Living Covenant#

For Ars Magica 5th Edition

by David Chart

Semita Errabunda is a covenant in early y young magi. The bership has ker political rivalry, as few magi want him a and the covenant's natural tendency to stay neutral as helped insulate it further.

e to know why it connects as it does, and how to predict where it will be, but so far none of them have wanted to know badly enough to

that there is at

external scenery, but

inhabitant always works, and magic can see through the boundaries. Similarly, simply becoming lost on one of the lower levels gives someone the standard chance of wandering into a higher level. The

grog on the external level to

enced by the exter

Level 5 of the regio takes the rounded by mountains, highes dropping to the south. In the north, a waterfall plunges over two hundred feet into the lake, w i the south the waters flow out over a similar drop Anyone crossing the ridge of the mountains finds

themselves descending again towards the lake, and nerally flow pass at sunrise, or the west pass at sunset, you find yourself in level 7 of the regio.

contains a number of picturesque islands, and the covenant proper is built on the largest of these, slightly south of the center. Residents of the regio sland, new recruits to the covenant are accommo-

impressive stone towers, and given the level of security provided by the regio they haven't really felt the need; nothing that can get to the island is going to be hindered by stone walls. The largest building is the great hall, which can hold all members of the with room for growth. The om on the eastern end of the the council chamber.

house, which includes his laboratory. So far, all the magi have chosen to desigwhole of their house as their sanctum. had a uses are built some distance apart, so that a one laboratory will not immediately threaten everyone. For similar reasons, the mundane

by David Chart

Semita Errabunda is a covenant in early summer, populated primarily by young magi. The notable exception is Darius of Flambeau, a respected hoplite coming into his full power as a magus. Darius's membership has kept the covenant safe from serious political rivalry, as few magi want him as an enemy, and the covenant's natural tendency to stay neutral in Tribunal politics has helped insulate it further.

Semita Errabunda is located in a regio, in a level 5 magic aura, and the next level of the regio, at level 7, has the remarkable property of connecting to different places in Mythic Europe at different times. The magi would quite like to know why it connects as it does, and how to predict where it will be, but so far none of them have wanted to know badly enough to actually devote serious time to studying the problem. The members of the covenant also strongly suspect that there is at least one more regio level above level 7, but they do not yet have conclusive proof.

There are two levels below the covenant's level, at magic auras of 3 and 1. Level 1 is very similar to the external scenery, but influenced by the appearance of level 5, while level 3 is much like level 5, but influenced by the external scenery. Levels 1, 3, 5, and 7 can all be entered in several ways. Being led by an inhabitant always works, and magic can see through the boundaries. Similarly, simply becoming lost on one of the lower levels gives someone the standard chance of wandering into a higher level. The covenant does not think there is any route that guarantees entrance to higher regio levels, so they keep a grog on the external level to greet visitors and lead them in.

Level 5 of the regio takes the form of a lake surrounded by mountains, highest in the north and dropping to the south. In the north, a waterfall plunges over two hundred feet into the lake, while in the south the waters flow out over a similar drop. Anyone crossing the ridge of the mountains finds

themselves descending again towards the lake, and things that flow out over the waterfall generally flow back in, at the north end of the lake.

There are two exceptions to this: passes to the east and west of the lake. If you pass through the east pass at sunrise, or the west pass at sunset, you find yourself in level 7 of the regio.

The mountains are forested, and home to various creatures, most noticeably magical. There is some space for farming, but the covenant does rely on external contacts for part of its food supply. The lake contains a number of picturesque islands, and the covenant proper is built on the largest of these, slightly south of the center. Residents of the regio can walk on the surface of the lake to get to the island; new recruits to the covenant are accommodated on the shore until they can walk on the water. Mundane recruits are told this before their guide shows them that it can be done. Just how long they are left thinking that the condition is impossible depends on how mean their guide feels.

The covenant itself consists of a number of typical medieval buildings, built mainly of wood. The covenant has not yet spent the vis required to raise impressive stone towers, and given the level of security provided by the regio they haven't really felt the need; nothing that can get to the island is going to be hindered by stone walls. The largest building is the great hall, which can hold all members of the covenant with ease, with room for growth. The library is housed in a room on the eastern end of the hall, which also serves as the council chamber.

Each magus has his own house, which includes his laboratory. So far, all the magi have chosen to designate the whole of their house as their sanctum. These houses are built some distance apart, so that a disaster in one laboratory will not immediately threaten everyone. For similar reasons, the mundane

members of the covenant live in several separate buildings, although none of them have whole structures to themselves.

The covenant currently has a minor problem; the magus who used to cast the Aegis of the Hearth has left, and no current members know the spell. Someone will have to, but none of the resident magi particularly want the responsibility.

The Wandering Regio#

Level 7 of the regio is changes its appearance from time to time. It always looks very similar to the place it currently leads to, and when its appearance starts to shift, that is a signal that its connection point is about to shift. When the covenant sends expeditions out they always have someone stationed in the regio, to warn if the explorers are about to lose their easy route home. This isn't a popular job, because it is boring and doing it too often warps the guard.

The regio has never been known to connect to a point outside Mythic Europe, but it has connected to many different places within. It normally seems to stay connected to one place for about a month; the shortest recorded connection was a week, and the longest almost a season. There seems to be no pattern to its wandering.

COVENANT STATISTICS#

Aura: Magic 5

Hooks: Regio (major)

Boons: Aura (minor x2), Regio (minor)

Build Points Spent: 800

Library: Creo summa (level 6, quality 21), Intellego summa (level 6, quality 21). Perdo summa (level 16, quality 15); Auram summa (level 6, quality 21), Corpus summa (level 16, quality 15), Herbam summa (level 6, quality 21), Ignem summa (level 6, quality 21), Imaginem summa (level 16, quality 15), Vim

summa (level 6, quality 21); Code of Hermes summa (level 6, quality 15), Latin summa (level 5, quality 20), Magic Theory summa (level 6, quality 15); Perdo tractatus (quality 11), Rego tractatus (quality 10); Mentem tractatus (quality 10), Terram tractatus (quality 9); Order of Hermes Lore tractatus (quality 11), Parma Magica tractatus (quality 10), Penetration tractatus (quality 10)

Lab Texts: (All Lab Texts are for spells, rather than enchanted devices.) The Wizard's Mount (CrAn 35); Deluge of Rushing and Dashing (CrAq 40); Circling Winds of Protection (CrAu 20); The Chirurgeon's Healing Touch (CrCo 20), Gentle Touch of the Purified Body (CrCo 20), Purification of the Festering Wounds (CrCo 20), Cheating the Reaper (CrCo 30), The Eye of the Sage (InCo 30), Shape of the Woodland Prowler (MuCo 25), The Wound that Weeps (PeCo 15), Curse of the Leprous Flesh (PeCo 25), Grip of the Choking Hand (PeCo 25), Incantation of the Milky Eyes (PeCo 30), Clenching Grasp of the Crushed Heart (PeCo 40), Strings of the Unwilling Marionette (ReCo 25), Seven-League Stride (ReCo 30); Stir the Slumbering Tree (MuHe 25), The Great Rot (PeHe 25), The Treacherous Spear (ReHe 25); Ball of Abysmal Flame (CrIg 35); Eyes of the Eagle (InIm 25), Summoning the Distant Image (InIm 25), Aura of Ennobled Presence (MuIm 10), Veil of Invisibility (PeIm 20), Silence of the Smothered Sound (PeIm 20), Wizard's Sidestep (ReIm 10), Image from the Wizard Torn (ReIm 30); Loss of But a Moment's Memory (PeMe 15). Blessing of Childlike Bliss (PeMe 25), Passion's Lost Feeling (PeMe 25); Obliteration of the Metallic Barrier (PeTe 20), End of the Mighty Castle (PeTe 25); Piercing the Divine Veil (InVi 20), Piercing the Faerie Veil (InVi 20), Piercing the Infernal Veil (InVi 20), Piercing the Magical Veil (InVi 20), Wind of Mundane Silence (PeVi 40), Aegis of the Hearth (ReVi 20), Aegis of the Hearth (ReVi 30), Aegis of the Hearth (ReVi 40)

Vis Sources: Certain pebbles at the base of a crumbling rock face within the regio contain Perdo vis, and a total of five pawns per year can be harvested here. Magic is needed to determine which pebbles contain the vis.

A golden rabbit (its fur is golden; it isn't actually made of gold), containing four pawns of Animal vis, is born every year on one of the regio levels. The visbearing creature is easy to spot, but then you must catch your rabbit.

If a fire is kindled on the top level of the regio and carried out through that level, and then brought back in through the mundane world and the bottom level, before being allowed to burn out in the top level, the ashes contain a pawn of Ignem vis. The fire cannot be transported by magic at any point, but the covenant still manages to do this about once per season. This source can produce no more than four pawns of vis in a single year.

A natural mirror in a cave on one level of the regio reflects the true feelings of anyone who looks into it. If someone who is deeply sad, but successfully hiding their emotions, looks into it, five of the tears cried by the image bead on the mirror's surface, and each drop contains a pawn of Intellego vis. This source produces no more than five pawns of vis per year.

The guano deposited by birds on the covenant itself yields two pawns of Auram vis every year. Virtually all of it needs to be collected to get the vis, which is normally transferred to another vessel. Neither collection nor transfer are popular jobs.

Vis Stocks: 5 pawns of each type of vis, as an emergency reserve. Thus, 75 pawns in total.

Enchanted Items: Mappa Mundi: This large map of the world occupies the whole of a circular table in the heart of the covenant. The map itself is drawn onto the table, with details added every time members of the covenant come back from an expedition. A ring, normally worn by a grog, is a fixed Arcane Connection to the map, which shows images of the ring's wearer and all other members of his group. These images show the current state of the people, but do not show their surroundings. They do appear at the correct location on the map, but as they are not drawn to scale each individual is roughly the size of Ireland. Magi in the group are generally invisible, as the item does not have the penetration to get through any magic resistance.

In(Cr)Co(Im) 59 (Base 4, +4 Arc, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +1 InIm requisite, +1 CrIm requisite (making the images on the map), +1 location as well as appearance, +3 levels environmental trigger, +1 level 2 uses/day)

Library Lamp: This bronze lamp contains no fire, but it fills the room it is in with light as bright as that on a cloudy day. This light has no direction and no glare, so it is ideal for reading. It also makes the room it is in comfortably warm.

CrIg 34 (Base 4 (for the light), +1 Touch +2 Sun, +2 Room, +1 heat, +3 levels environmental trigger, +1 level 2 uses/day)

Fire Guardian: This item takes the form of a small bowl of water, and only works if it is kept full of actual water. If a fire starts in the room containing the item, it is immediately extinguished. This only works on fires doing +5 damage or less, but very few fires start stronger than that.

PeIg 20 (Base 4,+1 Touch, +2 Room, +3 levels environmental trigger, +2 3 uses/day)

Guard Alarms: These wristbands are activated by saying 'Help', in Arabic, while wearing them. When activated, they make a distinctive wailing sound for two minutes. This sound is a thousand times louder than a single man's shout, and can be heard throughout the level 5 regio. The covenant has four of these, given to the guards patrolling the borders of the level 5 regio. The sounds cannot, alas, be heard across regio boundaries.

While it is not pleasant to be standing next to one of these when it goes off, it is not actually damaging, nor does it have concrete game-mechanical effects. The grogs using the alarms are taught the command word as a simple sound.

CrIm 5 (Base 1, +1 Diam, +3 size, 1 use per day)

Gerard#

by Neil Taylor

Characteristics: Int 0, Per –1, Pre –1, Com 0, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex 0, Qik 0

Size: 0

Age: 32

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0

Virtues and Flaws: Custos; Warrior; Obsessed: Order of Hermes, Weak Characteristics

Personality Traits: Loyal to Order of Hermes +3, Brave +2, Honest +1

Combat: Fist: Init –1, Attack +4, Defense +4, Damage +2

Mace & Round Shield: Init +0, Attack +10, Defense +9, Damage +10

Mace: Init +0, Attack +9, Defense +6, Damage +10

Staff: Init +1, Attack +7, Defense +7, Damage +4

Soak: +6

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20)

Abilities: Animal Handling 2 (horses), Athletics 2 (5) (run), Awareness 2 (alertness), Bargain 2 ("soldier's extras"), Brawl 3 (fist), Carouse 3 (tales of famous magi), Chirurgy 1 (first aid), Concentration 1 (keep watch), Covenant Lore 3 (magi), Etiquette 1 (magi), Folk Ken 2 (magi), Guile 1 (excuses), Great Weapon 3 (staff), Hunt 1 (track), Latin 3 (Hermetic usage), Leadership 2 (point man), Music 0 (1) (sing loudly), Order of Hermes Lore 4 (lineages), Own Language 5 (grogs), Ride 3 (battle), Single Weapon 6 (round shield), Survival 2 (woods), Thrown Weapon 3 (knife)

Equipment: Steel scale half-armor, mace, round shield, (pack, field equipment, etc.—dropped when facing combat)

Encumbrance: 1 (3)

Appearance: Medium height and stocky, clean shaven with hair close-cropped for comfort under a helmet. Around the covenant he's often to be found shadowing one of the resident magi, or a visiting maga, hoping to me able to step in and fulfill some small request, or possibly even ask a question about some tricky point of hermetic lineage or history.

