The Mysteries: Revised Edition Chapter One: The Mysteries

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The Mysteries

Within this book lie many secrets known by the magi of the Order of Hermes. Some of these secrets are held in common, known by all magi. Others, however, are whispered only to chosen Initiates in dark caverns and moonlit shrines. Herein are revealed new Virtues and Flaws, new spells, and new paths to arcane wisdom for those magi brave enough to undertake the quest for hidden knowledge. Also detailed in these pages are the magical societies that flourish within the Order of Hermes, providing knowledge and power (and story opportunities) to those who join them or oppose their plans. Read on to learn of their secret magics, peculiar powers, unusual rites, secret devices, and powerful spells — some of which surpass the known limits of Hermetic magic!

What are the Mysteries?

A Mystery — very simply put — is a secret. It is a term used to describe both a cult that teaches secrets, and the secrets themselves. The latter meaning, when used in this book, usually describes strange forms of magic that have been adapted to the Hermetic system but are not widely known among Hermetic magi. Indeed, these secrets are taught only to Initiates, those who have proven their worth and joined a Mystery Cult.

Hermetic magic is a powerful and successful system, yet there are some magics, such as the heartbeasts of House Bjornaer and the well-known Ritual Wizard’s Communion, which do not fit into Bonisagus’s great theoretical framework very well. Many of these are vestiges of older magical traditions that were never fully incorporated into the framework of Hermetic magic. Others are newer ideas, such as Hermetic Alchemy, which was developed from alchemical knowledge first available in Latin translation as recently as 1134, and which comes from the Islamic world. These “exceptions” to Hermetic theory form the basis of many Mysteries.

The Order of Hermes is divided into 12 Houses, which are familiar to all. Four are True Lineages: Houses Bonisagus, Guernicus, Mercere, and Termere. Four — Houses Flambeau, Jerbiton, Tytalus, and Ex Miscellanea — are Societates. The remaining four are Mystery Houses: the followers of Criamon, Bjornaer, Merinita, and Verditius.

The four Mystery Houses are sometimes known as the Exoteric Mysteries. Every apprentice in the Order has heard of them, and can tell you a little about their traditions and beliefs. Although they share some similarities with the secretive groups that are the subject of this book, they do not receive full treatment here.

Important as they are, affiliations of House are not the only associations of magi. Houses themselves have factions and groups within them. Some magi look to their parentes, and their parentes’ parentes, above fellow members of their Houses. Magi also gather to live and work in covenants, where loyalty to those they live with often overcomes other loyalties. Further, there are political factions and groups who gather at Tribunals and seek power by agreeing to vote together on matters of common interest.

Finally, however, there are those who gather in secret to share private knowledge, hidden from outsiders. The activities and goals of these groups of magi are many and various. Perhaps all they share is that each group counts members across House boundaries, and each has secrets from which they exclude others. These groups are the Esoteric Mysteries, also called Mystery Cults, and are the subject of this book.

From this point on, references to the Mysteries, Mystery Cults, or Mystery magic always refer to Esoteric Mysteries, rather than Exoteric House Mysteries unless specifically stated otherwise.

What Do the Mystery Cults Believe?

Each Mystery Cult has its own unique view of the world. While not all agree or uphold the same views, each teaches a particular mythic history by which it claims descent from the Mystery Cults of antiquity. In truth, however, there is little direct connection between the 13thcentury Mystery Cults and the ancient cults — even the modern Cult of Mercury is only indirectly descended from the Roman priesthood. Another common thread across all Mystery Cults’ teachings is the idea that magic has changed since antiquity, and that the ancients were more powerful and glorious than modern magi. Even so, no one can actually prove whether magic is getting weaker, growing stronger, or staying the same; or whether the magicians of old were actually more potent, or simply different from those of today. Even though the notion that the world is degenerating is a powerful mythic image, many have challenged the idea that magic was more powerful in the past, . The Knights of the Green Stone, for example, are a Mystery Cult who contest this idea of the decline of magic; one central concept of their mythos is the idea of a quest meant to bring magic fully into the world, resulting in a magical golden age, the enchantment of Mythic Europe.

