If you seek true power, you would be wise to join the ranks of the Order of Goetica. We of the order summon, communicate with, and sometimes control spirits, demons, angels, and far stranger beings. This is where true magical power lies. We call upon pacts and the ancient rituals that accompany them to forge deals with powerful nonhuman entities in this and other universes, drawing power from them in exchange for . . . various things. Allegiance, deeds, life force, or even more esoteric needs. We call upon these beings to serve us, help us, or simply do as they will.
The Nightside of the Path of Suns concept (revolving around a particular current of magic) originated with the Goetics. Summoners who favor demonkind over other patrons and servants call themselves Walkers of the Nightside. Sometimes they refer to themselves as “we who favor our left hand.” Those who call upon angels or other gifts of the Legacy, then, could be referred to as “those favoring their right hand.” Many of us, however, eschew such frippery.
At the very heart of our art is the negotiation and interaction with the inhuman otherworldly beings we conjure. This process is called the colloquy. It can involve gifts, bribes, persuasion, intimidation, compulsion, or trickery. It can rely on agreements made in ancient pacts, contracts signed, or obligations owed. There is no one right way to convince a conjured entity to do what we want it to do—we use many strategies.
We Goetics must have a good understanding of the beings that we deal with. The complexities of entreating or attempting to control such entities make the undertaking tricky, to say the least. Dangerous to one’s very soul might be more accurate.
The Goetic Order is an intricate organization with a complex structure. Whole books of bylaws, guidelines, and requirements make it almost as complicated as the hierarchies of spirits that we interact with. As without, so within. Leadership in the order is, of course, based on degree, but within the ranks of the 6th-degree Goetics, the understanding of who commands what aspect of the order is byzantine and confusing, even to most Goetics. Each of the Ultima Mysterions (6th-degree Goetics) oversees a specific area, which means that each has a secondary title, such as Master of the Initiations, Master of Namekeeping, Master of Pact Records, Master of the Ceremonies, and Master of the Libraries, to name just a few.
Philosophy and Outlook: Philosophy and Outlook: Goetics typically choose either the left-hand path or the right-hand path, which are also called the Nightside Path and the Path of Suns. Thus, we mostly focus on the ideals of demons or of angels. That saddles us with a pretty heavy “good and evil” dichotomy, but it’s more nuanced than that. Nightside Path Goetics might undertake working with demons as simply the best way to accomplish our (not necessarily evil) ends.
Relationships: Goetics and Vances typically see (more or less) eye to eye, at least when our eyes are buried in a tome. Weavers and Makers can be too focused on their individual undertakings to truly appreciate our ties with the larger world.
Path to Joy: The following actions give us Joy.
✦✦ Complete a successful colloquy with a being of a level higher than any we have dealt with before.
✦✦ Complete a successful colloquy with a being of a type that we have never dealt with before.
✦✦ Come upon a summonable entity’s name or information about a pact through atypical means (not by purchasing it with Acumen).
✦✦ Complete a successful colloquy with a specific being that we have dealt with a dozen times or more.
✦✦ Instruct another Goetic in various interaction skills for a month.
Path to Despair: The following actions give us Despair.
✦✦ A summoned being gets out of our control and harms someone or something we hold dear.
✦✦ A summoned being, in addition to performing whatever action we’ve given it, tells us something horrifically disturbing about ourselves, our future, or someone we love.
Goetic characters start at the 1st degree with the following abilities.
Connection: We have 1 level of connection with the Order of Goetica.
Ephemera Use: We can safely possess three ephemera at any given time.
Spell: We learn one general spell that we have enough Sorcery to cast.
Speak With Spirits: We can speak, read, and write the language of any but the most obscure spiritual entities.
Create a Protective Circle: We inscribe a protective barrier that offers +2 defense against spiritual entities of the realm we choose when we create the circle. The circle is large enough to accommodate us or perhaps one other person instead. Alternatively, if summoning an entity, we can create a protective circle and summon the being inside the circle. In this case, the circle is always large enough to accommodate the conjured being.
Creating a circle requires ten minutes of work.
