Transforming Mythic Europe Chapter Two: The Fourth Estate

Having sworn an oath to the Order, magi are forbidden from interfering in mundane events. There are seemingly as many definitions of “interfering” as there are magi, and because of the political nature of Hermetic law and justice, most magi err on the side of caution and remain withdrawn even where their power could make a positive difference.

There is another way, however. Magi of the Order of Hermes are the most powerful workers of magic that the world has known. For all their slight limitations, they are able to cast rituals of staggering power and craft the most sublime of enchanted devices. Such things would surely benefit the world if only the Order would leave its self-imposed exile.

What if the Order threw off its protective cloak of secrecy? What if the Order chose to rule lands as the mundanes do, to demand rights and concede responsibilities? How might the world change and be improved, and what might the Order gain and lose in the process? This chapter explores the arguments for closer integration with the mundane world, the challenges that characters face in trying to move the Order towards that goal, and the stories that arise in a world where the Order of Hermes becomes the Fourth Estate. And in doing so, we see the Order of Hermes change at least as much as the world around it.

The Four Estates

Mythic Europe can be roughly divided into estates: those who pray, those who rule, and those who toil. In essence, these are the Church, the nobility, and the peasant and town classes. None of the three can live without the others; the Church provides spiritual guidance and moral authority, the nobility provides governance and security, and the working classes provide wealth and sustenance.

The Order of Hermes does not fit easily into these existing estates. They do not rule, except in their own affairs; they do not toil, except in their own insular studies; and they do not provide services normally associated with the Church, such as patronage, education, and spiritual protection. So what space is there for them?

A fourth estate cannot interfere with the nobility’s need to rule. Nor can they usurp the Church’s position as God’s representative. And as educated individuals able to wield considerable power, the Order cannot reduce themselves to mere servants. As a new estate, they must find a niche at least the equal of the Church, while maintaining a position that is non-threatening to the nobility.

The State of the World

Some might argue that members of the Order of Hermes are already integrated into Mythic Europe. But in reality, they frequently avoid mundane justice, choose not to pay taxes that are due, shun feudal obligations, and withhold their power from those in need. How many times has a magus waved his way past a tollgate without paying, or refused counsel to a noble whose lands are in danger? And what of the covenant grogs? To whom do they owe military service? And what right allows a magus to raise a tower overnight through ritual magic?

Magi of Hermes currently do as they please, within the boundaries set for them by their Tribunal.

Transformation

This chapter guides troupes through the process of integrating the Order into the rest of Mythic European society; finding a place for it where the power that the Order wields can be used to benefit all, and ensuring that the Order gains legallyrecognized rights where it currently has none.

This is done through a combination of politics, both internal to the Order to gain consensus, and externally with the nobility of Mythic Europe and the Church. Unfortunately, society being what society is, the peasantry gets very little say in the matter, although in regions where cities are growing in importance their voices are now beginning to carry more weight.

The End State

While individual sagas are free to go only as far as they need to, this chapter has a particular end state in mind: namely, the integration of the Order of Hermes into Mythic Europe as the de facto fourth estate, where magi have the legally-enshrined right of rule over their own lands and the ability to influence the governance of all Mythic Europe. At the conclusion of this grand political project, magi of the Order of Hermes become recognized members of society. Not only that, but their covenants become legal entities too, and both magus and covenant alike gain the benefit of important rights at the cost of new obligations and responsibilities.

While each magus gains responsibilities as well as rights and benefits, individual covenants may gain a certain independence from Hermetic rules and politics. The stage is broadened and covenants can foster political relationships with mundane allies to better support their positions. Once magi integrate into the world, questions of land, of income, of inheritance become central to the magus’ mind set.

Magi working within society, freed from the constant worry about how their actions will be perceived by their peers, are able to make a more prosperous world as they use their magic not only for their benefit but for the benefit of their new liege lords and vassals. Their unique perspective can ensure that the mundane and magical worlds continue to coexist without threat to either. Their wisdom and power influences the course of war, either to prevent it outright or bring it to a swift and decisive conclusion.

The Moral Authority

At its heart, this change to Mythic Europe recognizes the moral authority of the Order of Hermes to deal with certain situations. The nobility have the moral authority to rule the land as kings and emperors, the Church has the moral authority to hold those rulers to account, and the peasantry has the moral obligation to support society through their toil. So the Order must seize the authority to deal with the supernatural, principally the worlds of faerie and magic as and when they touch upon the mundane world. This is something that covenants do all the time, but this change forces society to recognize that contribution and give it the authority it deserves. This moral authority comes about when the nobility and the church, and by extension their vassals the peasantry, bow their collective knees to the magi of the Order when certain situations arise. It allows magi to leverage their power in a way that the Order has never done before. And once the Order is part of the societal machine, rather than outside of it, that authority widens to other matters. This can be achieved through compromise: the exchange of rights and authority for obligation and responsibility.

Using Antagonists with this Chapter Antagonists presents a number of well-developed characters who act to bring stories to the player covenant, usually by opposing the covenant’s aims in some fashion. While this chapter changes the relationship of the world to the Order of Hermes, those antagonists can still be used as the face of many of the challenges described in this section. In particular, the Barons Giraud Le Cornu and Geoffroi D’Arques represent the drawing of the Order closer to the mundane and the nobility’s rising interest in the supernatural. Bishop Orris represents the strong distrust of magic and the Order that some in the Church feel, while Joseph of Napoli is a reforming character keen to bring the Order into the Church. And all the while, Galatea of House Guernicus may be watching the covenant’s actions, looking for signs of crimes to be answered for.

Rights of the Fourth Estate

Through its members at the local level and through diplomacy and politics at the highest level, the Order gains a say in the running of the world. The Order gains influence over those who truly rule Mythic Europe by becoming advisors, by making decisions about the lands they control, and by guiding their liege lords just as any other temporal ruler does.

The Order only has the ability to run its own legal affairs through its relative obscurity. Currently existing outside normal society, should a magus be the wounded party in some crime the current order of things may see revenge as the only recourse. This turns the magus into a criminal, however, as he has usurped the ruler’s right to preside over judicial matters. So the magus only becomes legally protected when Mythic Europe recognizes the Order’s right to try its own members in its own courts. Complaints against magi may be made by mundanes and justice be seen to be done, which is again another key protection. The model for this is the right of clergy to be tried and judged by clergy, and this right is then extended to the Order.

Hermetic apprentices are often separated from their birth families and many rarely return to them once they have been inducted into the Order. While few may see it such, this is a loss to the magi concerned and certainly to the families. For some magi, this may impede rightful inheritance of land and title, so the Order gains rights to both. Magi are not members of the clergy and should not be sidelined when questions of inheritance are raised. This allows magi to own and dispose of land, including any resulting income, under their own name and potentially hold title with the concomitant influence and obligation that entails.

Once integrated into society, magi and covenants are more likely to gain landholder rights over feudal lands and will not have to rely upon finding increasingly rare allodial land, that is land held independent of any superior landlord, as covenants of old were able to do. The world is changing, becoming more populous, and competition for resources is increasing. Where the Order finds itself outside of the society it cannot take advantage of society’s legal protections, but gaining rights over feudal lands implies obligation, which we will look at below.

If magi and covenants are to provide counsel to Church and crown alike they will expect dominion over magical and faerie matters. While local arrangements can be made with individual landowners over individual resources, promoting the Order such that it has recognized rights over auras, regiones, vis, beasts, and so on works for the benefit of all. This can only be achieved at the highest levels, in politicking with kings and ultimately the Pope. For this, the Order needs to appoint people authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Order. Relations with kings, princes, bishops, and cardinals become formalized. Magi are free to engage with city and guild alike.

Covenants become liege lords in their own right with authority over vassals of their own. In most cases these are simply peasant farmers working the land to provide for the covenant much as they do now. In other cases knights will hold land from the covenant and owe service to magi.

Optional Guideline: The Cost of Breaking Convention A magus entering town in clothing not befitting a clerk or academic, trailing armed and armored men, and accompanied by an animal, is going to attract more attention than may be desirable and find cooperation harder to come by. Where a magus breaks convention, by dressing in a way that is above his station or according to no fashion, or by flaunting his familiar in public, he suffers an additional –1 social interaction penalty. This applies to the Gifted and Gentle-Gifted alike. Magi can avoid this penalty by making a conscious effort to follow convention. It is worth noting that any character adorned or attired other than according to his station should also receive this penalty.

Obligations & Responsibilities

Nobody within Mythic Europe has the freedom to do as they will. Every member of society is constrained by rules and convention and when the magi of the Order gain the benefit of rights, they must also concede certain responsibilities and obligations.

Magi will owe service to those from whom they hold land. Traditional military service is 40 days per year, which essentially represents the time that a magus can leave his studies through the year without incurring a penalty. This raises questions, however, where the Order’s attitudes to women and the elderly are concerned. Given Mythic Europe’s attitude to women, can a maga be considered to owe the same service as a magus? How about the elderly? A magus under a longevity ritual may retain his youthful vigor for many more years than a mundane.

Acting as counsel to a liege is not counted as part of the service and is a standing expectation. The wisdom and insight that a magus might give is going to be much valued, even where there would be some distrust at first. This is a key obligation that draws the magus into the mundane political sphere. Following the example of Normandy, where the presence of magi within cities is a recognized fact within the Tribunal, magi are freed from the need to work behind proxies and may take positions of influence and governance.

The magus gains legal responsibility for his vassals, both in terms of how he must behave towards them and in taking responsibility for their actions. The magus will be expected to arbitrate between conflicting vassals, to ensure that justice is done, and to keep his vassals in line against the threat of disharmony.

Why the Order Would Want to Change

The Order of Hermes sits outside Mythic Europe’s legal structure and yet its members have the power to exert influence upon the world in several ways. First, magi of the Order take their apprentices from the world around them. In days gone by, when the world was a simpler place and workers of magic were closer to that world, their presence alone was enough to intimidate a child away from its parents. Things are perhaps not so easy now. More and more people are living in cities, and many people have become more worldly-wise. Every trade has need of apprentices and while parents are rightly happy and relieved when their son is taken on by a craftsman, they at least expect to maintain contact with the child, and some might expect to enjoy the fruits of his labor when they reach their dotage. Simply taking a child from his or her parents is criminal and the magi open themselves to charges, something that was once unconscionable.

Second, the Order has a nominal “join or die” policy that it occasionally extends to other workers of magic, and this could be seen as problematic. While the Order may see this as acting within the bounds of matters that concern it and it alone, the mundane authorities are unlikely to see it in quite the same way. The slaying of another, outside of judicial process, is murder and for a number of reasons the nobility cannot allow such things to occur.

Third, covenants generally occupy lands outside of the feudal structure but within feudal kingdoms. There’s an argument that nobody truly owns the land, but that argument carries little water with kings and princes who all expect some kind of deference if not outright fealty and service. There is barely an acre of land in Mythic Europe that isn’t claimed by someone. So when a covenant claims a newly-discovered vis source, who are they claiming it from? The covenant is interested in the magical harvest, not the mundane ownership, but if the duke, the rightful owner, has need of the land what recourse does the covenant have?

Even something as simple as sumptuary laws determining what class of person may wear certain fabrics and adornments, while they don’t become particularly prescriptive until later in the 13th century, may cause magi trouble. Being accustomed to dressing how they wish and perhaps not keeping abreast of fashion or convention, it is easy for magi to transgress local laws, codes, and customs without realizing it.

As for familiars, leaving aside the possibility of having to pursue a particular beast within lands not under Hermetic sway, there are questions around whether a magus is permitted to own certain beasts. Birds of prey are a fair example, with increasingly powerful and symbolic birds being restricted to certain social standings, none of which accommodate the magus, who is of no particular standing.

By leveraging their influence with the nobility, the Order is able to establish rights in all the areasdescribed above: protected legal status, their own courts, jurisdiction over areas of magical interest, and grants of lands. So the Order slowly becomes a de facto Fourth Estate, separate from the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners, but an accepted and vital part of the world. Importantly, and this cannot be ignored, they gain a natural authority by stepping out of the shadows and embracing the world in which they live.'

The Provision of Laboratory Texts Laboratory Texts become important to an Order attempting to change its ways and engage with society. By ensuring that Laboratory Texts for practical magic, as opposed to yet another wand capable of spouting fire, are made available one particular barrier is removed. A Laboratory Text puts the creation of powerful devices within reach of younger magi, which allows them to pass the benefits on to those they interact with. So folios of useful and practical magic become more common as the effort to integrate goes on.

The World on Hermetic Terms

The Transylvanian Tribunal represents a Hermetic state that exists beside the mundane world, but always slightly distant. While other Tribunals, such as Normandy and Thebes, may enjoy a well-defined structure, under House Tremere’s influence, the Order in Transylvania has acquired the trappings of statehood, with Coeris at its head, taxes paid by magi under its purview, and magi stratified by status. However, these taxes and tithes are of vis, the service owed is spent as the Tribunal dictates, and the Tribunal imposes rules upon covenant membership and the rights and obligations of its magi. Of course, House Tremere argues that this is for the greater good, that the House simply provides the structure, and that the Tribunal itself provides the authority.

Questions of interference, always divisive at Tribunal, are judged somewhat differently in Transylvania. Intent and result are more important that the actions undertaken or the individuals interacted with. A magus who arbitrates between two warring nobles and brings peace to lands under Hermetic control may be adjudged a wise diplomat rather than an interfering Hermetic criminal. That is, the magus is judged on how well the action pleased the Tribunal rather than by a strict interpretation of the code.

This model, though appearing authoritarian to outsiders, does allow for efficiencies. In particular, oppida, what other Tribunals may recognize as covenants, are able to specialize to a greater degree, secure in the knowledge that their other needs will be met by the state. The Tribunal is able to provide a single point of negotiation with those mundanes whose lands they walk upon. Finally, the taxation of magi allows the Tribunal to apportion resources to projects to the benefit of all.

But this is not some grand power play by House Tremere nor is it the nightmares of Tytalean magi come true. This is simply how the Transylvanian Tribunal has implemented its own form of societal change and this is how they implement the moral authority that they have claimed for themselves. They have the power and influence to avert conflict, to alleviate suffering, and ensure that justice and right is done by the mundane peoples of the Tribunal. The aims are the same, but the methodology is different. And this is a key difference between the Transylvanian Tribunal and the aims of the Hermetic Fourth Estate; Transylvania has seized the moral authority to act for the good of the Transylvanian people from outside society, while this change sees the Order take it from within.

What Prevents the Order from Bettering the World?

With a change to the Code that governs the Order, the proscription against interfering in mundane matters can be lifted or clarified, and magi can act as open advisors to mundane nobles, to churchmen, and to all who come to them for help. Currently, there tends to be an assumption that interaction automatically means interference. This is not enshrined in the Oath sworn by magi but in the interpretation of the Oath in a history of cases brought to Tribunal — the Peripheral Code.

Once the Code has been clarified, and consensus built within at least a Tribunal, then magi experience more freedom to interact and improve the world around them. And in doing so, there are considerable benefits in store.

How to Bring About Change

As with any arc introduced to the saga, the player covenant is key, so it is recommended that this change starts at a local level with the player characters. The magi of the covenant are confronted by a number of challenges and scenarios where their power could easily help but their Oath makes for a difficult moral decision. These stories are discussed in more detail below and this section principally discusses the means by which the covenant can be drawn into this plot, including how to leverage Story Flaws and covenant Hooks and Boons to give the characters and their covenant a stake in mundane peace and prosperity. It also draws a rough line from the start of the transition through the various stages that may need to be completed before the Order can be fully assimilated.

The Process in Brief Introduce the difficulties of living close to yet apart from society (see Leveraging Hooks, Boons, and Story Flaws and A Growing Awareness) Determine the rights and responsibilities in society that the magi want to take on • Support test cases at Tribunal and push for lenient and good judgment (see Supporting Test Cases) Undertake the business of politics to persuade others to the cause (see The Tools of Politics) Return to Tribunal to seek clarification on the Peripheral Code in favor of integrating with society Negotiate with the nobility and the Church to secure the intended rights (see The Tools of Politics) Take the results to another Tribunal to gain wider support. Attend the Grand Tribunal and argue the case for integration (see The Grand Tribunal).

The Process of Change

The process of change begins with engaging the player characters and showing them where magi could make a difference to the world, and revealing the opportunities to effect change. The detailed sections below provide suggestions for leveraging individual Story Flaws and covenant Hooks and Boons to bring Mythic Europe right to the covenant gates.

The player characters then decide upon the particular legal rights that they want, including those they want to secure from the rulers of Mythic Europe and those they want to secure from the Order. For instance, they may want to secure right and title over areas of magical interest from the nobility and the Church, while clarifying the Peripheral Code such that they may sit in parliaments and councils, and provide counsel to the lords they hold the magical land from. These rights need not be exhaustive, but each case consists of a series of rights that need to be secured, balanced by obligation or responsibility. And where those responsibilities appear at odds with the Peripheral Code then the agreement of the Order must be gained.

This agreement is gained by influencing the Tribunal. To begin with, the Tribunal could be persuaded to vote leniently and exercise good judgment in cases of interference brought before it. Storyguides can use such cases to highlight the opportunities that magi have to make a positive difference in the world while showing the difficulties of treading a fine legal line. This phase also gives the player characters a view on their potential allies and enemies and allows them to build political will.

New rules are provided for the writing of persuasive texts that help magi to prepare their audience ahead of arguing their case at Tribunal, as the next stage is to persuade the Tribunal to clarify or change the Peripheral Code. These changes allow the magi of that Tribunal to engage with the mundane world more freely for the benefit of magus and mundane alike.

The same is done at foreign Tribunals to build wider support before bringing the matter to the Grand Tribunal. This gives the player character the opportunity to politic at the highest level of the Order and persuade the primi of the Houses to their way of thinking.

This is the path to persuading the Order of the need for change, but there other opinions to be won over. The player characters must engage with the mundane world, principally the nobility and the Church. The world must be prepared before the Order formally introduces itself and picks up the reins of responsibility.

