Columbae

Ringing the Changes

Several of the traditions of House Ex Miscellanea are specific to a culture or a geographic area. While it is perfectly possible that a wandering magus might bring his magic into a different culture or region, it is a comparably simple task to make a few changes to a tradition and relocate them to a different area:

• The Koldun are shamanic wizards from the Novgorod Tribunal who have abandoned their roles as pagan priests in favor of the practice of sorcery. (Witches of Thessaly)
• There are said to be wizards called the Trollsynir who still live in the northern lands of Scandinavia and Iceland, who claim descent from the giants, and who bear the power to curse their enemies. (Damhadh-Duidsan)
• An Irish tradition of wizards called the Corrguineach display control over elemental spirits; they were powerful enemies of House Diedne and joined forces with House Flambeau to exterminate them. (Hermetic Sahir)
• Breton bards who bear the blood of a water faerie called the Melusine left House Diedne for House Ex Miscellanea a mere score years before the Schism War. They have the power to enchant with the music played on their harps. (Seirenes)
• A group of Roman necromancers use their power over spirits to terrorize the locals and win power for themselves. (Donatores)
• The Taltos from among the Magyar people of the Hungarian plains use their knowledge of herbcraft to increase their physical characteristics and martial skills, as well as for healing. Many Taltos have the Skinchanger Virtue, allowing them to assume the form of a white horse. (Pharmocopoeians)

The swynwyr (pronounced "SWINweer;" singular swynwr, "SWIN-oor"; feminine singular swynwraig, "swin-OOR-aig;" plural swynwragedd, "swin-oor-RAG-edth") are Welsh hedge wizards well known for their skill at magical wards. Because this requires them to leave markings wherever they go, they have become known within the Order of Hermes as the Columbae, literally, "pigeons.". In some cases this nickname is affectionately meant, while in others it is clearly derogatory. They are also sometimes called the "ward-makers" or the "white-nailed," the latter term in reference to their use of chalk with most of their spells.

Favored Tribunals: Stonehenge

Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Warding

Minor Hermetic Virtue: Ring/Circle Magic

Major Hermetic Flaw: Necessary Condition (must mark their target)

The original Columbae probably developed out of the earliest magical traditions of Britain, a combination of Celtic heritage mixed with ancient Roman influences. They have always been strongest in Wales, where the negative images associated with magic and sorcery are not as pronounced as they are in other parts of the world. There they generally remain apart from the rest of human society, but ties of blood are also particularly strong in their tradition and so they are not often found very far from their homeland.

By the early 800s, the Columbae had become one of the most recognizable groups of hedge wizards on the main island of Britain, and were the largest native tradition. Two other groups were outsiders, the fierce Anglo-Saxon rune wizards of the east and the monstrous gruagachan of the north. These groups joined together under Damhan-Allaidh to oppose the Order, and while some of the swynwyr assisted them, most of the wizards of the tradition chose to remain holed up in Wales and did not get involved. It was the swynwyr that Pralix finally convinced to join her cause, and this gave her a foothold on the British Isles from which she could launch her campaign. They established a camp on an island near Dunoding to serve as her military headquarters for much of the conflict, and this became the site of the last battle against their enemies. After the war, it was renamed Cad Gadu to represent the end of the conflict, and later became the domus magna of the new House Ex Miscellanea.

The leader of the tradition when it officially joined the Order was named Colomen ("co-LO-men"), and with the help of Pralix's instruction he and his wife Gwyndolen ("gween-DOH-len") adapted their powers to Hermetic magic, and together they spread copies of their many ward-spells throughout the Order. They hoped to quickly overcome the negative image associated with being hedge wizards and sorcerers of Britain by sharing their magical knowledge with other magi, a goal that they largely achieved in the years that followed. They encouraged the use of the name "Columbae" for themselves and their followers, believing that it was better that they be perceived as comical figures than frightening ones, and so that is how other magi came to use this term for them. In 1220, swywyr is used only rarely, to refer to those in the tradition who are not magi.

The Columbae have very few traditions unique to their line, instead having adopted the few trappings associated with the House as a whole, many of which originally came from them. They often wear white or very pale-colored clothing, and usually carry chalk or some other soft, light-colored stone with which to draw their circles — charred wood will also do, as will their own blood when they are desperate. Many of them carry a gnarled staff, the symbol of the House, and also a useful means of drawing a ring in soft ground. Among their own kind they speak Welsh and still refer to each other as swynwyr. Among others, they tend to speak Latin poorly and try to maintain their image of affable, friendly foreigners.

Being Welsh, traditions of family and their shared cultural heritage are very important to the Columbae. According to Welsh inheritance customs, property is divided more or less equally among a man's sons, or other male relatives if there are no sons, and men can only inherit from other men in their cenedl ("ken-ED-el"), the group of men male-line descended from a single ancestor. A group of Welshmen who are male-line descended from a common greatgrandfather are called kindred, and they are responsible for keeping order among their members. They are also responsible for looking after orphans and widows, resolving minor disputes between family members, and arbitrating the sale of land; no land may change owners without their consent. Thus, kindred keep careful track of their relatives and their property, and male Columbae often have many societal obligations.

For these reasons, unGifted Columbae are almost always women, and have been throughout history, as they have fewer responsibilities in Welsh society and are more encouraged to pursue magical interests. Unmarried women are essentially inconsequential in Wales, at least as far as inheritance and politics are concerned, and so as long as they can care for themselves, they are left alone for the most part. Because of this, and because most Columbae were women when they first joined the Order, magi commonly use the feminine gender when describing their magic or their followers.

The Gift is unpredictable and does not favor one sex or the other, but because most unGifted Columbae are women, the Columbine magi still adhere to the culture of their mundane counterparts, and often behave as if they were superior to their female counterparts. Since they joined the Order, the structure of the tradition has come to more closely resemble a patriarchy, where magi outrank magae, and Gifted boys are much more desirable apprentices than girls. For this reason, Columbine magae tend to associate with unGifted members of their tradition more often than Gifted, and do not involve themselves in their political affairs. To outsiders it might even appear that there are no female Columbae in 1220.

The Robes of Dusty Dawn

The event that made the swynwyr decide to join with Pralix against Damhan-Allaidh was the sudden death of their eldest swynwraig, named Gwawrieir ("gwah-REE-eyr"), who was effectively the leader of their magical tradition, and who staunchly opposed getting involved in the battle with the wizards of the mainland. Her lifeless body was found lying within one of her own protective circles, and she had eight long, black marks upon her throat, as if she had been strangled from behind by four pairs of hands. Her family was forced to conclude that she had been killed by the evil magic of their northern enemy, and this assumption was supported by the fact that she still wore her enchanted robes, a fabulous treasure said to protect her against all natural threats and every kind of supernatural creature.

The remaining swynwyr were frightened and wavering, unsure what to do against powers that could penetrate such powerful magical protection. Though they had rudely refused her last visit, they sent a messenger to Pralix requesting another audience with her, and invited her to make her case again. Her eloquence, coupled with the terror and confusion left in the wake of Gwawrier's passing, quickly convinced them to join her cause. While they made preparations for war, she proceeded to seek out the other nonaligned wizards of Britain and convert them, and three months later, on the eve of their departure for battle, the swynwyr gave her the magical garment once worn by her predecessor as a sign that she had become one of them. She accepted their gift, and named them the Robes of Dusty Dawn.

It remains a great mystery why half a century later Pralix departed from Cad Gadu without wearing the robes, for she had never before gone anywhere without them. Perhaps it was because her trip was personal, rather than official, or it might be that she had decided they were too much trouble while traveling. Many think that she knew she was going away forever, and left them for her successor, continuing the tradition that brought the robes to her; for this reason, the robes are now treated as a symbol of the office of Primus, and pass with the position to each newly-elected magus. Others in the House suspect betrayal, arguing that Pralix must have been abducted or murdered by one of her own, someone close to her who knew she would be traveling unprotected. To quell such accusations, the first Prima of the House instituted the tradition of holding a council seat for Pralix and maintaining the illusion that she is still the leader of the covenant.

The robes still appear exactly the same in 1220 as they did when Pralix first received them. They are woven of fine wool, dyed a pale lavender-rose color. The bottom half appears to be faded, and upon closer examination one can see that the cloth is covered with many lines of chalk markings, more than two dozen distinct bands of arcane symbols and shapes written directly upon the threads. It looks dusty; if one could swat the garment with a hand or stick, a great cloud of chalk dust would surely form, but its powerful magic prevents this. It may be pulled over the head when worn, and removed the same way, but no natural substance or phenomenon may otherwise pass within the perimeter formed by the hem, and thus it must be removed to eat or drink.

