TEXT: Credits
  Publisher: Perambulations Press
  Editor: Jason Tondro
  Graphic Design: Ade Smith, Amber Elliot
  Contact Peripheral Code
  Email: jason.tondro@gmail.com
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  Legal Notice
  Peripheral Code is an independent publication not affiliated with Atlas Games or White Wolf Gaming 
  Studios. Perambulations Press is not affiliated with Atlas Games or White Wolf. Ars Magica is © Trident 
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  their ownership
  Editorial
  House Rules: Solo Adventures in Ars Magica by Chris Quin and expanded by Ezechiel357
  Fairies, Fairies Everywhere by Cathelineau
  The Black Cloaks by Jason Tondro
  The Mutability of Otherworldy Fortunes: An ArM5 adventure by Jim Seals
  Magi of the Order: Euryalus Koios of House Tremere by Jason Tondro
  Adversaries: The Court of Roses by Jim Mangiamel
  Illuminations: The Book of Szabo by Jason Tondro
  Goblin Market: Sequenti, Verditus's Second Ring by Vincent Garcia Gomez
  Submission Guidelines
  1
  2
  4
  11
  16
  18
  36
  41
  45
  48
  50
  Table of Contents
  
  Second issues are peculiar things. On the one hand, I 
  think it’s legitimately something to be proud of. On the 
  other hand, there’s still about a million ways this thing 
  could go wrong. So instead of boasting, I’m happy to 
  instead highlight all the amazing work being done by 
  your fellow Ars players, both here in Peripheral Code 
  and elsewhere.
      In our first issue, I asked you to contribute to the 
  community by sending me manuscripts for publication. 
  And you did! The second issue of Peripheral Code 
  includes work from regular contributors, authors I 
  approached directly hat in hand, and also writers whom 
  I have never met, who sent their pieces in for 
  consideration. You have no idea how gratifying this is, 
  because without your articles Peripheral Code would 
  not exist. This is your magazine, and as editor, it’s 
  incredibly exciting to put it together.
      This issue includes our first adventure, rules for 
  playing Ars Magica solo, and an alternate method for 
  the creation of faerie characters. Our Antagonists 
  column launches with the faerie-themed Court of 
  Roses. Bonisagus and Flambeau got plenty of pages 
  last issue, so this time I turned to the Black Cloaks of 
  House Tremere and Euryalus Koios of Tytalus, formerly 
  of House Jerbiton. 
      There are two articles in this issue I especially want 
  to highlight, because they illustrate the amazing work 
  being done elsewhere in the Ars Magica community. 
  There may not be any Ars Magica books in the pipeline, 
  but there’s new material being produced for this game 
  every month. This is our second issue, but Sub Rosa 
  just published its 19th issue, and it’s over 80 pages 
  long! It was in Sub Rosa that I first read the work of 
  Vincent Garcia-Gomez. In an article on Magical Things, 
  Vincent postulated that the ten rings of the Founder 
  Verditius were each sentient objects capable of casting 
  spells on their own, and he presented the first of these, 
  the Ring of Vim. Excited by the possibilities, I reached 
  out to Vincent and he agreed to design the second of 
  the rings, the Ring of Terram, kicking off our regular 
  column on enchanted items, Goblin Market. I’d really 
  like to see all ten of the rings written up one day, so if 
  you like what you see and you want Vincent to finish the 
  run, please write to me at jason.tondro@gmail.com.
      For years, Timothy Ferguson has blogged about Ars 
  Magica (and other things) at his site, Games from 
  Folktales. But over the last year, Timothy has been 
  conducting a long experiment in podcasting. The result 
  is an astonishing 50 episodes, one every week, 
  amounting to hundreds of pages of material. Every 
  month, Timothy publishes the transcripts of the podcast, 
  adding Ars Magica stats for demons, faeries, even 
  entire covenants. It was episode 33, “Whaling in Mythic 
  Europe”, which led to this issue’s Book of Szabo, a 
  treatise on whales and whaling in Mythic Europe, 
  complete with laboratory texts for spells designed to be 
  used on the mighty leviathans. Timothy is always 
  looking for ideas and input on future episodes; you can 
  find Games from Folktales here or download the 
  podcast directly. His Patreon, which funds the podcast, 
  is here.
      CJ Romer also ran an Ars Magica podcast, this one 
  called Arcane Connection. He’s got 17 episodes, which 
  you can find here. 
