[ArsM 5] House Diedne http://housediedne.wordpress.

com/ She who Became Diedne February 6, 2012 at 2:22 pm (the Founder) Posterity leaves few identifiers for researches investigating Diednes identity. Guernicus redactions to the official record of the Schism War leave little behind. Clues can be found in the uncensored journals of various Trianomae magi, House Bonisagus wizards who apprenticed after Bonisagus wife Trianoma, although even these sources are rife with elisions, fallacies, and mendacities. The favorite portrayal is based on the notebooks of Polus, a ninth century magus whose diaries implicate fellow Trianomae of illegal political involvements in and outside the Order of Hermes. A runner-up is the Galen-portrayal, an image exacted from the diaries of the first primus of House Verditius, Galen filius fundator (Latin: son of the founder). According to the Polus-portrayal, Diedne was named Lefwenna and came from East Anglia. Trained in the famous druid college located on the Island of Mona , Lefwenna was a member of the Iceni druids and a descendant of the rebellious Boudica, a first-century queen who led her tribe against Romes occupation force in Britain. Insatiably curious and inexhaustibly competitive, Lefwenna went from tribe to tribe to learn as much druidic magic as she could. While in Brittany, following a complex initiation agenda imposed by a Pict druid, she met Trianoma, who offered membership in the soon-to-be-created Order of Hermes. Legends say that Lefwenna was mistakenly selected, through the much-repeated hand the witch the knife tale. Poluss journal, however, says that Trianoma intentionally selected Lefwenna. Having studied and learn the language of the ancient Gauls, Trianoma understood fully what the Pic druid was telling her, and by passing the knife to Lefwenna he implied to Trianoma that the woman must be the stronger of the two. Trianoma had no problem with strong women, although as history would reveal she soon had quite a problem with Diedne. The Polus-portrayal paints Diedne as a strong, confident women in the process of learning as much magical lore as she could. According to this view, she readily accepted Trianomas invitation and happily showed Bonisagus what she knew of spell casting, which became the foundation for the technique of spontaneous magic used throughout the Order. She would not talk about her religion, nor was she interested in Christianity or any of its trappings. She was uninterested presenting her pagan religion to the assembled Latin wizards. If asked she would reply coyly. She would also politely refuse their offers of religious instruction. Nor would she mention any of the secret rites used by her druid sects, deferring to the same bounds of confidentiality enjoyed by the other mystery cults of the newly formed Order (Verditius, Merinita, Bjornear, and Criamon). According to Polus, problems did not arise within House Diedne, but only as a result of the other Houses persistence probes into her Houses secrets. For years she showed great tolerance and forbearance, which only changed after her romantic troubles with Bonisagus, of which Polus makes little mention. Galen, on the other hand, describes her differently. According to the the first primus of House Verditius, the womans name was Ylaria, and it was she who sought out the Order, not the Order her. Trianoma had mustered most of Mythic Europes greatest wizards to meet Bonisagus in the Black Forest, where those that banded with him freely shared the secrets of their magical traditions. Guorna the Fetid, necromancer and mistress of the wizards Tytalus and Tremere, had been invited to share her mastery of health and healing. It was Guorna who brought the secrets of the longevity ritual to the Order, the arcane process in which each wizard could invent a potion, rite, or circumstance personally to the recipient that would grant long life. One night, while the wizards lounged in their hunting lodge after a day spent inventing, an unknown woman walked in.