Gerard was Covenant born and bred. His sole "hobby" is the Order: for a grog he actually knows a lot about magi and the history of the Order. In truth, he is obsessed with the Order, its history and its magi. He spends his spare time researching the lineages of the Order of Hermes, and will talk about his favorite magi to anyone who will listen. He always tries to speak to visiting Redcaps, to learn from them.

He has a small collection of copies of sigils of famous magi, and badges of the Order and Houses.

He is fawningly ready to assist magi, if only they will notice him and deign to instruct him - but it would demean the magi if he were to actually offer himself - instead he must continually hope to be noticed. If the Grogs get him merry, he can be persuaded to lower the tone of is tales and tell funny stories about magi; but when sober he tries to tell earnest and worthy stories, that show proper respect for the Order.

When he isn't boring listeners, or fawning over magi, he's a competent warrior. He remains a "pool" or Turb warrior, never chosen as any magus' Shield Grog – none can bear his manner up-close for long periods. His obsession is occasionally useful (along with his sword arm), enough that the magi don't just send him out to be shot!

by Erik Dahl

Characteristics: Int –1, Per +1, Pre +1, Com 0, Str 0, Sta +2, Dex 0, Qik +1

Size: 0

Age: 29

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0

Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Strong-Willed, True Love (PC); Noncombatant; Social Handicap (withdrawn)

Personality Traits: Jealous +2, Practical +2, Credulous –3

Combat: Dodge: +1, n/a, +3, n/a (As a noncombatant, Anne may only use Brawl defensively.)

Soak: +2

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20)

Abilities: Speak (Language) 5 (listening), (Local Area) Lore 4 (personalities), (Covenant) Lore 3 (personalities), Athletics 1 (walking), Awareness 3 (alertness), Brawl 1 (dodging), Charm 3 (being witty), Etiquette 2 (peasants), Folk Ken 4 (townsfolk), Guile 4 (lying to authority), Intrigue 2 (gossip), Profession: Servant 5 (anticipating needs), Survival 4 (cooking)

Appearance: Anne is a worn, weathered housemaid, tired but still comely, perhaps because of a hint of vengeance and secret joy in her eyes.

Anne came to the covenant with her husband, Paul. She hates him, for she was misused terribly by him for most of their marriage, but now that they live at the covenant, he seems to have undergone a strange personality change. She likes that he no longer beats her and that they must no longer sleep under bushes, but she is skeptical of his sudden transformation and convinced that it is part of an elaborate ruse. These last few years of cheerful optimism have not erased her memory of years of misery on the road.

She serves as a housemaid, and has secretly become the lover of another male character at the covenant. She has never before experienced a feeling so powerful, and she feels her time in his arms makes her life worth living. Yet of course she cannot marry again while Paul lives, and she worries that the covenant would turn on her if he found out, as he is admired by many of the other grogs. Thus she encourages her husband's dangerous vocation as shield-grog, risking his life to protect the magi. She feels guilty about this, but she believes she is simply making the best of a difficult situation.

by Mark Shirley

Characteristics: Int +1, Per 0, Pre –1, Com –1, Str –1, Sta 0, Dex +3, Qik +2

Size: –1

Age: 20

Decrepitude: 0

Warping: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Light Touch, Perfect Balance, Social Contacts (amongst thieves); Small Frame, Tainted with Evil, Weakness: Money

Personality Traits: Vain +3, Avaricious +2, Principled –3

Reputations: none

Combat: Dagger: Init +5, Attack +8, Defense +5, Damage +2

Fist: Init +3, Attack +5, Damage +4, Damage –1

Soak: +1

Fatigue Levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–4), –3 (5–8), –5 (9–12), Incapacitated (13–16)

Abilities: Area Lore 2 (alleys), Athletics 4 (climbing walls), Awareness 3 (authority figures), Bargain 1 (illgotten gains), Brawl 2 (dagger), Guile 3 (professing innocence), Intrigue 2 (townsfolk), Legerdemain 4 (slitting purses), Local Language 5 (vulgar speech), Profession: Mummer 1 (disguises), Stealth 4 (urban areas)

Equipment: Half quilted armor, 3 daggers, rope.

Encumbrance: 1 (1)

Appearance: Credo is a small, wiry man, who is often mistaken for a teenager because of his small size. He takes a great deal of care in his image, despite being of low birth. He always keeps up with the latest fashions amongst the gentlefolk in clothing and hairstyle - most of the money he steals goes on his appearance. He has pinched features and beady eyes, and has both a broken nose and broken teeth, due to mistreatment by a merchant who caught him stealing.

Credo gets his unusual name from his mother, who heard it at Mass and thought it would be a nice name for her unborn child. It is perhaps the most inappropriate name (meaning "I believe"), because Credo is the most underhand, distrusting and sneaky employee of the covenant. The key word here is "employee" - he can be trusted as long as the covenant pay him, and currently, they are the richest people he knows. Credo is useful for those tasks that cannot be given to most grogs; either because they require stealth, intelligence, or loose morals. The magi have not found a single task that Credo was unwilling to attempt, for the right price. Credo does not work well with others, but he can be relied upon to act independently, without supervision, and return at the end of his job for his pay. Despite the religious origins of his name, Credo was never baptized, and so does not have even the basic defenses against temptation and vice, and God-fearing folk are uncomfortable in his presence.

Despite being especially fond of fine quality ostentatious jewelry, he never wears any of it in public; instead hiding it away in a secret place, putting it on when he thinks no-one is looking. He earns money as a mummer on holy days, but this is mainly a front while he and his cronies to fleece the onlookers.

Marie the Alewife#

By Sheila Thomas

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +2, Pre +1, Com +1, Str 0, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik 0

Size: 0

Age: 29 (29)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Second Sight;

Busybody

Personality Traits: Gregarious +2, Superstitious +2,

Pious +1

Combat: Brawling (fist): Init +0, Attack +1, Defense

+0, Damage +0

Soak: +0

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wounds: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10,) –5 (11–15),

Incapacitated (16–20)

Abilities: Area lore: original home 2 (people), Area lore: covenant 4 (people's business), Awareness 3 (fae), Athletics 2 (dancing), Carouse 2 (anecdotes), Concentration 1 (brewing), Craft: brewing 5 (taste), Craft - cooking 3 (roasting), Craft: sewing 2 (mending), Etiquette (Magi) 1, Faerie lore 3 (domestic fae), Folk ken 3 (women), Intrigue 2 (gossip), Local language 5 (anecdotes), Music 1 (folk songs), Second sight 4 (domestic fae), Stealth 2 (moving quietly), Teaching 1 (girls)

Appearance: A cheerful, lively woman in neatlymended plain clothing which attracts less attention than her bright smile and brown eyes. She is of middle height and weight with a well-defined figure.

Marie was born in a village about ten miles from the covenant, but ran away from home when she was about ten years old because she was so often in trouble for "seeing things" and "telling lies." She has the Second Sight and gets on very well with the minor fae who, outside the Aegis, can be found around farm and home. When she ventures outside, she seems to attract such fae to her.

The covenant took the girl in and taught her useful domestic skills, and she decided to specialise in brewing. She is very gregarious and a bit of a chatterbox. She likes dancing, has a pleasant singing voice and looks forward to any cause for celebration. Her piety and superstition are about average for village folk, which makes her rather more pious and superstitious than most covenantbred people. She is married to one of the soldiers and has three children. She is proud of her husband and his role in the covenant. She does not keep a very close eye on her children but seems to find out if they have been up to mischief. In fact, she often knows quite a lot about what other coven-folk are up to, too.

Grim and halfgrim#

By Mark Shirley

Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre 0, Com -1, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik -1

Size: 0

Age: 23

Decrepitude: 0

Confidence Score: 0

Virtues and Flaws: Custos; Affinity with Single Weapon, True Friend; Carefree (Halfgrim only), Dutybound, Pessimistic (Grim only), Weakness (women)

Personality Traits: Brave +3, Loyal to Covenant +3, Loyal to Each Other +3, Cheerful –2 (Grim), Cheerful +2 (Halfgrim),

Combat: Longsword and Round Shield: Init +0, Attack +13, Defense +9, Damage +8

Longsword: Init +0, Attack +12, Defense +6, Damage +8

Short Bow: Init -3, Attack +9, Defense +3, Damage +8

Fist: Init -2, Attack +6, Defense +3, Damage +2

Soak: +6

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20)

Abilities: Local Language 5 (shouting), Area Lore 2 (woodland), Athletics 3 (in armor), Awareness 3 (on watch), Bows 3 (short bow), Brawl 4 (wrestling), Carouse 1 (dice games), Charm 1 (women), Chirurgy 1 (sword wounds), Folk Ken 2 (soldiers), Leadership 1 (soldiers), Profession: Sailor 2 (navigation), Ride 2 (in armor), Single Weapon 6 (longsword and round shield), Stealth 1 (woods), Survival 1 (woods), Swim 2 (open sea)

Equipment: longsword (with carved bone hilt), round shield (with metal rim), partial metal scale armor, short bow.

Encumbrance: 1 (3)

Appearance: These twin brothers are impossible to tell apart physically. They are tall and heavy set, with long blond hair and blue eyes that betray their northern origins. Grim has taken to braiding his beard in the fashion of ancient warriors; Halfgrim has begun doing this as well, to increase the confusion about who is who.

These twin brothers are amongst the most loyal and trustworthy of the turb. Grim is the elder (by a matter of minutes), and is a stern, serious man; whereas Halfgrim is both carefree and cheerful — the running joke in the turb is that Halfgrim is half as grim as his brother. Despite their differing demeanors, they are physically identical.

Grim is dour and taciturn, but a natural leader of men — many members of the turb already treat him as if he had been granted a military rank. He is deeply pessimistic, and sees fit to communicate his fears to any who will listen. Halfgrim is always teasing him about his old-fashioned values, particularly with regards to his coyness around women, and his search for a wife — he has romantic notions about courting women, but lacks the social graces to do it effectively.

Halfgrim is friendly and outgoing, and a man of simple tastes, with few ambitions other than to drinking, gambling and wenching. He is less blunt than his brother, and is much more approachable than his brother. Grim is always chiding him about his frivolous attitude to life, while secretly envying his gusto.

They are both accomplished sailors and capable warriors who have saved the lives of several of the magi on more than one occasion. Their diligence has brought them rewards, in the shape of the expensive steel scale armor that they wear, and the fine swords and metal-rimmed shields that they carry. They are deeply devoted to each other, and the magi have recognized that they work best as a team - if taken out singly from the covenant, they are anxious and distracted until reunited.

by Neil Taylor

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre +2(*), Com 0(*), Str –1, Sta 0, Dex 0, Qik +2

(*+1 Pre and Com with sexually compatible characters)

Size: –1

Age: 20 (14)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk, Faerie Blood (Satyr), Second Sight, Unaging; Small Frame, Disfigured (cat's eyes and ears), Cursed (can't bear the touch of iron)

Personality Traits: Fastidious +3, Flirtatious +2, Fae +1

Reputations: None.

Combat: Brawling (fist): Init +2, Attack +2, Defense +4, Damage –1

Soak: 0

Fatigue Levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–4), –3 (5–8), –5 (9–12), Incapacitated (13–16)

Abilities: Latin 3 (Hermetic usage), Animal Handling 1 (chickens), Athletics 0+1 (run), Awareness 2 (search), Bargain 2 (domestic produce), Brawl 1 (fist), Carouse 3 (wild fun), Charm 3 (flirting), Chirurgy 0 (1) (first aid), Craft: keep house 2 (cook), Faerie Lore 3 (forest), Folk Ken 3 (young men), Guile 3 (fast talk), Home Village Lore 2 (people), Intrigue 2 (gossip), Latin 3 (Hermetic usage), Living Language 5 (peasants), Music 3 (sing), Second Sight 4 (faeries), Survival 0 (1) (woods), Teaching 0 (2) (babies)

Equipment: None

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Oldest (but youngest looking) daughter of a local village wise woman (or witch, depending on your view), she has the strong ties to færie in her blood. Her appearance is most exotic – beautiful but alien. If she did not show her ancestry she'd be beautiful, but she has long, mobile and pointed cat-like ears, which she adorns with rings; her eyes are wide and slanted with eyebrows long and dark above them. The irises of her eyes are bright green, and have a slit pupil; they reflect bright at night.

As a child she often ran wild in the woods, chasing and playing with the minor forest faeries; as a teenager she chased the boys and flirted – the lads think she and her sisters are exotic, wild and beautiful (true), their mothers and the young women think them harlots, or worse. She joined the covenant as wife to one of the turb, relieving her mother of her increasingly irksome presence (no village lad would actually marry her!).

She thinks herself special (she must have special tools so as not to touch iron – hurts her as if burning hot) and very beautiful (she is vain, and proud of her ears), and above the other grogs. She is fastidious about staying clean and neat, often preening and checking her appearance; she cannot abide getting dirty, let alone sleeping rough. Magi may force her to accompany field missions, where her Sight is useful, but she complains endlessly about the hardships of field travel, and her desire to be back in decent living conditions again. (She might be bribed with rings for her ears.)