Summoning: We can summon beings of up to level 3. Once we successfully convince them to perform the desired task, they can move up to a mile away from us, and can take up to an hour to complete the task, if needed and appropriate. Summoning requires one round of time and the devotion of 1 Sorcery per level of the summoned being.
There are thirteen types of summoning. To a 1st degree Goetic, only four are available: counsel, aid, guard, and spy.
A Goetic can attain the 2nd degree only if they have performed the Invocation of Knowledge in the presence of a summoned entity of at least level 3. Induction as a 2nd-degree Goetic involves a closed ceremony and a luncheon afterward. In the ceremony, we receive a small jewel that is added to our order badge to signify our new rank. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Identify Spirit: We can attempt to recognize any spiritual entity by sight. The challenge is equal to the level of the being.
Familiar: We summon a level 1 spirit from a realm we choose. The incorporeal spirit remains with us as an advisor, granting us 1 bene in Intellect. It usually spends about three to four hours each day with us, and during that time it doesn’t leave our side—it’s always whispering in our ear. When it is not with us, it returns to its own realm, and its own “life.” We can have only one familiar at a time. Should our familiar ever die, we suffer 1 scourge in all Qualia pools for a week and gain 1 Despair, and then we can summon a new one.
Each time we increase in degree, the familiar’s level increases by +1. We can also increase the level (up to 10) by spending 1 Crux. Higher-level familiars have these abilities:
Level 2: +1 bene in Intellect, for a total of +2.
Level 3: Once each day for about an hour, can manifest in the physical form of a small animal like a cat or a bird. A familiar with a physical form can travel away from us (to spy, carry a message, and so on) as their natural form allows during that hour.
Level 4: +1 bene in Intellect, for a total of +3.
Level 5: Once manifest in the form of a small animal, can further transform into a human.
Level 6: +1 bene in Intellect.
Level 7: +1 bene in Sorcery.
Level 8: Can manifest in physical form for as long as desired.
Level 9: +1 bene in Intellect and Sorcery, for a total of +2 in both.
Level 10: Once manifest in the form of a small animal, can further transform into a monstrous beast with 3 Armor, +3 defense, and +3 damage.
Summoning: We can summon beings of up to level 5. Once we successfully convince them to perform the desired task, they can move up to 10 miles (16 km) away from us, and can take up to a day to complete the task, if needed and appropriate. Summoning requires one round per level of the summoned being.
There are thirteen types of summoning. To a 2nddegree Goetic, only seven are available: counsel, aid, guard, spy, query, theft, and assail.
Further, we learn the name of a being from a realm of our choosing and gain the ability to research more names at a cost of 1 Acumen for every 2 levels of the being.
Authority and Responsibilities: Goetics of the 2nd degree living in Satyrine are expected to spend at least one hour a week working in the Hall of Records.
A Goetic can attain the 3rd degree only if they have gained the written sponsorship of a summoned entity of at least level 5, presented to (and hopefully accepted by) a Goetic of at least the 4th degree in a formal, closed ceremony. In the ceremony, we receive a small jewel that is added to our order badge to signify our new rank. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Incantation Use: One of our ephemera can be a conation incantation.
Protective Sign: We learn protective signs against beings of other worlds. Each sign is both a gesture and an easily scrawled glyph (easy for us, anyway), and when we use either, it is as though we stand in a protective circle. As with all signs, the understanding involved is more important than the gesture or glyph, so someone can’t observe either and simply copy it.
Summoning: We can summon beings of up to level 6. Alternatively, we can summon two level 1 beings at once, interacting with them as one entity. Once we successfully convince them to perform the desired task, they can move up to 100 miles (160 km) away from us, and can take up to a week to complete the task, if needed and appropriate. Summoning requires one round per level of the summoned being.
There are thirteen types of summoning. To a 3rd degree Goetic, only ten are available: counsel, aid, guard, spy, query, theft, assail, restore, influence, and creation.
A Goetic can attain the 4th degree only if they have the sponsorship of a higher-ranking Goetic. In a formal, closed ceremony, our name, family history, and other details are added to the order’s records. In the ceremony, we also receive a small jewel that is added to our order badge to signify our new rank. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Ephemera Mastery: We can safely possess four ephemera at any given time.