Galens words: thin and winsome, hungry like the drought-starved, with wolf-eyes for power. Ylaria and Trianoma spoke. Always the peace-maker, Trianoma disliked the druidess and later advised against her joining the Order. Bonisagus could not be swayed, insisting that she join and share her knowledge of the informal, flexible style of magic-casting she used to summon and control animals and manipulate plants and weather. The pair retreated to their private suites, and Galen writes, we could hear her plaintive cries for her husband to abandon his resolve, protesting that he was repeating his error in the cave and that this would be no different. We assumed she meant the cave the two lived in before coming to the Black Forest, where Bonisagus invented his theory and where Trianoma and her sister Viea found him years later. We sat uninformed as to the nature of this error, and were never corrected of our ignorance. In the morning, Bonisagus announced that Ylaria would be joining the group. Ylaria instantly sought out Guorna, and weeks later was the first to invent her own longevity ritual. The name Diedne was coined from overheard conversations between the sorceresses. Knowing some Gaul, Guorna would so often refer to Ylaria as Diednis, conjugated to Diedne when used as the object of the sentence, that Trianoma started using it derogatorily. To the witch, to the witch, to the witch, she could grouse in private, until eventually she openly called Ylaria Diedne in public. The often explosive and verbally retaliatory Ylaria uncharacteristically said nothing in reply. Bonisagus usually shrank from these confrontations, retreating to his private suite. Galen notes that the magus wife visited Bonisagus private suites less and less as the months went by, and once the Order was formed and the Oaths sworn, Trianoma left the Black Forest for a number of years. Galens account does not mention where Ylaria came from, but does say she had detailed knowledge of Brittany. He did write that, the witch was in her thirtieth year when she joined us. An Entry from the Journal of Guernicus February 11, 2012 at 2:24 pm (the Founder) Transcribers note: The following is an excerpt from a journal we were fortunate to discover, quite by accident, in the maze-like, subterranean library at Magvillus. Despite its apparent authenticity, we cannot rule out the possibility that it is instead a forgery. Although seemingly written in the hand of Guernicus himself, it is the only entry in the journal, or in any of Guernicuss other writings found to date, that mentions Diedne. But some of the fears Guernicus writes of in the second paragraph are a common theme throughout his private documents. We humbly present this text to the Order at large, so that keener minds may assess its veracity and, if it is deemed authentic, to plumb its depths for insight into the relationship between Guernicus and Diedne. Februarius 11, 812 From the outset, I had doubts. As always. She is still so young and roguish impish almost. How could she possibly assume a role of leadership and assemble a House from that motley crop of illiterate, faerie worshiping, herb collecting recluses? The more I learn about these druids, the more I respect what the Diedne has accomplished thus far, and what she is building. Trianoma, despite all her diplomatic acuity, could learn from her. In terms of charm and the instinctual understanding of agendas, the Diedne has few equals. That said, there is much that can still go wrong. I dont have a clear sense of all of her motives, and she hides her precise ambitions extraordinarily well. I fear they are not in the best interests of the Order. I fear she will take her efforts to the extreme and attempt to elevate her House above the others a Celtic resurgence of sorts. I fear that this resurgence will not be accepted meekly by the Latin Houses, that it will lead to a recapitulation of the historical Romano-Gallic enmity. I fear that this conflict will tear the Order apart, before it has had a chance to truly coalesce. I fear that when the Order fails, the true nature

of the Gift will surface and that the Gifted will run rampant, unchecked, and destroy what passes these days for civilization. Always so many fears. Whats new, Guernicus? One of her motives is, however, clear to me: she places the ultimate importance on the traditions of her ancestors, and the protection of these traditions from the threat posed by the Latin world, and from Christianity in particular. I understand this motive, as many of the Terrae traditions will be lost with my passing. I have come to regret, at times, that I have been so miserly with the mysteries of my lineage. Perhaps there will yet be an opportunity to impart them to others. But that is a matter for another entry. Hunting for evidence of the Diednes protective nature among my memories, I recall a conversation I once had with her. It was the evening before the first session of the second meeting of the First Tribunal. I arrived at Durenmar after sunset, and was greeted by Bonisagus and Trianoma. Only four founders were there so far: the three of us and the Diedne. She had been visiting a branch of druids in the area, following visits to several others, when she received the invitation to attend the Tribunal and stayed on until it began. Her two-year tour of the druid branches was generating rumors. Preliminary investigations of these rumors found no facts to support them, but the consensus among the mouth flappers of the Order was that she was collaborating with these druids on a great project: the recreation of a fabled magical cauldron able to resurrect the dead. Naturally, these rumors had the terrible Ts in a spittle flinging frenzy. A backwoods witch, breaking the Limit of the Soul?! Impossible! But what if she succeeds?! Imagine the power she will hold! She mustnt be allowed to do this! Guernicus, you must do your job and rein in that woman. If you dont, I certainly will. And so, finding her already at Durenmar upon my arrival, I was anxious to speak with the Diedne. I needed to know definitively what she was doing, to tell her that she was unsettling Tremere and Tytalus, and to warn her to be more careful. Wishing myself good luck, I headed to her chamber. I made my way through the magical torch-lit stone corridors of Durenmar to her door, and knocked. Who is there? came from within. Guernicus, I replied. Open the door, called the Diedne. I did so, only to see nothing but darkness before me. I was distinctly uncomfortable to find myself at a disadvantage a perfect target, silhouetted in the doorway, and unable to discern the occupant(s) of the room. I had just murmured a spell to enhance my sight, when the candles and fireplace in the room flickered back to life, and I was blinded. Ah, Guernicus. It is you indeed. Indeed it is, I replied testily, as I reflexively tried to restore my vision by blinking rapidly. This must be what you look like when you emerge from your dark, underground caves, said the Diedne mischievously. Like a blind mole rat. Like a what? Nevermind. I do apologize for the rude welcome. Ive been jumpy of late. Please come in. At least you are being careful, I said, stepping into the room as my vision returned. I closed the door behind me. The Diedne was seated at a table against the far side of the stone-walled room, vellum and ink before her. She wore her habitual blue dress and her dark red hair was piled atop her head in an artful tangle. To my right was the sleeping area, and immediately to the left was the hearth. The room was pleasantly warm, and smelled of pine elements of the Diednes sigil. She had been practicing her spellcraft. Forgive the abstention from smalltalk, Diedne, but I must bring up serious matters. Yes, Father Quaesitor. I know you mean business when you use the big words, she snarked. I do mean business. You have made powerful magi want to put a stop to your activities. There could be serious consequences for you. She sighed. I refuse to live in fear of them, Guernicus. They cannot dictate what is best for me or for my House. Still close to the door, I took a step forward. Diedne, I implore you to be more careful. Be mindful

