2020-06-24 Tradition Speaker Series - Order of Hermes

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Tradition Speaker Series - Order of Hermes
A brief discussion on the paradigm, structure and history of the Order of Hermes
IC Date 2020-06-24
IC Time 2:30 PST
Players Arumi, Kabin (ST), Nelo, Rick, Sabrina, Thea
Location The Nexus, Courtyard
Prp/Tp None
Spheres Mage
Theme Song Up to suggestion


Scene Set

There is no dias or stand or anything of the like. Instead there is a throw of dozens of rugs on the ground under the protection of a big, shady tree. A table, nearby, has refreshments and foods. Water, tea, coffee and punch. Also are finger foods, all of Egyptian/arabic cuisine. Kabin, meanwhile, is sitting cross-legged looking like he is meditating. or sleeping. Or both.

Scene

Rick comes in after driving up to the Nexus, looking tired and careworn. He lets out a little sigh, but waves to everyone before finding a place to plop down in.

Nelo arrives and looks around seeing a few gathering. Nelo had never been to one of these talks, and was pretty excited to learn more, he see's Rick and gives a wave and sits down close to Rick since they had met before.

The sound of singing is heard first, as Sabrina walks out from the Nexus and into the Courtyard. She is just singing some melody, nothing much to it, but it has her fingers snapping as she comes in.

Rick gives a little nod to Nelo, and upon closer inspection, he can se ethat Rick's eyes are red and puffy, as if the young man had been crying in the not to recent past.

Thea's in the courtyard. Probably, she just got here, but one never knows: maybe she was just over in a corner being unobtrusive. She's a little pensive, it would seem, just to by her expression; but not enough so that it distracts her from the business of looking round to see who may be here, or saying (maybe /just/ a bit more loudly than is strictly necessary) "Good afternoon."

Arumi was of course aware that Kabin scheduled this event, so she comes on out. On the way to her lab, more or less, she has her tablet out as she finds a seat.

Someone is shouting. So Kabin opens his eyes from where he was sleeping or whatever it was he was doing. He blinks lightly and then his eyes loom around to realize that oh. There are people here now. "Hello everyone." He says with a smile. "There is plenty of drink and food if you want something to drink and munch on." He gestures to the table. "But there are plenty of rugs and plenty of shade so feel free to sit anywhere." Kabin, has a bottle of water, which he takes a chug from.

Val does not so much arrive, as she appears. Long coat, bikini top, skirt, boots. A cup of coffee in a Roasters cup in one hand as she looks about. "Huh."

Sabrina grins as Val arrives, "You have a set of those, or just the one?" She finds the table and grabs a bottle of water before finding a place to take a seat and listen.

Well, she got noticed by him, however momentarily, so Thea is going to take that as a win. She makes a small bow toward Kabin, and crosses over to fetch herself a bottle of water. It's nice enough out in the world, but even nice days still require hydration. On the way back to find a seat she's struck into momentary speechlessness when she catches sight of Valentina, which she breaks out of by saying: "/Nice/ boots. Those are amazing."

Kabin doesn't budge from his seat at the base of the tree. "Thank you all for coming. Today, I will be offering a talk similar to that of Dr. Hinata, and her presentation of the Society of Ether. Save I will be discussing my own Tradition, the Order of Hermes. Since discussing our history, as with any Tradition, can be an extremely tedious and sometimes boring task of name-dropping, Big Name Memorization and dates I decided instead to cover broadly our origins and structure, how we approach magic, and a bit of our history. This way, as you all continue your own personal exploration into the Mysteries, if for some reason you ever find yourself talking to a Hermetic, and they begin to babble theory at you you will at the very least, be armed to know why they are babbling in the first place."

"The rest of me is pretty fucking amazing too." Val notes, casually, as her hands start patting down at her myriad of pockets with a small look of consternation. From them about three joints, a bag of mushrooms, seven paperclips in a chain, a legged serpent whose eyes shine with a color that cannot be described hissing at her until she releases it and it scrambles up her arm to wrap around her head like a crown, an apple spray painted gold, two empty bic lighters, and then finally a second Roasters mug. She holds it out to Sabrina. "I just take one whenever I go."

