Ok. Option 2. let's see what you think.
THE ORDER OF HERMES
In the Carolingian period, there was a magical conclave of wizards in the Black Forest that founded what was to be called the Order of Hermes. The disparate traditions were brought together by Bonisagus (a wards expert) by the invention of the Parma Magica and the derivative Aegis of the Heath by his descendant Notatus.
This Order has spread far and wide and, using the advantage that the Parma Magica gives its members, has come to dominate the magical landscape of Europe. The Order of Hermes has been able to carve a niche in medieval society, being both removed and integrated into the human landscape of Europe. Nowadays some magi estimate that about 1 in 3 Gifted casters in Mythic Europe is a member of the order of Hermes.
In general the OoH is weaker than in the official setting, composed of hedge traditions and much more integrated in mundane society.
THE PARMA MAGICA
The Parma Magica is a supernatural ability that requires an initiation. The swearing of a code of conduct Is central in the initiation, along with contact with powerful magical forces. This Code of Hermes is what gives the order its name. The Parma Magica supresses the inherent distrust that the Gift creates and has allowed magical practitioners to interact between them without (much) fear of retaliation or their own Gifts affecting their impression of other magicians. The parma magica comes in a 3-tier system, with the most powerful levels being reserved to archmagi. Access to the higher levels of Parma Magica is not automatic, but requires strong commitment of the magus.
QUESITORS
While Parma Magica seems to have some inbuilt control mechanisms for flagrant breaches of the code (that can cause Parma to act weird or stop working altogether for the offender), minor breaches or questionable acts are monitored by Quesitors. Quesitors tend to belong to magical traditions with strong capabilities in divination, perception and other mundane and supernatural investigative skills.
COVENANTS
Magi (as the members of the order are known) tend to live in covenants, or in spread covens covering a small region. Most covenants of the Order of Hermes are small and composed of single traditions or a few at most. Sharing resources on your own tradition (specially initiation scripts) and study sources is the main reason for this, since most magi of the order of Hermes have incompatible approaches to magic practice.
Covenants tend to have a large mystical footprint, and tend to be noticed by other supernatural users. In a lot of cases they reach local agreements, but not always, and conflict between magi and other casters over resources is common. The magi do not always come up on top.
THE CASE OF TRIAMORE
The covenants of the Order tend to be that, Covenants of magi, members of the Order of Hermes. Triamore is a somewhat special covenant in that it accepts members that are not members of the Order, and shares knowledge with them. This is frowned upon by most magi, but it does not break the Code and so has been discussed and accepted at tribunal, even if just barely. It is also peculiar in that it is composed of a number of disparate traditions. Its ad hoc formation from diverse court wizards of the Barbarossa imperial court has had this effect, specially when it was placed in a location where folk witches already operated.
Triamore also administers a large library that it is its pride. Its origin is the book gifts given to the imperial court. A copy (or the original) is always sent to Triamore, so every few years a few books arrive from the Imperial court and are added to the library. In exchange the Triamore library needs to be open to any scholar that requests access and pays the fee.
Bois de Haillot, the manor where Triamore is located is an imperial immediacy. This places it under the direct suzerainty of the Holy Roman Emperor. Its charter does not put any obligations on them except the care of the imperial library at the castle of Lucien’s Folly, that needs to be accessible to scholars, and the inability to crenelate the unfinished castle. It also grants the count of Namur right to the agricultural taxes that were in place at the time of the manor becoming an imperial immediacy. Formally the princeps of Triamore holds the manor for the emperor, and the magi of Triamore are his or her knights. The princeps of Triamore must be a member of the Order of Hermes, but the knights do not need to be necessarily.