Delvers of arcane knowledge, students of the dark arts, and explorers on the fringes of science, Cabalists use the powers of the demons against them. Cabalists are spell-casters, and more specifically, summoners and controllers of demons and the primal forces of the netherworld. They seek to study and dissect the essence of the demons to achieve the next evolution of mankind.

Cabalists wield sinister spells and arcane artifacts, turning the weapons and powers of the demons back against them. They use “black” magic and arcane weaponry as their primary means of battling the demonic hordes, fighting fire with fire and blood with blood. Some have been so touched by the dark forces they wield that they display the traits of their enemies from whom they steal their power, riding the razor’s edge between good and evil, control and corruption.

The Cabal
The Cabal has brought together disciplines of fringe science and ancient, arcane practices to unleash the inner potential of Mankind’s spirit and bring about the next step in their evolution, known as The Awakening.

There have always been those who would be prime candidates to become “Awakened”. Sir Isaac Newton was the first modern scientist and the last of the ancient magicians and alchemists. The works of Tesla clearly show that his research went well beyond the common understanding of man. There are some references to Cabalists in turn of the century “majickal” texts by Aleister Crowley and in cult pulp fiction such as Lovecraft’s Necronomicon.

According to ancient Babylonian texts, “The final step in The Awakening is for the Leader, the Great Eye of the Cabal, to pierce the veil and wrestle with the Lord of Hell. If he is victorious, he will gain possession of the Infernal Key of Nine Gates, giving him full command of all the energies from the dark planes.”

Whether or not the Cabalists themselves succeeded in piercing the veil, the forces of Hell have flooded their world. Those that touched the darkness and lived to speak of it were changed. They see the other side of things, often looking at the fate of the world as the metaphor, “The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.” Although distrusted and misunderstood by most, these seekers of knowledge have shown their final allegiance to mankind on more than one occasion.

Abilities
Cabalist skills and spells fall into three schools:

• Mastery
  These spells and skills allow the Cabalist to capture, control, and even train the minions of Hell. Properly invoked, these powers can be used to summon demons from the nether world and compel them to fight against their kindred.
• Evocation
  These spells manipulate energy or tap an unseen source of power to produce a desired end. In effect, they create something out of nothing. Many of these spells produce spectacular effects, and evocation spells can deal massive amounts of damage.
• Transformation
  This school of learning allows the Cabalist to temporarily take on aspects of the demons and use the power they convey. These may be manifest as horns, spikes, elongated limbs, or even tentacles. Some extremely powerful Cabalists permanently alter their appearance in several ways, embedding portions of demons into their skin. This is obviously the most challenging and dangerous path to walk, although the power it unlocks is awesome.