of these facts: the Order does not yet have the strength required to enforce the Code. The Colleges of your scattered House would be easy pickings for a concerted campaign by any of the other Houses. Half your house would be gone before you realized it! You will not survive, if you make enemies of the wrong people! I had grown more animated with each proclamation, smacking my hand with a clenched fist for emphasis. But we both heard the noise that came from the wall near the hearth. The stone rumbled into the shape of an archway, and then tumbled back into place behind four men. Each of them was armed with a dagger in both fists, and their dark robes rustled as they charged into the room. All four targeted the Diedne. I fast-cast a spell; a section of the stone floor in the path of the lead assailant rose up like a wave. As he ran into it, his progress slowed. Then he began to struggle, and finally to scream, as the stone wave hardened and encased him up to his neck. His screaming ceased as the stone contracted, and crushed him. I fast-cast the same spell against the second man but as he ran into the wave, his shape shimmered from within and he passed through the stone with ease this one had magic resistance. The Diedne rose swiftly from her chair to meet his charge, drawing the short sword at her side from its sheath. A green flame kindled along its keen edge, as she brought it up in defence, deflecting the first and then the second dagger strike. Her attacker yelled in frustration, stepping back to regroup, until the Diedne lunged forward and thrust the fire-flickering sword through the back of his open mouth. The other two men saw me and hesitated, surprised by my presence. This pause gave me time to cast formulaically; I did not want to take the chance that they would also resist a spontaneous spell. Three metal shards emerged from the stone at my feet and rose into the air, each as long as my forearm. They sped forth at my gesture and impaled one man, flinging him backward and nailing him to the wall. The last one reached the Diedne before I had finished casting. Usually, the last man to close with an opponent is either the coward of the bunch, or the most skilled. This man was definitely the latter. The Diedne was forced backward, barely able to ward off the daggers. Her attacker manipulated her retreat, placing her between us. The Diedne appeared to be overwhelmed, and I scrambled to the side for a better angle, my concern growing. But I neednt have worried. During this time of apparent vulnerability, she had been preparing a spell, which she then unleashed. A jet of green flame erupted from her outstretched palm, straight into the face of the attacker. He crumpled to the floor, his black-charred skull cracking against the stone. The Diedne straightened and took a breath. Im glad you stopped by, Guernicus. That would have been a touch more difficult, if you hadnt. But now I think Im going to move to a new room. I waited until the rush of magic subsided. Then I mustered as much fatherly sternness as I could. Tell me what your plan is, Diedne. Now Guernicus. We both know that if I tell you, youll only have more questions and more worries. And then whats left of your hair will fall out faster. I kept silent, matching her smirk. She looked aside at one of the corpses. It was one of those moments, when her face appeared softer and her bearing was almost fragile. Then all such impressions fled, as her fierce eyes sought out mine again. But clearly, she said with intensity, someone has already decided that they do not like it. One of the Latin Houses, Im guessing. Theyre such an unconfident lot always worried about falling behind and losing what power theyve grasped. It is always thus with those who attack others to take more than they deserve and then still hunger for more. Being Latin, I suppose I fall in that category then. She gave a curt snicker. No Guernicus, of course not. You seek power to protect, not to take from others. And I admire that. It is difficult for me, but these last words that the Diedne spoke, that I still remember so clearly after two score years, they help me to have at least some faith. Faith in her. And perhaps, faith that there will be others who think as I do, and who seek to protect, after I am gone. I pray that these few individuals will have the power to do so, and that my meager faith is not just an old

mans wishful thinking. And that my fears do not come to pass.