      CJ is also an organizer for the Ars Magica fan 
  convention. This year’s Grand Tribunal UK is scheduled 
  for August 11-13 in Cheltenham. There used to be a US 
  version of Grand Tribunal, but it’s not been held for 
  several years. Wouldn’t it be great if someone picked 
  that baton up and ran with it? You can find out more 
  about Grand Tribunal here. 
      Last year, Project Redcap got a new Head Redcap. 
  For those who do not know it, Project Redcap is one of 
  the oldest community resources for Ars Magica. It is a 
  player-maintained wiki with many resources, including 
  links to campaign websites around the world. For ten 
  years, Project Redcap was administered by Andrew 
  Goronsky, who also contributed to many Ars Magica 
  books over the course of 5th edition. Walter, the new 
  Head Redcap, volunteered for the position when Andy 
  announced his decision to move on. Bookmark Project 
  Redcap here and check it out.
      Walter’s first project as Head Redcap was “30 Pages 
  in November”, in which readers of the Atlas Forums and 
  the Berkeley list competed to see who could add the 
  most to Project Redcap in one month. (The winner: 
  Team Forums!) But this was only one example of the 
  Ars community’s tradition of November projects. This 
  tradition, based at the official Ars forums hosted by 
  Atlas Games, grew out of NaNoWriMo, but instead of 
  writing a novel, individual Ars players set out to write 
  something, anything, Ars Magica related on every day 
  of November. The results have been very interesting 
  over the years. Here’s a partial list:
  Editorial
  Around the Ars Community
  2
  
  3
  30 Solomonic Suggestions and 30(ish) Verditius Items 
  For November by darkwing
  30 Redcap Magic Items by Jarkman
  30 Days in Hibernia, 30 Tribunal Cases, and A Saint A 
  Day In November! by cj.23
  A Book A Day For November by Sanctaphrax
  Hooks Adventure Outline A Day For November by 
  Gremlin44
  Vaults of the Order by Timothy Ferguson et al
  The Vanilla Covenants project
  The Covenant of Sabrina’s Rest and The Stories of 
  Marco the Liar by Timothy Ferguson
  There are many more blogs, websites, and other 
  resources for Ars Magica developed by players, far 
  more than I can highlight here. If you are looking to 
  contribute to Ars Magica and don’t know how, I am 
  looking for a reviewer to write a regular column 
  highlighting books, films, games, and online content of 
  interest to Ars players. Could you be that reviewer?
      Even if you aren’t, consider sending your own Ars 
  Magica material to Peripheral Code. I want to publish 
  your work, and the community wants to read it. You can 
  find our submission guidelines at the end of this issue.
   
  
  House Rules 
  Solo Adventures in Ars Magica
  4
  Perhaps you have a really cool idea for a character that 
  you really want to try out. Perhaps you are 
  geographically isolated and you find play-by-post 
  games annoying. Of all the RPG systems available, I 
  feel that Ars Magica, with its emphasis on laboratory 
  activities and seasonal studies, is ideally suitable for 
  solo play.
      A Covenant can be built and finances organized. A 
  character can easily be created and each season 
  planned and played out, research undertaken, spells 
  and items invented. However, characters do not grow in 
  a vacuum, and there will come a point when the 
  Covenant’s starting resources have been exhausted. 
  What is needed is a method to determine those random 
  events that make life interesting and to provide stimulus 
  for further studies.
      This system allows you to generate these random 
  adventures for your magus.
  Solo Play
  Perform each seasonal activity as per the rules in the 
  Ars Magica Core Rulebook, Chapter 10. To familiarize 
  yourself with the system, start with just this rule set, but 
  you can enhance your game by considering:
      • Using the Covenant Finances rules in Sub Rosa 
  (Issue 15, page 14) as the random fluctuation tables 
  and Covenant resources are excellent story generators.
      • Using the Aura Variation rules (Realms of Power: 
  Magic, page 10).
  Step 0 – Mage and Covenant generation
  Generate your character and covenant as described in 
  the Ars Magica rules. Below is a summary of the 
  various costs involved in covenant creation.
      Specialists have a specific role in Solo Play, and to 
  reflect this, their cost has been adapted from the core 
  rule. Specialists cost build points equal to: (Relevant 
  positive characteristics + Relevant abilities) x2.
      Example: Darius of Flambeau (ArM5 page 34) needs 
  a skilled bodyguard, with Str +2, Dex +1, Single 
  Weapon +5, Great Weapon +4. It will cost him 
  (2+1+5+4)x2=14. Other skills and characteristics are 
  not relevant thus are not taken in consideration.
