Order of Hermes (Ars Magica)
The Order of Hermes is an organisation that features in Ars Magica.
Contents |
History
The Order of Hermes was a magical organization that operated in Mythic Europe where it came to be established by the wizard Bonisagus following two great discoveries by him. The first was uncovering the existence of Parma Magica, which itself had a two-part effect. It meant that with magic resistance Magi could defend themselves against the magic of other wizards. As a secondary effect, it also protected magi against the antipathetic effects that their Gift had on each other. Parma Magica lifted the heavy aura of paranoia that had always defined their meetings with one another. It was the grand vision of the sorceress Trianoma, who realized that the discovery of Parma Magica would make a true society of wizards possible. Without the ever present fear of a pre-emptive strike, wizards could meet to resolve their differences, and live and work together. After Bonisagus taught her the secret of Parma Magica, she traveled across Europe, seeking out the most powerful wizards she could find. Trianoma found eleven wizards and these were all willing to meet with Bonisagus, from who they too learned the secret of Parma Magica. Bonisagus, in his discussions with these eleven powerful wizards, learned many things which led to his second great discovery. Bonisagus took what he had learned from these eleven great wizards and consolidated it all into a single theory of magic. The result was the theory of Hermetic magic. In the year 767, these thirteen wizards met together at Durenmar in the Black Forest and the Order of Hermes was founded.
The organization officially formed in the year 767 A.D. within the German city of Dürenmar through a calculated political alignment orchestrated by the wizard Bonisagus and the visionary diplomat Lady Trianoma. Trianoma systematically traversed the continent to unite isolated, warring hedge wizards into a unified fraternity, anchoring their legal infrastructure around a binding constitutional mandate known as the Code of Hermes. To manage their continental assets, the assembly divided Europe into thirteen distinct geographic jurisdictions called Tribunals, forcing independent covenants of magi to submit to a supreme democratic vote held once every seven years. Seeking to preserve absolute operational secrecy from the mortal Catholic Church and feudal kingdoms, the administration strictly enforced a baseline non-interference protocol regarding mundane medieval politics. The coalition aggressively policed its own ranks, declaring a permanent, ruthless campaign of extermination against any hedge wizards who refused to swear the formal oath, while utilizing specialized investigator magi called Quaesitors to track and execute internal traitors.
Overview
In appearance, the Order of Hermes was a massive, multi-ethnic organization whose core parliamentary assemblies, academic faculties, and active field ranks consisted entirely of adult human magi, specialized non-magical messengers called Redcaps, and cloistered apprentices. They featured standard bipedal human physical frameworks that spanned separate regional heritages from Anglo-Saxon warriors to Mediterranean scholars, maintaining conditioned or frail statures depending on their individual dedication to library research or magical combat. The organization possessed no unified, matching military uniforms or state camouflage fatigues, allowing individual sorcerers to dress according to their personal philosophies and local medieval climates. Their garments consisted of an elaborate, distinct mixture of high-end traditional academic robes, elegant aristocratic silk tunics, and simple woolen peasant garb designed to project either scholarly authority or noble prestige during public transactions. While individual styles varied drastically across the twelve separate Houses, certain groups established highly distinct physical visual profiles, including the mystical magi of House Criamon, who systematically covered their faces, craniums, and limbs in complex, intricate geometric arcane tattoos to reflect their inner philosophies.
The organization relied on their comprehensive institutional logs and exceptionally high scientific intellect to execute complex mathematical calculations, master astrological space-time alignments, and process advanced linguistic translations centuries ahead of traditional medieval universities. They did not possess a single shared, uniform superpower or collective physical invulnerability, depending instead on an exceptionally rigorous, structured system of formulaic wizardry known as Hermetic Magic. This specialized methodology allowed separate units to manipulate reality through five basic techniques and ten natural forms down to the millisecond, enabling them to project concentrated plasma blasts of fire via House Flambeau or craft complex hard-light illusion matrices. Every individual member universally possessed a specialized personal protection ritual known as the Parma Magica, which generated an impenetrable, passive mystical shield capable of deflecting hostile spell matrices and environmental elements. Their primary capabilities allowed separate covenants to command independent private defense forces, manipulate the cellular structures of target organisms, and maintain a highly disciplined barrier of enforcement capable of completely neutralizing rogue mythological beasts.
The Order was created so that Magi could coexist mostly in peace, with one consistent theory of magic allowing them to share information and learning in a common frame of reference. The Order also offered Magi protection from each other with the discovery of the Parma Magica, a defense against hostile magic, with which they could meet to share information without the ever present paranoia that had sabotaged previous attempts to unite gifted individuals.
It was made up of roughly 1200 members, who resided in thirteen Tribunals dividing up the continent along roughly geopolitical lines.
Members
- Bonisagus the Founder :
Notes
- The Order of Hermes was created by Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein-Hagen where it featured in the setting of the Ars Magica universe.
Appearances
- Ars Magica:
Links
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External Links
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