The robes are rumored to possess other great powers as well, and a popular Hermetic legend tells that they were enchanted by Verditius the Founder as a gift to Pralix — though since Verditius died at about the same time as the war against Damhan-Allaidh, this is probably only a myth.

The magic of the Columbae is based on an Accelerated Ability (see Accelerated Abilities, above) called Warding. This may be learned by characters with The Gift or taken during character creation as a Major Supernatural Virtue. While there might be hedge wizards elsewhere in the world who practice a similar sort of magic (that is, they have the same Ability and use it the same way), the Columbae do not acknowledge foreigners as being part of their tradition — all Columbae are Welsh, or so they maintain.

Hermetically, the Columbae have very few uniting features, apart from their interest in magical wards and warding spells. Since the Schism War, a select few of them have been trying to develop a version of the spell Aegis of the Hearth that they can cast on their circles instead of on a Boundary, or to develop a Ring-based version of the Parma Magica, but so far all of their attempts have failed, and the underlying feeling within the tradition is that their magic is fundamentally incompatible with that of the Founder's line. This is why there are two very different kinds of wards in Hermetic magic: the ones like the Aegis and the Parma Magica, which have developed from the magic of House Bonisagus, and the ones like Circular Ward Against Demons and Circle of Beast Warding, which the Columbae introduced to the Order.

Major Supernatural Virtue: Warding

The Columbae practice a form of ward-magic that predates the Order, but which was later integrated into Hermetic magic theory. It bears many similarities to the powers of the spirit masters and sorcerers of the ancient world. To represent this knowledge, the character begins with the Accelerated Ability called Warding. This power is aligned with the Magic realm as the Columbae teach it, though there are also said to be other versions associated with the other realms.

When the character wishes to use her power, she must draw a circle in the same manner as in Hermetic magic (this takes her about as long as it does a Hermetic magus), concentrating as she inscribes special arcane symbols into the border that define the properties of the things that will be warded away. This definition must be a subset of a single Hermetic Form, such as "mundane animals" (Animal), "earth faeries" (Terram), or "demons" (Vim). The ward can be made more specific, excluding from this ward things that are or are not of specific shapes or materials, such as "mundane animals larger than a mouse" or "earth faeries not made of stone." She may also use an Arcane Connection to specify these properties, such as "mundane animals that are not my horse" or "only the king of the faerie mountain."

As soon as the circle is finished, the Columba enchants the perimeter with her magical power, and this effort always costs her a Fatigue level. Roll a stress die, applying her Stamina score, her Warding score, and the bonus or penalty for the aura to the total, in addition to any other appropriate modifiers.

Warding Total: stress die + Stamina + Warding + aura

If the ward is designed to affect a natural object or type of material, treat this result as the character's Casting Total for a Hermetic spell of the appropriate Form and level to determine if a particular target will be warded away. (To make this easier to calculate, these spell guidelines are collected below.) For example, a ring designed to ward away mundane animals would succeed if the Warding Total were 5 or greater, and a ward against objects made of wood requires a Warding Total of at least 30.

Warding is best at warding away supernatural creatures with a Might score; when it is used to affect beings with Might, calculate the character's Penetration Total as if the spell level were 0, and treat the full Penetration Total as the final level of the effect. For example, to ward against a target with Might 15, a Columba would only need a (Warding Total + Penetration Total) of 15. As mentioned above, a Columba can incorporate an Arcane Connection to a particular target into her ward, so that the power only affects that target, and her Penetration Total is boosted even further against it.

Unfortunately, Warding cannot affect creatures with Magic Resistance instead of Might, and so the Penetration Total of the effect is 0 when the warded thing is not a supernatural being. Because Warding only affects either natural or supernatural things, Columbine wards are extremely vulnerable to beings that do not fit perfectly into one of these categories; anyone who has Magic Resistance but no Might score is essentially immune to the effects.

The Fate of Cad Gadu

Cad Gadu ("KAHD GAH-dee") is primarily encompassed by a magical regio, but the parts of it that extend into the mundane world are built on an island that is technically owned by a Columbine magus, Gwrhyr ("GOOrear") Ex Miscellanea, who has no children but many male relatives. He is a blustering incompetent, extremely old and seemingly very dim, who constantly demands the "proper respect" for his abilities, and by virtue of his age and status in the covenant he has gained a seat on the Council of Four. He does have a filius, Culhwch ("KEEL-hookh") Ex Miscellanea, but they are not related by blood. Both of them are extremely disliked by Gwrhyr's kindred, who have refused to allow him to give the property to his adopted son. When Gwrhyr finally dies, an event that his relatives believe must happen soon, they will claim ownership of the covenant lands and evict the magi, all with the law entirely on their side.

The former Prima Immanola woefully neglected this situation, and with the recent confusion associated with the elevation of a new Primus, and with Gwrhyr himself sitting on the Council, no one has yet brought the matter to Ebroin's attention. When the issue is finally addressed, those dispatched to deal with the problem may find that the members of Gwrhyr's family are already suspicious of both his great age and his reputation as a sorcerer, and have managed to bring the matter to the attention of the Prince of Gwynedd, who has expressed an interest in meeting this seemingly immortal Welshman. A court date has been set, and if Gwrhyr does not appear and stand for examination, the land will automatically default to his heirs.

Wards and Penetration

Hermetic warding spells were all originally adapted from the Columbine tradition, and like any Hermetic spell, these wards must penetrate Magic Resistance to have their effect. A spell like Circular Ward Against Demons is much harder to cast at high levels, since both the spell level and the Penetration Total must exceed any affected demon's Might Score. For this reason, magi rarely learn or cast versions of these spells more powerful than about Level 30, instead favoring Rego spells of lower levels that hinder the target's movements more directly.

Since in most cases Hermetic wards do not actually target the creatures affected by them, most magi cannot boost their Penetration Total with an Arcane Connection to a supernatural being, unless that being is inside the circle when the ward is cast. This could be due to a flaw in Hermetic theory, or it could be that the Columbine wards were never perfectly adapted to Hermetic magic. Columbae can do this with their Warding power because they incorporate a set of magical symbols into the circle that describe the warded being.

Neither the Columbine wards nor the Hermetic wards based on them are as useful against beings with Magic Resistance not based on Might, such as men and women with True Faith or magi with the Parma Magica — Hermetic wards must penetrate the person's Magic Resistance, but Warding cannot affect them at all. For this reason, most magi prefer to protect their sancta and their persons with effects like Watching Ward or Waiting Spell that do not come from the Columbine tradition, instead triggering other effects designed to drive away threats or punish intruders.

Warding vs. Wards

Since Warding is a kind of hedge magic that has been almost completely integrated into Hermetic magic, wards designed using that power are generally inferior to the wards that magi can make. A magus who devotes his study to Rego can find more and better study sources than a Columba who focuses on Warding, and is able to do much more than just ward circles, including the creation of wards bound to Targets other than Circle. Magi can also increase two Arts to influence their casting total, not just one, and can invent formulaic spells that ensure they do not become fatigued, and which they can Master for other advantages. There are also many Hermetic Virtues that the magus may have to increase his Casting Total in certain circumstances.

For a direct comparison of wards, consider an experienced magus with Rego 20, and an experienced Columba with Warding 20. The magus can probably cast a formulaic spell to ward away any natural thing from the circle, while the Columba can most likely manage the same with her Ability (though it is useless against natural things with Magic Resistance). Assuming no Penetration, the magus can develop a formulaic spell that will almost certainly affect a supernatural creature with Might 10, and may even be able to manage Might 15. The Columba, however, also leaving aside Penetration, can produce a ward that affects beings with twice that score, certainly warding away beings with Might 20, and sometimes keeping at bay beings with Might 30 or more.

Hermetic magic can thus be seen to be superior to Warding in nearly every application involving wards, but the Columbae still have a slight advantage when Warding against supernatural beings, and so retain their distinct identity within the House and the Order. For protecting a covenant, the Aegis of the Hearth is always a better choice, but when away from their home and faced with beings that possess a Might Score of 50 or more, Columbae who have specialized in Warding are probably the only characters who can set up a reliable magical defense against them.

Because the Columbae introduced the Ring Duration and Circle Target to Hermetic magic, their followers are not as constrained as other magi regarding how they use them with their spells. For one thing, they can draw a typical circle much more quickly, moving at twice the normal speed, and they only need to roll their Concentration if the circle is broken while casting, not to maintain the spell while they are drawing the ring. Also, their Ease Factor for maintaining Concentration while casting a spell on a ring or a circle is reduced by 3.