She ages slowly, as the years slip past her: it seems she will never grow up, or if she does, will never grow old. Although she is now 20 years old, she appears only 14 (she has hardly aged since 12).

by Neil Taylor

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre +2(*), Com 0(*), Str –1, Sta 0, Dex 0, Qik +2

(*+1 Pre and Com with sexually compatible characters)

Size: –1

Age: 20 (14)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk, Faerie Blood (Satyr), Second Sight, Unaging; Small Frame, Disfigured (cat's eyes and ears), Cursed (can't bear the touch of iron)

Personality Traits: Fastidious +3, Flirtatious +2, Fae +1

Reputations: None.

Combat: Brawling (fist): Init +2, Attack +2, Defense +4, Damage –1

Soak: 0

Fatigue Levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–4), –3 (5–8), –5 (9–12), Incapacitated (13–16)

Equipment: None

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

by Sheila Thomas

Characteristics: Int 0, Per +1, Pre -1, Com -1, Str + 2, Sta + 1, Dex + 2, Qik + 1

Size: 0

Age: 35 (35)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0

Confidence Score: 0

Virtues and Flaws: Custos, Tough, Warrior, Poor memory (names), Social Handicap (aversion to gossip - he will turn and walk away if the conversation turns to gossip and actively objects to speaking ill of someone behind their back), Temperate

Personality Traits: Adventurous +2, Courageous +2, Loyal +2

Reputations: None.

Combat: Brawling (fist): Init −1, Attack +6, Defense +5, Damage +2

Bow (Short bow): Init -2, Attack +10, Defense +6, Damage +8

Short sword: Init +0, Attack +11, Defense +8, Damage +7

Short sword (mounted): Init +4, Attack +14, Defense +11, Damage +7

Short sword & round shield: Init +1, Attack +12, Defense +11, Damage+7

Short sword & round shield (mounted): Init +4, Attack +15, Defense +14, Damage +7

Soak: +4 unarmored; +11 in full metal scale armor

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5(11–15), Incapacitated (16–20)

Abilities: Area Lore: Zaragoza 3 (men at arms). Area Lore: current region 2 (paths), Area Lore: current covenant 3 (men at arms), Athletics 4 (jumping), Awareness 4 (body-guarding), Bows 4 (short bow), Brawl 4 (dodge), Carouse 2 (staying sober), Folk Ken 1 (magi), Latin 1 (receiving brief commands), Leadership 2 (silent orders), Ride 4 (battle), Single weapon 6 (short sword and round shield), Speak Aragonese Spanish 5 (soldiers' slang), Speak local language 3 (soldiers' talk), Stealth 3 (hide), Swim 2 (diving)

Equipment: steel scale mail, short sword, round shield, short bow

Encumbrance: 2 (4)

Appearance: Of average height and not wellbuilt, in spite of his enthusiasm for keeping fit and maintaining his active skills – more wiry than beefy. He has a tanned complexion, dark brown eyes, and his hair and short beard are such a dark brown that they usually appear black. He is rather cleaner and tidier, as a rule, than one might expect for a soldier.

Ignatio was born in 1194 and brought up in Zaragoza, son of a couple who worked for an Aragonese nobleman, the Marqués de Almeria y Vargas. Ignatio was a lively, active child, fond of all forms of physical activity. He liked to mix with the men at arms who served the Marqués and had ambitions to join their number when he grew up. He was keen to travel - tales of the Crusade and the Reconquista excited him from an early age. As soon as he could convince the men that he was old enough, he was taught to handle weapons and ride a horse. In 1214 he was amongst the company that the Marqués sent to support King Alfonso in his campaign to drive the Moors further south. Ignatio came

In 1217, a man approached him with an offer of alternative employment. Ignatio understood that mercenaries were wanted for bodyguard duties and he liked the idea, thinking that the new life would be more settled. He accepted, and was surprised to find that his new employer had the influence to release him from any duty to the Marqués. His did for a while wonder if he had made a sound decision when he discovered the sort of people he had come to work for, as the magi scared him considerably at first. He settled in after a few months, and while not very popular amongst the other non-magical inhabitants, he was accepted by them. He is disinclined to chatter and gossip, even seeming taciturn and morose at times, though he can talk well enough if he chooses. Thus he is not terribly popular with most others as a companion or in social circumstances, though not himself antisocial except when the conversation offends him - he is firmly of the belief that it is risky to speak ill of anyone and hence avoids gossip of all kinds. One consequence of this is that he has been a little slow to acquire the language spoken in his new home.

He has demonstrated on numerous occasions that he is an effective fighter with bow and sword. He has some skill in coordinating military action and is particularly good at conveying his instructions to other fighters on his side by means of gestures. He is a reliable and proficient shield grog and is valued by the magi as a silent guard and protector, one who will not talk to anyone about things better kept secret.

Marie the Perfumier#

by Sheila Thomas

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +2, Pre +3, Com –1, Str –2, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik +1

Size: –1

Age: 30 (30)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0

Virtues and Flaws: Craftswoman; Faerie Blood

(Sidhe); Small Frame

Personality Traits: Lazy +2, Snobbish +1, Pious –1

Reputations: Suspected witch 1 (local)

Combat: Fist: Init +1, Attack +2, Defense +2,

Damage –2

Soak: –3

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–4), –3 (5–8), –5 (9–12),

Incapacitated (13–16)

Abilities: Awareness 2 (children), Area Lore: home city 4 (people), Area Lore: covenant 3 (people), Athletics 4 (dance), Bargain 2 (selling her work), Brawl 1 (dodge), Carouse 3 (folk songs), Charm 3 (men), Concentration 1 (making perfumes), Craft: baking 3 (bread), Craft: cookery 3 (stews), Craft: perfumery 4 (incense), Etiquette 2 (townsfolk), Folk Ken 4 (townsfolk), Guile 1 (diverting awkward questioners), Intrigue 1 (business negotiations), Living Language 5 (dialect from city), Music 1 (singing)

Appearance: She is not much over 5 feet in height, dainty and light on her feet. Her hair is long, fine and light brown. Her face is very pretty but an oddness about her expression, especially the eyes, stops most people noticing this easily.

Marie learnt her skills with scents from her mother. She also inherited her position as a trader in spices, scents and dyestuffs. When she gets her hands on any exotic ingredients, she delights in preparing perfumes and incenses.

She and her husband lived in the center of a busy city for eight years but were forced to flee because a girl died and suspicion fell, unfairly, on Marie. She had prepared some incense to burn in the girl's room which smelt awful when used (one of the ingredients had gone bad) so some of the city authorities wanted to try her for witchcraft.

Marie's faerie inheritance goes back several generations. Her great, great grandmother on her mother's side had an encounter with one of the fae in the forest one mid-Summer. This was kept secret at the time and no hint of it has come down to Marie. It was obvious to Marie and the other townsfolk that her grandmother and her own mother looked young for their age but both died of disease before they were old enough for this to become anything suspicious.

She thinks herself a little better than many and was proud of her contacts with the richer and more powerful citizens of the city. Now, in the covenant, she plays up any contributions she makes to assisting the magi. She can be vivacious given a little encouragement such as a couple of mugs of wine or some dance music. She is keen on her work in fits and starts, which is usually no problem though she has been known to have to buy bread when she has not got around to making any.

Isabelle the Beautiful#

by Matt Ryan

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +2, Pre +4, Com +3, Str –1, Sta –1, Dex –1, Qik –4

Size: 0

Age: 23 (Apparent Age 23)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Confidence Score: 1 (3 points)

True Faith: 1

Virtues and Flaws: Gentlewoman; True Faith; Educated, Great Presence, Inspirational, Student of Faerie; Curse of Venus, Optimistic; Noncombatant, Poor Quickness

Personality Traits: Accepting +3, Hopeful +3, Serene +2

Reputations: None

Combat: Fist: Init –4, Attack –1, Defense –4, Damage –1

Soak: –1

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20)

Abilities: Animal Handling 2 (lap dogs), Artes Liberales 2 (grammar), Awareness 3 (rescuers), Champagne Lore 2 (noble landlords), Charm 3 (rescuers), Craft: Weaving 2 (spinning), Etiquette 3 (formal dancing), Faerie Lore 4 (satyrs), Folk Ken 3 (women), Latin 4 (reading missals), Profession: Scribe 1 (strong penmanship), Speak English 3 (criminals), Speak French 5 (upper class jargon), Speak German 3 (common folk), Teach 1 (children), Swim 2 (bathing),

Equipment: Gentlewoman's clothes and distaff.

Encumbrance: 0

Appearance: Isabelle is a beautiful woman, as described in the text, but she is much more than just that. Her appearance reflects her inner peace, her poise and self-assurance. She is tall, standing straight and true, with her head tipped slightly back. She dresses in simple clothing appropriate with her station, made from good material and cleaner others of her class but not ostentatious or lavish in any way.

Isabelle is the most beautiful woman in the world. Her hair is as blonde as a copper basin. Her eyes are blue-gray, like a falcon's, and the space between them is wide. Her face is well proportioned and her nose is well-made and straight. Her mouth is small and a little dimple dots her chin. Her neck is straight and long, without pimples or sores; it is well proportioned, soft and smooth to the touch. Her bosom is as white as new-fallen snow upon a birch branch. Her body is well-made and svelte. From here to Jerusalem no woman is more beautiful than Dame Isabelle.

Isabelle is the living embodiment of beauty. Her physical attractiveness, poise, and elegance reflect her true nature of inner peace, tranquility, and personal religious devotion. She is gracious without a fault, virtuous without a blemish, and as pious as a monk. Conservatively dressed in a modest gown and whimple, Isabelle is charming and pleasant. While her beauty is certainly distracting, it is never overbearing or pervasive.

She is the archetypical damsel in distress, a ubiquitous role in many legends of the Middle Ages. Through the idle whims of fate and the dire machinations of fell powers, Isabelle has been unwillingly thrust into this role since young adulthood. She has weathered it surprisingly well, somehow never fearing that any of her abductors' wicked desires will manifest. Her faith in God is paramount, and past abductions have increased her personal devotion and belief in the loving and

protective powers of God. Despite the outward appearance of any situation, she faithfully believes that everything will turn out exactly right.

Background#

Isabelle is the youngest daughter of a landed knight, a lesser noble and vassal to the barons of Champagne, cousins to the king of France. Her father's kingdom is situated nearby the city of Troyes, whose annual fairs bring wealth and culture to the city. Isabelle enjoyed the fairs, strolling the twisting streets and crowded merchant stalls with her elder sisters. As she grew older, her natural beauty bloomed beyond compare.

So thought Sir Florent, her first abductor, who snatched her from her father's castle with a clatter of iron-shod hooves and a rattle of shining chainmail. Poor Isabelle, only eighteen years-of-age, was forced by this despicable knight to marry him. Luckily, the marriage ceremony was interrupted when the priest tripped on his vestments and fell against the altar, breaking his arm. Florent assigned the girl to his highest tower, locked behind an iron door, to await a new priest. While she was waiting, her second abductor appeared on the scene.

Dafydd was a faerie prince. He had spotted Isabelle as she was led to the alter and immediately desired her. Using his faerie glamour to become invisible, Dafydd tripped the priest and interrupt the wedding. That night he mounted a large crow and flew to the top of Sir Florent's tower where he snatched the girl up in the thorny claws of the bird. Laughing, Dafydd flew away as Sir Florent futilely shook his mailed fists from far below.

Dafydd's lascivious dreams were dashed upon the rocks of love unrequited when, as he flew his

cacophonous mount over the realm of the knight Sir Dorigen, that bold and intrepid knight shot down the crow. Dropping his crossbow in time to catch the falling girl, Dorigen fell instantly in love with the damsel he had inadvertently saved. Dangling from a tree branch, Dafydd cursed the knight, who rode back to his feasting hall with the semi-conscious girl.

Dorigen planned an elaborate wedding, but it was not to be, and through circumstance and the whims of Lady Fortune, Isabelle was taken from him. So went the next several years of the lady's life, stolen from one ill-willed abductor by the next, until finally, through no choice of her own, she was brought to Semita Errabunda. The companions and magi had destroyed her last abductor, a lusting demon. Now, with no where else to go and resigned to the fact that she is most likely just waiting for her next abductor - Isabelle makes her home at the covenant.

Role-Playing Isabelle#

Isabelle is much more than she seems, and she will contribute more to the covenant than just a pretty face. She is a stoic resource of calm, especially during the most turbulent times. God has created Isabelle for a purpose, and while Isabelle doesn't know what that purpose is, she resolutely accepts her part in God's ineffable plan. It is her faith that allows her to remain unflustered.

Her heavenly trust makes her more receptive to the lessons available in her past experiences. For example, she has been abducted by faeries so many times that she is well-versed in faerie lore, even though she never had a proper teacher. Her peacefulness is so inspiring that it can affect others, helping to calm them in tense situations. During times of strife Isabelle will provide a serene locus for frightened covenant folk.

