An apostate rejected membership in all the Orders for whatever reason. This is a daunting prospect when even casual membership in an Order grants access to so many resources — thousands of years’ worth of accumulated knowledge, Grimoires, rotes, Legacies, artifacts, Imbued items, and secrets. Some apostates were once part of an Order and left (voluntarily or not), taking some secrets with them. These latter apostates are distrusted by all the other Orders, who see them potential traitors or enemy spies.

A Nameless mage does not belong to any Order. Some hail from remote regions with few or no other resident Awakened, or haven’t attracted the attention of an Order yet. Most of these join an Order once the opportunity presents itself.

A Nameless Order is one of any number of small, usually local or regional organizations of mages. Some belong to ancient magical traditions, while others consist of a few cabals who recently joined forces. Although a handful can wield considerable influence within their purview, they lack the global reach of the major Orders.