      Once the covenant is generated, four derived 
  characteristics are determined:
    • Attack: potential from the covenant to support any 
  offensive action outside its walls
    • Defense: potential to resist any attempt to assault 
  the covenant and its inhabitants
    • Reputation: potential to rely on allies and positive 
  reputation in most social or diplomatic conflicts
    • Resources: material resources that can be leverage 
  to ease some negotiations or pay fines & levy in case of 
  failed challenges. If untapped for year, the covenant is 
  building reserve that can be used later on.
      Each major boon counts for a +3 bonus to the most 
  relevant characteristic, and a minor boon counts for a 
  +1. A boon cannot provide a bonus to more than one 
  characteristic. Hooks do not subtract from these 
  characteristics; instead, their effects are taken into 
  account in the number of dice used to roll if an 
  adventure occurs (see Step 1).
  Level + Quality (level max: 20, quality max: 11 + (20-level) or 22, whichever is lower)
  Summa (Arts)
  Summa (Skills)
  Tractatus
  Laboratory Text
  Vis Sources
  Vis Stock
  Enchanted Items
  Teacher
  Level x3 + Quality (level max: 8, quality max: 11 + 3x (8-level) or 22, whichever is lower)
  Quality (quality max: 11)
  1 point per 5 levels
  5 points per pawn/year
  1 point per 5 pawns
  2 points per 5 levels of effect
  Com + Teaching + Relevant Skills
  Items
  Build Points Cost
  Original rules created by Chris Quin and expanded by Ezechiel357
  
  5
      Example: Darius is on a hunting spree and did not 
  settle in a regular covenant. His covenant is a small 
  convoy of a few carts and tents settling where his prey 
  leads him. It is a Constantly Mobile covenant (major 
  hook), with a group of Veteran Fighters (minor boon), 
  Loyal to Darius (minor boon). Darius managed to 
  secure the Right (minor boon) to settle wherever he 
  sees fit to hunt – probably in exchange for taking care of 
  more mundane threats (let’s hope no Quaesitor looks 
  into the details of such an agreement with the local 
  noble). All this grants Darius’s hunting caravan: Atk +2 
  (Veteran and Loyal), Reputation +1 (Rights). Other 
  characteristics are at 0.
  Step 1 – Adventures!
  At the beginning of each year, roll for the following:
      • Covenant Finances (if applicable)
      • Aura Variation (if applicable)
      • Adventures!
      Make a list of Character Story Flaws and Covenant 
  Hooks and anything else you believe might generate 
  stories. Some virtues (such as Guardian Angel or 
  Gossip) are particularly suitable for generating 
  adventures.
      
      Each year:
      • For each Minor Story Flaw or Covenant Hook, roll a 
  Simple Die
      • For each Major Story flaw or Hook, roll three Simple 
  Dice
    
      A character may also choose to initiate his own 
  adventure in which he selects from the various options 
  and rewards. This is appropriate when seeking a 
  specific reward.
      Example: Darius has the Story Flaw Enemies 
  (Renounced Magus). He also has Hermetic Prestige 
  and Driven, which might be suitable for generating 
  stories. The player rolls 7 Simple Dice (three for 
  Enemies, one for Hermetic Prestige, three for Driven), 
  resulting in 0, 2, 4, 0, 3, 1, 8. An adventure is going to 
  happen as Darius feels compelled to investigate rumors 
  of an infernal hedge wizard, with two bad omens which 
  will make is adventure more complicated (+2 to 
  adventure difficulty).
  Step 2 – Adventure Difficulty
  Roll a Stress Die, ignoring Botches. 
      Add any bad omens modifier to the base ease factor; 
  the resulting number is the Base Difficulty of the 
  adventure.
      Period of Grace: for young magi (7 years or less 
  after Gauntlet), the difficulty is decreased by 3 points, 
  due to the benevolent help of nearby covenants making 
  your life easier. This period lasts for seven years, until 
  the next Tribunal.
      Example: Darius’s player rolls a 5, making this an 
  average difficulty. The target numbers for the 
  challenges should be 11+2 for the bad omens, so 13. 
  And the adventure should take a little over ten days. 
  Darius, being 87, is well past his youth and does not 
  benefit from the Period of Grace.
  Step 3 – Origin of Adventure (optional)
  Roll a Simple Die to determine the origin of the 
  adventure. This is optional as it may be self evident 
  depending on what Story Flaw/Hook was rolled. The 
  difficulty rolled in Step 2 should be a guide for particular 
  options. (See the table on the following page.)
