Divinity is the greatest mystery, for it is defined by what it is not. From the primeval waters of Nu to the negative existence beyond the Tree of Life, the impossible question posed by negative theology has challenged mortal occultists and Awakened mages alike for millennia. Everything is unmanifest, ultimately, but we who live in the Tree can scarcely remember what it was like to be in, nay, to be that black ocean beyond the world. And yet souls wake up, and sometimes they seek to understand it once more. Named after the Egyptian part of the soul that Crowley associated with the veils of negative existence, the Hammemit are a Legacy defined by a simple yet all-encompassing matter; the divine void that is unmanifest existence. These Monads, often Obrimos, dispense of the phenomenal trappings of divinity for its true, ineffable root. Instead of light and thunder, they bring darkness and silence. Their angels do not bear wings, but instead the utter simplicity of the pure, black soul. They can manipulate the very fundaments of magic and instantiate things yet unmanifest into the gross world of matter. And through it all, the Hammemit strive at their holy, only task, to know – and be – ultimate Godhead.
Path: Obrimos
Order: Mysterium
Nickname: Monads
Overview: The Legacy now known as the Hammemit is both ancient and recent. While religions and occult traditions have studied the void for as long as humanity has inhabited the Earth, the intellectual tradition of the Hammemit only really came into its own during the late 19th century, when the veils of negative existence began to receive more attention by ceremonial magicians. Aleisteir Crowley is one of the most celebrated trailblazers in this area, having ultimately provided the Legacy with its name, but in truth, there were many magicians, thaumaturgical and Awakened, who sought out the mysteries of the unmanifest. Such individuals sent each other letters of correspondence and set-up lines of communication throughout Europe. No occult order was founded as a result of this, as the members were primarily adepts of various disparate lodges. Instead, a fraternity and sorority of like-minded souls manifested. In this shadow of this mortal community grew another network of the Awakened. These mages sought to use the power of Awakened magic to delve into negative existence in ways that their Sleepwalker companions could scarcely fathom, and to turn their revelations towards more practical ends. From this fertile ground, the Hammemit were born. Traditions echoing that of the Legacy appear all throughout history, of course, with some saying that the practices of the Monads can be traced as far back as the cult of Abyss-Nun in ancient Egypt, but outside of the spiritual superstructure of the Interior College, few believe that contemporary Hammemit can really claim any sort of worldly lineage to such ancients.
Prerequisites Death 2, Prime 2, Occult 2
Initiation: The aspirant must undergo an ecstatic mystical experience in which they abandon their Ruach and view the void directly. Determining how to provoke such an experience is considered to be part of the ordeal. Most initiations involve extensive fasting, sensory deprivation, and resting in darkness. For the purposes of initiation, the Awakening does not count; the aspirant must attain another, deeper revelation.
Organization: Monad society is loose, with the Legacy standing mostly as a shared school of thought among mages. Individual monads often dwell alone, but maintain lines of communications with their fellows, sharing mystical insight and just enjoying the sort of occult camaraderie that their forebears communicating through letters enjoyed. Initiates are introduced to other Hammemit by their mentor once they have entered the Legacy, and most members maintain connections with their fellows, even if just because few people, even mages, have such an abiding interest in negative existence. Some social groups of the Legacy own buildings that can serve as permanent lodges for the Legacy. While scarce, such locations tend to be the hotbed of Monad culture in the area.
Ruling Arcanum: Death
Yantras: Mentally envision one's Hammemit over the other parts of the soul as part of the spell (+1); calling upon the most holy names of God, such as Ain (+1); beseeching a deity that governs the primordial chaos or a similar religious contruct (+1); succeeding on an Occult roll that is of relevance to the spell (+2); resting in complete darkness (+1); attaining an ecstatic state, such as the Night of Pan, that inflicts the effects of the Insensate Tilt (+2)
Oblations Muttering quiet prayers for an hour; meditating in complete darkness; studying esoteric theologies; giving a lesson on negative theology to a group of willing students.
Attainments
First: Seeing the Sun-Folk
Prerequisites: Initiation
The Monad becomes able to spy the true soul, along with all of the phenomenal garments that it wears. This ability emulates the effects of “Soul Marks.”
Optional: Prime 1
Along with the soul, the Monad is also able to see the fundamental flows of magic hidden throughout reality. The subject gains the benefits of Active Mage Sight (Prime). For the purposes of piercing supernatural concealment, it automatically scores a number of successes equal to the mage's Prime dots.
Second: Revealing the Waters
Prerequisites: Death 2
The Monad peels away at the thin skin of phenomenal existence that shields the unmanifest, allowing those around them to look upon its naked glory. The environment suddenly becomes a void of sparkling blackness, mimicking the effects of “Deepen Shadows.” All of those who are in the area suffer from the effects of the Insensate Tilt as they are overwhelmed by the absolute divinity. Hammemit are not affected by this power.
Optional: Prime 2
By taking away the thin fabric of manifest existence that was sheared as part of the attainment and wrapping their soul in it, the Monad can hide from scrutiny, becoming a black soul in the void which they have brought into the world. This functions as the “Supernal Veil” spell. Many Monads use this measure to sneak up on the enemies that they have incapacitated.
Third: Manifest the Monad
Prerequisites Death 3, Occult 3
The Monad reaches into the vast expanse of unmanifest existence and pulls out a glittering monad, allowing it to manifest in the crude world of matter. This functions as the ability to pull objects out of Death-Twilight in “Touch of the Grave,” except the mage can bring out any type of object that they want, their soul intuitively finding it within the void. Once the Duration of the Attainment expires, the object returns to the void in a flash of sparkling blackness.
Optional: Prime 3
By harmonizing the inherent magic of the monad with the more tumultous magical currents of the world, the mage is able to keep the object retrieved for a longer period of time. The Attainment is treated as though one free Reach has been spent to enable the Advanced Duration chart to be used. Without any other modifications, this will have the object last for a Scene at the very least.
Fourth: Unveiling the Hammemit
Prerequisites: Death 4, Occult 4
The Hammemit is the highest part of the soul, dwelling beyond even the Yechidah, and the mage's identification with it is such that they can subsume their phenomenal self to that ultimate soul. The mage appears as a void of sparkling blackness in the shape of a human being, similar to the effects of the “Shadow Flesh” spell.
Optional: Prime 4
While in their void-form, the Monad can call upon a semblance of the power of Chaos to discarnate their foes, although they cannot send them to the unmanifest. The mage is able to use the equivalent of the “Celestial Fire” spell to attack enemies, with the targets appearing to have parts of their body rendered into a black vapor that floats away.
Fifth: Journeying to the Land of No-Thing
Prerequisites: Death 5, Occult 5
The Monad steps into unmanifest existence itself, their soul experiencing the naked glory of ultimate divinity. This Attainmenment can be used as a Reflexive action whenever the mage would suffer death. Once they have used the Attainment, the mage stays in unmanifest existence for one day. During that time, they cannot be affected or harmed in any capacity, nor can they be the target of Awakened magic. Once they return to the world, they regain all Willpower, and gain the effects of the Inspired Condition. Using this Attainment requires the mage to spend a dot of Willpower.
Optional: Prime 5
The Monad becomes steeped in raw magical power as they rest in the void where magic rests eternally, and they can keep a portion of that power when they return to the world. When they mage returns to the world, in addition to the normal effects, they also gain Mana up to the maximum allowed by their Gnosis.