In addition, a Columba can treat any well-defined boundary as a Circle by marking it plainly, using the same symbols she uses to make her Warding circles. She may cast a spell upon a room or building by inscribing her marks on the door, for example. If her target is an enclosed space, she has only to mark the outside of each entrance. If it is a natural boundary, such as the edge of a forest or a city wall, she must traverse the border at the same speed as if she were drawing a ring (which is still twice as fast as other magi), and mark it so that one of her symbols is visible from every direction. If any of these marks are erased or damaged, it is the same as if the circle had been broken, and the effect immediately ends.

When drawing a circle, a Columba can forgo her faster casting time and her ability to simply mark the perimeter of the circle, and instead add the magical symbols associated with Warding, allowing her to target or exclude from the effect things of a specific shape or material, just as when using her Warding power. This also allows her to incorporate an Arcane Connection into the spell to boost her Penetration against a particular being. For example, an Intellego Vim spell intended to alert the caster whenever faeries enter the ring might be cast with an Arcane Connection to a particularly powerful faerie instead, limiting her effect to that faerie but ensuring that the spell will penetrate its Faerie Might.

Columbae can only take advantage of these benefits when casting Hermetic spells of Range Touch, Duration Ring, and Target Circle (ArM5, page 114) — any deviation from these parameters and this Virtue no longer applies. They cannot apply them to their Warding power, as they represent ways that their tradition's deep understanding of magical wards has improved their Hermetic magic.

Ward Guidelines

Here are the various guidelines for warding the different Forms in Ars Magica Fifth Edition. All of them are presented at Range Touch, Duration Ring, and Target: Circle, since Warding always uses those same parameters.

Since Hermetic wards must penetrate a being's Magic Resistance to be effective, it is a good idea to note the caster's Penetration Total in addition to the level of the spell. Even with spells that are designed to affect mundane things, it is possible that the character could encounter a special type of target that can resist the effect. For example, a spell designed to ward away animals will not affect a Bjornaer magus in animal form unless it penetrates his Parma Magica.

Animal

General: Ward against beings associated with Animal from one supernatural realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 5: Ward against animals or objects made from animal products. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Aquam

General: Ward against beings associated with Aquam from one supernatural realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 20: Ward against liquids. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Auram

General: Ward against beings associated with Auram from one supernatural realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 10: Ward against a type of minor weather phenomenon, such as mist. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 15: Ward against a type of normal weather phenomenon, such as rain. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 20: Ward against a type of severe weather phenomenon, such as gale force wind. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 25: Ward against a type of very severe weather phenomenon, such as a bolt of lightning. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Corpus

General: Ward against beings associated with Corpus from one supernatural realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 30: Ward against human beings. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Herbam

General: Ward against beings associated with Herbam from one supernatural realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 30: Ward against plant products. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Ignem

General: Ward against beings associated with Ignem from one supernatural realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 15: Ward against fire doing up to +5 damage. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 20: Ward against fire doing up to +10 damage. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 25: Ward against fire doing up to +15 damage. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 30: Ward against fire doing up to +20 damage. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 35: Ward against fire doing up to +25 damage. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 40: Ward against fire doing up to +30 damage. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Imaginem

General: Ward against beings associated with Imaginem from one supernatural realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Mentem

General: Ward against beings associated with Mentem from one supernatural realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Terram

General: Ward against beings associated with Terram from one supernatural realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 20: Ward against dirt, sand, mud, or clay. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 25: Ward against stone or glass. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Level 30: Ward against metal or gemstone. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

Vim

General: Ward against all supernatural beings from one realm (Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic) with Might less than or equal to the level of the spell. (Touch, Ring, Circle)

All Columbae must mark their targets as part of their magic. That is, they must indicate the target of each spell in a definite way while casting, usually by drawing a magical symbol on it with chalk that they can dust off immediately afterward. They can use more permanent means if desired: some Columbae carve their circles and symbols into stone, for example, digging a slightly deeper mark each time they cast a spell in that place. Others favor paint or ink of a certain color that they can write with and even throw at their targets when necessary.

Columbae can sometimes make a model or a representation of their target, like a picture or a figurine that clearly resembles their target, and write their marks on that. They can also draw on an Arcane Connection to their target. These methods are usually sufficient for when they need to affect something at greater than Touch Range.

The Donatores Requietis Aeternae ("Givers of Eternal Rest") is a young tradition of magi with religious backgrounds that exists to ensure that the spirits of the dead reach their final resting place.

Favored Tribunals: Their strongest concentration is in Normandy and Stonehenge, but the Donatores are also present in the adjacent Tribunals.

Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Banishing

Minor Hermetic Virtue: Minor Magical Focus (in Mentem for spirits/ghosts, or Corpus for animated dead)

Major Hermetic Flaw: Restriction (cannot cast spells on consecrated ground)

That the cadavers of the dead, borne by I know not what spirit, leave their tombs to wander among the living, terrorizing and annihilating them, then return to their tombs which open by themselves before the dead, is a fact that would be difficult to accept if in our age numerous examples did not prove it and if accounts did not abound. If such facts occurred in the past, it is surprising that we find no trace of them in the books of the Ancients, who put great effort into setting memorable things down in writing. . . . Moreover, were I to write down all the instances of this kind which I have learned to have transpired in our times, the undertaking would be beyond measure laborious and troublesome.

— William of Newburgh, Historia Rerum Anglicarum usque ad annum 1198, book five, chapter 24

Cult of the Dead

Beginning in the 11th century, many medieval authors noted a disturbing trend of frequent and often deadly encounters with the restless dead. The phenomenon of the dead rising from their graves in corporeal form was largely unknown in most of Europe before this time. The chroniclers likewise record an increase in ghostly visitations by the recently deceased, frequent hauntings of notorious places, and the walking dead terrorizing the countryside.

The writers of the time blame this problem on the rise of a "cult of the dead." Whether the meddling of this cult in matters necromantic has caused the dead to walk the earth or the cult actively controls the restless dead is unknown. The authors are unable to identify the members of this alleged cult, but they point to several types of suspects: diabolist pursuing the agenda of their dark master, magicians attempting to divine the future, or laypeople yearning to find out the condition of their dead loved ones. Some writers suggest that it is a sign of the impending Apocalypse.

The existence and identity of the cult of the dead and whether it is actually responsible for the attacks of the restless dead that have plagued much of Mythic Europe for the last two centuries are best left to the storyguide's discretion.

Founding the Tradition

In the early years of the 12th century, many others noted this problem and took steps to protect their communities. They included clergy, hedge wizards, and others who encountered the restless dead, but their efforts often met with little success. It seemed as if the dead might be unstoppable, but then some of those afflicted by the restless dead received saintly visitations. The saints granted each person knowledge of a powerful ritual to combat the restless dead. The ritual called upon the power of the Divine to expel the creatures from the community. With this new weapon, those arrayed against the dead began to reverse the tide.

After several years of struggling against the restless dead individually, each person received a secondly saintly visitation that commanded him to travel to Normandy, where a terrible situation was developing. The restless dead were terrorizing the citizens of a town, spreading disease, and killing any who left their homes after dusk.

The local clergy had fallen to an Infernal plot and were using the dead to drive the last honest citizens out of the town.

The men and women who would found the Donatores converged on the town and, in an epic battle, destroyed the restless dead there, but not before several of them lost their lives. Although most of the founders had never before met, they swore to work together to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. They agreed to collaborate in fighting the rising tide of restless dead. They named themselves the Donatores Requietis Aeternae, "Givers of Eternal Rest."

Incorporation into the Order

While the Donatores were fighting the rising tide of restless dead, members of the Order of Hermes were also examining the phenomenon. In their investigations, several magi learned of the problem developing in the Normandy Tribunal and moved to investigate the town. By the time they arrived, the magi encountered the hedge wizards who would become the Donatores Requietis Aeternae successfully defeating the creatures.

Muirgheal, a Quaesitor leading the group, invited the Gifted Donatores to join the Order en masse. Most Donatores were willing to swear the Hermetic Oath and join, but several others initially resisted because of their desire to remain a part of the Church. Other Donatores refused because they were familiar with the Order and believed that its magi were members of the cult of the dead and the source of all of the troubles. Muirgheal brought several of the recalcitrant Donatores to her covenant and convinced them that the Order was not involved in the problem. Murigheal explained the Order's prohibition against dealing with the Infernal and recounted the punishment that House Tytalus had endured for its corruption.

