House Tytalus, Restricted

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"Dullards and idiots created laws to punish success and enslave violence, yet it took someone of wisdom and perspicacity to invent fear of the gods, so introducing the most pleasant of teachings, the biding of truth within a false account. Still, the truly wise and acute of mind cannot be limited by any laws of human invention." Tytalus the Founder

House Tytalus is most famously known for their never-ending quest for conflict. They are perceived as troublemakers, cunning politicians, and perpetrators of clandestine plots. They are all these things and much more. For a player interested in characters of House Tytalus, this chapter describes the history, philosophy, and culture of the House, and details the motivations of these strife-seeking magi. For the storyguide, there is a tool-kit of rules for running Tytalus-based stories or sagas, including rules for the resolution of public debates, and ideas for stories based on intrigue and nefarious schemes.

History

Some have said that the history of House Tytalus can be divided into eras based on pairs of prominent magi in contention with each other. The early years were dominated by Tytalus's fights with his mater, with Tremere, and then with his filii, who subsequently continued the tradition by feuding with each other. The middle period of history consisted of the corruption of the House, which set the fourth, fifth, and sixth Primi at each others throats. Finally, in the current day, the House is still at war, with two magi claiming a right to the leadership of the House.

Tytalus the Sorcerer

In her search for wizards to form an Order united by Hermetic magic and the Parma Magica, Trianoma visited the catacombs of Naples. There she found Guorna the Foetid, perhaps the greatest necromancer who ever lived, and heir to the secrets of death and the dead. Trianoma, with great trepidation, invited the hideous necromancer to Durenmar to study under Bonisagus, in order that her powerful magic could be integrated into Hermetic Theory. Unknown to Trianoma, Guorna's three pupils - Tytalus, Tremere, and an as-yet -untrained girl called Pralix - had recently fled across the Adriatic Sea to Dacia after discovering her horrific plot to transfer her soul from her pus-filled, leprosy-riddled body into one of theirs.

The three apprentices marshalled forces to kill their former teacher and tormentor. Tytalus took charge; he was the eldest of the three, and had studied under the witch for nearly three decades. He ordered Tremere to find wizards to aid them, while he himself sought out magical assistance to oppose Guorna's own magic. Her power derived from the gods of the dead (despite the secularisation of their religion), so Tytalus sought out those spirits imprisoned in the Underworld by those gods, spirits filled with resentment, rebellion, hatred, and vast power - the titans. He forged numerous pacts with these fearful spirits, and, bolstered by the necromantic wizards recruited by Tremere, the two destroyed the remnants of Guornas tradition in Naples, and then waited for the witch herself to return from the Black Forest. The trap set by the two brothers was too well-planned for Guorna to survive, despite even her new Hermetic teaching. Tytalus claimed to have inflicting the killing blow against his mater, ripping her heart from her pus-filled chest. Guorna, however, had her revenge: with her dying breath, she cursed her matricidal pupil with her own affliction of leprosy.

Tytalus the Magus

After the defeat of Guorna, Tytalus and Tremere (and Pralix) marched on Durenmar, intent on eliminating the wizards they considered her allies and co-conspirators. However, the diplomacy of Trianoma forestalled their wrath, and the brothers were convinced of their innocence; indeed, they were persuaded to accept tutelage under Bonisagus instead. Tytalus found the adoption of Hermetic magic very difficult because of his extensive training and substantial power in his native tradition, although he was able to learn the Parma Magica. Pralix became the joint apprentice of Tytalus and Bonisagus, and she received a full understanding of both sorcery and Hermetic magic from her two masters. When the wizards whom Trianoma had gathered at Durenmar started to formulate the structure of the Order, Tytalus assumed that Tremere would become a member of his House, for his magical training was inferior to all of the other prospective Founders. However, Tremere had long chafed under the dominating yoke of his brother, and, with the support of several other Founders and his cadre of Dacian necromancers, found sufficient political force to form his own House. This was the beginning of the rift between Tytalus and Tremere, which grew wider as time went on.

Tytalus was a skilled politician as well as a powerful wizard. He spent a great deal of effort and time haranguing the other Founders, particularly Guernicus, over the structure and governance of the Order of Hermes. Tytalus became a proponent of a democratic structure . for the Order, and much of the early Code of Hermes was Framed as a result of public debates between Guernicus and Tytalus. It is largely believed nowadays by his followers that Tytalus manoeuvred the Order down a democratic path purely to cut the power base from under Tremere's feet rather than for any nobler purpose. He felt that giving the governance of the Order to the plebeian class was a better alternative to one where a power-hungry upstart could rule the Order single-handedly.

The writings of Tytalus reveal his numerous schemes in the mundane world. He was at least partially responsible for the establishment of a protectorate over the Slavs on the eastern border of the Duchy of Bavaria, with the intent to drive a wedge between the Bulgars (the allies of Tremere) and their northern kin. There are rumours that he was also active in the Byzantine Empire, assisting Jerbiton in defeating Tremere's empire-building ambitions. He was likely responsible for the annexation of Brittany (where he had made his home) by the Frankish Empire, for he believed it to be more stable than the fractured Saxon kingdoms of the British Isles. However, House legend also places Tytalus in Britain meddling with the succession of its kings. All the stories told about Tytalus cannot be true because some of them place him in different places at the same time. No accusations of Code-breaking were ever brought against him, but at that time the Order was small, and a skilled intriguer such as Tytalus could easily escape the watchful eyes of the Quaesitores.