Diedne Character Generation: Virtues & Flaws February 9, 2012 at 11:17 am (Game Rules) Like every Hermetic magus character, a House Diedne magus receives a free Virtue for being a member of the House. Like House Ex Miscellanea, a House Diedne magus gets a package of Virtues and Flaws, none of which count against the ten Virtues or ten Flaws that the player can pick for his character. House Diedne Free House Virtues and Flaw Every Diedne magus gets the Major Hermetic Virtue: Diedne Magic, as well as the new Major Hermetic Flaw: Difficult Formulaic Magic. The Virtue is changed; it does not incorporate the current, mandatory Major Story Flaw. Difficult Formulaic Magic is a more severe version of Poor Formulaic Magic. Double the penalty and apply it to Ritual Magic. Additionally, formulaic spell levels are doubled when learning and inventing spells. Every Diedne magus also receives a free Minor Hermetic or Supernatural Virtue based on the magus college. A college is a smaller lineage found within the House, based on a Celtic tribe and descendant from druid lore of that tribe. Every college has a correlating Minor Virtue. Some colleges have more than one, offering the player a choice. Some few colleges have a Major Virtue available through initiation. While such a Virtue could be taken at character generation, the player must pay for as she pays for any Virtue. A colleges Major Virtue can never be taken for free. Prohibited and Restricted Virtues & Flaws Prohibited Virtues and Flaws are those that a Diedne magus cannot have under any circumstance, both for metaphysical reasons and because it goes against the Houses creed. A Diedne magus character cannot have any Virtue that benefit formulaic magic, although a character may take Flaws that worsen his formulaic casting ability. Mercurian Magic is enjoined, as is Harnessed Magic, Tethered Magic, and any Virtue whose origins lie in the Latin Cult of Mercury. Gentle Gift is also banned. A master Diedne magus would not selected an apprentice without the obvious stink of the Gift. (see The Curse blog entry). Restricted Virtues and Flaws are those that oppose the rural proclivities and oral tradition of Diedne instruction. While allowed, a Diedne magus must keep them secret from his fellows, who consider such Virtues inappropriate and unsavory, and the master who allowed them incompetent, short-sighted, and lacking in cerebral fortitude. Book Learner, Hermetic Prestige, Quiet Magic, and Subtle Magic are all extremely non-Diedne. Diedne magi do not hide their power. Their forefathers were tribal sagas, reviled and feared but also respected and followed. Any Virtue that mutes or disguises a Diedne magus spell casting ability is distasteful and vulgar. There is no Art that House Diedne en masse excels at or is inferior in. Certain legends suggest that the House avoids fire magic and illusions and prefers spells that control animals and plants. This is akin to believing that Stonehenge magi are overly polite, Normandy magi odious gormandizers, and Hibernian magi exceedingly pious. While some might be, and certainly are, it is a stereotypical generalization that should best be avoided. During the height of the Schism War squads of Diedne Ignem specialists penetrated deeply into the Rome Tribunal and sacked the covenant of Concertinus. Preferred Virtues & Flaws

The obvious is esteemed. In the old Celtic tribes, the druid stood out, and in the House of Diedne the magus should be just as apparent. The Blatant Gift is common. Warped Magic, Side Effect, and Weird Magic are routine. Taught outside urban environs, Cyclical Magic (positive and negative) is frequently found among House members. While one might think Inoffensive to Animals is a popular Virtue, it is not. The druids stood as wise intercessors between their tribe and the gods, not as cattle ranchers, sheep farmers, or goat herders.

The Great Mistake was their Greater Diversity February 3, 2012 at 3:29 pm (History) Tags: Ars Magica, druids, House Diedne House Guernicus duplicitous accounts of the Schism War (1003 1017) and House Diedne present a strident string of reasoning exculpating their involvement, primarily, and the participation of Houses Flambeau and Tremere in the war. The primary report of the war, the ironbound book The Schism War, was written by Quaesitor Cluvixoris in 1019. The report is more political epic than careful investigation, and highlights the notable (perhaps fictitious) exploits of the wars heroes while merely skimming the surface of cause and effect, fault and remedy, fact and invention. Blame is settled entirely on House Diedne, whose secretive rites included human sacrifice, orgiastic revelries, and the blatant pagan worship of Taranis, Agrona, and Ogmios. Has ignorance ever pooled thicker? it is the authors purpose to disabuse the reader of these errors. First and foremost is the name, Diedne, and the correction that it is not a name but a title. Diedne is the dative form of diednis, which means witch or seer in the language of the Transaplina Gauls of the fifth and sixth centuries. The language was still used as a private cant by the druids and their initiates, one of the many ways that they prevented the unauthorized dissemination of their secrets. According to the story, Trianoma, the wife of the magus who invented the Parma Magica and who lead the formation of the Order of Hermes, met a couple she suspected were druids of the Pictones tribe. She handed a magic knife to the man, a peace token of respect and honor, and the man told her to give it to the witch, meaning his colleague; Gilleann sibh diedne. Trianoma amazing did just that, having noticed the mans slight nod to the woman, and spoke, Diedne as she offered the gift. Sly and mordant, the woman never corrected Trianomas error, and forever after became Diedne, to the witch. The Orders second and ultimately pivotal error was failing to recognize the diversity within the group of Gallic druids that would become House Diedne. Once impressed within the Order, the House continued to keep its identifying subdivisions, and continued to keep them a secret. Originally each Gallic tribes druids had different magical powers. They worshiped similar gods, practiced similar credos, and had commensurate but not identical magical powers. For example, the Arveni druids could entrance men and force them to war, the Carnute druids could turn into wolves and horses, and the druids of the Nervii could could command winds and storms. The woman Trianoma gave the magic dagger to was from the Iceni tribe of East Anglia, whose druids could manipulate the amount of personal energy put into casting other spells, thus making their other magic stronger and them less tired after casting. The different druid practices of the tribes are called branches, and once enfolded into the Order of Hermes, members of House Diedne further identified themselves as belonging to the branch that represented their tribal origin, i.e. the Iceni Branch, the Helvetii Branch, and the Menapi Branch. She who became Diedne had been visiting a Pictones druid to learn the Pictones magical power. A druid instructed his apprentice in the tribes magical powers. When the term of apprenticeship ended, the newly-appointed druid could travel to other tribes, and through a lengthy initiation process learn that tribes magical power. This magical exchange was not a right but a temporary privilege, which sometimes existed between particular tribes and select druids. However, once

