House Guernicus

House Guernicus
Motto	"Lex super valuntate." (The law above the will)
Symbol	Scales of justice balanced on sword
Prima	Bilera
Domus Magna	Magvillus

A True Lineage, House Guernicus pursues its Founder's mission of preserving the Order of Hermes by maintaining its laws and structure. Virtually all its members are quaesitors, and the House effectively controls the administration of Hermetic law. Their domus magna is Magvillus, in the Rome Tribunal.

In Fifth Edition, the House is described in detail in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, pages 35-37. This description was written by David Woods.

This House is also sometimes called House Quaesitor, but note that there are always many non-Guernicus Quaesitores in the Order.

Likely the greatest scandal involving the house arose from the claims of the Duresca Scrolls in the tenth century.

Particular magical characteristics

The Terrae Cult posseses what magical secrets Guernicus chose to pass on to other magi. Although it is open to magi of other houses, Guernicus magi are always numbered within the cult, and the head of the cult is always a Guernicus magus.

Under the first Primus, Fenicil, the house collected a number of older spells of Egyptian, Mercurian and possibly other origins, known collectively as Fenicil's Rituals, as well as an unknown number of pre-Hermetic enchanted devices.

House Guernicus in Past Editions

In ArM1 through ArM3, this House was called House Quaesitor. In Fourth Edition, the name was changed to House Quaesitoris ("House of the Quaesitors"), which is better Latin.

In Fourth Edition, if a magus from another House attained the office of Quaesitor, he also joined House Quaesitoris.

Starting with Fifth Edition, the House has been called House Guernicus after its Founder. It is now considered a True Lineage. Magi who become Quaesitors in Fifth Edition retain their membership in their original Houses: the office is independent of House membership.

Members of House Guernicus

Members of House Guernicus mentioned in canon include:

Living Members

• Bilera, current prima of the House, and thus a resident of Magvillus in the Rome Tribunal.

Famous Members (deceased or likely deceased)

• Guernicus the Founder of the House and Magvillus in the Rome Tribunal.
• Fenicil, the first primus of the House, and thus a resident of Magvillus in the Rome Tribunal.
• Simprim, first to formally advocate for the Transitionalist movement in 1148. He could possibly still live, but it is unclear (and the balance of probabilities is no).

Legacy Page

The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at Legacy:house_guernicus