Order+of+Hermes

=Order of Hermes=


 * [[image:http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20061117220759/whitewolf/images/thumb/0/0e/LogoTradOrderofHermes.png/200px-LogoTradOrderofHermes.png width="200" height="226" caption="Order of Hermes" link="http://images.wikia.com/whitewolf/images/0/0e/LogoTradOrderofHermes.png"]] ||
 * Name: || Hermetic ||
 * Plural: || Hermetics ||
 * Pronunciation: || ohr'-dur uv hur'-meez ||
 * Nicknames: ||  ||
 * Seat: || [|Forces] ||
 * Faction: || Council of Nine Mystic Traditions ||

Early History
The Tradition traces its roots to the Sumer and ancient Egypt of 5000 years ago around the time when the first writing systems were developed. Before written language, names were thought to be inherent to the objects they designated as reflections of their true natures. With writing as an ability to catch and manipulate names, the scribe was able to imprison the object and manipulate its very nature. The catching of names was considered a [|magical] act in ancient societies so the ability to write was reserved for the clergy under the direct influence of gods of wisdom and magic such as Thoth. Letters provided useful metaphors for abstract concepts, so for the first time in history thinkers were able to ascend from the physical world into whole new realms of ideas. First, Plato formed the theory of realism that allowed a secular [|paradigm] for controlling every element of reality. Mystics then equated ideals with divinity developing manicheic, gnostic, neoplatonic and other dualistic theories around 2nd century CE. But the great intellectual upsurge of the 2nd century was soon squashed by the rapid expansion of Christianity which strove for orthodoxy in the Mediterranean region. Soon Rome fell and Western civilization fell onto Dark Times. Hermetic scholars fragmented, the sharing of ideas halted and wizards secluded themselves in their towers for protection and to study free of the Church's inquiry. From the summonings of Babylonian priests to Egyptian priest's divining the Nile's flooding from stars to Solomon's seals, which gave him control over world, it was the time of the greatest mages of Western [|tradition]. It was also the time when the greatest grimoires and talismans were created. However, apart from Solomon we don't know their names and so the body of knowledge consisting of theurgia, goetia, astrology and alchemy was known as the work of a single //Ascended// being called [|Hermes Trismegistus].

Dark Ages
Formally founded in [|767]. Twelve Founding Houses:
 * [|House Bjornaer]
 * [|House Bonisagus]
 * [|House Criamon]
 * [|House Diedne]
 * [|House Flambeau]
 * [|House Jerbiton]
 * [|House Mercere]
 * [|House Merinita]
 * [|House Quaesitori]
 * [|House Tremere]
 * [|House Tytalus]
 * [|House Verditius]
 * [|817]
 * [|House Ex Miscellanea] founded for all smaller traditions.
 * [|1003]
 * House Diedne accused of diabolism by Tremere. Destroyed in the [|Schism War] by Flambeau, Tremere, Tytalus.
 * [|1022]
 * House Tremere become [|Clan Tremere].
 * [|1171]
 * [|House Golo] formed by [|Lorenzo Golo] from House Veriditus and [|Simon de Laurent] from the [|Cabal of Pure Thought].
 * [|1188]
 * House Golo disbanded. Members adopted by Veriditus, Bonisagus, and the nascent [|Order of Reason]. Latter members eventually become the [|Electrodyne Engineers], and later still the [|Sons of Ether].

Order of Hermes, c. 1220 Added by [|IanWatson]


 * [|1197]
 * //Default start date for **[|Ars Magica]** (first and revised editions) and **[|Vampire: The Dark Ages]**.//
 * [|1199]
 * The Order of Hermes discovers House Tremere's vampirism.
 * [|1200s]
 * House Jerbiton adopted into Ex Miscellanea, the first Founding House to be so "demoted."
 * [|1204]
 * The Order institutes a [|Wizard's War] on House Tremere, later called the [|Massasa War]. The Tremere expunged as House.
 * [|1220]
 * //Default start date for **[|Ars Magica]** (beginning with the third edition).//
 * [|1230]
 * //Default start date for **[|Dark Ages: Mage]**.//

Order of Hermes, c. 1230 Added by [|IanWatson]


 * [|1300s]
 * Founding House Merinita adopted into Ex Miscellanea.
 * [|1327]
 * [|House Ziracah] founded.