Jarvis, Master Huntsman#

by Mark Shirley

Characteristics: Int 0, Per +2, Pre 0, Com -1, Str +1, Sta +1, Dex +2, Qik 0

Size: 0

Age: 32

Decrepitude: 0

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Ways of the Forest, Wealthy; Animal Ken, Mercenary, Wilderness Sense; Dark Secret (pagan), Dependent; Magical Animal Companion, Reclusive, Vow (see text)

Personality Traits: Brave +2, Dour +2, Diligent +1

Reputations: Unbeatable tracker 1 (local)

Combat: Long Spear: Init +3, Attack +9, Defense +6, Damage +8

Short Bow: Init -1, Attack +11, Defense +6, Damage +6

Fist: Init 0, Attack +5, Defense +3, Damage+1

Soak: +6

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wounds: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20)

Abilities: Animal Ken 3 (dogs), Area Lore 3 (forests), Athletics 3 (chasing), Awareness 3 (tracks), Bows 5 (shortbow), Brawl 2 (punches), Chirurgy 2 (animals), Great Weapon 4 (long spear), Hunt 6 (boar), Leadership 2 (huntsmen), Own Language 5 (orders), Profession: Master of Kennels 4 (dogs), Ride 2 (while hawking), Stealth 5 (ambush), Survival 3 (winter), Swim 1 (rivers), Wilderness Sense 3 (woodland)

Equipment: Full, scale leather armor, long bow, long spear

Encumbrance: 3 (Burden 10)

Appearance: In his early thirties, Jarvis is a tall, stocky man with sandy-brown hair and a beard. His crumpled and mud-stained clothes are actually of very fine quality, likewise his leather armor is dyed in forest greens and deep russet browns, and has stitched details. He carries an expensive hunting horn made from an ibex's horn and chased with silver. He is never seen without his dog Wulther, a large, mastiff-like dog, with a tan coat, a white belly and black muzzle, and large liquid brown eyes.

Jarvis currently holds the position of Master of Kennels and Mews at the covenant. Some of the magi enjoy the chase, but his skills are particularly bought into play in two pursuits the hunting of vis-rich beasts that dwell in the local woodland, and in the breeding of falcons to raise mundane funds for the covenant. He has hunted all manner of beasts, from the mundane to the fabulous. Jarvis is a man who is proud of his achievements, and this shows in his demeanor. At first glance he appears to be a shy, somewhat scruffy woodsman, but his self-confidence shows through in a quiet, understated way.

Early in his career as an apprentice berner, he longed to become a huntsman, but could not distinguish himself from the competition. However, an encounter at dawn when harbouring a stag changed things completely. In a deserted glade he came across a tall figure wearing a cloak of leaves and a horned helm. He'd heard tales of the Wild Hunt, and its

leader Herne, but never dreamed that he would ever meet the once-god. Herne offered him a deal - in return for sacrifice and prayers, he would have his ambitions fulfilled. Jarvis agreed, and received three gifts from his new god - an instinctive knowledge of woodcraft, a superlative tracking hound and a natural facility with animals. Herne asks for little in return - a sacrifice of the numbles of every beast killed, and a few prayers and rites, and these Jarvis gives willingly. Even his wife is unaware of his patronage. The sole point of contention between Jarvis and Herne (who is a powerful faerie being) is Jarvis' monogamy - Herne represents fertility, and all sorts of women find themselves unaccountably attracted to the quiet master of hounds, who so far has remained largely faithful to his wife.

In the worship of Herne, Jarvis has become a superlative huntsman. He made his name with the nobility, and owns many expensive gifts from his former employers. He has collected a team of a dozen staff who respect him greatly, even although he is basically a loner. Wulther, his chien baut (the best dog of the pack) is a large dog of uncertain breed, but bears most resemblance to a mastiff. Wulther has the magical ability to pick up the scent of virtually any beast, and track it to its source. In this way, Jarvis and his huntsmen find vis for the covenant.

Jerome the Scribe#

by Sheila Thomas

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +1, Pre 0, Com +2, Str 0, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik –1

Size: 0

Age: 28 (28)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Clerk; Puissant Ability: Scribe, Educated, Sharp ears; Infamous (heretic), Temperate, Weakness for fine books

Personality Traits: Conscientious +2, Pious +2, Aesthetic +1

Reputations: Heretic 4 (ecclesiastical)

Combat: Fist: Init -1, Attack +1, Defense -1, Damage +0

Soak: +0

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wounds: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20)

Abilities: Area lore – his original home 1 (family), Area lore - his monastery 3 (personalities), Area loremarket town 2 (merchants), Area lore - covenant 2 (magi), Artes Liberales 3 (grammar), Athletics 1 (climbing), Awareness 3 (books), Bargain 2 (favors), Charm 2 (making excuses), Civil and canon Law 1 (canon law), Etiquette 2 (clergy), Folk ken 3 (monastery inhabitants), Guile 2 (excuses), Latin 4 (ecclesiastical usage), Local language 5 (debate), Organisational lore – Benedictines 3 (routine), Philosophiae 2 (aesthetics), Profession – scribe 5 (layout), Stealth 3 (indoors), Teaching 1 (Latin), Theology 1 (history)

Appearance: Jerome is of middling height and build, clean-shaven, with tidy, short, fair hair and blue eyes. He dresses neatly, but very plainly. He has a monkish air.

Jerome was born to a peasant family who sent him at the age of seven to live in a Benedictine monastery where he received a reasonable basic education. He picked things up fairly easily, showing particular aptitude with a quill. He had little difficulty accepting the restricted life amongst the brothers, but occasionally he would sneak down to the kitchens to find something extra to eat; he was caught and punished far less often than he deserved.

It was expected that Jerome would take the vows and become a monk himself, but he put it off.

At about the age of 20, he got hold of Honorius' 'De rebus ecclesiasticis' and absorbed some of the ideas on predestination, but got it garbled. Unfortunately, his head was full of this one day when the Prior engaged him in discussion, and Jerome's views displeased the Prior so much that he was ordered to leave, lest he mislead others.

Having little knowledge of the world outside the monastery, Jerome found it difficult to settle. He maintained a temperate life-style and found some of what he encountered amongst ordinary people quite scandalous. Eventually, while working as a scribe for hire in a small town, he met someone from the covenant who, after seeing his writing and talking to him for a while, invited him to visit the covenant with the possibility of being given work there.

Jerome's training and skills make him a useful scribe. He is a quick and accurate worker with a neat hand and a good aesthetic sense for layout. He is also suitable for the role of librarian, if such an important role may be entrusted to a mundane. It might be a little inconvenient that he sometimes takes a liking to a particularly beautifully-produced volume and makes it difficult for anyone to remove it from his sight.

Naimes#

by Neil Taylor

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +1, Pre 0, Com +2, Str –1, Sta +1, Dex 0, Qik 0

Size: –1

Age: 26

Deccrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Book Learner, Educated, Good Teacher, Small Frame; Transvestite; Obsessed: be accepted as a scholar

Personality Traits: Brave +3, Secretive +2, Devious +1

Combat: Fist: Init +0, Attack +3, Defense +3, Damage –1

Soak: +1

Fatigue levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–4), –3 (5–8), –5 (9–12), Incapacitated (13–16)

Abilities: Own Language 5 (vocabulary), Artes Liberales 5 (logic), Awareness 1 (search), Bargain 1 (tuition fees), Brawl 2 (fist), Carouse 1 (student songs), Chirurgy 0 (2) (first aid), Civil & Canon Law 3 (France), Concentration 0 (1) (distractions), Etiquette 0 (1) (nobles), Folk Ken 2 (townsfolk), Guile 4 (disguise), Home town lore 2 (places), Latin 5 (academic usage), Music 0 (1) (sing gruffly), Paris Lore 1 (streets & taverns), Philosophiae 5 (Natural Philosophy), Ride 1 (donkey), Teaching 3 (private tuition)

Equipment: (men's) clothing, parchment & ink, teaching materials (wax tablets, etc.) and such

Encumbrance: 0

Uberto

Naimes — a scholar, slight of build, young, with scarcely a wisp of beard yet on his chin. Or, underneath the clothes and bandages, a young woman determined to make her way despite society around her. She has an obsessive determination to prove herself as a scholar in her own right. (An easy path would have been to enter a nunnery, but she never met that opportunity.)

Isabelle, as she was christened, was the last in a large family, mostly boys, and some years younger than the others. Her mother died when she was 8, and though her father was moderately wealthy he was too busy to pay detailed attention to his family, which allowed Isabelle to slip away from home and (in clothing stolen from her brothers) take a place at the cathedral school. The teachers approved of their bright lad, quick with answers… little knowing "his" secret.

Her father disciplined her a few times, but assumed she would learn and grow out of it. By the time she was a young woman, her ways growing excessive even for home, she fled with a sum of money, and made her way to Paris. There she managed to join the University, funding herself by teaching merchants offspring to read, but before she finished her studies she was discovered and forced to flee again. Since then she has sought employ as tutor to nobles and their offspring, but has become increasingly cautious about discovery — choosing flight first when she senses she might be unmasked. As such, she has managed to acquire some genuine letters of reference to bring to new employment.

She recently arrived at the Covenant, not realising who or what they represent, seeking her sort of employment. They have taken her in and she is finding a special place, outside the normal bounds of Medieval Society, a place where the genuinely odd can find freedom to be themselves.

Brother Uberto#

by Matt Ryan

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +3, Str +1, Sta +2, Prs –4, Com +3, Dex –2, Qik –2

Size: 0

Age: 25 (Apparent Age 25)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0 points)

Confidence Score: 1 (3 points)

Virtues and Flaws: Mendicant Friar; Ways of the Highway; Enduring Constitution, Free Expression, Latent Magic Ability, Long-Winded, Piercing Gaze, Strong-Willed; Monastic Vows, Wrathful; Infamous, Poor Presence, Visions, Weakness (friendly conversation)

Personality Traits: Brass +3, Independent +2, Chatty +1

Reputations: Troublemaker 4 (ecclesiastical)

Combat: Fist: Init -2, Attack +1, Defense +1, Damage +1

Kick: Init –3, Attack +2, Defense +1, Damage +4

Soak: +2

Fatigue levels: OK, 0/0, –2, –4, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20)

Abilities: Artes Liberales 2 (mathematics), Awareness 4 (shady characters), Bargain 1 (dinner), Brawl 3 (kicking), Civil and Canon Law 1 (ecclesiastical deferments), Concentration 1 (reading), Folk Ken 3 (peasants), French 3 (priests), German 2 (merchants), Intrigue 2 (rumors), Italian 5 (sermons), Latin 4 (Psalms), Leadership 3 (congregation), Order of Preachers Lore 3 (founder), Teaching 1 (one-on-one instruction), Theology 3 (heresy)

Equipment: Black robes, walking staff, sandals, leather sack.

Encumbrance: 0 (Burden 0)

Appearance: Brother Uberto is tall and unattractive, with beady black eyes, a heavy brow and pock-marked cheeks. He wears the distinctive black robes of his vocation, which are flayed at the hem and sleeve from his hours spent walking. He scans his head left and right, always ready for signs of diabolism.

Uberto is a Dominican friar, a most fierce preacher and proselytizer, tall and tonsured, a scraggly scarecrow of a man. He grew up in a desperate little town in the scrubby hills of central Lombardy, a place good for goats, flies, and piety. An ugly but inquisitive child, Uberto flourished under the tutelage of the local priest. He entered the priesthood and eventually became an ordained friar of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). Uberto walked the weedy highways and rutted paths of Mythic Europe, preaching rousing sermons that exposed the wicked ways of the listeners and frightening them back into the forgiving folds of the Church.

During his travels he heard tales of a coterie of folks, a secret Covenant of misguided misfits. Rumor had it that these men and women were enchanters, casting spells that mimicked the miracles of God. He vowed to find this place and investigate these unbelievable tales. His superior and leader of the Dominicans, Master General Jordan of Saxony, wished Uberto to stay in Lorraine, preaching against the Cathar heresy, and disregard these unfounded rumors. Ignoring Jordan's orders, a bad habit of the often polemic friar, Uberto began his search.

Find the Covenant he did, and began his arduous investigations. The magi, unwilling to create an enemy, allowed Uberto to stay. They acquiesced to his preaching, as well. The friar was shocked to discover that no priest tended this flock, leaving them without holy guidance and a ripe target for

the Fiend. No weekly masses! No yearly confessions! Uberto vigorously scoured the Covenant for heresy, positive that he would find it in this den of iniquity.

Instead, Uberto found two other things. After a week spent living in the magical environment of the covenant, Uberto started to have visions, uncannily accurate portents of near future events. He was frightened at first, not knowing whether these were infernal or divine manifestations. The resident Criamon wizard suggested he continue to live at the covenant while pondering his vision's source.

The second thing Uberto found was that he liked the folks living at the covenant. People had often distrusted Uberto due to his repugnance, being suspicious of him and keeping themselves distant until now. The covenant's community was friendly, inviting him for dinner and insisting he stay and listen to the tales of the elders. Slowly, reluctantly, he began to like living among them.

Uberto has remained with the covenant folk for over a year. He is still undecided about the nature of his visions, but is enjoying his conversations with the Criamon. The magi have allowed him to continue preaching. Uberto's insistence on finding heresy has slipped, but he maintains a ready eye, ever watchful for the Fiend and his demonic minions.

Role-Playing Uberto#

Uberto is most at home on the road, and will rarely refuse a journey. At the same time, he has enjoyed his stay at the covenant, and likes the consistency of life it offers. While he is interested in investigating his visions, he also used them as an excuse to extend his stay. Uberto's latent magical gift hasn't materialized yet. Perhaps an especially strong vision will trigger its occurrence.

