Certain texts have been created to inspire Sleepers to Awaken. Often called Primers (from “first,” “best,” “to risk,” “to strike”), such books, scrolls, puzzles, and even games cut through the murk of everyday lethargy, waking certain readers up to the possibilities beyond mundane existence. For most people, Primers appear to be esoteric, obtuse, even nonsensical. An imaginative person, however, can grasp the deeper significance of that work and perhaps use it to blow open the doors of possibility. The Kitab al-Alacir remains the world’s most famous Primer, but many others exist… often right in plain sight.

Essentially a special sort of Grimoire, a Primer might be entertaining, frustrating or fascinating in its own right. Its true purpose, however, involves shaking the reader out of her mundane Sleep. System-wise, an unusually intelligent and dedicated reader may Awaken, acquiring her first dot of Arete without paying experience points to gain it. As with any Grimoire, that reader must first absorb the text, comprehend its deeper levels, and then put those insights into use. For an Awakened mage, a Primer won’t do anything unusual – she’s already gotten that particular memo. An unAwakened char­ acter, however, may discover her career as a mage between the pages of some esoteric tome whose contents are far more powerful than they might seem otherwise…