Affinity Sphere: both Correspondence & Mind. Can’t learn Entropy. Revised Edition allows players to choose their own Sphere specialties. Revised Edition seems to allow only 1 Sphere specialty but also 1 free dot of Arcane. Mage20 forbids learning Entropy. Mage20 affinity Sphere: Correspondence or Mind
First appeared in Book of Shadows pg. 90
Revised Edition allows Arcane to go over 5. Lost Paths has info on Arcane 6-10
Ahl-i-Batin were a founding Tradition of the Council of Nine. They were a member Tradition in Sorcerers Crusade.
Murid is a Batini mage no higher than Rank 3 in any
Sphere. They know little of the group. They usually only know about
their own Khanate. Murshids are Rank 4 or 5 in one or more Spheres.
They are initiated into the full knowledge of the Ahl-i-Batin.
Khanaqah - lodge of student/teachers. The only khanaqahs in which Murshids still
retain permanent residence are the Chantries of the original 5 “Crafts”
called Khanates.
Ahl-i-Batin are connected to Shi’ite Islam
The Ahl-i-Batin started on the Night of Fana, somewhere between 900-600 BC in modern Afghanistan. Akashics were being chased by Handura mages (that group was later pulled into the Euthanatos). They met ecstatic dancing mages called the Darwushim. Some claim the Darwushim were early Cult of Ecstasy mages, others, a heretical group that formed in the Celestial Chorus. The Akashics and Darwushim danced together and the Khwaja al-Akbar appeared. The Akashics and Darwushim physically merged and eluded the Handura and other pursuers.
100 AD Batini scholar Ishaq al-Jannani wanted to learn more of the Qlippothic Spheres and dealt with a group called the Nif’ ur ’en Daah (Eaters of the Weak). This group later became part of what is now called the Nephandi. Ishaq became barabbi and changed his name to Ishaq al-Iblis. Ishaq targeted his Batini Khanate (a 6th one called Oasis of Eternal Bliss) and destroyed it. Lost Paths pg. 15. After this the Ahl-i-Batin become enemies of the Nephandi.
631 AD - Middle Eastern mages unite to attack stronghold of Al-Malek Al-Majun Ibn Iblis, last of the Devil Kings.
1819 AD - Technocracy move into Middle East for oil. Attack Horizon Realm Jebel Qaf (Mt. Qaf). Fight the Batini mages. Jebel Qaf is lost.
Before 1819 AD, Mt. Qaf had a physical representation. On the side of the mountain (towards the bottom) was an immense Persian-style palace called Sihr Maqamut. The Ahl-i-Batin used it as their headquarters. Meetings during the formation of the Council of 9 were held there.
Another Chantry of the Ahl-i-Batin is the Oasis of Eternal Bliss. They may still use it today. Location unknown. Related to the site of a mage battle against Al-Malek Al-Majun Ibn Iblis whose headquarters was Irem, the brass fortress.
Pg. 91 Infernalism - Batini mages keep an original copy of the Sebel-el-Mafouh Whash (Path of the Voracious Beast) in an underground Cairo sanctuary.
Lost Paths pg. 17 - 622 AD Abbah Rabbiniath & Frater Decimus of the University of Light write Sebil-el-Mafouh Whash to fight Nephandi. Later Latin version called Malleus Nephandorum. Book of Madness pg. 13 Malleus Neffandorum was compiled in 6th century by Abba Rabbiath of the University of Light & Frater Decimus of the Ikhwan at-Tawhid.
Lost Paths claims Ahl-i-Batin cut ties to Council of Nine in 1932.