Closely connected to faeries and faerie magic, the followers of House Merinita are Hermetic Magi drawn to the unpredictable and inspirational nature of the fae. While some of their more frivolous activities do not win them much respect from the staid magi of other Houses, the magi of Merinita do have impressive control over faerie magic, something other magi lack. As disparate and unstructured as the fae to which they are tied, the House is made up of many cults which have little in common but their wild assortment of Mysteries. Just as no two faeries are exactly alike, no two members of House Merinita are the same. Merinita magi maintain a delicate balance between the faerie realm and the magical realm. The secrets of the many cults that make up their house pertain to the mysteries of magic and faerie combined.
Early History[]
Well before the founding of the Order of Hermes, Merinita's reputation was already well established among wizards of the time. Stories of a white haired woman dressed in green wondering the wilds of Mythic Europe and left no sign of her passing. It was said that she knew all of the animals of the forests and commanded the spirits of the trees. She was regarded as perhaps the greatest of nature magi to ever walk the earth, and still is by most today.
Merinita was an inteseley shy person and only spoke when absolutely necessary. When Trianoma was gathering wizards to form the Order of Hermes, she spent an entire year tracking the reclusive wizard in order to invite her to meet with Bonisagus and join the Order. Trianoma never was able to personally deliver the invitation, yet when the Founders gathered in the Black Forest to discuss the formation of the Order, Merinita quietly appeared from the forest and joined the circle of magi. Though her reasons for joining the order are still unknown to this day it is said that she felt guided by a will greater than her own, as if the forest itself required it of her.
Merinita timidly taught Bonisagus some of her powers in return for his secret of Parma Magica, but according to some it was a tedious process either because there was little she could teach Bonisagus that he didn't already know or she was simply unwilling to part with her deepest secrets. Still, it was Merinita's affinity with animals that would eventually help form the enchanment that binds a magi to their familiar. Merinita summoned a great stag to Durenmar and explained that the beast was her kindred spirit. She explained that magical chords joined the two of them, body, mind, and spirit, making them essentially one.
Merinita would guide her house through it's early formative years before she returned to her journeys throughout the wilds of the world. Sometime before the start of the ninth century, the founder of House Merinita simply disappeared. It is believed by some that she went on to become one with the forests of the world.
A House Divided[]
After the disappearance of Merinita, the eldest of her students rose up to take over leadership of the House and became the first Primus of House Merinita. Quendalon, originally from the Ulster region of Ireland had been the first to seek out the Founder years ago. Having been raised among the fae, Quendalon believed that his Hermetic Gifts could be dramatically improved with their gifts.
Not long after becoming Primus, Quendalon announced that he would be visiting the fae of a certain forest in Bohemia. Until his return, the magus Myanar was to act as Prima. Two years later a stranger arrived at Myanar's covenant announcing that he was Quendalon and had returned to resume control of House Merinita. What happened next began included some of the strangest events in Hermetic History, filled the violence and upheaval uncharacteristic of the House. The stranger did resemble the former magus that had left to live amongst the fae, but the man that returned was obviously no longer human. He explained that he had traveled to Arcadia and had become one of the fae. He had traded his useless human eyes for two brilliant rubies that granted him faerie sight. He explained that he had uncovered mysteries that would revolutionize the entire Order, and that he would lead House Merinita in an exciting new direction.
Myanar claimed that the stranger who called himself Quendalon was not who he said he was, but was instead a faerie changeling and imposter who intended to take over House Merinita. A rift soon developed within the House as a protracted political and magical battle soon enveloped the house. It is not known for certain whether Myanar truly believed Quendalon was not who he said he was, or if she merely believed he would deform the house with his twisted vision for the future and thus had to be resisted. War broke out between the two factions in a period of unparalleled violence for the usually peaceful house. In the year 802, Myanar's forces assaulted Quendalon at his covenent of Irencillia. In the battle that ensued Myanar and her forces were routed and Myanar herself was probably killed. Those followers of Myanar who had survived the battle to surrender were banished from the house by Quendalon, only to be accepted into House Bjornaer a short time later.
Rumors persisted for some time after the battle that Myanar had in fact survived the battle, and the fallout from the conflict within House Merinta continued for some time.
Bad Relations with House Tytalus[]
In the year 807, Tytalus the Founder came to the faerie forest near Irencillia with the public intention of challenging the Queen of the Faeries. It is said that Tytalus lost his challenge and never returned from the faerie forest. At the Grand Tribunal of 817, Quendalon caused much ill will between House Merinita and Tytalus when he openly ridiculed the Founder and those within House Tytalus. To this day the ill feelings between the two houses persist and the possibility that the followers of Quendalon know what happened and refuse to tell the followers of Tytalus only aggravates the problems between the two Houses.
The Schism War[]
With the outbreak of the Schism War, the House found themselves in a precarious position. The Prima of House Merinita spoke out against the Renunciation of House Diedne on many occasions and voted against it at the Grand Tribunal. It was also rumored that magi of House Diedne were offered membership with House Merinita to escape destruction, and that members of House Mernita actually participated in open conflict on the side of Diedne. The Order, however was anxious for peace during the aftermath of the War, so the House suffered no official retribution for these acts.
Notable Magi of House Merinita[]
- Merinita, the Founder of the House.
- Quendalon, The first primus, possibly a faerie changeling. He turned the focus of the House to the fae.
- Myanar, Primus of House Guenicus during the Schism War.
- Mendalus, A 12th-century magus who rediscovered the writings of Merinita and her faithful followers.
Sources[]
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Bjornaer · Bonisagus · Criamon · Díedne · Flambeau · Guernicus · Jerbiton · Mercere · Merinita · Tremere · Tytalus · Verditius · Ex Miscellanea |