Original Research

Many neckless faces sprouted, arms were wandering bereft of shoulders and eyes roamed alone in search of foreheads.

– Empedocles, fragment 57

Marcus' obsession is with the Counter-Cyclical Alam (see Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, page 47), a world which is the mirror of ours across the Wheel of Time, but progressing toward perfect harmony while our world descends into strife. As the counter-cyclical world progresses from chaos to order, simple life first appeared in the form of organs made from the primordial swirl of chaos. As the force of harmony increased in that universe, these organs combined together to form living creatures, and then these creatures combined to form the chimeric forms of legend: bull-headed men, women with lions' bodies, the chimera itself — an amalgam of lion, goat, and snake. Eventually, all life will be combined together in ultimate harmony. Marcus believes that the fantastic creatures of antiquity were creatures of greater harmony than those today, and seeks to recreate them in this world. However, Hermetic magic does not allow the creation of new creatures by combining the bodies of others, so Marcus is seeking a means to do so through a Breakthrough in magical theory (Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, pages 26–30).

Marcus has accumulated 41 breakthrough points through Original Research and Insight towards this Major Breakthrough, which would manifest as a Hermetic Virtue called Hermetic Metamorphosis (see insert for the likely result of this Original Research). The spells here represent his attempts to pursue this path. He also invented The Wizard's Mount, Prying Eyes, and The Beast Remade (from Ars Magica Fifth Edition), which yielded him 5 breakthrough points, from the latter.

Worm of the Soil

CrAn 20

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind

Creates a beetle. All invertebrates are

referred to as "worms" in Mythic Europe. This spell provided no breakthrough to Marcus's research.

(base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Flight Perfected

CrAn 25

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind

Creates a dove in the hands of the caster. The bird acts like a normal bird for the duration of the spell. This spell provided Marcus with no breakthrough.

(base 10, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Flight Divorced

CrAn 30

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Part

Creates a pair of bird wings, joined at their base. The wings flap frantically in ran-

dom flight for the duration of the spell, since they lack sense organs or a mind to guide them. If released in an enclosed space, the erratic flight of the wings provides sufficient distraction to impose a –3 penalty on all rolls requiring mental effort or concentration, and adds an extra botch die to all activities. The guideline used in this spell creates a living bird rather than an animal's corpse, and the Part Target produces just the wings.

This spell provided Marcus with a breakthrough in the first of the two seasons it took him to invent it.

(base 10, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 Part)

Strength Extinguished

CrAn 30

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Part

Creates a bull's heart. This spell provided Marcus with no breakthrough.

(base 10, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 Part)

CrAn 35

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Part

Creates a bull's heart that continues to beat strongly for the duration of the spell. In the three seasons it took Marcus to learn this spell, he was lucky enough to get a breakthrough. However, the spell also has a minor flaw thanks to experimentation; the heart only beats in the light, and the strength of the pulse is dependant on the amount of light — in shadow the beat is thready and shallow, while in bright sunshine it is like a drum.

(base 15, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 Part)

Touch of the Wild

MuAn 20

R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Ind

The target animal reverts to a feral form and throws off all its training and domesti-

Minor, Supernatural & Hermetic

You are able to graft organs onto an animal's body to make a new creature. The donor organs can be from another animal or created magically using a Creo Animal ritual spell of Momentary Duration. The recipient must be an animal — a further breakthrough is needed to extend this Virtue to allow a human to be the recipient of an animal organ. The process of metamorphosis requires the casting of a special ritual spell that can only be invented by those who possess this Virtue. It's not known if such creatures breed true, but most likely not.

Note that this Virtue does not yet exist, but once Marcus has completed his work it will be integrated into Hermetic theory through Original Research, and may be taught to other magi either through personal instruction or by writing a tractatus describing the breakthrough. The source must grant at least 5 experience points in a single season for the Virtue to be conferred.