Reasoners

THE REASONERS "oh, everybody's happy, everybody's free we'll keep the big door open and everyone will come around why are you different, why are you that way if you don't get in line, we'll lock you away. it's a typical situation in these typical times we can't do a thing about it" -- Dave Matthews Band, "Typical Situation" "I have legalized robbery and called it belief I have run with the money, I have hid like a thief rewritten histories with my armies and my crooks invented memories, I did burn all the books..." -- Dire Straits, "The Man's Too Strong"

        The Reasoners are those Technomancers who primarily use elements of philosophy and logic to focus their powers through; if that sounds limited, think of the rhetoric and doublespeak that has been used in politics for centuries, and the influence politicians actually have on the world. These were the Technomancers who recognized the power in Consensual Belief and used it to shatter the Mythic Age, shattering the Order of Hermes and severely weakening the Celestial Chorus. Today, many believe that there is no God, that there is no soul, and that science is (or can lead us to) whatever absolute truth we can hope for. Though occultism and mysticism has revived since the 1800s, most self-proclaimed witches and astrologers are still mocked and not taken seriously, as are many preachers and highly religious folk.
        In 1948 George Orwell wrote about a possible future society where a corrupt government controlled the people's minds, and fed them propaganda to keep them content and subdued. This was a terrifying vision, but the more terrifying aspect of his tale is that the same things could well be happening to us in so subtle a way that we cannot easily recognize it. The real "New World Order" of today does not use obvious propaganda and mind-bending torture to control its society, nor is it the ostensible authority in any world society. It may very well not even have a structured agenda and a body of operatives, necessarily, though it may also be naive to count on that. Today's NWO operates through the media, in a very non-obtrusive and innocuous way, and through the manipulation of social, financial, and economic trends. The primary objective of these manipulations are not for personal gain or power, at least not primarily; they are to further a social condition, to keep "the Masses" one predictable and usable entity, to serve a selfless and reductionist philosophy wherein responsibility (and freedom) are handed over to another, and ultimately, all power and responsibility resides in a nameless non-entity, in the philosophy itself. They serve a cause that is fed by a very essential part of human nature -- the desire to return to an "Eden" state, the desire to have things done for one. The desire to obliviate the self and exist as an automaton. If this were not a primary part of human nature, the Union would never have been as successful as it has been in the World of Darkness.
        But the Reasoners are a subtle and ingenious lot. They serve as the Public Relations arm of the Technocratic Union, though they are also, less obviously, the very brains of it. When most mages think of Technomancers, they think of the NWO Operatives, in suits and mirrorshades, always effiicient and spotless. And the Reasoners have made great efforts to blur the lines; many mystics are not quite sure that the NWO agents they know actually are enemies. The Reasoners are masters of maintaining good relations, and can make you feel better about things even if they have just burned your house down and killed your neighbor.
        The magicks of Reason are those that rely on a "scientific" and often highly oppressive paradigm of selective logic and reason. The willworkers of the Union are the only mages to use this method; this magick alone inspired the Technorebels (the Etherites and Virtual Adepts) to leave the Union in the last century. All Union conventions use this method to some degree, but the conventions who have mastered it and use it most are the NWO and the Syndicate.

"Move along, nothing to see here."

"That? That was just swamp gas. You see, organic emissions from nearby wetland gas-pockets..."

"We are not your enemy. We may have different opinions about some things, but is that a reason to
persecute us? Be reasonable, listen to us for a minute and we will show you that we have a common enemy,
that we can work together as allies. No, of course we're not going to kill you. We captured you so that you
would listen..."

