Prologue

A Treatise on Immortality by Stephen Bonet, Filius of Penelope, House
Bonisagus (Order of Hermes), presented to the Stonehenge Tribunal on
March 20, 1854

Greetings Fellow Magi!

As always, it is with great honor and privilege that I address you at
this Tribunal.  My sodalis and I have come across a most curious breed
of man, and I would like to present our studies of this man for you to
enjoy:

His name is Guillaume, and he was born in the year 1422 to a
farmer and wife outside Paris, in France.  All of this information
about him has come from our explorations of his mind and body, for
despite his incredible powers he is but a man, albeit a very special
kind of man.  

Through his mind, we saw his death and rebirth: unlike
the mummies of the southern lands, however, he does not travel to a
spirit realm and beg to return, but rather his internal power somehow
regenerates his form, no matter how damaged it has become.  This
natural healing is rapid, causing him to return from the most grievous
of wounds to his full health in scant hours.  

We tested his mind's visions, and in fact his wounds heal remarkably quickly.
He cannot be drowned, for somehow his lungs draw air from the water itself.
He can be burned, or shot, but he heals so quickly that the most heinous of
wounds are little more than an annoyance to him.  

Through his mind, we likewise learned of others of his kind.  A teacher, who
came to him and taught him the Rules, and others, who came to steal his power
for themselves.

Their kind have Rules, built up through centuries of
conflict.  The only way to kill them is to remove their head from
their shoulders, separating their head from their heart (the two
sources of life, as we ourselves know).  If this is done by another of
their kind, the power within them (which they refer to as their
Quickening, or life) flows into their killer, making him even more
powerful.  Their legends speak of the Gathering, a time when all of
their kind will battle, until only one remains.  That one, with all of
their power as his own, will be like unto a god.  

How do we explain these beings?  Quite easily, in fact.  Their power is
nothing less than raw Quintessence, somehow drawn to them from reality itself.
As all living things have some faint spark of Quintessence in them, these
beings have a raging flame, which gives them strength and power.  This
raw power is similar to that of our own Avatars, yet in many ways
different.  Those of us who study the Prime have recognized this in
our subject, and in fact can sense the power flowing through him.  At
the same time, he does not seem to have the Gift, and we have been
unable to Awaken him.  We have not yet endeavored to remove his head
ourselves, until we are certain we have learned all we can from him.

Another Rule of their kind deals with Holy Ground, and the fact that
they cannot fight there. According to Guillaume, he can sense this
ground, much as he senses others of his kind when they draw near.
Through studying him and his memories, we have gained some information
as to this sensation.  It seems our Chantry is also considered Holy
Ground to him, as it seems all Nodes are.  These connections to
Quintessence are off limits to them? Why is that?  The answer lies in
understanding their battles.

When two of their kind fight, the Quintessence within them begins to flow,
empowering them and their weapons, and literally filling the air around them.
When one loses, the winner draws his own Quintessence back into himself, as
well as some of that belonging to his opponent... the rest, with nowhere to
go, wreaks havoc on the environment around them. This Quintessence he
absorbs from his opponent carries with it a shadow of the man's
knowledge, indeed his very life... and in some cases, can overshadow
the life of the victor.

On a Node site, the Quintessence from the loser flows not into the victor, but
into the Node itself.  In this way, the victor not only gains nothing, but in
fact loses that Quintessence of his which had mingled with that of his
opponent... a very pragmatic reason for the Rule they follow.  

There are many things about these beings still to be learned.  They seem as
closely tied to Quintessence as we ourselves, but at the same time seem to be
able to contain and harness this "Quickening" of theirs in other ways.
In some ways, they seem a living Node: a constant amount of Quickening
within them, unused by their healing and powers, and always the
capacity for more.  We will experiment more with this subject,
including channeling Quintessence into him, to further explore our
theories.

Thank you for your patience, and good night.
