The obvious sources of Quintessence include Nodes, Tass, living things, and – at the higher levels – objects and events. Those events, described throughout Mage 20 as Wellsprings, generate life-energy that a mage can tap if she’s got enough expertise to do so. A Primal Utility specialist understands the energetic potential of events and effort, and therefore can tap into Ventures and opportunities in order to exploit that knowledge. Either way, the mage draws energy out of “thin air” in spaces where that “air” has been charged with excitement-generated Quintessence.

Rules-wise, a mage with Prime 4 or higher, who finds an area where strong emotions create helpful Resonance, can then tap into that free-flowing Quintessence and “empower” herself with it. Game-wise, this involves absorbing the Quintessence through Prime (or Primal Utility) 4.

Here’s the catch: The Resonance of that Wellspring has to match the Resonance of the mage and his purpose. A peaceful mage cannot tap the energy of a battle unless he wants to kick somebody’s ass; a Furious Black Suit won’t find much helpful energy in a Wellspring of Calm. And so, most Prime-savvy mages stir up the appropriate kinds of energy. Lee Ann might start a sacred orgy, while Voormas might kick off a massacre. When you think about it, this explains volumes about rock stars, healers, political agitators, and media pundits: Their actions stimulate the energy they want to employ.

Makes you kinda wonder about the sorts of people behind the 24/7 fear-fest on most TV networks, doesn’t it?