Uberto is a dynamic speaker, delivering emotional sermons and inspirational public devotions. The merest hint of heresy drives the friar wild with anger, and he will vehemently root out any heretical practices he finds. At this point he does not deem the magi heretical but merely an odd example of God's power and love, granting these odd men and women limited accessibility into His temporal world.

Uberto's superior is displeased with the lingering friar. This tension usually plays out through ill-tempered letters, which Uberto ignores. Jordan will not allow the itinerant friar much more free rein. The Master General does not know of the magi or their arcane power and Uberto hasn't mentioned it yet. Time will tell how this will unfold.

Mansur ibn Fadl al-Baghdadi#

by Niall Christie

Characteristics: Int +1, Per 0, Str +1, Sta +1, Prs 0, Com +2, Dex +1, Qik 0

Size: 0

Age: 28 (28)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Faith Points: 1

Virtues and Flaws: Emir*; True Faith; Educated**, Enchanting Poetry***, Free Expression, Luck, Puissant Arabic, Warrior; Curse of Venus, Greater Malediction (Gets embroiled in life-threatening political struggles), Outsider (Arab); Obsessed (Get rid of malediction)

Personality Traits: Brave +3, Fatalistic +3, Just +3

Reputations: Devil-Worshipper 3 (Local)

Combat: Fist: Init -2, Attack +5, Defense +4, Damage +1

Kick: Init -3, Attack +4, Defense +2, Damage +4

Lance and Heater: Init -1, Attack +9, Defense +7, Damage +6

Lance: Init 0, Attack +9, Defense +4, Damage +6

Long Sword and Heater: Init 0, Attack +10, Defense +9, Damage +7

Long Sword: Init 0, Attack +10, Defense +6, Damage +7

Short Bow: Init -3, Attack +4, Defense 0, Damage +7, Range 15

Fist:† Init -2, Attack +7, Defense +6, Damage +1

Kick:† Init -3, Attack +6, Defense +4, Damage +4

Lance and Heater:† Init -1, Attack +11, Defense +9, Damage +6

Lance:† Init 0, Attack +11, Defense +6, Damage +6

Long Sword and Heater:† Init 0, Attack +12, Defense +11, Damage +7

Long Sword:† Init 0, Attack +12, Defense +8, Damage +7

Short Bow:† Init -3, Attack +6, Defense +2, Damage +7, Range 15

Soak: +10

Fatigue levels: OK/0/-1/-3/-5/Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1, -3, -5, Incapacitated

Abilities: Animal Handling 2 (Horses), Arabic 5 (Poetry), Artes Liberales 2 (Rhetoric), Athletics 2 (Running), Awareness 2 (Alertness), Bows 3 (Short Bow), Brawl 3 (Punching), Carouse 2 (Staying Sober), Charm 2 (Being Witty), Chirurgy 2 (Binding Wounds), concentration 1 (Memory) Enchanting

*Middle Eastern equivalent of the Knight Minor Virtue.

**Reconceived for Middle Eastern characters as 50 exp that can be spent on Arabic, Theology: Islam, Islamic Law and Artes Liberales, due to a different education "system."

***As Enchanting Music Virtue, only applies to Mansur's Ability to sway others with his poetry (using Living Language skills).

†Totals while mounted (includes +2 bonus for Ride Ability)

Islamic version of Civil and Canon Law

Poetry 3 (Calming), Etiquette 2 (Nobility), Folk Ken 2 (Nobles), Great Weapon 1 (Long Spear), Guile 2 (Elaborate Lies), Hunt 2 (Lions), Intrigue 2 (Gossip), Iraq Lore 2 (Personalities), Islamic Law^§ 2 (Qur'anic Injunctions), Latin 2 (Hermetic), Leadership 2 (In Combat), Local Area Lore 2 (Geography), Ride 2 (Speed!), Single Weapon 4 (Long Sword), Stealth 2 (Deserts), Survival 2 (Deserts), Swim 2 (Long Distances), Theology: Islam 3 (Prophets)

Equipment: Long Sword, Heater Shield, Lance, Short Bow, Full Mail Armour (-3 to Per when helmet worn), Horse

Encumbrance: 3 (10) with lance & shield, to 2 (6) with just armour

Appearance: Mansur is of medium height and build, with brown eyes, black hair and a neatly curled goatee beard. He smiles frequently, and has a gentle but clearly audible voice with a discernable Middle Eastern accent. He usually wears baggy clothes: a white tunic and turban and black trews. When going into battle, he wears full chainmail constructed in Middle Eastern style.

Mansur is a wandering emir, the Muslim equivalent of a knight errant, who has found himself driven to seek help at the covenant. Born into a noble family in Baghdad, Mansur was raised to be a Muslim gentleman, a man of both war and culture. Like many of the educated Muslims of the time, he knows the Qur'an by heart and is familiar with a variety of Arabic literary and judicial texts. He is a skilled warrior and hunter, adept with lance, sword, shield and bow, and is also an unusually skilled poet; the latter would make him very popular in covenant, if only the other coven-folk could understand Arabic! However, some appreciate the resonance and musicality of Arabic, so he does get called upon to perform on occasion.

However, Mansur has a problem. In his youth he confronted a witch whom he found practicing black magic in a graveyard. She cursed him with a tendency to get embroiled in political struggles, with the result that at every court he has attended, he has found himself becoming enmeshed in nefarious plots through no fault of his own. The end result of this has been a number of hasty departures from a variety of places, in order to keep his head attached to his neck! News of his seeming penchant for intrigue has spread, and

now he is unwelcome at any city or fortress where the great and the good interact with each other.

Mansur wants to return to the high society in which he was raised, and so he has come to the covenant, seeking the help of the magi to break the curse. So far their efforts have proved to be fruitless, but he hopes that someday he may be able to return to the company of noble Muslims. In the meantime, he attempts to be useful to the magi, training the grogs and assisting with the maintenance of the covenant's library.

Mansur is not an obsessively pious Muslim, but he does have an unshakeable faith in the benevolence of Allah, from which he believes he has benefited; after all, despite his curse, he is still alive, so he feels that someone must be taking care of him!

Note: Mansur is loosely based upon a real historical person, a Syrian emir named Usama ibn Munqidh (1095-1188). Usama's memoirs are well known to historians and strongly recommended for both their (admittedly at times questionable) historical information and their entertainment value. The latest English edition is Usama ibn Munqidh, trans. Philip K. Hitti, An Arab-Syrian Gentleman & Warrior in the Period of the Crusades (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000).

Victor of Mercere#

by Neil Taylor

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +2, Pre -2, Com -2, Str +2, Sta +0, Dex +2, Qik 0

Size: 0

Age: 24

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Redcap; Ways of the Woods; Social Contacts (Nobles), Well-Traveled (Free Virtue), Wilderness Sense, Overconfident; Carefree, Compulsion (Hunting), Magic Susceptibility, Magical Animal Companion (horse), Poor Student, Weak Characteristics

Personality Traits: Cheerful +3, Ambitious +2, Gregarious +1

Combat: Long bow: Init –4, Attack +11, Defense +4, Damage +10

Long sword: Init +0, Attack +11, Defense +5, Damage +8

Long sword & round shield: Init +0, Attack +10, Defense +6, Damage +8

Lance (as long spear): Init +1, Attack +7, Defense +3, Damage +9

Dagger: Init -2, Attack +8, Defense +3, Damage +5

Fist: Init -2, Attack +5, Defense +2, Damage +2

(Note: Ways of the Woods grants a further +3 to all rolls when fighting in Woods. Note also "The Invisible Shield" bracelet)

Long sword (mounted): Init +0, Attack +14, Defense +8, Damage +8

Long sword & round shield (mounted): Init +0, Attack +13, Defense +9, Damage +8

Lance (mounted): Init +0, Attack +13, Defense +6, Damage +7

Lance & round shield (mounted): Init +0, Attack +13, Defense +8, Damage +7

Soak: +6 (partial chainmail); +2 (partial heavy leather, while hunting), +0 unarmored.

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20)

Abilities: Animal Handling 1 (hounds), Artes Liberales 2 (logic), Athletics 2 (run), Awareness 2 (alertness), Bargain 1 (strangers), Bows 3 (long bow), Brawl 2 (dagger), Carouse 2 (wild tales), Chirurgy 2 (first aid), Code of Hermes 1 (tribunal procedures), Concentration 3 (memory), Covenant Lore 2 (people), Etiquette 2 (hunting), Folk Ken 1 (magi), Great Weapon 1 (long spear), Hunt 3 (noble game), Latin 4 (hermetic use), Leadership 2 (huntsmen), Order of Hermes Lore 2 (covenants), Own Language 5 (fluency), Philosophiae 1 (natural philosophy), Ride 3 (in the hunt), Single Weapon 3 (long sword), Stealth 1 (stalking), Survival 2 (woods), Tribunal Lore 3 (geography), Wilderness Sense 2 (resources)

The Traveler's Finest Cook-pot: an iron cook-pot which transforms food placed in it into the banquet of the user's desire. It does not alter the quantity, nor the nutritive nature – but does make even unpalatable foods delicious. (It also saves on preparation time!). [MuAn(He) 11: GL 3, +3m for Touch/Sun, +1L for 2 uses daily]

The Traveler's Excellent Tent: a miniature leather tent, with guy ropes and pegs. On command it enlarges to the requested size – up to that of a tent capable of sleeping 4 spaciously (or cramming in 10 men) or of sheltering a man and his horse. On a second command it shrinks back to miniature form, ending the magical effect. [MuAn(He) 9: GL 3, the guyropes are cosmetic so no cost (they could be bone & sinew), +1m Conc, +5L maintains conc., 1 use per day.]

The Invisible Shield: an arm bracelet, apparently of cheap metal and unassuming decoration. When you make the triggering gesture, it briefly Wards the wielder from metal – effectively blocking all metal weapons. [ReTe 10: GL 2, +2m metal, +1m Touch, +5L 24 uses daily]

To trigger it, cross your fingers for luck and make a bold parrying gesture, bringing your arm up and across in front of your chest as if parrying with a shield.

Metal tipped wooden weapons like spears and arrows are affected, but wooden weapons with small amounts of metal (such as a spiked club) are less affected – you get a +5 Defense bonus but the weapon may still strike. Plain wooden weapons are unaffected.

Aeolus' Amulet: a leather charm woven into the mane of Aeolus. When one speaks the command word, the charm grants the horse it touches the power to ride across water, mud or any other surface. [ReAn 15, based on ReCo 4, +2m Touch/Conc, +1m Size. 1 use daily]. Aeolus wanted a charm that would let him gallop through the skies, but Victor's budget would not stretch that far. This may be the first item Victor requests when he finds enough Vis to pay a magus…] Note that Aeolus is a talking horse, and is generally the one to decide whether the charm is used or not.

The Eye of the Cat: an enchanted Cat's Eye stone, which grants the wielder the ability to see in the dark like a cat. [MuCo(An) 5 – same as Eyes of the Cat. 1 use daily.]

Encumbrance: 2 (Burden 4)

Vis: none yet, but he's looking for any he can find…

Appearance: a tall blond man, with long hair (usually held back by a cord), strong but very agile. His appearance varies as he travels, from an unassuming cloaked traveler on a nag, to a warrior in shining mail on a handsome charger.

If Victor were asked to pose, he would chose to portray himself as a great hunter (on a fine charger, with lance couched in pursuit of a deer); or perhaps a bare-headed warrior in chain mail shirt, fighting off several bandits simultaneously (ostentatiously deflecting their every blow with a small gesture, as he cuts them down with his broad-sword.)

Victor is the sort of Redcap who gets on well with Flambeau magi. He loves to ride and hunt (to the point of distraction), and often passes himself off as a visiting noble to join the hunts of mundane lords. He has a range of contacts among nobles he has hunted with, and will introduce himself to other nobles as "a friend of …" in order to join a chancedupon hunt. It seems likely that this passion may get him in trouble with the Quaesitors.

He is irrepressibly cheerful, and ever confident of his own abilities – largely borne out (it must be admitted) by his successes so far… It must be admitted, however, that if he is to attain the extended lifetime that he plans, then he may need to rein in his selfconfidence and good cheer, lest either he dive into some trouble he cannot handle, or find himself pushed into the same by some exasperated companion. In the meantime, he continues to seek out good food and good companions, to listen to his wild tales over foaming ale.

His closest companion is his horse, Aeolus, a free-willed, talking, magical being which shares his mad passion for the chase and the hunt, but is vain and proud of his superior nature. He has a Might of 8 (Size +2) and has a minor ability to vary his appearance from "unassuming nag" to "fine charger". Aeolus will generally go along with Victor's needs in this, as he understands the role the two play as a Redcap team, but he is also vain, and may choose to show off his fine looks at inopportune moments. (He is also an intact stallion, and there is no way Aeolus will consider being gelded!)

Victor takes as his sigil a hunting horn carried in the claws of a great eagle.

Although he is a non-magus he is said to bear many enchanted devices. As well as those provided by House Mercere to aid its members, he hopes to gain many personal devices. He plans to actively seek out Vis sources on his travels, trying to keep them secret. He then plans to make future messenger trips to pass by his sources and claim their Vis. This Vis he will then trades with other, Gifted, magi: mostly for enchanted devices, but also for other favours. For example, Aeolus has plans for his own set of magical devices; and both would like a device for silent communication.