      These are only suggestion to inspire creativity. Feel 
  free to alter or come up with your own. Keep in mind 
  that certain virtues or flaws can further impact the 
  difficulty:
      • The Gift (Blatant, regular, or Gentle) will penalize 
  most interaction with Mundanes
      • Vulnerability to… (Faerie/Infernal/Dominion) will 
  also grant an additional penalty
      • Inoffensive to Animals will offset the Gift’s penalty 
  when dealing with animals
      • Ways of the Forest will provide a bonus in the right 
  terrain
  Roll
  Effect
  1
  2-9
  An adventure occurs. Go to step 2.
  Nothing happens.
  10
  Bad omens. Add an extra botch dice to the 
  next adventure that year and +1 to the 
  difficulty of the next adventure.
  Base
  Ease Factor
  Easy
  Average
  Hard
  Very Hard
  Impressive
  Remarkable
  Almost Impossible
  Difficulty
  Roll
  1-3
  4-6
  7-10
  11-15
  16-25
  26-35
  35+
  8
  11
  14
  17
  19
  21
  23
  
  6
      There are no hard rules; use your common sense to 
  make the story challenging and interesting.
      For example, it might be possible for a legal dispute 
  to be settled through an exchange of letters, minimizing 
  the negative effects of the Gift.
      Example: Darius’s player rolls a 1, making this an 
  adventure involving the nobility. Perhaps the local lord 
  takes exception to the sinister Darius wandering his 
  lands.
  Step 4 – Timing
  Roll a Simple Die to determine when the adventure will 
  occur during the year. This may modify the difficulty of 
  the adventure as the environment is negotiated.
      Example: A 9 is rolled. Darius hears the rumors at the 
  beginning of the year but does not fancy tramping about 
  the countryside during the dead of winter, so he 
  resolves to depart in the spring.
  Step 5 – Complexity
  Roll a Simple Die to determine the Complexity of the 
  adventure. This will determine how many sets of 
  challenges will be required to complete the adventure.
      Example: Darius’s player rolls a 4. This will be a 
  Complex adventure with two sets of abilities being 
  required.
  Nobility
  Religion
  Peasant
  Faerie
  Official
  Criminal
  Hermetic
  Covenant
  Natural
  Supernatural
  Knight errant
  Friar
  Local
  Knight errant
  Village headman
  Thief
  Mercere
  Visit by a magus
  Storm
  Ghost
  Roll
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  Local gentry
  Local priest
  Farmer
  Local gentry
  Tax collector
  Outlaws
  Own house
  Nearby covenant
  Wild animal
  Monster
  Greater nobles
  Monastery or bishop
  Merchant
  Greater nobles
  Agent of a noble
  Murder mystery
  Quaesitor
  Far away covenant
  Disaster
  Monster
  Royalty
  Militant order
  City guild
  Royalty
  Papal envoy
  Assassin
  Archmagus
  March
  Plague
  Dragon
  Type
  Easy/Average
  Hard
  Impressive
  Harder
  Spring
  Summer
  Autumn
  Not all story events 
  have to be dealt 
  with immediately. 
  Sometimes a 
  magus may wish
  to put off an 
  adventure until 
  convenient.
  Timing
  Character choice
  +1 to all target
  numbers
  Winter
  1-2
  3-4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-10
  Season
  Notes
  Three sets of 
  challenges
  Roll twice on this 
  chart, ignoring any 
  additional 10
  Two sets of 
  challenges
  One set of
  challenges
  1-3
  4-6
  7-9
  10
  Roll
  Complexity
  Challenges
  Simple
  Complex
  Very Complex
  
  Step 6 – Type of Adventure
  Roll a Simple Die for each set of challenges determined 
  in Step 5.
      Example: For Darius’s first set of challenges, a 1 is 
  rolled, resulting in a Social Challenge. For the second 
  set of challenges, a 9 is rolled, making this Darius’s 
  choice. While he would like to avoid conflict with the 
  Local Lord, he needs to play to his strengths, so he 
  elects to use Magic.
  Step 7 – Opt Out (optional)
  At this stage, having seen the challenge before him, the 
  character may decide not to proceed with the 
  adventure. This is because the difficulty is too high, the 
  rewards too low, or he does not have the right abilities 
  to complete the challenge sets.
      Having decided to opt out, the character suffers 
  whatever losses seem appropriate from the adventure’s 
  premise. Build Point loss equivalent to a quarter of the 
  challenge’s difficulty is appropriate, and these points 
  can be paid from extra BP accrued during past 
  adventures, or in the form of resources or vis (5 pawns 
  for 1 BP).