With such a change across Mythic Europe, the world’s other inhabitants must be engaged. With one of the key aims being protecting supernatural places from mundane encroachment, it is important for the Order to find representatives of the supernatural realms and negotiate with them.

Once done, however, the Order of Hermes is freed from its self-imposed exclusion and is able to engage with the mundane world, mediate between magical and mundane, and bring a growing prosperity to the everyone.

A Life’s Work Bringing the change about is a significant saga thread and many stories will be devoted to preparing for the change, implementing it, and then living with the consequences. The pace of change is left for individual sagas to determine, but as a general rule it is suggested that progress be measured in the passing of Tribunals. With Tribunals held every seven years and a Grand Tribunal every 33 years, this saga thread could easily take four or five regional Tribunal meetings before the player magi have enough support to raise the issue at the Grand Tribunal. A fair pace might see the reasons for integration introduced leading up to the first Tribunal, where test cases can be examined. Clarifications and changes to the code come at the second. Persuading a second regional Tribunal happens at the third opportunity, followed by bringing the case to the Grand Tribunal. Characters can expect to spend many seasons writing and distributing texts, while stories will revolve around gaining the support of allies and fending off attacks from enemies both known and unknown. Engaging with mundane rulers and the Church also forms a significant thrust of the player character’s activities. Such a project provides political characters with a cause to pursue, and one that will bring them either fame or notoriety, and with politics required across the Order, the nobility, the Church, and the supernatural realms, there are story opportunities for most magi and companion characters.

Leveraging Hooks, Boons, & Story Flaws

Covenants and individual characters alike provide means and motives for closer integration with the mundane world than some in the Order might be comfortable with. The sections here take a brief look at these story hooks and how they force covenants to interact and integrate with wider society. These are the kind of situations and dilemmas that most covenants face and most likely remain quiet about at Tribunal.

Covenant Hooks and Boons

The following sample Hooks and Boons provide motivations for covenants to engage with the mundane world and they tend to make that case that covenants cannot simply exist in isolation; circumstances are thrust upon covenants and they must cope with the situations they are given.

Alienable Land (Covenants, page 19): Covenants supported by alienable land may see it sold or mortgaged to outsiders formerly unconnected with the covenant. This immediately draws the mundane world into a direct relationship with that covenant. The new owners of the land may want to leverage the particular abilities of their neighbors, or the land or property may already have some kind of magical effect in place. So the covenant, through no action of its own, must engage with or confront the mundane world. It must set terms or withdraw whatever magical advantage the newcomers might gain from their new acquisition.

Beholden (ArM5, page 73): Both Minor and Major versions of this Hook allow for the covenant to be beholden to nobles or clergy. This relationship is ideally reciprocal and on agreeable terms, but this could be used by the covenant’s political enemies to cast aspersions on the covenant’s activities, which in turn prompts the player magi into defending a position of integration at Tribunal.

Castle (Covenants, page 12): Many covenants are built within what could be described as castles, and occupying such an overt statement of influence and power is automatically of concern to nobles in that region. It may be important for the covenant to enter into agreements with neighbors as to the nature of their actions, or to define clear boundaries of influence. This kind of negotiation, and particularly the building of trust between magical and mundane, could be important when the Order looks to do the same with the nobility and the Church.

Dumping Ground (Covenants, page 19): While covenants could be persuaded to provide care for old and infirm members of the nobility, allowing their heirs to move them sideways while they take up the reins of power, with Hermetic magic there is often little reason for the old and infirm to stay that way. Magic can restore health; it can also restore strength to mind and limb alike. And so, covenants that have taken in elder members of the nobility may soon face charges of interference if they do restore these elders to a state where they could return to power and thereby move their heirs aside.

Fosterage (Covenants, page 19): Magi given responsibility for the education and well-being of a young noble have the opportunity to start a new philosophy within the nobility: specifically, that magic as practiced by the Order of Hermes is something to be accepted and leveraged. This understanding is a doubleedged sword. This young noble is by turns friendly towards the Order and then demanding of the magical aid that he knows is easily within the Order’s power. A character whose origin is in Hermetic fosterage could be a strong catalyst, pleading the case for the Order to intervene and benefit society.

Heavy Cavalry (Covenants, page 18): As with the Castle Hook, any covenant that maintains heavy cavalry, or any recognizable military force, must maintain good relations with neighbors for fear of the obvious distrust escalating into conflict.

Mundane Politics (Covenants, page 21): A covenant deeply embroiled in mundane politics — by blood, inclination, or position — must either keep their activities from the Quaesitores or gain political support across the Tribunal for their involvements.

Protector (ArM5, page 73): The Protector Hook, when applied to a village or other mundane place, implies that some agreement or responsibility is already in place and that the covenant must make good on that commitment. This again provides something that may need to be defended at Tribunal and is something that could provide the case for beneficial intervention. If this Hook is applied to a magical or supernatural place or resource it provides the catalyst for agreement to be reached between the covenant and a mundane power that intentionally or accidentally threatens that resource. A good example might be the home of a woodland spirit. The covenant has promised to protect the spirit and its home, but the land belongs to the Church and it wants to clear the woodland for farmland. The covenant must now not only engage with the Church but also find an accommodation.

Road (ArM5, page 74): The Minor version of this Hook places the covenant on a major road, river, or sea route and guarantees the covenant contact with the mundane world. And, for the most part, those mundanes they meet want something. As an example, imagine a covenant on a large river. When that river floods, does the covenant help those nearby to save their lost crops? Or to rebuild the homes swept away in the deluge? If so, does this not assist one group of mundanes to the detriment of others not fortunate to be so near a covenant? This is the kind of moral challenge that is inherent to the theme of this transformation. The covenant may indeed by interfering in the natural order of things, but arguably justifiably so.

Tame Nobleman (Covenants, page 18): This Hook is probably the closest that many covenants can get to outright breaking the Code without actually crossing the line. The tame nobleman provides the front for the covenant’s rule over some or all of their lands and this raises a number of questions. How is this defined by the laws of the land? If the nobleman actually has legal title to the land and is able to dispose of it according to law, then surely the covenant can be said to be little more than a council of court wizards. But if the covenant’s position is enshrined in law, is the noble not simply reduced to the status of a bailiff or reeve? And if this noble has a right to his own lands elsewhere, could magical aid given to him be seen as further interference? A situation like this begs for the Order to find some way to protect its members from magi and nobles alike who might try to exploit this dubious legal position.

Urban (ArM5, page 74): For covenants based within towns and cities, any action designed to protect themselves from mundane or magical assault is likely to automatically extend to their mundane neighbors. So is this provision of magical advantage accepted or condemned by the Tribunal and the Order?

Writ of Crenellation (Covenants, page 15): As with the Castle Hook discussed above the covenant, or their legal front, has gained permission to fortify their residence. Apart from the statement that makes, it does raise the question of what has been granted in return. This may be the source of the Beholden Hook and the finished fortifications used as leverage against the covenant. A covenant forced into this position, with an unscrupulous mundane political opponent on one side and the Oath on the other, would do well to seek advice from the Tribunal. Such a session could clarify what kind of interactions that covenants can engage in.

Character Story Flaws

Individual magi or companions also draw the mundane world towards the Order of Hermes and confront covenants with diffi cult decisions.

Black Sheep (ArM5, page 51): While estranged from his prestigious family, this character can still be used to bridge the gap between the Hermetic and mundane worlds. Enemies of the character’s family may choose an apparently easy target only to fi nd him protected by greater powers. Does the covenant interfere by protecting a member of one faction from another? Could this contribute to an escalation where hedge wizards or even other Hermetic magi become involved? In any case, this hook speaks very much to those who would see greater separation from the mundane world rather than integration.

Close Family Ties (ArM5, page 52): Applicable to magi and companions alike, close family ties often draw the covenant closer to the mundane world than its members may like. This kind of connection is ideal for bringing home the reality of a harsh world to a community, in the covenant, that can very effectively shelter itself from hardship.

Dependent (ArM5, page 53): While many of the other hooks have relied upon a noble or church connection, the Dependent Story Flaw is considerably more open. The dependent character is usually weak, which is an opportunity to show the poorer strata of Mythic Europe’s society. Such a dependent can be used to demonstrate the effects of failing harvest, illness and plague, and the effects of poor governance. And this is the moral background against which the Order’s non-interference can be judged.

Enemies (ArM5, page 53): Nobles and senior clergy make for effective enemies, but the resolution of these stories does not need to involve violence or death. Presenting a character with an enemy and letting them fi nd common ground is just as rewarding. In the context of this transformation, it forms proof that differences can be set aside and the Order and society can find common ground.

Favors (ArM5, page 54): There are few Story Flaws that can so directly engage the covenant in mundane affairs as the Favors Flaw. Having benefi tted from the actions of others in the past, the character is now beholden to respond in kind. Whether magus or companion, the fulfi llment of the debt may include the use of magic, either directly or indirectly. In any case, it will most likely involve covenant resources, which immediately implicates the covenant.

Feud (ArM5, page 54): Another clear example of the covenant being dragged into mundane business through the familial obligations of its magi or companions. By favoring one faction over another, the covenant is interfering, but there’s an opportunity to use the covenant’s infl uence to fi nd an accommodation between the feuding factions, which may be families, guilds, religious orders, or almost anything else.

Heir (ArM5, page 54): Any covenant that shelters or supports an heir is by default committing the sin of interference, but they are not necessarily committing the crime of bring ruin on their sodales. In fact, often quite the opposite. As with the Fosterage covenant Hook, the magi have the opportunity to shape the heir’s thinking towards the Order and the supernatural world as a whole.

True Love (ArM5, page 59): There is nothing one would not do for one’s true love, no matter the consequences. So, here again is an opportunity for characters to become involved in the mundane world, in ways that have significant impact, while retaining the sense of moral right. And that is important. The Order does not wish itself brought into conflict with mundane society, but resolving stories that arise from Story Flaws such as True Love shows that there may be a need to become involved and, perhaps, that there is a need for a new philosophy.

A Growing Awareness

The covenant must first see the inherent benefits of engaging with the mundane world over staying withdrawn and the problems of continuing to buck convention. The following events highlight the problems that society may have with the actions of magi.

• Some time after the characters rid a parish of its corrupted priest, the priest’s bishop and the parish’s lord try to bring charges of murder against those responsible. Do the magi fight the case, try to prove just cause, or do they render up a scapegoat?
• Having been seen collecting vis in woodland near to the covenant, the magi receive summons to explain why they have been thieving and to then make recompense. The woodland does not belong to the covenant and is, in fact, owned by an influential knight who grants rights of forage to his tenants. The magi must negotiate for the right to collect vis in the woods, ensuring that they limit their obligations.
• The new bishop of the covenant’s diocese exerts his control over the region, which for the covenant involves greater scrutiny over taxes and even a request to see the charter granting permission to found and maintain the covenant.

Importantly, once the player covenant has experienced the above events and navigated its way through them, they are able to advise other covenants suffering similar problems. This helps to show how close society is getting to the Order, and reinforces the need to find an accommodation.

The following story suggestions show the good that a covenant can do if it is prepared to weather accusations of interference and the benefits of formalizing relations with the nobility. The hooks into the following stories should be tailored according to the covenant Hooks and character Story Flaws currently in play.

• When all the harvests from farms owned by a local knight fail for three seasons running, the knight is on the brink of selling land to his rival in order to maintain his family and their estate. The knight and his tenants are enduring increasing poverty while the rival noble enjoys the prospect of running the knight into the ground. The covenant becomes involved when its own costs rise as local markets have less to sell. At the heart of the story is a vengeful faerie queen testing the knight’s loyalty to his wife; she wants him to be her king and is punishing him for his rejection of her by stealing his fertility and that of his lands. The covenant can very easily deal with the situation; they destroy or banish the queen, or otherwise lift her curse, which then restores the knight’s fertility. Doing so aids one noble to the detriment of his rival however who would, it should be remembered, have expanded his own holdings.
• Reports of a strange dead creature reach the covenant. The body of a flying serpent has been recovered and is being kept at a priory, on whose land it fell. It was apparently killed during a fight between the serpent and a bird with feathers the color of fire. Investigating, the magi discover that the serpent is an iaculus, a large venomous snake with feathered wings that it uses to fly from trees onto its victims. The body contains neither vis nor blood. The witnesses can take the magi to the site of the battle and describe how the bird sliced the serpent with its razor-sharp wings and that all the iaculus’ blood drained into the field where it fell. Could this spot, where the iaculus fought with the fabled alerion and died, become a recurrent source of vis? If there’s a chance, how does the covenant go about securing the right to gather vis from the prior’s land? What might he ask in exchange?
• A nobleman, aware of the Order and the longevity of its members, approaches the covenant to request that they use their magic to prolong his life and that of his wife. In return, he is willing to sign over the income from a moderate fief to the covenant while he and his wife live. It is a simple request with potentially a large monetary reward. But should the magi do it? While the income has been signed over, what happens if the nobleman changes the use the land is put to and the income falls? What if the income generated by the land actually increases, but this is not considered part of the bargain by the nobleman?
• A famous knight and tournament champion is accused of disgracing a noblewoman while her husband was away. The noble and his wife want justice but both plaintiff and accused owe fealty to the same lord, who suspects there is more to the case than either side claims. He asks the covenant to divine the truth of it and tell him which side is lying to him. It is a task easily done by the magi, but can they turn away and allow justice to fend for itself? If they do become involved, they effectively determine the lord’s judgment, thereby interfering in the natural order of things.

The sample encounters above are simple enough, but they introduce the two key questions that face the Order: what kind of help is appropriate, and how does the Order secure agreement with the mundanes? All of the story seeds above, depending upon the actions taken by the covenant, have the potential to be raised at Tribunal as charges of interference in mundane affairs, which provides the covenant the opportunity to defend its actions and promote controlled integration.

The Tribunal

While preparatory work may be done through the writing of texts designed to educate the Tribunal, House, or Order, the final debate must be held at Tribunal. For this, the debate rules presented in Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 91 are very useful. If an argument bonus has been generated prior to Tribunal, it can be applied to any debate which encompasses aspects of the polemic philosophy. As far as this chapter is concerned, any case touching upon the interference in mundane affairs is suitable as is a debate on clarifying the Peripheral Code itself.

Building Support Before the Tribunal

The following story seeds directly introduce elements surrounding cases brought to Tribunal.

• Having lost a case at Tribunal and faced with the imposition of a fine, the covenant is secretly approached by a bound spirit. The spirit has been sent by a magus of the Tribunal with an offer to pay any fine resulting from the case. The conditions are simple; the covenant continues working towards integration with society, and the donor remains anonymous. Can the covenant trust the offer? Is this a sign that they have support, or is someone trying to manipulate them into committing more crimes?
• A magus from a nearby covenant visits, bringing a retinue with him. The talk is amiable and agreements are made to exchange Laboratory Texts and vis, but during the evening’s feasting it becomes clear that there is an ulterior motive. One of the nobles in the retinue needs aid. His lands are suffering under a plague and he cannot fulfill his feudal obligations to his own liege or feed his tenants. It turns out that he has been told that this covenant can help him and that he should put forward his case.
• A magus asks the covenant to support him in rebutting a case of mundane interference to be heard in a special council. He has been charged with aiding a minor mundane noble in killing a rival over the love of a woman. The magus makes a strong and reasoned case that the knight he assisted is a long-time companion and that he gifted him only with such magic and support as might be expected. That his dread rival died is incidental, and only good can come of it. But the covenant bringing the case received the income from some small plot of land as long as that knight lived. They charge that the magus’ interference caused the death of the knight and thereby deprived them of due resources.
• The covenant receives representation from a local landholder demanding that the murderer of one of his tenants be handed over so that justice may be done. It becomes apparent that the victim of this murder was a hedge wizard known to the landholder. Nobody within the covenant knows anything of any murder, but when the landholder describes the appearance of the killer and the manner of the death it is clear that a magus of the Order was behind it. Investigating further, the covenant finds the killer who simply says he offered the hedge wizard the option to “join or die.” The wizard’s decision was final. Literally. So what happens now? The magus’ actions seem to be within the Code but he has brought an angry noble looking for justice and recompense to the gates of another covenant.

The story seeds described above help the player magi to look deeper into questions of interference and integration; where are the lines drawn and how far can one covenant go on their own? They also introduce other magi and covenants wrestling with much the same questions, only, as they are not the covenant at the center of the saga, they are not in a position to deal with matters head-on. So this phase should allow the player covenant to build some support by assisting others.

Supporting Test Cases

Whether the rulings in any cases resulting from the above stories (or those you use in their stead) go against the covenant or for it, other magi and covenants in the Tribunal look to the player covenant for advice on engaging with the mundanes and in presenting their cases at court. These are likely to be less-influential covenants, perhaps those with few members or very few resources.

Helping these covenants with their own entanglements allows the player covenant to support peers and build a political faction around themselves, a faction inclined to greater integration.

• One covenant uncovers plans by another to disrupt the assarting — or clearing — of woodlands by a noble intending to expand his agricultural holdings. The woodland concerned includes a Magic aura and is home to a small woodland drake. Should one covenant succeed the Magic aura will be lost and a vengeful drake unleashed, but should the other succeed then the Tribunal condones disrupting the rightful actions of a landowner. Is there a third way? Can an accommodation be made to protect the landowner’s rights and the drake’s home?
• Charges of bringing ruin to one’s sodales are brought against a magus who liberated a powerful enchanted item from a landowning knight. As a result, the knight has accused a nearby covenant of theft and demands the return of the item and recompense made. There was no evidence that the item was a danger to the knight, his neighbors, or the Order, but the magus insists that magical power is not for the use of mundanes.

The next stage is to go back to Tribunal and clarify the local Peripheral Code with regard to interference.