In 798 AD Pralix, now a powerful maga in her own right, introduced her master to a young maiden whom she had intended to take as her apprentice. The girl, whose name was Hariste, was enchantingly beautiful, and Tytalus immediately became besotted with her. Overcome with this unfamiliar emotion, Tytalus stole Hariste from Pralix, and retreated to his home at Fudarus to train her. The furious Pralix was left to take his place as acting leader of the House, though she never claimed the title of Prima.

Tytalus's relationship with Hariste bordered on the obsessive; his leprosy made her forever unattainable, and although he received no rejection from Hariste, he refused to sully her perfection. In frustration, she became determined to punish her master for his reticence, thus giving rise to a tradition of rivalry between master and pupil that persists to this day in House Tytalus.

The House after Tytalus

In 807 AD, Tytalus left Fudarus dressed only in a leper's robe and veil, and carrying a staff. His familiar was nowhere to be seen. He visited every member of his House one by one, offering advice to each, and all agreed that his demeanour was very unusual. His last port of call was to Hariste, and he tarried with her for over a month, where it is rumoured that they finally consummated their love. He then travelled to the Maddenhofen Woods in Bohemia, claiming he was going to win his "heart's desire" from the Queen of the Faeries. He was never seen again.

Hariste moved to Fudarus, and became the first Prima of House Tytalus. She demanded a private audience with every member of the House, and only Pralix refused to see her. She issued to them the last instructions of Tytalus, or so she claimed. She also gathered the wisdom he had given to them all, collating his words into a book called the Analects of Tytalus. On her deathbed, Hariste's last instruction was that the book should be copied and given to every member of the House, so that they would remember their beloved Founder. The Analects of Tytalus is still popular in the House, and every apprentice copies his master's for himself at some point during his apprenticeship.

Hariste's influence on the House was subtle but pervasive. Tytalus was a creature born of the violent wars between wizards, whereas Hariste grew up in the enforced peace of the Order of Hermes. Through the Analects, she reinforced the importance of Tytalus's philosophy without softening any of its force. She instituted the eristic moots (see below) for the settling of differences, and promoted friendly rivalry within the House. While she did not intend it, Hariste also introduced a culture of hero-worship to the followers of Tytalus, placing the Founder at a height he would never have sought for himself.

Pralix never fully accepted Hariste. To her, Tytalus was a harsh but beloved father figure, which cast Hariste in the role of a gold-digging strumpet, and one nearly half her own age. Yet the younger, prettier maga had gained the support of the House through virtue of swift action and a compelling oratory style that made Pralix seem positively flat-footed. With her skills more suited to the battlefield than the Tribunal arena, Pralix aborted her attempt to win control of the House, and instead bent her efforts towards recruiting more wizards into the fold of the Order.

Pralix and Hariste are considered the first pair of "beloved rivals' for which the house is famous. Their rivalry is legendary, and in the beginning was based on envy. Hariste was jealous of Pralix because the older maga had known Tytalus for all her life. Pralix resented Hariste for not being her own apprentice. When Hariste manipulated the Order into sending Pralix to battle Damhan-Allaidh, it was a masterstroke worthy of Tytalus himself. It was only when Pralix had foresworn the Order that Hariste realised how much she missed her "elder sister," and how much of their antagonism hid true affection. She consequently did everything she could to protect Pralix when the rest of the Houses demanded she be executed for her temerity.

The Betrayal

"I refuse to accept guilt for my deeds, for I do not subscribe to the shackles of morality, which prevent you from understanding my actions. I will admit that I failed and that I have forfeited a greater prize than you can ever take from me, but I cannot and will not regret that which I have achieved." Tasgillia, to the Tribunal that executed her for diabolism.

The fourth Prima of House Tytalus was Tasgillia. She was despised by her House for possessing a thoroughly unpleasant personality and extremely selfish view of the world; this, and her puissance in spirit magic, made her oft-likened to Guorna.

Nevertheless, she won the right to lead House Tytalus, which none could deny her. Her feud with her filia Kalliste was the most acrimonious and vindictive quarrel in the history of the House. Kalliste believed that Oath provided a culture superior to the lawless chaos that had existed before its foundation; when every magus had pursued his own selfish nature. The immoral Tasgillia had no such altruistic tendencies, and let nothing impede her selfish nature. The two opposed each other at every turn, and fought no less than four Wizard's Wars against each other, until the Tribunal threatened to March them both.

The feud ended abruptly in 964 AD when Kalliste brought evidence to the Quaesitores that her mater was amassing power through diabolism, using Guorna's own lore to summon demons to attend to her sybaritic desires. Tasgillia was executed for diabolism by Archmage Erythravis of House Guernicus later that year. Her whole tradition, the Titanoi fell under suspicion, and the subsequent investigation resulted in the executions of 14 additional Titanoi, and three other Tytali, at the hands of the Order's hoplites. Of the lineage of the Titanoi, only Kalliste and her filii survived. With the endorsement and support of House Guernicus, Kalliste replaced Tasgillia, becoming the fifth Prima of House Tytalus, despite never winning that privilege in the time-honoured manner of the house.

