The
Traditions, from the
role-playing game Mage the Ascension, view the tradition that calls itself the Hollow Ones as a
Sleeper might look at a
panhandler- sometimes with pity, sometimes with a condescending smile, and sometimes with a sardonic gaze. They nod to themselves, and move onward, saddened that such wonderful potential is being wasted in their self-pitying games.
They see the Darkling habits paralleling the
gothic sub-culture, with black dress, white makeup, and dark poetry. They see them laugh at tragedy, accepting ill fortune without complaint. They see a collection of fools, dithering away their potential to change the world for the better.
They couldn't be more wrong.
Although the Hollow Ones lack the long and storied history of the
Verbena, the kookiness of the
Sons of Ether, or the sheer motivated force of the
Euthanatos, they are still a force in themselves. While they do not directly involve themselves in the
Ascension War, the Darklings nonetheless play their own role in the cosmos.
As a whole, the Hollow Ones are not strangers to pain. Indeed, many come from broken homes, dangerous school, and know the nature of tragedy well because they have seen it so many times within their own life.
Their magic is a bit unusual when you compare it to any one of the
Traditions. There is no absolute need to master the self proposed by the
Akashic Brotherhood, they do not seek to perpetuate the cycle of life and death as do the
Euthanatos. The Darklings do magic all the "wrong" ways;
New Age paperbacks, ankhs,
witchcraft,
Existentialism, a bootleg copy of the
Necronomicon, and a pinch of
Nirvana to make it spicy- and ultimately, they realize that true
magic comes from within.
Hollow Ones are often found in small
cliques that are bound together like a family. They seldom allow others to glimpse their social circle, and even when they allow someone to join their dance, the individual will never know all the steps. Their self-absorption masks a love for curiosities; puzzles, enigmas, and the
Garou and
vampires are great wonders.
Seeing what is in the Now with renewed vision is what the Hollow Ones are about.