Clarifying the Peripheral Code

After having proved the point with test cases, the next stage is to seek some level of amendment to that Tribunal’s Peripheral Code. Magi could seek clarification of the Peripheral Code, for instance where the code uses language such as “without due cause” or “without excess,” to describe mundane interactions, the Tribunal can be asked to clarify in favor of the looser interpretations. The Tribunal could be asked to make amendments to the Peripheral Code. These amendments can take the form of adding new clauses, removing restrictions already in place, and changing certain provisions now viewed as too restrictive. The Tribunal could even vote in extremis to suspend certain provisions of the Code for a time. A region damaged by fl ood, famine, or drought may require intervention either on moral grounds or at least on the grounds of protecting Hermetic interests, but doing so is a clear intervention. The Tribunal may decide that such intervention is permissible but only for a year or two years.

The nature of these amendments is best driven by the player magi and saga events. For instance:

• A Verditius may want to clarify the number of devices that can be sold to mundanes in the Tribunal or the number of pawns that may be used to enchant such devices. • A Jerbiton may want to act as patron to an aspiring artist, giving him an advantage over the competition, so he may need the Code to confirm that as the artist has no political influence, assisting him is permitted.
• A Flambeau may argue for the right to use his magic freely at tournament and to provide service to the highest bidder. The elder magi may balk at the prospect of such service, but if the magus can successfully argue that he favors no particular noble he may win the amendment.

Mundane Testimony

Few Tribunals have restrictions against mundanes attending Tribunal and offering testimony. It may be considered far from regular, but their presence and their insights may be useful. In purely mechanical terms, as per Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 93, the testimony adds +1 to the argument strength, but there is inherent story potential in bringing a mundane to the Tribunal in order to support a case or proposition. The following suggestions may be useful.

• Opponents to the change bring a number of witnesses to testify and each is a worker of some minor tradition or other. None of them are Gifted, but they all make a living through the working of their magic: a blacksmith touched by the magic realm here, a folk healer there, and so on. They all complain that they would have no living to make if the magi took their jobs, but when the magi are anonymously informed that the blacksmith’s talent springs from the Infernal, do they attempt to use this information against their opponents, or is this some new mischief?
• A priest, understanding of the Order and its workings, stands before the council and calls for the magi to involve themselves. He recognizes that there is wis

dom within the long years that magi enjoy and he argues that such wisdom should be used to guide and advise those who rule the land. He is hiding a secret, however. His superiors knew of his attendance at Tribunal and have stripped him of his office. Can the opponents of change use this to discredit his testimony or is it an example of selfless sacrifice for a cause?

As far as the debate rules go, bringing mundane testimony does not add a huge bonus, but it does present a roleplaying opportunity.

Story Seed: Charges in a Foreign Court Magi from a neighboring Tribunal where the Code has not been clarified to allow magi to act as counselors to mundane rulers cross the border to bring charges of interference against a covenant in this Tribunal. They allege that the magi influenced the inheritance of substantial estates on both sides of the Tribunal border, which in turn dispossessed the plaintiff covenant of lucrative sources of income. They charge that this interference has brought ruin upon them and that without funding they cannot pursue their studies as they would like. The case is complex as it involves two distinct interpretations of Hermetic law. In truth, the foreign magi would be content with recompense and are not vindictive. But it would not occur to them to engage with the mundane nobles in their own Tribunal. Perhaps the player magi can intercede on their behalf and teach the neighboring Tribunal a new way of thinking.

Local Customs

Most Tribunals are resistant to change, which can make it difficult for a magus to bring the debate on integration to the Tribunal in the first place. But Tribunals have their own identity and their own factions. Normandy accepts that magi must sometimes live within cities and their Peripheral Code contains clauses that provide guidance on how these magi should conduct their business. The Rhine Tribunal is at the heart of the debate between those who want to shape the Order’s relationship with the mundane world. The conflicting Ash and Apple gilds seek a bold presence in the world and an accommodation respectively. Tremere-dominated Transylvania already provides a strong structure that closely resembles a Hermetic state, and the magi of recovering Thebes and war-torn Iberia each have their own view on relations with mundanes, shaped by ongoing occupation and conflict.

Regardless of the prevailing wisdom, or the specific clauses of the Peripheral Code, the Tribunal is the place to negotiate agreements with like-minded magi. There is much to be said for forming a coalition of magi who all agree to turn a blind eye to misdemeanors of interference. If enough magi adopt the policy then charges of interference and bringing ruin that appear before Tribunal are unlikely to succeed; the code, in this respect at least, becomes unenforceable. And on the back of that, the Tribunal develops its own local customs not covered by the Peripheral Code.

In the sweep of the saga, this puts the player characters at the heart of a power struggle with the Quaesitores and other traditionalists attempting to rein in these local customs, with the player covenant the driving force behind them. If your story takes this route, just getting the matter debated at Tribunal is a major victory. If the debate does not take place, as long as the coalition holds then the customs prevail.

Once this way of life starts to normalize within the Tribunal, foreign Tribunals start to take an interest. Houses start to make unilateral rulings, perhaps applying pressure to the player characters to cease their actions or providing tacit support. And with the player magi at the heart of the action, other covenants come to view them as useful resources when forced to defend their own actions.

Foreign Tribunals

If the magi have successfully supported test cases, built a coalition, or even managed to move their own Tribunal’s Peripheral Code to a more accommodating place, it is time to take the message further abroad. All the considerations discussed above still stand when visiting foreign Tribunals, but there is the added problem of needing some kind of sponsor. It is not politic to simply attend a Tribunal uninvited, so the magi need to connect with like minded magi and use them to spread their message.

If the aim is to change the Order’s attitude, then success in more than one Tribunal is needed; the actions of one Tribunal alone may be overlooked, even those of two or three outlying Tribunals, but if there is a suggestion of a determined political change then the Grand Tribunal cannot ignore it.

If you want to short-cut to the Grand Tribunal, you may want to consider whether to use some of the Tribunals not yet covered by Ars Magica Fifth Edition, such as Loch Leglean, Iberia, or Rome, as places where interference is rife and goes unchallenged. Doing so allows the player Tribunal to be the one that finally escalates the issue to the Grand Tribunal.

House Politics

Hermetic politics is a complex affair. Covenants may be expected to reach consensus among their members, but this consensus may differ between covenants of the same Tribunal. The prevailing opinion in one Tribunal may be anathema to their neighbors. The Houses of Hermes have their own political leanings, which one could expect to transcend Tribunal boundaries. But it doesn’t stop there. Houses have divisions, such as the Bjornaer septs or the ideological split within House Merinita. And Tribunals often have loose political factions, such as the gilds found within the Rhine Tribunal. In particular, the Apple Gild in the Rhine is particularly in favor of closer integration with the mundane world and significant allies could be gained through approaching them. The Encroaching Dominion scenario presented in Tales of Power is particularly apt for use or adaptation in this respect.

Keeping track of these for each Tribunal is an unwieldy task but the general character of each House suggests the default response. The descriptions below provide these default positions, while later in this chapter we will look at the motivations of the leaders of each House in the context of the Grand Tribunal.

• House Bonisagus is undoubtedly one of the most resistant to change from a political perspective. The Oath and its provisions are deeply linked to both Bonisagus and Trianoma. The Oath, as with the Code that derives from it, is a work of genius and it has served the Order well for nearly 500 years. To change it would be disrespectful and dangerous.
• House Bjornaer is able to view the argument from another perspective. While some Houses oppose or endorse integration for idealistic reasons, House Bjornaer is able to ask “what’s in it for us?” With its connection to the animal world, the House can see the threat that mundane expansion poses to the magical and the wild places of the world. If agreements can be made with the nobility and the church, then certain lands can be protected. A change to the Oath and to the Code may be a worthwhile compromise.
• House Criamon, as might be expected, is a complex balance. The House philosophy does not elevate magi above the rest of humanity and the House sees abandoning humanity to its fate as a sin. This might then suggest support for greater integration with the world, but the House is dominated by a quest to grasp and understand the Enigma and its members are unwilling to be distracted by lesser concerns. If anything, the most likely outcome of approaching House Criamon is that the House is roused into affirmative inaction.
• It is too easy to categorize House Ex Miscellanea as being apolitical, and maybe the House as a single entity is, but many of the traditions and lineages within the House have a deep bond to the mundane world. By the terms of the Oath and the Peripheral Code, many of the Ex Miscellanea traditional roles would be frowned upon at best and invite potential censure at worst. Change could be welcomed by many within these traditions.
• House Flambeau demonstrates the coming together of idealism and pragmatism. On the one hand its members are all too ready to hunt down those Marched by the Order, but on the other they stand by their principles even where this leads them to break the terms of the Oath. Loosening the restrictions with regard to engaging in mundane affairs would benefit the House by providing causes that the House can swing behind.
• From the founding of the Order, House Guernicus has placed the Oath and the Code at its heart. While there are factions within the House that call for stricter or looser interpretations of the Code it seems unconscionable that provisions of the Oath would be removed. Similarly, the House would object to the Peripheral Code being so clarified as to effectively trivialize the Oath, but the House is not concerned with tradition, simply good governance leading to a protection of the Order. Thus, suggestions that promote this good governance and seek to protect the Order may be enough to sway the House.
• House Jerbiton already actively defends the rights of magi to interact with the mundane world. Jerbiton magi frequently reconnect with their mundane birth families, which are often drawn from the nobility, and they often support or sponsor other mundane organizations. These Jerbiton magi, acting as a bloc within Tribunals, can make charges of interference very hard to enforce.
• With very few Gifted members, House Mercere already has arguably the closest relationship with the mundane world of all the Hermetic Houses. The redcaps live and work in the mundane world. They see the effects of hardship upon the world as they travel between covenants, and then they see the magicallymaintained comfort and riches in which the Order keeps itself. If there is a moral case to be made, House Mercere is able to argue it.
• House Merinita shares much with House Bjornaer. Though perhaps distrustful of the mortal world, Merinita magi recognize the vitality that mortals give to the fae. And they also recognize the loss of lands given over to faeries and the continued encroachment of the Dominion. If, like Bjornaer, they could use integration with the world to protect these places then they could be persuaded to lend support.
• The Transylvanian Tribunal dominated by House Tremere provides a model for a Hermetic state, which shows that House Tremere is broadly supportive of magi taking responsibility. Indeed, the notion of an exchange of rights for responsibilities is central to the Tremere mindset. And, as Transylvania shows, the House judges interference with mundanes leniently, preferring to judge the venture by its outcome rather than according to a set of rules. If the change is presented well, House Tremere could be a very supportive ally.
• The opinions of House Tytalus are likely to be somewhat fractured and votes at council are probably available in return for favor in other matters, but the magi aegroti — or leper magi — found in House Tytalus may provide the most consistent view. They are skilled healers and usually specialize in Corpus magic or Longevity Rituals, and these gifts are not restricted to magi and their companions. As lepers, afflicted with a dread disease, they are usually treated with distrust and disdain, which gives them a unique perspective on the lives of the downtrodden.
• Many view House Verditius as a greedy and venal House only interested in the profit and acclaim that their craft can generate for them. In many cases this is entirely justified. Their work is effectively held back by the conventions of the Order and they are held at arm’s length from the mundane craft guilds that could further their collective crafts. Of course there would be more profit if certain constraints were lifted, but every device has a purpose and at present too few can be put to use where they are most needed.

The characterizations above are broad and do not reflect the feelings of each individual, which are of course all determined by both the storyguide and the players. They do at least provide default starting positions from which individuals must be persuaded, and this should be useful when dealing with such characters within stories. Storyguides should determine how widely understood these opinions are but any Order of Hermes Lore rolls required should be against an Ease Factor of 6, or 9 at the outside.

The leanings of covenants, gilds, septs, lineages, or cults are for individual troupes to determine but given the increasingly secret nature of these organizations rolls against Order of Hermes Lore will require higher Ease Factors, and rolls against specifi c House or Cult Lores may be required instead.

The Grand Tribunal

Eventually, the matter is brought to the Grand Tribunal, likely not for the fi rst time, and the player characters once again become central to the cause. Political alliances need to be forged and arguments need to be won, as changing or clarifying the Code is not done lightly.

This being the Grand Tribunal, the politics of the event should be paramount. No matter how good the preparatory work, the decisions here are made essentially by the seniors of the Houses. It is these senior magi, archmages, and primi that the player magi must infl uence. As described in ArM5, page 14, three representatives from each Tribunal attend the Grand Tribunal held at Durenmar, in addition to the twelve Primi. Either the player magi must get themselves selected to attend the Grand Tribunal or they must find a champion in one of those magi who are to attend. If they can find this champion, they may appear before the Grand Tribunal to argue their case.

If the player characters can gain admittance to the Grand Tribunal, they may succeed in convincing the most senior of their Order. And if they do, the Order changes.

In Favor of Change

• The Flambeau Primus Garus: Garus is a leading member of the milites, a Flambeau faction that promotes chivalry and service to the Order. He was also a mercenary and tournament champion in his youth, but his grip on his own House is loose as it does not have a unifying goal. If Garus could win concessions on the role of House Flambeau in mundane warfare, thereby offering his House a purpose, he could be a valuable ally.
• The Jerbiton Primus Andru: Andru and his House are already involved in the mundane world, albeit through clandestine activities. Any measure that would allow Andru to continue making the world a better place, protecting works of art and promoting good governance, while reducing the risk to those in his House would have Andru’s support.
• The Verditius Primus Stouritus: Stouritus’ concern is for the wealth of his House, something that can be vastly improved by allowing magi to increase the number of enchanted items that can be sold to mundanes.

Against the Change

• The Bonsisagus Primus Archmagus Murion: Unscrupulous, scheming, and conservative, Murion seeks little but to re-establish House Bonisagus’s power and reputation among the Houses. She will not do that by being the primus who tore down the guiding principles upon with Bonisagus’ Order was founded.
• The Criamon Prima Muscaria: Muscaria understands her role within the House to be removing anything that might distract other Criamon from the continuing quest for the Enigma. What greater distraction would there be than being at the beck and call of a mundane princeling? Though young, she is pragmatic and politically astute enough to see through lies.
• The Guernicus Prima Archmaga Bilera: An arch negotiator, Bilera is currently trying to heal the rift between the Traditionalists and the Transitionalists within her House. Any change that reduces the power of the Peripheral Code or the Oath would be explosive to House Guernicus, and she cannot support the measure.

Undecided

• The Bjornaer Prima Falke: Young and struggling with the responsibility of leadership, Falke tends towards an isolationist policy, more through apparent indecision than a strong ideological position. She of course would want to see the wilderness protected from mundane encroachment, but there is a large faction within her House that would resist formally engaging with those same mundanes. For more information on Falke, see Guardians of the Forests: The Rhine Tribunal, page 96.
• The Ex Miscellanea Primus Ebroin: Ebroin is in truth a Magus Orbus, though his House of origin is left for each saga to determine, so his loyalty may still lie with his former House and its primus.
• The Mercere Prima Insatella: Insatella is concerned only with the running of her House, its obligations to the Order, and its commercial activities. As an unGifted member of the Order she sees her House’s role as important but separate from the affairs of magi. She is likely to abstain from any vote but can provide opinion on whether the mundane world can be trusted or not.
• The Merinita Primus Handri: Handri has a problem that he may not have noticed. He is a secretive man, more concerned with faeries than magi, and surrounded by a cadre of trusted advisers. However, Vinaria, the former prima, has returned to the scene and has begun working on her relations with the other primi. In truth, it may be Vinaria that the player magi need to court as her influence over the Grand Tribunal may be greater than Handri’s.
• The Tremere Prima Poena: Poena is an advocate of a Hermetic state existing within the mundane world just as has been implemented in Transylvania. She would be supportive of other Tribunals adopting the same model, but would she support a vision different to that demonstrated by House Tremere?
• The Tytalus Primi Buliste and Harpax: House Tytalus may have two primi, but they have a single vote between them at the Grand Tribunal. The task may not be to persuade either to a given cause but maneuver both into agreeing a proxy able to vote on behalf of the House.

How Politics Effects Change

We have looked at the need to change attitudes within the Order and later we will look at some of the magical effects that can be leveraged in negotiations with mundane society. Now, however, we look at the negotiations with those mundanes and with the denizens of the supernatural realms.

Mundane Allies & Enemies

To be clear, leaders of the mundane world are unlikely to support any move by the Order of Hermes to integrate itself into society without there being some clear benefit to them and their heirs. Openly acknowledging members of the Order means affording them the respect they are due, recognizing certain rights and relationships, and ensuring that their political inclinations are accommodated. All in all, it is potentially too much effort even before the thought of entertaining magi as guests at the feasting table.

What might the commoners, rulers, and priests of the mundane world want?

Kings and Nobles

There are few problems that a king can’t solve through the application of manpower and money. They have been building near-impregnable castles for generations, they have sponsored chapels and cathedrals alike for the preservation of their immortal souls, and they have but to command it to set several thousand men on the path of murder. If they want to increase their revenues, they tax their populace harder. If they want a fleet of ships before winter sets in, they hire more shipbuilders, who hire more carpenters, who buy more lumber. All these things they have, and if they take these roles away from their populace, by using magic to gain them for instance, then their populace starves.

What kings and nobles may value more is guidance. They need to know whether the path of murder is justified. They need to know whether the fleet of ships is needed to defend their coast or to reclaim their foreign estates. Magi are able to divine the answers to many such questions and that makes their service highly valuable to the nobility. Persuade such a noble of the benefit of having direct and true information, of avoiding misunderstanding and of knowing the real motivations of his rivals, and mundane testimony can be gained for the Tribunal.

Ultimately providing that service is a politically tricky thing, however. Who in the Tribunal should advise a king? What about the sheriff of a county or shire? The older that magi get the more warped they tend to become, and this is likely to be more unsettling than even the effect of The Gift. Thus, such advisers are likely to be relatively young (for magi) and bear a Gentle Gift. Advisers to prominent figures, such as kings, princes, or archbishops, should be appointed by the Tribunal with agreement from those they are to serve. The egalitarian ways of the Order may suffer as it would break social convention for a woman to serve on a council, so the Tribunal may need to compromise on its values.

