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CK2 Dev Diary DD#37: Three times greater

Hello all, it’s time for another Society reveal: This week we’ll talk about the Hermetic society. Hermeticism is based primarily upon writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus ("Thrice Great"), who was said to know the three parts of the wisdom of the universe.The three parts are alchemy, astrology, and theurgy.
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In game terms, the Hermetics are an open society joinable by members of the abrahamic religions, as well as Zoroastrians and Zun pagans (OK, and Hellenic, should you manage to play as one). Their primary attribute is Learning. Their Powers and Missions tend to involve earlier scientific experimentation combined with mysticism and a dash of Theurgy. They will often reward you with technology points or artifacts.

There is some overlap between the Hermetic society and Way of Life’s Scholarship focus. As a member you will be able to build an observatory, just as characters with the focus can, and once it is built you will be able to interact with it further to observe the skies. Not only that, Hermetic members are encouraged to build a laboratory for additional experimentation.
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Other powers and abilities include attempting to divine the future using Scrying, making Horoscopes for your children, experimenting with drugs and medical techniques, and eventually writing your magnum opus - a book of lore and knowledge that you enshrine for the ages.
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That’s all for now, but remember to watch the Medieval Monday stream at 1600 CET today, followed by Three Kings at 1700.
 
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No, that job hunts for members of Secret Societies. As an Open Society the Hermetics are unaffected. It's possible for Zealous characters to be upset by them, but by and large they exist happily with others.
I might be mistaken, but weren't early scientists viewed with distrust in the medieval times?
 
I might be mistaken, but weren't early scientists viewed with distrust in the medieval times?

Well not always, but often yes. Some scientists where also religious though so those probably had let problems than the not so religious kind :D. And funny enough sometimes churches would fund learning and thus science, while other times they would torture the scientists. Fact it is that it was really random, so just imagine all the progress that got lost (possibly forever).
 
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I might be mistaken, but weren't early scientists viewed with distrust in the medieval times?
Many of them were also priests, and universities were Church-funded. So it's a complex issue to say the least, I'd say limiting it to Zealous characters is a good compromise, that doesn't go into a pop-culture-ahistoric-inquisition area.
 
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While the downsides of being a member of a secret society is fairly obvious (unless you are a ruler, mayby still a chance that you are detected and negative opinion?) what is there that dissuades the player from joining these hermetics?
 
Will Hermetics be affected by witch and heretic hunts and be seen as heretics sometimes? Some people may distrust their activities and deem them heretical

Funny thing, historically speaking, a re branded Hermeticism was tolerated for the most part, being pushed as a way to 'naturally' discover god' will, or to ritualistically pray to god. Out of the game's timeframe, even Martin Luther of the protestant movement even apparently made the argument that Alchemy perfectly fit with the bible.
 
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Funny thing, historically speaking, a re branded Hermeticism was tolerated for the most part, being pushed as a way to 'naturally' discover god' will, or to ritualistically pray to god. Out of the game's timeframe, even Martin Luther of the protestant movement even apparently made the argument that Alchemy perfectly fit with the bible.
True, still mistrust would happen about their activities. There is some difference between being accepted by the Church and being accepted by society.
 
I might be mistaken, but weren't early scientists viewed with distrust in the medieval times?
Not really. The idea of an ignorant "dark ages" is something of a later myth (propagated mostly by later Renaissance and Enlightenment scholars).

As noted, most medieval scientists in Christian Europe were clergy (in large part because they were one of the few groups who were expected to be literate and educated); the Islamic world also had plenty of important scientists who came from somewhat more diverse backgrounds. I don't know enough about Indian scholarship of the time to comment.

To the extent they were sometimes distrusted, it came from:
a) the tendency of would-be scientists/astrologers to rely on pagan or infidel texts
b) the association of astrology, especially, with fortune telling (viewed as heretical)
c) the sheer number of frauds and conmen posing as astrologers/alchemists giving the whole field a bad name

So limiting it to zealous rulers is fine.
 
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Nice flavour!
 
What does looking into the future do? Is it a modifier or is it something more involved?
 
(this is a medieval game, not a fantasy game, a difference that the devs seem to forget these days...)

I don't think CK II was ever billed as not a fantasy game, so they could hardly 'forget' that, could they?
 
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I don't think CK II was ever billed as not a fantasy game, so they could hardly 'forget' that, could they?
What I don't understand is why PDX keep polluting their realistic, historical games with unnecessary fantasy elements, when they actually own White Wolf Publishing and thus the whole World of Darkness universe.

Wouldn't it be more logical to dig into fantasy with that franchise ?
Besides, I would kill for a Vampire : the Masquerade grand strategy game. Truly. :)
 
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