Untitled - The Secrets of the Mind & Body Shaping

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Political stance Harmonist. Clan Sirnas is the most active of the Harmonist clans; unlike Clan Arelie, they believe in fi ghting for their ideals, and in this often fi nd allies amongst Clan Wilkis. saMPle roles Guardian of the Wild: Holding a territory in trust for the greater good, the Guardian fi ercely protects it from harm. Champion: This magus defends others, adopting the fi ghts of those weaker than himself. Healer: The wounds of the world are entrust- ed to the care of a healer. This may be a literal healing of wounds, or a more general care for the hurt that has been done to nature through the actions of mankind. clan initiations The Trial of Self Control: The Initiate must starve himself until he collapses, despite the constant presence of food. The memory of this infl icts Deleterious Circumstances (when hungry). For this he gains the Strong Willed Virtue. The Deed of the Woodland Warden: The Initiate acquires the Awakening Virtue (see House Merinita: Nature Mysteries) in return for protecting the wilderness from real threat. The Oath of the Helpful Stranger: The Initiate swears to forever protect those less strong than himself, and acquires a Minor Magical Focus in wards to assist him realizing this Oath. clan cHief Ophia Sirnaus Isle-Warden lives on one of the larger uninhabited islands of the Aegean Sea. The other members of her sept dwell nearby, but this serpentmaga prefers the solitude of her retreat, which contains a shrine dedicated to Artemis. clan Wilkis “Nourish” Houses of Hermes descriPtion Clan Wilkis honors their ancestors by strengthening the House as a whole. Its members ensure that lore of the House is actively sought out; they rescue House secrets from the hands of outsiders, and hunt down those who endanger the House with their actions. They are expected to be loyal to the primus no matter to which clan he or she belongs, and to enforce the decisions of the Bjornaer Council (see below). By having no explicit representative on the Bjornaer Council, Clan Wilkis remains focused on the good of the House rather than personal agendas. Clan Wilkis members often have the Pack Leader Minor Virtue, as they prefer to Initiate their apprentices into the House early in their training. 14 Political stance Harmonist. Members of Clan Wilkis tend to be disdainful of mundane populations, but believe that if they are forced to live in harmony with them, then so be it. They tend to be swayed by the opinions of the current primus, supporting the actions of the less zealous Wilderists when a Wilderist is primus, and taking a stronger Harmonist stance when (as currently), the primus is a Harmonist. saMPle roles Hunter: Skilled in fi nding his prey, this magus takes on the role of a hoplite, tracking down those magi who break their oaths to either the House or the Order, or both. Politician: The ruthless predator can fi nd easy prey in the debating chambers of the Order of Hermes. A diplomatic politician is more suited to Clan Arelie. Genealogist: Aided by a prodigious memory, the genealogist tracks the lineages and septs of the House, and is consulted by all for her wisdom. clan initiations The Trial of Self-Negation: Self-Negation The Initiate must perform humiliating and degrading acts before many witnesses, becoming Infamous (and acquiring a new by-name), but the shame can fuel her rage, giving her the Berserk Virtue. The Deed of Fealty: The Initiate must complete a task that has no meaning other than to prove her loyalty to her House; she acquires Cautious Sorcerer. The Oath of Completion: The candidate vows to complete the unfi nished life’s work of a clan ancestor. Such dedication grants her Life Boost. clan cHief Technically, the prima is the chief of Clan Wilkis, but she appoints a deputy, currently Retetarius Bjornaer. He has a
salmon heartbeast and dwells in the River Danube and its tributaries. This allows him to move swiftly to most of southern and eastern Europe, and, by crossing overland to the source of the Rhine, the rest of Europe also. His sept is one of the most widely geographically spread, but all can use the rivers as a mode of transport. tHe sePts Septs are informal groupings whose members are all from the same clan, and descended Hermetically from a common ancestor. Septs are usually named after the most recent ancestor held in common by all the members, but occasionally a prominent member of the lineage provides the name instead. Some septs consist of close “family” ties, and may share peculiarities of their magic, such as a specifi c Art or a common heartbeast, but other septs are formed due to geographic proximity rather than strong blood ties, and their members may be very different from one another. It is very unusual to fi nd a sept with highly diverse heartbeasts, and most share a temperament at least (see below). Not all Bjornaer magi are