Guardians of the Forest Chapter Three: Tribunal History & Customs

Upon Being a Rhine Magus

The Rhine Tribunal has four recognized ranks by which it classes its members. In the early years of the Order, these ranks were based on those of the Roman priesthood, and this tradition can still be seen in the older covenants. While most of the Tribunals abandoned this archaic practice, in the Rhine it has mutated into the craftsman ranks of apprentice (Latin discipulus), journeyman (tyro), master (magister), and archmage (archimagus).

New Virtues and Flaws for Rhine Magi

Minor Hermetic Virtue

(Gild) Trained: You have been trained for a number of seasons at the covenant of Durenmar during the end of your apprenticeship in the Rhine Tribunal. In addition to a season of training by a magus of House Bonisagus, you have also been inducted into one of the Rhine’s political gilds, receiving two or more seasons of training by one of its masters. You gain an additional 30 experience points, which may be spent on Order of Hermes Lore, Intrigue, and Durenmar Lore (or, rarely, the Lore of another covenant where you were trained by your gild). You gain a further 60 experience points that may be spent on any General or Arcane Abilities, Arts, and spells (one point per level) that are appropriate to your gild. For example, the Ash Gild Trained Virtue can confer Hunt, Penetration, and battle magics, whereas Elder Gild Trained might grant Etiquette, Faerie Lore, and faerie spells. This extra training may negate the effect of the Weak Parens Flaw, in which case the Virtue and Flaw cancel out and both can be dropped. With the approval of the storyguide, it may be combined with the Skilled Parens Virtue.

This Virtue is not compulsory for Rhine magi — not all magi apprenticed here opt to receive this training and join a gild immediately, although many do. A magus who joins a gild post-apprenticeship usually still receives gild training, but in this case the Virtue should not be taken — instead the magus must spend seasons of time to be trained, for which experience points are gained as usual according to the Long Term Events chapter of Ars Magica Definitive Edition.

Laws of Hospitality and the Peregrinatores

The Rhine Tribunal has included into its Peripheral Code the traditional German guest-laws, which encouraged homeowners to be generous to travelers in terms of food and shelter, and exhorted travelers to be mindful of their host’s ability to support another mouth in the household. The laws of hospitality became a very early part of the Tribunal’s lifestyle, and has given the Rhine a unique feature of travelling magi — typically around a sixth of its magi are peregrinatores. It has become commonplace for journeymen magi to spend some of their time after apprenticeship visiting covenants for extended sabbaticals. It is highly unusual for masters or archmagi to become long-term guests at other covenants; except at Durenmar, where it is considered to be a privilege. The Peripheral Code clearly indicates the duties and obligations of both guest and host:

961st year of Aries, Rhine Tribunal: A magus may request hospitality from any covenant established legally in the Rhine Tribunal. The covenant must formally publish the conditions of hospitality, which, if agreed to by the magus, guarantee him at least three, but no more than seven years at the covenant. The conditions of hospitality must be the same for all guests currently in residence, but may be otherwise changed by the covenant at any time that they have no guests. The guest is entitled only to that which is granted in the conditions of hospitality, and must agree to its strictures, which must include — but is not restricted to — a fee of three pawns of vis per year paid to the host.

A later ruling allowed that the fee of vis paid by the guest could be exchanged for equivalent service, and a season’s work was deemed to be adequate recompense.

A covenant can always prevent receiving (or honoring) a request for hospitality by making the conditions of hospitality so severe that no magus would ever accept them, although this would reflect poorly on the covenant. Most conditions of hospitality allow access to part or all of the library, and ask a basic oath of fellowship from the guest, requiring him to help in times of adversity. Once accepted, the host can- not ask the guest to leave (as long as he obeys the conditions) until three whole years have passed. Most covenants have a spare laboratory in which to house guests, but are not obliged to provide one; and if none exist, the magus is expected to pay for and establish his own. Large covenants such as Fengheld and Durenmar are able to accommodate a half-dozen guests simultaneously.

The peregrinatores are nearly always of journeyman rank, and usually consist of magi who do not currently belong to a covenant. However, members of covenants may also make use of the Laws of Hospitality, and take sabbaticals at other covenants in order to work collaboratively with other magi, research a particular topic, or to fulfil an obligation that they owe their host.