Of course, there are regional differences. The kings of Christian Spain may look to magic for the means to accelerate their reconquest of the Iberian peninsula, or to defend against duplicitous allies. The English nobles in Ireland may ask for the means to secure their hard-won lands against the Irish. And the kings of far-off Novgorod may soon be looking for defense against the oncoming horde.

Moneylending is something that is looked on unkindly by the Church and relied upon by the nobility. Traditionally the purview of Jews, moneylending — in the sense of providing loans with interest — funds much of the large-scale activity of knight, noble, and king across Mythic Europe. When those in debt decide that repayment is too onerous, the money lenders are frequently dispossessed and expelled so that the noble does not need to repay.

Magi can provide an alternative, however. It is known that creating too much silver can overbalance a local economy, lowering the relative value of money by putting too much into circulation. However, funds could be created temporarily. A noble could approach magi for a loan of certain funds, which the magi can provide by conjuring an amount of silver. They take payment for the vis used in the summoning and then the money is given to the noble. As the noble pays the silver back the magi have the option to destroy it, taking it out of circulation. They don’t need it and it was never theirs to begin with — they just conjured it up. Doing this allows money to be spent as needed, and then to be removed from the economy when times are better.

But would doing so make a mockery of the economy? Such a service creates an endless supply of money but with the danger that costs associated with goods and services become meaningless.

The Church

Across Christendom and the East, learning and education is principally the preserve of the religious class. Cathedral schools and universities alike are staffed and run by those who have at least taken minor orders. They excel at teaching worldly topics: philosophy, the liberal arts, law, theology, and medicine. Magi, however, can reveal the wonders of the supernatural world. They can supplement theological study with experience of the celestial on Earth. They can explore the philosophy of the created world through reference to the kosmokrators, the great magical spirits set to govern the turning of the world. And they can give deeper insights into medicine through the use of direct applied magic.

Magi can increase the scope of human experience much more here than they can through barons and princes. The magi educate the students, who become masters themselves and educate yet more students. And so the Church, or at the very least its instruments the schools and universities, must be persuaded of the benefits. If they can be, if the world can be shown to be so much more, then mundane testimony can be gained for the Tribunal.

As learned men, magi of the Order should have little difficulty in making it clear to the Church that they are not trafficking with demonic forces when they cast their magic and that in fact there is common ground. Most magi, as tenuous members of — and drawn from — the society around them, follow the faith of their birth. As such, they are under the spiritual protection of priests, imams, and rabbis. And while God has seen fit to create Magic auras that help magi cast their spells and practice their arts, God also grants them humility by showing them the power of the Dominion. There is extensive material in The Church supplement to support this position.

Story Seed: The Proctor of Hermes The Church supplement introduced this story seed. It is reproduced here given its relevance: Quaesitors approach a player character (ideally a senior magus with the Gentle Gift) and explain that they want him to act as proctor for The Order of Hermes in the papal curia. The character will become a Quaesitor and travel to Rome. His task is to ensure smooth relations between the Order and the Church. He can do this by intercepting inappropriate petitions from magi, presenting petitions on behalf of magi to the curia, and ensuring that no petitions that negatively impact on the Order are successfully brought by other parties. The position requires a magus so that he may resist both the Commanding Aura of church officials and any efforts of other magi to interfere in church processes. Father Joseph of Napoli, presented in Antagonists, would make an ideal counterpart to seal the relationship from the Church’s side. Story Seed: The King’s Favorite The Tribunal has decided upon a new counselor to the king, and he is due to take up his position in the spring. The king, however, is displeased; he appoints one of the player characters to his council. How did the king even know of the characters? And why would he appoint them? What political game has the character found themselves involved in and how can they get themselves out of it?

Gaining the Support of the Pope

The kings of Christendom, though they may balk at the thought, hold their position by the grace of God. God’s representative on Earth is the pope. If the pope himself can be persuaded as to the wisdom of society embracing the Order of Hermes, then surely the Order would have greater weight in their negotiations with the nobility. Securing the pope as an ally is potentially a saga thread on its own, complete with its own antagonists, protagonists, and challenges.

Using Guilds as a Model

Guilds may provide an attractive model and an easy way to explain covenants to society. They exist for the benefit of their members, they take and teach apprentices, and they have the capacity to provide services for payment.

Towns and cities may be welcoming to covenants if they understand them to be like guilds, especially as it allows them to regulate their activities by the granting of charters. The Order is used to setting the prices for its services (House Verditius acts as a guild for its members ensuring that no magus undercuts another), but they may now need to compromise and have its prices influenced by mundanes.

The quality of any enchantments may also be enforced: charged items must not spoil, enchantments must last a lifetime, and so on. In return, of course, a covenant gains freedoms within its towns or city, including rights on dress, familiars, the taking of apprentices, the keeping of laboratories, and to any vis that might be found in lands controlled by the town.

A New Breed of Craftsman

Hermetic magic is hugely flexible and it does many things adequately, but it rarely does anything entirely well. Rego Craft Magic (Covenants, page 49) allows a magus to imitate the skill of a mundane craftsman, but doing the work of days, weeks, or months in an instant is very difficult and the results can often disappoint.

In game terms, this is because the quality of the produced item is dependent on a Finesse roll against an Ease Factor that is always at least 3 points higher than that needed by a mundane craftsman.

If the Order allows for more magical tools to enter circulation, jobs become easier and quicker but as the quality is almost wholly dependent on the Finesse Ability score of the item’s user, suddenly Finesse becomes an important skill for a new breed of craftsmen.

Mundanes can learn Finesse from all the usual sources — teachers, practice, books — and it is conceivable that rather than tending to magical crafts themselves, magi would introduce specialists in the use of magical items to serve them.

Given the inherent difficulty of matching mundane craftsmanship with craft magic, magi may seek out those with an affinity for using enchanted devices and those who show a natural flair (represented by the Affinity with Finesse and Puissant Finesse Virtues respectively). They would be an educated class, able to study Finesse from books as well as from a tutor and perhaps even write their own tractatus that could be of benefit to others that may not have as much experience with enchantment.

Additionally, enchanted tools may allow craftsmen to express their creativity like never before. An adze that allows two great oaks to be spliced together as firmly as if they were a single tree might allow for taller and strong ship masts, and stone could be crafted as fine as glass without losing its strength by enchanted hammers and chisels. As these tools spread outwards from covenants and craftsmen learn their use, Mythic Europe starts to take on a fantastical appearance.

The Supernatural Realms

One of the principal reasons for the Order becoming the fourth estate is the protection of magical and faerie spaces. It seems prudent then to engage the representatives of those realms in the project. If a noble or a city is to preserve ancient woodlands under its control it will expect something in return.

Service, Tribute, & Fosterage

The simplest transaction is one of service or tribute; the woodland spirit, or the faerie king, or the grey lady of the river provides something of value to the mundane rulers in return for dominion over their supernatural auras and regiones.

Most magical entities of power are able to reason somewhat objectively and make their own minds up with regards to alliances. Faeries are more problematic, however, as they are usually constrained by the role they inhabit. A mischievous robber faerie is probably powerless to offer safe passage along his road because conflicts with his nature. It would certainly be within the roles of most faerie kings and queens to act as kings and queens should, however, and enter into treaties and agreements. It may be too early to consider dynastic matches, but ultimately this is possible if relations between the faeries and mundanes mature.

It is common to seal alliances through fosterage, entrusting a son or daughter to the care of the ally. The act of trust ensures that both recognize the value of the alliance. The same could be done with magical and faerie entities. Imagine the spirit of the wind offering the fosterage of his son, in the form of a swift horse, to a prince in return for dominion over a certain mountain or range. The prince gains a horse beyond compare who may become a life-long and loyal companion, and the spirit of the wind protects his domain.

Magi would be instrumental in brokering these agreements and mediating when things go awry. If favorable terms can be arranged between a supernatural entity and a mundane, terms that result in the protection of a magical or faerie space, then the magi earn both supernatural and mundane testimony for the Tribunal.

Vis sources, however, may become more contentious as mundanes start to understand their value to those who work magic. Mundanes could misapply their knowledge with dangerous results, destroying sources rather than nurturing them or withholding access in order to gain leverage over magi.

Rivals Outside the Order

Rival Magic presents a faction of Gifted wizards who have already ensconced themselves in the service of Mythic Europe’s nobility: The Augustan Brotherhood. Although not present in every court, they may be present in any court. Operating as they currently do beneath the notice of the Order, they are unwilling to share their influence. While the player characters forge links with cities, nobles, and the clergy, the Augustan Brotherhood likely work against them, spreading lies and misinformation.

However, those followers of Virgil who operate openly as court wizards, while still keeping their true allegiance secret, find it hard to hide the magical nature. This may be the covenant’s first step in learning of a threat that the Order is unaware of.

Discovering the Brotherhood actually provides an incentive for the Order to place their own agents within the courts of Mythic Europe in order to monitor their actions, learn their motives, and oppose them where they run counter to the interests of the Order.

On the other hand, the Brotherhood may reveal themselves, placing themselves openly the under the protection and influence of their mundane allies in order to protect themselves against the Order’s ultimatum to join or suffer the consequences.

The Tools of Politics

This section introduces two new activities: the writing of politically persuasive texts, and the recording of agreements in binding charters.

Writing and Responding to Polemic

It’s a difficult thing to go to Tribunal and secure a shift in the understanding of the Order’s place in the world. It is unrealistic to expect such a change to be accepted when it goes against everything that those magi at Tribunal have known. Any magus attempting such a foolhardy case is likely to gain a poor reputation. So what can be done?

The seeds of change need to be sown early. The arguments must be publicized and discussed prior to the council or Tribunal. The magus needs his argument to be heard, discussed, and for others to be persuaded to his cause. This can be done on a storyby-story basis for individual magi, but while debates play themselves out at Tribunal, to effect such a change across the Order is the job of longterm persuasion. This can be done through publishing argument and counterargument in a series of texts. There are three forms of writing that should be taken into account: polemic, diatribe, and apologia.

Polemic

The object of polemic is to explore and explain a philosophical position such that it is shown to be superior to its logical counter position. This is the bedrock upon which the magus looking to incite change builds his arguments. These works provide the basis for new thinking and it is through these works that the wider Order is most likely to experience this new thinking.

Polemic is written as a summae or tractatus on a knowledge Ability. In the case of influencing opinion with regards to the Order and its place in the world either Code of Hermes or Order of Hermes Lore would be appropriate. Area Lore appropriate to a given Tribunal may also be used with the agreement of the troupe. As described in ArM5, page 165, texts have a Quality and a Level. For the purposes of these rules, tractatus have a Level of 5. These take on special significance as described below when these works are used to persuade others.

Like Father, Like Son We all tend to learn from our parents, and in the case of the Hermetic apprentice he leans from his parens. Opinions held by the teacher are most likely passed to the student at least until the student is advanced enough to explore further. To represent this, it is safe to assume that any character gaining his first level in a knowledge Ability through reading polemic shares the author’s views on that subject.

Diatribe

Diatribes take a critical look at a position and then deconstruct it in order to point out its flaws. Such works are usually direct and scathing in their approach, and they can often be seen as inflammatory. The intent behind diatribes is to damage a philosophical position, discredit the position’s proponents, or frequently both. Diatribes are the most immediate and effective response to polemic texts and their use is discussed further below.

Diatribes are written either as summae or tractatus, as per ArM5, page 165, on the same Ability as the polemic they have been written to refute. Each tractatus counts towards the normal limit on the number of tractatus that the author may write.

Story Seed: Works of Sedition A player Quaesitor is approached with a complaint of corruption made against a wellknown magus. It appears that the magus in question has been providing books of a seditious nature to impressionable young apprentices across the Tribunal in an attempt to sway the next generation of magi to his political thought. There are enough magi angry at this deceit that the Quaesitor feels pressured to act, but how has the magus broken the Code? What could he be charged with and what would the appropriate punishment be?

Apologia

If diatribes are the attack, then apologia form the defense. The apologia are the rebuttals written to refute the attacks of others, to show up the lies, misinformation, or inaccuracies evident in diatribes aimed at either the author or her philosophy. In showing the weaknesses of the opposing argument, the author intends to strengthen the original proposition.

Apologia are written as summae or tractatus, as per ArM5, page 165, on the same Ability as the diatribe they have been written in response to. Each tractatus counts towards the normal limit on the number of tractatus that the author may write.

The Prevailing Wisdom

The Order holds certain opinions more firmly than it does others. Opinion may be relatively easily swayed where it concerns a single magus or a covenant, but ideas concerning the governance of entire Houses or the Order itself are much harder to move.

You should first determine the level of change that the character are looking to effect by taking a view on the breadth of the effect and comparing it to the nearby table. The number determined by the level of change provides the base difficulty of altering opinion through the written word.

Winning the Argument

The object of polemical texts is to persuade an audience to a way of thinking ahead of a given debate. It is an opportunity to flex and explore the ideas behind the polemic and ensure that arguments and counterarguments are prepared. The success or failure of a particular argument or philosophy can only be determined in open debate (as per the rules in Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 91), but a wellprepared argument that has gained sufficient recognition can provide bonuses to the standard debate totals.

To write a polemic, the author writes a text on the knowledge that sets out their position. Authors have some flexibility in the level they choose to write to and the level should be high enough that readers are enticed to read it; few magi are prepared to waste a season reading something beneath them. Polemical tractatus are treated as level 5 for the purposes of circulating them. However, the quality of the text contributes a bonus to debates on the subject, so it is important for the author to find the right balance.

Circulating the Text

In order for the polemic to be effective, it must first be circulated. Six copies are sufficient for a Tribunal, nine for circulation through a House, and 18 copies for circulation through the Order. Once each season after these copies have been released, the player makes a Circulation Roll vs. Ease Factor 15 if the work is circulated to a Tribunal, 18 if the work is circulated to a House, or 24 for the Order. This roll is based on the highest of the magus’ reputations (good or bad), or any applicable House acclaim, plus the level of the polemic summa, plus a simple die. A magus other than the author may work on circulating the text. For instance, a sponsor may take the lead during this phase, which allows him to leverage his reputation.

Circulation Total

Magus’ Reputation + Summa Level (or 5 in the case of tractatus) + Simple Die

Ease Factor

15 (Tribunal), 18 (House), 24 (the Order)

The book must gain a degree of recognition, through recommendation, or by being referenced in other works, before its message can be heard. Circulating a text in this way involves writing letters of introduction, producing copies, providing translations, and so on. This work is treated as a distraction in each season the magus is engaged in distribution: five days for a Tribunal, ten days for a House, and fifteen days for the Order.

Each season spent circulating a text provides a bonus of +1 to the next Circulation Total.

On meeting the Ease Factor, the work has been circulated to the desired audience, which allows its content and the opinions of the author to gain recognition. The author of a successfully circulated polemic gains a new Reputation: Supporter of (ideal) 1 (Tribunal/ House/Order), or 5 experience points toward increasing that Reputation if he already has it.

Prevailing Wisdom Table Reach Level Concerning a Magus The higher of 3 or the magus’ reputation Concerning a Covenant 6 Concerning a Tribunal 9 Concerning a House 12 Concerning the Order 15 Prevailing Wisdom Examples Topic Ease Factor Reason Existence of a secret mystery cult 6 Larger than a single magus, but smaller than a Tribunal Origin of Magic Theory 6 Largely concerning Bonisagus, but involving more than one magus Provisions of the Peripheral Code 9 As this is restricted to a Tribunal Existence of the Order of Odin 12 Treated as another House Existence of the Order of Suleiman 12 Treated as another House The Corruption 12 Principally concerning House Tytalus Provisions of the Oath 15 As this concerns the oath taken by every member of the Order Schism War 15 Central to the Order’s history

Correspondences and Other Texts

Covenants introduces the use of correspondences, letters written between magi and their associates to explore certain topics. The arguments and vitriol found in diatribe and apologia also find their way into correspondence between the quarreling magi and provide a 1 experience point benefit towards the target Ability each season as described in Covenants, page 90. A magus engaged in such a written debate may also present the letters as supporting testimony, proof of the inaccuracies perpetrated by his opponent, in debate for a bonus of +1 as described in Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 92. The effect of this is likely to be negated when the opponent is also able to refer to his own copies of the correspondence. Magi may choose to combine their polemic, diatribe, or apologia works with other texts to make the texts themselves more attractive and their distribution easier. A particular volume may contain more than one item, such as a tractatus combined with a laboratory text, or a summa paired with a tractatus that expands the argument, for instance. For each other new item, i.e. one that has not been circulated before, the polemic, diatribe, or apologia gains +1 on attempts to circulate the text. All copies of the work to be circulated must have the same contents in order for this bonus to apply.

Example Polemical Texts The following texts are known to the Order and include works that have been influential in its development. Polemic On Alliance with the Offspring. Hariste of House Tytalus; Summa, Order of Hermes Lore, Lvl 3, Quality 9. In Favor of Admitting the Order Miscellanea to the Order of Hermes. When Pralix renounced her House and the Order and instead became head of the Order Miscellanea there were many in the Order of Hermes who spoke only of condemnation and punishment. Hariste, however, recognized an opportunity to user Pralix’ ambition to strengthen the Order rather than weaken it. This work, distributed throughout every Tribunal, proved persuasive and with the support of Trianoma the Order Miscellanea ultimately became House Ex Miscellanea. Build Points: 18 Diatribe The Application of Vim to the Supernatural Humors. Conciatta of Bonisagus; Tractatus, Magic Theory, Quality 7. Opposed to the researching of new Arts for each of the supernatural realms. Conciatta of Bonisagus played a crucial role in expanding Hermetic understanding across all four supernatural realms, but she found herself unable to control the argument, forced instead to produce texts that argued against the prevailing wisdom of other theoreticians in House Bonisagus. This is her first significant work that gained widespread renown, and it did so through a clear point-by-point refutation of works by more senior magi. Other works quickly followed and built upon the principles laid down in this volume, but none ruffled as many feathers as this work. The work is still highly-regarded, despite its archaic nature. Build Points: 7 Apologia The Journey not yet Complete. Trianoma; Tractatus, Order of Hermes Lore, Quality 8. In Favor of Admitting the Order Miscellanea to the Order of Hermes. Hariste alone could not sway the entire Order in the Matter of Pralix and her followers, but Hariste secured the early support of Trianoma herself. This was the first of several short tractatus that Trianoma wrote in favor of inviting Pralix back into the Order and recognizing her great achievements with status equivalent to a Founder. The argument clearly harks back to Bonisagus and his efforts in unifying the disparate traditions, and effectively paints Pralix in similar colors. The original manuscript can be found in Durenmar and there are rumors that the text there differs from that ultimately circulated through the Order. Build Points: 8

The Argument Total

Once the work has been circulated, the author generates a base Argument Total:

Argument Total

Text Quality – Prevailing Wisdom Level

This total is modified by further texts as described below. When the case is brought to Tribunal, the final Argument Total acts as experience points toward buying a debate bonus as per the Art progression table on ArM5, page 31. This bonus is used on all Attack and Defense rolls within that debate. A negative value is used to buy a penalty on the same scale. This bonus or penalty is cumulative with those presented on pages 92 and 93 of Houses of Hermes: Societates.