members of a sept, but most are, for the division of the House into septs reinforces bonds of loyalty within the Hermetic “family.” Important functions of the sept are the training of apprentices, the teaching of the Abilities Heartbeast and House Bjornaer Lore, and Initiation into the clan Mysteries. A Bjornaer follower in need of assistance can call upon his sept-brothers; most Bjornaer can expect that at least one of their sept will give them a season of help, on the understanding that they owe the same in return. The largest current sept of House Bjornaer has eight members, but 3–4 members is much more common, and members of the same sept tend to live in close proximity to one another; not necessarily at the same covenant, but certainly in neighboring ones. Bjornaer magi are rarely found alone; where there is one, there are usually other members of her sept within a week’s travel as the crow fl ies, or the horse gallops, or the wolf runs. If circumstances drive members further away than this, the sept may be divided. A Mystery Cults Bjornaer magus who fi nds himself socially and/or geographically isolated from his sept might strike out alone, with the hopes of founding his own sept through his apprentices. However, it is more likely that he will try to form an alliance with local Bjornaer followers of the same clan, which may mean the renaming of the sept to refl ect a different most recent common ancestor. For example, when the magus Stellatus moved from a covenant in the Normandy Tribunal to one in Iberia, he found a local sept of his clan, Clan Arelie, which happened to consist of Lacerta and his fi lius Natrix. The most recent ancestor between Stellatus and Lacerta was a ninth century magus called Suspirium, and the sept was renamed after him. Some example septs are described below. tHe sePt of gyÖngy (Clan Maruhs) is a lineage that takes its name from a sorceress who never joined the Order of Hermes, but whose descendants joined during the Schism War. They were Initiated into the Outer Mystery of the House, and were found to all share a magpie heartbeast. Since then, the sept has only accepted members who have the same heartbeast, but have spread their knowledge of Dream Magic to the rest of the clan. The members of the Sept of Gyöngy share many characteristics with the form of their soul, relishing in nightmares, mischief, and the mysteries of the night. tHe sePt of orn (Clan Wilkis) consists of Aquila fi lia Orn, Corvus fi lius Aquila, Ealwynn, and Coenwulf (both trained by Hosvir Goatlegs fi lius Orn). They inhabit three geographically close covenants in England and Scotland. Hosvir was obsessed with rebelling against the Norman nobility of England and his fi lii share this goal; Aquila is disinterested in such mundanity, and when she passes into Final Twilight (which will be soon), it is likely that the sept will split into the sept of Hosvir and the sept of Aquila. The Bjornaer Council House Bjornaer is not ruled by its primus but instead by the Bjornaer 15 Council, whose six seats are named after the heartbeasts of the six barns Bjornaer. The Seat of the Bear is the leader of the Bjornaer Council, and is always a member of Clan Midusulf who has a bear heartbeast. The Seat of the Wolf is occupied by the Primus, who acts as a spokesperson to the Order of Hermes through the Grand Tribunal, and directs Clan Wilkis to carry out the decisions of the council. The Seat of the Swan (Clan Ilfetu) is occupied by the House’s premier mystic, the Seat of the Horse (Clan Maruhs) is responsible for the membership of the House, the Seat of the Stag (Clan Sirnas) is the House’s protector, and the Seat of the Eagle (Clan Arelie) is responsible for keeping an eye on the rest of the Order. The magi who occupy these seats are not necessarily the leaders of their respective clans, just their spokesmen, and upon being elected to their role take up residence at Crintera. Candidates for primus are chosen by the Bjornaer Council, whereas all other positions on the council are decided by a vote of the entire House (usually at the next Gathering of Twelve Years; see below). The primi are most often drawn from Clan Wilkis (like the current incumbent, Falke), but even if this is not the case, they represent that clan on the Council. If a primus is chosen who has the heartbeast of a bear, then the Seats of Wolf and Bear are combined (regardless of the clan of the new primus), and the Seat of the Fox (named after Fauho, second primus of the House) is occupied by a representative from Clan Wilkis. The Seat of the Fox only exists under this circumstance. The Gathering of Twelve Years The members of House Bjornaer congregate every 12 years at Crintera, during which time they perform rituals associated with maintaining their lineage and solidifying the bonds within the House. The Gathering is also a social and political occasion, and no member of the House is willingly absent. It is an event central to the House’s cult of ancestors,
