Quaesitor

A quaesitor is a legal experts and officers of the Order of Hermes. The common plural form is quaesitors, but as an institution, the collective of all quaesitors are called the Quaesitores. This latter form ends in "es" rather than "s", and is usually capitalized. This usage is not explicitly explained, but may be inferred from the the Fifth Edition rule books.

Quaesitors act as investigators, field judges, legal counsel, and often mediators. While most quaesitors are members of House Guernicus, many are from other Houses. The quaesitors interpret and preserve the Code of Hermes and the body of Peripheral Code. They are accorded a privileged status in Hermetic Society, and enjoy special legal and social privileges.

In practice, it is nearly always a Quaesitor who calls for a Wizard's March (not to be confused with a Wizard War).

Transitionalists

Quaesitors who believe the Code of Hermes needs to be revised or reinterpreted to properly govern the Order in the 13^th century are called Transitionalists.. In particular, transitionalists believe the law-enforcement powers of the Quaesitores need to be expanded in order to enforce the Code in the face of corruption and political deadlock.

A list of the powers Transitionalists think the Quaesitores need may be found on page 42 of Houses of Hermes: True Lineages.

Traditionalists

Quaesitores who opposed the Transitionalists' efforts to expand the powers of their office are called Traditionalists. They believe the longstanding rights of magi under the Code of Hermes remain very important, even if those rights sometimes interfere with law enforcement.

Related Pages

• Peripheral Code

Legacy Page

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