Renaissance
Houses as of 1400:
 * [|House Bjornaer]
 * [|House Bonisagus]
 * [|House Criamon]
 * [|House Flambeau]
 * [|House Mercere]
 * [|House Quaesitori]
 * [|House Tytalus]
 * [|House Verditius]
 * [|House Ziracah]
 * [|House Ex Miscellanea]
 * [|House Jerbiton]
 * [|House Merinita]
 * [|1412]
 * [|House Shaea] adopted into the Order, Ex Miscellanea.
 * [|1466]
 * House Bjornaer adopted into [|Verbenae] during the [|Grand Convocation]. //Default start date for **[|Mage: The Sorcerers' Crusade]**.//

Order of Hermes, c. 1466 Added by [|IanWatson]


 * [|1500s]
 * [|House Castrovilli] disbanded.
 * [|1522]
 * [|House Tharsis] founded.
 * [|1557]
 * [|House Validas] founded.
 * [|1600s]
 * House Verditius adopted into Ex Miscellanea.
 * [|1630]
 * House Mercere adopted into Ex Miscellanea.
 * [|1645]
 * House Ziracah weakened in [|Naseby Catastrophe].
 * [|1700s]
 * House Criamon adopted into Ex Miscellanea.
 * [|House Janissary] "founded." (q.v. [|Ksirafai])
 * [|1700]
 * House Validas accused of diabolism, wiped out.
 * [|1780]
 * House Ziracah wiped out in Hellfire Club incident.

Victorian Age
Houses as of 1800:
 * [|House Bonisagus]
 * [|House Flambeau]
 * [|House Janissary]
 * [|House Quaesitori]
 * [|House Tharsis]
 * [|House Tytalus]
 * [|House Ex Miscellanea]
 * [|House Criamon]
 * [|House Jerbiton]
 * [|House Mercere]
 * [|House Merinita]
 * [|House Shaea]
 * [|House Verditius]
 * [|1846]
 * [|House Thig] founded.
 * [|1872]
 * [|House Luxor] founded.
 * [|1897]
 * [|House Tharsis] accused of diabolism, wiped out.

Modern Nights
As of Mage's First Edition ([|1993]), the roster of the Order is as follows: This roster remains the same through First Edition and much of Second Edition, changing only during the [|Reckoning]:
 * [|1910]
 * [|House Fortunae] founded, Ex Miscellanea.
 * [|1936]
 * House Fortunae promoted to full House, including remnants of House Mercere.
 * [|House Luxor] subsumed into [|Sons of Ether].
 * [|1982]
 * [|House Shaea] promoted to full House.
 * [|House Bonisagus]
 * [|House Flambeau]
 * [|House Fortunae]
 * [|House Janissary]
 * [|House Quaesitori]
 * [|House Shaea]
 * [|House Thig]
 * [|House Tytalus]
 * [|House Ex Miscellanea]
 * [|House Criamon]
 * [|House Jerbiton]
 * [|House Merinita]
 * [|House Verditius]
 * [|1999]
 * [|House Janissary] is weakened.
 * [|House Solificati] adopted as full House from the remnants of the [|Solificati].
 * [|House Thig] is weakened. Its members split into [|House Verditius] Ex Miscellanea and the future [|House Xaos].
 * [|House Verditius] promoted back to full House, with its new members from the former House Thig.
 * [|2000]
 * [|House Skopos] founded, Ex Miscellanea.
 * [|House Hong Lei] (former [|Wu Lung]) adopted into Ex Miscellanea.
 * [|2001]
 * [|House Ngoma] adopted into Ex Miscellanea.
 * [|House Xaos] founded, Ex Miscellanea from some of the remnants of House Thig.
 * [|House Janissary] accused of diabolism, wiped out. Rumor has it they were secretly [|Ksirafai] spying for the [|New World Order].

Sects
See history above. A list of all known Houses follows.
 * [|House Bjornaer]
 * [|House Bonisagus]
 * [|House Criamon]
 * [|House Diedne]
 * [|House Ex Miscellanea]
 * [|House Flambeau]
 * [|House Fortunae]
 * [|House Golo]
 * [|House Hong Lei]
 * [|House Janissary]
 * [|House Jerbiton]
 * [|House Luxor]
 * [|House Mercere]
 * [|House Merinita]
 * [|House Ngoma]
 * [|House Quaesitor]
 * [|House Shaea]
 * [|House Skopos]
 * [|House Solificati]
 * [|House Tharsis]
 * [|House Thig]
 * [|House Tremere]
 * [|House Tytalus]
 * [|House Validas]
 * [|House Verditius]
 * [|House Xaos]
 * [|House Ziracah]

Version Differences

 * = **//[|Dark Ages: Mage]// [|Fellowships]** ||
 * = [|Ahl-i-Batin] · [|Craftmasons] · **Order of Hermes** · [|Messianic Voices] · [|Old Faith] · [|Spirit-Talkers] · [|Valdaermen] ||


 * = **//[|Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade]// [|Traditions]** ||
 * = [|Ahl-i-Batin] · [|Akashic Brotherhood] · [|Chakravanti] · [|Chœur Céleste] · [|Dream-speakers] · **Order of Hermes** · [|Seers of Chronos] · [|Solificati] · [|Verbenae] ||


 * = **//[|Mage: The Ascension]// [|Traditions]** ||
 * = [|Akashic Brotherhood] · [|Celestial Chorus] · [|Cult of Ecstasy] · [|Dreamspeakers] · [|Euthanatoi] · **Order of Hermes** · [|Sons of Ether] · [|Verbena] · [|Virtual Adepts] · [|Hollow Ones] ||