Hermetic Apocryphal Society

Hermetic Apocryphal Society is centuries old secret christian society of clergymen and scholars whose main goal is deeper understanding of faith and divine through esoteric and sometimes even occult means. The society was for ages ruthlessly pursued by Vatican and other major christian establishments out of fear, hate or pure competition of religious thought.

Though today mostly known by Hermetic Apocryphal name, the society had numerous different titles and aliases, as well as a plethora of different symbolism which makes it hard to consistently follow the history of this mysterious organization.

History
There exists no clear historical date of when the society was founded, but from most ancient scriptures it is suggested that the society was already present during the reign Constantine the Great - the first ever Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Loose groups of early christian scholars were relatively free to study the religious doctrine and texts which led to widespread popularity of teachings that were mystical in their nature. As ages went on and Christianity was grounded in strict dogmas and organization, the society became the target for persecution by Vatican as their teachings and practices were deemed as a heresy by official church. Widespread persecution forced the members to hiding and many were killed in witch and heretic hunts. But despite the utmost secrecy and dwindling members, the society managed to survive all the way to 20th Century after going extinct many times and then being renewed again by groups of very curious theologians.

The Vatican, for example, has eased the persecution and didn't actively pursue the Hermetics since end of World War II. Despite that, most major christian denominations still dislike them due to same reasons as before.

The organization gained unprecedented activity in modern times when Hector Van Reyes, the founder of Order of Christs's Blood and a member of the society himself, allowed Hermetics around the world to come and practice the ways of the society in safety from Vatican and other threats in Attaleia.

Ideology and practices
Apocryphal Hermetics believe that Holy Bible and other texts of religious significance are actually encrypted codes of divine knowledge that can only be revealed by those who are worthy and faithful enough. They also believe that every person should be able to commune with the divine through more esoteric means to achieve full enlightenment. Another important aspect of the society is belief that only detailed study of saints lives can lead to mystical truths, invisible to common human eye.

Most scholars of the organization spend decades trying to decipher the scriptures they painstakingly collect or write themselves, perform mystical and almost occult rituals in hopes to achieve better understanding of the divine and all supposed "powers" it can bring.

Such practices were opposed by church for centuries, due to the fear that spread of these esoteric christian ideas might undermine the absolute power of Vatican. As a result, great amounts of writings of Hermetic origin are locked away deep in archives of Vatican.

Myths and conspiracies
There exist many unnatural stories about the supposed paranormal powers advanced Hermetics possess after sufficiently studying the holy scriptures. Examples include healing powers, ability to survive long periods without food or water or even incorruptibility of deceased body of the Hermetic scholar. All these attributed powers are similar to holy feats accomplished by most of saints that existed throughout the history, and it is known among the Hermetics, that many of christian martyrs were indeed also members of the Society. A conspiracy among the members of Society tells that large numbers of Christian martyrs were actually killed by Vatican to stop them from attempting to teach the principles of the Society to populace. After their deaths the church would canonize them to hide and gloss over the fact that it was the church that in-fact, killed them. Whether these myths and conspiracies are actually true remains a question. Though in modern times the vast majority of Hermetics are actually just theological historians seeking to better understand the lives of holy figures of christian faith. Small part of members however, actively follow the classical principles of the Society and seek to study the faith in the mystical, esoteric way.

An example of Hermetic that studies the faith in the mystical way is Hector Van Reyes. He has a small following of Hermetic colleagues who all seek tu unravel the divine mysteries together, be them real or not.