Rick lets out a little bit of a grunt of amusement to Kabin, and ventures, perhaps softly "We don't babble. We lecture and expound..." He's obviously joking, right?

Sabrina aahs, "So Phil is the exception that proves the rule. Got it." She laughs for a moment after Val speaks. "I see."

Thea can't help but laugh at Val's response, but, with the lecture starting, she opts to settle into a chair rather than go on conversing. For the moment, at least! Once she finds a seat, she studies Kabin intently as he talks, a frown tugging down at one corner of her mouth.

Nelo get's comfortable as he hears the talk start. There are a few people he hasn't met but he figured this wasn't the time to meet them. He sat back, looked around and waited for the talk to start.

Kabin begins. "The hermetic system was shared by many, even before the adjective appropriated it to mean simply us. It is the belief, in short, that magical energy in independent of us. A framework, or structure, that keeps the cosmos running. Should one be wise enough, and strong enough in will, their will can manipulate reality if one understands how it works. It is done, traditionally, through trial and error. Our understanding of magic is highly formulaic, like running a science experiment. Gaining insights into the universe by how we can effect such energies, beings, places and things. My own is language, of importance names. How to best inflect a name, to assert my will into what I desire to happen through the knowledge that I know it's name as names carry a unique power. Unique, but the underlying belief in why it works, is the same. Many, by the 6th Century AD in Europe, saw magic this way. But the Church, the Scourge made magi form into Covenants - Chantries - for mutual defense and aided learning. But they never talked to each other, and they saw other Covenants as threats to them. Magic, at the time at least, had no certain defense against itself. So meeting a magi was close to the most dangerous thing you could do. Especially finding a group of them."

"More that Phil is an asshat." Val notes back over to Brina, giving a small wave to Thea even as that serpent gets itself comfortable, eyes closing and gnawing on it's own tail atop her head.

Sabrina nods a few times to Val, "Yeah, I get that." She listens to Kabin, waiting for when they speak of Harry Potter, but more trying to learn.

Okay, there's some stuff in this disquisition that has Thea looking skeptical or amused or just plain shaking her head. That's not surprising, since she isn't, after all, a Hermetic herself. But there's also some stuff in here that has her nodding in agreement or at least appearing to think it's worth considering. None of this is enough to get that vaguely troubled expression off her face, though.

Rick grins at the 'Science Experiment' bit, and casts a glance towards Arumi.

Kabin continues. "If there is a name to remember of our Order, it is one: Lady Trianoma. She believed that these disparate Covenants would, and could, survive and thrive if they came together. She was the builder of the Order of Hermes. Going from Covenant to Covenant, speaking to Masters of coming together by presenting them, should they accept, with a gift. The Parma Magica - a talisman that can deflect hostile magics. Trianoma believed, quite so, that the Parma Magica could be a tool to bring them together. So she, and her ally Bonisagus, invited the Covenants to Durenmar, a Covenant in Gemany to form the Pax Hermetica, the formal alliance and Oath that bound them as the Order of Hermes. 12 Covenants answered the call." He pauses to take a drink of water, then continues. "But Trianoma didn't want some hierarchical Church-structure with one at the top. Her vision was a society, a collective, more than a rigid monolith. So rather than demanding they all become one, they because houses. The 12 Covenants then became the 12 Great Houses of Hermes. Many houses have risen, fallen, were born, died and were reborn again through our history. So." He slowly gets up, and pulls out several folded slips of rigid fancy paper. Each, has name written on it's cover with a seal of some unknown design. "At least for the moment. Welcome to the Order of Hermes." He then passes each person their own little folded letter. 

OOC: type '.<your character's name>' to read it's contents.


Rick glances down at his slip, reads it in an instant, then looks up at Kabin with a chuckle. "Very apt."

Nelo grabs the letter and nods. Before he opens it, he rises to get some water and then sits back down to open up the letter and read it.

Val for her part gives another small huh, a long sip from her coffee before she leans over towards Brina. "I remember why I dropped out of high school at least."

Sabrina takes a letter and begins to read it. "Disparate. Huh." Replying to Val, "Doesn't surprise me. You are not one for such formalities."

