In Mage: The Awakening, part of the New World of Darkness series from White Wolf launched in 2005, characters reveal the secrets of the world and attempt to unravel the Mysteries of Creation. Those who do so successfully Awaken to the greatest mystery of all - that the rules of reality are not as hard and fast as everyone thinks.

By forging mystical paths to realms beyond the material world, the Awakened (known as wizards, sorcerers, and mages) can impose the laws of those higher realms on this world. Doing so, they can shed light on what hides in the World of Darkness and work great wonders tempered only by their wisdom. Yet for all their power and insight, the Awakened are still human, subject to the same failings and shortsightedness all humanity suffers. They must temper their wonders with wisdom, lest the friction between opposing laws of disparate realities cause an uncontrollable Paradox. Nor can they cavalierly expose the secrets their Awakenings reveal to them. Some secrets are hidden from Sleeping humanity for good reasons, and it is only the proud, foolish mage who casts into the light those things best exiled to shadow.

What's more, a mage does well to keep his pride in check, as pride goeth before a fall. There's always another mage out there with just a bit more power or who knows just a little more about what's hidden in the darkness...

In 2012, the licence for the Mage: The Awakening line was acquired by Onyx Path Publishing, who added a couple of books and are now working on a second edition.

Page last updated: 3 January 2016