Argentum
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| Name: | Argentum |
| Metal: | Silver |
| Nickname(s): | Mystics |
| Transmutations: | Sensorium, Spiritus |
Argentum is the Refinement of Silver, and is practiced by Prometheans who study other supernatural creatures, such as spirits, vampires, werewolves, and mages in hopes of gaining insight into the Promethean condition.
The Refinement of Silver stems from the idea that Prometheans stand out among supernaturals since they were never technically mortal. Even though most of them are made from human body parts, they have no memory of the life or lives those limbs and organs came from. However, vampires, werewolves, and mages almost always lead something of a normal mortal life before their transformations, and some Prometheans become fascinated by the fact they gave up their mortality (willingly or unwillingly) to become something else. By unraveling the secrets as to how a mortal becomes something more powerful, many Mystics hope to find a way to essentially reverse the process, going from supernatural to mortal.
Not all followers of the Refinement of Silver have such deep reasoning or motivations; some Mystics come to Argentum out of an inability to fit in with humanity at all, and others simply because of an interest in the supernatural and occult. As a further extension, many Mystics also delve deeply into studies of madness and insanity, which often finds ways of often appearing among humans who claim to have had contact with supernatural creatures and are often dimissed or misdiagnosed.
Argentum is hard to discover by the nature of its subject matter; supernatural creatures are rare, even in the World of Darkness. Unless they are created with certain connections in mind, such as an existing throng or as an Ulgan, the average Promethean is unlikely to stumble upon another Promethean without pre-existing connections, let alone a vampire, werewolf, or other supernatural. In order to find Argentum, a potential Mystic must be very aware that Prometheans are far from alone in their unearthly existance. In addition, to properly benefit from the Refinement of Silver, they must see beyond themselves enough to realize that other supernaturals have their own forms of connections and relationships with mortals.
Naturally, the Ulgan, who are dominated by the humour of ectoplasm and spend so much time communicating with the beings of Twilight, are the ones who most often find the Refinement of Silver. Many Tammuz fear the unexplained and tend to shy away from Argentum, as do the Frankensteins, who often respond to the supernatural with anger and rage.
- PTC: Magnum Opus, p. 62-68
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Aes · Argentum · Aurum · Centimani · Cobalus · Cuprum · Ferrum · Mercurius · Plumbum · Stannum |
