ROLL CALL: Write a (hermetic) book

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Hi again,

One of the books posted by Yair in the Iusto Foedere thread is a direct inspiration on a forum member, as if he had written a hermetic tractatus. I found that amusing. I have already asked for the forum members to describe themselves as magi to go to Grand Tribunal before (and it worked great since my troupe members read the forum sometimes and know you all somewhat) so here comes a second roll call for the forum members:

If you were a Hermetic Magus, what book would you write?
It can be inspiured by your usual or favourite Ars character, of course :slight_smile: Books on Magic Theory, Finesse Penetration, supernatural lores and the like also appreciated. I plan to use these as books to inspie the library of the sample covenant, since well, it is a sample of Ars and this is a sample of Ars players :slight_smile:

So, are you up to the challenge? :mrgreen:

2

The Wizard in the Well
Author: Anna-Teresia of House Bonisagius

Tractatus on Parma Magica [Quality 12], Tractatus on Organisation Lore: House Bonisagius [Quality 12], Tractatus on Organisation Lore: Order of Hermes (History) and Tractatus on Magic Theory [Quality 12].

In this tractatus, Anna has worked from how Bonisagius must have adapted the Mercurian rituals which he found and how he formed them into the scope of what was to become to be the Hermetic magic. It also takes up a chapter in how and why non those gifted without the Hermetic training can use the Parma Magica. If studied thoroughly for more than one season, it can offer a insight to both the earliest history of Bonisagius and his house as well as to the Hermetic Magic which he created.

This tractatus was written during the first year after Anna passed her Wizard's Gauntlet and has given her some reputation as a promising writer and historian. Apart from being a good writer, Anna was also trained to be a professional scribe after her pater saw that she had a knack for it. She is currently staying at the covenant Estate of Epicurus on the island of Samos in the Theban Tribunal.

3

In Search Of Prester John

Author: Patricia Fabulator ex Mercere.

Patricia has been blessed with both wanderlust, as befits a decendant of the the messenger and the Gentle Gift. She has dedicated her life to exploring the lands beyond the Middle Sea. This is a collection of her Travelogues

From here to Timbuktu:

Tractatus:Area Lore (Sahara Desert) q14, Living Language (Arabic) q14.

She describes the wandering of the Tuareg traders, and mentions the glory of the city of Gao, however something keeps bringing her back to a new settlement named Timbuktu, she seems strangely drawn to this otherwise sleepy town.

The Longest Kiss in History

Tractatus: Area Lore (Sudan) q14, Carouse q14

The meeting of the Blue and white Niles provide a structure for Patricia to relate some of her more "romantic" encounters, she is never blatantly indiscreet, but one can read between the lines...

The Marriage of East and West

Tractatus: Area Lore (Hindustan) q14, Living Language(Hindi) q14

Retracing the steps of Alexander the great gives Patricia the opportunity to show off her classical eduation. Slightly patronizing in places.

Relight my fire

Tractaus: Area Lore (Persia) q14, Living Language(Persian) q14

Wandering through the lands once in sway to Ahura Mazda, Patricia sees many rebirths, a pheonix was just the beginning.

House Mercere is desperate to chain her down and get her to write some Useful books (on Arts, hermetic abilities, anything) but she hears the call of the road too often to pay any attention. She never stays in any one place to know it deeply enough to write a Summa, and Harco has resigned itself to recieving these occasional smatterings.

Bob Dillon

4

Like the Shoes on you Feet

Author Theodora ex Bonisagus

Tractatus Magic theory q3

This appaling written tractatus is littered with spelling errors and seems to be mainly concerned with the author's inability to find her Shoes or gloves.

Like the Shoes on you Feet

Author Theodora ex Bonisagus

Tractatus Magic theory q3

This appaling written tractatus is littered with spelling errors and seems to be mainly concerned with the author's inability to find her Shoes or gloves. It is clearly just a copy of the previously mentioned work. Theodora must have accidently sent us two copies.

Except after reading both tractatus and spending another season going over the meticulous way that all the mistakes are replicated, even down to the ink blots, the reader gains the ability to use the new Hermetic target Pair, at +1 Magnitude. Theodora made the breakthrough late in her career, and died soon after. These tractatus are the only record of her work, as she hadn't thought to communicate them in a more effective way.

Bob Dillon

5

True Divinity, a Tractatus on Theology Q8, by Jason the Red, ex Miscellanea (Orbus ex Bonisagus).

This rather weighty and ponderous treatise is extremely heretical. It discusses Five Ways to demonstrate the existence of God from First Philosophy, but dismisses them all as unsuccessful. It then discusses the Sixth Way, in a chapter "On Miracles", where it argues further that supernatural evidence actually demonstrates that the Divine Realm is not associated with the theological God. The book culminates in a Gnostic message that repudiates Divine and Faerie religions in favor of inner transformation, a journey of Magical growth towards perfection.

