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The Drumbeat of the WorldAs spirit-talkers and shamans around the world, the Dreamspeakers

have the keenest insight into the nature of the Umbra — and with their ties to the primordial pulse, they understand that they are more than mundane flesh. Even when marginalized or thrust into categories of convenience, the Dreamspeakers recognize the trials of the modern age as simply one more test in the ongoing struggle to heal the split between materia and ephemera. Now they must find a means to accept one another, different though they may be, in order to rise above the suffering and sacrifice of their people.

Is the Heartbeat of HumanityAt last, a revised look at the Traditions for Mage: The Ascension.

Completely new material covering history, practices, beliefs, special character rules and more. Examine new roles in the wake of the Reckoning and the hidden secrets and powers of the surviving Traditions.

T R A D I T I O N B O O K :

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T R A D I T I O N B O O K :

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By Bruce Baugh and John Snead

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CreditsAuthors: Bruce Baugh and John SneadWorld of Darkness created by Mark Rein•HagenStoryteller game system designed by Mark Rein•HagenDevelopment: Jess HeinigEditing: Michelle LyonsArt Direction: Aileen E. MilesInterior Art: Ron Brown, Leif Jones, Alex Sheikman,Drew TuckerCover Art: Christopher ShyLayout, Typesetting & Cover Design: Aileen E. Miles

© 2002 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of thepublisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may bereproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire, Vampire the Masquerade, Vampire the Dark Ages, Magethe Ascension, Hunter the Reckoning, World of Darkness and Aberrant are registered trademarks of White WolfPublishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Werewolf the Apocalypse, Wraith the Oblivion, Changeling the Dreaming,Werewolf the Wild West, Mage the Sorcerers Crusade, Wraith the Great War, Trinity, Tradition BookDreamspeakers, Guide to the Traditions, The Book of Madness, The Werewolf Players Guide, The MageStorytellers Companion, Axis Mundi and The Spirit Ways are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. Allrights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.

The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark orcopyright concerned.

This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elementsare fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretionis advised.

For a free White Wolf catalog call 1-800-454-WOLF.Check out White Wolf online athttp://www.white-wolf.com; alt.games.whitewolf and rec.games.frp.storytellerPRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Coming soon for Mage:

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ContentsPrologue: The Patient Returns 4Introduction: Visions 6Chapter One: The Goal — The World 10Chapter Two: The Road — Magic 30Chapter Three: The Walkers — Shamans and Others 74Epilogue: The First Step 98

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Prologue:The Patient Returns

“Life’s splendor forever lies in wait about each one of us in allits fullness, but veiled from view, deep down, invisible, far off. Itis there, though, not hostile, not reluctant, not deaf. If yousummon it by the right word, by its right name, it will come.”

— Franz Kafka, Diaries, 1921

Stewartsville, Illinois“Hello!“It’s okay. I know you don’t want to talk to

me right now, and I’m not going to try to catchyou. You’ve been following me for three daysnow, maybe four — was that you in the busterminal, back…. Never mind. I know youwon’t tell me, and you want to have someprivate truths. That’s fine.

“I didn’t know the place would be like this. The last timeI saw the old hospital home was back in the fall of 1999, whenI made my escape. There was a little charring from the July firethen, but the rest stood intact.

“You were here then, right? You move your feet in afamiliar way. I remember hearing your steps in the hallway lateat night —Dr. Brooks called you and the others the ‘nightwanderers.’ I always thought that sounded like something outof a black-and-white horror movie. Sometimes, when themedication went wrong, I’d imagine all of you gathering,ready to feast on me before I could even scream….

“By the way, if you really want to stay behind the hedgeslike that, you ought to just sit down. Squatting leaves you offbalance if you don’t how to set your haunches right, and I canhear from the grass that you don’ t. Hey, don’t get upset: See,I’m still standing here. It’s just that I hear these things.

“You’ve been hearing things, too, haven’t you? When Igot off the bus, you felt something like a shout or an icepickin your brain? You see inanimate objects move around, andnobody else does. You know that it’ s not just the schizophre-nia, but nobody else will help you. I’m here to explain that toyou. I was there, too, and when I made my escape, Xoca — thecrazy Indian who helped me — told me he felt like there might

be someone getting left behind. I’m sorry, whoever you are.I should have come back a long time ago to check.

“See, you’re right. Those things you experience are true.Your inner eyes have opened just a bit, but you don’t yet knowenough either to focus them or to close them. Here, think ofit like this. You know how the world looks when you start toopen your eyes after a nap. It’s all strange and distorted, right?Well, that’s the way it is with your soul, too. Trust me, noteverything is as bad as it looks. If we were different people,you’ d be in line to become a shaman, a medicine man. Youhave the gift of seeing the spirits that live inside everything.

“Yes, really. I’m not making it up, I swear. I know youdon’t believe me yet: I can feel your skepticism washing alongthe ground, like waves of something thick and sludgy. Oldmotor oil, maybe. You’re good with tools, aren’ t you? Did youwork in the motor pool, maybe, before this whole placeburned down? I don’t recall hearing the moans of hungerspirits very loudly in the station, so you must have somethingyou can do to feed yourself.

“It’s an awful state to be in, not knowing what’s going on. Icame here to tell you that there’s an answer. What I’ve done iswrite down a whole bunch of things that I hope will help. There’sa little bit of autobiography, and some letters from people I… Iwork with, I guess you’d say. There’s also some transcripts a friendmade for me from visions I had, about what it was like for othersto teach me things. Other spirits, that is, not other people. Someof the passages could even go in a training manual, if there weresuch a thing for prospective shamans.

“I’m setting it here on the ground, see? I’ll be going soon,but I’ll be back at the same time tomorrow. The clouds tell meit won’t rain, even though it looks bad. You read it, and if youwant to talk with me tomorrow, you can.”

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