Untitled - The Secrets of the Mind & Body Shaping

Initiating Hermetic Magi
During the tenth century, a handful
of Hermetic magi, recently Gauntleted
in other Houses, wished to enter House
Verditius and learn its Mysteries. The
House was reluctant and initially refused
these infrequent requests. Traditionalists
from the House thought it irreverent to
the old ways, when members worshiped
the gods. House politicians thought
including other magi would undermine
the equality of its current members. The
overriding concern was that Hermetic
magi could already cast formulaic spells
without the need of casting tools, and
if they were accepted into the House, it
would put the other House members at a
severe disadvantage.
However, by studying the House’s
Outer Mystery, exploring Boethius’s
philosophy, and building upon his vast
knowledge of Perdo magic, Primus Turnis
developed a ritual that would change the
Gift of the probationer. Upon recovering,
the probationer’s Gift would be
permanently altered, with the mystical
connection between her heart, head,
and hands destroyed. Forever after she
would be forced to use casting tools and
would never be able to evoke a formulaic
spell thereafter without these required
components.
There are dangerous side effects
to this ritual. The probationer gains
Warping Points and usually falls into
temporary Twilight. He also develops
the Personality Trait Proud 1, and an ava-
which affl icted the Founder, is inherent
in the magic of the Inner Mysteries. In
game terms, characters receive the Minor
Personality Flaw Hubris and the corresponding
Personality Trait Hubris 1.
Hubris is more than merely a
Personality Trait. While it contains all the
game aspects of a Personality Trait, it is
also a measure of the degree that a character
has succumbed to the curse of pride
that plagued the Founder. A propensity for
pride is part and parcel of the Mysteries of
House Verditius. The intrinsic magical
link between Verditius’ arrogance and
his arcane crafting caries through to his
descendants. A Verditius magus’s pride is
Mystery Cults
ricious obsession with wealth, equaled by
few in the House and reminiscent of the
Founder’s desire for monetary gain.
The process of Initiating a magus
from another House is long and arduous,
and involves more than merely casting
the ritual spell on the probationer.
Applicants must fi rst prove their loyalty
to House Verditius. They must sever ties
with their old House, losing any commitments,
goals, or political advantages they
may already have. They must meet with
the Primus, who selects a Mystagogue
from among those members of the House
who know the required ritual spell. It is
the probationer’s responsibility to convince
a reluctant Mystagogue to Initiate
him. Very often probationers must serve
the House for a period of time, helping
Verditius magi outside the laboratory, aiding
in the various tasks and endeavors that
interest House members. Probationers are
not allowed to work within a Verditius
maga’s laboratory. Accompanying a
Verditius magus on a dangerous journey,
retrieving a stolen artifact, destroying an
enemy, and slaying a mystical beast for
its vis are all methods used to test the
probationer’s loyalty.
Once accepted as a future Verditius
magus, the probationer spends a season
with the Mystagogue, preparing for the
ceremony, undergoing the ritual spell The
Embrace of Boethius, and recovering from its
effects. Once the season ends, the magus
is an Initiate of the Outer Mystery of
mystically coupled with his Gift, and as
his Hubris increases so does his ability to
instill greater amounts of magic in items
that are similarly connected to him. A
Verditius magus can add his Hubris score
to his Lab Totals for creating a talisman,
enchanting casting tools (Minor House
Inner Mystery), binding magical animals,
making automata, and creating attuned
items (Major House Inner Mysteries).
For roleplaying purposes, the specifi c
fl avor of a magus’ Hubris should be noted
in parentheses after the Personality score.
Hubris does not manifest in all magi
exactly the same way. Some are overly
proud, some arrogant, some pompous.
119
Verditius and a member of the House.
He receives the Minor Hermetic Virtue
Verditius Magic and gains a Reputation,
Convert 1, in the House, a slightly disparaging
title to older members of the
House. Lastly, the effects of a possible
temporary Twilight must be calculated.
This is a unique Initiation and does
not follow the rules of regular Verditius
Initiations. Only a few Mystagogues
know the necessary spell to complete
the Initiation, although copies of it exist
in the major covenants of the House.
Characters undergoing such a transformation
start their new career with a clean
slate regarding future Initiations, and do
not receive a bonus for undergoing this
specialized Ordeal.
eMBrace of BoetHius
PeMe 35
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Part, Ritual
Req: Vim, Corpus
This spell damages the target’s mind,
heart, and Gift, destroying a part of his
understanding of formulaic spell casting
and forcing him to rely on casting tools.
This highly irregular spell was developed
to initiate Hermetic magi of other Houses
into House Verditius, and is only used in
that rare instance. Because of the bizarre
nature of this spell, the target receives 7
Warping Points and must check to avoid
temporary Twilight.
(Base 15, + 1 Touch, +1 Part, +2
necessary requisites)
Characters that already have the Minor
Personality Flaw Proud have their Hubris
score automatically increased by 1, and
those with the Major version of the Flaw
increase their Hubris by 3.
Hubris increases over time, building
like an Ability. Hubris cannot be deliberately
changed by the player, unlike other
Personality Traits. Specifi c situations
grant experience points that are applied
to a character’s Hubris score. If a Verditius
magus receives recognition, fame, money,
or vis for his magical efforts, his Hubris
score increases. While a degree of pride
is inevitable for every Verditius magus,
a completely conceited nature is avoid-