Houses of Hermes: True Lineages Chapter Three: House Mercere

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House Mercere

“The entire Order stands on the brink of dissolution, and we are the only force that keeps it from toppling. How quickly the Houses and wizards have fallen into suspicion, competition, and vengefulness! How quickly they would fall upon each other in fear and confusion if we did not keep them together! Fear feeds on ignorance; knowledge starves the unknown. We bring word of what passes and where so that magi can feel safe, and we carry their words with us so that they may bring comfort to others. We are the salvation of the Order.” — Aldico, Primus of Mercere, addressing his House during the Schism War

Symbol: A red cap with a yellow circle inscribed with a blue triangle. The cap signifies duty and knowledge, the circle depicts a coin representing wealth and commerce, and the triangle suggests a potsherd from a Roman crossroads, symbolizing communication and travel.

Motto: Ordinem ministramus et sustinemus (“We serve the Order and keep it alive.”)

Mercere is the House of heralds, heroes, mercenaries and merchants. It is rife with contradictions: exotic, but traditional; loyal, but self-centered; proud, but humble. It is the largest House, though it has by far the fewest magi, and it is made up of characters that are so individual that they defy generalization, yet are perhaps the most ordinary people in the setting. Merceres are solitary and independent, but true to their masters, and they demonstrate great dedication and determination in pursuit of their duty. They are the backbone of the Order — they hold the loose association of magi together by facilitating communication, encouraging trade, and aiding their sodales in all parts of Mythic Europe.

From a player standpoint, there are essentially two kinds of Mercere: Redcaps, who do not have The Gift and do not vote at Tribunal, otherwise have many of the same rights and privileges as magi and are usually played as companion characters. They travel from covenant to covenant to form the information and trade network that keeps the Order together. Mercere magi are their Gifted counterparts, and tend to focus on making it easier for the rest of their House to fulfill their duties, primarily through crafting invested devices, healing, and other magical support. All told, there are usually about 150 Redcaps in the Order of Hermes, with at least ten living in each Tribunal, compared to about twelve Gifted Merceres in all of Mythic Europe. Mercere magi are more common in the Rhine, Roman, and Provencal Tribunals near their domus magna, and are much more likely to interact regularly with Redcaps than with other magi, since many prefer not to advertise their Gifted status.

This chapter is broken into three parts to make these differences and similarities between the two kinds of characters more clear. The first section, Mercere the Founder, describes the origins, goals and history of the House by following the life of its Founder. The second section, Redcaps, outlines the structure of the House and several internal organizations within that structure, to describe the sorts of activities that these characters do in service to the Order. Finally, Magical Merceres develops the uniquely magical aspects of the lineage, to give ideas of how a Gifted member of the House might look and act.

Mercere the Founder

Mercere’s origins are a mystery. None of his descendants have any idea what part of the world he originally came from, nor do they know for sure where he learned his magic. The stories that remain of him are surely exaggerated by time, by the hero-worship that is common throughout the House, or by the Founder himself: some say he was the descendent of Circe and Odysseus, others of Perseus, Orpheus, or other ancient heroes; some even believe that he was a medieval incarnation of the god Mercury. His followers claim that he had traveled all of Europe before the age of 20.

He is said to have been the first to join Trianoma’s cause, and it is whispered within the House that they had an amorous relationship, though others say that she refused his advances. In any case, he swore a solemn oath to her that he and his followers would loyally serve her and her Order, and they traveled together for several years both before and after she took him to meet Bonisagus. He helped her to find several of the other Founders, whom he had met previously or heard stories about, and kept her company for much of her famous journey.

Harco, Domus Magna Harco is located in Piedmont, in the Roman Tribunal, in a small town of the same name very near the borders of the Provencal and Rhine Tribunals. Mercere chose its location for its convenience, not its magical qualities, and it has almost no magical aura. Instead, it is a center for Hermetic commerce, and there is almost constant intercourse between the various Portals, warehouses and storerooms that make up the focus of the Redcap network. Carts bearing valuable goods from distant lands travel from Hibernia to the Holy Land, Novgorod to Iberia. Vis is catalogued and exchanged before being sent back to the different Tribunals’ coffers. Redcaps and records travel to and from the great library at Durenmar in the Rhine. The place is a manor of great wealth and activity, a true crossroads of the Order. This giant business is shrewdly managed by Prima Insatella. She is a practical woman, nearly eighty, who has been running the covenant successfully for almost forty years. Her father Mihalyi was the last Primus, who replaced Aldico just after the Schism War, and she grew up knowing that she would probably take over for him when he died. She does not have the Gift and is very withdrawn; she tries not to involve herself in the affairs of magi or the politics of the Tribunal, but instead concentrates on seeing that her House and the covenant run as smoothly as possible. She has a large family, and her second-eldest daughter Maria will probably assume her duties when she dies, as she is her mother’s chief assistant and knows best what needs to be done to keep their organization successful.

Mercere’s Portals Mercere discovered and brought the spell Hermes’ Portal (ReTe75) to the Order, a spell used by the Cult of Mercury to allow distant Mercurians to gather more easily for their great rituals. In ancient times, building a Portal was a sign of trust, since it required magi to exchange arcane connections, and indicated a special relationship between them. Since the ritual lasted only a year, it was expected that magi would regularly renegotiate their arrangement, and thus Portals became a symbol of a magical alliance. After the Order was formed, Mercere’s only magical achievement was to adapt the Portal effect into an invested device (it is assumed that he had help from Bonisagus on this impressive feat) and he built several of these, linking Harco and the other Founders’ covenants to Durenmar in this same spirit of cooperation and trust. Perhaps Mercere did not realize how difficult it would be to duplicate his efforts, but he did not pass on the secret that made designing these devices possible. Few in his age realized what he was doing, for in a practical sense these magical doorways seemed expensive and limited compared to the potential of devices invested with effects like Leap of Homecoming (ReCo35). When they later recognized how efficient they were for trade and mass travel, his descendants were able to discover how to make more by examining the Portals he had left behind (see Mercere’s Portals in the Appendix, Laboratory), but they could not adapt the effect to other applications. House Mercere would love to make portable items using this magical concept — a “bottomless” pouch that opens into a strongroom, for example, or an ever-full canteen linked to a fresh water well — but thus far no one in the House has been able to connect two places through any item but a Portal, and they jealously guard even this limited knowledge, for they see it as their inheritance: it is all that now remains of their Founder’s magic. As the Order expanded, Mercere’s followers established outposts on the edges of the Order — the British Isles, Novgorod, the Holy Land — and connected them to Harco with these Portals. In the interests of joining the Order together they allowed all magi to use them freely, though this policy had unfortunate consequences at the beginning of the Schism War, when a group of unidentified magi snuck through a Portal at Durenmar to Diedne’s stronghold in a surprise attack, and the druids’ retaliatory strike caused great damage to the covenant. Afterwards, many Houses elected to close their Portals, and others asked that they be moved to more defensible positions outside their covenant walls. In 1220, free access to these Portals is restricted to members of the House and other magi acting in service to the Order, though the guardians may allow others through if they do not seem to pose a threat and pay a toll of one pawn of vis each.

In exchange for the Parma Magica, Mercere taught Bonisagus what he knew of Mercurian fertility rituals and shapechanging magic. His Gift was weak, for though it had never had any adverse effect on his interactions with other wizards, Mercere had great difficulty performing magic on his own, and he was so impressed by the difference the Founder’s knowledge and advice made that in thanks he promised him the right to any of his future apprentices. Bonisagus graciously accepted this, promising that he would not abuse the privilege, and they became good friends.

In the years immediately after the Founding, Mercere established his house in northern Italy, in what was then perceived to be the center of Europe, in a place called Harco. He envisioned this covenant as a great crossroads, a trading center where magical and non-magical commerce and information could flourish under the influence of the new Order. He also saw it as his duty to prevent the new association of wizards from fracturing like the Cult of Mercury had done before them, and to this end he negotiated arrangements with each of the other Founders to create magical portals linking their great covenants together.

Unlike other magi, Mercere did not adopt Gifted children into his lineage, instead bringing those he discovered to Bonisagus. It is said that in those days he considered himself a member of the Great Founder’s House in everything but name. He took only two apprentices, both of them his own children, and so his line remained very small while the others quickly grew. Even while teaching his followers, he worked tirelessly to keep the Order together; he spent most of his time traveling and carrying messages, or with Trianoma and Bonisagus at Durenmar.

Mercere’s great tragedy occurred at one of these visits. While working with Bonisagus in the lab, Mercere’s Gift was destroyed, removing his ability to work any of his magic. Some say this was an accident, brought about by a flaw in the Parma Magica or his weak Gift, while others say Mercere gave it up voluntarily in pursuit of greater magical mysteries. Hermetic records of that time state that Bonisagus tried to restore him, but did not succeed, and that he considered this his greatest failure. He wrote that it was “a sign of the inherent evil of this world, that magic can so easily destroy what only God can create.”

After this terrible event, Mercere’s personality changed dramatically. At first, he seemed desperate to regain his magic, seeking out old stories of mortal men becoming gods, and neglecting his followers to try to mend his failing. When that didn’t succeed, he disappeared for more than a decade. He traveled, or remained shut up in his lab at Harco, and many thought he had either died or gone mad. Years later, he calmly emerged and began to adopt mundane followers, all of whom served him for fifteen years like magical apprentices, and to whom he taught everything he could. He stressed to these young men and women that their first duty was to support Trianoma’s vision, as he had promised her, in any way that they could. He never acknowledged that they were different in any way, calling all of them “his children,” just like his Gifted heirs.

This caused great conflict at Tribunal, for many of the Founders felt it was implicit in the Oath that magi would train their apprentices to work magic, and that by taking unGifted followers Mercere had created a dangerous precedent. Other Houses would gladly bring mundanes into the Order if it were allowed, as servants, companions, or simply as additional votes at Tribunal; and some thought it would cheapen their Hermetic status to consider ordinary men and women their equals. The majority of magi seemed to think that the Code should be altered to require the Gift. Yet Trianoma spoke passionately on Mercere’s behalf, for the first time in ages, and out of respect for the Founders it was reluctantly agreed that this would be a special privilege of Mercere’s House, and that they would make no ruling preventing it. Mercere humbly promised that his “younger” followers would swear the Oath, and would selflessly serve the Order as he did. He also asked them, before the assembly, to always show special respect to those “with powers more apparent than your own.”

Mercere died soon after this. His body was cremated at Harco according to the ancient rites of the Cult of Mercury, and several of the other Founders were present, including Trianoma. Yet some of those at the ceremony swear that instead of burning away, Mercere was carried through the smoke by the image of man with winged shoes, and many of his followers take this as a sign that Mercere now lives forever among the gods.

Redcaps

After the death of Mercere, the House suffered a period of great decline. While the Founder lived, his unGifted followers were respected by association, but without his influence they soon came to be regarded as a plebeian class within the Order. For decades they remained a small and insular House, before they began to take on many of the administrative duties that are now associated with the term “Redcap.” They performed these duties so well, in fact, that the other Houses came to depend upon them. In particular, a Redcap named Belin became famous for always getting her messages through even the most dangerous of wars and weather, and it was because she wore a loose red cap like Mercere’s that those without the Gift came to be favorably associated with the title.

As magi relied more on Redcaps, so the Redcaps relied more upon magi, and many began to join other covenants, leaving the Mercere-only houses in which they had always gathered. They maintained strong ties to their House, usually spending about half of the year serving the Order and carrying messages, but the rest of the time they were devoted to their covenants, and greatly contributed to their growth. Many magi benefited from this association, and a lot of them came to think of the Redcaps as their sodales, rather than as lesser citizens in their magical community, some even going so far as to consider themselves their patrons and protectors.

By the time of the Schism War, House Mercere had become so integral to the smooth running of the Order that it was able to influence the outcome of the conflict in very small ways. Some Redcaps learned that by controlling the flow of information — taking a long time to deliver unfavorable news, or conveniently losing some messages while expediting others — they were able to help those whose causes they favored, and hinder those whom they did not wish to succeed. In this way, the Merceres believe that they were able to prevent many atrocities from occurring, and brought about peace much more quickly than it otherwise would have come to pass.

In 1220, House Mercere is probably too disorganized to unite like that again, though groups of them certainly have great influence, and one or two Redcaps working together can disrupt enough communication to be a major hindrance to their enemies. However, Redcaps don’t gen erally get involved in politics, and prefer if anything to use their positions to maintain the status quo. Many Redcaps have developed a peculiar independence, though they still serve the Order, and are notoriously indifferent to any personal causes but their own.

Thus, Redcaps are something of an anomaly in the Order of Hermes. They are not really part of Mercere’s lineage, in that not all of them are descended from the Founder. Some of them are, however, so they cannot be said to belong to a completely independent society, either. Redcaps may not have the Gift, but they do have full rights and privileges, and while they do not usually vote at Tribunal out of respect for true magi, they have sigils and could participate in a vote in dire need. In effect, the Redcaps are like Hermetic companions: their role in the Order is to support magi, and help them perform the tasks that The Gift makes difficult.

To fulfill this mission, Redcaps take on many different duties, described below. Most of these duties do not exclusively belong to Redcaps, not in the same way that, say, Quaesitorial duties belong to official Quaesitors. Redcaps just tend to be the ones who do these things that other magi would think beneath them, to justify their membership in a magical Order. Since Redcaps visit almost every covenant, and any covenant might have a resident Redcap, the ideas that follow can also easily be adapted into story hooks for any saga.

“Redcaps” and “Merceres” In this text, the term “Redcap” refers to an unGifted member of House Mercere. Gifted members are called “Mercere magi” or “Gifted Merceres,” though note that all members of the House are considered magi for the purposes of their Oath and the Code. The general term “Mercere” refers to anyone, Gifted or unGifted, who belongs to the House.

