Truth Until Paradox is a fiction anthology for Mage: The Ascension. This page is for the first edition, printed in 1994.
Summary[]
From the Back Cover:
- Dire portents loom for San Francisco. The recent earthquake may not have been an entirely natural phenomenon. Mages, modern practitioners of magick, have gathered to investigate (and possibly exploit) the situation.
- This fourth World of Darkness anthology continues the Bay Area chronicle. The authors have created a collection of short stories detailing the magickal, intriguing beings known as mages. This paperback anthology contains short fiction written by some of the hottest up-and-coming writers in the industry today.
Contents[]
- The Crystal Messiah / Philip Nutman
- The Great Escape / Edo von Belkom
- Introit / Jackie Cassada
- When the Moon / James S. Dorr
- That Which is Given / Don Bassingthwaite
- Waiting for Yesterday / Brett Brooks
- Candledark / Thomas S. Roche
- Make 'em Laugh / James Lowder
- A Block of Time / Jane M. Lindskold
- The Judas Tree / Richard Lee Byers
- End Run / Nigel D. Findley
- Pushing the Right Buttons / Doug Murray
- Dream Speaker / Bill Crider
- Devil's Bargain / Thomas Kane
- Silver Nutmeg, Golden Pear / Jim Moore & Kevin Murphy
- Grim Reminders / Jim Moore & Kevin Murphy
- The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove / John H. Steele
- Lexicon
Background[]
Truth Until Paradox Revised was published in 2000, but included only seven of the above stories plus one new story.
- 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.
- "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.
- "That Which is Given" by Don Bassingthwaite would be continued in the HarperPrism novel, Such Pain.
- "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 following short stories would be continued in the following anthology:
- "Dream Speaker" to "Assault on Treasure Island" by Bill Crider, "The Crystal Messiah" to "Waiting for Goddard" by Philip Nutman, "The Great Escape" to "Career Move" by Edo van Belkom, "Introit" to "Antiphon" by Jackie Cassada, "When the Moon" to "Sparrow's Song" by James S. Dorr, "A Block of Time" to "Shadow of a Reflection of a Cat's Head" by Jane M. Lindskold, "Candledark" to "Self-Portrait in Nightmares" by Thomas S. Roche, "Make 'em Laugh" to "Persistence of Vision" by James Lowder and "Silver Nutmeg, Golden Pear" and "Grim Reminders" to "The Dark of the Year" by Kevin Andrew Murphy with Jim Moore in City of Darkness: Unseen.
Characters[]
The Crystal Messiah
- Gregor Kublek - N.W.O. Mage
- James Alexander Labac - Orphan Mage
- Art Baisden - Progenitor clone, ex-Euthanatos
- Drew Royle - Ex-Orphan Nephandi Psycho-Hydra-Morp Fomori
- Kara Turner - Female Hollow One Mage
- Roberto Wiseman - Ex-Cult of Ecstasy Orphan Mage
- Varbage - Iteration X Mage
- Itsumaki - Syndicate Mage
- Driebeck - Void Engineer Mage
- Shooter - Progenitor Mage
- Simon - Ex-Cult of Ecstasy Orphan Mage
- Kimberly - Female Mage
- Serena - Female Dreamspeaker Mage
- Andre Devaux, "A'Duhl" - Fomori Nephandi
- Copperfelt - Syndicate Puppet, Mage
- Christopher - Future son of James and Kara
The Great Escape
- Romano Minardi - Cult of Ecstasy Mage
- Roxanne May - Female acolyte to Romano
- Arthur "Artie" Gardner - Romano's Road Manager
Introit
- Johanna Talbot, "Sister Jo" - Female Celestial Chorus Mage
- Clarence Dawson - Mortal Technocracy Agent
- Ms. Potter "Irene" - Mortal
- Gideon - Technocracy Mage
- Bernadette
When the Moon
- Eddie Marsdon
That Which is Given
- Kate Sanders - Female N.W.O. Mage
- Christopher Kent - Iteration X Mage
- Eblis - Christopher's Familiar
- Doctor Sahgal - Technocracy Mage gone mad
- Rafael - Marauder Mage
- Julia - Female Technocracy Mage
Waiting for Yesterday
- Peter Thomas - Son of Ether Mage
- Leda Evincia - Female Mage
- Brandon Smitts - Paradox Thief
Candledark
- Paragon - Technocracy clone
