HIDDEN HOUSES OF HERMES:
HOUSE MERCERE
(classical: mare-KAY-ray; vulgar: mare-SARE)
"ORDINEM SEVERE UNUM SUSTENERE"
"To Serve the Order and keep it Whole"
HISTORY OF HOUSE MERCERE:
        This house was thought to have been disbanded after the rise of the Order of Reason, since it was believed that all of its members had been killed, in a brutal strike against the messengers of the Order.  In truth, one "redcap" (as the messenger-magi were known) survived -- an old woman named Enomil.  She was said to have been one of the few Mercere magi who had the Gift of Magick, but if she did, she never showed it; she did, however, take aside some of the loyal servants of the other houses (called Custos by some), and teach them the ways of House Mercere.  To these mundanes she passed on the importance of the messenger's role, and taught them the subtle powers of communication.  Before she disappeared into the evening, she told the small assembly that they were the last hope of the Order, and swore them to a solemn vow to serve the Order well.
        They served the Order in secrecy for many years, maintaining the network of communications that House Mercere had vigilantly kept up for centuries.  Only the most loyal of Custos were inducted into the Secret House of Mercere, as they called themselves, and soon the secret network spread throughout the remaining Order, helping to preserve it as it hid from the Pograms of the Order of Reason.


HOUSE MERCERE TODAY:
        With the advent of technology came the downfall of the Secret House of Mercere.  And truly, what value is there in a messenger, in today's world of cars, telephones, TVs, and radios, much less faxing and e-mail?  The power of House Mercere had always been in their ability to deliver carefully-worded messages to just the right people at just the right times -- but when the telegraph, and then the telephone came into use, they were debilitated.  Their subtle webs of power were destroyed.  And some would say that it was just as well.  For in the latter days, some among the Secret House became corrupted, and worked their influences for personal gain instead of for the good of the Order of Hermes.  There were many attempted purges of this corruption, but none were ever complete.  The Secret House grew bitter and suspicious, and the Technocratic Union's developments in communication, though beneficial to the masses, finished what internal conflict had started.  The Secret House of Mercere was powerless. Today, the redcaps are simply an organization of Consors and Custos.  They are even recognized by the Order of Hermes, if somewhat condescendingly; the Order thinks them to be a relatively new social organization among servants, honoring the fallen House Mercere.  Though their power has waned drastically in the last century or two, there is a bright side: the corruption is basically gone.  Few power-seekers will take part in a group that has no power.
        There are still some very few magi in the Secret House of Mercere, mostly inducted from other Houses -- especially Bonisagus and Quaesitor.  These magi know of the Secret House's true history, and keep it a secret.  The Quaesitoris within the Secret House have also begun the practice of inducting qualifying "orphans" into the Secret House, since magi without
"lineages" (and with powerful Arcane and Streetwise, as orphans are likely to have) are useful in espionage and certain types of communication.


MERCERE PHILOSOPHY: THE DUTY


ORGANIZATION

        NUMBERS: There are between 100 and 150 Mercere "magi", of whom roughly 5 are Awakened magi and around 10 are Larta, or honorary, magi.  They are generally more numerous in the more isolated covenants that are located in low-tech areas, though in the last fifteen years there have been growing numbers of "redcaps" gravitating suddenly toward places where high-speed access to phone lines, as well as other technological advantages, is available.


MEETINGS

INITIATION

ACOLYTES

FOCI
        Those few Mercere who are Awakened focus most strongly on Correspondence and Mind magicks, and many of them are fascinated by the internet and the Digital Web.  These technomagi and their unAwakened fellows within the House make alliances with the clannish Thig magi and the mistrusted hacker-mages, and utilize VR rigs to access the Web.

CONCEPTS
        Ambassador
        Lawyer
        Courier
        Broker
        Computer Technician

QUOTE

STEREOTYPES

ROTES
 

LINKS