Messengers and Heralds

The primary duty of Redcaps is to act as couriers between covenants, and the House is organized to facilitate their performance of this role. A single Redcap might customarily visit the characters’ covenant, but different Redcaps might stop by at any time, since there is no formal schedule or system of invitations. Redcaps are encouraged to visit covenants on their own initiative, and rewarded through self-interest.

Every Tribunal has at least one covenant that supports the Redcaps, usually in a central location, from which they periodically travel to reach the other covenants. This place is usually where their records concerning the local Redcaps and the region are kept, and serves as a central point of administration and infrastructure for the entire Tribunal. These “support covenants,” or parts of covenants, are referred to as Mercer Houses.

Each Mercer House is run by a senior Redcap who sees to its needs and keeps track of the other Redcaps in the area. He usually represents his House at Tribunal. The tone of a Mercer House is set by this Redcap, as it is his charge, and sometimes a well-known Mercer House is referred to by its keeper’s name. For example, in the Iberian Tribunal, the Mercer House in Barcelona is known informally as Yuval’s, after the senior Redcap there, and it has a reputation among even the mundane folk as a wealthy and slightly sinister house of magic and vice.

Some Tribunals have more than one Mercer House, though these might be considered satellites of the central house. A Gifted Mercere might set up a lab in a magical aura far from society, and her covenant might effectively become a Mercer House as Redcaps and other supporting covenfolk join. Or, two Mercer Houses might compete with each other, as in the Rhine Tribunal, with both covenants striving for dominance in the region.

House Mercere’s only official obligation to Tribunal is the charge to distribute invitations before the gathering, usually about a year in advance. The Praeco decides when and where the meeting will take place, and the Redcaps must do their best to ensure that all magi in the region receive this information with enough time to make arrangements to attend. At the event, the senior Redcap must ceremonially swear to the Praeco and Presiding Quaesitor that this duty was properly carried out before Tribunal can begin.

In the days of the Founders, this task was easy for Mercere; he would simply visit every domus magna, as he usually did at least once every seven years. As the Order grew, magi began to gather together in other places, forming new covenants and striking out on their own, and the Redcaps needed a method of knowing where all these magi could be found. Thus, Mercere’s descendants began the tradition of covenant registration. If magi wanted to be visited by Redcaps, they needed to make arrangements with the House.

House Mercere does not keep track of magi; instead, it keeps track of covenants. For purposes of registration, Redcaps are concerned with addresses, not people. No matter how many magi live in one place, every address is considered a covenant, so long as the Redcaps have a record of it. Someone from the House will visit every registered covenant at least once before Tribunal, and in this way the senior Redcap can discharge his legal duty by swearing that they have made a reasonable effort to visit every covenant they know about.

To register a covenant, Redcaps ask that a representative visit the nearest Mercer House and provide them with directions to the site. A Redcap will then accompany him to the covenant to ensure that these directions are accurate and understood. The representative is also asked to sign a contract on behalf of the covenant, which states that they will admit as their guest any member of the Order who asks for shelter, who may stay with them for a minimum of three days each year. This ensures the Redcaps’ welcome and safety (and that of any other traveling magi) at any covenant they visit.

Redcaps keep information about covenants and the magi who live there secret, so that magi who do not want others to know where they are hidden can still receive messages. Redcaps have all the rights of magi, and spying on them with magic is a Hermetic crime, so these secrets are generally safe. Because of their demonstrated discretion, many covenants and independent magi also register vis sources with Redcaps. This means that the Redcaps keep a record of the location and annual yield, so that they can swear to prior ownership at Tribunal if a conflict arises. This allows covenants to legally protect their resources without necessarily making them public.

Redcaps generally make their living by traveling and carrying messages to and from registered covenants. Letters addressed to other covenants in a Tribunal might be taken directly to them, if convenient, or back to a Mercer House for sorting and distribution. Messages for other Tribunals are usually taken to Harco through the Mercere’s Portals, where they are collected and eventually delivered to their ultimate destinations in the same way. Most messages can be expected to be received within a year, or within a season for addresses closer to home.

Redcaps are traditionally paid in silver by the covenants they visit on their rounds. They can expect to receive a total of three shillings (about twelve pennies) from every covenant they visit, which is paid over the course of three days. The first shilling is given to them on the day they arrive, as payment for their journey. The second shilling is given to them when they present their messages, in appreciation of their service. The third shilling is given to them as they leave the covenant, to ensure their goodwill. By visiting about four covenants a season, Redcaps earn a modest wage, approximately a pound of silver each year, which is enough to live on if they do not belong to a covenant.

If a covenant cannot afford to pay Redcaps and does not otherwise make the visit worth their while, Redcaps may begin to arrive less frequently as word spreads throughout the House. Most covenants eagerly tip the standard amount to encourage Redcaps to visit, and some attempt to curry special favor by making their Redcap’s stays very comfortable or giving them special gifts. Vis, especially, is highly prized among messenger Redcaps, and a few pawns every now and then can easily turn them into dedicated allies.

There are also political reasons for encouraging Redcaps to remain at a covenant. Gossip in the Order spreads most quickly through the Redcaps’ network, and a covenant can learn much about its neighbors by convincing the Redcaps to share information. Redcaps who are treated well are more likely to keep quiet about things the covenant would rather not be made public. Also, encouraging a Redcap to stay longer at one’s covenant means that there is less time for that Redcap to visit other covenants, and unfavorable rumors are likely to travel more slowly.

Even better is to encourage a Redcap to join your covenant, for then his loyalty is to you as well as his House. Most Redcaps prefer this arrangement to living at a Mercer House, as it usually means they don’t have to pay their keep and it makes them feel more a part of the Order as a whole. About half of the Redcaps in a given Tribunal usually belong to covenants, and thus do not have to worry as much about how much silver they collect on their rounds. For them, service is a duty and a privilege, not their livelihood.

Societies Within the Order are many smaller groups of magi, each committed to an ideal, a cause, a particular study of magic, or any shared purpose that causes them to band together. Ex Miscellanea, Flambeau, Jerbiton, and Tytalus are considered House societies, but any number of smaller Hermetic societies may be found throughout the Order, which often include magi from many different Houses. Generally, any magus can join a society; they may have requirements for membership, but on the whole societies like having allies in their causes. The societies described throughout this chapter are fundamentally different, as they are designed primarily for Redcaps. Redcaps form societies in many ways. Some join or found covenants. Others associate primarily with other Redcaps in their Tribunal, overseen by senior Redcaps or magi. Some Redcaps form groups based on common goals or shared attributes — such as dressing and acting as lepers, or appreciating nature — and these groups often cross Tribunal boundaries. And some societies are based in family, tracing their lineage back to famous members of the House, or congregating with others of their race or creed. Below, each Mercere society, or Societas Merceris, has a brief description of the group’s history and outlook, and any requirements for characters who wish to join. Each is only a suggestion for a group that might be found in your saga; if you don’t think a Redcap like that would fit your vision of Mythic Europe, or you don’t believe there would be enough Redcaps dedicated to that cause to warrant its inclusion, simply ignore it. You should also feel free to invent societies of your own, and many Redcaps may not wish to belong to a society at all.

Blacklisting It is possible for the Redcaps to refuse to recognize a covenant, for while it is their duty to inform magi of Tribunal, it is only their custom to facilitate this with covenant registration. They have no obligation to visit any covenant except their promise to visit every one for which they have records, and this could theoretically be used to keep certain magi from exercising their votes. It would be difficult for a single Redcap to pull off this boycott unless he had a lot of influence, since the others would probably figure out what he was doing, but important messages have been known to go astray when senior members of the House take an extreme dislike to someone. It isn’t often that magi or covenants are blacklisted in this manner, but when they are, the House can make things very difficult for them. Granted, many Redcaps are very independent, and some actively rebel against structure and authority, but nearly all of them respect the word that someone is their enemy. Blacklisting does not happen often; it is the response to years of mistreatment or a particularly heinous act. There is a story in the Hibernian Tribunal that tells how a Flambeau wizard in the tenth century had a grudge against a Redcap for some reason. Perhaps his rancor was justified, but he shocked the House by declaring Wizard’s War against his enemy. The Redcap fled to Stonehenge to hide from him, where he would have remained had the magus not tracked him down. On the last night of the hunt the wizard caught his quarry, tied him to a stake, and burned him alive. Content with his victory, he returned to Hibernia, but found that for the rest of his life, none of the Merceres would acknowledge or recognize him. They were polite, respectful and apologetic, but still his records inexplicably disappeared, letters never reached him, and he received no word of Tribunal. When he died, his name was misspelled on his tomb, and his funeral was sparsely attended; no one cried the news of his passing to his House or his sodales.

Societas Merceris: Followers of Belin

Belin was one of Mercere’s most devoted followers, and the last apprentice he ever taught. Her stories have been told so many times throughout the House that she has almost been elevated to a legend herself. It is said that she never shirked her duty, always got her messages through, and constantly put the interests of the Order ahead of her own. Her reputation is so well known that even magi from different Houses might say of a disloyal custos, “he’s no Belin.”

The fact that she was a woman earned her particular admiration, and even grudging respect from her few detractors. In medieval Europe, women do not travel alone, for reasons of safety and propriety, and could expect to be noticed by mundane authorities if they ever did. This made Belin’s duties much, much harder, and it is said even Mercere worried that she would not be able to serve the House as well as a man. Yet Belin succeeded, often disguising her appearance through both magical and mundane means, and made her way through human society with awe-inspiring skill and cleverness.

In one story, Belin is said to have escaped a castle under siege by impersonating a corpse. She was carted out among the dead when they were taken to the church, after laying out most of the night to chill her body, and she caused the priest performing the last rites to faint by whispering to him without moving her lips. She later escaped, dressed as a man, but had to leave her skirts, and so she arranged them in repose on the bier, scented with oil. The priest awoke and was stunned by the miracle of the missing body, and wrote a widely-read account of the event to his bishop. Many in the region credited this unknown martyr with other acts before her presumed ascension, and some still consider her a saint.

Belin only spent about ten years of her life traveling, and afterwards raised many children, teaching them diligent service and selfless devotion to the Order. Her followers were talented and clever, yet all of them demonstrated great humility. It is through their heroic efforts — boosted by their mother’s great reputation — that Redcaps have become so highly respected, and those of her line continue to serve as elite messengers in every part of Europe.

Requirements: Characters who belong to this society are probably descended from Belin, but children who have demonstrated great promise and humility are sometimes adopted into this society on merit alone. Thus, they must take the Legacy flaw (see the Appendix, Virtues and Flaws) and should not take Personality traits that describe a proud or rebellious nature.

Merchants and Bankers

House Mercere has always maintained a great interest in commerce and trade. In fact, many Redcaps carry mun dane goods in addition to messages for the Order, to supplement their income at Europe’s many fairs. However, the most profitable practice the Redcaps have developed in the centuries since the Founding is that of vis exchange. Like medieval moneychangers, the Redcaps often carry a variety of different forms of magical currency, which magi find valuable enough to trade for vis that they have no immediate use for.

Redcaps follow a simple system of exchange. Generally, they trade one unit of vis for two. To measure these units, they distinguish between vis associated with a Technique (vis tenta or v.t., “persistent vis”), and vis associated with a Form (vis forma or v.f., “formed vis”). One pawn of vis tenta is generally valued the same as two pawns of vis forma, since it is less common and more useful. Thus, to make carrying vis worth their while, Redcaps generally adhere to the following exchange rates.

Covenant Redcap Example

1p (v.t.) = 1p (v.f.) 1 Muto for 1 Corpus

2p (v.f.) = 1p (v.f.) 2 Aquam for 1 Ignem

2p (v.t.) = 1p (v.t.) 2 Intellego for 1 Creo

4p (v.f.) = 1p (v.t.) 4 Vim for 1 Rego

These rates apply to all of Mythic Europe, but may change in a general area based on supply and demand. If a Mercer House needs a particular type of vis, they might encourage Redcaps to trade for it at no additional cost, or even pay more than its common value, trading vis tenta for vis forma, for example. They may give discounts on large amounts, such as trading four units for five, or conduct straight one-for-one trades if it suits them. However, practically speaking, most magi see this practice as enabling them to spend two pawns of vis to make one, and the convenience of having it brought to them makes it an acceptable exchange.

Vis Notation When keeping records of vis exchanges, “p” stands for “pigni,” the Latin word for “tokens.” However, many magi have come to refer to units of vis as “pawns,” as in chess, since the Redcap who popularized this system of exchange often traded literal pawns of vis, tokens shaped into game pieces that indicated their value. According to his terms, ten of these pawns made a “rook,” and ten rooks made a “queen.” Thus, the abbreviations r and q are occasionally used to refer to larger quantities of vis, but since p’s and q’s can be easily confused at a glance, most Redcaps prefer to deal with only one unit of measurement in their accounting.

Redcaps also borrow and lend vis. Fair practice is to both pay and charge 20% interest annually, and the currency of this interest and the repayment of the principal is determined at the time of the loan. There is some controversy with this practice, as the Church says that charging interest on loans is sinful: the moral crime of usury. Christian moneylenders can sometimes get around this by negotiating payment in a different currency, so that it is not entirely clear what is profit from the loan and what is profit from the exchange. For this reason, Redcaps might loan one form of vis, but require payment in another.

Not that Redcaps fear charges of usury — most of Europe does not recognize vis as having a monetary value like silver or gold. But dislike of moneylenders and collectors is strong in medieval society, and Merceres do not wish to give magi any cause to hate them. They profit on vis trade, which funds their magic items and longevity potions and so allows them to continue, but banking is not their livelihood, and the House tries to discourage antagonizing their creditors. The goal is to serve the Order, not gouge their sodales.

