A Tradition is a group of mystically-oriented mages allied with the Council of Nine Mystic Traditions. That is, they believe in magic and understand that they manipulate magic to create desired effects. This contrasts with scientifically-oriented mages, who believe that they use Enlightened Science rather than magic, and this Science is manipulated to create desired effects. The Traditions' counterparts among the Scientists of the Technocratic Union (and in an earlier age, the Order of Reason) are called Conventions.