurian.
* **Marabout:** A Chantry. Often refers to one of the ancient ancestral temples in India, although some young Euthanatoi us the name for their own dwellings.
* **Naraki:** The Fallen (Nephandi); also used to denote corrupt Euthanatoi.
* **Ojas:** The mystic energy flowing within all things; Quintessence.
* **Pana:** The Shroud(Gauntlet) between the material world and the spirit Penumbra.
* **Paramaguru:** An Archmage or Thanatoic master of great ability or repute.
* **Samashti:** A grand meeting that most Euthanatoi are expected to attend.
* **Shravaka:** An Apprentice or Initiate; one who has only recently undergone the agama, or little death, ritual.
* **Siddhi:** A general term for magic.
* **Smrti:** “That Which is Remembered”; a vision technique in which a Euthanatos calls up memories of past incarnations.
* **Thanatoics:** A modern, casual term for the Tradition’s ranks. Also Wheel-turner or Death Mage.
* **Vrata:** A formal oath, often bound to a life promise. To break it is to court disgrace, exile or even death. Also an elite faction of Euthanaoi.
* **Wheel:** The great Cycle of birth, death and reincarnation. Used as a metaphor for creation and the living world.