After swearing the Oath, the Donatores accompanied Murigheal to the next Tribunal for their introduction to the rest of the Order. Their presence lead to an acrimonious debate where some magi suggested the Order should instantly March the Donatores to prevent the Church from discovering the inner secrets of the Order. Others argued that this hysterical fear of the Donatores was completely unwarranted. The debate served as a proxy for the magi to discuss the feelings many had concerning the March on House Diedne without forcing the magi to comment publicly on the prudence of the Schism War. Ultimately, the Donatores Requietis Aeternae were allowed to remain in the Order under the condition that House Guernicus monitor their relations with the Church closely.

Baptism

Most people are properly laid to rest according to the religious customs of the locale. In Christian areas, there were, however, some people whom the Church refused to lay to rest. Only baptized persons have a claim to a Christian burial. This rule often prevents stillborn children or those who die before their baptism from being laid to rest. They might be buried near the church or in a special, unconsecrated corner of the graveyard that is removed from the rest of the graves, if the Church buries them at all.

The age at which someone entering the Church was baptized varied by location. Some areas only allowed children to be baptized by a cardinal or bishop during one of his visits to the local church. Other areas held group baptisms of children during the Easter or Whitsun Mass. However, in the 13th century most areas began adopting rules that required a child's baptism to occur within one week of its birth. Many believed that if a child died unbaptized it had not been absolved of its original sin and it would never be able to go to Heaven. In some areas, they believed that unbaptized babies would go to the Faerie realm to live out their lives or return as ghosts.

A dead person cannot receive a baptism, but one that shows signs of life can. The rule caused many parents and clergymen to perform elaborate practices to simulate signs of life in a dead child. The child might be left in the cold and then warmed before the priest, who would see changes in coloration or involuntary muscle spasms as "signs of life" and then be able to baptize the child. The Church created rules against this sort of chicanery, but they were often ignored. Obviously, most Hermetic magi would have little problem simulating signs of life in a stillborn child. The effects of a baptism on a corpse should be left to the storyguide, but the most relevant consequence is that the body is eligible for Christian burial.

Because the funerary rites are considered a form of respect for the dead, the Church also refuses to administer them to victims of suicide, to notorious or unrepentant criminals, and to excommunicated individuals. Even the very poor, if their families had not tithed and could not afford the honoraria for the funeral services, might be refused a Christian burial. Excommunicated and unrepentant sinners were often buried at a crossroads or intersection and would likely haunt them.

The primary goal of the Donatores Requietis Aeternae is to assist the dead in passing out of the world of the living. In dealing with the dead, the Donatores may come into contact with several types of creatures: the evil dead, ghosts who are in purgatory, spirits who were not buried under the protection of the Divine, and those who died under unfortunate circumstances.

Quieting the Restless Dead

When a person dies with an important task unfinished, while in a highly emotional state, or as the victim of violence, he is likely to return as a spirit. In addition, the dead may return from the grave if they died under other unfortunate circumstances. A suicide, a mother who dies in childbirth, or a stillborn baby could return. These restless dead often seek something from the world of the living. They might want to exact revenge, to right a wrong, or to participate in the family life that they were denied by death. Donatores use their powers to investigate the causes of these types of hauntings, and are loath to simply destroy such spirits. The Donatores consider using Perdo magic on these spirits the equivalent of murder. (See The Mysteries Revised Edition and Realms of Power: Magic for a more complete discussion of ghosts.)

Where ghosts or the restless dead are engaged in wanton destruction and killing, they are likely to be Infernal creatures, and the Donatores are less concerned about the use of destructive magic. This is not always the case, however, especially where a spirit is killing to right a wrong that could not be corrected in life. These ghosts are just as likely to be of the Magic or Faerie realms. Regardless of the source of their power, the Donatores are concerned with combating the destructive restless dead. They are always very careful to confirm the origin of any restless dead before interacting with it. Not all Infernal spirits engage in this reckless destruction. Many pose as benign spirits of recently deceased family members to corrupt the living and lead them into committing sin. (See Realms of Power: The Infernal for a discussion of diabolic spirits.)

Traditions of the Donatores Requietis Aeternae

The Donatores Requietis Aeternae tradition is barely a century old, which makes it very young in comparison to many others within House Ex Miscellanea. Most of the current generation of Donatores are the filii of the founders of the tradition. Several of the founders are still alive, and those who are dead are still in the living memory of most members. Although they are not generally venerated, some Donatores have made efforts to collect the founders' writings, magical devices, and personal effects to preserve their memory for future generations of the Donatores Requietis Aeternae.

Not all of the founders of the tradition were members of the Church, but they and their filii often select apprentices from religious backgrounds. Most people who encounter a restless spirit contact a clergyman or other religious figure, but most members of the clergy are largely unequipped to deal with the restless dead. However, some develop a talent for communicating with spirits or possess Supernatural Abilities, such as Second Sight. While searching for and quieting the restless dead, Donatores who encounter members of the Church with The Gift or Supernatural Abilities attempt to recruit them to their tradition.

The religious background of many of the Donatores is also evidenced by the typical dress of the tradition. Donatores often wear the brown or black robes of lay members of a religious order in the area, or a simple monk's habit. Highwaymen and secular officials are unlikely to pay much attention to anyone appearing to be a simple monk, and people are often more comfortable confiding in them.

Organization

The Donatores Requietis Aeternae is one of the largest "necromantic" groups in House Ex Miscellanea. They are loosely organized by the standards of the Order, but within their House they cooperate more than most other traditions. They often work together to combat peculiar situations where many ghosts are haunting an area, or a particularly powerful creature threatens one of the group. The eldest member of the tradition serves as its head and determines how the Donatores allocate their resources in combating the restless dead.

The Donatores are a secretive tradition. Many of the Donatores who were members of the Church dabbled in necromancy and other forbidden arts before receiving their saintly visions. The potential for persecution by the Church, or discovery by the cult of the dead, led many Donatores, even prior to the founding of the tradition, to guard the secrecy of their work. This institutional paranoia continues. But nevertheles, many Donatores with religious ties maintain contact with their unGifted brothers in the Church. These contacts often provide valuable information concerning the activities of the restless dead.

Surveillance by House Guernicus

In addition to the belief that the Donatores were little more than spies for the Pope, the secrecy with which they conduct their work and the subject matter of their magic has led House Guernicus to pay them particular attention. Because Donatores do not generally summon spirits, Infernal or otherwise, and are focused on quieting them, these investigations have uncovered no hint of diabolism. This has not stopped House Guernicus from continuing to monitor the Donatores closely.

Many members of the tradition believe that this close scrutiny continues at the prompting of House Tremere. Many members of that House were initially against the admission of the Donatores into the Order. As the Order's preeminent necromancers, Tremere magi often wish to control powerful spirits, while the Donatores Requietis Aeternae want to assist them in achieving eternal peace, or destroy them.

When a member of the Donatores Requietis Aeternae encounters a spirit he uses his magic to communicate with it to assess whether he will be able to assist it in finding peace. Methods of assistance might include aiding the spirit in performing any unfulfilled tasks that keep it bound to this world. If communication and assistance are impossible because of the creature's hostility, he uses Banishing to neutralize the spirit while investigating it by interviewing its relatives, discovering the nature of its death, locating its remains, or if it is an Infernal creature, uncovering its True Name.

The Donatores Requietis Aeternae usually emphasize the study of Mentem for dealing with incorporeal spirits; however, in areas where the walking dead are more prevalent, especially in the Transylvanian and Loch Leglean Tribunals, and in Ultima Thule, many Donatores concentrate on Corpus. Although there are few Abilities beyond Banishing that Donatores favor, many have trained in Dominion, Faerie, Infernal, and Magic Lore to assist them in distinguishing the origin of the restless dead they encounter.

New Virtue: Banishing

Major, Supernatural

Choosing this Virtue confers a Supernatural Accelerated Ability called Banishing, which begins at a score of 1. The character is able to banish any creature with a Might score for a limited amount of time. While banished, the creature must avoid the location described by the character or suffer intense pain and discomfort.

To banish a creature, the character loudly calls upon the source of the Accelerated Ability, forcefully commands all creatures of a specific realm to depart the designated area, and expends one level of Fatigue. This declaration means that anyone present during the use of the Accelerated Ability immediately knows the source of the character's Banishing power. The character must state the nature of the target's Might in the command. If the character omits or incorrectly states the source of the target's Might, his Banishing attempt fails.

