View source for Mystery Cult

A '''Mystery Cult''' in [[ArM5]] is a secret society that knows and teaches one or more [[Mystery|Mysteries]]. Characters join a mystery cult and learn its Mystery through the process of [[Initiation]].

== House Mysteries ==

In [[ArM5]], four Houses are considered mystery cults: [[Bjornaer]], [[Criamon]], [[Merinita]], and [[Verditius]]. They are also called [[Mystery House|Mystery Houses]], or [[Exoteric Mystery|Exoteric Mysteries]].  They are described in the [[ArM5]] rule book; the supplement [[Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults]] expands on them and describes many more of their mystical secrets.

== Other Mystery Cults ==

Some Houses are mystery cults, but most mystery cults are not Houses.These are known as [[Esoteric Mystery|Esoteric Mysteries]].

[[TMRE]] describes several example mystery cults and gives rules for creating new ones.

* The [[Legion of Mithras]]
* The [[Philosophers of Rome]]
* The [[Children of Hermes]]
* The [[Mystic Fraternity of Samos]]
* The [[Disciples of the Worm]]
* The [[Knights of the Green Stone]]
* The [[Order of the Green Cockerel]]

Other mystery cults are described in canon, too:

* The [[Titanoi]] within [[House Tytalus]]
* The [[True Merinitae]] within [[House Merinita]] and beyond
* The [[Cult of Orpheus]] within [[House Ex Miscellanea]]
* [[The Huntress in the Wood]], largely within [[House Bjornaer]]
* A sketch on the surviving [[Cult of Mithras]] in [[House Flambeau]] can be found in [[Houses of Hermes Societates]]
* The [[Cult of Dedun]] is a organisation focused on death & immortality. In league with the magic spirit known as the Red.

== Levels of Membership ==

Some cults have more than one level of membership.  Cult members are promoted from lower to higher levels of membership through additional [[Initiation|Initiations]].  The mystical secrets known to lower-level members are called [[Outer Mystery|Outer Mysteries]], while [[Inner Mystery|Inner Mysteries]] are reserved for the cult's elite.

== Resources ==
* [https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/30-days-of-mystery-cult-content/170345 30 Days of Mystery Cult Content] discussion thread at the Atlas Games forums for Ars Magica.

== Legacy Page ==
The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at [[Legacy:mystery_cult]]

[[Category:Mysteries]]
[[Category:Mystery Cult]]