If you are not using the debate rules from Houses of Hermes: Societates, you should apply the Argument Total as a bonus to Ability rolls you use to model the debate.

Responding with Diatribe

In order to counter the opinions put forward in a polemic a magus must first study that work for at least a season, regardless of whether the magus could normally gain benefit from that particular text. The magus then writes a diatribe refuting the material explored in the polemic and makes copies available, using the Circulation Total as above.

The diatribe quality is deducted from the current Argument Total, which may in turn result in a new negative total.

Any number of magi can write diatribes refuting the argument and, while they must be circulated independently, they each modify the same base Argument Total.

On writing or circulating a diatribe, the magus gains a new Reputation: Opposed to (ideal) 1 (Tribunal/ House/Order), or 5 experience points towards increasing that Reputation if he already has it.

Winning the Argument Outline The argument is defined and assigned a level according to the prevailing wisdom it is affecting. • The proponent of the argument writes the polemic text, determining Level and Quality as usual. The author circulates the work, making a check for circulation each season. Once circulated, the author generates an Argument Total. Authors can write and circulate supporting apologia, the Quality of which is added to the argument total. Rival magi are free to write and circulate diatribes, the Quality of which is subtracted from the argument total. The authors and their rivals write further apologia and diatribes to strengthen and weaken the argument respectively. This can be repeated until the parties cease or the matter is brought before Tribunal. At Tribunal the argument total is used as experience points to buy a bonus (if the total is positive) or a penalty (if the total is negative). This modifies the proponent’s debate scores.

Example Polemic, Diatribe, and Apologia

Robert de Charteris, sponsored by Protinus of Verditius, writes a polemic exploring the benefits of his Tribunal integrating with a changing mundane society. Robert has a +2 Communication, Latin 5 (Hermetic use) and Code of Hermes 10. Robert sets the level of the polemic at 4, one less than the maximum he can manage as he wants to focus on the quality of his argument. The polemic has a Level of 4 and a Quality of 11 (based on Communication of +2, + 6 as standard, and +3 for reducing the summa Level). It takes Robert a year to write. Protinus then spends the next season trying to get other magi in the Tribunal to read and understand his argument. Distributing to a Tribunal has an Ease Factor of 15. Protinus has a reputation of Reformer 3 (the Tribunal). So the total is 3 (Reputation) + 4 (polemic Level) + 3 (die roll) = 10. Despite the effort (five days of distraction that season), Protinus needs to work another season. This time he gains a +1 for the season already spent and rolls 10 for a total of 18. The book is circulated. Looking at the prevailing wisdom table, influencing something central to the actions of a Tribunal has a base level of 9. The polemic Quality of 11 gives Robert a slight advantage of 2, enough to buy a debate bonus of 1. When word of the polemic reaches Austerius he is incensed and immediately writes and circulates a diatribe. It has a quality of 11 (Communication of +2 +6 +3 from his Good Teacher Virtue), which reduces the advantage to –9, which translates to a penalty of –3. With the Tribunal coming up fast, Robert writes an apologia and Protinus prepares and circulates several copies. Given his proficiency as a scribe, book binder, and illuminator, Protinus adds a total bonus of +3 for a total of +2 (Communication) + 6 + 3 (bonuses) = 11. This swings the advantage back to Robert for an Argument Total of +2, a debate bonus of +1 on the day.

Austerius Trianomae, the Opponent of Change

Austerius is one of the Trianomae within House Bonisagus, a skilled politician and commentator on the history of the Order, the Houses, Tribunals, and factions found within them, and the laws they abides by. He has made a career out of re-educating those with ideas contrary to his view of the Order. He is ruthless in his support of the status quo and unflinching in his criticism of those who stand against him. Austerius makes the ideal opponent for any characters keen to bring about the integration of the Order into Mythic European society. Characteristics: Int +3, Per –1, Pre –2, Com +3, Str –1, Sta –1, Dex –1, Qik –1 Size: 0 Age: 130 (75) Decrepitude: 3 Warping Score: 8 (20) Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Gentle Gift; Book Learner, Famous, Good Teacher, Hermetic Prestige, Puissant Intrigue*, Quiet Magic, Reserves of Presence**, Subtle Magic; Difficult Underlings, Enfeebled; Fragile Constitution, Slow Caster, Unpredictable Magic, Weak Characteristics * House Virtue ** New Virtue described in insert Personality Traits: Irritable +3, Authoritarian +2, Aggressive +1 Reputations: Bonisagus House Acclaim (House Bonisagus) 4, Scholar On The Code 4 (The Order) Combat: Dodge: Init –1, Attack N/A, Defense –1, Damage N/A Fist: Init –1, Attack –1, Defense –1, Damage –1 Soak: –1 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6– 10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) Abilities: Art of Memory 4 (Tribunal rulings), Artes Liberales 5 (rhetoric), Awareness 2 (alertness), Civil and Canon Law 5 (papal laws), Code of Hermes 10 (mundane relations), Concentration 5 (reading), Dominion Lore 3 (saints), Faerie Lore 2 (faerie forests), Finesse 3 (precision), Folk Ken 4 (magi), Guile 4 (elaborate lies), Infernal Lore 2 (curses), Intrigue 5+2 (alliances), Latin 5 (Hermetic usage), Leadership 3 (intimidation), Living Language 5 (poetry), Magic Lore 3 (magical traditions), Magic Theory 8 (inventing spells), Organization Lore: Order of Hermes 5 (politics), Parma Magica 5 (Mentem), Penetration 4 (Mentem), Philosophiae 4 (moral philosophy), Teaching 3 (Code of Hermes), Theology 3 (heresy) Arts: Cr 25, In 17, Mu 10, Pe 9, Re 16, An 9, Aq 8, Au 8, Co 15, He 12, Ig 10, Im 14, Me 24, Te 8, Vi 15 Twilight Scars: Faint smell of funerary incense; Shadow moves on its own; Flames dim and extinguish entering a room Equipment: Austerius does not carry equipment as he has servants and other hangers-on to do that for him. As a senior magus of note he expects access to whatever he needs wherever he goes. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Spells Known: Opening the Tome of the Animal’s Mind (InAn 25/+25) The Gentle Beast (ReAn 25/+24) Cheating the Reaper (CrCo 30/+48) The Leap of Homecoming (ReCo 35/+30) Converse with Plant and Tree (InHe 25/+28) Lamp Without Flame (CrIg 10/+34) Communication of the Heroes (CrMe 55/+57) *** Intelligence of the Heroes (CrMe 55/+57) *** Sight of the Transparent Motive (InMe 10/+40) Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie (InMe 20/+40) Posing the Silent Question (InMe 20/+40) Peering into the Mortal Mind (InMe 30/+40) Calm the Motion of the Heart (PeMe 15/+32) Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe 20/+39) Stone Tell of the Mind that Sits (InTe 30/+24) Odor of Lingering Magic (InVi 30/+31) Piercing the Magical Veil (InVi 20/+31) *** Personal versions of spells first presented in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages Vis: Austerius has little need for vis outside of the laboratory as he rarely casts spells. He can draw on considerable sums of vis of all arts when needed, however. Appearance: Austerius is a visibly elderly man with spindly veined fingers, sparse white hair, and a prodigious white beard. His bent and bowed frame is far from inspiring but he can occasionally summon up the energy to stand straight, cast aside his walking stick, and throw off the weight of years that holds him down. His robes conform to no mundane convention and while simply cut they are embroidered with what looks like an entire tractatus on the Code of Hermes. Austerius is perilously close to Final Twilight and his Longevity Rituals are now harder to maintain, and yet he will not concede quietly. He has invented rituals to return his powers of intelligence and communication and it is his intention to use those for as long as he can. He is a bully and refers to people, events, and things as “wearisome,” “tiresome,” “troublesome,” and “meddlesome” in equal measure. He is a staunch opponent to any integration with mundane society and has not ventured into the world for many, many years. He never created a talisman nor bound a familiar, considering both a bothersome distraction. He took apprentices, the last of whom calls himself Abacus. Austerius treats Abacus like a burdensome and dull student, despite his seventy years. It is a relationship that is manifest in Abacus’ Tormenting Master Flaw and in Austerius’ Difficult Underlings Flaw; Abacus is always eager to show his master up as the senile fool he considers him to be. New Virtue: Reserves of Presence As with the standard Reserves of Strength Minor Virtue (ArM5, page 48), once per day your character is able to draw on internal strength and add +3 to her Presence characteristic for the duration of a single scene. The effort is potentially tiring and your character must make two fatigue rolls at the end of the scene in addition to losing the +3 bonus.

Story Seed: Interception With the debate due the season after next, Austerius is bound to pull his usual trick of publishing a diatribe close enough to the Tribunal that there is no chance to respond. If he does, he’ll take the advantage. And so his opponents resolve to steal the texts, or delay their publication, or intercept them and change them in some way. All they need to do is learn how and when he is circulating the manuscripts. Story Seed: The Missing Letters Preparing for an important debate and planning to confront his opponent with his own words by way of testimony, the magus discovers that the correspondence has been stolen. The magus and his allies must find the stolen letters before debate begins, but when the trail points to someone closer to home the magus must consider whether he’s right to pursue the matter further.

Protinus Velox of Verditius, Supporter of Change

Protinus is a rarity within House Verditius: a somewhat selfless magus. Only “somewhat,” as he is still concerned about his own well-being, but his principle means of supporting himself is through supporting others. He wants to see the restrictions on interacting with wider society loosened as he can see the market for magical devices and services, and views so much of it as untapped. This would principally benefit those in his House, and if he can claim some of the credit at the vital moment his stock within his House will rise. So he is willing to lend tacit support and encouragement to any who take up the cause. A skilled scribe and bookbinder, his magical crafts are most effectively put to use in Intellego magics, at which he excels, though he does a good trade in his famous “spell books,” which contain various enchantments that allow companions to go about tasks without the oversight of magi. Characteristics: Int +2, Per +2, Pre 0, Com 0, Str 0, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik 0 Size: 0 Age: 75 (50) Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 6 (15) Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Major Magical Focus (Books); Affinity with Magic Theory, Personal Vis Source (Vim), Puissant Magic Theory, Reforging Enchanted Items**, Skilled Parens, Social Contacts (magi), Verditius Magic*; Dark Secret (frequent sale of enchanted books to mundanes), Magic Addiction; Averse to Risk***, Hubris, Limited Magic Resistance (Mentem) * Free House Virtue ** Verditius Inner Mystery *** Flaw gained as part of Mystery Initiation Personality Traits: Generous +2, Hubris +2, Manipulative +1 Reputations: None Combat: Dodge: Init +0, Attack N/A, Defense +0, Damage N/A Fist: Init +0, Attack +1, Defense +0, Damage +0 Soak: +0 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) Abilities: Artes Liberales 4 (astronomy), Awareness 2 (alertness), Bargain 2 (magical services), Charm 3 (being witty), Code of Hermes 3 (mundane relations), Concentration 4 (lab work), Craft: Blacksmith 2 (enchanted items), Craft: Bookbinding 5 (books for enchantment), Finesse 5 (craft magic), Intrigue 3 (alliances), Latin 5 (Hermetic usage), Leadership 3 (laboratory work), Living Language 5 (local dialect), Magic Theory 12+2 (enchanting items), Parma Magica 3 (Mentem), Penetration 2 (Corpus), Philosophiae 5 (laboratory work), Scribe 4 (copying Lab Texts), Teaching 1 (bookbinding), Verditius Cult Lore 4 (initiating others) Arts: Cr 13, In 19, Mu 10, Pe 11, Re 11, An 5, Aq 5, Au 5, Co 11, He 5, Ig 15, Im 5, Me 7, Te 10, Vi 12 Twilight Scars: His blood has been turned to ink. Equipment: Quills and other writing implements, an enchanted tome which can reproduce most of Protinus’ spell effects. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Spells Known: The Inexorable Search (InCo 20/+30) Pilum of Fire (CrIg 20/+28) Tales of the Ashes (InIg 5/+34) Ward Against Heat and Flames (ReIg 25/+26) The Ear for Distant Voices (InIm 20/+24) Summoning the Distant Image (InIm 25/+24) The Miner’s Keen Eye (InTe 20/+29) The Crystal Dart (Mu(Re)Te 10/+20) Scales of the Magical Weight (InVi 5/+31) Piercing the Faerie Veil (InVi 20/+31) Piercing the Magical Veil (InVi 20/+31) Gather the Essence of the Beast (ReVi 15/+23) Vis: Protinus has a private supply of vim vis worth four pawns per year, the source of which he keeps secret. Appearance: A tall and confident magus armed with a wry smile and a dry wit, he seems unflappable and shows little emotion, except perhaps an amused detachment. His thinning hair is still dark and his grey eyes still retain a striking presence. He has a somewhat grey pallor though, the result of the magical accident that turned his blood to ink. Protinus knows that he has crossed the line when it comes to selling devices to mundanes. Across Mythic Europe there are barons and bishops alike with books that allow them to see and hear what is happening in a remote place, there are knights able to read illnesses and injuries into their opponents before tournaments, and there are merchants who seem to have their rivals’ ledgers open in front of them. And what’s more, each of these books has pages free for yet more enchantments. So Protinus is keen to have the Peripheral Code clarified in favor of integration somewhere and he is willing to support those who will do it for him. He uses a series of quills as his casting tools. As he casts a spell he draws the quill through the air, which leaves an inky trail that dissipates with the casting. However, his difficulties with actually casting spells means that he normally relies on great tome enchanted with most of his spells. His familiar is a large pristine male swan who is not above surrendering the odd feather in order to make quills for particularly important projects. Protinus is the kind of man who seems to know everyone and his social contacts may prove useful to those seeking broad support for grand ideas.

Responding with Apologia

Apologia may be written in response either to diatribe or to the original polemic to further strengthen the argument. In both cases, the magus spends a season studying the associated work before writing either summa or tractatus in defense of the original argument, which must then be circulated as described above.

Apologia need not be written by the polemic’s original author. If others can be persuaded to actively support the cause their works can be used instead, demonstrating the true value of spreading the word.

By recruiting others to the cause, and persuading them to write in favor of the motion, a potentially higher bonus can be brought to Tribunal. If non-player characters are used in this manner their involvement should be the result of story interactions. Player characters are of course recruited by the usual means, as is appropriate for the player group.

On writing or circulating an apologia, the magus gains a new Reputation: Supporter of (ideal) 1 (Tribunal/ House/Order), or 5 experience points towards increasing that Reputation if he already has it.

Taking the Debate to Tribunal

The cycle of diatribe and apologia continues until all magi involved in the cycle cease contributing or the debate is brought to Tribunal.

The proponent of the argument may choose not to debate it at the next Tribunal, in which case the work of persuading the Tribunal through the written word may continue and any argument total generated so far carries over.

Where the debate is won, indicated by a positive Argument Strength at the end of the debate, any bonus from circulating the texts also carries over to subsequent Tribunals, including debates held at foreign or even the Grand Tribunal. If the debate is lost however, at either the original or subsequent Tribunal, then the bonus is lost and cannot be applied in future.

Importantly, while the victory may not be enough to have the motion carried at that Tribunal, the percentage of parties neutral and hostile to the motion that were persuaded remains and should be recorded. This becomes the starting position for future debates within that same arena.

There is no special experience point benefit from taking a debate to trial, although winning the debate is certain cause for experience.

Charters

Mythic Europe is a place governed by rights and obligations. The feudal structure is one in which vassal bears an obligation of service to his liege, and the liege grants rights of freedom, support, and justice to his vassals.

Once the Order has determined to change its stance on involving itself in the mundane world, the Order, or more likely each Tribunal or even covenant, is in a position to agree certain rights granted by the mundane rulers of the region to the Order, and obligations owed in return. As we have seen above, many of the activities that magi take for granted are likely to be of questionable legality if undertaken by mundanes, and these need to be enshrined as rights. This, after all, is at the heart of this change to Mythic Europe: the provision and protection of rights secured from the mundane rules of Mythic Europe.

The principle means of recording agreement between parties is the charter. Most often these charters are written from a position of power (whom we’ll call the superior signatory) and grant certain rights to subordinates identified within the charter (whom we’ll call the subordinate signatory).

Each charter begins with a formal address, which clearly identifies both the superior and the subordinate signatories. This is followed by a series of declarations, or clauses that outline the rights and obligations of both parties. All charters must be witnessed, so the charter concludes with a list of those present who witnessed the agreement. Finally, almost all charters bear the seals of at least the superior signatory and potentially the subordinate. All signatories usually then receive their own copies of the charter as proof of the agreement.

Charters exist between parties with a clear difference in power, such as a king and his barons, or a landowner and his tenants. Examples may be the granting of a market to a town by the king in return for certain taxes, or an agreement by the king to uphold the provisions of an earlier charter. But they also exist between parties of similar influence, such as charters agreed by noble families ahead of a dynastic marriage.

