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Order of Hermes
Name: Hermetic
Plural: Hermetics
Pronounciation: ohr'-dur uv hur'-meez
Nicknames:
Seat: Forces
Faction: Council of Nine Mystic Traditions

Paradigm

History

Early History

The Tradition traces its roots to the Sumer and ancient Egypt of 5000 years ago around the time when the first writing systems were developed. Before written language, names were thought to be inherent to the objects they designated as reflections of their true natures. With writing as an ability to catch and manipulate names, the scribe was able to imprison the object and manipulate its very nature. The catching of names was considered a magical act in ancient societies so the ability to write was reserved for the clergy under the direct influence of gods of wisdom and magic such as Thot.

Letters provided useful metaphors for abstact concepts, so for the first time in history thinkers were able to ascend from the physical world into whole new realms of ideas. First, Plato formed the theory of realism that allowed a secular paradigm for controlling every element of reality. Mystics then equated ideals with divinity developing manicheic, gnostic, neoplatonic and other dualistic theories around 2nd century CE. But the great intellectual upsurge of the 2nd century was soon squashed by the rapid expansion of Christianity which strove for orthodoxy in the Mediterranean region. Soon Rome fell and Western civilization fell onto Dark Times. Hermetic scholars fragmented, the sharing of ideas halted and wizards secluded themselves in their towers for protection and to study free of the Church's inquiry.

From the summonings of Babylonian priests to Egyptian priest's divining the Nile's flooding from stars to Solomon's seals, which gave him control over world, it was the time of the greatest mages of Western tradition. It was also the time when the greatest grimoires and talismans were created. However, apart from Solomon we don't know their names and so the body of knowledge consisting of theurgia, goetia, astrology and alchemy was known as the work of a single Ascended being called Hermes Trismegistus.

Dark Ages

Formally founded in 767.

Twelve Founding Houses:

  • 1003
    • House Diedne accused of diabolism by Tremere. Destroyed in the Schism War by Flambeau, Tremere, Tytalus.
  • 1199
    • The Order of Hermes discovers House Tremere's vampirism.
  • 1200s
    • House Jerbiton adopted into Ex Miscellanea, the first Founding House to be so "demoted."
  • 1204
    • The Order institutes a Wizard's War on House Tremere, later called the Massasa War. The Tremere expunged as House.
  • 1300s
    • Founding House Merinita adopted into Ex Miscellanea.

Renaissance

Houses as of 1400:

  • 1412
  • 1500s
    • House Castrovilli disbanded.
  • 1600s
    • House Verditius adopted into Ex Miscellanea.
  • 1630
    • House Mercere adopted into Ex Miscellanea.
  • 1645
    • House Ziracah weakened in Nasby Catastrophe.
  • 1700
    • House Validas accused of diabolism, wiped out.
  • 1780
    • House Ziracah wiped out in Hellfire Club incident.

Victorian Age

Houses as of 1800:

Modern Nights

  • 1936

As of Mage's First Edition (1993), the roster of the Order is as follows:

This roster remains the same through First Edition and much of Second Edition, changing only during the Reckoning:

Organization

Sects

See history above. A list of all known Houses follows.

Version Differences

This article is incomplete.

This page has been identified as lacking essential detail, and as such needs attention. Information regarding expansion requirements may be found on the article's talk page. Feel free to edit this page to assist with this expansion.
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