Prologue<\/p>\n
A Treatise on Immortality by Stephen Bonet, Filius of Penelope, House
\nBonisagus (Order of Hermes), presented to the Stonehenge Tribunal on
\nMarch 20, 1854<\/p>\n
Greetings Fellow Magi!<\/p>\n
As always, it is with great honor and privilege that I address you at
\nthis Tribunal. My sodalis and I have come across a most curious breed
\nof man, and I would like to present our studies of this man for you to
\nenjoy:<\/p>\n
His name is Guillaume, and he was born in the year 1422 to a
\nfarmer and wife outside Paris, in France. All of this information
\nabout him has come from our explorations of his mind and body, for
\ndespite his incredible powers he is but a man, albeit a very special
\nkind of man. <\/p>\n
Through his mind, we saw his death and rebirth: unlike
\nthe mummies of the southern lands, however, he does not travel to a
\nspirit realm and beg to return, but rather his internal power somehow
\nregenerates his form, no matter how damaged it has become. This
\nnatural healing is rapid, causing him to return from the most grievous
\nof wounds to his full health in scant hours. <\/p>\n
We tested his mind’s visions, and in fact his wounds heal remarkably quickly.
\nHe cannot be drowned, for somehow his lungs draw air from the water itself.
\nHe can be burned, or shot, but he heals so quickly that the most heinous of
\nwounds are little more than an annoyance to him. <\/p>\n
Through his mind, we likewise learned of others of his kind. A teacher, who
\ncame to him and taught him the Rules, and others, who came to steal his power
\nfor themselves.<\/p>\n
Their kind have Rules, built up through centuries of
\nconflict. The only way to kill them is to remove their head from
\ntheir shoulders, separating their head from their heart (the two
\nsources of life, as we ourselves know). If this is done by another of
\ntheir kind, the power within them (which they refer to as their
\nQuickening, or life) flows into their killer, making him even more
\npowerful. Their legends speak of the Gathering, a time when all of
\ntheir kind will battle, until only one remains. That one, with all of
\ntheir power as his own, will be like unto a god. <\/p>\n
How do we explain these beings? Quite easily, in fact. Their power is
\nnothing less than raw Quintessence, somehow drawn to them from reality itself.
\nAs all living things have some faint spark of Quintessence in them, these
\nbeings have a raging flame, which gives them strength and power. This
\nraw power is similar to that of our own Avatars, yet in many ways
\ndifferent. Those of us who study the Prime have recognized this in
\nour subject, and in fact can sense the power flowing through him. At
\nthe same time, he does not seem to have the Gift, and we have been
\nunable to Awaken him. We have not yet endeavored to remove his head
\nourselves, until we are certain we have learned all we can from him.<\/p>\n
Another Rule of their kind deals with Holy Ground, and the fact that
\nthey cannot fight there. According to Guillaume, he can sense this
\nground, much as he senses others of his kind when they draw near.
\nThrough studying him and his memories, we have gained some information
\nas to this sensation. It seems our Chantry is also considered Holy
\nGround to him, as it seems all Nodes are. These connections to
\nQuintessence are off limits to them? Why is that? The answer lies in
\nunderstanding their battles.<\/p>\n
When two of their kind fight, the Quintessence within them begins to flow,
\nempowering them and their weapons, and literally filling the air around them.
\nWhen one loses, the winner draws his own Quintessence back into himself, as
\nwell as some of that belonging to his opponent… the rest, with nowhere to
\ngo, wreaks havoc on the environment around them. This Quintessence he
\nabsorbs from his opponent carries with it a shadow of the man’s
\nknowledge, indeed his very life… and in some cases, can overshadow
\nthe life of the victor.<\/p>\n
On a Node site, the Quintessence from the loser flows not into the victor, but
\ninto the Node itself. In this way, the victor not only gains nothing, but in
\nfact loses that Quintessence of his which had mingled with that of his
\nopponent… a very pragmatic reason for the Rule they follow. <\/p>\n
There are many things about these beings still to be learned. They seem as
\nclosely tied to Quintessence as we ourselves, but at the same time seem to be
\nable to contain and harness this “Quickening” of theirs in other ways.
\nIn some ways, they seem a living Node: a constant amount of Quickening
\nwithin them, unused by their healing and powers, and always the
\ncapacity for more. We will experiment more with this subject,
\nincluding channeling Quintessence into him, to further explore our
\ntheories.<\/p>\n
Thank you for your patience, and good night.<\/p>\n