Mystery Cults are not religions, and their truth claims are not mutually exclusive. Even in antiquity this was the case; their insights or paths of spiritual advancement were merely ways of interacting with pagan pantheons, much as a medieval Christian might further his spiritual growth by going on a pilgrimage to the shrine of a saint, or to the Holy Land. Some Mystery Cults are avowedly pagan, while others are mystical or magical rather than religious. Many cults may be seen as fully compatible with monotheistic belief and practice.

The Church, for its part, often looks askance at practitioners of magic, for reasons both theological and mundane. Many unGifted people are terrified by blatant magic, and the problems caused by The Gift are well known. One of the major reasons the ignorant masses fear magicians, hedge wizards, and Hermetic magi is the fact that many older rites draw on the names of pagan gods, or involve complex invocations to angels or tutelary spirits, which the uneducated and pious can mistake for appeals to demons. (Indeed, infernal rites are not unknown, and the Corruption of House Tytalus is too recent a memory for anyone in the Order of Hermes to forget how easy it ismto slip from practicing the true science of Hermetic magic to the blackest of sorceries of the Infernal realm.)

Here Bonisagus made a great contribution to the success of the Order: when he created his system of Hermetic magic, he dispensed with the necessity to invoke spirits, call upon pagan deities, or recite blasphemous names. Even pious prayer was stripped from the workings of magic; while some in the Order maintain a cautious nine parts prayer to one part spellcasting, Hermetic magic is truly a “hermetic” (closed) system, with no need to call upon external forces, instead directly manipulating the very magical elements of Creation. Although this “secular” method of working magic is extremely potent, some have found its refusal to deal with other spiritual intelligences — whether demons, angels, faeries, or spirits — to be one of its greatest restrictions. All that said, even standard Hermetic magic sometimes contains names, abjurations, and invocations best not uttered in front of pious but ignorant folk. On the other hand, holy magi (see The Divine, page 66) relearn the standard ways of magic and practice magic in a properly religious and respectful form.

Bonisagus and the Mysteries

Bonisagus was an enthusiast of the Mystery Cults of antiquity, and welcomed the four Exoteric Mysteries — those of Criamon, Verditius, Bjornaer, and Merinita — into the Order despite their imperfect match with Hermetic magic. Trianoma, likewise, worked long and hard to bring the Order together, and despite the exotic nature of some of the Founders’ magic, all of the Mystery House Founders taught secrets that shaped Hermetic theory.

New magics have continued to enter the Order as other magi have joined after the Founders, and some of their ways have been adopted and reworked to mesh with Hermetic theory, leaving their hedge magic origins far behind. Some of these have emerged as common Virtues and Flaws of magi in the Order; others became associated with Mystery Cults.

While some Mysteries are just as secular as Hermetic magic proper, others are adaptations to Hermetic theory of older rites, and contain religious elements that some find disconcerting. Pragmatism and discretion therefore restrict these spells and magics to those who have proven their loyalty, wise counsel, and ability to hold their tongues.

Another notable aspect of Hermetic magic is that it can be worked by any Gifted individual who has mastered the appropriate knowledge. Furthermore, any Hermetic magus can recreate any Hermetic effect given time and ability; hence many young magi in Spring covenants invent Ball of Abysmal Flame independently, if their covenants’ grimoires prove lacking. Yet this is not true of the magic taught by Mystery Cults, whose secrets require something greater, and cannot be reproduced without the correct tuition and often-harrowing Initiation rites.

