House Ex Miscellanea
| House Ex Miscellanea | |
|---|---|
| Motto |
"Totus multitudinem componet." (The whole consists of many parts) |
| Symbol | Crooked staff |
| Founder | Pralix filia Tytalus |
| Primus | Ebroin |
| Domus Magna | Cad Gadu |
House Ex Miscellanea is one of the Houses of the Order of Hermes. Its domus magna is Cad Gadu, in the Stonehenge Tribunal.
Ex Miscellanea is a Latin phrase meaning "out of hash." House Ex Miscellanea is a loose collection of magi from many different magical traditions. In Ars Magica Fifth Edition, it is considered a Societas.
Ex Miscellanea Traditions
Members of House Ex Miscellanea are (usually) full Hermetic magi.[1] However, they possess additional powers that fall outside traditional Magic Theory. These powers and abilities -- often derisively called hedge magic -- are remnants of magical traditions from before the Order of Hermes was founded. In game terms, such magic is usually represented by Supernatural Virtues and Flaws rather than Arts and Spells.
There is no exhaustive list of the traditions within the House, and likely there never would be. Practically any hedge tradition can find a comfortable place within this variety. HoHS does, however, provide eight of the larger traditions, as well as eight less-detailed (and presumably smaller) traditions. It further provides examples of utilizing the same mechanics to represent other traditions.
Major Traditions
The mentioned major traditions, which include background information and special rules, are:
- The Columbae, masters of warding from Wales.[2]
- The Donatores Requietis Aeternae, a young tradition of magi with religious background and connections, to be found mainly in the Normandy Tribunal.[3]
- The Cult of Orpheus, a Mystery Cult within House Ex Miscellanea that draws on the ancient mysteries of Orpheus (although more on his deep connection to his beloved Eurydice than on his music).[4]
- Pharmacopoeians are master herbalists and healers, employing Mythic Herbalism.[5]
- The Lineage of Pralix, a tradition focused on the integration of exotic magi into the Order of Hermes. Note that it seems unlikely that this is truly one of the largest traditions within the House.[6]
- Rustic Magi are folk-magicians who create enchanted items through their crafts.[7] They usually reside in rural communities. Note that there are "...few Rusticiani in the Order.. ", so there may be more practicing as hedge wizards than as magi.
- Hermetic Sahirs are Islamic wizards of Iberia who specialize in summoning jinn.[8]
- The Seirenes are magae that continue a form of lyrical magic that dates back to the sirens of legend.[9]
Minor Traditions
In addition, the following (probably minor) traditions are mentioned:
- Beast Masters, feral magicians that summon and control wild beasts.[10]
- Damhadh-duidsan, a lineage of Gaelic rune-wizards related to Damhan-Allaidh, the Gaelic arch-nemesis of the Order.[11] Some of them command Infernal powers.[12]
- Gorgiastic Cathars, religious mystics of the Provençal Tribunal who believe magic is the true path to God.[13]
- Hermetic Haruspexes, diviners and seers (relying on Divination and Augury from The Mysteries Revised Edition).[14]
- Karaites, a heretical Jewish sect whose magi utilize several Virtues and Flaws from Realms of Power: The Divine.[15]
- Malocchi, an Italian tradition utilizing Entrancement.[16]
- Scinnfolk, Gifted Companions acting as herb-wives and faerie-doctors through the use of the Fertility virtue. Although common in Mythic Europe, such hedge wizards may be rare in the Order.[17]
- Tempestaria, a tradition of Germanic weather-witches.[18]
- Witches of Thessaly, the former tradition of Trianoma, it is related to the Infernally-tainted Daughters of Erichto as described in Realms of Power: The Infernal.[19]
- The Nemthengacha, a tradition of Celtic wizards who use their 'poison-tongues' to turn allies into enemies and rally people against those the wizard wishes.
Independent Traditions
Some, but not all, traditions within House Ex Miscellanea still exist as hedge wizards: not all their members have joined the Order of Hermes. These include:
- Rustic Magi are rare in the Order of Hermes[20], so presumably there are more outside it.
- Sahirs have non-Hermetic cousins who are prevalent in the Levant Tribunal[21] and presented in The Cradle and the Crescent.
- Scinnfolk are specifically noted has having "largely resisted integration into Hermetic magic.[22]
Unofficial Traditions
There are a number of non-canon traditions created by players and story-guides for magi ex Miscellanea. These include:
- The Beautiful Triad is a Grecian tradition focused on the many sets of three women within Greek myth. They focus in performance magic, and altering the minds of others.
- The Children of Kalesh is a slavic cult of summoners.
- The Daughters of Circe are an old tradition, dating back thousands of years. These magae have focused in transforming others and in creating potions, and have an extensive knowledge of drugs and herbs.
- Gaothcoisiche is an Irish tradition of weather-controlling magi.
- The Whimsical Wizards are an heterogeneous bunch of faerie-blooded sorcerers who use their magical nature to power their spells
- The Heirs of the Pharaoh are Egyptian hedge magi who utilize the powers of their ancient pagan gods to supplement their inflexible magic.
References
- ↑ Ars Magica Fifth Edition, p. 11, "House Ex Miscellanea"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, "Columbae," pp. 110-115
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, "The Donatores Requietas Aeternae," pp. 115-120
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, "The Cult of Orpheus," pp. 120-123
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, "The Pharmacopoeians," pp. 123-126
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, "The Lineage of Pralix," pp. 126-129
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, "Rustic Magi," pp. 130-133
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, "Rustic Magi," pp. 130-133
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, "Seirenes," pp. 137-139
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 108, "Beast Masters"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 108, "Damhan-duidsan"
- ↑ Realms of Power: The Infernal, pp. 137-138, "Infernal Societas: The Damhan-Duidsan"
- ↑ Faith & Flame, pp. 30-31, "An Ex Miscellanea Tradition: Gorgiastic Cathars"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 108, "Hermetic Haruspexes"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 108, "Kariates"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 108, "Malocchi"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 109, "Scinnfolk"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 109, "Tempestaria"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 109, "Witches of Thessaly"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 130, "Culture"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 133, "Key Facts"
- ↑ Houses of Hermes: Societates, p. 109, "Scinnfolk"
Legacy Page
The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at Legacy:house_ex_miscellanea