The Redcaps set quite a humble standard for loans, though magi can borrow vis from each other at whatever terms they like. Characters going into business as vis lenders would have a hard time competing with the Redcap rates unless they somehow manage to corner the market (say, by gaining control of all the Creo sources in the region). It is unlikely that there would be any legal or spiritual consequences for doing this, except that magi who charge outrageous interest will probably gain poor reputations among their Christian sodales.

For a typical magus, 10p is the maximum amount of a loan. However, as another way to avoid even the semblance of usury, Redcaps often trade vis for the “use” of one of the borrower’s vis sources. The legal term for this sort of loan is a lien, and it basically means that until the vis is returned, the lender is entitled to the proceeds of the property. The amount of the loan depends upon its annual yield, usually 20% of the principal. So in exchange for the use of a vis source that produces 4p a year, the Redcaps would lend up to 20p. In this way, magi can negotiate loans of hundreds of pawns, assuming they have sufficient income.

Usurers Lenders who don’t care about accusations of usury might ask closer to 50% interest on common loans, and get away with up to 150% interest when they have a desperate customer. Such characters are extremely unpopular in Mythic Europe, and have many debtors who would be very happy if their creditor were to disappear or die suddenly. According to precedents set by Roman Law, Jews can lend money at outrageous interest rates to Christians (though not to other Jews) without facing charges of usury. Consequently, Jewish moneylenders are fairly common in parts of Europe where trade is brisk, as their ethnicity allows them to lend at these higher rates. Jewish Redcaps might similarly be willing to lend more vis to magi without collateral, as they can make enough profit on the higher interest to offset the risk of not being paid back. Players can make a character who is an Usurer (see the Appendix, Virtues and Flaws) to represent this sort of professional focus. Jews should also take the Outsider flaw, while Europeans should take Enemies or some other flaw to represent the consequences of regularly going against the Church. Either sort of character should begin with some experience in the Profession: Accountant Ability.

Magi can also pawn magic items, a practice where the Redcap lends the owner about 50% of the value of a device, determined by the amount of vis it contains, and promises him a set amount of time (usually a year) in which he may buy it back at that price. If he doesn’t, the item becomes the Redcap’s. Until then, the Redcap can use the item as much as he likes, though pawned devices are usually kept at a Mercer House to prevent anything happening to them before the loan expires. Redcaps with no use for an item often sell it to the Mercer House, who in turn offers it for sale to other interested magi.

Finally, Mercer Houses occasionally speculate, funding dangerous expeditions in search of rich vis sources. For promising enterprises, they match the explorers’ investment or provide a loan of vis of equal to half of the estimated yield. In return, they receive a share of the profit after the loan is repaid. This is the riskiest form of loan that the Redcaps give, as it can fail completely at great loss with no recourse. However, such expeditions are most commonly proposed by other Redcaps, and the House tries to reward this sort of initiative. It is rare for outsiders to receive a loan on these terms unless a Redcap is willing to accompany them on the journey.

Redcaps never accept unseen property as collateral. They must witness a demonstration of magical items and watch the collection of vis to verify its value before they agree to the terms of a loan. This is another reason covenants often register their vis sources with House Mercere: should they ever need a loan at short notice, the Redcaps will already have records of where the property is and how much it produces.

In very rare circumstances, Redcaps will exchange or accept payment in silver; but this is usually frowned upon since it is harder for Redcaps to properly vouch for its value, and some Redcaps might be more likely to pocket the coins than return with them to the treasury. If circumstances warranted, ten pounds of silver might be considered roughly equivalent to a pawn of vis, as an Orderwide starting point for negotiations, though of course this price would fluctuate dramatically depending on the relative availability of vis in the region. Note that Redcaps will never knowingly accept magical or magically-created silver, since it is difficult and even dangerous for them to spend.

All of the vis earned from these transactions is taken back to the Mercer House, where it is recorded before it is put back into circulation. Vis-lenders do not get a share of the take; just like other Redcaps, they are paid via the standard commission for showing up at a covenant. However, because vis is a little more dangerous to carry, any time a Redcap delivers an amount into the treasury he is credited with 10% of the total.

Most Redcaps carry no more than about 10p at a time, which is enough to ensure them a 1p profit, but not so much that they cannot cover a loss.

Unscrupulous Redcaps could just hang on to the profits, rather than turning them over to the Mercer House, but they don’t really have a use for vis except in their magic items or longevity potions, and for that it needs to be accounted for.

All Redcaps have a sort of running vis tab, earning approximately 1p each year, and any additional vis they legitimately acquire may be added to their totals. Redcaps can also withdraw their vis if they wish, but they are discouraged from trading it or loaning it out as this leads to unnecessary competition within the House.

Magical Silver A. A. 1347 (A.D. 1208), Stonehenge Tribunal No covenant may put more than two pounds of magically created silver per resident into circulation each year. Towards the end of the twelfth century, a number of covenants in the Stonehenge Tribunal were using large amounts of magically created silver. The result was widespread inflation, and the value of silver halved over a few decades. A group of Redcaps brought the issue to Tribunal in 1208, and it was decided that this behavior was interfering with the mundanes, leading them to add the above line to the Peripheral Code. An attempt was made to punish those responsible, but because of the politics of the region the motion was defeated. The ruling did not cover gold, since gold is not used as currency in England. However, this has brought the issue to the attention of magi throughout Europe, and so most members of the Order practice moderation when using magic to create wealth, to avoid creating a precedent for a Grand Tribunal ruling.

When Redcaps want new items and longevity rituals, the Mercer Houses contract them from willing magi. A Redcap works with the inventor on the design, who earns a commission of 1p for every 10 levels he invests in the device. These contracts are highly sought after, and magi who are good in the lab might try to develop a relationship with their Tribunal’s senior Redcaps to get a piece of the action. The Mercer House covers these wages and the rest of the necessary vis for the enchantment (deducting it from the Redcap’s account). This typically works out to a cost of about 2p per magnitude of the effect, and the House usually extends the courtesy of facilitating this process for any of Mercere’s followers with vis to spend.

All Redcaps can take vis from the Mercer House coffers to exchange or loan, as long as they repay it within the year (and any lost vis is similarly deducted from their accounts). To lend vis to others, or accept vis for deposit, Redcaps need to have a Quaesitor present to witness the deal, or a letter from a Quaesitor stating that they have the authority and ability to write a binding contract. Redcaps who possess these letters are commonly called notaries, and in addition to authorizing loans they occasionally witness covenant charters or other legal documents while on their rounds.

As with many mundane banks of the time, a letter from a notary or senior Redcap is treated as legal tender at Mercer Houses throughout Mythic Europe. By surrender ing such a note, which tells how much vis he has deposited with his home Tribunal, a magus can receive instant loans of up to the entire amount referenced in the letter, assuming the Redcaps have enough vis on hand. A traveling magus can also invest large amounts of vis in this way, with the intention of withdrawing it once he reaches a Mercer House closer to home, thus saving himself the trouble of transporting unwieldy or large amounts of vis on his return journey. These notes are easily forged, but the offenders are just as easily found out, and since they can be charged with stealing vis (a high crime) this does not happen very often.

Because Redcaps so often deal in vis and are essentially Hermetic bankers, a Mercer House also controls its Tribunal’s treasury. The Redcaps reimburse all Tribunal expenses that are claimed by the Praeco, his staff, the Quaesitores, and prosecuting magi, and for this reason they also collect and keep the Tribunal’s share of fines assigned at Tribunal. This vis is kept separate from their House funds, and while Merceres borrowing out of this treasury instead of their own is not entirely unheard of, they usually refrain from this sort of creative accounting to avoid being caught with an empty vault during an emergency.

As Tribunals are one of the few places where large groups of magi gather regularly, the mood is often that of a medieval fair, and Redcaps frequently bring a lot of vis to loan and exchange. Other magi bring goods of their own to sell, such as magic devices, arcane materials, and books. Redcaps interested in the mercantile aspects of the House can find good business at Tribunal, and even though they do not usually vote during the proceedings, these opportunities before and after the event are more than enough reason for them to attend.

Hermetic Charity The mercantile practices of Redcaps are profitable enough that Mercer Houses occasionally have a surplus of vis. To avoid arousing the envy of their poorer sodales or tempting supernatural powers that punish such wealth, the Redcaps periodically assist deserving magi by leaving gifts of vis during their visits. By tradition, these missions of mercy are conducted at the beginning of winter, when yearly interest payments are paid to their investors, and are usually hidden so that they are not found until after the messenger is gone. The Redcaps steadfastly refuse to admit that they have anything to do with these gifts, but enough winks and smiles have followed their denials that word of this practice has spread throughout much of the Order, and consequently many covenants believe that Redcaps who visit on the winter solstice are good luck. Young magi tend to be on their best behavior during most of the preceding month, at least when Redcaps are around.

Societas Merceris: The Pawnbrokers

The years that followed the Schism War were a new age of Hermetic prosperity, and many Merceres seized upon the commercial opportunities in Ireland and the British Isles. An Italian Redcap named Venafro began seeking out vis in the wild lands left empty by the passing of the Diedne. He had a fondness for the game of chess, which he had learned to play in his birthplace in central Italy, and had fashioned a game piece out of bone and ivory to use as his sigil. When gathering vis using magic items he had commissioned for the purpose, it was his habit to move each unit into one of these pawns, so that he could easily count how much his collection was worth, and he marked each one with a symbol representing its associated Art.

These pawns of vis became immensely popular among magi in all corners of Europe, especially those of House Tremere. Word spread of a dramatic two-day-long certamen fought at the Grand Tribunal, which took the form of a game of chess. One of the contestants made what was regarded as a particularly clever move by all of the spectators, spending eight of Venafro’s signature pawns in the process. After this event, it seemed that everyone in the Order wanted their own set.

Many other Redcaps and magi joined in to meet the demand, and fashioned vis into chess pieces made from a dizzying variety of materials: hazeltree wood, rock crystal, carved ivory, whale bone, and even walrus tusk. The most famous set, commissioned from Venafro by a very wealthy Tremere magus, had more vis in the bigger pieces: the bishops, knights and towers (or rooks) held 10 pawns’ worth, and the kings and queens were each worth 100.

Eventually the fad passed, and by 1220 these custom pieces seem out of fashion. However, individual units of vis are still called “pawns,” and the terms “rook” and “queen” are sometimes used to refer to larger amounts.

There are still Redcaps who engage in the practice of harvesting vis and transferring it into custom shapes, though. They sell these special tokens as art; some of them use coins, others make jewelry, and some have been known to put vis into even more unusual forms, like perfume or tattoos. Why they do this also varies, for some of them wish to use their vis to standardize the currency of the Order, while others see it as beautifying magic in their own small way, and some simply want to make a profit on their craft. In memory of Venafro, they are affectionately referred to as “pawnbrokers” by others in the House.

Requirements: None, though they often start out with vis of their own: Pawnbroker Redcaps may trade two levels of their starting magic items for a pawn of vis in their signature shape, and receive one pawn of vis a year from the House in lieu of magic items if they wish. They typically have devices that can measure vis and transfer it into other objects with Rego Vim, and should have at least one Craft Ability. These characters may also take the Hermetic Virtue Personal Vis Source, to represent vis they have discovered in the wild.

Mercenaries and Guardians

Mythic Europe is a dangerous place, and many Redcaps make their living by protecting others on their journeys. Instead of (or in addition to) carrying messages, they escort other Redcaps through peril in exchange for a share of the take. These Redcaps are typically called custodians or custodial Redcaps (from the term custodes), and spend most of their time on dangerous roads, leading Redcaps through difficult or hard-to-find areas. In exchange, they receive an equal share of the pay, which is not as profitable as covenants usually tip a group of Redcaps the same amount as they would an individual.

Mercer Houses also take an interest in the roads and routes that Redcaps must travel. When a senior Redcap learns of something that threatens the safety of travel, he might offer a bounty, usually in the form of several pawns of vis, enough to make dealing with it worth a custodian Redcap’s while. Since it is generally accepted that bounty hunters may keep whatever they find on their quarry, even magi might join in the chase for a powerful magical creature. Other threats might include bandits or wild animals, but sometimes more unusual circumstances need to be dealt with, like a cursed village or a river that has become too deep to ford.

When magi build a Mercere’s Portal, a custodian is usually assigned to guard the other end, whether part of the covenant or running an outpost in the middle of nowhere. His job is to check the identity and business of those who want to use the Portal, open it for those who are granted passage, destroy it in case of imminent danger, and ensure that no one investigates it to learn the secret of building it. For these responsibilities, he may keep 10% of any tolls he collects at the standard price of one pawn of vis per use. Note that it is entirely at his discretion whether he allows others to pass or charges the toll, but traditionally Redcaps and other magi directly serving the Order do not have to pay.

There are other services that a Redcap might be paid to perform, assuming the price is right. For example, magi occasionally need other resources for their magical activities, such as materials for enchanted items, arcane connections to distant locations, or vis harvested from a dangerous source. Or, he might be contracted to carry an express message across Europe, or travel to someplace that the Redcap network doesn’t deliver. Paranoid magi might theoretically employ a custodial Redcap to handle any activity that would normally take them out of the lab — but having them pay the Redcap to accompany them on their dangerous forays makes for a much better story. As well-traveled members of the Order, Redcaps are often the first to become aware of Hermetic or mundane crimes, as they most often visit the covenants or places where these events have occurred. Some custodial Redcaps see it as their responsibility to investigate a scene and circumstances thoroughly before the signs have become obscured by time, and to present persuasive evidence (if not convincing proof) of what transpired when bringing it to the attention of a Quaesitor. In this respect they can act as private investigators, assisting Quaesitors with their official duties and helping them prepare their cases.