It is not entirely established why the magical Virtues of the Mysteries cannot easily be taught to non-Initiates. In some cases, it simply requires a peculiarity of worldview, a strange and eccentric way of looking at things not possessed by those outside the cult. Other Mysteries actually change Initiated magi in some subtle way; they are rendered magical themselves by the Initiation, or their Gift is altered to accommodate new ways of working magic. The traumatic rebirth of Initiation itself may explain why some Mystery magics are not common to the Order. In other cases there is simply no reason for the restriction of the Mystery, beyond the axiom scientia potentia — “knowledge is power.”

What The Mysteries Revised Edition is Not! The Mysteries Revised Edition discusses both “historical” medieval magic and the fictional magic of the Order of Hermes. Although much of Ars Magica is based on what people thought in the 13th century, our chief aim has been to keep the reader firmly grounded in the Order of Hermes and the game experience. The Mystery Cults in this book, while based on legend and magical thought, are fiction created to work with your Ars Magica saga. If you seek real occult power, or help with an academic assignment, look elsewhere.

Nonetheless, like supernatural abilities, Mystery Virtues can be taught to those who have not been Initiated, under the proper circumstances. This usually requires a Minor Breakthrough (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 26). This differentiates Mystery capabilities from intrinsic magical abilities like Mythic Blood, which are born out of some accident of birth or Gift, and cannot be taught in any way whatsoever. Although an Initiated maga who teaches her sodales Mystery abilities without requiring them to be Initiated themselves, or who transcribes and sends her knowledge by Redcap to Durenmar, is not in breach of the Oath of Hermes, there can be little doubt that terrible vengeance will be brought upon her by her fellow mystae in that cult. Many Mystery Cults back up their bloodcurdling oaths of secrecy with equally bloodcurdling threats of spells that slay those who reveal the cults’ secrets, even inadvertently, to outsiders.

The Mysteries and the Houses

The attitudes of the Houses to the Mysteries vary wildly. The following guidelines are simply that — guidelines. Individual members of Houses are free to make up their own minds about each Mystery Cult.

The Mystery Houses and the Esoteric Mysteries

The Mystery Houses are the smallest of the 12 Houses of the Order, and have a tendency to look inward. Their rites and ordeals bind them in a way that other magi are not bound — except those who take up Initiation in Mystery Cults. To outsiders, the Mystery Houses seem to be closed and their magi committed to each other; they say little about their practices.

To progress in a Mystery House often requires as much dedication and effort as to progress in a Mystery Cult, so members of Mystery Houses may seem unlikely candidates for Mystery Cults. And yet, there are those who are less dedicated, who find another calling draws them. Perhaps a Bjornaer shape-changer finds something special in alchemy, or a Verditius enchanter yearns to bind spirits into her fabulous creations. These magi may be looked down on, or even distrusted, by those of their House, but nevertheless find a personal satisfaction in an alternative path. It is likely that at some stage in their careers, the conflicting designs of House and cult may force a crisis for such magi — a choice between loyalties. Although difficult, this tension can be a rich source of stories and development for the character.

Non-mystery Houses and the Mysteries

The Mystery Houses are open participants in the Order, keen to declare that their practices are private but not untoward. The Mystery Cults are more secretive, and many magi distrust them to a greater degree because of their difference from the Mystery Houses. Other magi, however, note that they themselves can join the Mystery Cults, and perhaps those secrets are private because they are so tempting, so inviting.

Many magi hear of the exotic magics practiced by those with secret knowledge and yearn to try it, to join; these magi often do become the recruits of Mystery Cults. Others turn their backs on the Mystery Cults, asking why, if the cults are so special and their magics so wonderful, have they not come to dominate the Order? This is a valid question, and the answer is that there is no answer, or, perhaps more accurately, that the answer is unknown. A magus who dedicates himself to study of the Hermetic Arts, Magic Theory, and his House magics can rise far in his specialization. A magus who spends years pursuing vanishing secrets may indeed discover exotic powers, but may also end up lacking in skill at the core Arts of Hermetic magic. Which is the more powerful? This has never been tested; perhaps the magi of your saga can provide the answer.