"We're not what you think. We're Cell 23...you know what that means, don't you? We saved her life.
She was all set to take the Hand of Glory straight to the enemy. They'd have killed her, and you'd have died
tracking her down. One of our psychics saw it coming. Cell 23 specializes in...well, the short story is that we're
experts in the removal of enemy emotional implants. We're in the business of preserving life..."
-- The Invisibles, issue # 13

"We are not the oppressive 'technocrats' that some Orwellian reactionists have labeled us. We could, however inaccurately, be called 'technomancers' since we take control of our beliefs and our realities through technology and reason. Our rank-and-file operatives, the so-called Men in Black, are no less than elite police and protectors of the general peace. They work in secrecy in order to more ably and easily protect the Masses from forces and beings beyond their comprehension. To live and work happily in this world, the Masses cannot know of the dimensional entities, the extraterrestrial biological entities, the paranormal activities that threaten their safety every day. There is no need for them to know. What can they do? But we can do what is needed, can percieve the things their Sleeping minds hardly dream of.

WE'D LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU FOR OUR FILES
If a person wanted to find out whatever he could about you and build a dossier on you, here are some things they might do -- according to Jules Archer in "Superspies".

Obtain a copy of your driver's license to get your address, license number, height, weight, eye color, and age.
If they have you under surveillance (or have your car's license plate number), they could find out through the Department of Motor Vehicles about any arrests, where you are employed, and how long you have been employed.
Through the county clerk's office, they could find out about loans from banks or finance companies, whether you have any judgements against you and what addresses you use.
Also through public files, they can check your birth certificate, marriage licenses, death notices if you were dead, liquor licenses, and police accident reports.
If you have an unlisted phone number, they could get your address through the tax collector's office.
Checking with a finance company on the premise of a credit inquiry, they could find out your earnings, names and addresses of relatives, and where you bank.
While still making a credit inquiry, they could direct inquiries to places where you shop, or ask questions of your landlord.

R E A S O N E R S P H E R E S

MIND: We often protect ourselves from the psychic attacks of our enemies with mental exercises, mirrored sunglasses, and black suits. We guide the minds of the masses with soothing words, authoritative commands, and the rhetorical philosophy of One Truth.
ENTROPY: We shape reality with the acknowledgement of established probabilities and rational likelihoods. By educating the masses as to the statistical likelihood of a given event we stabilize our reality.
PRIME: When all else fails, we can willfully reinforce the established reality against any intrusion or mutation, simply by vocally denying the possibility. Deviant magicks can thus be nullified, rendering our enemies impotent and possibly opening their minds to Reason. Subtler uses include the manipulation of highways and geographical locations of import to make the best use of metaphysical Nodes.
LIFE: By acknowledging the mastery of the mind over the flesh, we can conquer and ignore many illnesses and other biological weaknesses.
FORCES: Our Technician allies provide us with advanced firearms and other devices that allow us substantially greater control over the energies around us -- radiowave transmitters and receivers, gravity-intensifying and -nullifying devices, weapons, observational satellites, etc.
TIME: Time is fluid and formless, and its mechanics are far more complex and flexible than the simple concepts we have structured and left for the masses. Until we can master these capricious theorems, the structure we have imposed upon the temporal reality has proven to hold stable enough to prevent dangerous or unforeseen fluctuations. We manipulate time through education and creation of a consensual paradigm, and (at higher clearance-levels) through devices conceptualized by us and designed by the Technicians that manipulate certain particles that are directly related to the temporal stream.
CORRESPONDENCE: Like temporal reality, the spacial reality is far more fluid than allowed for in the consensual paradigm. However, without a consistent and stable spacial structure to operate within, there can be no rational perception of matter or motion, and thus no kind of action or production, much less worthwhile progress. Those of us who are sufficiently educated in advanced spacial theories can manipulate space by adjusting their perceptions of the spacial continuum, but this is not advised except under extreme duress; use of this knowledge is restricted, and liberal use is cause for disiplinary action, as it endangers the stability of the continuum as we know it.
DIMENSIONAL SCIENCE: This is a complex and controversial science, used primarily by those technomancers who explore deep space and the dimensional realities. You see,
MATTER:

