Magic Inhabitants

The transition of Greater Seattle into Locus Analisel caused a number of obvious changes, but perhaps less obvious was the creations wrought by the magic that entered the city.  Many individuals discovered a talent for the new arts of summoning and alchemy, while others found their very natures changed by the influx of eldritch essences.  Out of the million or so citizens of the chancel, roughly a tenth have some ability to access magic, though only a few hundred have so far gained any power with the arts.  The number of Lonely Ones stays small, perhaps a few dozen, given their needs.  The gargoyles are hard to count, but their number is at least a few hundred.  Ghosts and sentient animals are becoming more and more numerous, and are impossible to count with any real success.  There are more than a thousand of each, at best guess.

 

Magicians, Summoners, and Alchemists

There are a small number of guilds of magicians in the city, with the vast majority being solitary practitioners.  Even the guilds tend towards individual advances combined with regular correspondence via the post (magical information not trusted to the city's difference engine network .

The Difference Seekers are trying to use magic and steamtech to produce a better and more stable technological basis for the city.  They hope that by using magic with the deviant technology they can overcome the fact that steamtech is currently less versatile than the earth's tech.  Their numbers are upwards of a hundred, and they are carefully overseen by the sister, Serene.

The Circle of the Divine is a double entendre, as they use magical divinations to explore the boundaries of the mythic and spirit realms.  They hope to figure out a way to access these realms as mortals.  If such a feat were to be possible, the face of the valde bellum would change as Imperators could bring mortal magicians to bear in the Spirit World conflicts.  Or it could spark waves of dementia animus.  There are, perhaps, a dozen members of this cult.

Avery's Seven are a coven of alchemists with no stated agenda.

The Five Points of Pythagoras is a group of summoners with their goal to understand the intricacies of the mirrors of the city.

Although magic can affect Nobles with less resistance than miracles can, it still has limitations.  Although magic can target the Nobilis directly, doing so requires a major ritual, and the Noble so targeted becomes aware of this affront almost immediately.  Although magic typically is not affected by Auctoritas, a Noble can expend spiritual energy to allow Auctoritas to create a resistance to magic that is likely to be enough to stop all but the most powerful spells or extended rituals.

 

Lonely Ones

A kind of psychic vampire, Lonely Ones seem formed of an odd resonance with Ana that does not seem directly related to the Chancel process.  Indeed, if Allex is any clue, it is likely that Ana's very nature, chanceled or not, is sufficient to create a Lonely One.  The change seems to be able to affect any mortal who is both curious and lonely, though it usually only affects those who spend time next to Ana's body.  It is uncertain whether this is a voluntary power of Analisel's, or whether she has no control over it.  She does seem to be respectful of the Lonely Ones, and unwilling to move against them.

 Over a period of days the new Lonely One becomes more palid and wraithlike, and begins to feel a need to be around people as often as possible.  The process also, luckily enough, makes them more attractive and charismatic.  As they spend time around mortals, those mortals feel more and more alone in the universe as the Lonely One feeds off of feelings of connectedness.  There is usually no permanent damage, though spending too long can cause the weak willed to commit suicide after a while.

For most purposes, including Realm and Domain miracles, Lonely Ones are treated as mortals.  However, the longer they survive, the more gift-like powers they seem to develop.  They also seem to develop an Auctoritas-like defense against miracles and mortal magics.  Lonely Ones have demonstrated many of the powers ascribed to more traditional forms of vampire, from Aspect abilities, to the ability to fly, to invisibility, and similar things.

The Lonely Ones of Locus Analisel are carefully monitored by Allex, and they have reached a symbiosis with the city.  Their presence is directed to those mortals whose feelings of connection work against the resonance of the city, and thus they are effectively Loneliness' antibodies.  Their curiosity also means that several of them serve in Vex's spy network, and some of these are quite willing to go on external missions, since their powers seem in no way limited to the chancel.  A few of the more recent converts have gone bad, but these were all quickly put down.

 

Gargoyles

A definite result of the enchancelment process are the gargoyles.  Most of the gothic architecture was created whole-cloth in the change, and this rapidity, along with the resonance of the city's magic, allowed the mythic spirits of many gargoyles to act in prosaic reality, becoming sentient.  Living off the rain itself, the gargoyles rarely go without a constant meal, and so are content to mimic their unthinking brethren.  However, a growing number are becoming interested in the humans that they watch, and some have begun to mimic their ways.

The notable abilities of the gargoyles are feats of strength and resilience that can equal or exceed Aspect miracles with mundane actions, and the ability to fly for those that have wings.  On top of these abilities, the gargoyles are quite able to spend many hours just watching, but they remember much better than stone spirits when questioned.

Interestingly, the gargoyles seem much more sociable than the humans when they are not alone.  Perhaps the need for loneliness has not quite affected them yet.  Nonetheless, they have no resistance to miracles of any sort, and so have not affronted Kestral with their resistance to his estate.  They also know their liability, and so even those that might disagree with the status quo are not ones to go against the ruling Nobilis.

Reports from the spy network indicate that some gargoyles have recently been approached by The Grim, and it is uncertain to what this pertains.

 

Sentient Animals and Ghosts

An increasing phenomena in the city is the existence of thinking animals.  Periodically the animals in the city, usually birds and carnivorous mammals, will produce a thinking member of their race.  This animal can speak, and tends to be incredibly curious.  The exact numbers are hard to place, since all of them tend towards silence on the matter of their insights until they get a handle on this "thinking" thing.  So far Vex's resonance has been blamed for their existence.

Another phenomenon is that of restless spirits.  Though there were no reported ghosts at the founding of the city, their numbers have swelled over the summer.  It is uncertain whether the chancel is drawing the spirits of dead from outside, or whether there are an unnoticed series of deaths occurring right beneath Kestral's nose.  In general ghosts are very slippery to Noble miracles and hard to deal with, but equally unable to focus on or affect the mortal plane besides simple manifestation.  They are more easily dealt with from a mythic perspective, but even in this way their existence remains a mystery.