she who became Diedne learned the Parma Magica, allowing her both magical protection and muted the unsavory social consequences of those with the Gift to cast magic, the magical exchange of powers between druids grew rapidly. Several of the Houses of the Order of Hermes were Mystery Cults, whose members could initiate their fellows into the Houses deeper mysteries and gain additional magical powers. In essence, while individually distinct the Celtic and Gallic tribes constituted one huge Mystery Cult, and it was possible for members of one tribe to learn the secret lore and magic of another. The innate hostile reaction of Gifted practitioners limited this exchange, but armed with the Parma Magica, Diedne -who by now had adopted the name could easily approach druids that once filled her with loathing and dread. She used this to her advantage, and her group of druid apprentices, former members of the Iceni Branch, flourished. To be continued . . .

Location of Celtic Tribes

Approximate geographical locations of Celtic Tribes (ca. 100 BC) superimposed on a map of western Europe (ca. 750 AD) Before the expansion of Rome, Celtic tribes occupied much of western Europe. As their lands were invaded, first by the Romans, and then by migrating Germans, the tribes were mostly absorbed, displaced, or erased. However, in isolated valleys, in dark forests, and on mountain tops, the descendants of overlooked Celts and their Druids continue to harness the deeply-rooted powers of the land, to practice the mysteries associated with their local deities, and to share their knowledge with Druids from the other, hidden tribes. While only remnants remain in mainland Europe, the hub of Druidism, swept along with the bulk of its practitioners, now resides in the western reaches of the British Isles. Although, even here, the spread of Christianity has curtailed their once considerable influence over the governing of kingdoms. In the isolated areas of Europe, where the Old Ways are still followed, the diversity of the shrunken Celtic tribes is preserved. While sharing a common language, each tribe speaks its own dialect. While sharing a common core pantheon, each tribe worships its own unique local

deities. The same is true of Druidic magic while sharing a common magical ability, The Gift, Druids develop a specialization that is tied to the traditions of their tribe. For example, the Treveri worship Lenus, a protector god of healing, and Ritona, a goddess of fords. Treveri Druids, through their faith in these benefactors, attained a Minor Magical Focus in healing and the ability to control rivers and streams (a ReAq-based magical feat). At the opposite end of the Celtic realm, the Erdin Druids perform sacrifices to appease Crom Cruach, and thereby ensure fertile fields and productive livestock. Through these rites, they discovered a technique with which to harvest magical energy from the offerings, that they then use to enhance Ritual Magic. A third example, the Averni, were notorious for their ultimately unsuccessful opposition to the Romans. Averni Druids fueled this resistance by emphasizing the war god Rudianos in their worship. They thereby acquired a Major Magical Focus in enhancing emotions that are conducive to war (e.g., courage, hate, pride) and suppressing emotions that hinder war (e.g., fear, love, humility), and are particularly skilled at inducing states of battle frenzy. Thus, through the combined effect of environmental factors (both natural and human in origin), of religious worship, and of the fragmentary nature of what is left of Celtic culture, the various tribes in which the branches of House Diedne are rooted developed a diverse, versatile, and perhaps, highly enviable assortment of magical specializations and abilities.