Redcaps can also make excellent spies, as they have access to a lot of secret information and an obvious pretext for just stopping by a covenant. They might be paid to discover where a magus challenged to Wizard’s War is hiding, determine the state of a covenant’s finances, or simply report on its recent activities. As long as they don’t use their magic items, Redcaps cannot be charged with scrying on their sodales, as they cannot use magic to do so. Senior Redcaps do not think much of those who do this, if they happen to find out about it.

Many custodial Redcaps also see it as their role not just to respect but also to enforce the decisions of Tribunal — or at least, they see doing so as profitable. This may mean joining the Hoplites and hunting down magi who have been cast out of the Order in exchange for their property, but more often it means collecting vis and magic items when Hermetic justice has ordered their loss, which tends to be seen as a lowly activity unique to custodial Merceres.

Risky Business While terribly frowned upon by the Order and the House, brave Redcaps with few scruples sometimes seize damages and fines using subterfuge and stealth. They reason that once a Tribunal has sentenced magi to pay a fine or hand over damages, that property no longer belongs to them. Charges can be brought against magi who fail to pay what they owe by the next Tribunal, but some Redcaps prefer not to wait, and this is often to their advantage. In highly-regulated Tribunals that strictly punish even the lowest of crimes, such cunning practices would probably not succeed, but on the edges of the Order where only obvious breaches of the Code receive official notice, there are many gray areas, as the following excerpts from the Peripheral Code demonstrate. A.A 1290 (A.D. 1151), Transylvanian Tribunal Maga Dorisa of Ex Miscellanea charged Constantine of Mercere, a Redcap, with sneaking into her sanctum and taking twelve pawns of Rego vis, thus depriving her of her magical power. Constantine argued that by contract, Dorisa owed that amount of vis to his sodales, as interest on a loan she had negotiated. He had asked her to settle the debt, and she refused, claiming that she could not pay it. Suspecting that she was lying, he entered her sanctum, avoided her defenses, and retrieved the amount. This he delivered to his sodales “in her better interests.” Dorisa countered that there was also more than twelve pawns of Animal vis in her sanctum, and that the Redcap had taken advantage of the situation by seizing the more valuable stash. After deliberation, the presiding Quaesitor determined that Constantine was due twelve pawns and twelve pawns had been paid, regardless of the customary value of the two kinds of vis. The Redcap had risked his life by entering her sanctum, but since that was not in itself illegal and no law had been broken, the charges were dismissed. A.A. 1308 (A.D 1179), Thebes Tribunal Bartholomew of Mercere was charged with two counts of depriving the Magus Errantus of Criamon of his magical power. Errantus and other witnesses described a confrontation with the Redcap, where Bartholomew had entered the covenant’s council room and wrenched a magical staff from Errantus’s hands, ruining a magical ring the magus had been drawing. During the struggle, Bartholomew kicked Errantus hard enough to knock him down, breaking two of the magus’s ribs and causing him to be unable to perform magic for the rest of the season. The Redcap then took the staff and fled the scene. Bartholomew reminded the assembly that last Tribunal found that Errantus had stolen the staff from Justina of Criamon, his filia, and had ordered him to return it to her. Though Errantus had many opportunities to discharge this duty, he had not yet done so, and in fact had continued to use the item. Bartholomew maintained that Errantus planned to use it as much as possible before returning it, and that by taking it from him and delivering it to Justina, Bartholomew was merely helping her reclaim her property. The Tribunal acquitted Bartholomew of stealing the device, and Errantus was ordered to pay Justina twelve pawns of vis in damages for his failure to comply with justice. Because Bartholomew had attacked and injured Errantus, he was found guilty of the second charge, and ordered to pay the magus three pawns of vis as recompense for his lost season.

Fines assigned as punishment at Tribunal are officially divided between the prosecutor of the case and the treasury. After Tribunal, if a Redcap collects an unpaid fine from the offender and deposits it in the coffers, he is given one-tenth its value from House funds. This makes it a profitable if unpopular duty, since even magi dislike collectors, and they may resent it when a Redcap visits their covenant only to extract payment. It can also be dangerous for the Redcap, since magi who do not agree with the verdict may argue the point with him, or take offense at his cheek. Most Redcaps hire an advocate in advance to settle any certamen challenges that may arise from this business.

When a magus is ordered to pay vis or a magic item as damages, custodial Redcaps may collect it and bring it to the wronged party. As that magus would otherwise have to wait as long as the next Tribunal to receive it, it is customary for him to pay the Redcap a reward for his trouble, typically 10% of its value. If the item is simply to be confiscated, it goes to the Mercere treasury and the Redcap who collects it receives this portion of its value.

Custodial Redcaps also collect payment on loans, gather vis from property on lien, and pay interest to those who have invested in the House. Sometimes, in the course of these activities, they will find that it is necessary to convince magi to make good on their debts. They are not supposed to intimidate or threaten those who cannot pay, but instead try to make other arrangements, at worst bringing charges against them at Tribunal for breach of contract. Nonetheless, some Redcaps do practice less dignified means of collection when resources are scarce. Depending on the degree to which the law is enforced in the Tribunal, custodial Redcaps might get away with convincing magi using magic that causes pain or irritation, blackmail, or seriously injuring or even killing their companions and grogs. Obviously, such brutish Redcaps have very poor reputations among their sodales.

Societas Merceris: The Bloodcaps

Legend tells that in the vast wilderness between cities, on battlegrounds and sites of massacres, in old Roman forts and ruined peel towers, wicked and violent faeries have lived for centuries. They are drawn to the sites of great slaughter and death, usually on borders where great wars have been fought, such as that region found between England and Scotland. These creatures are described as old, broad-shouldered, and very strong, with long protruding teeth, skinny arms and hands, and great talons like an eagle’s claws on each of their fingers.

In the early years of the Order, these faeries were a dangerous threat to Redcaps who traveled in those places, until, it is said, the daughter of one of Mercere’s adopted children befriended such a spirit, and married him at midnight in a crumbling church in a frightening parody of the Sacrament. She raised their children as Redcaps, and though many of them now serve the Order, their fearsome appearance and terrible strength still haunt the nightmares and fireside stories of many a borderland peasant.

Whenever they defeat an enemy, be it a challenger in combat or merely an unwary traveler who takes shelter in one of their towers, it is these creatures’ dark custom to dye their caps a brighter shade of red in the blood of their fallen foes, and so members of this lineage are often called “Bloodcaps” by others in the Order. They are very susceptible to the divine realm; it is said that they must flee the sight of the cross or the sound of quoted scripture, for such rites cause their long teeth and nails to fall out one by one.

Most Bloodcaps are only comfortable living alone in haunted ruins, though they may join covenants that allow them the freedom to live far from human intercourse in exchange for their allegiance. Others in whom the faerie blood is not as strong can live as other Redcaps. They make excellent border guards or gatekeepers for Mercere’s Portals, and few can match them as intimidating creditors. Because of the legends surrounding them, and the general public’s negative associations with these stories, most Redcaps in the British Isles forgo the traditional headgear. Bloodcaps, of course, wear their gory caps with pride.

Requirements: All Bloodcaps must take Faerie Blood (or Strong Faerie Blood), and the benefits of their faerie race are described in the Appendix (Virtues and Flaws, Faerie Blood). They should also take either a Greater Malediction (the sight of the cross or the sound of scripture causes their teeth and nails to fall out, causing them a light wound each round), or a Lesser Malediction (the cross and scripture cause them pain, requiring concentration rolls of 9+ for stressful actions). Bloodcap companions must be Redcaps, and tend to have magic items useful in combat — many Bloodcaps carry long, sharp pikes and wear iron shoes enchanted with The Leap of Homecoming (ReCo35).

Minstrels and Wanderers

A surprising number of Redcaps serve somewhat reluctantly, working for their living but without enthusiasm for their position. That is, while they carry messages and perform other services to the Order, their hearts are not really in it, and they tend to be somewhat distant from the House as a whole. They perform their duty for their required seasons to fulfill their obligation, but the rest of the time they travel, spend their money, and generally ignore the great ideals of Mercere.

Wandering Redcaps might travel all parts of Europe, even going outside its boundaries, and during these trips they occasionally venture into unexplored lands. It is because of their discoveries while on these expeditions that many of them can justify their unusual independence. Primarily, the discovery of unclaimed vis sources funds their aimless ways, which they register with the House and use to purchase magic items. However, there is also an arguably greater value in their trade of news and intelligence.

Mercer Houses or other covenants will occasionally allow a wandering Redcap to stay and rest for a season, in exchange for sharing worthwhile stories of the outside world with others in the Tribunal. They might be encouraged to write books describing their travels, or to draw maps. Or, they might be allowed to simply relax and enjoy themselves, telling their stories in their cups — though many senior Redcaps will find those inclined to be idle more worthwhile tasks than gossiping. Still, a very good story may be worth a short respite from carrying letters, especially if it’s information of use to others in the Order.

It is common for retired Redcaps to set up inns on well-traveled roads, giving free shelter to members of their House and others in the Order, and making their living by providing a meal and a bed for travelers of Mythic Europe. Merchants, pilgrims, Church representatives, diplomats, returning Crusaders, fairgoers, even mundane messengers — all of them make running a hostelry on a busy route very good business. Other Redcaps set up hospices, funded by charitable donations, where they tend to travelers who are homeless, sick, or injured. These houses can act as subsidiary Mercer Houses, though they are not usually centers of House activity in the Tribunal.

Inns often double as — or are located near — taverns and alehouses, where travelers can get wine or beer and perhaps join a game of dice. Wandering Redcaps are often avid gamblers, as a few lucky rolls can earn them enough to avoid work for a fortnight. They may not need much luck, either: magi might be asked to make them magically-loaded dice, which ensure that they win more often than they lose. If they use these devices subtly, and choose their victims with care, they might simply seem charmed rather than crooked.

Some Redcaps practice appropriate entertainment, learning performance trades that they can ply at public houses and covenants alike, as a grateful host or audience may pay even better for a show than when they are delivering messages, and even the most reclusive magus might be lured from his lab with the promise of a performance. Occasionally, a group of Redcaps might band together into a troupe of performers and tour Mythic Europe, perhaps overseen by a magus with an interest in the arts. Such shows are said to have a unique magic all of their own, not to be missed, and are royally welcomed at any house they choose to play.

In spite of the alternatives, there are a few Redcaps who seem to do nothing but gamble, drink, and socialize. As a nod to their responsibilities, these wastrels sometimes write poems, compose songs, and generally produce art designed to outlive their brief time on earth. There is nothing necessarily supernatural about their craft — fine art does not absolutely require special virtues — but nevertheless these traveling poets often have an otherworldly quality about them, perhaps because of their familiarity with magic or their passion for life, and they usually have powerful patrons who financially encourage them in their artistic achievements.

A few of these Redcaps are adopted into the Order for the sole purpose of encouraging their unique talents. They do not carry messages, trade vis, or protect the Order, but instead spend their apprenticeship developing their art to levels of phenomenal virtuosity. Not all of them pass through House Mercere, but it is less controversial than Houses adopting unGifted followers directly, and it may be possible for Redcaps to join other Houses in the same way.

Errant Redcaps Since Redcaps are officially magi, they have all the rights and privileges of other magi in the Order, including the freedom to do what they wish — there is no law that says they must serve for two seasons of every year. Yet when Redcaps neglect their duties, it angers and upsets true magi, who perceive them as unworthy freeloaders. Merceres fear that if this were to become widespread, it would lead to official restrictions on their activities or even a ruling in the Peripheral Code making the Gift a requirement for membership in the Order. Thus, the House does its best to punish those Redcaps who do not demonstrate the appropriate amount of dedication. As the House is not particularly well-organized, Redcaps are expected to keep in touch with the senior Redcap in their Tribunal, who can thus ensure that everyone is performing their required duties. Those who do this are rewarded for their service with magic items and longevity potions. Those who do not do this lose the respect of their peers and do not receive these benefits. Some Redcaps accept this tradeoff, preferring to remain apart rather than report to any sort of authority, and are sometimes referred to as Lone Redcaps (see the Appendix, Virtues and Flaws). As long as they do not upset other magi and can be seen to fulfill their obligations, they do not receive sanctions for choosing to keep to themselves and avoiding others in their House. If a Redcap misses a season or two of his duties he can make it up the following year, but if the time was lost because of other laudable activities of great service to the Order (such as helping to build a covenant, copying books for important magi, or assisting a Quaesitor with an investigation), or because of unavoidable circumstances (grave injury, civil unrest, or impassable roads) it is unlikely that this failure would be counted against him. Attitude and intent are most important in these cases. When a Redcap blatantly and continually flouts his responsibilities, however, a senior Redcap might mention the problem to the Mercere Primus, who will arrange for a stern warning. The ultimate sanction is to declare the Redcap an orphan (“Orbus”), throwing him out of the House. No one wants this, as no other House is likely to adopt the Redcap, and if Mercere does not accept him back within the year it is effectively a death sentence, since he will be formally cast out of the Order. Usually the threat of this is more than sufficient to steer a wayward Redcap back on track.

Societas Merceris: The Goliards

Golias was a famous Redcap in the tenth century, a former clerk who joined the House when he lost his post at a monastery in northern France. He didn’t have much love for the Order, but he enjoyed wine and women, and wrote lurid poetry and wicked songs about them that were so good that many think he was supernaturally inspired. He also liked to wander, especially in his later years, a vocation that fit perfectly with his job in House Mercere. Fudarus (the domus magna of House Tytalus) was one of his many patrons, and he spent a lot of his free time there, for the magi enjoyed his company and encouraged his ribald talents. In fact, he was a semi-permanent resident when the corruption of House Tytalus came to light, just before the end of the millennium. He was charged with diabolism along with the other magi and cast out of the Order, and all known copies of his works were burned.