Even without his magics, he is a powerful person and great hunter: he is physically strong, with keen senses, and as he devotes much of his spare time to physical pursuits, is highly skilled, most especially in the woods and forests of Mythic Europe, where he has an almost mystical attunement to the environment. As he grows, with the extended lifetime granted by a longevity potion, he will become an heroic hunter, or even an heroic warrior (were he to come into battle). With his out-going nature and taste for dangerous activities, he is likely to extend the repertoire of the bards and troubadours with his exploits, and enter the annals of Mythic Europe!

Carolus#

Furax of House Tytalus#

by Mark Shirley

Characteristics: Int +2, Per -1, Pre -1, Com -1, Str 0,

Sta +1, Dex +4, Qik 0

Size: 0

Age: 34 (Apparent Age 34) – Hermetic Age 9 since

Gauntlet.

Decrepitude: none

Warping Score: 2 (3)

Confidence Score: 2 (5 points)

Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Secondary Insight; Cyclic Magic (nighttime), Great Dexterity, Perfect Balance, Quiet Magic, Self Confident (free Virtue), Subtle Magic; Tormenting Master, Greater Malediction (sunlight causes pain); Incompatible Arts (Creo Ignem, Rego Ignem), Reckless

Personality Traits: Reckless +3, Self Important +2,

Envious +1, Secretive +2

Reputations: none

Soak: +1

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15),

Incapacitated (16-20)

Abilities: Area Lore 1 (rich houses), Artes Liberales 2 (scribing), Athletics 4 (climbing), Awareness 1 (at night), Charm 2 (ladies), Code of Hermes 1 (in relation to mundane law), Concentration 1 (maintaining spells), Finesse 2 (Imaginem), Guile 1 (excuses), Intrigue 3 (gentlefolk), Latin 4 (discussing magic), Legerdemain 4 (casual filching), Magic Theory 4

(inventing spells), Own Language 5 (townsfolk), Parma Magica 3 (Imaginem), Penetration 1 (Perdo), Profession: Scribe 1 (copying spells), Stealth 4 (inside)

Arts: Cr 2, In 0, Mu 5, Pe 10, Re 7; An 3, Aq 0, Au 0, Co 5, He 0, Ig 0, Im 10, Me 7, Te 6, Vi 4

Twilight Scars: none

Equipment: none.

Encumbrance: 0 (Burden 0)

Spells Known:#

Slipperiness of the Eel* (MuCo(An) 5/+9)

Stickiness of the Lizard's Toes* (MuCo(An) 5/+9)

Gloom of Evening (PeIg 10/+11)

Disguise of the Transformed Image (MuIm 15/+16)

Veil of Invisibility (PeIm 20/+21)

Recollection of Memories Never Quite Lived (MuMe 5/+13)

Loss of But a Moment's Memory (PeMe 15/+18)

Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe 20/+15)

Fist of Shattering (PeTe 10/+17)

Unseen Arm (ReTe 5/+14)

Trackless Step (ReTe 10/+14)

[* NEW SPELL]

New Spells#

SLIPPERINESS OF THE EEL

MuCo(An) 5

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind

Makes the target's body supple and stretchy for Sun duration, providing a +3 bonus to any rolls to wiggle through small cracks.

(Base 2, Touch +1, Sun +2, free requisite)

STICKINESS OF THE LIZARD'S TOES#

MuCo(An) 5

R: Personal, D: Sun, T: Part

Makes the caster's hands and feet sticky for Sun duration, providing a +3 bonus to all climbing rolls; but can prove quite annoying otherwise.

(Base 2, Sun +2, Part +1, free requisite)

Appearance: He is a tall, man with a scraggily beard and pale skin; but he has a charming manner and a quick wit, which encourages the foolish to trust him. He favors dark clothing, especially deep cloaks which satisfy his dramatic flair.

This slippery follower of Tytalus is an accomplished thief. Unbeknown to his sodales, Carolus occasionally sneaks out of the covenant at night to rob the rich. Sometimes he is a highwayman, at others he burgles rich merchants. He does not do it for the money - the covenant provides for all his needs - but for the thrill; it is almost an obsession for him. Naturally, his magic supplements his native skill; but even without magic he can get by perfectly well. He can squeeze his supple body through the smallest of gaps, palm other people's treasures with consummate ease, and melt into the shadows. When he brings his magic to bear, he is unstoppable. Furax favors the Form of Imaginem, but he does not neglect the other Arts; he takes a delight in accomplishing tasks with an inventive use of spells. All of his spells relate to his furtive night-time activities; providing disguises, bringing darkness and sleep, generating misdirection and foiling locks, and in fact, he knows few Imaginem spells, reserving his skill in this field to spontaneous magics to deal with whatever problems arise during one of his expeditions. His ability to cast his magic quietly and subtly has come in very useful on his night-time escapades.

Although he knows nothing of his ancestry, Carolus suspects that he may be descended from faeries (or other creatures) who revel in darkness. Sunlight is painful to him - bright sunshine will burn him after an hour's exposure, but even normal daylight is uncomfortable. All actions should be penalized by 1 to 3 points, depending on the strength of the sunlight. Additionally, he has always been incapable of creating light or fire, and his magic waxes in strength during the hours of the night. However, he has not displayed any other symptoms of faerie blood, so perhaps there is some other power at work here.

Darius, filius Xerxes, follower of Flambeau#

by Niall Christie

Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Str +2, Sta 0, Prs –3 (2), Com –1, Dex +1, Qik +2

Size: 0

Age: 87 (64), Hermetic age 62 yrs past Gauntlet.

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 6 (17)

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Puissant Art (Perdo) (free Virtue); Flawless Magic; Affinity with Perdo, Enduring Constitution, Fast Caster, Hermetic Prestige, Premonitions, Second Sight, Strong-Willed; Blatant Gift, Driven (Hunt Enemies of the Order), Enemies (Renounced Magus and his Lackeys); Disfigured (Facial Burns)

Personality Traits: Brave +3, Dedicated to Cause +3, Efficient +3

Reputations: Dedicated Hoplite +3 (Hermetic magi)

Combat: Fist: Init +2, Atk +5, Def +6, Dam +2

Kick: Init +1, Atk +4, Def +4, Dam +5

Long Spear: Init +5, Atk +9, Def +8, Dam +9

Soak: +0

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, 0, –2, –4, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1-5), –3 (6-10), –5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20) (* accumulated wound penalties reduce by 1 for Enduring Constitution)

Abilities: Artes Liberales 4 (Grammar), Athletics 2 (Running), Awareness 3 (Alertness), Bargain 2 (Books), Bavaria Lore 2 (Geography), Brawl 3 (Punching), Chirurgy 2 (Bind Wounds), Civil and Canon Law 1 (Local Customs), Code of Hermes 3 (Wizards' Marches), Concentration 3 (Spells), Dominion Lore 2 (Divine Creatures), Etiquette 2 (Merchants), Faerie Lore 2 (Faerie Forests), Finesse 4 (Precision), Folk Ken 2 (Peasants), German 5 (Merchant Slang), Great Weapon 4 (Long Spear), Guile 3 (Fast talk), Hunt 2 (Tracking), Infernal Lore 2 (Demons), Intrigue 3 (Plotting), Latin 4 (Hermetic), Leadership 3 (Intimidation), (Local Area) Lore 3 (Personalities), Magic Lore 2 (Creatures), Magic Theory 5 (Inventing Spells), Order of Hermes Lore 4 (Criminals), Parma Magica 5 (Corpus), Penetration 6 (Perdo), Philosophiae 2 (Moral Philosophy), Premonitions 3 (Enemy Magi), Profession - Scribe 2 (Speed), Second Sight 3 (Invisibility), Stealth 2 (Shadowing), Survival 2 (Forests), Swim 2 (Rough Water)

Arts: Cr 10, In 6, Mu 4, Pe 18+3 (15), Re 9; An 5, Aq 6, Au 6, Co 15, He 6, Ig 6, Im 5, Me 6, Te 6 (4), Vi 8

Twilight Scars: The shadows in Darius' hood are unusually deep, hiding his face; Nearby, non-magical items decay when Darius uses magic (as the Warped Magic Flaw).

Equipment: Long Spear with haft enchanted as a talisman, instilled with the effect The Wound that Weeps (PeCo 15, penetration 0, 50 uses per day), attuned to a +4 bonus to spells that destroy at a distance, Longevity Ritual: Lab Total 35, +7 aging bonus

Encumbrance: 0 (4)

Cripple the Howling Wolf (PeAn 25/+27*), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Parching Wind (PeAq 20/+28*), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Curse of the Desert (PeAg 25/+29*), Mastery 2 (Penetration, Magic Resistance)

The Chirurgeon's Healing Touch (CrCo 20/+26), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Whispers through the Black Gate (InCo (Me) 15/+13), Mastery 1 (Quiet Casting)

The Inexorable Search (InCo 20/+22), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Grip of the Choking Hand (PeCo 15/+37*), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

The Wound that Weeps ( PeCo 15/ + 37^* ), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Incantation of the Milky Eyes (PeCo 30/ + 37^* ), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Twist of the Tongue (PeCo 30/+37), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Clenching Grasp of the Crushed Heart (PeCo 40/+38*), Mastery 2 (Penetration, Magic Resistance)

Gift of the Bear's Fortitude (MuCo 25/+20), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Endurance of the Berserkers (ReCo 15/+25), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Lifting the Dangling Puppet (ReCo 15/+25), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Seven-League Stride (ReCo 35/+25), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

The Leap of Homecoming (ReCo 35/+25), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

The Great Rot (PeHe 25/+28*), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Soothe the Raging Flames (Pelg 20/+28), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Ward Against Heat and Flames (Relg 25/+16), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Veil of Invisibility (PeIm 20/+28), Mastery 2 (Quiet Casting x 2)

Tip of the Tongue (PeMe 5/+29), Mastery 2 (Fast Casting, Magic Resistance)

Calm the Motion of the Heart (PeMe 15/+28), Mastery 1 (Quiet Casting)

Loss of But a Moment's Memory (PeMe 15/+29*), Mastery 3 (Quiet Casting x 2, Still Casting)

Blessing of Childlike Bliss (PeMe 25/+30), Mastery 3 (Quiet Casting x 2, Still Casting)

Rusted Decay of Ten-Score Years (PeTe 20*, Target increased to Group/+28*), Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Demon's Eternal Oblivion (PeVi 30/+30*). Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Wind of Mundane Silence ( PeVi 30/ + 30 ), Mastery 1 (Magic Resistance)

(* if Darius is holding his Talisman, he has a +4 bonus to cast spells which "Destroy things at a distance")

Appearance: Darius is a frightening individual. A bony figure swathed in a black, all-encompassing robe and carrying a black-hafted spear, he is reminiscent of medieval perceptions of the physical embodiment of death. This image is further emphasized if his hood falls away from his face, for Darius is bald, with a mass of scar tissue for a face and no eyes.

Darius is content to cultivate his sinister image; he is a hoplite and an expert with Perdo magic, dedicated to the discovery and execution of traitors within the Order. However, it was not always thus; Uwe, the boy who would eventually become Darius, was born into a merchant family living in Bavaria. He enjoyed a comfortable life in a moderately prosperous household. However, shortly after Uwe reached puberty strange things began to happen. His books would fall apart, furniture he sat on would break, and the family cat died in his arms. His family became aware that there was something unsettling about the boy and were only too happy to see him taken away as an apprentice by the mysterious scholar who visited them soon after.

Thus Uwe became the apprentice of the hoplite Xerxes, who indoctrinated his filius to become a hunter of evils within the Order of Hermes. A lab accident early during apprenticeship burned away Uwe's eyes and the flesh on his head, but Xerxes restored Uwe's sight, although he refused to do anything about his filius' appearance. Fifteen years later Uwe became a magus of the Order of Hermes named Darius and joined the ranks of the hoplites, its guardians. He has continued

to maintain contact with his (aging) pater, but they only see each other on rare occasions when they can share information; Xerxes is now too frail to take part in combat.

Darius travelled to the covenant to establish a base from which he could seek out and destroy its enemies. He pursued this vocation with an enthusiasm that impressed his colleagues, and when the previous leader of the covenant recently passed into Final Twilight he accepted the position of head, seeing in this an opportunity to instill his values into the new, younger members swelling its ranks. Darius has been too busy to train an apprentice, but now he feels the need to pass on his legacy soon, as he suspects that he may have encountered his bane; he recently fought a powerful Renounced magus and his followers and was nearly killed, only "escaping" when a magical maelstrom sent him physically into Twilight. The traitor is still at large; Darius intends to kill him in the next confrontation and is even prepared to sacrifice himself to achieve this aim.

