Editing Ars Magica (section)

===The Order of Hermes===
{{main|Order of Hermes (Ars Magica)}}
Standard player-character magi belong to the '''Order of Hermes''', a society of magically "Gifted" humans which was inspired in 767 A.D. by the witch Trianoma and magus Bonisagus after the latter developed a breakthrough in communicating and manipulating magic (termed 'Hermetic Magic' for its roots in both the Greek deity [[Hermes]], upon which the ancient Roman Cult of [[Mercury (god)|Mercury]] was based, and the works of the legendary figure [[Hermes Trismegistus]]).
While magicians at this time were scattered, rarely social and highly distrustful of each other as a rule, two factors strongly favored mutual co-operation.  One was Trianoma's political vision of an organization that would unite the Gifted for their mutual benefit.  The other was Bonisagus' second breakthrough, the ''Parma Magica'' (loosely translated as "magic shield"):  a highly efficient and easily taught personal ritual which could allow these disparate individuals and traditions to meet on common ground with some assurance of safety.  Over subsequent centuries, with very few exceptions, magi who quit or refuse to join the Order have been hunted down and destroyed, giving the Order a definite monopoly over magical resources within its 'jurisdiction'.

While each of the Order's twelve [[Order of Hermes (Ars Magica)#Houses|Houses]] maintains a distinct baseline or tradition in pursuing and transmitting knowledge and power, the Order is also divided into ''Tribunals'', each defined by a geographic region of Mythic Europe.  Each Tribunal holds a gathering of its magi once every seven years; attendance is not mandatory, though it is essential for certain procedures (e.g. those who have completed their apprenticeships are formally presented for official membership; the ''Quæsitores'' judge the types of disputes deemed beyond simple inter- or intra-covenant resolution).  Once every 33 years, each Tribunal sends a representative to the '''Grand Tribunal''' at the site of the Order's founding in the [[Black Forest]].

The Tribunals loosely correspond to groupings or portions of modern-day nations; each has a distinct cultural and historical flavor which is expanded in the ''Tribunals of Hermes'' series.  For example, the Roman Tribunal is a densely populated area with a shortage of magical resources, offering highly politicized plot-lines (both within and without the Order itself); Novgorod features vast areas of harsh wilderness, where pagan tribal warfare and magical beasts are significantly more common than elsewhere.

* Greater [[Alps]] – including [[Early history of Switzerland#High Middle Ages|Switzerland]] with the Alpine regions of [[Margraviate of Austria|Austria]] and northern Italy.
* Iberian – the precursors to [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]]; note the [[Reconquista]] as current political climate
* Normandy – Northern [[France#High Middle Ages|France]] and what will soon be known as the [[Low Countries]]
* Provençal – Southern France
* Roman – [[Italy in the Middle Ages|Italy]]
* Theban – [[Frankokratia|Greece]], [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]] and Western [[Anatolia|Asia Minor]]
* Transylvanian – what will become the [[Balkans]]
* Rhine – centered on the [[Rhine]] River, core of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]
* Novgorod – the broader cultural region known as [[Ruthenia|Rus']], including [[Poland#Piast dynasty|Poland]]
* Stonehenge – [[England and Wales]]
* Loch Leglean – [[Scotland in the High Middle Ages|Scotland]]
* Hibernian – [[Ireland#Norman and English invasions|Ireland]]
* Levantine – lands of the Eastern Mediterranean known as the [[Levant]]

As with any system of [[Border control#History|borders]] not contingent on clear demarcation such as a river or wall, the territory of each Tribunal is rarely defined with precision; this is partially illustrated (via the Fifth Edition ''[[Covenants (Ars Magica)|Covenants]]'' book) with the 'Tribunal Border' characteristic, which situates a covenant in a location that could place it in more than one Tribunal (depending on political favors, conflicts over resources, and so on).  Such ambiguity can exist even with "clear" borders such as rivers or mountain ranges, since incorporating supernatural aid or power into the structure (and perhaps the constituency or lifestyle of its inhabitants) can allow them to thrive even in the middle of either such feature.