Untitled - The Secrets of the Mind & Body Shaping

When we admire nature, in fact we appreciate how
her beauty resembles that of humanity. We admire
a fi ne, healthy tree as we admire a stout yeoman of
the forest; we see a face in the clouds and marvel at
his moods. We see the nature of the world in human
terms, and the Fair Folk are merely these fancies
given form — the tree becomes the man, the cloud
becomes the face — and to admire them is to admire
the essential truth that is the foundation of their
being. No, I have not abandoned nature: I simply
visit her now through intermediaries.
—Quendalon, fi rst Primus
of House Merinita
Kill the traitor! Kill the imposter! Kill the
changeling!
—Myanar, former Prima
of House Merinita
Provocative, playful, secretive, sinister:
like the beings with which they
associate, House Merinita defi es concise
description. As no two faeries are exactly
alike, no two members of the House are
exactly the same. They learn magic to
study and serve the fae, or placate and
protect them, or perhaps command and
coerce them. There is no unity in the
association of these magi; they are a
collection of individuals with a shared
Hermetic history, little hierarchy or structure,
and nothing but their wild assortment
of Mysteries in common.
These magi essentially serve two masters:
the Magic and Faerie realms. They
have The Gift and they practice Hermetic
magic; yet they are drawn to the faeries,
and appreciate their unpredictable and
inspirational nature. Merinita magi thus
maintain a delicate balance between this
raw power of the wild unleashed, and
the subtle charms and jinxes of Arcadian
wonder. These are the secrets of the many
Chapter Three
House Merinita
Key Facts
Population: 68
Primus: Handri, a secretive man
who shares his plans only with his
most trusted advisers
Domus Magna: Irencillia, in the
Rhine Tribunal
Favored Tribunals: The Rhine
and Hibernia
Motto: Natura veritas unica (“nature
is the only truth”) — most Merinitae
interpret this as concerning the essential
natures of things, rather than nature
as a place or state.
Symbol: Merinita’s sigil, an oak
tree within a circle
cults that make up their House: theirs
are the Mysteries of magic and faerie
combined.
The House is named for Merinita, the
woman who swore the Hermetic Oath to
Bonisagus and joined the Founders when
they fi rst assembled, but many consider
her follower Quendalon to be the true
force behind its identity, and some erroneously
refer to him as one of the original
Founders. Most “Merinitae” are not given
to keeping meaningful records or histories,
but they do famously appreciate sto-
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ries, and some that concern the Founder
and the history of the House are still told
among magi who have an interest, by
those who claim to have them from others
who were there. One with great currency
reports that Quendalon normally wore a
heavy cloak with a hood that covered his
eyes, and many Merinitae affect this garb
on occasion.
History
Before the Order of Hermes was
formed, Merinita was already well known,
at least by reputation. It was said among
other wizards of the time that a whitehaired
woman dressed in green traveled
alone through the wild lands of Europe,
often vanishing into the great forests
without a trace of her passing, a woman
without equal in nature magic. She could
see everything that happened in these
places, she knew every bird and beast that
lived in them, she could take any shape
she chose, and she could command the
spirits of the very trees themselves. Yet
she was not savage, according to those
who had met her, but wise; a woodswoman
and healer at home in the forest
and perfectly attuned to the wild. She was
also intensely shy, and said to only speak
when absolutely necessary.
Trianoma devoted an entire year
to searching for Merinita, to invite her
to come with her to meet Bonisagus
and to join the Order of Hermes. Many
times she approached one of the dark
forests where Merinita was rumored to
dwell and called out her proposal to the
shadows of the trees, but never received