Wherever the Soul ShinesPersecuted for their faith, called heretics for their belief in One face of the divine,

blamed for the Inquisition and divided inside by their disparate visions of Heaven, the members of the Celestial Chorus persevere nonetheless. One Song — the very pulse of creation itself, a cosmic harmony in which they all join — reverberates throughtheir hearts. With this faith, they hope to bring humanity into communion with the divine, but they can do so only once they unify themselves. Be they saints or sinners, the Chorus’ mages hope for redemption. But whose faith is correct? In the wake of the Reckoning, unity may not come in time for them to survive Armageddon.

There is Heard the Song of the OneAt last, a revised look at the Traditions for Mage: The Ascension. Completely new

material covering history, practices, beliefs, special character rules and more. Examine new roles in the wake of the Reckoning and the hidden secrets and powers of the surviving Traditions.

T R A D I T I O N B O O K :

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By Jeff Cisneros, Rich Ruane and Malcolm Sheppard

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CreditsAuthors: Jeff Cisneros, Rich Ruane and Malcolm SheppardDevelopment: Jess HeinigEditing: Carl BowenArt Direction: Aileen E. MilesInterior Art: Rebecca Guay, Leif Jones, Vince Locke, Matthew MitchellCover Art: Christopher ShyCover Design, Layout & Typesetting: Aileen E. Miles

© 2001 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire, Vampire the Masquerade, Vampire the Dark Ages, Mage the Ascension, Hunter the Reckoning, World of Darkness and Aberrant are registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Werewolf the Apocalypse, Wraith the Oblivion, Changeling the Dreaming, Werewolf the Wild West, Mage the Sorcerers Crusade, Wraith the Great War, Trinity, Mind's Eye Theatre, Laws of Ascension, Tradition Book Celestial Chorus, Dragons of the East and Dead Magic are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.

The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned.

This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.

For a free White Wolf catalog call 1-800-454-WOLF.Check out White Wolf online athttp://www.white-wolf.com; alt.games.whitewolf and rec.games.frp.storyteller

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ContentsPrologue: A Rude Awakening 4Introduction: Finding Faith 8Chapter One: St. John’s Words 1 2Chapter Two: Holy Tasks, Sacred Paths 26Chapter Three: Scattered Souls 66Epilogue: Something Precious 99

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The wait was long and filled with many apprehensions. To Jeremiah it seemed like an-other lifetime since he had Awakened to the Song. At first he was confused as the sound of the Song filled his senses, then the voice in his head told him to be strong and keep his faith, for a great journey awaited. It was not too long thereafter that Father Bernard came knocking on the door to change his life irrevocably. In the following days, he learned that magic was real and that a higher state of being existed, although it could be attained only with hard work and diligence. Then came the many questions... Jeremiah was afraid to ask them at first, but he was told that those questions were important if he

was to study and become part of the Celestial Chorus. After the questions came the waiting... then finally acceptance.

On that day, he was ushered into a white room with a simple table. Two chairs sat behind it, and one chair — his chair — faced them. After he was given some time to contemplate this next step in his spiritual growth, two men in simple robes entered the room and sat down. The first man to speak was tall and wiry, with blonde chin-length hair, but his eyes were black and piercing, threatening to transfix Jeremiah. He spoke with a voice that was seemingly too powerful for his body.

“Greetings, Apprentice Jeremiah, and welcome to the Celestial Chorus. You have much to study and learn before you are released from your catechumenate... what you would know as an appren-

What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving, how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals! And yet, to me, to me what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me; nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.

—Hamlet (II, ii)

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