Any agreement, the details of which need to be formally recognized, is written, signed, and communicated as a charter — grants of land, taxation, commitment to service, betrothal, and so on — and magi increasingly find themselves entering into these contracts with the nobility as the Order engages with the mundane world.

Story Seed: Oath or Contract A Quaesitor, alerted to a growing closeness between a covenant and the bishop of their lands, finds the magi working closely with the Church. In all respects the covenant appears to be at the bishop’s beck and call, but there is no denying the prosperity, resources, and respect the covenant seems to enjoy. The covenant explains that they have entered into a contract with the bishop: the covenant provides “counsel” and “beneficial action,” while the bishop concedes right and responsibility over all magical and faerie happenings and places within his diocese. The contract is signed with the covenant’s seal and none of the magus’ names appear on it. This may skirt the right side of the Code, but when the bishop awards them the income of a vis source that belongs to another covenant has the contract now deprived another magus of his magical power?

Optional Rule: Charter Strength

For the most part, once a charter has been agreed and signed by all affected parties the charter is binding, but the astute politician may try to hide weaknesses within the provisions of the charter that allow him more freedom than the charter at first appears to provide. To represent this a charter has two scores: the superior charter strength, and the subordinate charter strength.

The superior score represents the position of strength gained by the superior signatory to the charter. The subordinate score represents the position of strength gained by the subordinate signatory to the charter.

Development of a charter is a seasonal activity undertaken by one or more notaries or clerks skilled in Civil and Canon Law (or Common Law in England), each representing one of the signatories.

The principle notary on each side generates a charter strength score:

Charter Strength

Intelligence + Civil and Canon Law + Stress Die

There is a default of three botch dice for this roll, reduced by one for each notary assigned to the task beyond the first, and a botch reduces the Charter Strength for that side to zero, essentially meaning that it provides no legal defense.

Once complete, the charter is binding. Each side may seek weaknesses in the charter, however, in order to justify acting against certain provisions. For example, a charter agreeing the inheritance of certain lands may not take account of local laws or customs prohibiting females of the line inheriting land ahead of male cousins.

To look for such weaknesses, the signatory or his agent spends a season examining the charter and the supporting legal texts and then makes an Intelligence + Civil and Canon Law stress roll against the opposing side’s charter strength. If the roll is higher than the opposing charter strength then a legal loophole has been discovered and the signatory has legal justification for breaking one or more provisions of the contract.

Of course, if a charter is breached too frequently, both sides may start to consider it worthless and then either side may feel the need to renegotiate a new charter.

Military Service and Wizard War Charters of rights and service between mundanes and magi inevitably involve some form of military obligation. It is simply one of the expectations of the liege-vassal relationship. But, for all their power, the battlefield is not generally the place for magi. It is dangerous, sets a deadly precedent, and is likely to cause unearthly carnage, not to mention the prospect of coming faceto-face with a Hermetic opponent assisting the other side. So how does the Order approach this problem? Firstly, military service does not have to be provided in person. The obligation is to provide service in the form of a number of armed men or to pay scutage to the liege so that mercenaries can be hired. Individual Tribunals may rule that magi must avoid providing service in person. They may also rule on the nature of scutage paid, with some Tribunals mandating silver and others allowing minor enchantments. But for those magi intent on entering battle, such as certain members of House Flambeau, the position of the Order may be difficult to determine. The conduct of Wizard War is something for each Tribunal to rule upon in their own Peripheral Code, however the core interpretation is that notice of a lunar month must be provided before hostilities commence. Despite this, a given Tribunal may view Hermetic participants in battle to have forfeited any protection the Code provides. While this pushes the responsibility to the magi themselves, mercenary magi may attempt to take advantage of this and settle old scores on the battlefield, secure in the knowledge that their actions are legal. Alternatively, the Order may continue to take a very dim view of such things and may bring charges against any magus attacking another outside of formally declared Wizard War regardless of the situation. It is for individual sagas to determine their preferred approach.

Grants of Land

Charters granting rights or title of lands are common. They are frequently used by the nobility to gift land to the Church, or to some other lay person or organization.

Rather than giving the land in its entirety, the income from certain land or a certain feature such as a mill or a toll gate can be granted instead. This can be granted in perpetuity, for a set number of years, or until some condition has been fulfilled.

These grants may also have certain conditions imposed that the beneficiary must meet, or restrictions upon the grant’s use. For instance, land may be given to the Church so that a new chapel may be built upon it, or farming rights extended to the people of a certain village.

For magi of the Order, the grant of right and title over certain lands and resources would be increasingly useful. First, covenants need land upon which to build and as magi have a preference for land bearing a Magic aura any grant is going to be quite specific. Second, as vis sources are found, magi need to at least secure access to the site and collection rights. They may also want to secure assurances that the land remains in its current state and is not built upon or otherwise harmed.

All of this applies in the same manner to other Magic and Faerie auras. Without agreement as to how certain lands are to be treated, Magic and Faerie auras remain at risk.

Charters of Rights and Obligations

The Bishop of Speyer extended both land and rights to the Jewish community in 1084. In particular, he set aside some land for their use on condition that they paid rent totaling three and a half pounds of silver annually. He also granted the right of rabbis to hear cases between Jews, for the Jewish people to change gold and silver, and to buy and sell whatever they wished. There was even a provision supporting Jewish dietary laws, which allowed such meat as could not be consumed by the Jews to be sold to Christians.

While the Bishop of Speyer gave away certain rights he also imposed a condition, an obligation to pay rent on the land. In this way charters define the obligations on both sides. The feudal contract, for instance, ensures that the knight provides service to his liege and also that the liege protects the interests of his vassal.

Magi may want to the right to take apprentices enshrined in some form of charter. Similarly, magi may want the right to own any kind of familiar to be protected. They may also want the right for allegations of wrongdoing by magi to be heard in their own courts. However, the Order currently restricts what they can offer back.

Examples of Charters

The Concordat of Worms signed in 1122 bound Pope Calixtus II and the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V to a division of rights. Among other terms, Calixtus conceded that Henry had the right to grant secular power to bishops and that they would owe fealty to him on that basis. In return, Henry conceded that he did not have the power to appoint individuals to clerical office.

Perhaps the most famous charter is the Magna Carta signed by King John of England and his nobles in 1215. The intention was to limit the powers of the king and restore proper feudal rights and obligations to the land. The charter very quickly proved unenforceable, however, with even Pope Innocent III releasing John from its obligations. Later versions, produced after John’s death, were more successful.

Assuming that history remains the same in your saga, King Henry III of England grants the university in Cambridge the right to discipline its own members. Tacit in the charter is recognition of its status as a university.

Papal Bulls are types of charter issued by the Pope but they are usually unilateral in nature and concern any matter on which the Pope finds it necessary to make a decree. For instance, Pope Honorius III issued a bull forbidding the study of civil law in Paris, intending to promote theological studies in its stead. The terms of the bull ultimately proved unenforceable.

Using Magic for Political Leverage

The transformation is principally a political one and does not directly rely on magic of any kind; the hardest task is persuading the Order to change. But once the Order does decide to involve itself in the world, there are responsibilities that can be met through magic. Magic can be used as a bargaining tool to persuade the nobility and the Church to supportm the development of a fourth estate. For instance, the hardship of a failing harvest can be alleviated through magic. Hospitals can be enchanted or use enchanted tools and materials. Great cathedrals can be made bigger and more impressive through the efforts of magical craftsmen. Courts can determine the truth of events more easily. Magic can permeate the world. All these things can be done through standard Hermetic magic and the opportunities are limited only by the troupe’s collective imagination.

The categories below avoid directly engaging with and advising the nobility. They all provide services to the population without forcing any particular governance upon a king or local lord. Given the beneficial effects, however, those in power would do well to take advantage of what their Hermetic neighbors can offer. This provides the Order with considerable political leverage when negotiating rights with the nobility.

Successful displays of magic, wherein the magus makes a positive difference to the lives and well-being of a population, are likely to build his reputation in support of closer integration between the Order and the mundane world.

Once the magus has published a polemic in favor of the Order integrating itself into society, any device containing an effect of sixth magnitude or more given over to a community or noble (or a spell of similar magnitude cast to the same aim) earns the magus one experience point towards his Proponent of (ideal) Reputation.

Realm Aligned Spells and Other Techniques

One of the challenges that magi face when attempting to use their magic within society is the deleterious effects of the Dominion. God’s grace is prevalent throughout Mythic Europe and the East and all magical powers are affected. Magi may want to find ways around the problem that don’t involve the years of self-sacrifice and piety needed to gain Holy Magic. Houses of Hermes: True Lineages provided a number of sample Hermetic Breakthroughs that any researchinclined magus might pursue. One of those was “realm-aligned spells.” This allows a spell to be designed such that it ignores the penalty of an aura that might be detrimental to a normal spell. As described in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 34, this is a Minor Breakthrough. However, this still does not allow Hermetic spells to overcome the Dominion. Sagas keen to allow this may set this as a Hermetic Breakthrough, requiring a significant investment in time and resources. There are two likely alternatives. Legends of Hermes details the work of the maga Bonisagi Conciatta. Her lost research provides a means of reducing the penalties imposed by auras including the Dominion. If it can be found, her work should provide enough insight to integrate what she learned back into Magic Theory. Lastly, Hedge Magic Revised Edition introduces learned magicians and they, too, have a means of overcoming the effects of supernatural auras through their Entreat the Powers Virtue. This can be investigated and integrated with Magic Theory using the rules in Ancient Magic. Troupes may prefer to concentrate on the political aspect of creating a Hermetic fourth estate, in which case you can assume that some or all of the above initiatives are being worked on somewhere else in the Order. There are stories to be had in dealing with the integration of such effects and they are worth visiting upon your player characters from time to time. Spells or Devices Magi are quite used to enchanting devices that they can then give or sell to someone else. Once done, the magus can move onto other projects while the device’s new owner can go away and perform their own minor and restricted miracles. But if a covenant, House, or Order wants to build a place for itself in society it must think carefully about such tactics. If a magus gives a noble a device that can mature a crop in a single day, the magus receives payment once. However, if the noble relies upon the magus attending his fields and casting his magic each time, the magus receives payment each time and the noble becomes accustomed to the dependence he has on the magus. This does not apply to all devices. After all, a magus does not want to attend every tournament with his patron, so enchanted arms and armor may be appropriate.

Health and Pestilence

Along with war, the threat of pestilence and plague ranks with the prospect of failed harvests as among the biggest fears for a society reliant on farming. After seeing that magic can alleviate these fears, mundanes start to look upon magi of the Order more kindly.

The Care of the Sick

Local priories and chapels across Mythic Europe provide hospitals in some form or other that tend to the sick and injured. Their success is often limited by the somewhat variable knowledge of those who staff such places, however. Magic can provide a much more reliable means of curing disease and healing wounds by supplementing the efforts of mundane physicians.

While not catered for in this chapter, it is not just mundane healing that Hermetic magi can assist with. There are many minor magical traditions, such as the Ba’al Shem (Realms of Power: The Divine Revised Edition) and the Folk Witches (Hedge Magic) who often act as healers to their communities. If the Order of Hermes wishes to engage with mundane society in this way, it would be sensible to embrace these other traditions too for fear of displacing them and causing unwanted resentment.

Art & Academe provides a lot of useful information on medicinal magic, including new spell guidelines for the treatment of disease and techniques for magical surgery. Supporting a hospital, or providing cures and treatments for wounds and diseases, may be a politically astute move. It proves that magical power can be applied responsibly, assists others who are engaged in similar work, and addresses a real and present fear.

Though rare, leper colonies can be found across Mythic Europe. These are charitable institutions that show the mercy and compassion of their benefactors. As well as providing funds, those with power often grant rights to the lepers to collect alms on certain days in order to supplement the colony’s income. The Church often grants indulgences to those who help. Magi, if they are to take their place as a fourth estate, should also show willing and can do so through their magic.

Living Conditions

Hermetic magic cannot currently directly improve the living conditions modifiers used in aging roles, except through the provision of longevity rituals. Magic can be used indirectly however and, as Covenants pages 111 and 121 describes, it has been used by magi in their own laboratories.

For every 40 levels of spells or enchantments used to improve the target living conditions, residents gain a +1 living conditions modifier.

A magus could create devices that drive away rats, balance out the temperature, dispel foul odors, or keep meat from spoiling. As long as the effects are powerful enough, they all contribute to improving the living conditions modifier.

This, of course, comes at a cost: things under such long-term enchantments gain Warping over time. It is not just people or animals that gain warping, their surroundings do as well. As described in ArM5 page 168, targets under two level 20 enchantments gain two Warping Points each year. Targets under a single level 40 enchantment gain five Warping Points per year.

The nearby table shows the progression of the Warping over time including the points at which those targets gain Flaws and then a Virtue. Some may view this as an acceptable trade-off. Of course, mundanes unfamiliar with the notion of Warping or its effects may not pay attention to the risks and request such enchantments regardless.

The careful magus ensures that any effects designed to enhance living conditions do not target the individuals themselves but always their environment. An enchantment that makes the castle temperate all year round does not affect the inhabitants, but it may affect the castle itself.

Warping While Under Constant Magical Effects

The following tables show the impact on targets subject to enchantments that have been designed to improve the living conditions modifier by +1. They assume that the effect’s targets have no prior Warping Points. The first table assumes two level 20 enchantments. Year Points Gained Warping Score Notes 3 6 1 Gain a Minor Flaw 15 30 3 Gain a Minor Flaw 38 76 5 Gain a Minor Virtue 53 106 6 Gain a Major Flaw 70 140 7 Gain a Major Flaw The second table assumes a single level 40 enchantment producing five warping points per year. Year Points Gained Warping Score Notes 1 5 1 Gain a Minor Flaw 6 30 3 Gain a Minor Flaw 16 75 5 Gain a Minor Virtue 21 105 6 Gain a Major Flaw 28 140 7 Gain a Major Flaw Note that as per Realms of Power: Magic, page 132, matter may spontaneously rarify and form an elemental when that matter reaches a Warping Score of 5. Appropriate Virtues and Flaws A warped building may gain Virtues and Flaws that affect the building itself, or modify its surroundings in such a way that the effects are passed on to its inhabitants. For instance, the building may become Offensive to Animals (ArM5, page 57), in which case animals try to avoid it. Or it could gain Poor Eyesight or Poor Hearing (ArM5, page 58), representing a low and clinging mist that dulls sound and is hard to see through. The effects of these two obviously apply to those within and around the building. When the building gains its Virtue through Warping, Luck (ArM5, page 45) may be appropriate, or some kind of Study Bonus (ArM5, page 49). Alternatively, magical Qualities (Realms of Power: Magic, chapter 2) can be selected. The building may become Gigantic or gain a Personal Power (an effect of Personal Range OR constant duration of up to 25 levels).

Can Magi Really Heal Lepers? Although most are not aware of it, there are at least two forms of leprosy known in Mythic Europe. The first is Hermetic leprosy, which in essence is little more than the symptoms of leprosy. It is created by magic, though the learning of such spells is hard to justify. The second form is true leprosy and is a Divine curse. It is for your saga to decide whether a magus can cure such a curse, but there are things that could be done. The magus can improve the living conditions modifier of the colony through magic to keep the air clean, fresh, and of a suitable temperature, or a ward to keep rats and other vermin away. By improving the living conditions, the magus counters some of the effect of the disease, which imposes a –2 living conditions modifier and does most of its damage during aging crises.

Longevity Effects

Longevity Rituals created for those without supernatural abilities from any realm are less effective than those created for magi. The rules on ArM5, page 101 apply for this. In short, the magus needs a Creo Corpus Lab Total of at least 30. The vis cost is one pawn of vis for every five years that the recipient has lived (rounded up) and the benefit is a +1 bonus for every ten points (or fraction) of the Lab Total.

There is nothing to restrict a magus from striking a deal with the wealthy and influential to provide Longevity Rituals, and on the face of it there seems to be no undue political influence. But there are three factors to consider.

The first is the obvious cost of Warping; the beneficiary of the Longevity Ritual gains one Warping Point per year. As discussed under improving living conditions, Warping soon aggregates to form Flaws that could cause real problems to the unprepared. There is no guarantee ahead of time what those Flaws will be and Hermetic magic, at least, cannot control them.

The second problem is that people start to outlive their welcome, or rather the patience of those in waiting grows short as they see what they consider their rightful positions remaining filled by the incumbents.

And the third, of course, is the loss of fertility that comes with extending one’s own life. This may not be an issue for magi as they pass their legacy on through their knowledge, but a noble’s legacy is passed through blood.

Longevity Story Seeds The following seeds are appropriate where mundanes have been given longevity potions. 'Too Long an Inheritance The son and heir of one of the covenant’s companions brings a complaint against the covenant for depriving him of his due inheritance. They have bestowed a Longevity Ritual upon the noble’s father and he sees his inheritance slipping away from him; while he ages, his father does not. He demands recompense from the magi in the form of lands or income equal in value to those taken from him by the magi. Oil of Snake and Those Who Trade in Such A bishop approaches a covenant half in anger and half in concern on a matter of some delicacy. He paid a magus handsomely for the secrets of longevity and while he has been carrying out the ritual daily and as instructed, his skin seems to thin, his eyes to line, and his girth to increase. Why has his longevity failed him, he asks? It doesn’t take the magi long to realize that the bishop is not under any Longevity Ritual and never has been. Who is the fraud that has cast the Order in a bad light? A faerie come to show up the venality of the rich? A charlatan trading on the Order’s good name? Or an angel come to test the bishop? Perhaps the question is, which one would be worse? The Need for an Heir The noble who only four years ago gained his Longevity Ritual suffers the tragedy of losing his only son. He now wants to father an heir in the years he has left for fear of his lands being torn apart by squabbling brothers and nephews. If the magi cannot help him, can they broker a deal with a faerie or some other wizard gifted with fertility magic? If they don’t, the Infernal lies in wait to offer a solution to the problem.