House Diedne Celtic Tribes: the Osismii March 13, 2012 at 9:59 pm (Game Rules) In the writings of Julius Caesar, Pliny the Elder, and Strabo, we read of the Osismii. This Gallic tribe inhabited the wild, westernmost region of the current-day Duchy of Bretagne. Despite their geographical isolation and independent-mindedness, the tribe eventually fell to the Romans during the Empires expansion under Caesar. However, the natives of this region were never fully Romanized, allowing traces of the Celtic culture to survive into the 13th century. Of these traces, some are obvious and some are subtle. Among the obvious are the Gallic dialect still spoken in these parts, and the non-latin appearance of some of the inhabitants, who can be tall and fair. Among the subtle are the mysterious monuments concealed by the countryside menhirs, dolmens, cromlechs, and tumuli that, if not Gallic in origin, were certainly incorporated into their pagan worship. The druids of the Osismii used these monuments to assist in the practice of their particular magical specialization travel into the Otherworld, where Celtic religion taught that the gods resided. The Otherworld is not partitioned into places of torment and sorrow and places of peace and joy, that are to be avoided and attained, respectively, as according to the Greek, the Roman, and in particular, the Christian religions. Instead, it is entirely a place of beauty and wonder, the place of origin of humans, and the place to which all spirits return in the afterlife until they are lucky enough to be reborn. The true nature of the Otherworld was a mystery to the druids. Some believed that their own legends and myths had spawned the Otherworld as regiones within the Faerie Realm. Others held that these stories were based on actual magical spirits who resided in regiones within the Magic Realm. A third group maintained that the Otherworld seamlessly combined aspects and regiones of both Realms. The druids of the Osismii sought to find which theory was correct. They also sought access to the great wisdom and magical items that some adventurous, lucky mortals were fabled to have attained while visiting the land of the gods.

The magical technique by which the Osismii traveled into regiones was formalized within the framework of Hermetic Theory by the Diedne and her filii, as a Minor Mystery Virtue: Regio Transmigration. With this virtue, a magus is able to penetrate the barrier normally imposed on the transport of people across regio boundaries by incorporating a Vim effect in Rego Corpus transport spells. Such a ReCo(Vi) spell requires an Arcane Connection to the location within the regio to which the caster would like to transport. There are separate spells for transporting people into Magical, Faerie, and Infernal regiones. Creating a portal into a Divine regio is impossible, due to the Limit of the Divine; creating a portal into an Infernal regio is possible, but not recommended. New Spell The Leap of Mortal Trespass ReCo(Vi) 40 R: Personal, D: Momentary, T: Individual Transports you into a regio, to a location from which you have obtained an arcane connection. (Base 35, +1 Vim requisite) Diedne Craft Magic June 14, 2012 at 1:25 am (Game Rules) The ancient Celts held a deep appreciation for the ability and the creations of craftsmen. Craftsmen formed a class of their own, not necessarily tied to one particular patron or tribe, and into which any person could elevate themselves through skill and artistry. Celts were particularly adept at metalworking in iron, bronze, silver and gold, forging weapons, jewelry, tools, and coins from these metals. They also excelled at woodworking, building ships and chariots. Other crafts included forming glass beads, enameling metal objects, and making clothing and shoes from wool, leather, and wood. Often, the natural resources that were locally available to a tribe influenced their specialization in one particular form of crafting. For example, the Helvetii, who lived in the foothills of the Alps, mined the iron and silver veins of their region and were adroit metalworkers. The Veneti, who lived along the southern coast of Brittany, logged local oak trees from which they built highly seaworthy ships. The respect that Celtic culture afforded skilled craftsmen is illustrated in the Irish myths relating to the god Lugh (a reflex of the Celtic god Lugus), sometimes referred to as Samh-Ildanach, or equally skilled in many arts. To gain entry into the court of Nuada, king of the Tuatha De Danann gods, Lugh must declare a useful skill. Among those he lists are builder, smith, and craftsman (along with champion, poet, harper, physician, and historian). His claim to be a master of all of these skills at once was the clincher. Irish myths also describe magically crafted items owned by the gods. One example is Lughs spear, Areadbhar (Slaughterer), which would burst into flame and tear through enemies on its own, unless its tip was submerged in a sleeping draught made of poppy seeds. Another is Lughs boat, Squaba Tuinne (Wave Sweeper), which could read a destination directly from the mind and then sail to it. A third is the Cauldron of the Dagda, a bottomless source of food that never allowed a party to leave hungry. Minor Mystery Virtue: Deity-linked Enchanting The esteem for craftsmen and their creations was retained through the ages by the remnants of Celtic society, into the time of the Diedne. Inspired by myth, the Diedne sought a means by which to recreate the legendary magical artifacts of the gods. Using items crafted in the Celtic style and of the highest quality and beauty, she and her filii devised a method for harnessing the essences of the gods to help power their enchantments (or so they believed). Through original research,