Despite its highly heretical nature, the book serves to teach standard Theology, as it relies on its arguments and characterization of the true God.

:mrgreen:

6

Understanding what you See by Johannes Tremere.
Comprehend Magic summa L4 Q10. Can also be read as an Intellego summa L8 Q10

This spare and dry book is very worthy but hard going. It lacks the little touches that better authors add to keep their readers' attention. As a result of that, it's quality would benefit from being glossed. The author links his knowledge of Intellego and his supernatural ability of Comprehend Magic, pointing out (in a rather patronising tone) that true understanding of how non-Hermetic magic works can be determined quickly in the field.

7

Prayer and Parma: Parma Magic Q11 Order of Hermes Lore Q1 (For a total of 12 XP in one season.)
This is an interesting book. As some might know baptism can cancel out all not Divine active supernatural affects on a target and this book explains how prayer can be incorporated into Parma Rituals to strengthen the effect. The author only prayed to God, and apparently wasn't versed in Dominion Lore, and is probably a heretic. This book isn't the original, its a copy with several forwards. The first explains the techniques in the book work regardless of the users faith, and work even if the target of the prayer is Fae or Magical in nature. (Infernal recipients were not tested for obvious reason.) The next forward is by the author containing the "Oath of Tree and Seed" basically if you aren't using it you must let other magi or their servants make copies assuming doing so won't endanger any secrets of the Order and they swear the Oath of Tree and Seed. The third forward quotes legal opinions from Quaesitors, House Tremere Advocates, and the author himself all arguing that this Oath has no force under the Code.

8

Le petit chaméléon n'est pas fatigué [Tractatus Imaginem q12]
This is an illustrated book for children, finely drawn, quite a scandal at a time when books were rare and precious. Reading it to a child takes about ten minutes. You have to read the book at least 4000 times before your perception of reality starts changing. Strangely, reading it by yourself doesn't gain you anything. The reaction of the children is an integral part of the learning experience.
In 1147, this book was written in Norman French by Annedore ex Jerbiton, a mother and maga with a study requirement. Learning from this book satisfies a study requirement and you get the study bonus (if you have the virtue).

9

That is beautiful!

Bob

10

Thanks :smiley:

11

Art and inspiration: Tractus, Q:14 Creo
Scienta Ex Jerbiton
Despite being a high quality tractus describing the creo technique in terms of inspiration and the artistic process this tractus is best known for the sheer quantities of copies Scienta had made and traded off in order to boost her own personal library, making it a staple in just about any library that could affoard to trade for it.

12

+1. I'll steal that for our campaign, where it could be used soon. (OK, perhaps not 4000 times ... :slight_smile: )

Cheers

13

Mathematha & Graphycaeque

Authoritas Thossach ex Criamon

Artes liberales (matematics) Q4 tractatus

Thossach was a 11th century maga with a high inteligence (5) and a lot of enigmatic wisdom... But a bit secretive

The tractatus its a bulky... graphic representation of matematics, with a graphic for every demonstration. tied up. Near 300 foglio... Of boring and heavy... (Yawn!.... ) whatever

But after a season of study you have the chance of a stress roll Per+awarenses ease 6 that there is something else hidden. Each season of study gives you +1 (cumulative) to the next roll

A roll ( Int + E Wisdom) ease 9 reveals it as a Q10 tractatus on finesse.

A roll (Int + E Wisdom) ease 12 reveals it ( untieing the book) as a realia lvl 9 of Rego.

14

Understanding a Man

A deep but difficult summa about Corpus that often leaves the reader somewhat nauseated. The author describes magically manipulating the human body in a poetry that is dark, perverse, somewhat childish, and yet strangely elegant. Moreover, the detail that the author goes into could probably add to one’s education in Chirurgy and Medicine (or, possibly, Craft: Butcher).
The author was ejected from House Jerbiton despite his great skill at Longevity Rituals and his noble connections but found a home with a small tradition of necromancers in Ex Miscellanea. Three years after that, all six other magi of that tradition, including their newest fresh-out-of-Gauntlet tyro, declared Wizard’s War on him at the same time. The author was killed, but at the cost of the lives of four of the six. The author’s lab was burned to the ground, the covenant moved, and the land given to the Church.