The player must make a stress roll of the character's Presence and Banishing score against the Ease Factor as described below. Multiple creatures may be banished from the designated location; the target Ease Factor does not increase. The amount by which the total exceeds the Ease Factor is the Penetration of the Accelerated Ability.

Banishing Total: stress die + Presence + Banishing + aura

If Banishing penetrates, the character banishes any creatures of the realm selected from the designated location for Sun Duration. The character must be within the designated area when the Accelerated Ability is used. If the character does not state a specific location, the default Ease Factor is Near Range, which is defined as the area within 10 paces of the character.

Ease Factor	Area
3	Near
6	Structure
9	Boundary

A successful Banishing attempt expels all creatures of the appropriate realm from the designated area, whether the character is aware of them or not. The only way to avoid Banishing friendly creatures of the same realm as the one targeted is to include the True Name of the target of the banishment. (See Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 34.)

A banished creature must depart the designated location by the quickest means available to it. The creature may attempt to return to the designated location by succeeding in a Stamina + (Realm) Lore roll against an Ease Factor of 12, where the applicable (Realm) Lore is the origin of the character's Banishing Ability. If the designated location is within an aura that is aligned with the character's Banishing Ability, the creature's roll is modified by the Realm Interaction Table on ArM5, page 183. If the creature succeeds, it may enter the designated location, but its Might score is reduced by one-half the character's Banishing score. If the creature's Might score would be reduced to zero or lower, the creature may not enter. If the creature leaves the designated location, its Might score returns to normal.

While an affected creature is in the designated location, its Might score is reduced and it suffers overwhelming pain and discomfort (and negative modifiers) as described in Weight of a Thousand Hells (ArM5, page 148). This extreme discomfort causes most creatures to develop deep enmity for the character who banished them. Infernal and other creatures of appropriate temperament may develop an obsession with exacting revenge on the character. If a creature is unable to avenge a banishment, it often seeks allies or assistance in punishing the character. Friendly creatures may not go to these lengths for revenge, but few are pleased to suffer the torment of banishment.

Although all of the Donatores's Banishing capabilities are aligned with the Divine, Banishing may be aligned with any realm. A character may use Banishing against creatures aligned with the same realm as the character's Banishing Ability, but it is difficult to keep an aligned creature out of the designated area. Of course, Divine creatures are immune to the effects of Banishing if they are fulfilling God's Divine plans.

Example: Allessandro has a score of 18 in Banishing and Presence of 2. He is surprised by the ghost of his former master and wants to banish it from the covenant. Allessandro loudly calls upon the powers of nature and all that is magical (his Banishing Ability is aligned with the Magic realm) to expel this Infernal creature from the covenant, which falls under the Structure category and gives him an Ease Factor of 6. The Infernal ghost has a Might of 25. Allessandro rolls a 6, for a total of 26. The covenant is in a Magic aura of 6, which improves his total to 32. Because Allessandro has no suitable Arcane Connection to his master with him, his Penetration is 26 (32 – 6), which forces the creature to leave the covenant immediately. The ghost may attempt to re-enter the covenant by succeeding in a Stamina + Magic Lore roll against an Ease Factor of 12, but because Allessandro's Ability is aligned with Magic and he is in a Magic aura, the Infernal ghost must add 6 to the Ease Factor because of the realm interaction modifier. Had the ghost been of the Magic or Faerie realms, the Ease Factor would have been lowered appropriately. If the ghost succeeds, its Might is reduced by 9 (onehalf Allessandro's score in Banishing) until the next sunrise or sunset. The ghost flees, giving Allessandro time to find an Arcane Connection to his master and prepare for the final battle.

Specialties: Any Realm (Supernatural)

Favored Virtues and Flaws

Banishing is a required Virtue for the tradition and is the focus of most junior magi. It allows magi fresh from their Gauntlets to combat spirits and ghosts with greater ability than they would otherwise be able to do with Hermetic magic alone. As the magus matures and his Arts improve, the importance of Banishing lessens. However, even senior magi utilize Banishing as a way to soften a potential target before sending it to its ultimate rest.

The Donatores Requietis Aeternae suffer from the Hermetic Flaw Restriction. They cannot cast spells on consecrated ground. This Flaw may come from the inability of Hermetic magic to summon or communicate with a spirit that has received a Christian burial or from the unwillingness of the Donatores to violate the sanctity of holy ground. This causes Donatores several problems. Because the remains of a spirit are an Arcane Connection to it, Donatores are often forced to identify and collect those remains without the assistance of Hermetic magic.

Other than the standard Flaws and Virtues for the tradition, the Donatores Requietis Aeternae do not share many magical similarities. There are, however, several Virtues that are more common among the Donatores than other members of the Order. Donatores who provide a great service to a spirit might possess the Ghostly Warder Virtue. Their frequent trips into consecrated graveyards have given many magi the Sense Holiness and Unholiness Virtue. Likewise, because many members of the Donatores Requietis Aeternae either belonged to the priesthood or have frequent contact with it, they may possess True Faith, and some also hold a Relic. Although not common, a few members of the Donatores tradition practice Holy Magic, as described in Realms of Power: The Divine.

The frequent meddling of the Donatores in the world of the dead causes many to suffer from the Plagued by Supernatural Entity Flaw. The supernatural entity is often a spirit that was too powerful for the Donator to defeat. Dealing with a never-ending parade of restless dead also leads many Donatores to develop Second Sight. Many also have a Higher Purpose or Compulsion regarding combating or defending themselves from the restless dead. The frequency of nighttime investigation and activity has led many to have the Nocturnal Flaw. Some Donatores also suffer from Visions, which are usually concerned with the wanderings of the restless dead.

Saintly Visitations

The people who formed the Donatores Requietis Aeternae were a hodgepodge of village hedge wizards, high-born necromancers, and clergy, including priests, nuns, and monks. Some possessed The Gift, but others had no ability with magic at all before receiving their vision. It is possible that other, non-Christian followers of the Divine have also received the Banishing Virtue, but currently all Donatores are Christian. Although the founders of the Donatores experienced visions from several saints, the three most frequent are described here.

Saint Gertrude of Nivelles is the patroness of the recently dead. Popular belief states that the dead travel for three days before reaching the next world. On their first night, they stay under the care of Gertrude and on the second under the Archangel Michael. Gertrude appeared before many Donatores, several of whom were unGifted. Those who experienced her vision often have Premonitions or Visions involving mice and cats. The mice represent lost souls and the cats the Donatores whose task it is to deal with those souls. Magi who received her vision often posses the Virtue Inoffensive to Animals.

Saint Odilo, the creator of the Feast of All Soul's Day while the Abbot at Cluny, is the patron saint of souls in Purgatory. He promoted the "Truce of God," by which military hostilities in France would cease for religious holidays. Odilo appeared before many Donatores who were in holy orders. Those who received his vision often possess the Virtues Apt Student, Educated, or Good Teacher. They also tend to have the Flaw Soft-Hearted or Noncombatant.

Saint Demetrius of Sermium, martyred in the third century for his preaching to Roman soldiers in Thessalonika, modern Croatia, is a patron saint of Crusaders and is often called upon to repel evil spirits. Demetrius appeared before several of the martially inclined Donatores, especially those who had taken the cross. Many of them have the Tough, Reserves of Strength, or Warrior Virtue.

Although current apprentices are taught Banishing by their parentes, many receive a vision from a saint during their apprenticeship. The apprentice often then develops a Virtue or Flaw that mirrors some aspect of the saint's powers or life.

Doing it the Hard Way

Magic is not the only way to combat the restless dead. Some ghosts are simply unaware that they are dead and are attempting to complete an important task they failed to finish in life. If a character assists the ghost, it is likely to lay the spirit to rest. Some ghosts wander the earth because they never had a proper burial. Finding their remains and performing the appropriate burial service quiets these spirits. Other ghosts feel an overwhelming guilt for leaving someone behind, or may have a sense of duty to some person. They may remain to protect the person and can only be put to rest if the ward reaches adulthood or demonstrates independence.

For the restless, corporeal dead who seek vengeance on the world — sometimes called revenants — the mundane process of quieting them is quite grisly. If the target against whom the revenant seeks vengeance is killed, the creature usually ceases to wander. Some restless dead, however, might seek vengeance against an entire family, town, or other large group of enemies. In these cases, the character must locate the revenant's tomb, to which the creature must return before dawn. During the day, the character must exhume the revenant, decapitate it, remove its heart, and have its grave blessed with holy water. If these steps are not completed before dusk, the revenant rises and hunts any who disturbed its grave. Other legends require that the corpse be disinterred and incinerated. After its ashes are spread, the revenant does not return.