      Example: If Darius passed on this adventure, the only 
  likely consequence is another possible story in a future 
  year (adding an extra dice in Step 1), or he must find a 
  way to pay 3 BP in penalty (13/4 rounded off). However, 
  Darius does not back down in the face of danger!
  Step 8 – Proceed with the Adventure
  Resolve each set of challenges rolled up in Steps 5 and 
  6. Each set of challenges has a number of abilities 
  associated with it. The character must select three of 
  the abilities and, along with an attribute of choice, rolls a 
  Stress die against a target Ease Factor equal to the 
  adventure’s difficulty in Step 2. (See table below.)
      These are Stress Rolls. In the event of a botch, roll 
  one Botch Die plus one extra Botch Die for each Bad 
  Omen from step 1.
      All Organization and Realm Lore rolls should be 
  relevant to the situation. Additional skills can be used if 
  appropriate (for example, Hunt if a wild beast is 
  involved).
      The character must select a different ability and 
  attribute each time, and cannot repeat the selection in 
  this adventure until each ability and attribute has been 
  used. This means very complex missions with several 
  sets of challenges may well involve every attribute. 
  Sometimes it requires quite a stretch to see how a 
  characteristic can be paired with certain skills, but this 
  can force you to think in a creative way, and anyway, 
  nobody is going to criticize your choices.
      The character can boost any of these rolls with the 
  use of an appropriate spell or enchanted item. The 
  magnitude of the spell or item effect is added to the 
  ability roll to solve the challenge. If this option is used 
  for multiple rolls, a different spell or effect must be used 
  each time.
      You also have the possibility to use a specialist for a 
  single test during a set of challenges. In that case, you 
  7
  Roll 1d6
  Character choice. There are often 
  multiple ways to resolve a conflict.
  Social
  Combat
  Magic
  Legal/Diplomatic
  Subtle & Sneaky
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  Type of Challenge
  Folk Ken
  Etiquette
  Charm
  Intrigue
  Guile
  Organization Lore
  Carouse
  Awareness
  Martial (any)
  Brawl
  Leadership
  Stealth
  Athletics
  Awareness
  Supernatural
  Realm Lore
  Parma
  Penetration
  Magic Theory
  Certamen
  Finesse
  Artes Liberales
  Law
  Organization Lore
  Folk Ken
  Intrigue
  Guile
  Stealth
  Legerdemain
  Guile
  Awareness
  Survival
  Subtle & Sneaky
  Combat
  Legal/Diplomatic
  Magic
  Social
  
  8
  use his or her Characteristic + Ability instead of yours.
      Finally, Covenant abilities can be tapped to increase 
  the chance of success. It is possible to gain a bonus up 
  to a single characteristic of a Covenant for a single roll. 
  The bonus granted by a Covenant characteristic can 
  even be spread over several rolls, but will only replenish 
  at the end of the year. 
      As with every adventure, Confidence Points may be 
  used to affect these rolls.
      Example: Darius elects to do the Magic Challenges 
  first, supported by three spells. He selects:
      • Infernal Lore 2 + 3 Int + 4 The Inexorable Search 
  (InCo 20)
       • Penetration 6 + 0 Sta + 5 Curse of the Desert 
  (PeAq 25)
      • Parma 5 + 2 Qik + 5 Gift of the Bear’s Fortitude 
  (MuCo 25) 
      He started by tracking the diabolist through 
  Intelligence and Infernal Lore (+9 to his roll), confronting 
  him with Curse of the Desert to capture him alive (+11) 
  and finally quickly bolstering his defenses to resist the 
  diabolist’s magical counter-attack (+12). 
      For the Social Challenge, Darius will have to cope 
  with the side effect of his Blatant Gift: -6 to social rolls. 
  He will be using:
      • Folk Ken 2 + 1 Per + 3 Whisper through the Black 
  Gate (InCo(Me) 15)
      • Guile 3 + 2 Str + 6 Twist of the Tongue (PeCo30)
      • Etiquette 2 -1 Com + 3 Calm the Motion of the Heart 
  (PeMe 15)
      He tried to gather some information prior to meeting 
  the noble by talking to dead people (+6, no Blatant Gift 
  penalty for that), then used a mixture of lies and 
  intimidation (+11-6=+5) to prevent some of his 
  interlocutors from opposing him, and trying to remember 
  some social graces (+4-6= -2) along the way. Guile + 
  Strength is usually not a combination used, but that’s 
  what Darius was left with and it could be interpreted as 
  a clumsy attempt to power his way through with lies and 
  a display of martial abilities. It was still better than any 
  alternative he had.