Page 2 and 3: WRITING AND DESIGN: Erik Dahl (Meri
Page 4 and 5: The process of Initiation into a My
Page 6 and 7: Potent Spell Example A wand provide
Page 8 and 9: Famous Figures Birna: Gothic witch
Page 10 and 11: new “Harmonists.” Both factions
Page 12 and 13: The Clan Mysteries Bjornaer magi ma
Page 16 and 17: a time to honor one’s predecessor
Page 18 and 19: Bjornaer Magi and Religion While Ho
Page 20 and 21: also tend to be lazy and greedy. Th
Page 22 and 23: Ringing the Changes There are three
Page 24 and 25: Magical Items and Changing Form Bjo
Page 26 and 27: Ardea, the Swan Elder who conducts
Page 28 and 29: • • • • deaf people are imm
Page 30 and 31: Great Beasts as Mystagogues Great B
Page 32 and 33: Sample Elemental Forms Stone: The b
Page 34 and 35: They have a dramatic and ambitious
Page 36 and 37: Bjornaer; these spells are detailed
Page 38 and 39: penalty of The Gift, due to the str
Page 40 and 41: When designing your own species, si
Page 42 and 43: Aging If an animal is to be an impo
Page 44 and 45: You are already immortal. Time form
Page 46 and 47: Glossary Adulteration: A creature o
Page 48 and 49: Hypostasis using magic. Some theori
Page 50 and 51: Houses of Hermes Examples of Criamo
Page 52 and 53: Houses of Hermes Repose: House Cria
Page 54 and 55: Designing Adulterations Adulteratio
Page 56 and 57: Houses of Hermes Story Seeds for Th
Page 58 and 59: Pacing A maga typically follows a g
Page 60 and 61: insight is the more important; the
Page 62 and 63: Path Symbolism Magi on this path of
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The Path of Seeming The Path of See
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Houses of Hermes Passing Through Ru
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Houses of Hermes may use his Enigma
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This power requires a preparatory l
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Path Symbolism Magi on this path sp
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On the path, sing praise Sing, in t
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Famous Figures Merinita, Founder, i
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History Story Seeds • • If Meri
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Arcadian Experiences Arcadia is a f
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Faerie and Dreams Many Merinitae be
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Society Story Seeds • • On a pa
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Merinita Mysteries Overview allurin
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Charms Charms are casting aids that
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Temporary Familiars One of Merinita
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• beings who have Infernal Might
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Animae spells are Creo or Muto. A M
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After the maga has become a faerie,
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Charm Categories Adage: “There is
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Recurring Spells Use the frequency
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can be destroyed by Perdo Imaginem.
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a Flaw (the “sacrifi ce”), perf
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Mystery Story Seeds • • • A f
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Famous Figures Verditius, Founder o
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Story Seed: The Rings of Verditius
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stops these prolonged squabbles, an
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not a forge-companion, since he is
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Feuding magi seek to undo the good
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Magic Items of Hephaestus Hephaestu
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Increasing Hubris able. Those wishi
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ers spend as much time casting fi r
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Enchanting Casting Tools Example He
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Reforging Example Maga Mari Amwithi
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Elder Runes Example Ten years out o
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This is a fi xed limit, unchangeabl
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vis, one pawn of Art-specifi c vis
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item (+3). When it is understood, t
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support, but she is not protected b
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erik daHl lives and works in Davis,
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