Preferred Spells

For restless dead with Might scores too powerful to defeat unassisted, a Donator often banishes a spirit for a short period to allow time to locate the corporeal remains of the spirit with Tracing the Trail of Death's Stench from the location of the spirit's death or the gravesite, both of which are Arcane Connections. Once the remains are located, the Donator is able to use the ghost's body as a more powerful Arcane Connection, or deal with the menace in other ways. Of course, for the restless dead that are peaceful in nature, Banishing is less useful than investigating the circumstances of the person's death, talking with her loved ones, and attempting to determine the underlying causes that are preventing the spirit from passing on to the next world. Because of the agony Banishing causes, Donatores generally reserve it for creatures of obviously hostile intent.

All Donatores learn Penetration and many emphasize the use of low-level spells to maximize their Penetration scores against creatures with Might. Most Donatores also master these spells to allow them to cast multiple copies. Obviously, Demon's Eternal Oblivion and Lay to Rest the Haunting Spirit are two of the more popular spells. Both are very effective against a creature previously weakened by Banishing.

In ancient Thrace there lived a poet and musician beloved of gods and men. He is the root of dozens of myths and hundreds of stories. He was an artist, augur, and Argonaut. Orpheus was a master musician and magician, said by some to have been taught these twin arts by Hermes himself. His followers suggest that this makes him the first user of "Hermetic" magic in history.

Favored Tribunals: Tribunal of Thebes, Transylvanian Tribunal, Roman Tribunal

Major Virtue: Sanguine Humor's Blessing

Minor Hermetic Virtue: Orphic Magic

Major Hermetic Flaw: Restriction (True Feeling)

Cult lore tells that Orpheus founded a society of magic-wielding priests who worshiped Hermes and Dionysus. Dionysus fell out of favor after Orpheus's death. The society continued to worship Hermes, but also believed Zeus's raising of Orpheus's lyre indicated the musician had apotheosized; thus, they became a cult devoted to the worship of both Orpheus and Hermes. In their attempts to become closer to their hero-deity they studied his life, and developed a sort of magic that could connect the caster to anyone with whom he had a strong, personal, emotional tie, such as Orpheus had with Eurydice. In those days, it's said that these spells were used to commune with Orpheus himself by those who had known him well.

After the fall of the cult of Mercury, the Orphic cult absorbed some of their members and incorporated many of their rituals. Mercurian magic was more advanced than theirs, and after a time they adopted it almost fully. Any remaining musical bent was gradually lost. When the cult was found by the Order of Hermes, their magic was inferior to Hermetic magic but easily adapted to it.

Among themselves, Orphic magi still use the Greek title of magos (plural magoi), rather than the usual Hermetic "magus."

The Cult of Orpheus is similar to a Mystery Cult, and characters must be Initiated into it. In general, however, the Cult of Orpheus seeks out potential magoi who already possess the Virtue and/or the Flaw that define their capabilities . Some members believe the Cult's teaching methods are flawed, and that one could learn this magic without taking on the Virtues and Flaws of the Orphics. However, such a method runs counter to the Cult's philosophies, and there is no record of such an attempt.

An Initiate makes oaths and performs rituals that cement his place in the Cult forever. Cult members are asked to do varied things, based on visions received during initiation. Common requirements include eschewing the opposite sex, scourging the flesh, and eating no meat. No two Orphic magoi are required to follow the same taboos, and no follower of Orpheus is ever asked to do something that would compromise the connections that power his magic. Common to each Initiation, however, is the insistence that information be hidden from outsiders.

Orphic magoi must conceal the Cult's deep personal connections, as they fear that they would be accused of violating the proscription in the Oath of Hermes against interfering with mundanes. This fear may be unfounded, but the Cult exists on the fringe of Hermetic society, and is unwilling to take that risk.

Orphics also hide the Cult's belief in the legend of Orpheus, and that he attempted to restore life to the dead. Many Christians, magus and mundane, would consider such a thing blasphemous, and the Cult could be tainted by association, let alone by rumors that they themselves contact the Underworld.

Orphic cultists use Hermetic magic, but they incorporate some of their pre-Hermetic knowledge to expand their abilities. Orphic magoi begin with the Major General Virtue Sanguine Humour's Blessing, the Minor Hermetic Virtue Orphic Magic, and the Flaw Restriction (True Feeling). An Orphic magos is so connected to certain others that it colors everything he does.

The Major Hermetic Virtue Mercurian Magic is appropriate to Orphic magoi. Many also have the Minor Supernatural Virtue Enchanting Music, and some learn the Ability itself after their apprenticeship; the difficulty is great, but these magoi feel that to approach Orpheus is worth the effort.

The Orpheus Legend

Orpheus was the finest composer the world has ever known, with music capable of charming the very rocks and trees themselves, and while he was playing the beasts would harm neither him nor one another, merely lying in adoration of his beautiful melodies. His charms won him the affection of a woman, Eurydice, whom he adored with a fierce love, great and unbounded. Tragically, she was lost to him soon after their wedding; she was seen by the god Aristaeus, who desired her beauty. He advanced on her, and she fled, but stepped upon a viper in the grass. She died soon after, but Orpheus could not bear her loss.

Orpheus traveled the breadth of the world in his grief, playing bittersweet tunes on his divine lyre that drew tears from all who heard them. Following advice thus coaxed from sympathetic spirits and gods he traveled down a cave and found himself in the Greek Underworld. There he met Hades and Persephone, its king and queen, and played for them a song so sad, desperate, and haunting that they agreed to allow his love to leave following him, provided he trusted enough to go without turning back to see if she was there. Perhaps Orpheus's resolve failed him, or perhaps the gods are merely fickle, but regardless of the reason, it was near the surface that he glanced back to be greeted with the sight of his beloved being borne away, back into the depths of the Underworld.

Orpheus lost his sanity after this, and wandered the world a second time, and though now in a fit of madness his music was as beautiful as ever. His charms, though, could not protect him from the Maenads, women devoted to Dionysus, who tore him limb from limb in one of their wild rampages through the woods. His head is said to have continued to sing beautifully as it floated down the river and into the sea; his lyre was set among the stars by Zeus himself.

The Path of Orpheus

It is rumored within the cult, and without, that their leaders have access to a ritual that follows Orpheus's path into the Underworld. Orpheus's original trek may have left traces that later magoi could follow, allowing them to restore their own beloved (or despised) to the living world.

If this ritual existed, it would function like the rituals of Fenicil (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 76), with an Ease Factor of 78, Range Adelphixis, Duration Momentary, and Target Individual; neither the Cult of Orpheus nor House Guernicus knows that the other group holds such knowledge. For those without True Lineages, this is a great ritual which requires the expenditure of dozens of pawns of raw vis and the coordination of

several magi at once, all of whom must know the spell Wizard's Communion. During the casting, the ritual leader is drawn into a realm that appears to be the Greek Underworld, where he is sorely tested by Hades himself to demonstrate worthiness before the king will release the soul.

Even if the spell is successfully cast, and Hades's tests are passed, there is no guarantee that the ritual is capable of what is purported. Under the best of circumstances, the ritual will not work on anyone buried on holy ground, and certainly not on anyone directly ascended to Heaven. Even so, the individual who returns may well be simply a demon preying on the desires of the magos, and Hermetic magic would be unable to discern this.

Of the four humors of Hippocrates, blood is said to govern passion and heat. A character with this Virtue has strong connections to others who support him, and he can draw on these bonds to give insight to specific tasks.

A character with this Virtue receives a bonus to certain rolls. This is based on his Story Flaw, if appropriate; however, the roll in question does not need to involve the Flaw directly. The Flaw must indicate a True Feeling, and this determination is left up to the storyguide or troupe, but some examples are given below. The bonus is +1 to Ability rolls for Minor Story Flaws and +3 for Major Story Flaws; Hermetic magi with this Virtue, including Orphic magoi, gain a +3 bonus to appropriate spellcasting rolls for Minor Flaws and a +5 bonus for Major ones. Note that this is a General Virtue, and thus available to those outside of the Cult of Orpheus.

If the character ever loses the Story Flaw in question, through in-game resolution, this Virtue ceases to provide any benefit until the character gains another such Flaw. If a character has two appropriate Flaws for any reason, only the first one gained affects this Virtue; note, however, that under normal circumstances a character may only begin play with one Story Flaw.

