The Sons Of Ether

The Sons Of Ether are one of the nine groups that make up the Traditions, but were once part of the Technocratic Union. Their roots reach back to the earliest Greek philosophers, although they have only been organised as a Tradition for nearly two hundred years.

Aretus - The Natural Philosopher

Aretus was the first Greek philosopher to question the nature of the world and the first to attempt to formulate consistent answers. Little else is known about his life, he was believed to have lived in Troy at the time of the siege, but is thought to have died there. However an apprentice of his, Parmenesthes, fled the city to Persia with the only copy of his master's work.

The scroll Parmenesthes carried was translated by Arabic scholars as the "Kitab al Alacir", the "Book of Ether", unfortunately is was mistakenly attributed to Parmenides. Later the original scroll was discovered by Alexander the Great who had it translated by Aristotle, greatly influencing him to the extent him formulating the fifth essence.

House Golo

In the 12th century an Italian merchant prince named Lorenzo Golo, who was also a Mage of House Verditius, received a copy of the Arabic translation of Aretus' work from Moorish Spain. After studying the scroll, Golo gathered together a number of other like minded Mages, but after disagreements with the Order of Hermes they formed their own house, House Golo.

At the same time a Knight Templar called Simon de Laurent had discovered Aristotle's translation. de Laurent was also secretly a Mage of the Cabal of Pure Thought (the New World Order as we now know it.) Eventually Golo met de Laurent while trading in France and they realised that their ideas shared a common basis. They agreed to share their information, leading to the formation of a loose association of groups under the title of the Natural Philosophers Guild.

Some of de Laurent's activities led to the Church excommunicating him, this in turn lead to a dissolution of the Guild as individual groups endeavoured to modify their activities in such a way as to deflect attention. There arose two styles amongst the groups, one favouring Forces, an interest derived from their Hermetic origins. The other focused on Matter, an interest that had grown from de Laurent's interest in Science.

The Electrodyne Engineers

These smaller groups were instrumental in the development of science and the birth of the Renaissance. Over the years the Forces tradition grew in influence with the formation of the Electrodyne Engineers, and in 1865 they were officially recognised as a Convention of the Order of Reason. However those interested in ether and Matter were always headstrong and eager to drive ever forwards, this lead to the nickname "Sons of Ether".

Over the next forty years the Order became more and more concerned about the unsettling influence of the "etheric" faction within the Electrodyne Engineers. The Union has a very regimented plan for humanity, certain "discoveries" are to be released according to a strict timetable, but the Sons wanted to explore the boundaries of Science with total freedom. The Engineers were also keen to push forward as fast as possible, and this was seen as inappropriate within the terms of the timetable.

Defection To The Traditions

The last straw came in 1904 after a note was circulated amongst members of the Conventions, this note demanded that the activities of the Electrodyne Engineers be curtailed as soon as possible. In particular it was suggested that the existence of ether should be formally disproved within the Consensus. The Conventions met and formally voted that ether did not exist, but within a month the Order received a letter from all members of the Electrodyne Engineers announcing their resignation from the Conventions. In addition the letter's final snub to the Order of Reason was the intention to join the Traditions as the Sons of Ether.

During the Grand Convocation of the Traditions in 1466 a hand picked cabal was formed, including a member of the Tradition known as the Solificati. They were a collection of Alchemists and Natural Philosophers, experts with the Matter sphere. After the Solificati member of the cabal apparently turned barrabbi and betrayed the cabal, the Tradition crumbled and eventually disappeared. This left the Seat of Matter on the Council empty for over three hundred years, leaving the Traditions incomplete, but the arrival of the Sons of Ether brought back mastery of Matter to the Traditions.

The Tradition Today

The Tradition espouses three fundamental ideas, first of all is that True Science is an Art, an expression of creation, imagination and freedom. Secondly, Science can only be used for the betterment of humanity, for peaceful means only. And finally ether is an all pervading aspect of all the work of a Son of Ether. Perhaps the only reason for this is that all Sons of Ether know that ether DOES exist, and that the Technocracy must be made to see their mistake. In fact some of the most important recent advances in mundane physics have been sponsored by the Tradition, these include Quantum Physics as seen in Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Schrödinger's Cat, and the discovery of Dark Matter (is this ether?)

Other than the three tenets described above, probably the one thing that unites the Sons of Ether is their individuality. Each has their own personal theory, their own inspiration to create, but there are some common patterns that lead to natural groupings.

This information has been distilled from a special edition of Paradigma: The Journal of Progressive Sciences, published by White Wolf as the Son of Ether Tradition Book.

Introduction - Biography - Magick - Sons Of Ether - Traditions - Technocracy
Speakeasy Chantry - The Guild of Creative Thought - External Information

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