Harvests and Livestock

Harvests are vital to the economy and the well-being of the population. Magic that can, at least, protect harvests and potentially increase their yield or frequency is a huge bargaining chip. Increasing yield may not always be a good thing, however. The third estate, those who toil, already toil quite hard to produce what they do. And while it is true to say that there is never as much of anything as some would like, there is always more than enough work that needs doing.

The year of those who work the lands turns with the seasons. They have seasons of hard toil in the fields, and then other times to rest, recuperate, repair what’s broken, and then prepare for the cycle all over again.

The following magical effects are useful to both covenants and mundanes alike as they allow the fields and orchards to provide their normal yields out of season and to reduce wastage due to failed crops or illness among the livestock.

The Unexpected Blossom

ReHe 40

R: Touch, D: Momentary, T: Group

This spell instantly brings a small orchard to blossom regardless of the season or the conditions. This does not bring the fruit, and a further spell of the same design parameters is needed for this. If that spell is not cast, the elements take their natural toll on the blossom, which may mean that the trees bear no fruit at all. Crops grown from seed, such as roots like turnips and radishes, leafy crops such as cabbage or lettuce, and grains like wheat and barley, do not blossom in the same way as trees. and thus variants of this spell are of limited value. Such spells are powerful and, unless they are designed with particular orchards or fields in mind, they give each plant within the target group one Warping Point with each casting. An alternative approach is to put a similar effect into an enchanted device that works on a single tree at a time but with multiple uses per day. This allows a mundane farmer to walk the orchard and bring trees to blossom as he passes. This is another example of how magic can flow down to those who work the land.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +2 Group, +2 for size)

A Harvest By Morning

CrHe 50

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Group

Creo magic brings a thing closer to its ideal, and being a mature plant is more ideal than a sapling, so this spell brings a target group of plants to full maturity over the course of the spell’s duration, which must begin as soon as the sun goes down. While The Unexpected Blossom makes a group of trees blossom, it must have mature plants to work on, which this spell provides.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +2 size)

Similar spells to these might be used to bring animals to maturity over the course of a single night:

A Herd By Morning

CrAn 45

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Group

This spell brings the target group of up to a hundred base individual animals to full maturity over the course of the spell’s duration, which must begin as soon as the sun goes down.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +1 size)

Protecting Livestock From Predators

The other half of the farming landscape is the livestock out in the fields. There are many threats to the safety and wellbeing of livestock, from illness to predators. Wolves and dogs on the loose are a real threat to sheep and goats, but magic can protect them. Wards may seem an obvious answer; simply ward the sheep in and the wolves out. But circular wards are easily disrupted, meaning they are unreliable unless tended.

The effects suggested below can be enchanted into a device, which is then built into a fence or pen. Variants of the effects below can be invented to protect pig sties and chicken coops, though the prospect of fanged and vicious chickens may cause some concern.

Sight of the Wolf

InAn 33

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Special

This effect treats an enclosed paddock or sheepcote as the equivalent of a room and the size increase allows for an area ten times the size of a standard room. The effect detects the presence of wolves within this space, which may then trigger a number of secondary effects. The Target is based on Room +1, as described in ArM5, page 114.

(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +3 Special Target, +1 Size; +3 triggered at sunset)

The Unerring Slingshot

PeAn 58 Pen: 1/day, +0 R: Touch, D: Momentary, T: Special

Triggered by the Sight of the Wolf effect, and thereby triggered when a wolf enters the enclosure, this effect instantly strikes dead all wolves within the enclosure. Only targets identified by the Sight of the Wolf are affected. The Target is based on Room +1, as described in ArM5, page 114.

(Base 30, +1 Touch, +3 Special Target, +1 Size; +3 triggered by Sight of the Wolf)

Wolves in Sheeps’ Clothing

MuAn 48 Pen: 1/day, +0 R: Touch, D: Diameter, T: Special

As an alternative to simply striking the wolf dead, this effect, also triggered by Sight of the Wolf, changes the sheep within the enclosure such that they each gain the fangs, claws, and ferocity of a wolf. The target is based on Room +1, as described in ArM5, page 114.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +1 Diameter, +3 Special Target, +1 Size; +3 triggered by Sight of the Wolf)

Castles and Cathedrals

Hermetic Projects provides extensive material supporting the construction of large buildings. This includes a number of device effects that allow masons to build faster and to a higher quality. These could be leveraged by magi to follow a profession as an architect or mason, or as a supplier of tools and services to the same.

This allows magic to influence the look and structure of towns, castles, cathedrals, and even smaller settlements and buildings. With construction made easier and quicker, buildings can become taller and more impressive with the same outlay on labor. This changes the skyline as buildings compete. City walls also become taller and thicker, beyond even the needs of defense: indicators of status and power.

Parish churches, at least those surrounding covenants providing such assistance, become larger. This may serve to influence the piety of the parishioners and strengthen the effect of the Dominion in the local area.

Using Creo rituals, or Rego craft magic, castles and cathedrals can be built in moments, creating structures instantly where investments of years would have been necessary. The quality of such buildings suffers as with any magic reliant on Finesse rolls (see ArM5, page 77 for details on the Finesse Rolls used for Creo magic), but there is nothing stopping a magus creating the base structure so that mundane craftsmen can complete the work. Indeed, making the structures simple yet sound actually reduces the complexity of the spell.

Aegis of the Hearth

The Aegis of the Hearth ritual can be cast annually, offers protection against many magical and faerie threats, and importantly it does not Warp those living within it. Extending the offer of the Aegis of the Hearth to those of influence is certainly a way to build trust and can be used as leverage in future bargaining. Protecting a castle with the Aegis is a trivial matter as most covenants are of similar size to mundane castles or manor houses. Protecting anything larger, such as a village, town, or city, requires additional size modifiers to be designed into new variants.

Peace and Governance

The Order cannot take on the role of governance as the fourth estate, but it can lend its magic to make the decisions behind governance easier. There are three main areas that magic can assist with: the deliverance of justice; the enforcement of agreements and contracts; and the verification of inheritance.

Story Seed: Who Will Rid Me of This Troublesome Magus? After many disagreements over the rights of magi within his kingdom, the king rages against the Praeco, culminating in the rhetorical question “who will rid me of this troublesome magus?” These private words reach the ears of both the player companions and a trio of ambitious and loyal knights. Can the companions safely assume the words to be the product of harmless frustration, or are the players now tasked with foiling a murder that nobody wants or the death of three knights seemingly acting on the orders of their king? Story Seed: The Disagreement of Kings After the death of the Praeco, two kings with lands in the same Tribunal clash over who they want as the next praeco. This is not how the Order does things; the position of praeco is granted by right, not elected. Can the player magi, acting as envoys to the kings, come to an accommodation? Does this issue risk breaking the trust that had been so hard-won? And what has the pope to say on the matter?

Truth and Justice

There are many Intellego Mentem spells that a magus can use to determine the truth of an individual’s statement. That is, there are many spells that can be used to determine whether the individual considers his statement true, which is not always the same thing. With the ability to converse with trees, spirits, ghosts, animals, and even stones, a magus increases the number of witnesses that they can call upon to when making their own judgment as to the facts of a given case.

But as members of the fourth estate, separate from those who govern, magi do not themselves hold court (unless so appointed by the legitimate rulers of their lands). At best their talents can be called upon to provide additional testimony or to pass opinion as to the truth of certain statements. The social effects of The Gift cannot be underestimated, however, and magi would do well to consider means of countering it, such as providing written testimony.

Compelling a witness or the accused in any way would certainly seem to be against the laws of natural justice to us, but in Mythic Europe it is likely to be seen as entirely appropriate. While doing so opens the magus to accusations of undue influence (nobody but the magus knows what spells he has cast), courts may pay handsomely to know the thoughts of those before them and devices with such powers could fetch high prices.

Binding Agreements

Unlike the detection of lies and deceit, most Hermetic magic has no direct way of enforcing oaths and agreements, but there may be Mysteries known to cults of Houses able to place conditional curses on their targets.

There are faeries known to have such powers (Binding Oath in Realms of Power: Faerie, page 56), and the Gruagachan hedge tradition are able to enforce Geasa (Hedge Magic Revised Edition, page 63). Perhaps the investigation and integration of this magic might make for an interesting breakthrough (as per Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 26, or Ancient Magic, page 7). Researching or integrating a particular faerie power might be a Minor Breakthrough, while allowing freedom to vary the parameters and create similar spells may be a Major Breakthrough.

Alternatively, magi of House Merinita may be called upon to bring human and faerie together and allow the faerie to extend its power over all parties, or for a Gruagach to be similarly employed. How this would be received, though, is for the story to decide and there is a risk of offense to all involved.

Inheritance

Inheritance is a deadly serious matter for those of noble blood as questions of blood can decide between wealth and servitude. Potential heirs can swear upon relics and give testimony and account of why they should stand next in line to inherit, but the final decision is usually a matter of judgment. However, assuming the mundane parties choose to trust in wizards, Hermetic magic can assist even here. The following spells are designed specifically with questions of inheritance in mind and additional variants may be possible for Merinita using the Bloodline target (ArM5, page 92).

From This Line Descended

InCo 30

R: Arcane Connection, D: Momentary, T: Individual

This spell reveals whether the target represented by the Arcane Connection is descended from a particular bloodline also represented by either a further connection or a known member of that bloodline in the caster’s presence. The connection or member of the bloodline is treated as the root of the family tree and the caster gains knowledge of how strong that blood is within the veins of the target. This helps the caster to judge the validity of any claims to inheritance. What it can’t do is confirm a target’s right to inherit, as this is dependent on other factors, not least the existence of other claimants and the inheritance laws in question.

(Base 5, +4 Arcane Connection, +1 complexity)

Divining the True Heir

InCo 20

R: Touch, D: Momentary, T: Group

With the various claimants present the magus casts the spell upon the group and learns the relative relationships between the targets of the spell and the target bloodline as represented by an Arcane Connection or known member of the familial line. The caster learns how many generations separate the individuals, who are cousins, and how much of the line’s blood runs in their veins.

Again, this spell is limited as it cannot differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate children, nor can it gain any information about those not present, a crucial part of inheritance law. So this spell is useful for assisting in determining a potential heir from within a group rather than identifying one outright.

(Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Group)

Summoning the Ancestor Spirit

ReCo 45

R: Arcane Connection, D: Ring, T: Individual, ritual

One way of determining the rightful heir to an inheritance is to defer to someone or something that already knows the answer. The magic realm is replete with spirits representing every aspect of God’s creation including, conceivably, spirits of a given bloodline.

Magical spirits of blood can be summoned through the form of Corpus using a base 15 effect as explained in The Mysteries Revised Edition, page 28. This is something that all magi can do and is not reliant on any Mystery initiations.

The caster often prepares a warding circle and then summons the target spirit into that circle. The Arcane Connection used must intimately relate to the target bloodline; a crown for a royal line, a sword passed from father to son, earth from a family estate, and so on. Once summoned, the spirit can be questioned or commanded as normal and if it is powerful enough it should have knowledge of the true heir to the line.

Should the magus wish it, he may also be able to command other information from the spirit concerning those who share its blood.

(Base 15, +4 Arcane Connection, +2 Ring)

Protection from Invasion

Hermetic magic allows for powerful warding effects that can protect places and individuals from harm.

The Impassable River

ReCo 60

R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Special, Ritual

This ritual turns a river into a magical boundary that cannot be crossed by man, woman, or child. It cannot be crossed from either side and those who try may reach midway before they are turned back. Neither bridges nor fords offer any opportunity to cross. They are, however, left unharmed by the magic and they may be used once the spell ends. Variants can be created with the Until (condition) duration or Year, though both of these increase the level by one magnitude.

Magi can create spells with nonstandard Targets quite freely, though they are generally not as optimized as if they had first researched the required Target parameter. In this case, a river is a special form of boundary and the target is particular to this spell so the parameter is treated as Boundary +1, as described in ArM5, page 114.

This ritual is designed to protect lands from invasion or to place a barrier in war’s path by disrupting the ability of one side or the other to travel. Magi working with nobles involved in the dispute may cast such things, even uninvited, to prevent the loss of life and to give parties the opportunity to talk. The unscrupulous may use this to cut off lines of retreat, hemming enemies in and preventing their escape.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +3 Moon, +5 special based on Boundary)

Deny Them the Bridge

ReTe 30

R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Structure

This spell lifts a stone bridge, including its foundations, clear of the river and places it in some spot that the magus can see.

A Perception + Finesse Stress roll is required against a base Ease Factor of 9. Larger bridges, up to the maximum size manageable with this variant, increase the Ease Factor by +3. Failing the roll means one check for damage as per City & Guild, page 77, for each point by which the casting roll failed.

Use of this spell allows the magus to withdraw major bridges from the enemy, controlling their ability to cross rivers in numbers.

(Base 3, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +3 Structure, +1 Stone, +1 size)

The Wizard’s Chevauchee

PeHe 50

R: Sight, D: Momentary, T: Group

Wizards should not be angered. With this spell, the caster lays waste to any and all living plants that he can see, for around sixty acres. As a free cosmetic effect the plants are consumed by a magical fire that races across the ground as the caster shifts his gaze. The fire is selective and leaves dead plants, wood, and all other things untouched.

There can be little excuse for casting this spell and even less for enchanting it into a device and giving it to mundanes. However, the threat of it may be enough to keep covenant lands free from the interference of others.

(Base 5, +3 Sight, +2 Group, +4 size)

Stories of the Fourth Estate

The achievement of a fourth estate is not the end of the story; it is the beginning of a new paradigm. As such, the saga continues with the same mix of stories as before with the addition of those that arise from the Order engaging with society and a more relaxed attitude on questions of interference.

Interest From Other Magical Traditions

While the local environment and political situation can be made better through magic, there are wider considerations. Magical traditions from elsewhere in the world — such as the sorcerers of the Levant and the East or the Scandinavian traditions of the North — may see the Order combined with the mundane world as a stronger threat. This increases the danger to the Order from these forces and sagas may play out this escalating tension.

Here are some guidelines for including this in your sagas.

Story Seed: The Gifted Student The covenant becomes aware of a student studying at a nearby cathedral school who, from all accounts, exhibits signs of The Gift. Investigating, they find that the student is indeed Gifted but that he has apprenticed himself to one of the cathedral school masters, who is an unGifted learned magician. It is clear that the student isn’t aware of his own potential, but he’s glad to finally find someone who appears to understand what’s wrong with him. What right does the covenant have to take the student against his wishes and those of his master?

Hostility

The reconquista in the Iberian peninsula is likely to take on a new dynamic. Christian kings may expect more from their magical allies now that they can act more openly. The retreating Muslim sorcerers may seek more dangerous bargains with the spirits they summon. Some may fall to corruption as demons take advantage of their need. Other covenants of Hermetic magi may see the Muslim cause in Iberia as their calling, which in turn sets up a Tribunal divided.

Elsewhere, thanks to its newlywon closeness with mundane society, tales of the Amazons (see Rival Magic) reach the Order with more immediacy. With alliances at stake, magi are pressed into action to protect those near Amazon territory. And far to the East, a dark cloud is gathering, and soon the Mongol horde will bear down upon Mythic Europe and a mundane population, powerless before it, will call for aid. These options provide for actionoriented sagas where the Order has a responsibility to protect the mundane population and in doing so faces mundane armies, magical enemies, and the politicking of the mundanes they are trying to help.

Cessation of Hostility

All hostilities, God willing, come to an end. Who better to negotiate peace than the player characters who negotiated a fundamental change to the Code? If the Amazons are defeated, if Iberia is surrendered, and if the horde is stopped in its tracks then peace accords must be drawn up.

This phase allows the player characters to flex their negotiating and political prowess as they look for common ground with their enemies, prepare for betrayal, and watch for treachery from within their own ranks. In extreme cases, such as the defeat of Amazonia, or the absorption of the Augustan Brotherhood, the Order may find new recruits.

• With the fall of Amazonia and final end of Viea, the defeated Amazons agree to join House Flambeau. The player magi are dispatched to negotiate terms between the warrior sorceresses and the Flambeau. But there are elements within Houses Tremere and Bonisagus with grave misgivings. A new and secret vexillation has been formed and its members have no thought but to wipe out every last Amazon or die trying. How high up does the conspiracy go and can the player characters put an end to it?
• It is a decade since House Tytalus absorbed the Augustan Brotherhood and it comes as a surprise to everyone when the House decides to move its domus magna to the Rhine Tribunal and elect a former Virgilian the new primus. Has the Order been outmaneuvered? Looking back through the records, a number of prominent opponents to the Brotherhood’s joining the Order have died in the last ten years. The question is, is there a pattern? If so, who is next and what is the Brotherhood planning?

The World of Academia

The world of academia is changed. As magic is now so central to the world, academia starts to explore the realms, both intellectually and physically. Philosophers and adventurers seek out strange new worlds within the Magic realm, or look for long-lost loves in the Faerie realm. And they all need magical assistance.

Perhaps more insidious, it occurs to more than one noble that the lands of magic are untouched by man and that any man may make a kingdom in such a place.

• The noted Franciscan scholar Walter Van den Zande asks the player magi to accompany him on a voyage to the Magic realm. He produces some notes that he found in Paris, which he understands shows a place where the world of men and the world of magic touch. He pleads with the covenant to assist him. Having opened the eyes of men to the wonders of the world, can they refuse him?
• A jealous and disaffected noble seeks a way into the Magic realm where a man such as he can carve out a new kingdom. But his arrogance and greed have been snatched up by a faerie, who has driven the noble to the Faerie realm. There he has been granted a kingdom, a queen, and subjects. In his deluded state, the noble sends his army to attain yet more land. Only this time, the land is in the mundane world. And it belongs to the covenant.

Mundane Engagement

In return for magical aid and the benefit of their wisdom, mundane nobles start to treat covenants more like abbeys, bequeathing lands, granting fiefs, and providing patronage. Covenants and magi start to acquire “parishes” that they have a responsibility for and magi become embedded into the world around them like never before. At a local level this does two things. First, there may be resentment from the hedge wizards who have served that area for years without being noticed by their noble masters. And second, these parishes, with the increase in the overt use of magic, develop new places where magic or faerie powers flourish.