Some appropriate Flaws and their corresponding bonuses appear below. Other Flaws may be appropriate, as determined by your troupe or storyguide.

Flaw	Bonus
Dependent	Rolls to support or protect
Enemies	Rolls to attack or defend
True Love (NPC)	Rolls to impress or persuade
Animal/Magical Animal Companion	Rolls involving the natural world
Close Family Ties	Rolls to empathize with or understand another person
Mentor	Rolls to recall or comprehend information

For example, a character with the Story Flaw Enemies receives a +3 bonus to any mundane roll that involves attack or defense, or a +5 bonus to such Hermetic spells, regardless of whether the target of the roll is an Enemy as defined by the Flaw. A character with Close Family Ties receives a bonus to rolls to comprehend other people, regardless of whether they are family.

The Cult of Orpheus in Your Saga

While there may be one or more Orphic magoi in your troupe, the Cult can be easily involved in your stories even if no PC is a member. Orphics can be either antagonists or allies of the PCs, depending on your needs.

The Path of Orpheus can serve as the centerpiece to a storyline about dead who return from the grave. The Orphics might either serve to help a PC restore a beloved NPC to life, or as a conduit — witting or unwitting — for demonic influence to enter Mythic Europe.

The Cult of Orpheus is also aware of the Seirenes (see Seirenes in Your Saga, below), and this tradition is the source of speculation among Cult members. The groups distrust one another, but they haven't come into open conflict. Orphic magoi might attempt to learn the Seirenes' magic, or, as their founder did, learn to counter it with music of their own. Even if this does not happen, it would not take much to convince one group to move against the other, given their mutual legendry.

Some Orphic magoi also consider the loss of their founder's own magical music unfortunate. An Orphic magos might well decide to make it his life's work to rebuild such abilities.

The Cult of Orpheus is aware of the claim of House Tremere to have built their domus magna over Orpheus's portal into Hades, but most consider it a laughable pretense. Orphic teachings indicate that Orpheus did not use any physical gateway, but rather that his grief, his music, and his magic carried him directly there, and that Orpheus's own mind interpreted what was happening as a physical trek.

Orphic magoi gain access to the additional Range Adelphixis. Spells with this Range may target anyone connected to the magos via a Story Flaw that indicates emotion, such as True Love (NPC) or Close Family Ties. At the storyguide's discretion, some Virtues may allow the use of Adelphixis as well — for example, True Love (PC). This range is equivalent to Arcane Connection for determining spell level. In essence, the magos is using himself as the Arcane Connection required for the spell.

The magic of the Cult of Orpheus ties into feelings for others such that, should those dissolve, the magos is unable to use magic. Note that the death of other party does not necessarily invalidate the feeling; in the case of Orpheus, he retained his True Love long after Eurydice had died. However, if the character at any time has no Virtue or Flaw representing a strong, emotional connection to another, he loses access to his magic until another such feeling is stirred. In general, Orphic magoi have a Flaw appropriate to Sanguine Humor's Blessing, which fulfills this condition as well. However, this Flaw is broader than Sanguine Humor's Blessing, and many Virtues are appropriate, e.g., True Love (NPC) or True Faith.

Orphic Spells

Below is a short list of spells using the Adelphixis Range. Such spells are rarely passed from parens to apprentice in the normal Hermetic manner, as each Orphic magos has his own reasons for joining the Cult. Few interested in A Father's Concern would ever consider casting The End of Hatred, for example.

A Father's Concern

InCo 40

R: Adelphixis, D: Mom, T: Group

Created by Anatol, a magos formerly of House Jerbiton, this spell was used by him to check periodically on his six daughters. He had left them behind to begin an apprenticeship late in life, and when he had completed his studies they'd become married adults and moved away; he couldn't locate them by mundane means.

This spell gives a brief insight into the targets' physical condition. It applies to anyone to whom the Adelphixis Range applies for the magos, but an easier version of the spell would be more useful to those who don't bear such bonds to multiple people.

(Base 10, +4 Adelphixis, +2 Group)

The End of Hatred

PeCo 50

R: Adelphixis, D: Mom, T: Ind

Used only once during the Cult's association with the Order of Hermes, this spell instantly slays its target. It requires the caster to have a great rivalry with the target that drowns out all other thought; in game terms, the caster must have the Enemies Flaw relating to the target.

When the inventor used it to slay his mundane rival, he was discovered by the Cult after a Quaesitor began investigating the death. The Quaesitor was able to determine that magic was involved, but had been unable to determine the caster. While the investigator was fooled, the Cult was not, and the magos who cast the spell was himself destroyed in an Orphic ritual to keep the Cult's secrets safe.

(Base 30, +4 Adelphixis)

The Private Speech of Eros and Psyche

In(Cr)Me 60

R: Adelphixis, D: Year, T: Ind, Ritual

For one year after this spell is cast, the magos may, at will, speak mentally with the target, and vice versa. This communication is not impeded by distance, and may not be revoked by either party without somehow canceling the spell.

This spell was developed by a magos who wanted to hear his True Love's voice at all times, and is generally used for such purposes. However, at least once in the history of the Cult, it was used to deliver a year's worth of threats to an enemy.

(Base 15, +4 Adelphixis, +4 Year, +1 Creo to send words)

The Pharmacopoeians comprise a tradition of magi who can trace their ancient lineage back to Crateuas: author of the first pharmacopoeia, illustrator of the first herbal, and the original Root-Cutter. Their magic relies heavily on the curative magic in herbs and plants, which makes them some of the Order's best healers.

Favored Tribunals: The Pharmacopoeians are found in all Tribunals.

Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Mythic Herbalism

Minor Hermetic Virtue: Root-Cutter

Major Hermetic Flaw: Deficient Technique (Perdo)

Miscellaneous: All Root-Cutters have the Virtue Minor Magical Focus (Healing) and one of the following Flaws: Soft-Hearted, Noncombatant, or Vow (Pacifism).

Crateuas is known as the greatest herbalist of antiquity. He possessed an incredible knowledge of the inherent magical powers of plants, animals, and minerals that could be combined to create powerful cures for many ailments. Crateuas recorded his knowledge in the first herbal. He illustrated the herbal extensively with paintings and detailed diagrams of the most powerful plants. He cataloged their properties in a set of five massive tomes. Although his herbal has been lost to the rest of the world, Crateuas passed his knowledge down to his students.

As a successful and long-time enemy of Rome, Mithridates VI, king of Pontus, was constantly worried about assassination plots. Mithridates sought out Crateuas to serve as his court physician because of his fame as an herbalist. Crateuas gladly accepted the prestigious position and took extraordinary measures to protect the king. He employed only the most rare and expensive ingredients, and spent countless hours preparing his concoctions — to the detriment of his other patients.

Crateuas's potions worked better than Mithridates could have imagined. When Mithridates's armies were finally defeated and the forces of Rome surrounded him, he attempted to take his own life to avoid capture. The king drank poison, but was only weakened. He fell upon his own sword, but did not die. Mithridates could not evade capture and died eventually, but Crateuas's potions allowed him to withstand weeks of agonizing torture by the Romans. After the king's death, Crateuas realized that his powers had been wasted. His prodigious efforts to protect Mithridates could have provided comfort to hundreds of common citizens.

The Herbal of Crateuas

Although most believe that Crateuas's catalog of herbs and their powers has been lost forever, there are occasional rumors of copies surfacing. Crateuas's herbal is written in ancient Greek and is a summa for Profession Apothecary and Medicine (quality 14, level 5), and Mythic Herbalism (quality 9, level 10). Some believe that Crateuas hid a copy of his herbal in a temple dedicated to Aesculapius, the Greek god of healing.

The Greeks founded temples dedicated to Aesculapius across the Grecian peninsula and Asia Minor. The temples were usually located near a mineral spring and were often filled with art and treasure from grateful patients. They also tended to have nurseries for breeding the snakes that symbolized Aesculapius's powers and were used extensively in healing ceremonies.

Pharmacopoeians are keenly interested in recovering Crateuas's herbal and preventing it from falling into the hands of others. They believe that a dedicated researcher could uncover the secrets of the Root-Cutter Virtue with access to the text. It is left to the storyguide's discretion whether these fears are well founded, but if they are true, each volume of the herbal provides a source of Insight to anyone attempting to make a Breakthrough to replicate the Root-Cutter Virtue. (See Ancient Magic, page 7 for the applicable rules).