His reputation survived, even if he did not, and many years later a small group of artistic magi, Redcaps and their followers revived his name. They called him “Bishop Golias,” and considered him a sort of patron saint of their group, the Goliards, or more formally the Ordo Vagarum (OR-doh wag-AH-room, “The Wanderers”). Their philosophy is that the many pleasures of life should be savored and shared, and they communicate this through their song and poetry. They particularly excel at clever parodies of well-known liturgical pieces, changing words to twist their meaning into praise of wine, sex, and gambling. Their heyday is passing, however, for while they produced many great works in the late 1100s and early 1200s, including the famous Carmina Burana, by 1220 the Church has begun preaching against them at services and stripping suspected Goliards of church rank.

They still have a small but devoted following within the Order of Hermes in Germany and northern France, where they continue to preach the Goliardic gospel of enlightened debauchery. Three or four of them are known well for stirring up all sorts of trouble in the cities and schools, and seeking apprentices from the University of Paris and other places where impressionable young students may be found. This would normally be intolerable behavior for Redcaps — and they have been rebuked by the House many times — but their art is genuinely exquisite, and their frank and witty passion has touched the hearts of even the most severe of magi.

Requirements: To be accepted by the Goliards, characters must take either Clerk or Educated, to represent their academic background, and have a Compulsion to engage in some sort of inspirational vice, usually sex, gambling, or drinking. They tend to be men, but female Goliards are possible. Many of them also have Free Expression or are Inspirational, and might have a Hermetic Patron (see the Appendix, Virtues and Flaws), though these virtues are not essential, for not all Goliards are as accomplished in their artistic endeavors.

Medieval Inns Very few inns in Mythic Europe would fit the common depiction of them in fantasy literature: multiple stories, separate rooms, bath houses, a jolly innkeeper. Most of the time, they are the lowest level of hostelry, a second source of income for a home with an extra bed. Travelers staying with these occasional hosts are expected to bring their own provisions and cook them themselves over the fire, and sleep in the same room as, say, the man and his wife, their teenage daughter, and a one-year-old child. Even the middling class of inn is not much better. Since the fall of the Roman Empire, baths have become extremely rare, and even chamber pots are scarce. At night, guests make their way outside if they need to relieve themselves, and if they don’t get lost in the yard on the way back, they must stumble through the unfamiliar surroundings to try to find their own bed rather than someone else’s. Larger hostelries might have several pallets placed right next to each other, and since candles are expensive and dangerous, many travelers have awkward (or happy) encounters when making their way through the crowded darkness. Grand inns in towns are closer to the stereotype; these houses usually put out a sign with a symbol on it, such as a crown or a wheel, by which they are known to be hostelries and which often suggests what kind of travelers usually stay there. They might have a greater variety of food available for visitors, and even special towels assigned by class, from priests to laymen. Also, many inns are run by foreigners; a German traveler in France appreciates staying with others who speak his language and understand his culture, and so German inns on well-traveled French-German roads do very well.

The Goliard Credo I believe — in dice I well believe, That got me often bite and sup, And many a time hath had me drunk, And many a time delivered me From every stitch and every penny. [...] To drink and wench and play at dice Seem to me no such mighty sins... Never man I know descended into Hell for a game. Ask thou something else of me... [...] I believe in wine that’s fair to see, And in a barrel of my host More than in the Holy Ghost The tavern is my sweetheart, yea, And Holy Church is not for me. [...] Amen. Priest, I now am through with’t. Through with life. Death hath its pain. Too much... Too much... This agony — I’m dying. I to God commend you. I ask it of you — Pray for me. — From the Goliards’ “Credo au Ribaut”

Magical Merceres

While most of the House is made up of Redcaps, a small number of Merceres have The Gift. They tend to be less concerned with serving the Order, and have more freedom to find their own way. Gifted Merceres maintain close ties to the rest of their House, though they sometimes inspire distracting awe or envy among their unGifted sodales.

The Gift is extremely rare in House Mercere, more than any other House. This is because the Founder set a precedent by only taking his own Gifted children as apprentices, and presenting all other potential students he discovered to Bonisagus and Trianoma. This tradition still survives, and magi who cannot trace their ancestry to the Founder are considered illegitimate (see Illegitimate Lineage in the Appendix, Virtues and Flaws). They are expected to make up for their master’s failure to take an apprentice from the family line by teaching properly descended apprentices themselves. Redcaps are held exempt from this requirement, as the only clear qualifications by which Mercere chose his unGifted followers were their dedication and loyalty to the House, though Redcaps who have the House in their blood are often accorded special favor and respect, and of course their Gifted children are highly sought after by Mercere magi.

Magi of House Mercere do enjoy several special privileges. They receive preferential status when Redcaps hire magi to make magic items or longevity potions — these contracts always go to Mercere magi if they are interested. Likewise, they can order and purchase these items, just like Redcaps. They may borrow up to 10p of vis from their House without paying interest, or exchange vis at no additional cost. Redcaps will generally do their best to assist them; service to a Mercere magus is generally considered a worthy cause, worth neglecting Redcaps’ other duties. They are allowed free passage through Mercere’s Portals. Finally, Mercere magi are always welcome at Mercer Houses, and are often supported by them. A Gifted Mercere without a covenant need only follow the Redcaps to find a place to live comfortably and work magic.

While Mercere magi are not discouraged from voting at Tribunal, they usually abstain to avoid appearing superior to the Redcaps. The Redcaps respect their authority, and in return the magi avoid rubbing their noses in it. All Mercere magi spend at least one season every seven years traveling and carrying messages as the Redcaps do, to keep the proper sense of perspective and humility, and at all times they try not to make it obvious to others that they are wizards. Some Mercere magi actually quite enjoy keeping their magic secret, acting as common Redcaps as much as possible to throw off strangers.

In some ways, the House makes Mercere magi feel almost ashamed of their Gift. There is a common taboo against spellcasting in the House; many Merceres believe that magic should be performed behind closed doors, or with invested devices like Redcaps do, and thus Mercere magi often prefer to forgo words and gestures or use small objects that they seem to “activate” when they wish to work magic in front of others. Deleterious Circumstances (in public) and Necessary Condition (casting tools) are appropriate Hermetic Flaws for Mercere magi taught to feel guilty about their magic.

The House has few sexual taboos, however. Because the Gift manifests so unpredictably and apprentices from within the House are preferred, all Merceres are strongly encouraged to have as many children as possible, whether married or not, and thus they have a reputation for promiscuity. All Merceres, especially the women, begin having children at young ages, as they are generally expected to have at least one child before they make or commission their longevity rituals. These many children are raised at covenants or in Mercer Houses, and those born with the Gift are treasured while the mundane children who survive the harsh infancy of the Middle Ages are thought to make excellent grogs or might eventually become apprenticed to Redcaps. Since Mercere’s followers regard their ancestry so highly, they usually know exactly who they are descended from, and tend to practice magic inherited from their masters. Mercere was said to have a natural affinity for Muto, and Creo is highly valued for many reasons (especially healing and making longevity potions), so even Mercere magi who prefer to discover their own magic receive special training in one of those Arts. Thus, starting Mercere magi always take either Puissant Art (Creo) or Puissant Art (Muto) as their free Virtue, unless they are deeply involved with one of the two unique House lineages that follow.

Mercurian Magi

Mercere had already taken his first apprentice before the Order formed, and had begun teaching the boy his secrets when Trianoma approached him. His new duties in the years that followed meant that his apprentice was given very sporadic lessons, and encouraged to develop on his own or accompany Mercere while traveling. After the Founding, Mercere established Harco and spent more dedicated time helping his follower with his studies, soon declaring the young man a new magus. It was his duty, he was instructed, to serve the new Order as he had served Mercere, and after swearing the Oath he was named Priamitus: last of an ancient line and first of a new one.

The first follower of Mercere held his ancestors in great awe. Priamitus had little interest in carrying messages, but the old gods fascinated him; as a child he believed his Gift was a blessing and a curse, a sign of heavenly favor and great responsibility, and while traveling with Mercere he came to realize that because of his Gift, when he asked the gods for aid, they listened and responded. As a new magus, he returned to many of these places where legends say the gods had once walked the earth, and he learned much about the ancient rites of worship he practiced. He came to see it as his duty to become a priest of the Cult of Mercury, a new leader of the old order, and returned to Harco to begin this great task.

Other Houses helped him rebuild the Cult, particularly magi of House Flambeau. In fact, it is more accurate to say that he helped them, but because Priamitus learned Mercurian magic from Mercere and taught it to his many followers as a Hermetic lineage, they have special status in the Cult as direct descendants of the priests of old. It is these Mercere magi who describe their Founder as Mercury reborn, and worship him as the greatest manifestation of their Mercurian heritage. Many of them believe that when they die they will ascend through the Magic Realm to join him.

About half of all Mercere magi still practice Mercurian magic like their ancestors, and most of their ancient ceremonies were integrated into Magic Theory. The roots of their ancient order can still be seen in spell mastery, for in the earliest days magi knew only a few spells and improved their magic by developing different ways of casting the same spell in different situations. Priamitus learned many of these spell mastery abilities from Mercere, and his followers developed others. They include: Adaptive Casting, Ceremonial Casting, Disguised Casting, Lab Mastery, Learn from Mistakes, and Stalwart Casting. These are described fully in the Appendix (Laboratory, Mastered Spell Special Abilities).

Cult Practices The Cult of Mercury keeps alive the pagan beliefs of the Romans before the spread of Christianity, where the many great powers of the natural world were worshipped as individual beings, not venerated as aspects of God’s creation. Essentially, Mercury Cultists are Mediterranean nature-worshippers, and their ceremonies focus on anthropomorphizing forces like weather, death, love, war and so on. They do not practice human sacrifice, though they do offer animal sacrifices to their gods, and they burn their dead. They also put great store by omens, and practice all forms of divination and ceremonial magic to read and interpret these signs. They avoid the Church and the Dominion, which they see as stifling forces on the practices of pure magic if they consider them at all. Other magi who know about the Cult tend to think its members are backward zealots or dangerous heretics, and though they still honor their Hermetic heritage, they usually prefer to do so from a safe distance.

Societas Merceris: The Cult of Heroes

The Cult of Mercury includes magi from many different Houses, and is usually found wherever magi practice Mercurian rituals. Within it, or perhaps beside it, there are other smaller groups with similar beliefs and practices, and one of these groups is primarily made up of members of House Mercere. They are known as the Cult of Heroes, and according to them, the great heroes of antiquity still walk the earth. Heracles, Arthur, Beowulf, Gilgamesh — they say these legendary figures and others like them were descended from the gods, and the Cult of Heroes believes that they can be born again.

Hero-Cultists seek out exceptional children with supernatural attributes that indicate their divine nature, which they find through stories, investigative magic, or otherworldly visions. They then adopt them into the House as Redcaps. If nurtured and supported by the Order, they believe these potential demigods will grow into the power of their predecessors. Such heroes are very rare; there might be three or four of them in all of Mythic Europe, but their origins are obvious as they are especial ly blessed by nature. They are clearly better than common men and women, and perhaps even superior to magi.

Requirements: Players who wish to play heroes of the Cult instead of magi must take a special virtue, Blood of Heroes (see the Appendix, Virtues and Flaws), which allows them to take twice as many virtues as flaws during character creation, and also gives them access to other virtues that represent their special connection to the gods. The society also includes normal Redcaps who have an association with the Cult, or who serve one of these heroes. Either type may exchange 10 levels of effects in their starting magic items for a +1 increase to any of their negative Characteristics. Most of them are Pagan (see the Appendix, Virtues and Flaws).

Magi who belong to the Hero-cult should have either Mythic Blood (which allows them to take Heroic Virtues and Flaws) or Mercurian Magic, and should also be Pagan. They may substitute Mastered Spells for Puissant Art as their free virtue, and can choose from the Cult’s special mastery abilities in addition to those in ArM5 when assigning this experience.

Heroes and Magic The magi of the Cult of Heroes use their magic to improve mere mortals, essentially praying to the gods for blessings on those who worship them. Their greatest ideal, the discovery that they believe would revive the greatness of the ancient world and bring about a new and Heroic Age, is a spell that would create the Gift. While it seems this is not yet possible, they have developed other promising rituals that elevate mundane men and women closer to this ideal. Only the most senior Merceres actually know these spells, but they frequently see use in the Mercurian rituals for which the Cult is famous, and they are often performed as rewards for those who loyally serve the Hero-Cult. Spells descriptions appear later in this chapter. (Characteristic) of the Followers (CrCo35/CrMe35) (Characteristic) of the Heroes (CrCo60/CrMe60) Mercury’s Blessing (CrVi 25)

Mutantes

Several years after the Order was founded, Mercere took another apprentice, who like Priamitus was also his son. Some suspect that the child’s mother was also a member of the Order, but for whatever reason Mercere kept her identity secret, apparently even from the boy. He grew up at Durenmar, not Harco, as that was where Mercere preferred to spend most of his time in those days, and from an early age it was clear that he had great potential as a magical theorist.

Halfway through his apprenticeship, Mercere lost his Gift and went away suddenly. Like Mercere’s first apprentice, the student continued to study on his own and with other magi who took an interest, and he eventually presented himself at Tribunal with the name Hermes Triceres. He had inherited his master’s affinity for the new Art of Muto, and demonstrated his abilities by changing himself into three different shapes: a bird, a fish, and a wolf. While the assembled magi agreed he had passed his Gauntlet, they were unwilling to call such a young magus an important name like “Hermes,” and instead affectionately named him “Mutant” (MOO-tahnt), meaning “changeling.”

