#GUARDIAN OF LORE REVIEW HOW TO#

The chapter goes on to describe the history of the Guardians in Greece and Rome, where they would continue to develop their proficiency for misdirection and information gathering. They learned to form false cults and, over time, the Labyrinth was born. Where before they had always preached responsibility towards magic, now they gave up that path and sought to keep magic out of the hands of the irresponsible. When that attempt failed magic was pushed even further from this world, and it was then that the Guardians realized the connection to vulgar magic. While the history of the group is ancient, the Guardians of today began to come into existence after a failed attempt by mages to raise a New Atlantis from the sea and build a new homeland. This chapter presents a history of the Guardians dating all the way back to Atlantis. Both of these pieces help get the reader in the spirit of the book.Ĭhapter One From the Reign of Atlantis 20 pages.

Finally, the Guardians wage a shadow war against their greatest rival – the Seers of the Throne (servants of the Exarchs).Īs with other White Wolf products, Guardians of the Veil begins with an appropriate piece of setting fiction and an introduction. They also actively hunt down and kill or mind control those mages who repeatedly show an inability to responsibly handle magic and avoid Paradox. The Guardians steal magical artifacts from other mages and Orders in order to keep them in the hands of the responsible. Sometimes they may recruit the wisest people who fall into the Labyrinth into their Order and help them Awaken, but this is a rare thing only given to the best of the best.

#GUARDIAN OF LORE REVIEW HOW TO#

Guardians create cults, ancient secrets, fake mystical knowledge, and otherwise work hard to misdirect people about how to understand real magic. The biggest is the creation and maintenance of the Labyrinth. To this end they perform a variety of shadowy acts. Their goal is to slow this erosion until a more permanent solution is found, or the Hieromagus (a sort of mystical messiah) comes. Many of them believe that Paradox, caused through the use of certain magic, is further eroding the barrier between worlds. Their core philosophy revolves around keeping power out of the hands of the unworthy. The Guardians of the Veil are one of the political groups mages in Mage: the Awakening may join. It’s uncommon to find high text density combined with such good writing, and I consider Guardians to be a fantastic value for its price. I feel the need to drive home that there is a very, very large amount of information here and it’s all good. While there are occasional mistakes, it’s clear that the editors did a much better job with this product than has been done with some other Mage products in the past. What’s really impressive is the text density combined with good editing. The quality of the art is mixed, as is its relevance to the text, but in general it’s pleasantly evocative of the shadowy mood Guardians of the Veil strives for.

This 224 page black and white hardcover showcases slightly above average production values for its $31.99 price tag. If you already own Mage but haven’t found that special spark yet, give Guardians of the Veil a try. Not only is it an enjoyable read, but it makes me want to start up a new Mage: the Awakening game right away. On the whole I find this product to be a high quality product. If a secret Order of Mages dedicated to preserving magic for everyone by keeping it out of the hands of the irresponsible appeals to you, you’re going to love this book. All the while they work feverishly to keep magic from all but the wisest and most worthy mortals. The Guardians are spies waging a secret war against, at times, the entire world. In Short Guardians of the Veil presents the Order of the same name in expertly fleshed out detail that not only provides extensive information on the Guardians but also sheds light on exactly what mages do.

Guardian of lore review