the magi of House Diedne linked each Hermetic Art to an attribute of a particular Celtic deity. For example, they linked the Art of Muto to Cernunnos, the god of nature who presides over the cycle of life and death, and over change. And to Rosmerta, a goddess of fertility and abundance, they linked the Art of Herbam. All links between deities and the Arts are described in the table below. The Celtic pantheon being what it was (large), multiple deities were sometimes linked to the same Form. To house the essences of the gods, the enchanter incorporates artistic representations of deities into an invested item. These representations may be added via mundane crafting, or via magical crafting, by the use of Rego and the Form corresponding to the material. The representations highlight a particular aspect of the deity. Any representation of these aspects suffices, whether it is realistic or abstract, but it was thought that the higher the artistry and quality of the representation, the more likely it was that the deity would deign to impart its essence into it. The representations are infused with one pawn of Art-appropriate vis each, when the invested item is opened. These pawns add to the total vis required for opening the device; if the total exceeds the number of pawns that the enchanter is able to use in a season, they must spend additional seasons opening the device. These pawns also contribute to the total number of pawns that can be used to invest magical effects. While infusing the vis, the enchanter performs rituals and gives offerings to the selected deities. According to magi of House Diedne, if the deity is sufficiently appeased by these rites, it transfers a trace amount of its essence to the representation and attunes the item to the corresponding Art. When enchanting the deity-linked device with magical effects that match either or both of the attuned Arts, the enchanter may double their score in those Arts when calculating Lab Totals. However, each representation adds five to the total level of the magical effect. Each invested item can have at most two representations. Deity-linked Enchanting may not be used with charged items or lesser enchantments. Deities were sometimes paired with their consort in Celtic art and honored together. The enchanter can use this connection between deities to further facilitate the investment of magical effects in an opened item. When representations of two paired deities are incorporated into a device, the enchanter may add five to their Lab Total and subtract one pawn of vis from the number required to invest the effect. The pairing of deities is given in the table below. Note: The source of the magical energies that give rise to the attunement of the magical item is not known with certainty. While it is improbable that the essence of Celtic gods is actually deposited in the item through the rites that are performed during the opening of the item, especially since the power of those gods has waned severely over time, it is not necessarily impossible. More likely, however, it is the rites themselves that attune the device to the selected Arts, by drawing forth magical energies from the additional Art-specific vis and from within the enchanter. Hermetic Art Deity Representation Aspects Pairing

Creo Sucellus Hammer, Cauldron Nantosuelta A middle-aged bearded man, with a long-handled hammer, or perhaps a beer barrel suspended from a pole. His wife, Nantosuelta, is sometimes depicted alongside him. When together, they are accompanied by symbols associated with prosperity and domesticity. Intelligo Lugus Tri-Faced Rosmerta A bust of a bearded, shorthairedhaired man crowned with a circlet of twisted-rope or braid style, with three faces, depicted so that one faces the viewer while the other two are in

profile. Muto Cernunnos Antlers, Torcs --A horned or antlered figure, often seated cross-legged and often associated with animals and holding or wearing torcs. He often wears or holds a serpent as well. Perdo Esus Axe, Bull, cranes and egrets --Esus is portrayed cutting branches from trees with his axe. Occasionally, he is depicted as a woodsman cutting wilow boughs and accompanied by the sacred bull and his cranes and egrets. Rego Ogmios Eloquence, Strength Erecura An older, powerfully-muscular, smiling darkskinned man wearing a lionskin and bearing a bow and club in his hands. Ogmios is depicted with long chains through his smiling mouth that pierce his tongue and attach to the ears of a group of men that willingly and happily follow him with cheerful faces and try to get as close to Ogmios as they can. This shows that he has the power to change and influence mens minds so that they want to follow him to the ends of the earth As god of eloquence, he was represented as drawing along a company of men whose ears were 'chained to his tongue' Animal Artio Bears, --A large bear facing a woman seated in a chair, with a small tree behind the bear. The woman seems to hold fruit in her lap, perhaps feeding the bear. shamanism, woodlands, abundance, fertility and the hunt Damona Oxen, springs, dreams and prophecy Borvo A woman leading a garlanded sacred cow, a stone head crowned with ears of corn, a hand with a serpent coiled around it. Epona Horses, fertility The main depiction shows a woman riding a horse side-saddle. It shows Epona with a dog in her lap. She is often, though not always, seen accompanied by a dog though the nature of the relationship can never be certain for a dog can be malevolent, helpful or magical in Celtic mythos. The second image shows the second most common depiction of Epona where she is seated with horses by her left and right hand sides. In this case the equines are hound-sized with a horse on the left and a stallion on the right. Epona seems to be holding a plate bearing several ears of wheat and an over-sized wheat-sheaf lies on her lap. The horses both bear collars indicating their subserviant relationship to the goddess. A third, though rarer, depiction of the goddess shows her as a charioteer. However, her iconography is complex suggesting that she was probably associated with fertility (depictions of her with fruit or corn, or with young foals) indeed, one of the main aspect of her cult might be to do with the fertility of horses (something very important to horse-breeding tribes). Though she is also depicted with dogs and sometimes even with ravens suggesting a healing and a chthonic aspect to her cult. Again, this would not be incompatible with Epona's stewardship of horses for they need healing and eventually die. Also, horses are a form of transport and are one of the animals (birds being the other) that transport the souls of the departed after death, thus it has been proposed that Epona was a psychopomp. In distant Dacia, she is represented on a stela in the format of Cybele, seated frontally on a throne with her hands on the necks of her paired animals: her horses are substitutions for Cybele's lions.

