To the outside world, Rudolf II at the dawning of the 17th century was a melancholic eccentric, another in a long line of Habsburg idiots, ruling over the largest empire in Christendom with little care or attention to matters of state, who slowly is letting his power slip away to his brother Matthias, the entirely more level-headed Governor of Austria. He fields a regiment of slow-witted, untrained giants in his war against the Turk, an enemy who fights the Empire implacably but whom Rudolf deals with indifferently at best.

But if they only knew the secrets of his salon, not a home for a nattering group of dissolute exiled nobles, but instead a home for the wisest men in Christendom -- magi, all! If only they knew the priceless treasures of his Kunstkammer, not a meaningless random collection of ominous stillbirths, petrified monstra and provocative paintings -- no, but an veritable arsenal of mystical weapons!

Rudolf knows this, despite the handicap of his melancholia and erratic nature. The men and women of his court who hold this secret information and occult power do so in a war that the princes and bishops and divines of Europe could never understand. It is not a war of Catholic vs. Protestant, colonial power vs. colonial power, but indeed a war for the Globe itself. Who will be its leaders? Who will control the minds, hearts and souls of every human on the planet?

You are those courtiers. Alchemists, antiquarians, diplomats, explorers, mystics, philosophers, soldiers, of all nations and creeds, for Rudolf knows that the wisdom of the ages could be found both in the most mighty prince's hall or in the rudest hut of a forgotten, lost tribe. You dwell under Rudolf's protection with his support, and the ancient Orders of Atlantis (along with a self-styled interloper Order of Secret Invisibles) are using this base, this Prague, lately styled by the Emperor as Imperial City, as a haven for their essential activities.

Theme and Mood

A light in the darkness. The courtiers of Rudolf's court, both Mage and Sleeper, fancy themselves as the fire of learning in the West, a Watchtower set against the predations of the Turk, a more civilized solution to the seething cauldron of hate between Protestants and Catholics, a balm to the mindless machinations of Loyola's dogs, and other, more savage "Witch Hunters" of the Church. Rudolf's court cannot and will not let their occult knowledge fall into darkness for another millennium because of ignorance, sectarianism, or accident.

Secrecy and occultation. Alchemists were long-advised to put their lives behind a veil of secrecy. Albertus Magnus advised the alchemist in the 13th century: "The alchemist should be discreet and silent, revealing to no one the results of his operations. He should reside in a private house, in an isolated situation..." Granted, the leave that the Emperor has seen fit to give his wisest subjects obviates a bit of the need for secrecy, but true, powerful knowledge is always hidden; it is part of the way of things. Whether that means it needs to be discovered, shared, or buried is up to the individual Magus.

There are many paths to enlightenment. Only in Rudolf's court could these individuals rub shoulders. The openness and free flow of information and ideas and paradigms is done for no other reason than Rudolf's covetousness, his delight in having a living menagerie of Magi. But its result is that rabbis of the Prague Ghetto can exchange parables with Spanish explorers who saw the legendary cities of gold; English seers who have touched the wings of God's most fearful angels can communicate their experiences with long-cloistered orders of Italian anchoresses who have been locked within walls for centuries.

The Awakened at Rudolf's Court and Their Enemies

Of course, not all the philosophers, either occult or natural, at Rudolf's Court are Awakened, but many are. They exist in a community linked ultimately by their common Awakened nature and certainly not by national or religious links. Indeed, men and women from all parts of Christendom and even from outside can be found sharing their ideas and thoughts in Rudolf's halls.

Like-minded groups of Mages will often form cabals with common goals and motivations, or even just as social clubs. There are likely five or six permanent cabals within the halls of the Emperor, consisting of courtiers and others accepted as guests of the Emperor, and several more on the streets of Prague, outside the halls of power. These include disciples of powerful rabbis among the Jews of the Ghetto and more personal, family-based traditions of magic among the older Roma and Transylvanian mystics who've settled within the city as fugitives from the advances of the Turk.

Mages at Rudolf's court exist as part of a Consilium that holds Prague as its center and its area of control as Bohemia. The Vienna Consilium, mostly run by Silver Ladder mages, is old and static while the Prague Consilium is young and dynamic and accepting of the secretive Fraternity (see below).

The Awakened of course have their own agendas: set either by their personal desires, the commands of their Order or by shared interests with the other Awakened therein. But all the Awakened who work, live, or simply congregate in Rudolf's halls are concerned about the Seers of the Throne and other magically-aware agents of the Exarchs. Their philosophy, their desire to control reality and concentrate power in their own hands, runs counter to the Enlightenment that is sweeping across Europe on the eve of this new century.

The Middle Ages were good for the Exarchs and good for their slaves, the Seers. Power was concentrated in only a few keystones: the Church, the Crown, the Secret Masters. Now there are so many churches, so many crowns, and secret masters who share the ineffable with their students with no regard to proper indoctrination into the Exarch's metaphysical shackles.

So the Seers seek to wipe out those who gather to propel humanity forward. And Rudolf's court in January 1600 has to be the most conspicuous gathering place of all.