Lexicon of the Mysteries

The following is a short guide to commonly used terms you may encounter in this book.

Cabal Legacy: A rare Story Flaw, taken only with the storyguide’s permission. A magus with a Cabal Legacy was Initiated into an Esoteric Mystery Cult while still apprenticed, and may take cult Virtues and Ordeal Flaws as part of his normal limits. See Chapter 2: Entering the Mysteries, The Initiated Apprentice and Beyond.

Common Magics: Mystery Virtues that were once secret and are still taught to Mystery Cult Initiates, but which have escaped the clutches of the cults and are now well known throughout the Order. Common Mystery Virtues may be taken freely during character creation by any character. Characters who know such “secrets” are likely candidates to be approached to learn more in later life.

Common Mysteries: See “Common Magics.”

Cult of Mercury: Refers to both the ancient Roman priesthood and the modern Hermetic group that has adopted the same name. Hermetic magi like to link themselves to Roman legends, and to claim descent from Rome.

Daimon: Daimons are spiritual intelligences — primarily those of pagan heroes and ancient (now fallen) gods. Daimons are typically more powerful than ghosts and elementals, and have some unique powers. Magi are very careful about spelling and pronouncing this word (“DAYmon”), lest they be thought to be dealing with Infernal spirits (“DEE-mons”)!

Degree: A rank of status within a Mystery Cult. Not all cults are structured this formally.

Esoteric Magic: Secret variations on standard Hermetic magic practiced by those who belong to Mystery Cults.

Eremite: A magus who prefers isolation from the rest of the Order. A hermit.

Exoteric Mystery: The House Mysteries of Houses Criamon, Verditius, Merinita, and Bjornaer. Initiation into these Mysteries is synonymous with membership in these Houses.

Gnostic: Those who sought salvation in secret knowledge; heretical magical religions widely practiced in the first few centuries of the Christian era and exterminated by the Church.

Hierophant: One of many titles for the leader of a Mystery Cult. Such titles vary widely from cult to cult.

House Mysteries: See “Exoteric Mystery.”

Initiate: A member of a Mystery Cult, or one undergoing the rite to become such

Initiation: The process of learning a new Mystery, entering a Mystery Cult, or increasing status in a Mystery Cult. This experience changes the nature of the magus magically and profoundly.

Initiation Script: A document that sets out the rites, teachings, and prerequisites for Initiation, used by a Mystagogue to conduct an Initiation. Mystae: A magus who has Mystery Virtues. Mystagogue: A magus who conducts Initiation or teaches Mysteries; often a senior member of a Mystery Cult. In some cases the Mystagogue may be the Initiate himself, if self-Initiation is being attempted.

Mystery: A general term for the secret magics of Mystery Cults. These are represented in Ars Magica as Virtues and Flaws, but they differ from normal character Virtues and Flaws in that they are acquired after character generation, during the later life of the magus. They are usually acquired through stories and adventures. Mystery Cult: An organization that practices and teaches Mysteries, and remains highly secretive as to its membership, rituals, and true purposes. A number of Mystery Cults are described in Chapter 14: Mystery Cults.

Outer Mysteries: The most basic Mysteries known to all Initiates of a given Mystery Cult. The term applies most precisely where the Outer Mystery is a prerequisite to learning more advanced Mysteries. Many cults teach magics that are less tightly coupled than this.

Philosophy: The pursuit and love of wisdom. Often used as a code word for “magic.” Probationer: One who seeks entry to a Mystery Cult but has not yet been Initiated.

School: A loose grouping of associated Mystery Virtues. For example, the school of Hermetic Astrology contains several Virtues, all concerned with the influence of the stars on magic. Some Mystery Cults favor one particular school.

Secular: Worldly, as opposed to religious. When Hermetic magic is described as “secular,” this stresses the abstractions of Bonisagus and the ways he removed the invocation of names and powers from the abstract Techniques and Forms. Secular magic avoids some of the Church’s proscriptions against magic.

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.