  Step 9 – Determine Results
  The success of the adventure depends on the success 
  of the three Abilities rolls in each of the sets of 
  challenges in Step 8. For each set of challenges:
      • Three Successes: Select a Reward plus 5 
  experience points
      • Two Successes: Select a Reward
      • One Success: Select both a Reward and a Loss (or 
  a Story Event)
      • No Successes, or Complete Failure: Select 2 
  Losses
      • Each Botch in step 9: Select an additional Loss
      For each set of challenges, the character gains one 
  experience point and one confidence point.
      Example: Darius rolls his dice against a target of 13. 
   First challenge:
      • Tracking of 9 + die roll of 5 = 14. Success!
      • Penetration of 11 + die roll of 3 = 14. Success!
      • Parma of 12 + die roll of 0, a potential botch 
  followed by 3, 0, and 1. Two extra botch dice were 
  rolled thanks to the 2 bad omens) = 0. Botch!
      Second challenge:
      • Folk Ken of 6 + die roll of 5 = 11. Darius's player 
  spends a point of Confidence to get a final total of 14. 
  Success!
      • Guile 5 + die roll of 0, followed by 2,6,9. No botch = 
  5. Failure.
      • Etiquette -2 + die roll of 8 = 6. Failure.
      The Magical challenge has two successes and a 
  botch, so Darius will pick up a reward, a loss, one xp, 
  and one confidence point. He was so obsessed with 
  capturing the diabolist that he rushed into the fight 
  without the appropriate protection. The social challenge 
  allows him also to pick a reward, a loss, one xp, and 
  one confidence point. He gathered good intel but was 
  unable to put it to good use, not only because of his 
  Gift, but also thanks to his lack of social skills (he 
  missed two tests by more than 6, the penalty linked to 
  the Blatant Gift).
  Step 10 – Rewards
  For each set of challenges determined in Step 9, 
  determine the rewards for successfully completing each 
  challenge. Pick from the following:
      • Build Points. Gain a number of Build Points 
  (Covenants page 5) equal to the Base Difficulty of the 
  challenge divided by 2. This allows for enchanted items, 
  books, money, vis, or the recruiting of specialists.
      • Remove a Flaw/Hook gained on a previous 
  adventure.
      • Covenant Boon (Minor). The boon is temporary if 
  the difficulty was below 10, but permanent if the 
  difficulty was 11 or more.
      • Increase a Minor Boon to Major. The difficulty must 
  be 13 or more.
      • Covenant Boon (Major). The difficulty must be 15 or 
  more.
      • A Minor Virtue. The difficulty must be 20 or more, 
  and a Very Complex challenge.
      • Reduced Time. The adventure is completed faster 
  than expected in Step 12.
  
  9
      Temporary effects last a number of seasons equal to 
  the Base Difficulty. 
      This list is not intended to be exhaustive. Players are 
  urged to be imaginative.
      Example: Darius could select 14 Build Points 
  (difficulty 14 divided by 2 times two rewards). He 
  recovers a Quality 14 tractatus on Infernal Lore. Or, this 
  could be split into 10 pawns of vis and a tractatus of 
  quality 12 (for example).
      Since this adventure had a difficulty above 11, he 
  could receive a permanent minor boon. Considering the 
  adventure, Local Ally, Prestige, or Promised Favor 
  could all be suitable -- after dispatching the diabolist, 
  some people owe him and stories about his skills start 
  to spread. Considering Darius's mindset and drive, it is 
  unlikely that he would have recruited any henchmen 
  from the diabolist (the Criminals Minor Boon), but 
  maybe he needs to bolster his troops.
      Finally, he could upgrade a minor boon into a major 
  one; for example, his Veteran Fighters might become 
  Heavy Cavalry. As a reward for getting rid of this evil 
  threat that cursed his wife and daughter, a rich 
  merchant gave Darius his best horses as reward.
      Any combination of build points and minor boons are 
  suitable.
      He also gains 2 experience points and 2 Confidence 
  points.
  Step 11 – Losses
  For each set of challenges determined in Step 5, 
  determine the possible outcomes for failing each 
  challenge.
      Roll a Simple Die on the table, or pick from the 
  following effects. It is expected that the nature of the 
  Story Flaw/Hook being rolled in Step 1 should suggest 
  the type of rewards and losses.
