Prophets of Glycon
Key Facts
- Favored Tribunals: Theban and Transylvanian Tribunal
- Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Divination & Augury
- Minor Hermetic Virtue: Puissant Intellego
- Major Hermetic Flaw: Glycon Gift
History
During the 2nd century a simple folk magician named Alexander travelled Greece selling medicine and protective charms, it was during these travels that Alexander would find a mysterious egg. Alexander brought the egg to Abonoteichus, where within an asclepeion and witnessed by a large crowd the egg would hatch. Inside it laid a snake with a human head and linen mane. Alexander instantly realized that the being was a new god. Alexander would care for the being, nurturing at its quickly increased in size. He would also notice how his powers had increased, he understood that he had been chosen as the Oracle of this deity. Alexander would offer divination via the god – who he had identified as Glycon, a deity from the former Macedonia snake cults.
Worship of Glycon would spread in the city and beyond and eventually make powerful enemies. Lucian was a contemporary author and a sceptical man who seemed to hold a deep grudge towards Alexander. Lucian would seek to expose Alexander as a charlatan, traveling to Abonoteichus for this. Lucian would spread many lies about Alexander and the Cult, something the modern tradition has never forgiven him for. The Cult of Glycon would eventually fade into obscurity. Though some believers would still hold on to the cult’s practices and within a regio in Macedonia snake cult temple their greatest treasure was guarded – the eggs laid by Glycon before its ascension.
The Prophets of Glycon was long a mysterious and small numbered organization. They remained mostly in the southern Carpathian, eventually they would be encountered by a Pralician maga with a great interest in soothsaying. She introduced the tradition to the Order.
Culture
The Prophets of Glycon have much to gain from secrecy, if the true nature and the source of their Gift was to be widely known it’s not unthinkable that their temple would be raided for eggs or that they would be thrown out of the Order. If it was to be revealed their innate weakness would also be exposed.
To keep up this secrecy the tradition is tightly controlled and organized. Apprentices may never be taken without older members – under the directions of the God Glycon – consent. It is also these elder members who guard the temple and the eggs there. The purpose of this is manyfold. Firstly, it ensures that eggs don’t deplete before Glycon wills it. Secondly, it ensures that the tradition remains small and unnoticed by other forces. Thirdly, each magus being Gentle Gifted would become increasingly unlikely and prompt investigation.
The tradition meets at their secret temple frequently to teach Cult of Glycon Lore and interpret signs from Glycon. The tradition functions much like a mystery cult even having a few initiation scripts, outsiders are however never initiated, less the secrets of the tradition might be in peril.
Characters
Many members of Prophets of Glycon lay much focus on divination like Alexander himself did. Using the method of Ophiomancy paired with their own Glycon. Interpreting the serpent's facial features and movements. Ooscopy is also sometimes taught and used. Others try to study the fertility magic of the ancient snake cult predating Alexander. The tradition has an initiation script for Control Fertility which is given to members who seek this path.
Being chosen worthy of taking an apprentice is a high honour within the Prophets of Glycon, the magi is given a dormant egg and told to seek out a suitable human with the correct temperament. The chosen child is given the egg who he is told to incubate during the first years of his apprenticeship. The child is taught Cult of Glycon Lore and other useful abilities during this first period. After the egg hatch and the bonding is done the parens opens the apprentice arts and the official hermetic apprenticeship begins.
Major Hermetic Flaw: Glycon Gift
A character with this flaw does by themselves have The Gift, but instead gets their power from their bond with a strange kind of magical being known as a Glycon. Glycons are descendants of the human faced snake deity who passed down prophecies via Alexander during the times of the Romans. Before the god Glycon ascension, it laid many eggs which its cult has cared for since then. These eggs – if properly incubated by a human – will hatch into one of these quickly growing beings. The Glycon will develop a special bond with its care keeper, and they will slowly become dependent on one and each other.
The Glycon must touch the bonded human’s skin, the Glycon becomes a lifeless husk immediately if it is ever removed. If the two ever separate or the creature is slain the human loses The Gift and must seek out a new Glycon egg, the tradition usually refuses to aid in this endeavour – as the character has proven to be a bad carer already. The Glycon itself gets both protection from their bonded human and needs never worry about acclimation.
The bonded human The Gift. He can learn Supernatural Abilities, and even become opened to the Hermetic Arts, though he cannot have a talisman or bind a familiar, though some say the elders of the tradition have a ritual which further increases the bond to something very similar to a hermetic familiar. He does not go into Twilight, but instead experiences Intervention. This Intervention differs slightly from that of Learned Magicians’, firstly a character may use his Vim Form Bonus rather than Magicam Score. Secondly that Intervention is always by the God Glycon, and thus always related to the Magical Realm. People and animals are not disturbed by the characters’ presence, he essentially has the Gentle Gift. Though the Glycon who he must have on his person is not, which can lead to suspicion and shunning if the creature isn’t properly hidden.