This event came to be known as the Betrayal to Tytali, although the Order more commonly calls it the Corruption; it is viewed as a dark period in history by modern Tytali but not for the reason that other Houses think. They freely admit that Tasgillia was guilty of the crimes of which she was accused, yet fault Kalliste for betraying the principles of Tytalus by putting custom before nature, which is completely antithetical to the Founder's philosophy. Further, the Tytalan way would have been to settle the matter behind closed doors; instead the proud House was publicly shamed before the Order, and to this day has not recovered its former reputation. It is Kalliste to whom Tytali refer when they speak of the Betrayal, and her memory is ritually cursed every midwinter at Fudarus.

The Schism War and its Aftermath

Following the Betrayal, House Tytalus underwent a period of relative quiet, concentrating on rebuilding their numbers, as well as their reputation in the Order. The spirit mages, with their command over spirits of conflict and victory, had been the most combat-worthy members of the House, and with their loss the Tytali turned away from physical conflict - leaving it to the Flambeau and Tremere - and re-embraced the fine art of debate favoured by their Founder. As a result they amassed political power, particularly in the Normandy Tribunal. Kalliste led the broken House during the Schism War, and it became little more than a tool of House Guernicus. On the day of the final battle between House Diedne and the rest of the Order, Prima Kalliste met her demise at the end of a poisoned knife wielded by a member of her own House. The perpetrator of this crime was Marched by his own pater, Klynoites, who became the next Primus of House Tytalus. It is generally believed that Klynoites's filius committed his crime on behalf of the House and his pater.

In the years that Followed the Schism War and the demise of House Diedne, there were rich pickings of vis sources and magical sites all over Mythic Europe, nowhere more so than in Brittany. The veterans of the Schism War in the Normandy Tribunal, predominantly members of House Flambeau, claimed these vis sources by right of conquest, despite their location within territory traditionally claimed by members of House Tytalus. This tension between individuals intensified as each side was joined by sodales in their respective Houses. It became as much about ideology as resources. House Tytalus accused House Flambeau of demanding to be rewarded for carrying out their self-appointed duties in slaying members of House Diedne. Scorn was poured on the Flambeaus' self-righteous protestations of justice and honour; there was nothing honourable, the Tytali claimed, about grabbing resources from other Houses and claiming they were spoils of war. At Tribunal, Primus Klynoites referred to the Flambeau as narrow-minded fools who suborned their magic to the dictates of the Quaesitores rather than revelling in the power of their Gifts.

The inter-House conflict threatened to return the Order to the pre-Schism lawlessness. Certamen over resources and territory escalated into cycles of vengeance- driven Wizard's Wars until the original disputes were nearly forgotten, at least by the Tytali. It was the Flambeau who ended the conflict at the Grand Tribunal of 1063; in a show of solidarity they refused to fight the Tytali any more. For the Tytali involved, the conflict had become less about issues and more about the struggle itself. By removing themselves as opponents, the Flambeau effected a truce. In Normandy, legal institutions were put in place to distribute all magical resources acquired during the Schism War. Across Europe, the Grand Tribunal sponsored covenants containing followers of Flambeau and Tytalus, often with Bonisagi of Trianoma's lineage to mediate; and an entente cordial was eventually established between the two Houses, at least on the surface.

Primi at War

Twenty-five years ago, Prima Buliste entered a protracted Twilight, and she was declared dead by her younger Hermetic brother Harpax, who had previously been defeated by her for the leadership of the House. Harpax subsequently won the privilege of serving as the tenth Primus. However, three years later, in 1198, Buliste recovered from her temporary Twilight (as some suspected she would), and tried to resume her former position at the head of the House. Characteristically, Harpax refused to relinquish control of House Tytalus to his rival. The House held its breath while the two powerful siblings fought a protracted battle, but no victor emerged. Today, in 1220, the matter has still not been resolved. Both magi have won the right to serve the House as Primus, and neither seems able to gain the upper hand over the other. Consequentially, each House-member's decision whether to become a Decimus (supporter of the tenth Primus) or a Fidelus (loyalist of the ninth Prima) is based on personal choice and/or whim rather than legal merit; only refusing to choose a side invites scorn. Should Tytali from opposite sides encounter one another, they likely as not dispute vociferously about the relative merits of their chosen champion. The domus magna of Fudarus is occupied by both Primi, and has effectively become two covenants under a single roof. While they share the same rooms, barracks, and resources the magi, covenfolk, and grogs loyal to each Primus live separate lives, refusing to acknowledge the existence of the other side. They wear swatches of coloured material to distinguish themselves from each other, royal purple for Buliste, and revolutionary green for Harpax, colours which have been adopted as badges by the Fideli and Decimi respectively. Outsiders are perturbed by the seriousness of Tytalan magi in pursuing this conflict, and puzzled that it has been over 20 years and the dispute has still not been resolved. The truth of the matter is that House Tytalus finds the whole business far too enjoyable to be done with it just yet.

The Philosophy of Conflict

"A person would make most advantage of justice for himself if he treated the laws as important in the presence of witnesses, and treated the decrees of nature as important when alone." - Antiphon

House Tytalus seek to emulate its Founder, considering him to have been the finest magus to have ever existed. They dote on the Analects of Tytalus, which describe the route to his power. Philosophers from other Houses have denigrated Tytalus as a true philosopher, claiming he was more a "magpie of wisdom," collecting only those fragments of philosophy which glittered attractively to him. At this point, the Tytali involved in such debates nod their heads amasses personal power in an attempt to overcome that foe. A magus who hoodwinks another in an intrigue makes his victim more cautious, and less likely to be fooled again. This drive towards constant growth also allows Tytali to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by claiming self-improvement when a plan fails.

Tools of Conflict

Tytalus personified the weapons with which he fought as the Titans, the mighty spirits he employed against Guorna, matching each weapon to a spirit. These tools were not just swords and knives, but also magic, and, most importantly, words. A Tytalan maga is expected to struggle with others on the debating floors of the tribunals, on the battlefields of men, in the certamen duelling ring, and anywhere else that conflict can be found. Though she is not expected to excel in every arena, she must be sufficiently equipped with the correct weapons - the right force - to put up a good fight.

Rivalry

"How fierce a heart has Zelos [Rivalry]~ Mightier than nature to behold and possessing the bitter force of fire and a sword of adamant. He preserves not, when he comes, he knows neither comrade nor kin nor cousin, and his intervention is both gracious and unspeakable."- Analects of Tytalus

Competitive rivalry as practised by Tytalan magi is not the desire to take power from another (this would be envy, not rivalry); nor is it the desire to deny another of his right (this is malice). Rather, it is driven by the desire to acquire something that is possessed by another, not because the other has it, but because the self is lacking. Some - indeed, many - are driven by more antisocial passions which bring them into conflict with others, such as ruthless ambition, secret greed, or all-consuming lust, and yet there are others whose motivations derive from faith, justice, or compassion. The physis of these latter individuals more rarely comes into conflict with nomos, as human society is constructed on moral foundations. Nevertheless, a compassionate Tytalus does not hesitate to transcend nomos should he witness an innocent suffering; he never feels constrained by the laws of man, for his is a higher calling. The Analects of Tytalus only concentrate on deviousness and underhand dealings because Tytalus believed that his physis was to prove his superiority to the world. Every magus must become aware of his own nature, and how it may be best served.

Persuasion

"Peitho [Persuasion] is a terrible goddess, to whom nothing can be denied." - Analects of Tytalus

The Analects of Tytalus teach that words are as powerful as physical force. Being overwhelmed by something beyond one's ability to control absolves one from all blame. Just as you cannot blame a monk for being robbed by bandits, or a woman from being forced by a stronger man, so you cannot blame a man who is persuaded into a course of action (no matter how heinous) through the power of words.

In ancient Greece, the Sophists made their living by first creating a demand for intellectual skills and then charging a high rate Eor delivering them to the buyers. To the Athenians, whose politics suffered under the ministrations of the Sophists, the word used for "cleverness" shared a root with the word for "terrible." They created their own paradox: by supplying the rhetorical skills needed to partake in debate they facilitated the formation of a democratic culture, but by selling these skills to those who could afford them, they secured advantages only for the rich. Tytalus found this paradox delightful, and taught that a magus who considered himself a member of House Tytalus must be prepared to apply his superior force to his foes on multiple fields of battle.

Force

"Kratos [Strength] and Bia [Force] are my constant companions, the first I stole from my mater, the second I gave to my followers."- Analects of Tytalus

The strength of a Tytalus is a full understanding of his own physis, and the recognition - taught during apprenticeship - that nomos is arbitrary and often contrary to this physis. A Tytalus has been taught to acknowledge his faults, and to turn them into strengths. Defeats may come as often as victories, but failure is an important source of knowledge regarding the limitations of the magus. The wisdom that the goal of a conflict is the convict itself was acknowledged by Tytalus to be one of the major turning points in his life.

Crushed by defeat again and again, an apprentice to a Tytalus magus must learn to strive against injustice to fulfil his nature. This struggle builds the necessary mental armour to survive almost anything that life throws at him. The strength of will that drives every Tytalan magus though life is perhaps their most distinctive feature. Some members of House Tytalus turn this philosophy against others, supplying the hardship and denying the pleasure so as to forge steel from crude iron. Most subjects of this treatment do not appreciate the attention.

Culture

"Remember me for this, if nothing else - I can forge your weapons, I can strap you into your armour, I can even choose the battlefields but only you can win the fight." - Analects of Tytalus (last page)

For a House that teaches that there is nothing morally repugnant in acting selfishly at the expense of others, and that actively encourages conflicts between its members, House Tytalus is remarkably coherent. It is centred strongly around the "family unit," and is very jealous if anyone intervenes in its personal rivalries. It is considered right that brother and sister should be at odds, but interfere with that, and both siblings will combine forces to make you regret it! In a twisted sense, the rivalries within House Tytalus are one of the reasons it has such strength as a political force.

While rivalry plays a major role in the life of a Tytalan magus, there are other things that bind the house together.

Reverence for the Founder

There is a general belief among his followers that Tytalus was the most perfect mortal being the world has seen. Bonisagus might have been more intelligent, Flambeau more .powerful, and Merinita more wise, but Tytalus was a polymath who embodied all these traits and more. Tytalan magi are hungry for new stories about the Master that they have not yet heard, and are keen extemporises of his myth, often plagiarising other legends to make Tytalus the hero. The intent is not to deceive, but to inform. The twisted moral tales used to instruct apprentices into the correct behaviour of the House usually have Tytalus as the protagonist, Guernicus as his co-conspirator, and Tremere as the dupe.

Some take this hero worship to extremes, making visits to places known to be important to Tytalus, even making pilgrimages to the Maddenhofen Woods in Bohemia where he met his end. Dogs are popular pets and familiars in the House, because Tytalus himself had a dog familiar (although no-one risks calling her dog Tremere, like that of the Founder!). But the most obvious manifestation of this cult of personality is the devotion of the House to the Analects of Tytalus, his collected writings, recorded speeches and sayings, spanning his entire life. Virtually every member of the House owns a copy of this tome.

Equality

Both the Calliclean and Hippian standpoints recognise that barriers between men due to class, birth, race, or sex are products of custom, not of nature. As a House, followers of Tytalus do not hold that age brings superiority; rivalry between parens and filius would be unconscionable if it did; indeed, the whole point of the Apprentice's Gauntlet of the House is to break down the barrier between master and pupil. Consequently, a Tytalus pays no respect to rank or titles, and there is no internal structure to the House. The role of Primus exists purely because the Order expects it, and because a member of the House has forced others to accept his right to that position. The Primus is not the leader of the House, however, merely the most skilled. Other Tytali listen to his opinions, but feel no compulsion to do what he says, unless it suits their own physis.

Most Tytali apply this equality across the board, and do not look down on mundanes purely because they do not possess The Gift. They despise those who fail to use their natural talents to their greatest extent. The main issue that Tytali have with the followers of Flambeau is the perception that these magi constrain their great store of natural talent behind pointless concepts of honour and duty.

Pedagogy

"Victory without Battle is like training a wolf,. a pointless waste of effort for all concerned." - Analects of Tytalus

The Sophists of the ancient world were teachers of rhetoric, and some Tytali continue this tradition by teaching their philosophy of conflict to anyone who is willing to hear it. Their prime purpose is to train their opponents sufficiently to make the fight a worthy one; no glory is gained from an easy victory. A secondary benefit from this willingness to teach is the potential for recruiting new members.

A Tytalus gives his instruction either to small circles of pupils (which may include apprentices, magi, or mundanes), or else in public displays at eristic moots . The instructor might invite questions from the audience, then answer not with wisdom but with rhetoric. The point is not to pass on knowledge, but technique. There is a difference between rhetoric and true philosophy, which is akin to the difference between seeming and being, or between persuading and proving. Truth is not important, nor is justice, and yet a Tytalus can often still win verbal debates through the force of his personality. A Tytalus would say that it is impossible to speak falsely, for that is to say what is not, and what is not cannot exist. As a corollary, no one has the right to contradict another.

Personality

"Our brothers the Tytali fight alongside House Tremere and House Flambeau, and bring as much blood and fire to the Plain of Wolves as we do. And yet, I cannot shake the notion that they fight a different battle to the one to which we pretend." - Cercistum, Primus of House Tremere during the Schism War

Members of House Tytalus are clearly a contentious bunch, but this does not make them unpleasant. When meeting in public they usually appear to be friendly to each other; only when they are excruciatingly polite to each other can an undercurrent of a rivalry be detected. By no means are all Tytali cut from the same cloth as the argumentative and unpleasant stereotype. However, because of their love of intrigue, many Tytalan magi are inveterate gossips who love nothing better than to discuss with each other the foibles of a third party. As well as besmirching the reputations of others, they are keen to enhance their own, and a magus may often be boastful and prone to self-aggrandisation when in the company of others of his House. This combination of gossip and intrigue also makes them purveyors of conspiracy, and they tend to see the hand of a clandestine cabal in the hand of every major event in society, both Hermetic and mundane.

Magi of House Tytalus are also prone to obsession, occasionally to the point of psychosis. In the pursuit of his rivalry a magus can become excessively focused on the target of his intentions, and develop a deep emotional bond disturbing for outsiders to behold. Taken to extremes, a maga might begin to stalk her target, obsessively collecting his refuse and even sneaking into his sanctum when she knows her rival is not there. She may severely threaten his life by arranging dangerous challenges so that she can derive vicarious pleasure from his triumph. This darker side of Tytalan rivalry is mercifully rare in its most extreme form, but every Tytalus who undertakes a rivalry shares in it to some extent.

It is rare for a member of this House to fall for the same trick twice; a vanquished Tytalan magus is driven to develop weapons to prevent it from happening again. For example, a magus who survives defeat at the hands of a demon might spend the next few seasons inventing (or reinventing) spells specifically to defeat demons. He replays the events that lead to the defeat in his head, perhaps even revisiting the scene, and evaluates all the actions of himself and his companions that lead up to the defeat. The greater the personal consequences of the defeat, the more obsessive the Tytalan can be about investigating the failure. The purpose of this analysis is not to lay blame or provide excuses for failure, it is to ensure that the same mistakes are not made again.

A follower of Tytalus is rarely gracious in victory. It is important to his ego and his reputation in the House that a defeated opponent fully recognises the winner's superiority, and the more public the defeat, the better. To other Houses, crowing over a victory often appears to be unnecessarily arrogant, but Tytalan magi cannot feel shame over such a thing. As Tytalus 'said, 'To be forgotten is a crime, to be recognized for a crime is a victory; but to be recognized for great victory is to touch godhood."

Beloved rivals

"Hate is as powerful as Love. Who is to judge which is the more noble?" Analects of Tytalus

A Tytalan apprenticeship is not a pleasant experience and the competition that develops between master and pupil is often the most intense relationship of a magus's career. The resentment built up over a 15-year apprenticeship is not easy to shed, even if the magus realises why he had to suffer at the hands of his master. Resentment (and even hatred) often matures into rivalry, as the former apprentice uses his new-found freedom to lash out at his tormentor. That spark of contention never subsides, even if (or perhaps because) the magus grows to respect his master, and it is not unusual for a Tytalus to have a protector and a foe who are the same person!

Should this hostility not resolve itself naturally, then a magus can make an official declaration of rivalry by declaring that they are Beloved Rivals. This is not a thing to be entered into lightly, for once declared - usually ceremonially, with the issuance to the rival of a spiral drawn in the magus's own blood - the rivalry will persist until the death of one or other of the opponents. Formally declared rivalries extend throughout one's life; at every turn, the rival is there, waiting for signs of weakness. The two magi do everything they can to hinder each other, even putting each other's lives in danger. However, when they meet in person, they are often inseparable, like a doting father with his beloved son. Beloved rivals most commonly exist between master and pupil, but could potentially exist between any pair of Tytali who have sufficient cause.

Beloved Rivals use formal modes of address to signify this relationship, and to warn spectators not to get in the way. Between members of the same Hermetic "family" - master to pupil, or between filii of the same master - Tytali use the adjective carus (feminine cara, "beloved") to indicate a rival. Thus a maga and her former pupil) might refer to each other as mater cara ('beloved mother') and filius carus ('beloved son'). Between unrelated magi, the terms used are cognatus praeclarus or cognata praeclara (for men and women, respectively), meaning "honoured kinsman/woman." When these terms are used, other Tytali know not to interfere in their rivalries. The comparatives (praeclarior, "more honoured"; and carior "more beloved") and superlatives (praeclarissimus/a, "most honoured"; and carissimus/a, "most beloved") of these adjectives are used to ironic effect.

House Tytalus is seen by its members as a large family, with the Primus at the head of the family, but with every magus having a role to play. Largely speaking, there may be quarrels between the members of the family, but in a crisis, they close ranks and support each other - blood is thicker than water, after all. House Tytalus prefers to police itself rather than being subject to the scrutiny of the Quaesitores, which it does through either clandestine means or the rather more obvious vehicle of Wizard's War. If members of House Tytalus are seen to routinely break the Code of Hermes by the Order, then another Betrayal (or, worse still, another Schism War) might result, which cannot be allowed to occur.

Eristic Moots

O powerful Nike, by men desired, with adverse breasts to dreadful fury fired,
Thee I invoke, whose might alone can quell contending rage and molestation fell.
Tis thine in battle to confer the crown, the victor's prize, the mark of sweet renown,
For thou rulest all things, Nike divine! And glorious strife, and joyful shouts are thine.
Come, mighty goddess, and thy supplicant bless, with sparkling eyes, elated with success.
May deeds illustrious thy protection claim, and find, led on by thee, immortal fame.
- Orphic Hymn to Nike

House Tytalus does not hold regular meetings of the House. Whereas other Houses feel the need for periodic meetings to share knowledge, determine political agendas, and reinforce bonds with other members of the House, Tytalan magi eschew al) of these things, and thus have no need for meetings. This is not to say that members of House Tytalus never hold meetings; it is just that these meetings are never regular, and rarely include even a substantial Fraction of the House. Occasionally, two Tytali feel the need to publicly resolve their differences, and they call for an eristic moot.

These moots are public disputes between competing speakers. Announcement of the moot is carried by Redcap to all local covenants, and any member of the Order is entitled to attend. Public debates are a common form of entertainment in Mythic Europe among the intellectual cognoscenti, and if the opponents are famous, then the crowd can be quite large. If one of the opponents demands a "subtle contest," then the invitations to attend may even include non-magi such as local clergy or scholars, and it is considered a test of great skill for two magi to dispute publicly before witnesses who are ignorant of their status as magi.

Most commonly there are two participants, and up to a dozen observers, but participants might form teams to defeat powerful rivals, or each magus might find himself facing multiple individual opponents. Further, it is not unknown for the observers to become participants over the course of the dispute: By convention, the minimum attendance for an eristic moot is five - two participants and three witnesses.

As the name might suggest (deriving from eris, Greek for "strife"), these moots are not places where disputes are settled peacefully. Each participant in the moot does his utmost to defeat his opponent through any means necessary. The "weapons" allowed in a moot must be decided in advance; battles of words are the most common. Occasionally opponents agree to physical or magical combat, although the latter is disallowed in a subtle contest. If magic is employed in the moot, then certamen is Frequently used, although some opponents find this overly constraining. In front of the witnesses, both opponents may publicly declare that their intent is not to threaten the life of their counterpart with their spells, and permit each other to use whatever scrying magic is at their command. With these declarations in place, the opponents are Free to use any magic against each other that they see fit, and only the death of an opponent results in a prosecution under the Code of Hermes.

There are two special kinds of eristic moot practised by the House. The first is an Apprentice's Gauntlet, where an apprentice uses the formal procedure of the moot, in front of witnesses of the House, to force his master to accept his status as a full member of the Order. The other specific moot is held one year after the death or Final Twilight of the Primus of House Tytalus. This moot is always hosted by the covenant of Fudarus, and all Tytalan magi do their very best to attend; all other witnesses are excluded. Everyone who considers himself worthy of the position of Primus is an opponent, and it is a "sudden-death" tournament that lasts until there is one contestant left - the new Primus. In such a high-powered expression of the eristic moot, the most skilled members of the House have eliminated some of their competitors even before setting foot in Fudarus, already outmanoeuvring their opponent on a social level through blackmail, rumour, and other dirty tricks.

Apprenticeship

"Education is not implanted in the soul, unless one reaches a great depth." - Protagoras

House Tytalus is infamous in the Order of Hermes for its treatment of its apprentices. Compared with the master/pupil paradigm of most Houses, House Tytalus appears to operate on a master-slave (or even owner-beast) system. Grim stories are told among the apprentices of other Houses about the practices of Tytalan magi in training the next generation, and these make an effective threat when used against unruly apprentices. Tytalus suffered greatly during his training under Guorna the Foetid - perhaps more so than is acceptable in the modern Order - and he hints that he tried to end his suffering more than once. After the fact, Tytalus reasoned that through his suffering he was able to reach deeper into himself and find reserves of magic and strength that would have remained untapped. Tytalus believed that he did an injustice to Tremere by mitigating Guorna's cruelty, leaving him "half-baked" - more than a man, but less than a magus.

Tytalan magi usually choose older children than other Houses, and ensure that they are well-schooled in Latin, Artes Liberales, and Athletics (the subjects favoured by the Sophists) before apprenticeship begins. This education usually comes from enrolment in a good cathedral school, or else employs private tutors, perhaps even the magus himself, under the disguise of a persona (see below). The child is kept oblivious of the magical destiny ahead of him. After at least four years of this schooling, the student is retrieved from his tutors and informed of his true path. The master then opens the apprentice's Arts, and begins his Hermetic training.

During the next 15 years, the apprentice's life is exceptionally hard. No luxury is afforded the apprentice; he enters a life of virtual slavery from his hitherto privileged schooling. Only meagre provisions and squalid conditions are supplied, and when not receiving direct instruction or providing assistance, the tasks assigned to him vary from the monotonously tedious to the downright dangerous. While many of the practices employed by a Tytalan master seem cruel, the purpose is not cruelty for its own sake. Rather, the master seeks to reveal the injustices of the laws (nomoi) imposed by an arbitrary society, and make the apprentice rebel against custom and embrace his physis. To this end, a master often employs the Book of Instruction. a text written by Tytalus himself, which lays down explicit rules as to the correct behaviour of an apprentice, and the punishments applied to infractions of these rules. The penalties are both arbitrary and seemingly random, and have absolutely no instructional value: the Book of Instruction does not legislate upon how to train an apprentice, but rather how to treat him. A master often pretends to sympathise with her pupil, appealing to the iron law of the Book of Instruction as her excuse: "I don't want to do this to you, really I don't. But the Book of Instruction dictates that washing on a Thursday is prohibited. I have no choice."

In the latter years of the apprenticeship, the master deliberately exposes her pupil to the culture of the House through the eristic moots, stressing the huge inequality between his current situation and the rule-flouting attitude of the House, while continuing to punish any sign of complaint or dissatisfaction. Many apprentices run away at least once during apprenticeship, others take out their frustration on other children in the covenant through bullying. Some harbour fantasies of murder, although few act on these urges. Nevertheless, it is a foolish master who does not take precautions against harm from the person who stands at her back, cooks her food, and shares her sanctum when she is sleeping.

The point of this treatment is not to crush the apprentice's ego but to forge it into an iron will. That spark of rebellion, a surliness or disobedience which is the first sign of an emerging will, is be fanned into a raging turmoil of emotion in the adolescent's mind, and then honed by resentment into a dangerous weapon. A Calliclean master tries to provoke that rebellious streak into active conflict, whereas a Hippian master guides her apprentice towards avoiding penalty on technicalities, and flagrantly disregarding the rules when he thinks his master is not watching. Both types of master exhibit public disapproval of her apprentice's actions while privately revelling in them.

If the teaching methods of Tytalus fail to produce the right calibre of student, the master does not continue his education. A failure to react against the harsh training leads to a life outside House Tytalus; such an unfortunate is passed off to another House, or abandoned altogether (resulting in the Failed Apprentice Social Virtue).

The Apprentice's Gauntlet

Apprenticeship ends when the apprentice decides that he has had enough. After 15 seasons of training, instruction ends, but the status of the apprentice does not change, as he might suspect. If he asks when the Apprentice's Gauntlet will be administered, he is told "not yet." Undoubtedly the apprentice is keen to escape from his masters control, but what he is not told is that he must force his master to accept him as a magus; simply asking is not enough. Only when he makes a serious attempt to force acceptance does the master convene an eristic moot to determine, in front of witnesses, whether the apprenticeship is truly over. The apprentice passes his Gauntlet if he can make his master accept him as an equal. The apprentice can choose the type of struggle, but if he does not introduce magic into the conflict, the master will. By tradition, the master is not supposed to struggle too hard against her apprentice, but must give him a proper challenge. The Self Confident Virtue that is shared by all magi who have suffered a Tytalan apprenticeship is earned upon finally defeating this tormentor.

An apprentice who succeeds in killing his master at any point in his apprenticeship is elevated to the status of magus immediately, regardless of the state of his training. Since the Code states that the master is responsible for everything an apprentice does, provoking your apprentice to murder you is 'tantamount to suicide. It is rare, but not unknown. Apprentices who make the mistake of murdering their tormentor too early may well end up with the Weak Parens Flaw, reflecting their incomplete apprenticeship. The same occurs if the apprentice forces the Gauntlet (and passes) before his, 15 seasons are up because he cannot stand his master's treatment of him any more. More than a few masters are never satisfied by their apprentices' "proof," no matter how many times they are faced at a moot. After the third failed attempt, another Tytalan magus usually advises the apprentice to seek out a Quaesitor to administer the Gauntlet instead, but this is considered an ignoble way in which to join the House, and often results in the Tormenting Master Flaw. The same happens if an apprentice needs to be told the conditions under which the Gauntlet is administered; no master will have respect for an apprentice who accepts the nomoi of apprenticeship without question.

Joining House Tytalus

Any member of another House, or a hedge wizard, can join House Tytalus if he can accept the philosophy of the Founder expounded in the Analects of Tytalus, and succeed in forcing a Tytalan magus (of a similar or greater age) to accept him as worthy, as in an Apprentice's Gauntlet. However, a general lack of wizards seeking to join the Order of Hermes in the 13th century, and the difficulty in passing the Gauntlet, means that most modern Tytalan magi have been raised within the House.

It is not even necessary for a magus to renounce membership of his former House to join House Tytalus; anyone who has proved himself worthy is entitled to call himself a Tytalus, regardless of what others call him (or even what he calls himself). Of course, since House Tytalus is the only one of the 12 Houses that permits dual membership, the Order of Hermes does not look kindly on such magi, and they are rare.

Winning recognition as a member of House Tytalus is considered to be the highest accolade afforded to non-Tytali, for they consider themselves to be the best among magi. Because of the somewhat loose definition of "a member of House Tytalus", a magus may find that he has earned that status unwittingly, having unequivocally defeated a Tytalus administering the Gauntlet of the House to him. Henceforth, members of House Tytalus persist in referring to that magus as being of House Tytalus, often to the frustration and embarrassment of the magus involved. Of course, forcing the House to rescind the honour of membership only convinces the Tytali more strongly that the unwilling member of the House is deserving of that status.

From this attitude it also follows that a magus ceases to be a member of House Tytalus if he becomes disillusioned with its philosophy. It is virtually unheard-of for a Tytalan magus to be cast out of the House without his consent, but a magus occasionally requests that the Primus of Tytalus allows him to relinquish his status as a member of the House. The magus then has a year to join a new House before he is punished for vagrancy. Many Houses do not trust a magus who renounces House Tytalus, assuming it is all part of some grander plot.

Cabals

"Tragedy creates a deception in which the deceiver is more just than the non-deceiver, and the deceived is wiser than the undeceived." - Gorgias

Tytalan magi clearly maintain a culture within their House that is focused on clever schemes and plots, to advance both their own power and, through their conflict, advance the power of the House and perhaps even the Order of Hermes. However, few followers of Tytalus pursue their more lofty schemes without assistance. When a group of followers of Tytalus seek to change society in a co-ordinated manner, they form a cabal. A magus's personal rivalry - with "family" or otherwise - is his own business, but a magus need not stand alone when his schemes could benefit others.

A cabal is usually initiated by a single magus, who decides that he needs support in completing a specific goal. He then anonymously issues invitations to other Tytali to discuss the execution of schemes to achieve this goal. Most Tytalan magi invite all other members of the House who live within a fortnight's travel from the chosen meeting place, even their enemies. The invitation is always written, and outlines the desired goal and a meeting place and time. It is considered a matter of style to deliver the invitation in an inventive manner, or to manage to secrete it within another's sanctum without detection.

All parties interested in the proposed goal attend the meeting. Attendance is also anonymous, with magic routinely applied to disguise the identities of the attendees. Even the convenor does not know which of the invitees have chosen to attend, and the convenor himself does not identify himself as such to the others. Everyone present has his say as to the merits of the scheme, and how it might be pursued. A maga might attend with the express intention of preventing the formation of the cabal, because it might interfere with her own schemes; alternatively, she might decide during the meeting that the goal is either untenable or not as interesting as she first thought, and withdraw. All parties interested in continuing and contributing to the scheme may take a slip of parchment from a bowl prepared by the cabal's instigator, which describes the location of the next meeting.

This next meeting is the inaugural meeting of the new cabal. Only those who are willing to take part know the location of the meeting and attend. Anonymity is preserved at this and all subsequent meetings of the cabal; unless a magus errs, he will never be known to another member of this or any other cabal. At cabal meetings, tasks are assigned by consensus, and plans drawn up to achieve the stated goal of the cabal. Of course, some or all of the cabal members are pursuing their own agendas instead of those of the cabal itself, and there are commonly spies and counter-spies, but most cabal members have at least some interest in the stated outcome of the cabal.

Once formed, cabals usually have a closed membership, but a magus who publicly displays adherence to a goal pursued by a cabal may receive one or more invitations to join from current members; of course, he might be a member already! A magus typically receives an invitation to form a new cabal once every few years, or more frequently if the local area has a substantial Tytalan presence. A typical cabal consists of three to four members, and meets once every few years. Many followers of House Tytalus are active members of one or two cabals, and less active members of several others; these cabals may even have conflicting goals, with those who are members of each deliberately manipulating both to eventually face each other to determine which one is the stronger. Most Tytali find such political games highly entertaining.