Compel: When we conjure a being and we have its name, if we spend additional bene equal to the being’s level, we have a chance to outright control them. The challenge is equal to the being’s level. If this fails, we can interact with them as normal.
Summoning: We can summon beings of up to level 7. Alternatively, we can summon two level 2 beings at once, interacting with them as one entity. Once we successfully convince them to perform the desired task, they can move 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away from us, and can take up to a month to complete the task, if needed and appropriate. Summoning requires one round per level of the summoned being.
There are thirteen types of summoning. To a 4th-degree Goetic, all are available: counsel, aid, guard, spy, query, theft, assail, restore, influence, creation, glorify, binding, and ally.
Further, we learn the details of an ancient pact made with the leader of a group of beings that we can use to compel the actions of any member of that group. We also gain the ability to research new pacts at the cost of 5 Acumen each.
Authority and Responsibilities: Goetics of the 4th degree can require 2nd-degree Goetics to perform minor errands and tasks for them. They are expected to spend at least two hours each week overseeing lower-ranking members in the Hall of Records and assisting in ceremonies conducted by the order.
A Goetic can attain the 5th degree only if they have learned the Seven Secret Syllables or the Six Sundered Words from a summoned entity (or entities) of at least level 7. Proof of this knowledge is presented to no fewer than two 6th-degree Goetics in a formal, closed ceremony. In the same ceremony, we also receive a small jewel that is added to our order badge to signify our new rank. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Incantation Mastery: Two of our ephemera can be conation incantations. Binding: We can attempt to bind a demon, angel, ghost, or other spiritual entity into an object we touch, but we cannot bind a being of a level higher than we could summon. If we spend additional bene equal to the being’s level, we can attempt to imprison them. The challenge is equal to the being’s level. Bound entities are typically trapped for a year and a day. Threat of binding is effective in the Goetic’s colloquy with a summoned being, but an attempt at binding almost certainly ruins any future attempts at persuasion.
Summoning: We can summon beings of up to level 8. Alternatively, we can summon two level 3 beings or five level 1 beings at once, interacting with them as one entity. Once we successfully convince them to perform the desired task, they can move any distance from us, and can take up to a year and a day to complete the task, if needed and appropriate. Summoning requires only one round per 2 levels of the summoned being.
There are thirteen types of summoning. To a 5th-degree Goetic, all are available: counsel, aid, guard, spy, query, theft, assail, restore, influence, creation, glorify, binding, and ally.
Authority and Responsibilities: Goetics of the 5th degree can require any lower-ranking Goetics to perform minor errands and tasks for them and help them in summonings. Goetics of the 5th-degree must work as sponsors for 4th-degree Goetics and serve in administrative positions in the Hall of Records.
A Goetic can attain the 6th degree only if they have performed the Invocation of Craft in the native realm of an inhuman entity of at least level 8 (after being brought to the realm by the entity). The entity, or a representative of that entity, then attends a formal, secret ceremony with us and a gathering of other 6th-degree Goetics. At this point, we gain an entirely new order badge that indicates our rank. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Greater Ephemera Mastery: We can safely possess five ephemera at any given time.
Entreat: When we conjure a being and we have its name and associated pact, we have a chance to interact with them as allies and equals rather than as adversaries at no extra cost. The challenge is equal to the being’s level. If this fails, we can interact with them as normal.
Summoning: We can summon beings of up to level 9. Alternatively, we can summon two level 4 beings or five level 2 beings at once, interacting with them as one entity. Once we successfully convince them to perform the desired task, they can move any distance away from us, and can take up to five years to complete the task, if needed and appropriate. Summoning requires only one round per 2 levels of the summoned being.
There are thirteen types of summoning. To a 6th-degree Goetic, all are available: counsel, aid, guard, spy, query, theft, assail, restore, influence, creation, glorify, binding, and ally.
Authority and Responsibilities: Goetics of the 6th-degree are the leadership of the order. They often work as sponsors for 4th- and 5th-degree Goetics and serve in administrative positions in the Hall of Records.