Mari Amwithig of Merinita#

by Neil Taylor

Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Pre +1, Com 0, Str - 2, Sta +2, Dex -1, Qik 0

Size: 0

Age: 28 (23*)

* LP made as a Favour by her parens –14 to Aging (CrCo lab total 20+25+3+7+5 + Mari's 3+4 = 67)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 1 (6*)

(* her parens had to inflict a warping point on her in order to teach her Faerie Magic)

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Maga; Affinity with Perdo, Book Learner, Cyclic Magic (+3 at night), Faerie Magic (free Virtue), Life Boost, Mastered Spells, Puissant Art (Perdo), Special Circumstances: touching, Subtle Magic; Driven: prove herself better than the Faerie Blooded magi, Favors (her parens, for LP); Cyclic Magic (-3 by day), Short Lived Magic

Personality Traits: Jealous of Faerie Blood magi +3, Vain +2, Spiteful +1

Combat: Fist: Init 0, Attack 0, Defense +1, Damage -2

Soak: +2

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20)

Abilities: Artes Liberales 2 (ceremonial casting), Awareness 1 (searching), Code of Hermes 1 (faerie matters), Concentration 1 (spells), Covenant Lore 1 (rules), Faerie Lore 2 (dark winter), Faerie Magic 1 (showy effects), Finesse 1 (precision), Latin 4 (Hermetic usage), Leadership 1 (shield grogs), Living Language 5 (wide vocabulary), Magic Theory 4 (invent spells), Order of Hermes Lore 1 (who's who), Parma Magica 2 (Corpus), Penetration 3 (Perdo), Philosophiae 2 (ritual spells), Profession: Scribe 1 (copying), Stealth 0+1 (sneaking), Survival 0+1 (woods)

Agony of the Beast 1 (dogs), Eyes of the Cat 1 (at night), Grip of the Choking Hand 2 (warriors), Lift the Dangling Puppet 1 (warriors), Curse of the Rotted Wood 1 (doors), Invisibility of the Standing Wizard 1 (inside), Obliteration of the Metallic Barrier 1 (doors), Wind of Mundane Silence 1 (against faerie magic)

Arts: Cr 0, In 0, Mu 5, Pe 15(*), Re 6; An 7, Aq 0, Au 0, Co 7, He 4, Ig 0, Im 0, Me 4, Te 4, Vi 0

(* Includes +3 for Puissant Art)

Equipment: robes, an impressive looking carved staff, elaborate finger rings

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Spells Known:#

Agony of the Beast (PeAn 15/+25), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Eyes of the Cat (MuCo 5/+18@), Mastery 1 (Multiple Casting)

Grip of the Choking Hand (PeCo 25/+26), Mastery 2 (Fast Casting, Penetration)

Slay the Innocent* (PeCo(An) 30/+24)

Lift The Dangling Puppet (ReCo 15/+16), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Curse of the Rotted Wood (PeHe 5/+25@), Mastery 1 (Still Casting)

Palm of Flame (CrIg 10/+5@)

Invisibility of the Standing Wizard (PeIm 15/+21@), Mastery 1 (Still Casting)

Touch of Shattering* (PeTe 5/+24@)

Obliteration of the Metallic Barrier (PeTe 20/+25@), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Obliteration of the Traveler's Barrier* (PeTe(He) 20/+21)

Grasp the Distant Slingstone* (ReTe 10/+12)

Wielding the Invisible Sling (ReTe 10/+12)

Wind of Mundane Silence (PeVi 20/+18), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

(@ These spells have Touch range, so include the +3 "Special Circumstances: Touching" bonus)

(* New spell)

New Spells:#

SLAY THE INNOCENT

PeCo(An) 30

R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Ind

This spell slices open the unfortunate victim, leaving them grievously and horribly wounded: companions of the victim may be horror-struck at the sight of such a happening. The name reflects the likelihood

that an unaided victim will die soon after incapacitation.

(Base 20, +2 Voice)

Touch of Shattering - PeTe 5: ("Fist of Shattering", reduced to Touch range). The appropriate Form for the target is a casting requisite.

OBLITERATION OF THE TRAVELER'S BARRIER#

PeTe(He) 20

R: Road (Faerie Range), D: Mom, T: Ind

Using the Faerie "Road" range carries the spell beyond the range of the caster's voice (useful if casting quietly!) so long as there is a path directly to the object. A barrier laid across a road is the most obvious example of such, hence the name of the spell, although the spell can destroy any object (up to 10 Individuals in size) of wood, stone, metal or similar material, not just a barrier.

(Base 5, +2 Road, +1 size) (cf Obliteration of the Metallic Barrier)

GRASP THE DISTANT SLINGSTONE#

ReTe 10

R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Ind (based on Wielding the Invisible Sling)

The spell "grabs" a nearby object that could be thrown by a normal person (provides it is not held or fastened down), and moves it rapidly to the hand of the caster. Although the title suggests a sling-stone, an alternative use is to attempt to grab a small, shed, portion of an opponent – so that the caster may obtain an Arcane Connection to said opponent. It may help if an obliging shield grog can make the target shed a drop of blood(e.g. nicking it with a weapon). The Arcane Connection can then be used to boost Penetration of spells cast against the opponent.

(Base 4, +2 Voice)

Vis: none, alas.

Appearance: A striking young woman with pale skin and raven black hair, which never seems to stay where it should (a mundane problem, which Mari could solve with magic, but does not). While quite given to sneaking around, hooded and cloaked, in dark places, she much prefers company where she can let her good looks show.

She is often found in the company of assorted night Faeries, goblin and redcaps and the like, which dayfolk consider unsavory…

Recruited by her Merinita parens for her intelligence and magical Gift, she nevertheless has no trace of faerie blood in her veins. It was a source of minor shame to her parens that he had to inflict a small warping spell in order to initiate her into the faerie Mysteries.

She is pale and raven haired, in contrast to the ruddy blond, Sidhe-blooded magi around her as she was trained. She is deeply jealous of her sodales in the House, of their ease and grace and good looks, and the common assumptions that faeries are light and fluffy and that Merinita magi should be like that too. She found a strength in the darkness, and discovered more about the dark fae, and the destructive aspects of magic.

She is determined to make herself better than those who have the easy option of faerie blood: she studies spells, arts and skills to wield raw power, and even nagged her parens to devise a longevity ritual for her before she even finished her apprenticeship. Having this potion (combined with her genuine youth) has made her seem not to have aged since her gauntlet.

[In game terms, she makes her aging rolls as normal, but ignores all results other than "no apparent aging (2 or less)" or "apparent age increases by one year (3 or more)"; she will start to make aging rolls normally after she turns 35.]

In her drive, she has also learnt tricks to make herself seem more powerful: elder magi may be so suffused with aspects of their Art as to radiate involuntary effects, and she tries to make it seem as though she does, too. She has learnt minor spells of destruction, and mastered them, so that she might cast them without seeming - one of her favorite tricks is to flounce out "through" a door, shattering it into pieces; or to make plants wilt around her. She also carries an ornately carved staff, which other may take for a talisman, or enchanted device, but which is in truth nothing more than a "stage prop"!

If a cast spell is blocked by the magic resistance of an opponent, she will try to obtain a small item, drop of blood, or fallen hair, using her spell Grasp the Distant Slingstone, and using that to boost her Penetration total. If that is not enough, she will draw on reserves of inner strength, and use her own life force to boost the spell casting. So far, this has always proved enough… she may yet fail! She also desires to improve her Penetration ability by study and practice.

Her vain desire to remain young, like the faeries, by the artificial means of a powerful longevity ritual, mean that she began her magical career owing a large favor to her parens, above the normal debt of any filia to parens. She has sent small gifts of raw Vis whenever she has managed; should he ask her to perform some task she knows she must obey even though it inconvenience her considerably.

Moratamis#

Follower of Cuernicus#

by Erik Dahl

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +3, Pre +2, Com +1, Str -2, Sta +1, Dex -2, Qik -1

Size: 0

Age: 44 (30)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 2 (15)

Confidence Score: 2 (5)

Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Skilled Parens, Hermetic Prestige (free Virtue), Mastered Spells, Quiet Magic (x2), Subtle Magic; Educated, Famous, Piercing Gaze, Self-Confident; Driven (justice); Warped Magic, Creative Block, Deleterious Circumstances (target unaware); Visions; Weakness (women)

Personality Traits: Careful +3, Just +3, Indulgent +1

Reputations: Fair 4 (Hermetic), Knowledgeable Quaesitor 3 (Hermetic)

Soak: +1

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20)

Abilities: Artes Liberales 4 (logic), Awareness 6 (search- ing), Charm 2 (pleasantries), Civil and Canon Law 3 (French), Code of Hermes 6 (relations), Concentration 3 (spell concentration), Etiquette 4 (the Order), Faerie Lore 1 (customs), Finesse 2 (Mentem), Folk Ken 3 (women), Guile 1, Intrigue 3 (alliances), Magic Theory 4 (inventing spells), Norman Lore 2 (personalities), Order of Hermes Lore 3 (personalities), Parma Magica 5 (Corpus), Penetration 3 (Mentem), Profession: Scribe

2 (legal documents), Speak Latin 5 (academic usage), Speak Langue d'Oc 5 (written), Speak Langue d'Oil 2 (official documents)

Arts: Cr 1, In 12, Mu 1, Pe 7, Re 8; An 5, Aq 0, Au 0, Co 5, He 0, Ig 0, Im 10, Me 13, Te 0, Vi 5

Spells Known:#

Opening the Tome of the Animal's Mind (InAn25/+18)

Prying Eyes (InIm5/+23)

The Ear for Distant Voices (InIm20/+23)

Summoning the Distant Image (InIm25/+23)

Invisibility of the Standing Wizard (PeIm15/+20), Mastery 2 (Fast Casting, Multiple Casting)

Veil of Invisibility (PeIm20/+18)

Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie (InMe20/+28), Mastery 2 (Penetration, Magic Resistance)

Posing the Silent Question (InMe20/+29), Mastery 3 (Fast Casting, Magic Resistance, Penetration)

Loss of But a Moment's Memory (PeMe15/+24), Mastery 2 (Magic Resistance, Multiple Casting)

The Call to Slumber (ReMe10/+24), Mastery 2 (Penetration, Multiple Casting)

Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe20/+23), Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Piercing the Faerie Veil (InVi20/+18)

Appearance: Moratamis is a tall, handsome woman apparently in her early thirties. She has dark hair that hangs below her waist and is typically plaited with ribbons or held back in a long veil parted over her shoulders, worn under a copper circlet inscribed with the symbol of House Guernicus. She favors blue gowns and skirts with flared voluminous lower sleeves of finely pleated fabric, tied with a double belt and a sash in the French style. While she rarely needs to keep her hands free, instead letting them hang comfortably and decorously at her sides, she ensures that her face is always uncovered. Her eyes are quick and piercing, and while her look may be friendly and welcoming, there is clearly steel beneath her gaze, and she misses little.

Moratamis is a Quaesitor, a follower of House Guernicus, and as such she represents the Order of Hermes in everything she does. Because of this, she is mindful of her actions at all times, and careful to do nothing that would bring embarrassment upon her, her covenant, or her House. She is a great student of lore and etiquette, and believes that by observing the graces that make others comfortable, she better understands the motivations of those around her. While driven to bring about justice for all, as part of this she is interested in bringing about equality between mundane men and women, in as much as rights and status are concerned. However, she recognizes the inherent good in the traditional system, and does not generally rebel against it as an institution.

Moratamis never knew her parents, for she was born out of wedlock and left to the abbey of Fontrevault in 1125. She was later apprenticed to a wandering maga named Empistula, who had close ties to the nunnery, and completed most of her magical training under her tutelage. Before they finished, her mistress died under suspicious circumstances, and Moratamis was left to make her way across France alone. At some point on her journey she became lost, and found shelter in a faerie palace. She spent forty days there, during which time she copied strange legal documents for the faerie lord to pay her keep. Armed with his directions, she left the regio and eventually reached the largest covenant in the tribunal, where she learned her journey had somehow taken her forty years, though to her it seemed less than a year. The presiding quaesitor recognized her, and a wizard of House Bonisagus agreed to help her complete the few years of apprenticeship still remaining to her. She was allowed to

swear the Oath as a follower of House Guernicus and Empistula's filia.

Now, twenty years later, she maintains correspondence with many friends and associates throughout the Order of Hermes, and often gives advice to those who write to her with legal questions or questions of custom and tradition. When interpreting the Code, Moratamis is a Traditionalist, meaning that she tends to rule by precedent rather than by circumstances. Her special interest is in the Order's relations with others; she believes magi should strive to observe but not interfere with mundanes, faeries and other groups. In her opinion, the best way to achieve this is through the mind; by studying or removing memories she makes sure that only those with need know the truth about the Order.

Her Wizard's Sigil is a sense of propriety, which manifests in her target or those who interact with her target. For example, if she were to cause a man to forget his conversation with her, he might retain the satisfaction of a job well done, though he might not recall what it was that caused him this feeling. Because of her Binding Sigil, that man would remain an arcane connection to Moratamis for a period of time, perhaps as long as he could recall the feeling of her spell.

She usually performs her magic by looking people in the eye, and in fact has grown dependent on this method since she does not use her voice or gestures unless she is casting spells of great range. Her magic is weaker when her targets are not aware of her, and so while she may cast spells to hide herself from danger, she doesn't use her Arts to spy on others without very good reason. She has learned to follow her hunches, though, as she often has a strange sense for trouble (Visions).