Triceres was hurt by this, and felt determined to earn the name he believed he deserved and that his elders denied him. He moved to his master’s home at Harco and began working with all the blazing energy that Mercere had put into traveling and charming his sodales, studying and experimenting with Bonisagus’s Theory to push what he learned to its limits. He came to specialize in Muto Vim, what was later called metamagic, and developed rudimentary versions of spells like Wizard’s Reach, which have since been improved by other magi.

For most of his life, he had almost no interaction with his father or the rest of the Order. He had sired three children, but none of them could work magic. They also had several children, who were all similarly mundane. When one of his great-grandsons was miraculously born with the Gift, however, Triceres adopted the boy into his magical lineage and taught him everything he could. He had written many books on metamagic, which he gave as his inheritance — copies of these books survive, but few magi think much of them as they are of low quality and the ideas make very little sense to those who do not belong to his lineage.

Triceres’s great-grandson took the Hermetic name Mutantus after his master died, and continued to experiment with Muto, which came quite easily to him. In particular, he studied transformation magic, and developed several spells that incorporated his great-grandfather’s unusual ideas. They allowed him to cancel a spell after casting it, without waiting for the duration to end, and by 1220 this concept has been integrated into a basic function of Muto Corpus spells, though most magi are not aware of the greater implications.

Mutantus had a large family and eventually trained three Gifted followers, who called themselves Mutantes. Based partly on their father’s spells and partly on Triceres’ metamagic, they developed a new way of looking at Magic Theory that gave them great control over how their spells work. It is tied to a special affinity for Muto that is in their blood, called Mutantum Magic (meaning “magic of the Mutantes”), and so can only be fully mastered by other followers of Mercere, though they can communicate rudimentary aspects of it to other magi. This affinity is represented by the Minor Hermetic Virtue Mutantum Magic (see the Appendix, Virtues and Flaws). Mutantes call this process “magic-taming.” They picture magic as a wild beast or chaotic spirit. Most magi simply summon this creature and let it loose, to behave according to its nature. However, Mutantes see themselves as “taming” this magical beast, giving it direction and binding it to their service. They domesticate the wild magic, like a horse and rider or a shepherd with his sheep.

Thorough grounding in this magical philosophy and their natural affinity with change allows Mutantes to invent spells that have unusual power over magic, altering it in specific ways. Mutantes can use these powers when casting formulaic spells designed to take advantage of them or investing magic items with appropriate effects. They can also write or teach the resulting spells in a way other Mutantes can understand and learn. These changes include:

Boosting: By spending a pawn of vis when casting boosted spells or activating a boosted effect in an item, you may increase the Range, Duration, Target, or size of the effect by one magnitude. You can do this multiple times for the same spell. For example, boosting Range from Touch to Sight and Target from Individual to Group would cost you four pawns of vis. You may not reduce any of the parameters of the spell, nor may you exceed the limits of Formulaic magic unless the spell is already a Ritual Casting success, Fatigue loss, and Penetration are all calculated based on the original level of the spell, but you do add one additional botch die for each pawn of vis used. Mutantes picture this process as "feeding" the magic, using vis to make it grow bigger and stronger.

Tethering: Magical “tethers” allow the caster to give the reins of his spells to others, or tie them to an inanimate object. Control may be passed to another person within range of the caster, who may treat the effect as if he or she were the caster; or to anything that can hold the spell like a charged item, casting it automatically when an appropriate target comes into range. A tether only lasts as long as the duration of the effect it controls, and cannot be made permanent. Ritual spells cannot be tethered.

Because magi from other Houses can be descended from the same exotic origins as the Mutantes, there are also several virtues that incorporate these powers, which any magus may take: Boosted Magic, Harnessed Magic, and Tethered Magic (see the Appendix, Virtues and Flaws). They correspond to these magical skills above, though some have inherent drawbacks, since only magi who are raised by the Mutantes ever seem to perfectly master the innate abilities of their heritage. There are also two Flaws, Bound Magic and Fettered Magic, which have the drawbacks and none of the benefits, for characters who haven’t even begun to discover their Mutantes potential or whose understanding of these powers is similarly limited.

Mutantes also have three corresponding mastered spell abilities that they can teach to those who study from them. This allows the Mutantes to teach magictaming in a very limited fashion, by concentrating on a particular method of changing a specific spell, which is all that can be done for magi who do not have it in the blood. Interested magi can learn these abilities from the Mutantes, but they cannot teach them to others.

(See the Appendix, Mastered Spell Special Abilities, for details on Boosted Casting, Harnessed Casting, or Tethered Casting.)

Societas Merceris: Milvi Antiquiti

In ancient days, as Diodorus Siculus wrote in his Bibliotheca Historica, there were Egyptian shapechangers who served as hereditary priests and also kept records of their magical practices. The roots of these primitive spells were later incorporated into Mercurian rituals and ultimately became part of Hermetic magic. Many of the Mutantes believe that these wizard-priests are the source of their magical blood, and that they are descended from them by way of Mercere the Founder.

Other legends unearthed by the Mutantes suggest that these early ancestors of Hermetic magi maintained the Great Library at Alexandria before it was destroyed by Caesar, and that they rescued many of the books before the rest were consumed by fire. Diodorus tells how books were carried to Thebes by men who could change into hawks, and who wore purple-red caps with a feather in the band. The proof of their heritage, the Mutantes say, is that Mercere himself had just such a cap.

Thus, the Milvi Antiquiti, or “kites of old,” consists of Mutantes and their companions who seek to preserve and distribute knowledge throughout the Order. They do this in two ways: they make copies of ancient books, and they lend these books to other magi. Because many of their books are in high demand, and because they assume the borrowers will make copies, the Milvi charge a small amount of vis for this service, usually 1p a season or 3p a year. Magi are generally willing to pay this for access to books that they wouldn’t see otherwise, and starting covenants can generally get more value from a good book than studying from the vis it costs to borrow it.

To carry books from covenant to covenant, the Milvi cast a spell that transforms the bearer and all of his possessions into a bird, traditionally the small hawk of the society, who can then fly unburdened to his destination. The Milvi still carry messages and fulfill other common Redcap duties, but this practice makes it easy for them to also carry valuable and heavy items. They usually keep a list of books that are available from their libraries, and sometimes bring along desirable tomes that they think might tempt magi to borrow them.

Requirements: Milvini magi should take Mutantum Magic for their free virtue. Their Redcap followers usually learn Latin, Profession: Scribe and Magic Theory, so that they can write and copy books, and usually have a Milvinus magus for a Hermetic Patron (see Virtues and Flaws). Most have a magic item that casts a version of Shape of the Ancient Kite (MuCo40), usually in their feathered caps.

Milvini Spells The Milvi Antiquiti have developed many spells that make use of their Mutantes heritage and magictaming skills. They generally keep these to themselves, though characters who earn their respect and who have some ability with Mutantum Magic might convince the Milvi to loan them a lab text, or commission a magical item from them, thus making these effects available to magi outside the society. Spells descriptions appear later in this chapter. Twinning the Tome (CrAn50) The Transformed Folio (MuAn35) Hunter’s Lethal Arrow (PeAn40) Shape of the Ancient Kite (MuCo40) The Tireless Flight (ReCo20) Sense the True Path (InTe15)

Other Specialties

All Mercere’s followers tend towards independence with a hint of wanderlust, and while all Hermetic students are encouraged to follow their masters’ lineages, not all of them do. Some seek their own form of magic, just as both of Mercere’s apprentices did, and this is seen as a good thing as long as they aid the House and serve the Order. To that end, here are some suggestions for other directions to develop magi of House Mercere.

Animalists. Many Redcaps travel by mules, camels or horses, and would greatly appreciate a Mercere magus who could create or change them at need, or heal them when injured. The Art of Animal also has many opportunities for magi to create meat, clothing, armor, and other materials that travelers find useful. Also, the Mutantes feel sympathy with those who study this Art, and may consider them close enough to teach some of their secrets.

Champions. Redcaps occasionally find themselves at odds with other members of the Order, and the proper method for resolving their differences is through the use of certamen, which Redcaps cannot do. Instead of conceding, some Redcaps seek out a champion to take their part, and so specialized Merceres who aid their sodales by defending their causes in the dueling ring are highly respected.

Healers. Since the Schism War, Mercere has been a House devoted to peace, and a few of its magi embrace their duty to the Order by giving succor to their sodales. They craft magic items that help heal the sick and mend the wounded, and practice spells like Chirurgeon’s Healing Touch (CrCo20) and Purification of the Festering Wounds (CrCo20). Many Mercurian magi develop in this direction, as the Rituals cost them much less vis to cast.

Rogues. How easy it would be for Mercere magi to pretend to be Redcaps, visiting other covenants at will and gathering information about them for their own purposes! They can change and even improve their appearances, make sad people happy, alter the spots on dice, and even transform rocks into gold. As long as they are careful to observe Hermetic Law with regard to their sodales, they can have a grand time at the expense of others.

Teachers. House Mercere has the smallest number of magi of all the Houses, and Mercere magi might go against the tradition for magical apprentices to come from their own families, and train Gifted outsiders in the art of magic. Or, they might start their own societas and train Redcaps who support their causes. Either way, this would have a profound effect on the Order as their lineage grows.

Vis-Monkeys. This is a disparaging term used by some members of the Order for magi who devote their time solely to tinkering in the lab; inventive geniuses can be found in any House, and the Mercere talent with Creo is very useful for making longevity potions and distilling vis. House Mercere is always buying magical devices, and their prices are very attractive, especially when they are making them for themselves.

Laboratory Rules

These include long-term activities as well as variations on standard lab work.

Mastered Spell Special Abilities

Any time magi earn a level in a spell mastery ability, they may choose from these special abilities in addition to those in Ars Magica 5th Edition, as long as some of the experience points were taught by someone with the Ability. Most magi in the true lineages prefer to share this specialized knowledge only with their apprentices, though their methods may be written down in books that anyone can read, and it is not impossible for a master to decide to teach a student with very similar goals and loyalties.

Characters who take Mastered Spells during character creation and who have access to these abilities during apprenticeship may spend their mastery points on them if they wish.

ADAPTIVE CASTING

(Cult of Mercury)

You may use your mastery score and all the special abilities associated with it whenever you cast a similar spell. If you have two or more mastery Abilities that apply to a single spell (because you have mastered two or more spells that are similar to the spell you are casting) you may only use the score of one Ability, and the special abilities taken for that mastery Ability. For example, if you have mastered Demon's Eternal Oblivion 30 with a score of 3, and the abilities Adaptive, Fast Casting, and Penetration, and Demon's Eternal Oblivion 25 with a score of 4 and the abilities Adaptive, Quiet Casting twice, and Still Casting, you are must use the score of 3 if you want to use the Penetration ability, and the score of 4 if you want to use the Still Casting ability, and you cannot use the Penetration ability with the score of 4.

BOOSTED CASTING

(Mutantes)

When casting this spell, you may use vis to increase the Range, Duration, Target, or size by one magnitude for each pawn spent. You may increase more than one aspect of the same spell. You may not reduce any of the parameters, nor exceed the limits of Formulaic magic unless the spell is already a Ritual. Casting success, Fatigue loss, and Penetration are all calculated based on the original level of the spell, but you do add one additional botch die for each pawn of vis used.

CEREMONIAL CASTING

(Cult of Mercury)

You may use ceremonial methods when casting this spell, increasing the casting time and adding your Artes Liberales and Philosophiae to your total. This cannot be taken for Ritual spells, which always require ceremonial casting.

DISGUISED CASTING

(Cult of Mercury)

When casting this spell, you may suppress or alter your sigil, to hide your identity or make the spell appear to have been cast by someone else. Since this actually changes your sigil, it is impossible for others to recognize you from it, though magi might be able to recognize that a fake sigil is not genuine. When you mimic the sigil of another magus, you may add your Spell Mastery score to the roll that determines how difficult it is to recognize.

HARNESSED CASTING

(Mutantes)

You may end the effects of this spell at will, simply by concentrating on it. For timing and concentration purposes, treat this as if you were casting the spell. If you are distracted and fail your Concentration roll, you may try again in another round.

Mercere Special Abilities Mercurian Magi Adaptive Casting Ceremonial Casting Disguised Casting Lab Mastery Learn From Mistakes Stalwart Casting Mutantes Boosted Casting Harnessed Casting Tethered Casting

LAB MASTERY

(Cult of Mercury)

You understand the theory of this spell so perfectly that you may add your spell mastery score to your Lab Total when designing effects that are similar to it (see Similar Spells, Ars Magica 5th Edition page 101). This is in addition to the standard similar spell bonus.

LEARN FROM MISTAKES

(Cult of Mercury)

The first time in a session that you botch a roll for this spell or fail it by exactly one point, you gain five experience points towards mastery of this spell. The roll must come up naturally in the course of the story.

STALWART CASTING

(Cult of Mercury)

This spell is less exhausting for you. If it is a Ritual, you lose normal Fatigue instead of long-term Fatigue when casting it, and half as many Fatigue levels, rounded up (but always at least one). If it is formulaic, you never lose Fatigue levels because of a low casting total, even if the spell doesn’t succeed.

TETHERED CASTING

(Mutantes)

You may give control of this spell to another person, who is subsequently treated as the caster, or to an object that holds the spell like a charged item for its duration and casts it if an appropriate target comes into range. This cannot be taken for Ritual spells.

Mercere’s Portals

This activity is generally restricted to Mercere magi. This is because they must spend a season studying an existing Mercere’s Portal or the lab notes of someone who has already built one to learn the method of constructing them, and the House prefers to limit access to this information, keeping it exclusively inside House Mercere.

Once the secret method is learned, the magus must design two archways as invested devices, each with an instilled effect of Rego Terram, level 65 (base level 35, +4 Arc; +10 for Unlimited uses). They can be built by different magi in different locations, but both sides of the paired set must include an arcane connection to the other. Portals built after the Schism War always include special passwords, and many of them have linked triggers that only permit a member of House Mercere to activate them.

After the two devices are enchanted in the lab, they are moved into place and a magical connecting ceremony similar to Hermes’ Portal (ReTe75) is performed simultaneously in each location. This ceremony is learned as part of the procedure, and does not require a roll, but until it is completed the devices do not function. Once the two Portals have been connected, they cannot be moved without permanently destroying the effect.

Magic Rules

These are variations on the way Hermetic magic is performed.

Mutantum Magic

Mutantum Magic is a special form of metamagic found primarily in House Mercere. Thorough grounding in their lineage’s magical philosophy and their natural affinity with change allows Mutantes to invent spells that have unusual power over magic, altering it in specific ways. Mutantes can use this metamagic when casting formulaic spells designed to take advantage of it, or investing magic items with appropriate effects. They can also write or teach the resulting spells in a way other Mutantes can understand and learn. These changes include:

Boosting: By spending a pawn of vis when casting boosted spells or activating a boosted effect in an item, you may increase the Range, Duration, Target, or size of the effect by one magnitude. You can do this multiple times for the same spell. For example, boosting Range from Touch to Sight and Target from Individual to Group would cost you four pawns of vis. You may not reduce any of the parameters of the spell, nor may you exceed the limits of Formulaic magic unless the spell is already a Ritual.Casting success, Fatigue loss, and Penetration are all calculated based on the original level of the spell, but you do add one additional botch die for each pawn of vis used. Mutantes picture this process as "feeding" the magic, using vis to make it grow bigger and stronger.

Harnessing: Spells normally last their duration and then end, but harnessed effects are put to work like domesticated animals, and can be released from their service when necessary. They are made to end prematurely simply by the caster concentrating on them; this takes about the same amount of time and concentration as casting a spell, and can be done over any distance. If distracted during this process, the caster may always try again.

Tethering: Magical “tethers” allow the caster to give the reins of his spells to others, or tie them to an inanimate object. Control may be passed to another person within range of the caster, who may treat the effect as if he or she were the caster; or to anything that can hold the spell like a charged item, casting it automatically when an appropriate target comes into range. A tether only lasts as long as the duration of the effect it controls, and Ritual spells cannot be tethered.

Spells

The unique magical abilities and interests of the Mercere lineages have found expression in new spells.

Mutantum Spells

The Mutantes design spells that have unusual variations on standard magic built into their effects, and only characters with the power to perform that kind of magic due to an appropriate Virtue can cast them. If a character cannot manage one of the qualities of the Mutantum spell, that character cannot learn it.

Boosted: Requires Boosted Magic or Mutantum Magic

Harnessed: Requires Harnessed Magic or Mutantum Magic

Tethered: Requires Tethered Magic or Mutantum Magic

Note that the Mutantum Magic Virtue allows a character to learn, cast and invent any of these effects as part of formulaic spells and invested devices, and the Tamed Magic Virtue makes them possible with spontaneous spells as well (see Virtues and Flaws). For a descriptions of what each of these qualities can do, see Mutantum Magic, above.

These spells are primarily used by the Milvi Antiquiti (see their society description in House Mercere, Mutantes).

Creo Animal Mutantum Spells

TWINNING THE TOME

R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Group, Level 50, Ritual

Requisites: Intellego, Terram

This spell creates a nearly perfect copy of the binding and every page of a book you are touching, including illumination, creases, and damages. It requires an Intellego requisite to determine the shape and size of the pages, and a Terram requisite to create the ink. While an effective method of quickly copying the contents of a book, the vis cost is generally considered prohibitive; Milvi instead use it to recover valuable books that have been stolen or lost, or to copy ancient works that are too fragile to move. Thus, this version of the spell also allows for vis boosting, so that you can accommodate an arcane connection to the book without requiring you to learn another spell.

(Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Group, +5 intricacy, +1 requisites; Boosted)

Muto Animal Mutantum Spells

The Transformed Folio

R: Touch, D: Year, T: Group, Level 45, Ritual

This changes all the pages of a book into those of a different book for the duration of the spell. You must touch both books when casting the spell, and because the spell is harnessed, you may end it at any time by concentrating. If the original book is damaged or altered, the contents of the duplicate will change to match it. Milvi occasionally use this spell to lend the same book to several different magi, or to communicate with each other over a long journey by linking a central book to a Redcap's travel journal. The spell also allows for vis boosting, so that you may copy a book using an Arcane Connection from wherever you happen to be.

(Base 1, +1 Touch, +4 Year, +2 Group, +5 intricacy; Boosted, Harnessed)

Perdo Animal Mutantum Spells

HUNTER’S LETHAL ARROW

R: Touch, D: Diam, T: Ind, Level 40

This spell causes an animal to suffer a fatal wound, just as if it had been pierced through the heart. Casting this spell while intending to touch the animal is dangerous, as it may take several minutes to die, during which time it may thrash around wildly or strike the caster. For this reason, Milvi usually tether the spell to an arrow or javelin (though any sort of tether may be used), allowing them to cast it in secret from a safe distance. The beast will die after it is struck, and the increased duration ensures the caster has time to fire the arrow after casting the spell.

(Base 30, +1 Touch, +1 Diam; Tethered)

Muto Corpus Mutantum Spells

SHAPE OF THE ANCIENT KITE

R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Ind, Level 40

Requisites: Animal

You transform the target into a hawk, kite, or other small raptor, and any books carried by the target or clothing made of animal products that the target is wearing are also transformed. The spell is harnessed and tethered, so that the target has control of the spell and can end the effect at will, returning easily to human form when necessary.

(Base 20, +1 Touch, +3 Moon; Harnessed, Tethered)

Rego Corpus Mutantum Spells

THE TIRELESS FLIGHT

R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind, Level 20

The target feels no fatigue for the duration of the spell, allowing her to endure a long journey without rest or sleep. She may also ignore hunger and thirst, and if she is injured she does not feel the pain. Practically speaking, she may ignore all Fatigue and wound penalties. However, this effect only masks the feeling, it doesn’t actually replenish her energy, so she still must actually eat and drink to avoid starving to death, and if she pushes herself too hard she may cause herself serious injury (Fatigue levels past Unconscious become Light wounds).

The spell is tethered so that the target can control the effect, allowing her to stop concentrating when she has reached her destination and has time to recover. It is also boosted so that the duration may be extended to as much as a month if necessary, and harnessed so that the target can still cancel it at will.

(Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Conc; Boosted, Harnessed, Tethered)

Intellego Terram Mutantum Spells

SENSE THE TRUE PATH

R: Arc, D: Conc, T: Ind, Level 15

You can sense the direction of any location to which you have an Arcane Connection. You feel an instinctive pull towards its relative position to you while you concentrate, though you must make simple Perception rolls of 6+ to stay on track when traveling on foot through woods or brush, and if your destination moves, the Ease Factor of this roll increases depending on its speed.

The spell is tethered, so that it may be controlled by another, and boosted so that it may be made to last longer if necessary.

(Base 2, +4 Arcane Connection, +1 Concentration; Boosted, Tethered)

Other Spells

These spells are associated with the Cult of Heroes, and are rarely found outside of that society.

Creo Corpus Spells

(PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC) OF THE FOLLOWERS

R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind, Level 35, Ritual

There are four variations of this lesser version of (Physical Characteristic) of the Heroes (CrCo60), which permanently increase a physical Characteristic (Strength, Stamina, Dexterity or Quickness) by one, but to no more than 0. During these minor rituals, followers of the Cult of Heroes are purified and anointed with oil, and have their innate weaknesses magically removed, making them truer to their ideal forms, to prepare them for the other, greater rituals.

(Base 30, +1 Touch)

(PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC) OF THE HEROES

R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind, Level 60, Ritual

Each of the four variations of this ritual permanently increases one of the subject’s physical Characteristics (Strength, Stamina, Dexterity or Quickness) by one, to no more than +5. During the ceremony, the subject is buried under earth, emerging from the ordeal permanently improved and one step closer to human perfection.

(Base 55, +1 Touch)

Creo Mentem Spells

(MENTAL CHARACTERISTIC) OF THE FOLLOWERS

R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind, Level 35, Ritual

There are four variations of this lesser version of (Mental Characteristic) of the Heroes (CrMe60), which permanently increase a mental Characteristic (Intelligence, Perception, Presence or Communication) by one, but to no more than 0. During these minor rituals, followers of the Cult of Heroes are purified and anointed with oil, and have their innate weaknesses magically removed, making them truer to their ideal forms, to prepare them for the other, greater rituals.

(Base 30, +1 Touch)

(MENTAL CHARACTERISTIC) OF THE HEROES (CRME60)

R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind, Level 60, Ritual Each of the four variations of this ritual permanently increases one of the subject’s mental Characteristics (Perception, Intelligence, Presence, or Communication) by one, to no more than +5. During the ceremony, the subject is held immersed in water, emerging from the ordeal permanently improved and one step closer to human perfection.

(Base 55, +1 Touch)

Creo Vim Spells

MERCURY’S BLESSING

R: Touch, D: Year, T: Ind, Level 25, Ritual

This ritual imbues the target with a kind of supernatural aura, similar to Might, which improves the chances that children conceived and born during its duration will have The Gift or heroic qualities. It is said that this magic is a sign the gods are watching over the subject, and it is often incorporated into wedding and fertility ceremonies of those within the Cult of Heroes.

(Mercurian Ritual)

Virtues and Flaws

These new Virtues and Flaws are most often found in characters belonging to House Mercere, but most are not exclusive to that House.

Blood of Heroes

You are descended from a great hero of legend or a powerfully supernatural being. You do not have The Gift, and taking this Virtue means that you are a Mythic Companion.

You should have some idea of the character’s heritage, linking your background to the story of some legendary ancient or medieval hero. You need not be descended from that figure, but you should give some thought as to how it has been reborn or made manifest in your character, and consider what you will be expected to accomplish because of it. This will help describe your personality and your heroic powers, though the specifics may remain a mystery to the character if you wish.

You may take Heroic Virtues and Flaws, and each point of Flaws that you take during character creation balances two points of Virtues instead of one. You also receive one free Minor Virtue that describes your supernatural heritage. You must take the Heroic Personality Flaw (described below), and you must normally belong to House Mercere. For most hero characters, this means taking Redcap, and that leaves you with nine more points of Flaws for as many as eighteen points of Virtues. As a member of House Mercere, you are considered a full member of the Order of Hermes and are treated with special respect by your House. Other magi may think less of you, just as they might not think much of Redcaps, but you have much more chance of getting away with voting at Tribunal than a normal unGifted Redcap. Nevertheless, you are normally expected to abstain, out of respect for those with The Gift.

This sort of character is very rare, and much more powerful than other unGifted Redcaps, similar in potential to Hermetic magi. For game balance, the storyguide may rule that you cannot play both a magus and a character with Blood of Heroes, and veto heroic characters that seem like they would be overpowered or implausible in your saga.

Like The Gift, Blood of Heroes is a free Virtue. It is not possible to have both Blood of Heroes and The Gift; magi can gain access to Heroic Virtues and Flaws by taking Mythic Blood. Also like The Gift, Blood of Heroes is not available to grogs; this Virtue makes a character too important to be a grog.

Mythic Companions Characters with Blood of Heroes are Mythic Companions, a new character type. These characters are closer in power to Hermetic magi than other companions, and can never have The Gift. More types of Mythic Companion will be introduced in future supplements. Heroic Characters in a Saga Heroic unGifted characters are very rare within House Mercere, even though the Cult of Heroes specifically seeks them out. In the wider world, they are incredibly rare. If possible, you should try to avoid having more than one Heroic unGifted player character in a saga, and if multiple players really want them you should come up with a good reason why there are so many in one place. There are not enough of them in the world for it to be mere coincidence.

Heroic

Only “Heroic” characters can take Heroic Virtues and Flaws. These are characters with the Blood of Heroes virtue or the Legacy flaw, or magi with Mythic Blood. Other story circumstances such as Latent Magic Ability might warrant taking them, at the storyguide’s discretion.

Virtues

Virtues Blood of Heroes Hermetic, Major Tamed Magic Heroic, Major Charmed Life Invisible to Magic Mythic Mimicry Vis Sensitivity Hermetic, Minor Boosted Magic Harnessed Magic Mutantum Magic Tethered Magic Heroic, Minor Gift of Tongues Great Bearer Heroes’ Birthright Messenger’s Memory Mythic (Characteristic) Sure Traveler Status, Minor Lone Redcap General, Minor Faerie Blood (Bloodcap) Magic Items

Boosted Magic

Minor, Hermetic

By spending a pawn of vis when casting Formulaic spells you may “boost” the Range, Duration, Target, or size of the effect by one magnitude. You can do this multiple times for the same spell. For example, boosting Range from Touch to Sight and Target from Individual to Group would cost you four pawns of vis. You may not reduce any of the parameters of the spell, nor may you exceed the limits of Formulaic magic. Casting success, Fatigue loss, and Penetration are all calculated based on the original level of the spell, but you do add one additional botch die for each pawn of vis used. This has no effect on Spontaneous or Ritual spells, though you can still use vis to boost your Penetration as normal. Note that while magi with Mutantum Magic (below) can invent spells that allow this, they cannot boost spells that were not designed to do so without taking this Virtue.

Charmed Life

Major, Heroic

Fortune smiles upon you, often protecting you from the random consequences of adventure. You have the Luck virtue, and whenever you roll a 0 on a stress die in dangerous or deadly circumstances, you may spend a Confidence point to reroll it rather than checking for a botch. This should be applied in chaotic circumstances, not calculated efforts, since luck must play a factor to make use of this virtue — for example, charging into a rain of arrows or diving off a sheer cliff are appropriate actions, but not forging a letter or following a set of tracks.