The Lineage of Irmele

The maga Trianoma was the driving force that resulted in the foundation of the Order of Hermes — without her determination, the discoveries of Bonisagus would likely have never been shared. She spent many years traveling to the furthest reaches of Europe in search of wizards who were magically powerful enough for them to be offered a place in the nascent Order. When the Order was founded, this self-effacing woman declined the honor of being one of the twelve Founders (perhaps fearing to be the unlucky thirteenth), instead becoming the first follower of Bonisagus.

In the early days of the Order, a number of apprentices took instruction from Trianoma, thus establishing a distinct lineage of politically-inclined magi within House Bonisagus. Some of her early followers traveled widely, contacting and recruiting many hedge wizards. Prominent among these was Trianoma’s third filia, Irmele, who traveled and recruited in German lands. Now there are fewer potential new recruits in the Rhine Tribunal, and more suspicion of hedge wizardry, but this tradition of wandering still persists within the lineage founded by Irmele in the Tribunal. These few magi are prominent members of the peregrinatores, sometimes accompanied by Redcaps, but often travelling alone. They tend to spend only short periods of time as guests, and since many are members of the Linden Gild, their self-appointed function is to strengthen diplomatic ties between covenants and promote fellowship. These magi are likely to express magics similar to Irmele herself — she was a tempestarius, a native German spellcaster skilled in the manipulation of weather; such spells prove very useful when out on the road at all times of the year. Her descendants tend to be strong in Arts and rich in vis, but often have to rely on spontaneous magic, because of their restricted ability to invent spells or create magical devices due to the absence of a Hermetic laboratory, as they rarely remain with a host long enough to make one worthwhile. Once they achieve the status of master, they will, unlike others, typically remain a peregrinator for a couple of decades; enough time to train at least one apprentice in the traveling tradition on the road. Only once old age has started to creep into their bones and travel becomes difficult will they settle at a covenant.

Apprentice

The apprenticeship of magi in the Rhine Tribunal is similar to elsewhere in the Order. Legally, a discipulus is little more than a slave, and many masters treat them as such, especially in the early years, when the apprentice can be more of a hindrance than a help in the laboratory.

An ancient ruling of the Peripheral Code, from the time of the Rhine’s founding, requires that all apprentices trained in the Tribunal must spend a minimum of one season learning at Durenmar, to complement their normal studies. This is a continuation of the early tradition whereby new recruits traveled to Durenmar to learn the Hermetic magic from Bonisagus himself (or his followers). One season at Durenmar is always taken up by direct training from a magus of House Bonisagus; this in part fulfills their requirement to disseminate knowledge, and the poor apprentice may find himself being lectured on obscure points of Hermetic Theory, or esoteric applications of specific Arts. For this reason, magi trained in the Rhine Tribunal are somewhat less likely to suffer from Hermetic Flaws such as Deficient Technique/Form or Flawed Parma Magica, and they are likely to have at least a basic grounding in the politics within the Tribunal. Even those magi who are apprenticed at Durenmar receive this extra training. Some of the remaining time at Durenmar may be taken up by studying from the Great Library, for which credit may be earned by volunteering for seasons of scribing duty. Apprentices may find books on virtually every subject here, but are restricted as to which tomes are made available to them. Some few masters refuse to allow their apprentices to travel to Durenmar; perhaps they are either hostile to that covenant or simply secretive.

While at Durenmar, an apprentice may choose to be inducted into one of the political gilds; indeed, many are. This extra training confers the Minor Hermetic Virtue, (Gild) Trained (see insert). Although one often joins the same gild as one’s master, this training is always undertaken by another magus, in order to provide a second perspective. Alternatively, an apprentice may defer a choice of gild until later; this course is usually followed by those without strong political leanings and who are keen to take the Gauntlet as soon as possible. Nevertheless it is customary, but not compulsory, for a magus to join a gild within seven years of passing the Gauntlet and becoming a journeyman.

Journeyman

A magus is considered to be a tyro upon the successful completion of an apprentice’s Gauntlet. At a special rite conducted at Durenmar, the apprentice is manumitted from slavery by his master, confirmed in his competence, granted a Hermetic name, swears the Oath of Hermes, and is then granted a sigil with which to vote. The magus is now legally a journeyman, and he may declare membership of a gild, if he wishes.

Master

A magister is a rank earned by a magus roughly halfway between Gauntlet and archmagehood. No magus has a right to be a master, and some never achieve this rank, particularly those that are unconcerned about the opinions of their peers.