Unsurprisingly, Thea doesn't open a letter -- maybe this is because there isn't one for her, or someone dropped it and didn't notice, or maybe she just passed it on without noticing; her focus is pretty intensely on Kabin at the moment. Her frown is deepening.

Kabin returns to his seat. "The Pax Hermetica left the Houses to govern themselves, but put systems in place that allowed organization among the houses if they so chose. That system remains in effect today. Each Hermetic you will meet will be in a House and append their name with a 'bani', and their house. So. I am Initiate Exemptus Kabin Dajani bani Shaea." He explains. "Rank in the order, and my house." He explains. "The Order has remained so ever since. The Houses growing and ebbing in strength over the centuries while we continue our studies into the mysteries. The rest of our history has betrayal, unification, victories and defeats. Much like any other Tradition I would think I could go on ad nauseum, so I will instead open the floor to answer any questions one might have. I would much rather inform what you would like to know of us, more than hammer facts into everyone's head. But I believe this, serves as a good general introduction."

Val looks up from her letter. "Oh thank god, I thought we were going to do some roleplay thing. That never works out well, I can't talk myself out of a ticket worth a damn."

Rick smiles to Kabin and gives him some light applause "So far so good. I have no questions myself, but I'm sure others do."


Nelo let's out a quick chuckle at Val's response and tries to remain quiet.

Thea sits in thought while Kabin finishes, and then sits in thought some more. Eventually, when there's been silence for long enough to give her an opening, she raises a hand and waves it around a bit to attract attention. Otherwise she might just not get noticed. "Yes, I had a question," she says, although she still looks as if she can't figure out /why/ she has one, exactly. "You said that the Covenants at the time were invited to come to Durenmar and swear the Order's Oath. But surely not every Covenant accepted, and surely not every practitioner even belonged to a Covenant. How did the Order deal with those who refused their invitation?"

Sabrina rolls her eyes with Val. To Kabin she says, "So sounds kinda sorta secret society, with a ton of rules and subgroups and all that. But not so secret that you can tell us some of this. Are there no wands and cloaks and all that stuff? Or is that just myth? And yeah, what if one of your groups.. houses.. does fall? I know I heard of that one that was removed because they went too far and all."

Arumi raises her hand. "I have a question. The Order in many ways is a precursor to the Council of traditions itself. Does that mean there is a lot of variance in how you do your... trial and error? Or do you all largely work the same way, with the same principles and practices?"

Kabin addresses each in turn:

To Val Kabin simply smiles. "It would be rude to do an introduction of the Order of Hermes and not fan Harry Potter motifs and humor and NOT have you sorted into your houses."

It takes a few minutes for Kabin to hear Thea's question. Not that he didn't hear it, but he seems to have a terrible time trying to discern who in fact actually said it. Just the direction it seems. "War and peace. The mystic orders outside of Hermeticism did not emerge in a vacuum after all. It varied from one magi or Covenant to the next. Germanic witches did not mind the company of the early Order, while nordic vikings both raided Covenant houses and we invaded their longhouses. But there was no persecution simply for refusing."

To Sabrina he gives her a teasing little smirk. "Wands? Yes. Cloaks I believe fell out of fashion after the Victorian era. But yes. Wands, staves, salves and potions, saying words in latin, magic circles with runic pictograms, all are potential tools and used by many hermetics." To the second of her question he purses his lips. "Depends on your definition of fall. The most common historically is lack of numbers. They often get put into House Ex Miscellanea, a house made up of several smaller houses. But, Houses can and have run out of membership. Should they fall by becoming corrupted, then they are declared enemies and traitors of the Order, such as House Validas in the 18th century. Some houses leave on good terms. House Bjornaer, a Great House, left to join the Verbena following the Grand Convocation of the Council of Nine on amicable terms. Others betray their oaths. House Tremere, a Great House, became undead massassa down to the magi, raided chantryhouses and kidnapped fellow Hermetics to convert to their...new condition."

To Arumi he says: "As I said. The foundation is the same but the method is different from one to the next. I speak words and channel my will through them. A Fortunae Kaballist however, has such a deep understanding of sacred gematria that he knows exactly that something will happen - and it does, oddly enough."