Faerie Blood

Minor, General

Bloodcap: You are descended from a frightening spirit of cruel, dark winter, and receive a +1 bonus to your Strength, though this does not increase your score beyond +3. Your teeth and nails tend to be much longer than normal and you look older than you actually are. You also tend to be very susceptible to the Divine, and should take a Flaw to represent that fact. This faerie lineage is rare in humans, and probably found only in characters of House Mercere.

Gift of Tongues

Minor, Heroic

You can understand and speak any language as long as you are communicating directly with someone else who is fluent in that language. Others who hear your words and who understand that language can understand what you are saying. You cannot carry on a conversation in multiple languages, but you can act as a translator for two or more people who do not have this virtue.

Great Bearer

Minor, Heroic

You can carry twice as much on your back before you become weighted down, as long as you have time to arrange yourself and your equipment properly. Divide your Burden by two before calculating your Encumbrance. You can also travel twice as far before you become fatigued by a journey.

Harnessed Magic

Minor, Hermetic

You have great control over your spells. You are able to cancel any of your spells simply by concentrating. You can even cancel the magic in magic items which you created. The act of canceling your magic should be treated as if you were casting a spell for timing and concentration purposes. If you are distracted and fail a Concentration roll, another attempt may be made in a later round. Spells and magic items can be canceled out over any distance, but once they have been canceled, you must recast a spell or reinvest a power in a magic item to start the effect again. The drawback is that when you die, all of your spells and magic items sputter out.

Heroes’ Birthright

Minor, Heroic

You have a special magical power which you can invoke and cancel at will, or which is always active. It should be designed as a Hermetic effect, no greater than Level 15, which works like the Mythic Blood virtue in Ars Magica 5th Edition (page 47) with regards to words and gestures. There should be something about your background that explains why you have been blessed in this way, beyond simply having Blood of Heroes — perhaps it is a reward for your heroic actions, or you have been given the power to help you complete an important task. This virtue can be taken more than once to indicate a more powerful birthright, and is compatible with Mythic Blood, though none of your accumulated powers can have effects greater than Level 30.

Invisible To Magic

Major, Heroic

By concentrating, you can cause yourself to become temporarily invisible to magic, which can prevent Intellego spells from detecting you and can cause other spells that target you directly to have no effect. This doesn’t protect you against area effect spells; if a spell creates something and tries to hit you with it, your only recourse is to get out of the way. You must make a Stamina + Concentration roll for each spell every round during which you would be affected, against an Ease Factor of 3 + (3 x the magnitude of the spell). For example, avoiding The Wound That Weeps (PeCo15) would require a total of at least 12, while Weight of a Thousand Hells (CrMe25) would need 18 or more. If you have magic resistance, first check that the spell can “see” you, and then resolve Penetration as normal. Attempting to perform other actions while invisible to magic requires additional Concentration rolls, but you do not need to know where spells are coming from to make yourself invisible to them.

Lone Redcap

Minor, Status

You are a Redcap who does not maintain ties to a Mercer House, and thus do not receive magic items and longevity potions. You still begin with 300 experience points for your fifteen years spent as an apprentice, and receive the benefits of the Well-Traveled virtue, but you are estranged from the other Redcaps in your area, and have a poor reputation at level 2 within your House. You must still devote two seasons each year carrying messages and performing other services for the Order, for if you do not there is the possibility you will be declared Orbus and thrown out of your House. This work pays enough for you to live on if you do not belong to a covenant, unless you take the Poor flaw and must work a third season as well. If you take the Wealthy virtue, you can maintain your position with only a single season of effort each year.

This social status is compatible with any other mundane Social Status Virtue that would reasonably allow you to do your job as a Redcap, such as Merchant or Mendicant Friar.

Magic Items

Minor, General

You begin with 25 more starting levels of magic items than you would otherwise, and the rate at which your items are improved is increased by one level per year. This is probably because of your exceptional devotion to the House, or because you have inherited a number of items from other Redcaps. You must be a Redcap to take this virtue, and you may take it more than once, though no single effect in any of your items can be greater than Level 30.

Messenger’s Memory

Minor, Heroic

You can remember, word for word, any short messages you have heard or read in the last year. You must concentrate when you first read or hear the message, but afterwards you can recite or copy it exactly, and you can even recall personalized details like inflection and handwriting, though you may not be able to perfectly reproduce these nuances. While you might recall excerpts of longer works, like an hour-long speech or a book, it is impossible for you to memorize more than a few choice passages.

Mutantum Magic

Minor, Hermetic

You are descended from the Mutantum lineage, and can thus invent formulaic spells and magic items that take advantage of Boosting, Harnessing and Tethering (see Mutantum Magic, under Magic, above). You may also take the Tamed Magic virtue, and half of your starting spells may be “tamed” versions of common spells. Most characters with Mutantum Magic belong to House Mercere and consider themselves Mutantes, and all of them must be descended by blood from the Founder or one of his ancestors.

Mythic (Characteristic)

Minor, Heroic

Because of your great innate potential, you may take a specialty for one of your positive Characteristics, similar to an Ability specialty. Whenever this specific circumstance applies to one of your rolls for that Characteristic, you may treat your score as if it were one greater, and if you roll a potential botch, you reduce the number of dice by one. You may take this virtue more than once, though not for the same Characteristic. Here are some specialty suggestions for each Characteristic.

Intelligence: brilliant ideas, quick thinker, great knowledge

Perception: notices details, big picture, attuned to change

Strength: killing blows, athletic prowess, brute strength

Stamina: tireless will, iron constitution, Bacchus’s endurance

Presence: alluring eyes, commanding presence, terrifying visage

Communication: prolific author, stirring speaker, strong leader

Dexterity: nimble fingers, legendary aim, relentless attacker

Quickness: lightning-fast defense, sudden strikes, short-distance runner

Mythic Mimicry

Major, Heroic

This Virtues grants all the abilities of Messenger’s Memory (see above), but in addition you are so accomplished at memorizing and reciting messages that you can recall accounts of any length, and perfectly recreate the voice or handwriting of the author, so much that it is indistinguishable from the original. Once you have heard or read something from a person, you can easily mimic their voice or writing style, creating perfect imitations if you are so inclined. With a season of effort you can even memorize an entire book, and reproduce it in another season afterwards, though you must have been able to comprehend the contents to do this accurately.

Sure Traveler

Minor, Heroic

As long as you have traveled the route before, you never become lost on a journey, and you may add +3 to any Survival rolls based on finding your way through unfamiliar terrain. You are never adversely affected by weather, bad roads, or other negative travel conditions; you can muddle through no matter what, making nearly the same time as you would in ideal circumstances. If you are leading other travelers you can speed the journey for all of you by encouraging them to match your pace. This does not apply when you do not control of the means of travel (riding in a cart, traveling by ship); then you are at the mercy of your driver.

Tamed Magic

Major, Hermetic

You have the equivalent of both Harnessed Magic and Tethered Magic, but do not suffer the inherent flaws of those Virtues. That is, you can also use the principles of Mutantum Magic to change any of your spontaneous or formulaic spells or effects of magic items that you activate, but your spells and effects are not arcane connections to you and do not sputter out when you die. This virtue may only be taken by characters who also begin with Mutantum Magic (see above).

Tethered Magic

Minor, Hermetic

You can pass control of your non-Ritual spells to others, just as if they were the caster, “tethering” the magic to them for the spell’s duration. You may also tether a spell to an object, which can then transfer the spell to an appropriate target when it comes into range. This can even be done whenever you activate an effect in a magic item. However, a side effect of this sort of magic is that all of your spells and the effects of any magic items you activate are arcane connections to you.

Vis Sensitivity

Major, Heroic

You are unusually sensitive to raw vis, and can tell whether or not an object contains any simply by touching it. You can also determine how many pawns it is worth by weighing it in your hand, and learn what Art it is associated with by examining it closely. In this way you can recognize magic items, active rituals, familiars, and other objects that require vis to prepare, though you cannot identify them or determine any specific details about them. You may also begin with the Magic Sensitivity virtue at no cost. Magic Sensitivity is not compulsory, if you do not want the penalty to Magic Resistance.

Flaws

Flaws Story, Major Pagan Hermetic, Minor Bound Magic Fettered Magic Illegitimate Lineage Heroic, Minor Heroic Personality Tragic (Characteristic) Story, Minor Hermetic Patron Legacy Status, Minor Usurer

Bound Magic

Minor, Hermetic

When you die, all of your spells end abruptly and any magic items that you created cease to function. This suggests that you could have a natural aptitude for Mutantum Magic, or you might take it with Tamed Magic to represent an imperfect understanding of your talent. You cannot take this with Harnessed Magic (Ars Magica 5th Edition, page 43), as it already includes this effect.

Fettered Magic

Minor, Hermetic

All of your spells and the effects of any magic items you activate are arcane connections to you. This suggests that you may have a natural aptitude for Mutantum Magic, or you might take it with Tamed Magic to represent an imperfect understanding of your talent. You cannot take this with Tethered Magic, as it already includes this effect.

Hermetic Patron

Minor, Story

You must be a Redcap or magus to take this Flaw. You are watched over by an older magus or a more established Redcap, who considers you his charge and helps you out from time to time. This patron must be an NPC. Because of your special relationship, he is willing to do additional favors for you that cost him little, such as casting spells on you, lending you magic items, allowing you access to his books, providing you with mundane materials, supporting you financially for a season or two, or even adopting you into his House. However, in return he will expect special attention from you, and may periodically send you on missions or assign you important tasks. You may take this Flaw with a large group of magi as your patrons, though the more numerous your benefactors, the more you will be expected to do for them.

Heroic Personality

Minor, Heroic

You may take Personality traits of up to +5 or –5, and have a Confidence score of two. You also begin with five Confidence points instead of three. As part of your being a hero, however, you may occasionally do things without knowing why, as you receive guidance or direction from some kind of higher power. Your feelings are so strong that you may lose control of yourself and act on instinct, without thinking about the consequences, allowing the storyguide to bring you into a story or cause you to respond to a situation in a certain way, based on these heroic traits. Thus, you should choose Personality traits that reflect your heroic behavior, to give the storyguide ideas for passions that motivate your character. Note: If you take this Flaw, the storyguide can occasionally tell you what your character does. If you are not happy with this potential loss of control, do not play a character with heroic blood.

Illegitimate Lineage

Minor, Hermetic

You were raised in House Mercere, but are not descended by blood from Mercere or one of his heirs, and so are not considered a “true Mercere.” Because of this, Redcaps do not follow or admire you as they do other magi, and Gifted Merceres think of you as inferior to them. You have a poor reputation (Illegitimate) within the House at level 2, and you receive no special benefits for belonging to House Mercere, such as interest-free loans, magic item contracts, or vis exchanges at no charge. Your parens probably has a poor reputation as well. Only through exemplary service to the Order and taking legitimate apprentices born to Redcaps or other magi descended from the Founder will you be forgiven for your heritage.

Legacy

Minor, Story

You are descended from a legendary magus or Redcap of old, or have such potential that it is assumed you will rise to similar greatness. Because of this, you are accorded great respect by magi of your House who care about such things, the equivalent of Hermetic Prestige. You may also take Heroic Virtues and Flaws if they are appropriate to your lineage. However, you are also expected to live up to your reputation by performing great deeds, and you are given much more difficult tasks than your peers. As a Redcap, you will not simply be asked to carry messages, for your assigned duties will involve greater danger and much more effort.

Pagan

Major, Story

You do not follow the teachings of the Church, and have never been baptized. This tends to upset those in authority in Mythic Europe and frighten common people who learn of it. You do not observe Christian holidays, and you try to avoid churchmen and the Dominion. You cannot pretend to go along with society, however, because you believe that it would displease your gods and incur their wrath — you might suffer grave supernatural consequences if you take Communion or appear to worship gods other than your own. You may begin with Magic Lore or Faerie Lore, depending on the specifics of your faith. (This is not a Flaw in areas of Mythic Europe with substantial pagan populations, but by 1220 the only such areas are in parts of the Novgorod Tribunal.)

Tragic (Characteristic)

Minor, Heroic

You must take a specialty for one of your negative Characteristics, similar to an Ability specialty. Whenever this specific circumstance applies to one of your rolls for that Characteristic, subtract three from your total and roll one additional botch die. You should roleplay this failing whenever you attempt this sort of action. Here are some examples of negative Characteristic specialties. Intelligence: easily tricked, confused by magic, horrible memory Perception: overlook the obvious, poor face recognition, often gets lost Strength: weak back, not grounded, no follow-through Stamina: glass jaw, fainting spells, sensitive to cold Presence: awful odor, monstrous reputation, face curdles milk Communication: nervous speaker, unintentionally insulting, unintelligible Dexterity: easily unbalanced, all thumbs, bad aim Quickness: often surprised, lumbering run, easy target

Usurer

Minor, Status

You often lend silver or other valuables to people at interest rates that many consider abusive. You get away with this somehow, possibly because you belong to a group that can avoid moral judgment for these actions, because you operate outside of the law, or perhaps because you lend a type of currency not accepted by the mundane population. You receive the equivalent of approximately ten pounds of silver each year from interest payments, though you may occasionally need to chase down debtors, and you have a poor reputation (Usurer) at level 4 within your community and the local region.

Editor's Note: This text includes Errata.

Attribution

Attribution Based on the material for Ars Magica, ©1993-2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0"). Ars Magica Open License Logo ©2024 Trident, Inc. The Ars Magica Open License Logo, Ars Magica, and Mythic Europe are trademarks of Trident, Inc., and are used with permission. Order of Hermes, Tremere, Doissetep, and Grimgroth are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB and are used with permission.