Acanthus

Mages who Awaken to the Path of the Acanthus find themselves in Arcadia, realm of the Fae.  Much like the stories of old, Arcadia is simultaneously beautiful, timeless and deadly.  Strange creatures bound by arcane rules and odd behaviors are the norm, eager to trick or beguile the unwary to dooms that are better left unknown.  Oaths and promises have power in Arcadia, and it is only by wits, luck, guile or simple charm that the Mage finally completes their quest and finds the Watchtower of the Lunargent Thorn.

Those that find themselves on the Path of the Acanthus tend to embody the same kind of personality as Arcadia.  Artists, con men, gamblers and actors are but a few of those who find themselves often called to Arcadia.  The Acanthus are well known for their ability to use their considerable skill at misdirection, illusion and just plain luck to get them through in any situation.

The Acanthus are well known for their proficiency with their Path’s Ruling Arcana: Fate and Time.

Fate is the Arcana of luck, chance, oaths and curses.  With it, the Mage gains mastery and command over the vagaries of chance, tugging strings of causality to make things go their way.  Mages proficient in Fate magics live blessed lives, as misfortune avoids them, while good luck seems to grace them in every which way.

In combat, a practitioner of Fate magics is a terror, as they can bolster themselves and their allies, while cursing their enemies to suffer all manner of misfortune.  Shots go awry, missed bullets ricochet to injure comrades and random accidents are but a sampling of what a Fate mage’s enemies can expect.

The Time Arcana is by far one of the most frightening and impressive Arcana, if used properly.  Precognition, postcognition, and even manipulating the very flow of time is possible to those with sufficient mastery of this Arcana.  The primary drawback of this Arcana however, is the fact that most of its most potent effects are blatantly Vulgar, and will call down Paradox upon the magus.

But should the Mage be forced to pull out all the stops, the Time Arcana provides one of the most impressive arsenal of effects, from accelerating a Mage to speeds beyond that of ordinary mortals to even going so far as rewinding time to a more favorable situation.