"Yeah you should talk to Phil, tell him you have some Tremere that want to speak at council." Val notes, nodding a few times. "I would back it just to see his face."

Arumi nods to Kabin. "But are you all.. mutually intelligible? If I go into another Etheric lab, I may nto have studied the specifics but can understand the broad strokes." Then to the group. "At least, uh, as for being SORTED... I'll take House Golo, if we must."

Sabrina grins, "So Harry Potter got it mostly right. Guess that makes me more like one of those french girls. That is all very interesting. Those that are in Prospect, that you all meet with? Approximately how many different houses are there? Is it possible that others help out others even if they are not in the same house?"

At least she got an answer! That's a win for Thea, all things considered. She doesn't /argue/, certainly, or even speak up, but there's something that's still puzzling her. While she listens to the other questions, she hydrates. If she follows her usual habit of walking back to town, she'll be happy she did.

Rick nods to Arumi "Yes, we all understand each other's work to one degree or another. While I may not be as strong at Gematria as Phil is, I at least understand the theories and logic to it. Myself, I work more in the angelic orders, while another Hermetic friend of mine is far more nature based, using the correspondences of various plants tied with the planetary models. Her work is different from mine, but I recognize the structures and the methodology."

Kabin nods to Sabrina. "It isn't hard. Merlin from Arthurian myth is an archetype of the hermetic practitioner. Harry Potter used similar motifs, spun in a more fantastical way...but retains the same premise." To the next he considers. "There are several houses in Prospect to my understanding. When no House has dominance, the highest ranked typically takes top billing to organize Hermetic affairs in the area. Otherwise Hermetic chantries are typically claimed by House, to which other houses claim membership. As for cross-house cooperation? It happens all the time."

To Arumi Kabin points to Rick in agreement. "Yes. If I were to show my work to Rick, the most he would do is say he hasn't studied the field but understands the principles, concepts and theory. If I were to walk into a Quaesitori Chantry, as a member of House Shaea, I would still understand everything they would be doing. We speak the same language just different dialects."

Arumi bends down to get her phone out of her bag, when she sees it. A card. "Oh this! I think I missed it and knocked it down. Oops, sorry Doctor." She then opens it up, and when she sees the content, she giggles and nods approvingly.

Val has by this point, folded her letter into a paper airplane which she has launched to land in Thea's hair. Her shoulder softly shrug. "Heirarchies and control." She notes before suddenly looking around. "....huh."

Sabrina hmms, "Dialects. Interesting. So what are the sort of things that you all study? Or is it as varied as a college class schedule? Since we know many of the other traditions have a main focus, so to speak."

Nelo has just been sitting back listenting to everything with no questions at this point. Watching paper airplanes fly by and drinking his water.

A love note! Thea gets a paper airplane in her hair, and -- while initially taken by surprise -- she's not annoyed to find it there, just bemused. So she plucks it out of her hair, unfolds it, reads it -- carefully arranged to avoid people peeking over her shoulder, even though, oops, the text is on the side she's holding outward -- and then marks one of the invisible checkboxes. After which she folds it back up into airplane shape and launches it into the air to let chance carry it where it may. It's better than trying to figure out why her head is giving her such a hard time.

Kabin responds to Sabrina. "It varies from House to House. Many respect the position we have on the Council of Nine, learning to master the Ars Virium, or Forces. Historically however, the Houses have focused on their own unique magical domains that coincide with the House's philosophy. House Shaea, mine, is the Ars Temporis, or Time."

Rick adds on to that "And my house, Quaesator, specializes in Ars Manes, also known as Spirit, which is why my work is done using angelic orders."

Val perks softly, her eyes blinking a few times. "Brina, have you seen any of the mice in the past five minutes?"

Sabrina looks quickly to Val. "No, I have not." Her eyes start searching.

Kabin nods. As it seems like the attention is drifting he simply smiles. "Alright. Well. At the bottom of those leaflets is my phone number. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them for you." He says as he slowly gets to his feet. "I appreciate you all coming."

Leaflets

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