Realms of Power: The Divine Chapter Four: Mythic Christianity

Saints

Designing Saints

Saint Nerius

Patron saint of Christian magi

• Divine Might: 50
• Areas of Veneration: Individual covenants within the Order of Hermes
• Powers: Apparition, Celestial Immunity, Ignis Domini, The Incombustible Shroud, The Leap of the Faithful

Tales of St Nerius circulate throughout the Order, especially among Christian magi who hope to promote his cult. The most common tale is that St Nerius was a Criamon magus born in the Provencal Tribunal and active throughout Mythic Europe. A seeker of the Enigma, St Nerius discovered it in a secret well hidden in an Alpine ravine. Instead of succumbing to the mesmerizing vision in the well, St Nerius resisted by asking the angel Michael for assistance. Bathed in the powerful Light of the Lord, St Nerius’s prayer was answered, and he emerged from the mountains a newly made saint and miracle-worker.

The various stories of his travels are miraculous and many magi find them hard to completely believe. It is told that through the Divine gifts he received from God, St Nerius was able to surpass many of the limits of Hermetic magic. He could cure the sick without vis, travel instantaneously from location to location, and change the essential nature of things. He never lost a Certamen match, nor could his Divine protection be pierced by spells. Some tales say that St Nerius is one of the protectors of Arcadia, and other legends tell of his incredible adventures in Purgatory.

The usual story of St Nerius’s martyrdom is that other magi were envious of his powers, especially a group from House Tremere, who eventually succeeded in declaring a Wizard’s March against St Nerius. During the Normandy Tribunal of 1039, St Nerius was martyred at Fudarus, Domus Magnus of House Tytalus, by a collection of Tremere, Tytalus, and Flambeau wizards. His Divine protection having withstood every attack, St Nerius proclaimed God’s Will stronger than the petty cravings of his fellow magi, then stepped from the circle of Celestial Immunity and died. However, the records of Tribunal meetings at Fudarus never mention this event. However his life ended, St Nerius was accepted by God to be venerated as a saint.

An autobiographical account of some of St Nerius’s travels does exist; this collection of twelve scrolls is in the Great Library in Durenmar.

Attribution

Content originally published in Realms of Power: The Divine, ©2011, 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)