Crateuas's lesson was passed on to his pupils. The Pharmacopoeians, commonly referred to as "Root-Cutters," have a strong sense of responsibility for healing the masses. As a corollary of this responsibility, Pharmacopoeians also feel a duty to train healers. They readily teach Profession Apothecary, Chirurgy, and Medicine to anyone seeking the knowledge. Members of the tradition are more selective in teaching Mythic Herbalism. In general, the knowledge is only passed to an apprentice, but any healer who shows dedication to helping others may be trained. Of course, those trained by the Pharmacopoeians are not as selective, and Mythic Herbalism is practiced by innumerable individuals who have no knowledge of the Root-Cutters' traditions or even their existence.

While searching for an apprentice, a Pharmacopoeian is concerned foremost with the apprentice's temperament. The Root-Cutter Virtue is passed only to students who are willing to completely dedicate themselves to preserving life. This is a difficult path for many to follow, especially when one possesses the power of a Hermetic magus. To pass the Gauntlet, the apprentice is sent into the world, ostensibly to test his healing skills, but during this journey the master secretly provokes confrontational situations to judge the student's dedication to pacifism. An apprentice only succeeds if he shows a true willingness to protect others while avoiding violence. Upon passing the Gauntlet, the magus is taught the final secrets of the Root-Cutter Virtue. If he fails, the tradition rejects him.

When the Pharmacopoeians were presented with the ultimatum to join the Order or fight it, they reluctantly accepted after the followers of Criamon convinced them that it was possible to follow a path of non-violence within the Order. The Pharmacopoeian dedication to healing and avoidance of power has meant that they tend to play a small role in Hermetic politics. When they do participate, it is frequently only to cast their votes against any proposal by Houses Flambeau, Tremere, or Tytalus, whom the Pharmacopoeians regard as little more than bloodthirsty animals, or to throw their support behind House Criamon, with whom they maintain friendly relations.

The Pharmacopoeians practice a naturalistic form of magic. It is aided by their in-depth knowledge of the natural magic in plants, animals, and minerals. The Root-Cutter and Mythic Herbalism Virtues reflect this knowledge. The intense training that Pharmacopoeians undergo provides them with a Minor Magical Focus (Healing). Because of their dependence on the natural cycles of life and their dedication to preserving it, all Pharmacopoeians have the Flaw Deficient Technique (Perdo) and one of the following Flaws: Soft-Hearted, Noncombatant, or Vow (Pacifism).

For obvious reasons, Pharmacopoeians tend to be specialists in the Arts of Creo and Corpus. Many possess Puissant Creo, Corpus, or Mythic Herbalism, or Affinity with Creo, Corpus, or Mythic Herbalism. Cyclic Magic (positive) tied to the seasons and Purifying Touch are also common Virtues among the Root-Cutters.

All members of the tradition possess some skill in Medicine, Chirurgy, or Profession Apothecary. Many Pharmacopoeians also have some ability in Craft Drawing and Area Lore for various woodlands where herbs grow, which they use to continue the tradition of cataloging and illustrating plants and their medicinal properties. Unlike many apprentices, a Pharmacopoeian often spends more time maintaining his master's herb garden or collecting and recording herbs than he spends in his master's laboratory.

Mythic Herbalism Ease Factor Table

Ease Factor	Healing Effects	Poisons	Physical Bonuses
3	Add Mythic Herbalism score to patient’s Stamina roll to resist any disease	Ease Factor 6, Sleep	Add +2 to all Fatigue rolls
6	Prevent all of a patient’s wounds from getting worse for one day	Ease Factor 6, Light Wound	Ignore Wound Penalties up to Medium Wounds
9	Add Mythic Herbalism Score x 2 to Recovery roll	Ease Factor 9, Medium Wound	Add +3 to Soak
12	Add Mythic Herbalism Score x 3 to Recovery roll	Ease Factor 9, Heavy Wound	Ignore one level of Fatigue
15	Add Mythic Herbalism Score x 4 to Recovery roll	Ease Factor 9, Incapacitating Wound	Add +5 to Soak
18	Heal the debilitating after-effects of a disease, poison, or injury	Ease Factor 9, Death	Increase one negative physical characteristic to 0
21	Resolve a major aging crisis	Heal a Medium Wound caused by poison	Increase one physical characteristic to +1
24	Resolve a terminal aging crisis	Heal an Incapacitating Wound caused by poison	Increase one physical characteristic to +2

Profession Apothecary

This Ability allows the character to identify, cultivate, and prepare common herbs, plants, and other ingredients for use in medicinal remedies. Any character without access to proper medicinal supplies makes all Medicine rolls at a penalty of –3 and the Recovery Bonus for his patients is also reduced by 3. (It should be assumed that under normal circumstances all characters have access to medicinal remedies, unless the storyguide decides otherwise.) A skilled apothecary reduces or eliminates this penalty. A medicus with access to remedies prepared by an apothecary with a score of 1 suffers only –2 to his Medicine rolls, and an apothecary with a score of 2 reduces the penalty to –1. An apothecary with a score higher than 3 does not improve a medicus's Ability in Medicine.

Rules for acquiring ingredients and creating medicinal remedies or poisons are beyond the scope of this book and will be detailed in Art and Academe.

Specialties: finding ingredients, treating diseases, preparing poisons. (General)

Story Seed: Interfering with the Mundanes

A disgruntled magus grows tired of the Pharmacopoeians voting against him and his House. He threatens to bring a charge against all of them in the Tribunal for interfering with the mundanes because of the attention their healing brings to the Order. Most Pharmacopoeians are willing to abstain from voting against the magus or to vote with him at Tribunal to avoid any possibility of an adverse decision. However, if the charging magus seeks support for a proposal that would harm innocent people, the Pharmacopoeians might submit to trial instead.

If a Pharmacopoeian's healing draws the attention of a powerful noble, especially one with a dread disease or grievously ill family member, she may be forced to violate the Code. Rejecting the noble is likely to bring his wrath on the Pharmacopoeian's covenant and possibly the Order. Accepting the offer could lead other nobles to demand the same services, which is one of the original reasons the Code prohibits magi from becoming court wizards.

Major Supernatural Virtue: Mythic Herbalism

Mythic Herbalism is a Major Supernatural Virtue that grants a score of 1 in the Mythic Herbalism Ability. Mythic Herbalism permits a character to create unguents and poultices that can heal the wounded, cure the diseased, or assist the

poisoned. The Ability also allows a character to create especially virulent poisons. Finally, he may create potions that grant temporary bonuses to various physical characteristics. The effects of the concoctions are detailed in the nearby chart.

For any creation, the character must spend a number of days equal to one-third the Ease Factor of the intended effect to prepare and brew the necessary ingredients. Anyone with the Ability Profession Apothecary and access to plants growing in a Magic aura may supply the ingredients. (Detailed rules for ingredient collection and cultivation will follow in the forthcoming book, Art and Academe.)

The character may create multiple doses of any concoction; the Ease Factor is increased by one for each additional dose. The character must select the total number of doses he wishes to create prior to beginning the brewing process. Large batches are more difficult to create because of instability during the brewing process, but they do not take longer to create than a single dose does. The character does not need access to a full Hermetic laboratory, but may create potions with only a few basic tools and a constant source of heat.

At the end of the process, the player must roll the character's Intelligence + Mythic Herbalism against the target Ease Factor. If the roll fails, the concoction is useless. If the roll is a botch, the resulting concoction may poison the creator or its recipient.

After one season, an unused poultice, poison, or potion expires and thereafter lacks all powers. An unguent or poultice grants a bonus to Recovery rolls based on the target Ease Factor selected by the player, and the character's Mythic Herbalism score. Unless otherwise stated, the curative is effective for one month and must be reapplied if the patient's wound takes longer to heal. If a character receives the benefit of a poultice and a spell, only the larger Recovery bonus applies.

Use the Ease Factors in the table to create an ingested poison. If the poison is a contact poison, increase the Ease Factor by +3.

Potions created by Mythic Herbalism that grant physical bonuses last for Sun Duration. The effects of the potions are not cumulative. The bonus to Fatigue rolls may not exceed +2, only one level of Fatigue may be ignored per day, and the bonuses to Soak do not stack.

Specialties: healing wounds, creating potions, creating poisons. (Supernatural)

The Root-Cutter Virtue is a Minor, Hermetic Virtue. A character with the Root-Cutter Virtue is able to collect and prepare magical ingredients from plant, animal, and mineral components that reduce the vis cost of healing Rituals. The magus may reduce the vis cost of a healing Ritual by his score in Mythic Herbalism, but the cost may never be reduced by more than half.

Specialties: healing wounds, curing diseases, resolving aging crises. (Hermetic)