      • Story Flaw: If the difficulty was below 13, the flaw is 
  temporary.
      • Covenant Hook (Minor): If the difficulty was below 
  13, the flaw is temporary.
      • Increase a Minor Hook to Major: If the difficulty 
  was below 15, the flaw is temporary.
      • Covenant Hook (Major): Only if the difficulty was 
  above 15.
      • New Minor Flaw: Only if the difficulty was above 
  18.
      • New Major Flaw: Only if the difficulty was above 
  22.
      Temporary effects last a number of seasons equal to 
  the Base Difficulty.
      Damage may be soaked and healed in the usual 
  fashion. A shield grog may take the wound in addition to 
  his own.
      
  Example: Oh dear, 2 losses. Darius rolls a 2 and a 7. 
  This costs him 7 Covenant Build Points and a wound. 
  The Build points cost Darius 20 points of Vis and 3 
  Resource points. He takes a heavy wound (difficulty 13 
  + 5 + 2 stress dice minus 5 points for armor). He 
  chooses the Inhospitable Local Lord Hook. This is a 
  temporary Hook lasting 13 seasons.
  Step 12 – Time
  The adventure takes a number of days equal to:
      • The base difficulty from step 1
      • plus one day for each set of skill challenges
      • plus one day for each failed ability roll
      • plus one day for each botch in step 10
      The time taken up in adventure, as well as the 
  necessary healing time, should be taken into 
  consideration when determining how much of each 
  season is available for lab work or other study.
      Example: It takes Darius 19 days in total to track 
  down and deal with the hedge wizard. (13 for base 
  difficulty plus 2 for both the challenges plus 1 for the 
  botch and 3 for the fails).
  Conclusion
  Weaving all the results from the above process into a 
  cohesive story is well worth the effort.
      Example: In the Spring of 1232, Darius of Flambeau 
  hunts a diabolist hiding in the manor of Baron Ramon. A 
  battle ensues with Darius the victor, however he suffers 
  a heavy wound and spends quite a bit of vis. He will not 
  rush in so carelessly next time.
      Unfortunately, he is heavy-handed in his dealings 
  Lose a number of
  build points
  (Covenants p5) equal
  to the base difficulty of
  the challenge divided
  by 2.
  Warping points
  Gain warping equal to
  the challenge difficulty 
  divided by 5
  (rounding up).
  Each person on the 
  adventure takes damage 
  equal to the difficulty
  + 5 + a stress die.
  Roll
  Build points
  Wound
  Special
  Select from the list above.
  Notes
  Losses
  1-5
  6
  7-9
  10
  
  10
  with Baron Ramon, and is caught trying to stuff the body 
  of the diabolist into a small chest. Darius manages to 
  buy his way out of further trouble but the Baron remains 
  aggrieved and the payment of so much silver will put 
  Darius's little covenant into financial distress. While 
  Darius is confident the Baron will eventually calm down, 
  it might be worth avoiding his lands for the next few 
  years. Perhaps Darius should do something about that.
      He staggers home clutching his precious tractatus, 
  while vowing to get better armor next time and to bring 
  along a shield grog.
  Optional Features
  Acquiring Books, Tractatus and Lab Texts
  As long as the magus can pay Redcap fees, he can 
  order as many books and tractatus as he wants. 
  Summae can only be borrowed (unless earned as the 
  Major Boon Exceptional Book).
      Tractatus are not lent, they are sold for 1 pawn and 
  their quality is random: 7+1d6. They are usually 
  delivered the next season, but if the covenant has a 
  large collection of tractatus (10 or more) on one topic, it 
  might take longer to secure a new one (1d3 seasons).
      For lab texts, it is easy to find a lab text for any spell 
  present in the core rulebook. For a spell of general 
  level, it becomes more costly and difficult to source 
  higher level variants (magnitude 7+). Increase the BP 
  required by 50%.
      For spells coming from other sources, their access 
  can be more limited and might require an adventure or 
  initiation to a Mystery Cult. (See table below for more 
  information.)
  Looking for a Teacher or Trainer
  Consider this a simple adventure (one set of challenge) 
  of social type with the possibility to use a 
  Craft/Profession/Supernatural skill on top the usual list 
  of skills.
  The teaching source quality does not take into 
  consideration any virtues or flaws the magus might 
  have.
  Playing with Grogs and a Companion
  Your magus wants to bring grogs with him? If they are 
  generic grogs, they can be handled as a Boon providing 
  a bonus to Attack or Defense. If they are more unique, 
  they are handled as specialists. Each magus can 
  always take a shield grog with him, without special skill 
  but able to take a hit. If you would like to have a 
  companion, pay for him as a specialist.