- Christian - Techn]]ocracy clone
- Caroline Hackensack, "Candle" - Female Verbena Mage
- Giancarlo
Make 'em Laugh
- Miranda Peake - Female Son of Ether Mage under censure
- Professor Summerlee - Son of Ether Mage
- Doctor Armstrong - Son of Ether Mage
- Erich Murnau - Nephandi Mage, died
A Block of Time
- Tieh - Female Akashic Brotherhood Mage
- Serena - Female Order of Hermes Mage, Timekeeper
- Yueh Ch'iu - Akashic Brotherhood Mage, Died
- Hung Po - Akashic Brotherhood Mage, Died
- Master Shan - Akashic Brotherhood Mage, Died
- Abraham - Dreamspeaker Mage
- Lung Lei, "The Thunder Dragon" - Spirit, Former Mage
- Captain Henry Wagner Halleck - Originally an Order of Hermes Mage, switched to the Technocracy
- Ned - Nephandi Ancient Mage, Halleck's Student, Died
- Mabel - Female Technocracy Mage
The Judas Tree
- Tom Baxter - Order of Hermes Mage
- Francis, "Jacobi" - Order of Hermes barrabbi, Nephandi Mage
- Penny - Female Order of Hermes Mage
- Lois - Female Order of Hermes Mage
- Count of the Wasteland - Spirit, Nephandi Umbrood
- Esteban - Nephandi Mage
End Run
- Dorian - Order of Hermes Mage
- Todd Lucas - Mage
Pushing the Right Buttons
- Williams - Technocracy Mage
- Carlos Magruder - Technocracy Mage
Dream Speaker
- John Killdeer Smith - Dreamspeaker Mage
- Frankie Lee - Akashic Brotherhood Mage
- Lowell - Hollow One Mage
- Kane - Technocracy Mage
Devil's Bargain
- Zasher - Order of Hermes barrabbi, Nephandi Mage
- Uriah Solomon - Order of Hermes Mage
- Elhonna - Spirit
Silver Nutmeg, Golden Pear
- Bryce Grimm
- Penny Dreadful
- Edith Blanton - Mortal turned into a Fomori, Died
- Norman Blanton - Mortal, Edith's Son
- Martha - Mortal, Baker
- Aries Michaels, "The Wizard of Nob Hill" - Order of Hermes Mage, Died
- Elector of Saxony - Past
- B^ttger - Past Alchemist, Died
- Norna Weaver
- Neville
- Blackrose - Female Hollow One Mage
- Spooky Pete - Hollow One Mage
- Rex - Hollow One Mage
- Jodi Blake
- Burt Calhoun - Mortal
- Grimalkin - Penny's Familiar, Stolen from Jodi
Grim Reminders
- Dr. Himiitsu - Progenitor Mage
The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
- Lieutenant Robert Angler - Mortal, Detective, SFPD
- Mrs. Loring - Mortal
- Albert "Al" Loring - Mortal, Loring's Son
- Randy Alvinson - Acolyte to Tun Tzu
- Tun Tzu - Sage, Akashic Brotherhood Mage
- Li P'o - Sage
- Ch'eng Hao - Sage
- Wang Wei - Sage
- Yang Kwang - Sage
- Meng Hao-jan - Sage
- Zorn - Fictional character created by Ron Church
- Li Chuan - Sage
References[]
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), Coincidental Magick, Convent, Convent of the Heavenly Spirit, Council of Nine Traditions, Cult of Ecstasy, Cybernaut, Demon, De Re Eudaemonica (Book), Disciples, Dream Realm, Dreamspeaker, Dresden, Duel Arcane, Duel Thanatos, Dynamic Reality, Dynamism, Elector of Saxony's Silver Key (Silver Nutmeg; Artifact), Entropy, Euthanatos, Familiar, Filmland (Realm), Focus, Gaia, The Gauntlet (Castro Loc.), Germany, Golden Pear of B^ttger (Artifact), Grimm's Occult Specialty Shoppe, Haight, HIT Marks, Hollywood, House of Usher (Club), 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, Mount Shasta (Node), Mundane, Nephandus/Nephandi, New York, Nob Hill, Oasis Theater (Node), One, O of H/Order of Hermes, Orphans, Pact, Pan's (Nightclub Node), Paradigma, Paradox, Paradox Backlash, Paradox Spirits, Petaluma, Philosopher's Stone, Pogrom, Progenitors, Psychic, Quintessence, Reality, Realm, 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, Talisman, Tao, Tapestry, Tears of Kali (Artifacts), Technocracy, Technomancer, The Temple (Club), Time, Toronto, Tradition, Transamerican Pyramid, True Magick, Tzu-jan, Umbra, Umbroods, Union Square, University of San Francisco, Vegas, Victorian Age, Virtual Adepts, Vulgar Magick, Ward, Waydown, Wizard, Wu Wei, Wyld, Wyrm, Zen,
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