Truth Until Paradox Revised

Truth Until Paradox Revised is a fiction anthology for Mage: The Ascension. This page is for the second edition, published in 2000.

Summary

Reality is a Lie

Most people do not understand how mutable the world truly is. Most people do not realize that they hold the power to shape reality. But a few do, and they are called mages. Mages know that reality is a lie, or rather that any reality can be truth. The mages of the Traditions believe that mankind is destined for Ascension, that we can all be led to a greater relationship with reality. But other mages are less caring. They want their truth to be the truth.

The World of Magic

Collected herein are seven stories set within the World of Darkness, a world much like our own but wherein the supernatural exists and where dark forces beyond the sight or comprehension of mankind are at work. These stories have been selected and edited by Stewart Wieck, creator of Mage: the Ascension and co-creator of the World of Darkness.

Contents

• Introit by Jackie Cassada
• The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove by John H. Steele
• Silver Nutmeg, Golden Pear by Jim Moore & Kevin Murphy
• Grim Reminders by Jim Moore & Kevin Murphy
• The Great Escape by Edo von Belkom
• A Block of Time by Jane M. Lindskold
• Make 'em Laugh by James Lowder
• Escobar Falls by Stewart von Allmen

Background

The first seven stories in this book were originally published in Truth Until Paradox in 1994. "Escobar Falls" is new to this edition. It was originally published in the Dark Destiny anthology.

An Author's Postscript was added to "Escobar Falls:"
July 2, 2000, six years after this story was first written: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world/news/cnnsi/20000701/escobar039smemo.html
The link no longer works and wasn't archived by Way Back Machine. However, it may be in reference to Andrés Escobar.

• "Introit" by Jackie Cassada would be continued to "Antiphon" in City of Darkness: Unseen.
• Also in the story, "Introit," a red-eyed man is mentioned, a running theme throughout all the early WOD anthologies.
• "The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" by John H. Steele would be continued in the novel, Tower of Babel.
• "Silver Nutmeg, Golden Pear" and "Grim Reminders" by Kevin Murphy & Jim Moore involve Penny Dreadful, and Kevin Murphy would later have a novel based around the character. The two stories would be continued to "The Dark of the Year" in City of Darkness: Unseen.
• "The Great Escape" by Edo von Belkom would be continued in the short story, "Career Move," in City of Darkness: Unseen and in the novel, Mister Magick.
• "A Block of Time" by Jane M. Lindskold would be continued to "Shadow of a Reflection of a Cat's Head" in City of Darkness: Unseen.
• "Make 'em Laugh" by James Lowder would be continued to "Persistence of Vision" in City of Darkness: Unseen.

The White Wolf 2000 Jul-Dec. Catalog has a different text entry for the book (Known as 'Second Edition' instead of 'Revised'):

Make Your Own Reality

Magic is not dead, but it's dying. At least, the kind of magic that keeps the world alive. Magic is the power to shape reality, and this power is falling ever more into the hands of a few, into the hands of the Technocracy, a group of mages that has decided the universe is best defined by science.

Or Reality Will Make You

The second edition of this anthology contains the best stories from the first edition, as well as new stories that even better reflect the world of Mage: The Ascension as presented in the new edition of the Storyteller game.

Characters

Terminology

1986, Acolyte, Akashic/Akashic Brotherhood, Amulet, Ancient, Apprentices, Ascension, Ashbury Heights, Astral, Avatar, Awaken/Awakened, The Awakening at Twenty-four Frames per Second by Miranda Peake (Unpublished article), Bamboo Grove (Realm), Berkeley, Cabal, California, Cavern of Clashing Winds, Celestial Chorus, Certámen, Chantry, China, Chinatown (SF), Clones, Coincidental Magick, Columbia (Escobar Falls), Convent, Convention, Convent of the Heavenly Spirit, Council of Nine Traditions, Cult of Ecstasy, Cybernaut, Demon, Disciples, Dream Realm, Dreamspeaker, Dresden, Drone, Duel Arcane, Duel Thanatos, Dynamic Reality, Dynamism, Elector of Saxony's Key (Silver Nutmeg), Entropy, Euthanatos, Familiar, Filmland (Realm), Focus, Gaia, The Gauntlet (Castro Loc.), Germany, Golden Pear of B^ttger, Grimm's Occult Specialty Shoppe, Haight, HIT Marks, Hollywood, House of Usher (Club), Iteration X, Japanese Tea Garden, London, Los Angeles, The Lost Chord (Club), Mage, Magick/Magickal, Mantra (Band), Marauder, Masses, Masters, Matter, Men in Black, Milwaukee, Mind, Mission Street Shelter, Montgomery Block, Mundane, Nephandus/Nephandi, New World Order, New York, Nob Hill, Oasis Theater, One, O of H/Order of Hermes, Orphans, Pact, Paradigm, Paradigma, Paradox, Paradox Backlash, Paradox Spirits, Pentex, Petaluma, Philosopher's Stone, Pogrom, Procedure, Progenitors, Psychic, Quiet, Quintessence, Reality, Realm, Replication Phase, Rote, San Francisco, Seattle, Silver Cord, Sleepers, Sons of Ether, Sorceresses, Soul, Spain, Spell, Sphere, Spirits, Stasis, Static Reality, Stutz Bearcat (Penny's Car), Superiors, Syndicate, Talisman, Tao, Tapestry, Tears of Kali, Technocracy, Technomancer, The Temple (Club), Time, Toronto, Tradition, Transamerican Pyramid, True Magick, Tzu-jan, Umbra, Umbroods, Union Square, United States, University of San Francisco, Vegas, Victorian Age, Virtual Adepts, Void Engineers, Vulgar Magick, Ward, Waydown, Wizard, Wu Wei, Wyld, Wyrm, Zen,

References

Previous release	Fiction	Next release
MTAs: Blood Treachery	Mage: The Ascension books	MTAs: Dragons of the East