Marriage and the Code

I'm looking for some advice and ideas, and a search of the Forum has turned up only (interesting but) tangential stuff.

One of the PC Magi in the game that I run is getting married to a Maga (NPC). I am not worried about the mundane side of things, but want to do something interesting from a Hermetic point of view. The Quaesitor Maximus of the Tribunal has ruled that their marriage has no legal status under the Code, but has offered to help them frame a possible amendment to the Perpheral Code that would give their union some form of Hermetic standing (obviously it would have to be presented at Tribunal).

Does anyone have any precedents from their own games, or any ideas about what such an amendment might say? Also any ideas about some form of magical (strictly Hermetic) binding for such a couple would be welcome.

Thanks.

Why would marriage need an Hermetic ruling? It has nothing to do with politics. It's an act before God, there could be interesting stories with that! :slight_smile:

Hermetic Inheritance (which currently goes to apprentices or covenant when a mage dies).

I believe that's only the default case. The marriage could easily include registering a will with witnesses and a Quaesitor. All in all I think marriage would fall in the realm of "I don't give a damn" as far as the order is concerned similar to how gender is extremely important in mythic Europe but the order really doesn't care.

I don't know if it has appeared in this edition, but in the 4th ed supplement The Wizard's Grimoire there is mention of levels of friendship between magi, the most general being "soldale" and the closed being "amicus." Magi who become amici typically swear a private, ritualized blood oath to each other of mutual, lifelong support and trust. There is no legal reprecusions for breaking such a vow, but doing so is considered a truely vile and debased act. Legend says that the amici vow can actually carry magical weight and breaking it brings on a dire curse.

The idea of the amicus vow, while carrying no legal weight under the Code, might be a good starting place for developing new precidents under the Peripheral Code granting a magus's amicus certain rights and privilieges. The more generalized amicus vow might be more "acceptable" to the Order, as it is entirely a thing within the Order rather than a mundane marriage.

You are absolutely right. It certainly doesn't need an Hermetic ruling, I just thought it might be interesting if it had one - and the player is interested.

I was thinking of such things as property rights, joint possession of apprentices and being immune from being forced to testify against one another. I'm not too bothered if some of the ideas are anachronistic (a lot of our game is).

I agree, which is why I thought it might be fun for the players to try to wrangle some kind of ruling before and during Tribunal.

Thanks, that's a good starting point.

Well, speaking of anachronistic, the reason people are not required to testify against their spouse is the idea that if two people are married, they became one person, and so laws against self incrimination would be invoked. I don't think medieval Europe had laws against self incrimination. They had laws limiting how much torture you were allowed to inflict when you were trying to gain a confession.

Point taken.

You can see why I need help. :smiley: