Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Contents
Introduction
Things always change...
So it was with mankind. Unity and oneness with nature gave way to religion. Religion gave way to magic. Magic succumbed to the pressures of alchemy. And alchemy matured into science. But there are places around the edges where they all bleed together and return to the unity from which they were birthed.
Centuries ago, even millennium, from the all four corners of the world men came together to form an order which survives to the present day. Priests and scholars, monks and mystics, they congregated to combine their wisdom and doctrines. Through destruction and revival they have endured through time. They survived through many iterations until finally settling as the current Order of the Golden Dawn. Alongside many mystical and spiritual institutions throughout time, the Order has safeguarded the world from the darker corners of the occult world.
Structure
The structure of the order has changed as the order itself has changed. At times, even, there was no structure. At any given time, the organization is limited only to one hundred members. As membership decreases (through natural or unnatural means) new recruits are initiated. Many mages, priests, monks and holy men serve counsel leadership, who sit beneath the Order's leader, the Ipsissimus. It is a secretive Order, like much of The Mystic World.
The Ipsissimus is a sitting member on The Trismegistus Council, as the office is generally reserved a seat on the Council. In practice, this sometimes makes the Order subject to The Trismegistus Council. But mages love their secrets, and there have been rifts in the past.
Origins
Hermes Trismegistus is credited with the foundations of Hermeticism, a varying set of religious and philosophical beliefs based on his writings. From the original tradition, a great number of loose traditions have emerged over time. The varying organization based around these traditions have had varying degrees of cooperation and strife throughout history. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is only one of many mystical groups to emerge from the earliest forms of Hermeticism.
Footnotes
- Author's Note: This page is an attempt to merge game canon with real universe 'canon' for internal RP. There is no expectation that anyone aside from the author need recognize anything written herein as canon.