• A pack of Nightwalkers (Hedge Magic Revised Edition, page 103) succumbs to the sin of envy and becomes corrupted. They turn from protecting the land to letting their spite run free upon it. The magi are faced with failing harvests and spirits that steal the fertility from the land, from the beasts, and from the very population itself. Can the magi discover the cause of the malaise? Can they help the Nightwalkers find redemption? And having been corrupted, can they ever be trusted to protect the land again?
• A noble chances upon a clutch of dragon eggs in magical woodland within his estates. He approaches the covenant for help in raising the creatures when the eggs hatch. He intends to ride the beasts and needs help training them. In the old days, this would have been unconscionable, but now that the rules have changed the knight and his men may become the first to tame and ride these fantastical mounts.

Responsibilities

Covenants are used to managing estates and businesses alike, though day-to-day affairs are usually left to trusted consortes. But the charters that grant the magi rights over lands may stipulate their involvement. Suddenly, the overseeing of local justice is a distraction from their studies. The entertaining of nobles is more frequent than the visits of redcaps. And attendance at tournament is a mandatory political gesture.

• A strange thing happens to one of the covenant’s magi. In letters from his neighboring landowners he finds references to jokes he did not make and advice he did not give. The notes are all warm and gracious, however, so he thinks little of it. Until one day at tournament, in a trough of boredom, he looks across the arena and sees himself conversing merrily with a number of mundanes who appear to be hanging on every word. Whoever it is, who is it and what is he doing? It seems that it is a faerie who is trying teach the magus the art of fitting in. Does the magus undertake to learn from the master or does he find just the right spell to make him stop?
• Dispensing justice tends to be easy when with a glance and a hushed utterance a magus can determine who is lying and who is the aggrieved party. But when an innocent man is accidentally revealed to be the victim of possession, the magus is suddenly forced to rethink what he’s been doing. How many of those who have appeared before him were possessed? If it becomes known that the magus has been fooled in his own court, his judgment may never be trusted or respected again. There’s only one thing to do; raise wards around the court and sit through every case again and judge each upon its merit. Of course, the goal in making the huge compromise in the Code is to arbitrate between the magical and the mundane. Stories should arise showing how the world and the Order fulfill the contract.
• A Magic aura is waning, as with nothing to anchor it the aura is losing its power. Already, one of the regio levels has collapsed, perhaps lost forever. With a responsibility to husband the aura, the covenant persuades a hippogriff to make its nest in the aura as a way to anchor it and stem the loss. When it starts to hunt on the estates of a certain knight, however, the magi must find a way to keep the peace. And then the hippogriff comes into season and the males arrive, hungry and ardent.
• The covenant receives a request from a knight living as a vassal of a neighboring covenant. He claims that they have been derelict in their responsibility to protect his land and his family from harm. It seems that a small dragon has taken to eating his cattle and the covenant has allowed the situation to continue. He asks that his liege covenant be held to account.

The Old Guard

Achieving the fourth estate does not instantly quiet the defeated skeptics. If anything, they may become more active in rooting out failures, finding cases where integration has damaged society or the Order. As the drivers behind the change, the player characters can expect to be called to account and dragged into cases that ultimately they have little connection with.

Such encounters should be infrequent, but there is a backdrop of political briefing against the player characters and they are aware of their enemies before they strike.

A New Kind of Politics

Each Tribunal has its own take on politics; the Rhine has its gilds, the Theban Tribunal its phylai, and Hibernia has its own cultural divide. But they all have a Praeco, generally the most senior magus in the Tribunal. And Tribunals all tend to employ some form of democratic process, however differently it may operate.

Integrating with society across Mythic Europe and the East may prompt some changes to this, however, and entertaining mundanes at Tribunal may only be the start of it.

• A priest, given leave and supported by his bishop, brings charges of wounding against a magus. As is proper, the priest accepts that the magus is given his right to hear the charges at Tribunal, but the priest is unwilling to wait three years for the next gathering of magi. The Quaesitors must be seen to address the case, but the Code says nothing about wounding, much less what the punishment should be. So is the magus to be charged with “bringing ruin”? Or is the case dismissed out of hand?
• With the Tribunal meeting mere months away, the king has let it be known that he intends to be there. This is a break with protocol and something that the Tribunal has never seen before. The Praeco, a man known to both dislike the king and appreciate his own status, leaves the arrangements in the hands of the player characters. How do they entertain a king at Tribunal?

Similar Kinds of Change

The aims of turning the Order of Hermes into the fourth estate are threefold: allow the use of magic to make the world better, secure rights for the Order in society that is rapidly changing, and improve the world’s understanding of the supernatural world and thereby protect it. The following changes do not take the Order all to way to the fourth estate but they each address at least two of the above aims.

Spread Understanding of the Supernatural World

The Order could increase awareness and knowledge of the four realms; it only takes an understanding of Magic Lore to be able to enrich objects of Virtue, which is a strong accompaniment to the experimental philosophy practiced by academics. These enriched objects could become more common and their use potentially improve the lives of those living in Mythic Europe, or at least improve the lives of those with wealth and power enough to afford such items. But such a change, though raising the profile of magic in the world, does little to protect the activities currently carried out by those in the Order.

As an alternative, magi could also use their experience with Mystery Initiations to empower companions with various supernatural abilities, acting through these proxies to achieve similar aims to those presented above. Empowering their trusted companions reduces the need to actually be involved in working with mundanes, as the companions have a greater capability to act on behalf of the magi.

The cost of this of course, however, is the identification or the development of a means to grant companions autonomous power of their own or supply them with suitable enchantments. And there is the added danger that once the companion has the power or the devices needed to effectively guide or support a mundane faction, the reliance on the Order is reduced, which may dilute the influence that the Order is able to exert.

Work Within the Church

While interfering in the mundane world or serving as a court wizard may push the Order too far, perhaps accommodations can be made with the Church. This is a classic idea that comes up quite frequently, so it’s worth spending some time looking at the options.

It is too simplistic to characterize the Church as a single organization with a single set of aims, given the all too frequent rivalries between orders and even the occasional schism. But there is usually a single figure of authority in the pope, and his proclamations and bulls are noted across Mythic Europe. If members of the Order of Hermes could work closely with the Church, they would inherit a pre-existing hierarchy of influence in terms of archbishops, bishops, priests, and their associated dioceses and parishes. And with them come relationships of influence with the nobility and direct contact with the peasant classes.

In short, the Church already has the top-to-bottom social connection that could be beneficial to the Order. If a House or a series of dedicated covenants took holy orders, began to work alongside and within the Church, could they form a bridge between the Order and the Church? What would the ramifications be?

Holy magic is known within the Order, so a lack of piety is not an issue, but it would mean ceding members of the Order to the Church, losing direct influence and governance over their actions. Though they may be useful as a bridge between the two organizations, it may show that a magus cannot serve two masters.

The chapter describing Joseph of Napoli in Antagonists provides more material that may be of use to magi looking to work with the Church.

Use Gifted Proxies

The organization known as the Augustan Brotherhood described in Rival Magic is already embedded within the courts of Mythic Europe, and they already provide intelligence and service to the nobility. It may be politically more palatable to leverage these existing relationships, but the question is one of approach.

The Augustan Brotherhood know of the Order, but the reverse is not generally true, which means that this option is difficult to exploit. However, should the Order gain sufficient knowledge of the Brotherhood, they could exert pressure in a number of ways:

• They could push to bring the Brotherhood into the Order as a new House and give that House a specific mandate. The Oath already carries a precedent for granting certain rights to one House and not to others: the rights of House Bonisagus with regard to apprentices allows them to do something that would arguably be against the code if attempted by a magus of another House. If this new House of Augustus could be tasked with, and coerced into, implementing the will of the Order, then the nobility could be influenced without the majority of the Order getting their hands dirty.
• The Order could take an active interest in individual members of the Brotherhood and apply pressure directly upon them to ensure that their messages are conducive to peace and stability. Clearly a dangerous prospect given the little that the Order currently understands of the Brotherhood.
• Hermetic magi may inject themselves into the Brotherhood in an official capacity, extending an offer to work with the Brotherhood to realize their aims in exchange for a reciprocal agreement.

Implementing this kind of change, while aiming at the same goal, is a very different prospect to internal political change. It requires the Order to make contact with the Augustan Brotherhood and persuade them, through any means possible, to place themselves under the Oath in some fashion. A certain degree of resistance can be expected so diplomacy is important. Rival Magic contains more information on the magic, structure, and aims of the Augustan Brotherhood as well as inspiration on encountering and building a partnership with them.

The World Changes Around the Order

The Order is not the only magical tradition in Mythic Europe and, as the Augustan Brotherhood has shown, it is only a matter of time before one or more traditions take their places at the side of those who rule. Even unGifted hedge wizards, such as learned magicians and elementalists, can use their talents to advise those in power and to grant them some measure of dominion over the magical world in return for certain rights.

What recourse does the Order have if the vis source they assumed was secret and safe is suddenly granted to a learned magician, a member of prince’s court? Does the magus need to bow before the elementalist when he acts on behalf of the archbishop on magical matters? And if the Augustan Brotherhood extend their reach into academia, what happens to any Gifted students that might be found there?

Society is changing. No man nor covenant can exist within a vacuum, but if the Order will not take its place in society, those of lesser traditions will. And from the concessions they wring from their masters they may slowly take what the Order considers belongs to it by right.

Taking the Lonely Stand

Most of the options that we have looked at involve collaboration across covenants, Tribunals, and Houses. This need not be the case, however. Covenants have effective free rein on how they manage their affairs locally and as long as their actions do not affect others of the Order they may be free to act as they wish. We have already seen that there are a number of Story Flaws and Covenant Hooks that embed magi and the covenant deeply within mundane affairs, so some degree of involvement is inescapable. So what is the cost of favoring one noble over others? Why should not a magus support his cousin or agree a charter giving favorable terms to both sides? And if that ally is threatened in some way, perhaps by the need to provide martial service, or by financial difficulties, what is wrong in ensuring their well-being? And in return the covenant might be afforded a place at the noble’s court. If a covenant can ensure that their activities do not bring ruin to their sodales, then they can defend their position at Tribunal.

The Peripheral Code differs from Tribunal to Tribunal, which means that what might be acceptable in the Roman Tribunal is deemed irresponsible several miles to the north in the Tribunal of the Greater Alps. Ech region can set its own emphasis on mundane involvement. Each Tribunal can determine what is right and wrong for itself. Effecting the change across the Order most likely goes through a phase of local change, of having persuaded the Tribunal that integration is better than detachment, and if the magi driving the change do not have designs upon the Order then this is the level at which their ambitions rest.

Perhaps the most dangerous change to the Order would be that of a single House opting to flout convention and embrace society. Houses Mercere, Jerbiton, and Verditius are the obvious candidates, and Bjornaer and Merinita may see opportunities to further their own House aims. A single House or a coalition of like-minded Houses determining their own rules of engagement with society could see a new schism. Unlike covenants or Tribunals, which are geographically distinct from the rest of the Order, the Houses have members all across Mythic Europe. The following story suggestions help describe how such a withdrawal may take place:

• The House meets and decides that not enough is being done to find and train apprentices. Officially, the concern is that the House is losing its identity through not following closely the traditions of the Founder. However, the player characters learn that something else is at work.
• After a magus Bonisagi exercises his right to take up a student apprenticed to one of the House, members of the House in the Tribunal are privately urged to make their displeasure known. It isn’t long before a mercenary magus from outside the Tribunal is engaged and declares Wizard War against the Bonisagus. Thinking the player covenant an ally, the Bonisagus and his apprentice ask for sanctuary.
• Ahead of the Tribunal meeting, the House holds its own council. The Primus is asking his magi in each Tribunal to seek out House covenants, or create them where there are none. The House is asked to stand together at Tribunal and request leave to found a new covenant. What does this mean for the player characters? Does it affect their members or their resources?
• With dedicated covenants now in place across Mythic Europe, the House declares its rejection of those parts of the Peripheral Code that seek to separate magi from society. The Tribunals are given an ultimatum; clarify the code in favor of freedom of self governance or see the House withdraw from the Order.

Opposing Integration

Having spent much of this chapter looking at how the player characters can influence the Order and bring about a change in favor of integrating with the mundane world, this section places the player characters in the roles of those, just like Austerius described above, who are opposing the change. But why would they oppose such a change? Most players tend to be fairly progressive in their outlook, which often carries over to the characters they play, and there’s barely a troupe playing today whose characters haven’t bent the non-interference rules to some degree.

A Change for the Worse

Becoming the fourth estate brings with it obligations. The player magi may recognize these as the thin end of the wedge, small concessions that soon build towards servitude and debt. They may also recognize that engaging with the mundane world will cause the Order to lose what focus it has; the pursuit of magic for magic’s sake will be the preserve of a few fortunate or senior magi, while others are forced to contend with the difficulties thrown up by their new mundane peers.

Perhaps worst of all, in moving closer to political animals such as bishops, archbishops, counts, and princes, magi and their covenants will lose affinity with the Order and slowly gain affinity with their mundane paymasters. In seeking to control the spread and influence of the mundane world, in seeking to protect the last areas of magical power, the Order could sacrifice itself.

Outside of politics, a population accustomed to magic may feed Hell’s ambitions; when the mundane world sees the advantages available through magic, corruptible individuals may accept the false powers granted by demons, learning how to wield their own magic in an attempt to raise themselves to the level of magi. Just as the Order begins to operate more openly, so Hell’s influence may follow.

Running Stories on the Verge of Change

The player characters are, or should be, the heroes of the saga. That means that they will tend to occupy the most reasonable ground in a world that confronts them with extremes. So the key is to make the change an unreasonable one and to have the player characters protecting the Order from itself.

The following story seeds subvert some of those we looked at earlier as reasons for integration with society:

• A hedge wizard adviser to an archbishop has identified a considerable source of vis on his lands, amounting to a rook each year, and the archbishop has decided to accept offers for collection rights. Having received notification, the covenant appoints someone with authority to negotiate and sends the delegation to the meeting. The other interested parties include a second Hermetic covenant, a representative of a council of hedge wizards active in the court of a nearby noble, and an enigmatic man of wealth who clearly exudes The Gift.
• When the local parish asks the covenant to pay its tithe on all properties and incomes, including vis, the covenant has two choices: pay and be saved, or refuse and be damned. If they concede the tithe, do they open themselves for more taxes from nobles keen to fill their coffers? And if they refuse how do they deal with the eventual escalation? How does the covenant make clear to those around them that they will not play these games?
• Having seen little of their redcap for the last few seasons the covenant discovers that the unGifted redcap has been acting as an adviser and informant to the bishop, a man known for his intolerance of those of lapsed faith and contempt for those outside the faith. In confronting him the magi learn that his traditional red cap is not the protection it once was; the Order is little more than a story and its members seen as distant and ineffectual. What, he argues, was he supposed to do? By working for the bishop he gains free passage and recognition in the estates across the diocese. The argument seems reasonable, but the redcap’s loyalties have been called into question and members of the Order that he is bound to serve have suffered. What can be done with him?
• A pious magus arrives at the covenant, the covenant of his apprenticeship many years before, to divest himself of all his magical assets. Everything he has worked for, all the books he has accumulated, the devices he has made, the vis he has stored, he gives back to the covenant that gave him his path. His reason? He is turning his back on the Order and entering the Church. This is not some idle dotage to be spent in retirement and contemplation; the magus is still vigorous and feels that his faith and his experience belong in the Church. After ritually shedding himself of the trappings of magic he renounces the Order, just as the Quaesitor arrives to discover the truth of the rumors she has heard.

Perhaps the Order does need to integrate more with society. Perhaps there are advantages of working with mundanes rather than pretending that such concerns are immaterial. But the Order must tread carefully if it is to avoid losing itself. The answer to a changing society may not be in acquiescing, but in standing aloof and ensuring that nobles and clerics alike know that the Order is not to be trifled with.

The Example of the Normandy Tribunal

The Normandy Tribunal is poor in vis, with much of it in the Tribunal’s gift and its magi forced to engage in contests to earn their share. Many magi of the Tribunal live near or within cities and the Normandy Peripheral Code makes provision to help magi skirt their Oath to the Order. Some may view the proximity between magi and mundanes as responsible for the loss of magical resources and some of those may seek to reverse the situation.

In this case, player characters may take a stance opposed to further integration, opposing any new covenant that seeks to establish itself near a city, and arguing against changes to the Code that allow magi to openly associate with cities. They could promote rulings that try to return magic to the world and give magi the guidance they need to foster new auras. Ultimately, magi could be prohibited from siting their covenants in or near cities, with some being given the support they need to relocate. They may even seek to have a covenant dedicated to the cause of re-establishing Magic auras in key locations, thereby proving that the Order is not at the mercy of mundane society.

Politics with the mundanes and the Church need not be abandoned, but the content of any charters is robustly argued in the Order’s favor. Land, authority, and immunity can all be secured, ensuring that the Order is recognized by the world and its position respected, but without the onerous responsibilities.

With these measures, Magic auras can rise once more, drawing magical beasts from the Magic realm to the world for a time, and faeries will be able to feed upon the fresh vitality of magi regaining their heritage. The example of the Normandy Tribunal shows that closer integration with the mundane world, including aping its knights and tourneys, has done nothing to preserve magic, and it could be the responsibility of the player characters to pull the Order back from complacency.

Conclusion

The need for Hermetic magi to be granted and enjoy certain rights is something that can be introduced into most sagas. Not every saga will want to to follow the full path detailed in this chapter, but it does provide for covenants that want to integrate more closely with society, to protect themselves from the jealousy of nobles and churchmen alike, and to argue in defense of their actions at Tribunal. Magi following this course gain officially recognized rights from those who rule the lands around them, new respect and recognition, and are able to better influence the good governance of the region.

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.