The rank can only be conferred at the discretion of three magi who are masters themselves. These magi cannot be of the same covenant or House as the applicant, and they should also be from three different gilds. These restrictions prevent this system from being hijacked by nepotism. Conference of a mark of approval is a matter personal to each master, and some have easier restrictions than others; nevertheless, this is considered as a mark of respect, and is never given lightly — bear in mind that all masters have had to go through a similar process themselves. A magus might be asked to perform some noteworthy service to the Tribunal, to create a specific magical item, to make a substantial contribution to the Great Library, and so on. An applicant may ask as many masters as he wishes for their mark of approval, which is given as a physical token identifying the grantor. Once three of these tokens are collected, the new master may immediately style himself magister, and enjoy the privileges of that rank.

The only other requirement to become a master is to acquire a Reputation in the Rhine Tribunal for magical prowess. No master will consider conferring a mark of approval on a magus who is not famed for his magical ability. This reputation can be earned in a number of different ways; and some suggestions are given below. Note that it is not sufficient to merely meet these requirements; the magus must also be known for it.

• Mastery of a single Hermetic Art, which can either be demonstrated by composing a weighty summa or several tractatus on the subject, or by frequently performing impressive spellcasting feats. For example, Henri de Tours (of Oculus Septentrionalis) is known as a master of Mentem.
• A spell of their own invention of at least 5th magnitude that is unusual or innovative in some fashion. For example, Handri, the Primus of Merinita (at Irencillia), is known for his spell called Breaking the Shackles of Vulgar Perception, which allows the target to perceive the world as the faeries do — a disturbing yet revealing experience.
• A number of minor but closely-related spells of their own invention. For example, Ricardus Caespuus (of Durenmar) is known for his numerous minor spells to enhance the growth and productivity of plants.
• An invested item with at least one effect of at least 5th magnitude, which is unusual or innovative. For example, Gudrun Tigurina of Verditius (at Durenmar) is known as the inventor of the Crystal Custodian.
• A widely circulated summa of substantial level and remarkable Quality; or a number of similarly-circulated tractatus. For example, Horst (of Fengheld) has a reputation as a Worthy Author, and has written tracts on a large number of subjects.

One’s petition for masterhood is helped by a number of other factors, however these will not qualify a magus for the rank in themselves. These include having a familiar, having a reputation for politics or famous deeds, having won a Wizard War, or (if a Tremere) having acquired control over one’s own sigil — although this latter one is by no means a requirement for masterhood. It is very rare that magi achieve the status of master in less than twenty years since their Gauntlet, with thirty or forty years being the norm.

One must achieve the status of master before being allowed to take an apprentice. (Although the training of apprentices by journeymen is not unknown, the apprentice, should he pass his Gauntlet, is treated as if he were a newly recruited hedge wizard, and is never formally acknowledged as the filius of the journeyman.) The rank of master permits the magus to hold the voting sigil of one retired magus by proxy, and in any dispute that could otherwise be decided by certamen, a higher-ranked magus automatically has priority, as granted by the Rhine’s Peripheral Code. Thus, if a master and a journeyman quarrel over ownership of some vis in the woods, the master automatically has the right. This ruling is hotly contested by House Tremere as a curb on the power of a magus, whereas it was specifically designed to restrict that very House in the 9th century. However, Tremere magi now strive to be masters more strongly than most others, in an effort to overcome this restriction.

The procedure for Redcaps to achieve the rank of master is slightly different. Instead of acquiring a reputation for magical prowess, they must be known for their loyal service to the Order. This might be as simple as a reputation for reliable and honest message delivery, or alternatively as a protector of magi, for some notable deed, or even for authorship (as above). A Redcap who serves diligently will usually have no problem in finding sponsors from among the grateful magi of the covenants he serves, although a lazy Redcap may find it harder. Partially because of these somewhat easier requirements, and also due to the need to take apprentices earlier, Redcaps usually achieve the rank of master at an earlier age, typically 15 or 20 years after their Gauntlet. This grants significant authority to the Rhine’s senior Redcaps, and the status of master is a matter of some prestige within House Mercere, just as it is for others.

