ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

This artifact is a hermetic circle made out of cast iron, wood, silver and gold three meters in diameter. Around its circumference are twelve triangular plates inscribed with the signs of the zodiac (and their occult correspondences) and an elaborate pattern of warding signs. Unlike most hermetic circles it is portable. The quadrants can be folded together in an ingenious way and the resulting small but heavy box can be moved to another location.

What makes the Circle of Berotius unique is not its use (it was used by its original owner as a plain summoning circle) but its flaw. Making a circle portable was a very tricky problem, especially since hermetic dogma strictly demands unbroken lines and correct angles. How could they be retained if it can be folded together? Berotius and his craftmason companions solved it by a clever use of Correspondence: the joints are really co-located together, so the circle is unbroken even when folded together.

During his long life Berotius used the circle well, but at the end his hubris grew and he began to deal with powers best left alone. Eventually fate caught up with him. He tried to summon the twenty seraphim of everlasting fire to destroy his enemies, but he angered the beings by his presumptuousness. They cursed him severely. He was never to leave his protective circle again, and never to upset the beings of the higher spheres again. They left and a massive Paradox storm wrecked Berotius' chantry and imprisoned him in a hidden dimension inside the circle.

If someone stands inside the circle when it is folded together, they will appear inside Berotius' small realm which is hidden in the hinges and angles of the circle. It is not much more than a small monastic room without doors, with walls made of hinged metal and wood. It is furnished with a mixture of ceremonial implements from several ages, obscure knickknacks and some old books. Everything is covered with dust. Here Berotius lives together with his "familiar" Obrepo, who fetches him food and drink. When the circle is unfolded, the room unfolds and vanishes. Berotius cannot do anything to prevent this, although he can follow visitors to appear in the circle (visitors always appear back in the circle when it is unfolded, but they have to wait for someone on the outside to unfold it).

Obrepo ("I stalk") is a bizarre creature that hides behind things, only revealing its appearance by shadows. Apparently it has a flat, reptilian head, a catlike body equipped with paws able to manipulate things and a long tail that fades into nothingness and shadow. It speaks with a soft, cunning voice in classic Latin, preferring to discuss philosophy and magick. Actually, it is a Paradox spirit and Berotius' jailer, sent to torment him by always hinting of new and grandiose mysteries to unveil — if only he could leave the circle realm.

Berotius is old, very old, but cannot die. He is an archmage, but still cannot escape his fate or work magick due to the curse. He lives a shadow life inside his chamber, debating with Obrepo and waiting for visitors. Throughout the centuries he has spoken with quite a few, but the seraphims' curse also subtly erases his name from memory. Despite having visitors, the fact that he is hidden inside the circle is always forgotten after a few years, and the circle is used for pedestrian summonings instead.

Berotius would do anything to get out or die. Anything. The trouble is the curse is extraordinarily powerful. The only ones who might reverse it are the seraphim, and they are known to have a long memory. Obrepo loves to tell the story about one cabal of mages who tried to persuade the seraphim and had their skeletons turned into pure gold for their trouble.

Berotius (Archmage)

Appearance: Berotius is very old and frail, but his voice is still firm and hints at his former power. He has long white hair and beard, which could be described as Gandalf on a bad hair day. He wears a tattered ceremonial robe, still hinting at golden embroideries of hermetic symbols.

Personality: Berotius is desperate for company, anything to break the tedium of debating and waiting. He will be most gracious to all visitors, pouring them tea and asking them about the outside world. What he really wants is to make them promise to free him. He is quite willing to act as a mentor (after all, he is tremendously knowledgeable in High Magick), but in exchange he wants his students to free him.

Essence: Dynamic
Nature: Fatalist
Demeanor: Pedagogue

Berotius is a Master of Correspondence, Forces, Spirit and Prime and Adept in Life. He has several interesting Talismans which he might be quite willing to trade for help (usually Obrepo thieves them back again, making sure the helpers do not help).

Obrepo (Spirit 5)

Obrepo is a Paradox spirit although it has in the past been used by a few hermetic masters, something it deeply resents. Hence it specializes in tormenting hermetic mages and in hiding the remaining tomes containing its secret names. Since it may not always have been a Paradox being, it is quite possible it was once a normal spirit who began to serve static reality or the seraphim.

Appearance: Despite the hints, Obrepo doesn't look like anything at all. It is actually just the strange shadows and the unseen presence, and doesn't have a real body (so it cannot be found when it doesn't want to).

Personality: Fiendishly clever and witty, Obrepo loves debate. If there is the slightest chance to start a deep philosophical discussion, Obrepo will take it and ruthlessly seek to drag everyone present into it and down into confusion. As long as mages argue and just think, they are harmless.

Powers

Manifestation — Obrepo can freely move between all realities, manifesting as desired to fetch useful things and do small tasks. It doesn't have a physical body and does all its work unseen.

Spirit Away — It can hide things and mages in small realms hidden inside the circle, separate from Berotius' realm. In fact, there is quite a lot hidden in there.

Debate — Obrepo can never be defeated in a debate, although sometimes it allows its listeners to believe it has (to urge them into more debate). Anyone who starts to argue with Obrepo has to succeed with a Willpower roll against 8 to end the discussion. If it fails the victim will argue until Obrepo allows him to stop or until he becomes too tired. A botch means the victim cannot stop even then.