Renouncing power

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

I personally am a greedy little munchkin whose characters tends to try and grab all the power available.
But I am given to understand the IRL there are a few people who voluntarily renounce/relinquish some or all of the power they worked so hard to acquire.

So how likely and under what circumstances would cause a mage in ME to renounce some or all of their magical power?

In the HoH:S book, there is the rumour that Flambeau the Founder didn't die in flames, but renounced his power and lived out the rest of his days as a simple monk.
Then there are gorgiastic Criamon who have renounced their Mystery Cult.

Are there Magi of other Mystery Cults who have renounced their Mystery Cults? Verditus, Bjornaer, Merinita, etc

I take it that members of House Guernicus who are "retired" as Quaesitores (lost their licence) do not renounce their magic, though they are encouraged to not be public anymore.

2

Old age was a common one, so powerful magnates might pass the mantle to their heirs and retire to a monastery to spend their last years atoning for the sins that they commited to reach and stay at the top of the ladder.

I have written and run a mini adventure that deals exactly with that: flambeau got a bad twilight, comes back god-bothered, goes on the 4th crusade to absolve himself of his sins, boosts his finesse and CrTe to create a (flamboyant gothic) church and takes to being just an old brother tending to it: refusing to use his magic again Book raid on Katsberg (a short 2 hr adventure)

3

If use of magic is inherently sinful in a saga, then quite a few magi who are or become pious will likely renounce their magic.

4

A mage whose magic led to a horrifying result may renounce magic, depending on personality and circumstance.

5

Personality, principles. Diocletian stepped down as Roman Emperor and went to grow cabbages. Lucius Cincinnatus relinquished dictatorial powers at the height of his popularity and went back to his farm. Pope Celestine V was a hermit living in a cave who sent a scalding letter to the cardinals in Rome for ther inability to elect a pope for 2 years. The cardinals elected him. He became the most powerful person in the world overnight, and he used that power to issue a decree that allowed for the resignation of the pope and immediately used it. He was pope for 6 months. Some people have the wisdom and integrity to treat even limitless power as a tool, and may reach a point in life where they no longer feel the need for that tool. You're right that it's not common though.

Personal trauma could be a thing also. Imaginne, you fail to save someone you love, and suddenly all magic seems stupid. Sure, you can conjure fireballs, or castles, or whatever, but to what end? It wasn't enough when it mattered, and no magic you can hope to do will undo that. The mightiest spells might feel like useless tricks. You may keep using spells to keep you warm and fed, but the idea of poring over tomes year after years just feels hollow.

Limiting your power is kinda house culture for Jerbitons. Many of them believe that people who devote all of their lives to perfecting spells and developing Arts are effectively crazy. House Culture has this idea of "good enough". They tend to respect having a solid command of your Arts and using them with some sense of purpose, but they shun hyper-specialized experts.

Religion could also explain some... apprehension, when it comes to accumulating more and more sorcerous power. Like, there is not a whole lot about magicians in the Scripture, and what is written does not speak very highly of magic. Maybe you're going to have uncomfortable moments on the day of Judgement if you've spent your whole life amassing destructive or mind-bending power?

Are there Magi of other Mystery Cults who have renounced their Mystery Cults? Verditus, Bjornaer, Merinita, etc

In the Saga I SG I used an ancient Bjornaer known as Hellerzahn whose Heartbeast is a European Viper, and who lives in the wilderness. She has been in an Epitome form for over fifty years. She did not quite renounce power, but took an avenue of research based on studying and perfecting the Epitome to a point where she is difficult to even communicate with. Functionally no longer a Bjornaer, she does not go to Tribunals, Gatherings, etc. Most think she is in Final Twilight.

6

What about the Mystery Houses?
We know that there are Criamon that reject Enigmatic Wisdom.

  • Are there (possibly former) Bjornaer magi who do not wish to improve their Mystery skill HeartBeast? Or not use it at all?
  • Are there (possibly former) Merinita magi who do not wish to improve their Mystery skill Faerie Magic? Or not use it at all?
  • Are there (possibly former) Verditus magi who do not wish to improve their Mystery skill Verditus Magic? Or not use it at all?
7

For Verditius I've had a concept in my head for a while of a pious Verditius whose hubris takes the form of increasing spiritual pride - "I thank-you, Lord, that I am not like other magi - pagans, idolators, murderers - or even like that Tytalus. I go to mass every week, and give a tenth of my vis to the church." Eventually the depth of the problem would be brought to their attention, and they'd go on a pilgrimage to relieve themselves of their Hubris, which would probably involve giving up their Inner Mysteries.

8

It's contested, but there are a few suggestions that Mercere's 'lost' Gift might've been voluntarily relinquished as part of a Mystery Initiation or other inscrutable mystical scheme.

The term might also apply to any magi who don't make use of their House Virtue. This is most readily seen in the Mystery Houses since their Outer Mysteries always come with a drawback (though Criamon and especially Merinita are rather minor) and, ostensibly serve as a gateway into greater, but more increasingly niche powers, but the concern can also apply to a number of classic Guernicus, Tremere, and Bonisagus archetypes that don't really benefit from their respective House Virtues: Hermetic Prestige, MMF (Certamen), or Puissant Ability...

9

My thought is of course there are magi in all the mystery houses that have, for whatever reason, become uninterested in improving their mystery skill. However that is also tied into my feelings that there is little or no mechanism to sort apprentices into the "correct" house for their personality so there are always some magi around who really don't care about their House and it's particular differences.

10

One thing that's worth noting is that, once your Warping score gets sufficiently high, Twilight becomes much more problematic. This means that, at that point, magi become far less likely to boost their magic with vis, which is in some way a renunciation of power.