Archmage

The status of archmage is not unique to the Rhine Tribunal, but is found throughout the Order. The rank of archimagus is considered to be the pinnacle of a magus’ career, and usually takes a lot longer to achieve than the Rhine rank of Master. A prospective archmage not only has to win the respect of the other archmages by defeating one at his own challenge, he also needs to complete a major task that benefits the Order as a whole, and display his exemplary mastery of the magical Arts by inventing a 7th-magnitude spell. The majority of magi never achieve archmage status, and many do not even bother to seek it. However, it is noticeable that of all the archmages in the whole Order, about a dozen of them reside in the Rhine Tribunal, a significantly higher proportion than the average. The Rhine Tribunal holds the opinions of the archmagi in high regard, and they are permitted to hold the voting sigils of two retired magi. They also outrank masters in the way that masters outrank journeymen; archmages invariably win any Hermetic dispute, unless they face another archmage.

The Rank of Archmage

To qualify for archmagehood, a magus must have invented a spell of at least 7th magnitude, be famed for some great deed that is significant enough for it to be known throughout the Order, and (if a Rhine magus) have achieved the status of master. Each archmage has a certain challenge at which a magus must defeat him in order to gain archmage status. The first time an archmage is challenged, he determines the nature of the contest, which then remains the same throughout his life. These challenges can take any form, and usually reflect the interests of the archmage. Vinaria of Merinita (at Irencillia) has yet to be challenged; her contest will be to win the favor of four elemental kings, powerful spirits of the Magic realm. Urgen’s challenge (Crintera) is to assume animal form, find him wherever he is hiding (which could be anywhere in Europe), and then defeat him in physical combat. Stentorius of Tremere’s challenge (Fengheld) is as simple as to defeat him in certamen, whereas Philippus Niger (Durenmar) requires the capture and public execution of a powerful hedge wizard. The contest must involve magical powers to be valid, and candidates will often study an archmagus for years in preparation for such a challenge, analyzing his weaknesses and investigating ways in which to outsmart him. If a magus’ parens is an archmage, it is customary to challenge him before challenging another. No magus may challenge a single archmage twice, and no archmage may grant the title to more than seven magi. An archmage who has lost seven challenges may no longer be challenged, and as this is considered to be a disgrace to the archmage, it is considered bad etiquette to challenge an archmage who has lost six contests, since the seventh loss turns his archmage status into an honorary title.

Of the 1200 or so magi in the Order of Hermes, fewer than 80 have achieved this lofty status. There are a disproportionate number from Houses Tremere, Flambeau, and Tytalus, and there are many rumors about what role they fulfill in the Order. Some believe that the archmagi meet regularly, forming a secret cabal that runs the Order behind the scenes, privy to ancient rites and magical secrets. Others laugh at such a notion, considering the title to be merely a recognition of magical puissance, nothing more. The only way of finding out for sure is to become one yourself!

The Gilds of the Rhine Tribunal

The magi of the First Tribunal are formally divided into factions, called gilds, describing political points of view that transcend House or covenant boundaries. The importance of these gilds to the political life of the Order in the Rhine Tribunal is such that individual covenants rarely have a single political agenda, and if they do, this is because of the dominance of a single gild among its members. When they occur, covenant issues at Tribunal are short-term tactical issues; whereas the gilds monopolize the long-term strategy. Unfortunately, six gilds with differing or opposing agendas explains why little gets changed at Tribunals, and why a general air of apathy and resignation infects many of the younger magi of the Rhine.

Each gild broadly corresponds to a single, long-standing agenda. They are organizations to further a political cause, and have no magical function. However, some gilds (the older ones particularly) might have unique ceremonies that relate to that gild only; but these have a symbolic rather than ritual purpose. Belonging to a gild involves a commitment to the agenda that the gild stands for, and a magus is expected to place his vote with his faction when requested to do so. Nevertheless, the Oath of Hermes forbids any mechanism to coerce a magus to vote in a particular way, so dissension cannot be punished; but the rebel should expect to be victimized — even ostracized — by the members of his gild. In an extreme case, a gild may expel one of its members, who will acquire the (Gild) Enmity Flaw, although this is rare. Leaving a gild is a risky business, as this is seen as displaying a radical shift in political stance, and many magi will not trust a magus who has turned his back on his gild. Membership in a gild is open — there is no approval process to join, as most factions are only too willing to recruit new members. Membership is also public; although one’s political affiliation may not be widely known, it cannot be kept a secret. Gild membership is not compulsory, although the great majority of Rhine magi choose to join a gild. Those that do not do so within seven years of their Gauntlet or their arrival in the Tribunal generally acquire a reputation as a loner. These few magi either believe strongly in the principle of their political independence, have no interest in politics, or simply do not care.

