Tytalus was a powerful mage, one of the Founders of the Order of Hermes and creator of House Tytalus. Known for being combative and hot-tempered, he drove off or slew many non-Hermetic magi.
Biography[]
In his youth, Tytalus studied under the tutelage of Guorna the Fetid. Tytalus and Tremere, another of Guorna's pupils, were adopted siblings along with a sister, Pralix. Tytalus was the eldest, and he and Tremere had frequent conflicts of will.
When Guorna died soon after receiving an invitation to the event that would seal the Pax Hermetica and establish the foundation of the Order of Hermes in 767 CE, both Tytalus and Tremere attended the meeting in his place, traveling to the the German city of Dürenmar to convene with other powerful magi. Initially he spoke out against the Order because he thought it would restrict magi too much, but when its formation became more certain, he admitted his political defeat and joined the other magi in its foundation.
There was, however, a problem between Tytalus and Tremere since both of Guorna's senior pupils claimed primacy over their master's legacy. But, in the interests of peace, it was decided that since they both already had substantial followings of their own, they could stand equally as brothers in the new order. Thus House Tremere and House Tytalus, along with all the rest, were born.
Tytalus soon became one of the most feared wizards of his time, cause once the Order of Hermes was formed he turned his energies outward at those magi who refused to join. He took great pleasure in hunting them down and defeating them, though he often let them live once they had acknowledged defeat - unlike the Flambeau, who did not give up until they were slain.
Tytalus' relationship with his favored filia, Hariste, set a tradition of "beloved rivals" for all his followers. Though their devotion to each other was obvious, they were constantly involved in games and contests of power. To those who did not knew them well, they seemed to hate each other. The hot-tempered Tytalus believed that growth and learning came from conflict and struggle, and was always prone to challenging other powerful magi just for the sake of testing himself and learning from his defeats and victories.
Tytalus' fate[]
| “ | Hariste, I go now to confront the Queen of Faeries. I have bested many opponents in many contests, and now I intend to face the Queen in her Lands, to play her Game, and to best her, if it is within my ability. It is the only Game I have left to play. It may be my last, or my first. | ” |
| — Tytalus, to his favorite filia | ||
Tytalus was finally lost to the Order in A.D. 807 when he went into the Maddenhofen Woods to confront the Queen of Faeries and beat her at her own Game. Some say he should have taken Hariste with him and that he would have survived if he had, but he never returned from the forest and the faeries have denied knowledge of his fate.
Some in the House, believing him simply to be trapped there, look forward to the bright day of his return from Faerieland - thinking that he entered Faerieland for only a few days, he may return when centuries have actually passed. A few Tytalus magi follow his example and head to the faerie woods when they have grown too old.
Trivia[]
- Tytalus story was expanded in the 4th and 5th editions of Ars Magica. However, the White Wolf Wiki only covers the events of the series up until the final product published by White Wolf, at its 3rd edition. Therefore, the expanded biography of Tytalus given by the subsequent editions of Ars Magica have entirely distanced themselves from the World of Darkness timeline.
References[]
- DAV: Players Guide to Low Clans, p. 58
- ArM: The Order of Hermes, p. 112, 113