So Max and I have been tossing ideas back and forth and I've decided on a Ex Misc Magus with Elemental Magic. He's a member of a cult that... well why don't y'all just read the really rough draft of the fluff a friend and I have been working on. But before that I wanted to run something else past y'all, his focus. I was toying with something along the line of a Major Focus in Elemental Creatures ( IE things with a Might Score associated with one of the four elements ). Since I'll be building a Magus who is focused on summoning/commanding Elementals/Elemental Spirits I figured it would be appropriate. Just curious for the group's input! Anyway, as promised, here's that write up!
Apollonius, of Bonisagus.
Apprentice of Bonisagus, ‘integrator’ and discoverer of most of the mysteries of the cult. A very studious figure. His history becomes mysterious/vague in the common lore of the House, though he is still held as a figure of repute due his contributions in the area of elemental magics.
( Spells/Items? Refinements to the forms/guidelines that can be attributed to him? It would be interesting to pick some already existing things in core elemental magic and attribute them to him. )
Disillusioned with the squabbling and infighting of the order after the death of Bonisagus, such as the attempt at domination by the Tremere etc., he chose to begin to conceal/retain most of his discoveries as mysteries instead of fully integrating them and giving them to what he viewed as an as of yet unworthy order at large.
The ‘public’ knowledge of Apollonius is thus limited. The cult believes that were his full range of discoveries to be known that the Order would be forced to hail him as the greatest successor of Bonisagus.
Sekart, of Merenita
An originalist Merenita, follower of the nature mysteries/magic, who broke from the house to found an ex miscellanea tradition to continue the original lineage of his tradition. Collaborated with Apollonius resulting in the integration of some of the lore of the Merenita into the mysteries of the cult. Apollonius and Sekart were covenant-mates who developed a strong bond of friendship, declaring each other Amici.
Part of the proceeds of this, other than the transfer of some of the merenita mysteries into the Disciples of Apollonius, is a strong importation of Sekart’s affinity and respect for nature. While the cult is nominally focused on elemental magic and mysteries they also have come to an almost druidic reverence for nature as the living expression of the elemental concepts that they study and revere directly.
This tie is still strong and there remain strong friendly relations between the Disciples of Apollonius and the ‘Originalist Merenita’ both in House Merenita and Ex Misc.
Selwe, of Diedne
An apocryphal figure that none the less was also a pivotal influence in the early history of the cult. A Diedne Maga who assisted Apollonius in furthering his understanding and refinement of the elemental forms. Much knowledge of Selwe and her teachings have been lost, after the Schism. Theories of lost mysteries and what her exact relationship with Apollonius may have been abound ( Romantic? Professional? Rivalry? All of the above at different times? ). The cult still acknowledges her as a historical fact but isn’t precisely forthcoming about her existence or influence in their founding to outsiders for fear of some kind of perception of ‘taint’ that they have diedne influence in their magic.
Recovery of any of her works could aid in the recovery of these ‘theoretical’ lost mysteries of the cult. What shape they might take is a matter of fiercely contested conjecture.
Originally the composition of the Disciples of Apollonius consisted of the apprentices and close friends/amici of Apollonius, Sekart, and Selwe. During the early times of the Order they spread out, slowly, with the reserve and cautious nature of Apollonius in regards to spreading his knowledge keeping their growth in check.
The idea of personal responsibility for the power of one’s knowledge and the ramifications of teaching it to another were among his most central teachings. Indeed the reason he created the cult instead of simply fully integrating his magic into ‘core’ hermeticism. One of the core elements in the rituals of the cult is that the mystagogue probes the moral/ethical/personality traits of the prospective initiate and must find them acceptable to proceed. This has led to several different philosophical/moral factions in the cult over time, as members of like ideas have gathered together and found differing prospective initiates acceptable or not. The factions still ‘get along’ but sometimes have very stark disagreements.
The moral teachings of the three founders of the cult are now so completely distorted and ‘interpreted’ by modern members that their genuine legacies in moral teachings are left profoundly unclear. All that can be said with genuine certainty is that the cult’s factions believe vastly different things about them and what they espoused
The most turbulent time in the history of the cult was the schism. A fair number of Diedne were members at that time. The cult was violently split and had factions of it’s membership fighting on both sides of the war for most of the conflict. This is another historical fact they admit among each other but do their best to completely conceal from outsiders. ( And also is a source of the rumors of lost knowledge/mysteries with the destruction the cult experienced during that time. )
Factions:
Here I am thinking something very similar to the guild listing in the GOTF book. Maybe name a few prominent magi in each faction, etc.
Like I said, rough draft and the mysteries haven't even been written up yet, but I just wanted y'all to get an idea where I was going with my character! And to show that there's more than one active person 