ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

An Amazonian Celestial Chorus / Dreamspeaker Chantry

Deep in the Amazon jungle lies a small Jesuit mission, hidden from the eyes of the Brazilian government and its Technocratic masters. In the 17th century, a small party of Jesuits went deep into the rain forest in the hopes of bringing the word of God to the natives. With them went three members of the Celestial Chorus, curious as to the nature of the mages of this strange new world. They met with a group of Yanomamo Indians and with them a Dreamspeaker shaman. Their initial encounters were fraught with tension, but in time the missionaries earned the trust of the natives and settled amongst them to teach.

The question of whether the natives would ever accept Christianity was never resolved. Throughout the 17th century, the Portuguese government, secretly backed by the Order of Reason, pushed further into the jungle in search of land and slaves. The Jesuits tried in vain to turn aside the Portuguese army, claiming the natives were becoming Christian, and thus citizens of Portugal. When that failed, the Choristers left the mission to speak with the Dreamspeakers of the Yanomano and other local tribes. With the nodes known to the Dreamspeakers and the European influence of the Chorus, the mission could be turned into a center of resistance against the depredations of the government.

The Dreamspeakers agreed and the mission "withdrew" from the world. A report of the missionaries death from disease was sent to the Catholic authorities and no one was ever sent to investigate. Since that time the Mission of St. Thomas has worked to protect the indigenous and disadvantaged people of Brazil and elsewhere in South America.

There are three Cabals of mages currently in the Chantry. The Visions of Glory Cabal consists of older Celestial Chorus mages and nominally leads the Chantry. The Frog Song Cabal is made up of Dreamspeakers and is largely responsible for maintaining the Chantry's nodes, wards and the relations with the Yanomano acolytes that protect the grounds. The Revenge of the Jaguar Cabal is a mixed cabal, made up of the younger and more active mages of both the Dreamspeakers and Celestial Chorus. It includes a young Verbena of the Macumba tradition from Buenos Ares as well.

The Chantry works to minimize the destruction of the rain forest and to protect the lives and culture of the native population. The Choristers have become interested in missions to the impoverished of Brazilian cities as well, helping those with native blood to return to their roots, and others to better themselves in the world. In the last few years the Dreamspeakers have also been working with their brethren in the Yucatan in their struggle for independence against the Mexican government. The Choristers have been a bit more hesistant, worrying about the rumors of Aztec Nephandi that are using the independence movement for their own ends.