Moratamis is a stern judge, but she does have a soft spot for luxurious living. She enjoys good food and good wine, and does her best to ensure that the covenant has access to such amenities. She also sympathizes with women, especially young women in trouble, and may go out of her way to offer them her assistance. Otherwise, everyone who knows her is aware that she does not think highly of trickery and deceit, and will not hesitate to see those who bend the rules brought to justice.

Tillitus#

of House Bonisagus#

by Matt Ryan

Characteristics: Int +5, Per +1, Str -2, Sta +1, Prs +1, Com +2, Dex -2, Qik +1

Size: -1

Age: 35 (Apparent Age 35)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0 points)

Confidence Score: 0 (0 points)

Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Secondary Insight; Affinity with Latin, Free Study, Great Intelligence (twice), Premonitions, Puissant Ability (Magic Theory) (free Virtue), Special Circumstances (casting while tipsy); Low Self-Esteem, Driven; Clumsy Magic, Lesser Malediction (unlucky), Small Frame

Personality Traits: Hesitant +2, Modest +2, Self-

centered +1

Reputations: None

Combat: Fist: Init +1, Attack 0, Defense +3, Damage -2

Soak: -2

Fatigue levels: OK, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-4), -3 (5-8), -5(9-12),

Incapacitated (13-16)

Abilities: Awareness 1 (dark corners), Brawl 2 (dodging), Breton 5 (city dweller's slang), Brittany Area Lore 2 (urban centers), Carouse 2 (begging drinks), Chirurgy 2 (self-treatment), Code of Hermes 1 (Normandy Tribunal magi), Concentration 3 (under

duress), Finesse 1 (Auram), Folk Ken 2 (lower classes), French 3 (barroom cant), Guile 2 (disavowing responsibility), Latin 5 (Hermetic usage), Magic Theory 3+2 (extracting Vis), Order of Hermes Lore 1 (Normandy Tribunal magi), Paris Lore 2 (students' quarters), Parma Magica 2 (Ignem), Penetration 1 (Auram), Premonitions 2 (personal rejection), Stealth 2 (hiding), Survival 2 (city streets)

Arts: Cr 5, In 5, Mu 4, Pe 4, Re 5; An 3, Aq 2, Au 3, Co 2, He 2, Ig 0, Im 2, Me 3, Te 0, Vi 5

Twilight Scars: None

Equipment: Wizardly robes.

Encumbrance: 0

Spells Known:#

Panic of the Elephant's Mouse (ReAn 15/+9)

Broom of the Winds (CrAu 15/+9)

The Chirurgeon's Healing Touch (CrCo 20/+8)

The Gift of Vigor (ReCo 20/+8)

Trap of the Entwining Vines (CrHe 15/+8)

Discern the Images of Truth and Falsehood (InIm 15/+8)

Panic of the Trembling Heart (CrMe 15/+9)

Sense the Nature of Vis (InVi 5/+11)

While Tillitus might be the typical sort of magus from House Bonisagus, he is not the typical magus just leaving apprenticeship. He is much older than his peers, younger men and women also starting on the long road of a magi's life. This difference is readily apparent and Tillitus is acutely aware of it, so much so that it has become a liability more than a strength.

In public with his peers he is clumsy and awkward, tongue-tied when he speaks and fumbling when he casts spells. In private he is much more confident, at ease with magical research and innovative when inventing spells or undertaking other arcane ventures. He is strongly driven to overcome his public failings, and constantly pushes himself to reattempt and succeed at his past mistakes. Unfortunately, his second effort usually fares as poorly as his first. Tillitus is the hermetic embodiment of the idea that if you fail, you should try, try again.

In Tillitus's case, you should try, try, try, try . . . you get the picture.

Background#

Tillitus doesn't remember his mother or father, nor does he know the circumstances of his birth. He grew up with the village wise woman, the only woman in the village interested in aiding the abandoned child. During his birth he was cursed with ill luck by an unknown assailant, which so deeply affected him that it became part of his essential nature.

As a child growing up in Brittany, Tillitus had talent, a wizardly knack for finding things. Many of his

neighbors thought the annually visiting maga would select the boy for apprenticeship, but it was not to be; a clever young girl was chosen instead. Better luck next time, they said.

Tillitus had a flair that bordered on the fantastic for combining tinctures and herbal remedies, but as a teenager wandering behind the village wise woman, he felt his life lacking. He waited again, holding his breath, as the Russian magus eyed him over, judging him against a precocious albino boy. Tillitus failed to pass the magus's muster and was again passed over for another.

The magisters of the University of Paris were surprised when Tillitus stood before them, requesting admission to their academy. Although the young man impressed them with his erudition and selftaught Latin skills, there was something unsettling about the rustic. At twenty, he was a tad too old to begin academic studies, so he was refused, passed over again.

Tillitus went to an inn and, pestering the inn-keeper until he was sold a tankard of ale, drowned his sorrows with the bitter tasting brew. He then bought another, and another, until he had become quite drunk and was thrown out into the street. Naturally, thought Tillitus, it was raining.

And that is precisely where his soon-to-be mater found him, laying stinking drunk in the gutter, the rats and cut-purses avoiding the bedraggled young man. Some whisper Maga Countenance adopted Tillitus on a dare, others mused it was to win a bet, but for whatever reason she, one of the Order's most prestigious and inventive magi, accepted Tillitus as her apprentice.

Tillitus's ill-luck continued throughout his apprenticeship. While he quickly learned his arcane studies, and effortlessly mastered many minor cantrips, he always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bad luck followed him like a black rain cloud, making for many adventures. Finally, fifteen years later - although Countenance swears it felt like thirty - Tillitus was gauntleted and awarded the title of Magus of House Bonisagus.

With a final parting gift and many more words of advice, Countenance hustled her protégé out the door. As a final act of kindness, she had procured a place for him among a distant Covenant. Tillitus left, with a smile on his face and a newly worn hole in his coin purse, spilling pennies in his wake. Countenance smiled, waved good-bye, and moved house once he had traveled out of sight.

Role-playing Tillitus#

Tillitus's curse is such an integral part of his nature that he doesn't realize he is cursed. Instead he assumes that his failings are his fault and not a magical malady of any sort. While this has crushed his self-esteem, it has also driven him to surmount his own perceived shortcomings. He is not depressed, possessing a thriving spirit, but he is shy and a tat embarrassed. He has learned that alcohol will bolster his confidence, especially when spell casting, and will knock back a few drinks before especially important situations. He is

intelligent enough to realize the consequences of his behavior if he were to abuse it.

Tillitus is shy and outwardly nervous. He often stands in the back of a group, wringing his hands, looking for the opportunity to leap to the fore to impress his fellows. This ploy rarely works, and Tillitus resumes his place at the back of the pack.

Tillitus isn't very interested in his personal background and would most likely disbelieve anyone who told him about his birth. Information about his past might draw him into a story, but he is more interested in proving who is, rather than discovering who he was. Removing Tillitus's curse would have serious ramifications, and might even quench his Gift.

In play, the curse manifests itself as the opposite of the Minor General Virtue: Luck. Rather than giving Tillitus a penalty on die rolls that involve luck more than skill, the storyguide should play up the failings of the magus, making him roll more botch dice during spell casting is a good example. Tooling up the negative social aspects of Tillitus's Gift is another.

Semita Errabunda –Virgil the Magical Cat#

Magic Might: 13 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre -2, Com –2, Str -5, Sta +1, Dex +3, Qik +5

Size: -3 Age: 2 (2)

Confidence Score: 2 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Animal [see Note 1 below], Magical Covenfolk [free Social Status Virtue; he is generally accepted by the people in the covenant as an equal but does not command any special respect because of his magical nature and those outside the covenant treat him as a regular cat], Perfect Balance, Puissant Awareness, Sharp Ears; Covenant Upbringing, Delusion (must supervise grog activities in the covenant)

Magical Qualities and Inferiorities: Magical Meditation [allows him to recover Might faster from a Magic aura and to resist the effects of Acclimation (see Note 4 below)], Lesser Power (x3), Minor Virtue (x2) (Second Sight, Self-Confidence), Personal Power (x2), Reduced Attack (teeth) [Attack bonus reduced by 2], Susceptible to Deprivation [needs to breathe, eat and drink]

Personality Traits: Curious +4, Cat +3* [Essential Trait], Timid +1, Interfering +1

Reputations: Nuisance 2 (covenant)

Combat:

Claws: Init +3, Attack +8, Defense +11, Damage -3 Teeth: Init +4, Attack +6, Defense +8, Damage –4

Soak: +2

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–2), –3 (3–4), –5 (5–6), Incapacitated (7–8), Dead (9+)

Abilities [see Notes 2 and 3 below]: Area Lore: Covenant 3 (kitchens), Athletics 3 (jumping)*, Awareness 4 (at night)**, Brawl 2 (claws), Charm 2 (grogs), Concentration 1 (prey), Dead Language: Latin 1 (reprimands) [understanding not speaking, see Note 1 below], Etiquette 1 (coven folk), Folk Ken 3 (kitchen staff), Guile 2 (begging for food), Hunt 4 (rodents), Intrigue 2 (covenant), Living Language: Local 3 (kitchen talk) [understanding not speaking, see Note 1 below], Magical Meditation (maintaining concentration) 1, Penetration 3 (Mentem) [gained by using excess level points from the Powers, see Note 3], Second Sight 1 (invisible things), Stealth 4 (stalking), Survival 3 (covenant)

*Cats gain a +3 bonus on rolls to climb and jump, due to their Perfect Balance Virtue.

**Cats have excellent night vision.

Powers:#

Everywhere at Once, 0 points, Init: Qik-1, Animal

R:Per, D: Mom, T: Ind

Based on the ReCo guideline level 15, transport the target up to 50 paces (ArM5 page 134).

ReAn15 (Base 15); Personal Power (15 levels, +1 Initiative, -1 Might cost) [See Note 3]

Feigned Innocence, 0 points, Init: Qik, Mentem

R: Eye, D: Mom, T: Group

This causes a Group of people to forget something the cat did, much as the spell Loss of But A Moment's Memory does (ArM5, page 151).

PeMe15 (Base 1, +1 Eye, +1 Group); Lesser Power (15 levels, +1 Initiative, -1 Might cost)

Inconspicuousness, 0 points, Init: Qik–1, Imaginem

R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind

A Personal version of Invisibility of the Standing Wizard (ArM5, page 146)

PeIm20 (Base 4, +2 Sun); Personal Power (20 levels, -1 Might cost)

Pass the Unyielding Portal, 0 points; Init: Qik –1, Herbam R: Touch, D: Diam, T: Ind

A version of the spell of the same name, used when no humans are available to open doors. (ArM5, page 137)

MuHe5 (Base 3, +1 Touch +1 Diameter): Lesser Power (5 levels, -1 Might cost, 15 xp Penetration)

Prying Eyes, 0 points, Init: Qik –1, Imaginem

R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Room

This effect is used to look inside buildings and rooms while patrolling a house or town. Note that a cat touching the roof of a room can see inside it. (ArM5, page 144).

InIm5 (Base 1, +1 Touch, +1 Conc +2 Room); Lesser Power (5 levels, -1 Might cost, 15 xp Penetration)

Natural Weapons: Claws: Init –1, Attack +2, Defense +3, Damage +2. Teeth: Init 0,

Attack +3, Defense +1, Damage +1. The cat's dense fur gives it a Protection of +1.

Vis: 2 pawns, Animal, in eyes. (Might / 5, rounded up)

Appearance: Virgil is a slim, two year-old black cat, with eyes of olive-green.

Virgil was born in the covenant and grew up there, playing and learning about life with several siblings and a number of cousins, but he always knew he was special. While the other kittens filled their young lives with play, sleep and milk, he was learning his way around the stables and ingratiating himself with the other residents. As soon as he was old enough to take on duties, he made himself useful and quickly became familiar with every part of the covenant, inside and out.

He enjoys patrolling and specializes in hunting down vermin but he feels his primary role is in supervision, keeping an eye on all the activities that make up covenant life to ensure things are done properly. While he could be found just about anywhere in the covenant, he seems to turn up most frequently in the vicinity of the kitchen. Most of the people who work there are friendly towards him, and he knows how to get round them for attention and tidbits. Another favorite haunt is the library; any pile of books may be treated by Virgil as a convenient vantage point. Any piece of parchment laid down and unattended is likely to be sat upon, with the inevitable consequences if there is wet ink on it.

While not afraid of the magi, he does not find them congenial company so tends to keep out of their way. Where the covenfolk are concerned, he seems to be able to predict what they are going to do, since they often find him in the way, underfoot, in the basket, on the table, or where-ever else is inconvenient. Of course, from Virgil's point of view, he is just keeping a very close eye on them. It is as well for him that he remains popular with many, and tolerated by almost all the rest.

Notes#

1. The Magical Animal Virtue include the No Hands Flaw and also Mute; that is, the character cannot use human speech but is able to communicate like any other animal of its species.
1. Virgil is a Summer Season character and thus has 360 experience points to spend.
1. Excess points from the Personal Powers and Lesser Powers are used to reduce the Might Point cost to 0 for all of them, and to improve the Penetration Ability.
1. Magic characters are nurtured by the power of Magic and they rely on it to survive. Over time, those magic characters that do not maintain a connection to the realm of Magic slowly lose some of their magical power. This process is called Acclimation: the character becomes less magical as it becomes more conditioned to the mundane world and more distant from the Magic Realm.