Suggested values: Corpus Summa L(amongst the best) Q("sound"), Tractatus Chirurgy Q("vain" to "sound"), Medicine Q("vain" to "sound")

An Apprentice’s Examination

The author is a Bonisagus censured by his House for taking too many apprentices – and then selling them to magi of other Houses for silver. The problem was so bad that all the remaining magi in his Tribunal refused to take any apprentices until the next Grand Tribunal (which was then 30 years away) and, further, declared they would work to get the Lex Hermae altered to remove House Bonisagus’ privilege. Not believing the magi would be successful, the Bonisagus continued until the Primus of the House invited him to Durenmar for consultations. As the story goes, the auhor was told "Ah, yes, he's in the Forum of Hermes and would like you to join him right away in a special ritual." He entered the Forum and discovered that both Bonisagus Queasitors (with their Hoplites) as well as the other Bonisagus archmagi were also there. The Primus said he would declare the magus Orbus unless and until he gave up the apprentice privilege permenantly and provided an excellent summa on Magic Theory to the covenants that felt wronged. The Primus also stated that, should the author decide to stay in the House, competent research assistants would be found for him when necessary.
And this text really is exceptional. An average debater at Tribunal, the author does appear to have been an exceptional author and teacher. The depth and scope of this text rivals the best generally available.

Suggested values: Magic Theory summa L(very high) Q(excellent), Order of Hermes Lore tractatus Q(very good).

The Blood of Fools and Nobles

A weighty text discussing the effects of Corpus magic on the Sanguine Humor. It takes two seasons of study to fully digest this text. The author makes reference to three other texts covering the other humors but they’re not in the Covenant collection.

Suggested values: Corpus tractatus x2 Q(good)

15

Hi all,

I am sorry to distract from your productive work, but I want to say I am DEEPLY disappointed at your collective decision not to use Project: Redcap to host your project(s). In fact, no one has so far even bothered to post a link to their Wikis or to this forum thread on the Project: Redcap site.

The whole point of making Project: Redcap into a wiki was so the fan community could have a place to post and share their work. This is really the first time I have seriously wondered if it was worth the bother.

If you ever reconsider, you'd be more welcome at Project: Redcap. But the only way Project: Redcap is going to be relevant is if people use it.

Best regards,

Andrew Gronosky
Project: Redcap

16

Woah man! Easy. Andrew, I think you are overreacting. This is a forum project and is done in the forum where it sprang into existence.Once finished, the whole "create a starter covenant" project can be moved to redcap.org, but at least I do not like wikis as working spaces AT ALL. I find them clunky and difficult to use despite the efforts of Arthur to enlighten me in their arcane workings. It might be me, but I prefer to work in a forum to draw idas from the collective minds of the posters, and then to use them in my efforts. And they are doing great as a source of ideas, I might add :slight_smile: I prefer a plain WORD document to collect stuff and work, and to place my efforts in my blog for further consideration. THEN, when it is finished, I will ask if anyone wants to host it, be it Atlas Games in PDF format or Project:redcap. Then it can be uploaded there :slight_smile: As a working space for a multi-person project, I find a forum to be a better alternative than a wiki.

Hope that clears my position. :slight_smile:

Kind regards,
Xavier

17

I would like to point out that the Light of Andorra saga has a wiki, linked to Redcap, which includes a massive library entry. As well as many character designs, a bestiary, new spells, and much much more.

Here is the Andorra wiki, and a direct link to our Library.
Here is the link to Project Redcap. the page discussing Iberia and links to Iberian sagas, and the Tribunal discussion page where I wrote up a summary of the 3rd Edition Iberia Book and how to incorporate it into a 5th edition game.

18

+1 Xavi

Sorry Andrew, but at least for me , by now, its nothing done... Yet

I recognise the work P:R did/do but dont be mad, and dont even dare to rule on others work.

By my own i borrow you the rigth to link, copy or if we agree develop in P:R the guidelines, spell desings, tractaty/summae. Ideas of my authory. But that its me and that its now.

Thank you for your work and if you are so kind to post a "How to" i swear i will try to upload/link something.

19

Well, the fact that something went horribly wrong and my message got posted to the wrong thread has a lot to do with that. :blush: I meant that to go over here.

Interesting. I would say I have strong feelings to the opposite -- I think wikis are much better collaborative spaces than forums are.

Please consider, though, that even while you do development here, it would make a lot of sense to add Redcap links to your work-in-progress. Why wait until it's "done" before sharing it with the broader community? I think there is a big opportunity for cross-pollination here, with the wiki drawing people into the forum collaboration, and the forum discussions helping guide development and organization of the wiki.

20

Occult Numbers

Tractatus Artes Liberales Q5
Tractatus Magic Theory Q5

While not a great writer, the author passes on a Mastery technique for using Ceremonial techniqes in formulaic magic, previously the purview of a few followers of esoteric mysteries. Given the fact that no one has killed him since publishing his text, it doesn't appear that he has violated any particular mystical vow. Of course, the author is also known as one to go to for casting tablets for powerful wards...