Sorry if this has been talked about overly much...I did a forum search and found 700plus referances and don't want to go though them all.
It really seems like there is very little info on a mystery cult for House Diedne. Does anyone have info, or know where more info is on this house...I'm thinking about rolling up a Diedne after my last one got turned into a sooty spot on the floor.
I've read the little tiny bit in the main rules and the Societas: Merinita section.
Thanks for any help!
Also anyones house rules might be neat to look at as well.
There is no published information on House Diedne. The house is somewhat controversial with strong arguements about the potential diabolism of the house or not.
You seem to have read everything I know of officially about the house in 5th ed. There was some information the the Tempest a scenario module for an earlier version
Hi,
Ah, Diedne. From what I understand, the paucity of canonical and published material about House Diedne was the result of a deliberate decision to keep that House ambiguous. I like that choice: It allows room for many interpretations, ranging from "Diedne are diabolists, but I repeat myself" to "a cabal of evil and oppressive magi, twisted by envy and the foul propaganda of the Church, the true source of evil in Mythic Europe, have all but extinguished the Diedne and the hope of a better age." *cue for Marko and Wanderer to join the conversation 
*
Most House Rules you come up with for Diedne will need to reflect who they really are in your saga. I have posted a few rules of my own, which mostly deal with my belief that the Diedne Magic virtue is as much a flaw as it is a virtue, should not include a social flaw, and is less useful for a magus who excels at Spontaneous Magic than certain other virtues. But that's less important than deciding what the Diedne in your saga are really up to and what they are about.
Anyway,
Ken
Off the top of my head, there is information on the Diedne in ArM5 in the following places:
- The core book in the history section describing the Schism War
- True Lineages, Tremere Chapter, describing the House's beliefs about the Diedne and their stated reasons for going to war.
- True Lineages, Guernicus Chapter, describing the House's actions during the Diedne war
- Hedge Magic, Gruagachan Chapter, describing the group's relations with the Diedne and their actions during and after the war.
As stated before, there is no consensus that Diedne were a Mystery Cult. They did not like to share their magic or internal workings with others. The two are not necessarily the same.
Oh I didn't really mean that they were a mystery cult...just that they are one now...I guess maybe my terminology is off?
Errr... right now they are dead, not a mystery cult. Or do you have new inside information on this issue of the traitorous scum?
Xavi collects his Ignem vis just in case...
Cheers,
Xavi
In Ars Magica, a "mystery cult" has a specific meaning related to the way in which initiates are taught the magic of the mystery cult. Check out Mystery Cults, RE, or Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults for a lot of examples.
I'll add the following that I can remember:
- True Lineages, Mercere Chapter, describing the use of Mercere Portals during the Schism War.
- Mystery Cults, Merinita Chapter, describing the House's actions during the Schism War
- Ancient Magic, Rune Magic Chapter, describing the Hibernian Diedne's decision to withdraw themselves from the Tribunal.
- Lion and the Lily, mentions Branugurix (spelling?), the former Domus Magna of House Diedne.
I don't know how canonical this still is and whether the information is available on the internet or not, but previous editions established that the last Primus of the House was called Llewellyn (it says so in 5th ed. books as well, doesn't it?), and that the House motto was "Beata Terra beata omnia eam servant" (blessed be the earth and all who serve her). It also says that at the last place he was seen this message was found carved on a ruined stone wall:
(Houses of Hermes 4th ed, p. 137)
An intriguing little detail from Heirs to Merlin, the Stonehenge Tribunal sourcebook, states that the Quaesitores investigated an old Diedne covenant in Wales (Anglesey, maybe?) and that what they discovered horrified them so much that they never mentioned it to anyone and struck the name of the covenant from all Hermetic records.
About the earlier Mystery Cult discussion, I personally suspect that is indeed what House Diedne was. Like followers of Bjornaer, Criamon, Merinita and Verditius, Diedne magi had a special power simply not found in any other House. I mean, if you look at a True Lineage, e.g. House Tremere, there's no reason given why magi from other Houses couldn't have a Minor Magical Focus with Certamen as a Virtue, and the free Virtues for the Societates are hardly exclusive to them. However, all the other exoteric Mystery Cults have some kind of condition for learning the House Virtue or it entails some kind of drawback. Diedne Magic is a Major Virtue unlike the free Minor Virtues of the Mystery Cults, and I don't know what the conditions for or drawbacks of learning it would have been.
Considering that they are descended from Druids, and got marched for diabolism I would go with some mystery magics involving sacrifices fueling rituals. Not actually infernally related, but close enough that demons took interest and subverted a bunch of them and the rest of the Order had to be kept clear for fear they would 'misunderstand'. Thus the refusal to cooperate with the quaesitores investigations.
That sounds like Chtonic magic to me. In fact this virtue is so appropiate that would even explain the war even if they were totally innocent. ROP:I did a really nice work in providing this kind of stuff.
Cheers,
Xavi
If we're at the level of individual covenants, the ruins of Oakdell, a Diedne covenant, are somewhat-described in Guardians of the Forest, and at least give the impression that they were faerie-worshiping dudes. But there's very, very little there.
In Lion & Lily (Normandy) there is also a second covenant, IIRC. There are 2 in Lion of the North (Loch Leglean) as well (Well of the Head and Holy Oak). Can't recall if Iberia had one of those in Galicia.
Cheers,
Xavi
Hi,
Except that Chthonic Magic works best when its practitioners are not innocent: To get the big benefits, you have to do deliberately something that you know is wrong.
Anyway,
Ken