There are benefits to membership in a gild. All inexperienced recruits to a gild will receive tuition under one of its senior members, usually at the covenant of Durenmar. Characters who opt to take this training before their Gauntlet get the benefit of the (Gild) Trained Virtue. While a magus remains an upstanding member of his gild, he may make reasonable requests for assistance from his colleagues, and expect that they will be honored, on the understanding that a similar request may be levied on him in the future. Members of a gild expect to have reasonable access to the leader of their faction, and the leader is expected to support his members politically. Finally, gilds serve a limited function as pacts of mutual protection. All gilds forbid Wizard War among their members, and if a magus of another gild declares a Wizard War on one of their members, he may typically expect that a champion of the gild will retaliate in kind. For this reason, Wizard Wars are relatively rare in the Rhine Tribunal, except on magi who do not belong to a gild and therefore lack Hermetic allies.

There are currently six gilds, although there is no mechanism that regulates the number, other than the fact that a magus may only belong to a single gild. According to tradition, all the gilds are named after trees, and in the German language rather than in Latin (though in this book we will use English translations for simplicity). The reasons behind the names of these gilds can be seen in the mythical qualities attributed to the trees in question (see Chapter 4: The Forest, The Trees of Germany).

The Eichengilde (Oak Guild)

This is the largest, broadest, and oldest faction in the Tribunal. The stated agenda of the gild is to restore the Rhine Tribunal (and thereby the Order of Hermes) to its former glory, to respect the traditions and wisdom of the Founders, to encourage magi to respect their elders and work to leave a lasting legacy, and to shun the so-called wisdom from outside the Order of Hermes. However, because of its broad agenda, the gild is somewhat ineffective, as they have no real or co-ordinated strategy to achieve their goals. In practice, its main function is to ensure that the status quo of the Tribunal is maintained by tying up a large proportion of the votes that might promote change. The Eichengilde is lead by Murion, Prima of Bonisagus, and is made up of magi who are mostly older or more reserved; while all Houses are represented, this gild particularly attracts followers of Bonisagus, Guernicus, and Tremere.

The Weissdorngilde (Hawthorn Gild)

This is one of the oldest gilds, along with the Ash Gild and the Oak Gild. Its agenda is to protect the wild places and creatures from the mundanes, to avoid all unnecessary contact with mundanes, to punish those who intrude into the wildernesses, and to promote understanding between magi and beasts. They are nowadays the smallest gild, with a waning influence that is often opposed by the Elder Gild, which has a similar interest but with a different focus, thus diluting their combined power. Urgen of Crintera is the leader of this gild, and it is populated primarily by followers of Bjornaer, especially those with a Wilderist philosophy.

The Eschengilde (Ash Gild)

This gild, lead by Philippus Niger of Durenmar, believes that magi should seek dominion over their lands, that the Order of Hermes should be more forthright in its dealings with mundanes, that magi should not need to hide in the wildernesses, and that the Order of Odin should be combated and destroyed. This last item is not publicly admitted to, but is the prime focus of most of the gild’s older members. The Eschengilde attracts aggressive magi, especially from Houses Flambeau, Tremere, and Tytalus, and while being magically powerful, is not large enough to force their agenda, which skirts on the very edge of the Code of Hermes.

The Holundergilde (Elder Gild)

This gild was once part of the Hawthorn Gild, but split from them soon after the early division in House Merinita and pursued its fae-focused agenda. While they still believe in the sanctity of the wilderness, they concentrate solely on the preservation of the fae and promoting friendly contact between magi and faeries. Unsurprisingly, this faction is primarily made up of the followers of Merinita, and virtually all the members of the covenants of Irencillia and Dankmar are members. A few followers of Bjornaer with extremely strong Harmonist views are members of this gild, to the derision of their Housemates. Iacob of Irencillia is the leader of this gild, and under his leadership it has been secretly promoting a religion conceived to return power back to the fae, under the guidance of members of the Order (see Chapter 10: Bohemia, Irencillia).

Attribution

Content originally published in Guardians of the Forest - The Rhine Tribunal, ©2005, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0)