by James Ganong (jganong@webtv.net)
Once, everyone knew their place; everyone *belonged* somewhere, defined by family, class, race, religion, et. al; some found it nurturing, some found it smothering, most just accepted it without much thought & went on with their lives.
Once, but no more.
Now it's all in freefall. Neighbors of 20 years don't know each others' names; hell, Dahmer's neighbors didn't know they lived next door to an abbatoir. Customers aren't people anymore, just marketing data. No one wants to get involved, the anonymous, impersonal life in the city is a cliche & existentialists say that alienation is the norm; all else is illusion & the sub- conscious realization of this state of affairs creates Sartre's Nausea.
It also creates a path to power.
Solipsomancy focuses on the power of social interaction to define reality; the price is isolation. This is the paradox, that to gain power over social reality, the solipsomancer must withdraw from social contact. The slang term for a Solipsomancer is a Solo.
Solipsomancy Blast Style:
The minor blast takes the form of an anxiety attack, as the target is overcome by feelings of unreality; the significant blast takes the form of utter despair, with the target simply losing the will to live. Naturally, stress checks are appropriate; optionally, use the checks as with the Irascimancy blast to enhance or negate the blast.Generate a Minor Charge:
Spend a day in isolation; not necessarily *physical* isolation (but it's the easiest), going out & being alone in the crowd is acceptable. The adept can also get a charge by spending 5 hours in a sensory deprivation tank.Generate a Significant Charge:
Spend one week in isolation (as above) or 24 hours in the tank.Generate a Major Charge:
Spend a year in total isolation, without interacting with human society in any way. No communication of any kind, not seeing or hearing another human *at all*; basically, hole up on a desert island &/or in a cave, lving only on what you can make/catch/find in nature. No manufactured items or canned food; make sure no planes or boats pass within sight. If any manmade item washes up on the beach & you see it, if you see *any* proof of the existence of humans other than yourself, start over.Taboo:
Deliberately seeking to interact in a personal, social fashion. Doing things like shopping, business calls, one night stands, hiring or performing a personal service for money are ok, as long as they're done in a detached fashion. Fail any isolation-5 or lower check.Random Magick Domain:
Interactions with humans &/or society; isolation & concealment; anonymity.