The Passing Hallows of Britannia

From time to time, the magical energies that flow through Britannia - that travel along and around the ley lines, that are channeled between Hallows, that are pent up in spells and objects, that arrive unannounced from the Supernal, that are thrown around by mages of all kinds moving through the Fallen World - group and gather within the landmass of Britannia.

Sometimes, these energies shift ley lines very slightly; sometimes they reveal things otherwise left unnoticed. Sometimes, they open up lost treasures. Most often, there is a focus of energies that results in a temporary and very potent Hallow.

The Passing Hallows are an ancient phenomenon within Britannia, and well-known to the Awakened community, as are the rituals and traditions that surround them. They are not common, but are a recognized fact of magical life within Britannia.

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Passing Hallows can occur almost anywhere :

• Ancient sites, marked by stone circles or other signifiers which modern man - and mage - no longer understands, seem to often be the location of passing Hallows. Is this coincidence or long-forgotten design? Foreknowledge, or something of the ancient past, now lost or diminished? No one knows. Some of these sites are now under churches, or lost in fields or forests. Others, built over in more recent times, have become inaccessible.
• For some reason, passing Hallows often manifest within towns and populated areas. This may be a product of more magical energies in these areas as mages become increasingly urbanized, of changes in the landscape and the ley lines, or it may be just that the locations hold some significance now lost or forgotten - at least, for now.
• Other passing Hallows occur at locations that seem completely random. Are these ancient sites, now forgotten or lost? Are they new locations, uncharted by ancient scholars? Or are they just the result of the stars - and the lines of magic and fate - being right?

Passing dead zones can be just as random and unpredictable - or seem to have just as much arcane meaning to them - although they are noted to occur less frequently than passing Hallows.

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The majority of older and more experienced mages in Britannia will know of the oddity of passing Hallows, and the customs that surround them. Almost all older mages will have attended a passing Hallow or felt the chill of a passing dead zone at least once, and the more politically active may even have been involved in hosting a Grand Focus.

So, what happens at a passing Hallow or dead zone, or when a Grand Focus is called?

While events and conjunctions change with time and place, and every occurrence is unique, there are several certainties.

For a brief period of time, for between one and four hours, there is a surge of magical energy, and a spontaneous Hallow appears from which Mana may be drawn or Tass may be collected. Mages there are still dependent on the usual methods used to accomplish these things, and many trades of items and teaching deals are struck by mages inept in Prime magic at passing Hallows and Grand Foci.

The resonance of the Hallow usually reflects in some way its location, timing or source; a Hallow in a deeply historical location or at a significant time of year may carry these factors in its resonance, or draw resonance from ley lines that power it or even from entities near to it.

The political implications of a passing Hallow or a Grand Focus are many :

• It is usual for the Consilium in whose area the Hallow manifests to host the gathering or even the Grand Focus, and to draw on the cabals within their region to guard the location from unwanted intruders and aggressors (after all, those who serve the Exarchs and even the Abyss still seek easily-found Mana) and to welcome and protect those gathered there.
• It is customary that the mages of the hosting Consilium are given first right to draw Mana from a passing Hallow, though they are expect to leave fair and equal share for all others gathered there. In a case of battle, the hosting Consilium's mages and then the willing and able warriors of other Consilii take order of priority.
• By etiquette and tradition, a representative of the hosting Consilium - usually the Hierarch - manages the resource of a passing Hallow, ensuring that it is shared fairly amongst Orders and cabals. Requests for access are put to this hosting official, and considerations of priority other than those stated above are claimed to be judged by need - although politics can, and often does, unofficially come into consideration.
• If the occasion allows - it is not, for example, a situation of magical war - the gathering is presented and managed as stylishly and formally as befits the hosting Consilium's usual method and means. There are distinct political advantages in holding a well-organized and smoothly-run meeting, and mages local to the hosting Consilium almost always welcome the opportunity to socialize and improve their connections with the other Awakened of Britannia.
• Passing dead zones are usually ignored and avoided, unless there is need for a gathering to protect or restore resources damaged or endangered by them.

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Grand Foci and passing Hallows give mages a reason to gather – and they provide the opportunity for deals to be struck, trades to be made, and associates or friends to be met with. Passing Hallows are also a chance for the Mana-impoverished to negotiate their share in a source, and as such, despite the dangers often connected with them, they remain a popular point of meeting for the Awakened of Britannia.

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Traditionally, only one mage in Britannia, the Master Astrologer of Anglesey, seems able to accurately predict passing Hallows, dead zones and events of national significance, perhaps due to the ancient methods and rotes of his role.

The current Master Astrologer is as reclusive as his predecessors, and he is rarely seen by even the other residents of the great teaching sanctum. His predictions and declarations, though, are unfailingly accurate. He says little, except to inform the Awakened community of the next significant focus or event, but when he does speak, his words are heeded by all.

His methods are arcane and complex, and it would take years of study to even begin to understand them. Most of what he says in explanation seems to make almost no sense to the uninitiated - much like the words of a technical expert in full technobabble, but with a much more ancient and occult style.