Aquam

Borvo Bubbling springs, hot springs, therapeutic waters Damona A man sitting beneath an arch or beside a spring. He bears an amphora or vessel brimming with water. Auram Taranis Storms, Lightning, Wheels Tall, bearded and long-haired man brandishing a lightning bolt in his left hand and a four-, six- or eight-spoked 'thunder wheel' in his right. Corpus Lenus Helm, Shield, Goose, Ram-headed serpent A warrior bearing a helm, shield and spear with a goose at his side. H is also represented by a ram-headed serpent or ram-horned erpent, a symbol associated with healing. Sirona Snakes, Eggs, Star Diadem Grannus Depictions often show Sirona wearing a long gown and carrying a patera in her right hand and a sceptre in her left. In the material culture of classical antiquity, a phiale or patera[1] (Latin pronunciation: [patera']) is a shallow ceramic or metal libation bowl. It often has a bulbous indentation (omphalos, "bellybutton") in the center underside to facilitate holding it, in which case it is sometimes called a mesomphalic phiale. It typically has no handles, and no feet.Other depictions show her carrying a bowl of eggs and holding a long snake coiled around her lower arm . She wears a long gown and has a star-shaped diadem on her head (a link with the meaning of the name Sirona). Another shows Sirona naked to the waist and holding a snake draped over her left arm crowned with her diadem and a veil Herbam Rosmerta Cornucopia, Fruit, abundance Lugus Rosmerta is always shown bearing a cornucopia brimming with fruit and sometimes wearing a winged crown.. Nantosuelta Model House, Wood, Beehive Sucellus Nantosuelta, wearing a long gown is standing to the leftof an altar. In her left hand she holds a small house-shaped object with two circular holes and a peaked roof. Her right hand holds a patera which she is tipping onto a cylindrical altar Other depictions show a beehive in place of the house Ignem Bellenus Light Man's face, full face, surrounded by a corona. Belisama Fire, sunlight, moonlight, crafts, forgework She is shown bearing or companioned by serpents. Belisama

Belenus

Grannus Heat Sirona Depiction of the bearded god's full face surounded by ripe stalks of grain, braided into a wreath. Mentam Visucius Ravens, Knowledge Man in robes bearing or accompanied by ravens

Terram

Alisanus Mountains Man shaping a mountain

Erecura Metals, Wealth, the Underworld, Apples. Ogimios woman, depicted bearing a bowl filled with apples or wealth, sometimes with a hound.

Seated

Vim Brigantia Spear, Globe She bears a spear in her right hand and has a globe in her left, the symbol of victory. She wears a gorgoneion pendant about her neck (a symbolic representation of the Medusa replete with protruding tongue). Behind Brigantia a shield can just be seen. Brigantia also wears a mural crown (a crown that looks like the crenulations of a battlement) indicating her territorial associations as both conqueror and defender of her territory.

Minor Mystery Virtue: Flexible Invested Effects The triple spiral (or Triskele) is frequently found in Celtic and pre-Celtic art. Exactly what the Triskele symbolizes is unknown, but some conjecture that it has spiritual or religious significance. The magi of House Diedne discovered that, when incorporated into an invested item, the threefold symmetry of the Triskele resonates with the three key parameters of Hermetic magic: Range, Target, and Duration. The results of this resonance are similar to the Major Hermetic Virtue Flexible Formulaic Magic. With Flexible Invested Effects, the user of the enchanted item may choose, at the moment of actuation, to raise or lower one (only) of the Range, Duration, or Target of the effect by one step. This change may not violate any of the limits on formulaic magic or on enchantments. Flexible Invested Effects may not be applied to the magical effects of lesser enchantments or charged items. The effect must have a Penetration of five or higher. When the Range, Duration, or Target of the effect is increased, the Penetration of the effect is decreased by five. When the Range, Duration, or Target of the effect is decreased, the Penetration of the effect is increased by five. To affect an invested effect, the Triskele must be permanently affixed or engraved during the crafting of the item. Additional Triskele do not allow additional adjustments of the Range, Duration or Target of invested effects. The benefits of Flexible Invested Effects come at a cost an inherent flaw in the enchanted item that causes its magic to fail under specific circumstances. This flaw works the same way as the Major Hermetic Flaw Restriction, except that instead of applying when the magus is subjected to an uncommon condition, it is the enchanted item that must be so subjected. Using Lughs spear as an example, the constant magical effects that cause it to burn and to attack foes on its own are both quenched when the spear tip is submerged in a poppy seed sleeping potion. The effects rekindle once it is removed from the potion.