De Ordinibus Draconis

Below are descriptions of the four Atlantean Orders in the time period of the chronicle. Of course, the nature and purpose of each of the Orders depends on local political conditions, both Sleeper and Awakened. Also provided are titles for each of the Orders in Latin (the lingua franca of the Orders), German (how they are mostly known throughout the Empire), French (the European language of art, diplomacy and society) and English (where the Orders gained the names they bear in modern days).

Ungula Draconis, die Kriegerbediensteten, Les marcheurs de la route brillante, The Army of the Illustrious Arrow (Adamantine Arrow): More than a few Talons have found themselves on opposite sides of sectarian and nationalistic conflicts in Europe at this time, but on a continent-wide level, the big concern is how to protect the Orders from common threats. These include, in order of importance: the Seers, mortal witch-hunters, and other supernaturals. The Seers, of course, seek global control on behalf of their unknowable Masters, and are more than willing to use Sleeper monarchs and their armies and temporal power to do it. Mortal witch-hunters are on a rampage throughout Europe, especially the Empire, most likely due to suppressed sectarian tensions since the Peace of Augsburg. And as such, the shape-shifters and blood-suckers have been flushed from their usual dens and wander, rootless, threatening the security of all supernaturals by their breaking of the Veil.

Visus Draconis, die Klugheitführer, Les porteurs des masques, The Keepers of the Hoary Veil (Guardians of the Veil): Which leads us to the Eyes, who it must be said are more introspective and quiet during this period of history than at other times. Historically posted to keep the secrets of Awakened magic safe from the prying hands of Sleepers, during this time the Eyes more than ever find the multiplicative obfuscation of mortals playing about with empty rituals and fruitless alchemy to be an excellent distraction. Many Eyes find themselves playing the role of "sage advisor" to a prince or potentate, dissuading greedy Sleepers from finding more Truth than they can handle. These Eyes also use these mortal salons to practice the Art of Masques, pretending to be that which they are not. The other faction of Eyes retreats from playing mortal or Awakened politics, and holds true to their mission as spies and equalizers, making sure the Atlanteans don't go the way of the Seers and descend into monomania and sins against Wisdom.

Alae Draconis, die Wissensretter, Les chuchoteurs dans la celle, The Fellowship of the Hidden Mystery (The Mysterium): The Wings are true to their name in this era. European representatives of the Order are the most likely to be found along with Sleeper explorers, plumbing ancient ruins to seek evidence of Atlantean magic, or contacting forgotten peoples to find the fellow Wings within their number. At home, they are renowned for their ability to sift through the hundreds and hundreds of printed occult philosophical texts being made at this time and finding a nugget of true Wisdom within. Ancient spells cloaked for centuries as alchemical recipes or mystical treatises are their stock-in-trade, and when the hidden Wisdom is found, it goes right into the vaults of the Mysteries. Likewise, the Wings gently nudge and encourage the newly-developed reasoning behind antiquarianism, which has been a great boon to the Wings since the beginning of the Italian Renaissance.

Vox Draconis, die Siegnation, Les théarches de la puissance, The Judges of the Argent Ladder (the Silver Ladder): The Voice has two conflicting circumstances that alternately help and hinder their mission to Awaken all of humanity under the guidance of the Orders. First, the occult explosion of the era definitely works to their advantage. If the Eyes are the creators of mortal mystery cults and occult organizations par excellence, the Voice are second only to them. Of course, the Voice has the advantage of being much more sincere about their wishes for the Sleepers to advance and Awaken. On the other side, though, the sectarian and cultural chaos of the era hinders the Voice's mission to unite all of humanity under one Imperium, safe from the Seers and the Abyss. Thus, the Voice makes sure that its confraternities and clubs are inclusive of the learned and wise from all nations, no matter what flag they venerate or what deity they pray to. All are brothers in the Imperium Mysteriorium.

Fraternitas, die Bruderschaft, Les Disciples Invisibles, the Rosicrucians (The Fraternity): All this talk of secret organizations created by the Atlantean Orders to either fool or elevate the Awakened of Europe misses out on the fact that during the latter half of the 16th century, there was in fact an Awakened organization doing just this, as Awakened. The Fraternity, which went by many names and secret symbols, eventually settled on a rose and cross, to evoke the medieval mystical visions of the Rose (who represented true union with the Godhead) and the Cross (for obvious reasons) to appeal to Awakened and Sleeper alike. The Fraternity, prior to the publications of the titular manifestos, existed as a shadowy organization of "invisibles," answering only to each other and being careful about who they decide to induct. Their philosophy is very much the same as 21st century Libertines: that human Workings have legitimate arcane power, that while cloaked in hierarchy and secrecy, the Fraternity is open to those who truly wish to call it home, and that the worsening of the world and its fall into perdition is a direct result of the Followers of the Lie: the Seers of the Throne. Of course, some more radical interpreters of this precept include the Atlanteans as well for following the Lie, but a vast majority of Brothers are content to work with their Atlantean brethren, if they'll have them.