R E A S O N E R F O C I

LAPTOP -- Corr.2 scrying (thru satellite link), Forces 2/3 transmission monitoring/alteration
WEAPONS -- Forces 3 / Prime 2 attack, Life 3 cover, Life 3 "stun" drugs
FLASH-DEVICE -- Mind 3 memory-erase
MIRRORSHADES -- Mind 1 defenses, Mind 2 intimidation, some allow Dimensional perception
VEHICLE -- hi-teck aircraft, tunnel-trains... Corr.3/4
SCANNERS -- Matter 1, Life 1, Forces 1, Prime 1
VOICE -- Mind 2/3 suggestion/control, Mind 2 rhetoric & logical argument, Prime countermagick
UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR -- Spirit 2, Mind 2, speak other languages
DIMENSIONAL RIPPLER -- Spirit 3 creates weak-spot in dim. Gauntlet
WRISTWATCH -- Standard issue... Time 1 synchronization, Corr.2 communication, Forces 2 transmission

Most MiBs have Arcane 2 -- no fingerprints, hidden identity

R E A S O N E R R O T E S & T E C K N O L O G Y

SATELLITE "SCRYING" -- aka "THE BIG BROTHER EFFECT" to VAs (Corr.2)
most common focus is a laptop or PC with a remote satellite linkup, can also be focused (with the addition of Forces 2) thru devices that attach to TVs or radios. Can "scry" almost any open location on earth, open meaning visible from the sky. Magickally shielded locations are difficult or impossible, resulting in a scrambled signal. Variants can tap into security cameras, phones that are off the hook, or even the home PCs of others (these variants also require Forces 2).

CLASS 1-3 "DIONYSUS" IMPLANTS
tiny microchips that are surreptitiously implanted under the subject's skin, through surgery or projectile implantation. They are detectable through routine Prime/Forces sweeps (performed at least daily by Union copters and cars in every major city), and also transmit the Class of the implant and the precise location of the subject at the time of scanning. Class 1 implants indicate an individual to take note of, such as a possible recruit, and are always reported to a Central Command within the day. Class 2 implants indicate a Union operative, and are also reported at the end of the day, with a inquiry following if the operative is not at the expected location. Class 3 implants indicate an individual meriting immediate attention, such as a dangerous deviant or ..., and are reported immediately to Central Command.

R E A S O N E R T E M P L A T E S

SOCIAL PROGRAMMER
    was a college professor in the hazy past, but is now "no one" -- a hollow man, a puppetmaster
    works with immensely broad scope, seeks long-term victories, accepts minor losses in the present (chess master)
    strives to maintain public complacence, orchestrates other factions (media, food, tech., gov.) -- technocratic paradigm
    immensely powerful mage (though very unassuming); focuses on Mind, Time, and Entropy

FINANCIAL WIZARD
    grew up middle-class, scholarship to great school, whiz on Wall Street, picked up
    helps shape the economic paradigm of the world, focuses on America, seeks to maintain credit-use and economic strata
    mysterious, incredibly subtle magick based on concepts of value and complex finances
    almost never acts himself, instead sending out lawyers, officials and lower-ranking mages, or hiring thugs and professionals
    immense amount of influence in America, very powerful mage, focuses on Prime and Mind

CHURCH ELDER
    doesn't believe in God, per se, but more in the benefits of religion as an "opiate for the Masses"
    fights the sin of Pride, encourages humility -- accepts no special authority, constantly reminds that he is "no one special"
    focuses on Mind and Prime, rejects spirit as "Devil Sorcery" (dangerous deviance leading to Pride)

OPERATIVE
    weak to average mage, specializes in containment of "incidents", public reassurance and explanations
    specialize in subtle, nonviolent operations, cover-ups and deceptions engineered by higher-ups (TechWiz Enforcers and constructs are called in for violence)
    focuses on Mind and Correspondence for influence and surveillance, also some Time-dilation for cleanups
    works to cover Biomage kidnappings & experimentation, also conceal TechWiz weapons & craft testing