      Keep in mind that having numerous specialists to 
  cover every kind of situation will make challenges trivial 
  and remove the element of risk; adventures will become 
  an exercise in the harvesting of rewards. You should 
  limit yourself to one specialist adventuring with a 
  magus.
      Alternatively, you could create a fully fledged 
  companion without paying his cost as a specialist. 
  However, he will have his own agenda and won’t 
  adventure with the magus. He can also have one 
  specialist accompanying him. The advantage of having 
  a companion such as this is that potentially lengthy 
  adventures lasting more than ten days can be 
  delegated to the companion and the magus won't lose 
  his season in the lab.
  Roots (Art)
  Roots (Art)
  Summa (Art)
  Summa (Art)
  Roots (Ability)
  Summa (Ability)
  Summa (Ability)
  5/15
  6/21
  10+1d10/15-1d6
  17+1d6/13-1d6
  2/15
  5/12
  8/10
  1
  2
  2
  3
  1
  2
  3
  1d3 seasons
  1d3 seasons
  1d3 seasons
  1d6 seasons
  1d3 seasons
  1d3 seasons
  1d6 seasons
  Book
  Level/Quality
  Cost per year in pawns
  Availability
  Master’s skill + 3
  (level max: 9)
  Training through practice
  Type of learning
  Difficulty
  Teaching
  Teaching source quality 
  (level max: 9)
  
  Fairy characters – Quick & Easy
  Fairies, Fairies Everywhere
  by Cathelineau
  11
  Final Recommendations
  My recommendations, if you want to use this rule set:
      • Start with a mage fresh out of Gauntlet.
      • Start a Spring covenant with 300 Build Points where 
  you are the only magus, with four to six minor hooks 
  and boons or equivalent.
      Two virtues are really powerful in this rule set: Gentle 
  Gift and Self Confident. Consider that you have a -3 
  penalty from the Gift in any social challenge involving 
  mundane folk — and four origins directly involve 
  interaction with mundanes. The Gentle Gift is a +3 
  bonus in a lot of challenges.
      Self Confident allows you to get a +6, converting a 
  big failure into a success, so obviously that can really 
  swing the result of a challenge.
  The purpose of this article is to offer a quick method for 
  the creation of fairy creatures, whether to offer a 
  (literally) fabulous alternative to a group of players, or to 
  integrate fairies into meetings and events in your saga. 
  Change your adventures; forget dungeon crawling and 
  laboratory dwelling. Discover the amazing awkwardness 
  of fairy tales – now you can be part of them too.
      In this article, you will find a tutorial which explains 
  how to create your own fairy character, as well as a list 
  of hooks and tips to use this tool at your game table.
  Fairy characters – Quick & Easy
  This tutorial is based on general principles of Faerie as 
  described in the Ars Magica rulebook. It does not rely 
  on the rules of Realms of Power: Faerie. Indeed, we 
  hope to create simple rules to quickly create fairy 
  creatures. The mechanics are essentially those of the 
  basic manual. All you need to know is described in the 
  main Ars Magica rules – only Bonisagus magi like 
  crawling in scriptures. Well, if you have a Bonisagus’ 
  soul, you may be able to adapt the more hard-core rules 
  of glamour.
      To get a fairy character, you will have to follow five 
  steps :
  1. Choice of nature
  2. Allegiance
  3. Balance of Virtues & Flaws
  4. Characteristics
  5. Supernatural power
  1 - Choice of Nature
  The nature of a creature is somehow its essence. It’s a 
  mythological or fabulous archetype encompassing a 
  physical appearance but also predetermined behavior.
  Each nature is defined by a concept (a small group of 
  sentences that summarizes the manner in which this 
  being interacts with the mundane), a main 
  characteristic, a Virtue (specific to the species), a list of 
  attributes (objects, possessions, typical elements of that 
  nature), and finally taboos (these are Supernatural 
  Flaws: rules that a fairy creature must not break under 
  any circumstances; if that happened this creature would 
  lose all its power points and three levels of fatigue).
      Choose the nature of the character; write its concept, 
  its main characteristic, its Virtue, one of the possible 
  attributes, and at least one of its taboos. Once that is 
  done, go to the next step.
      Here you will find a few suggestions of balanced fairy 
  natures, but feel free to invent others. There are lots of 
  mythological creature archetypes, after all.
  Dryad (STA)
  Concept: I am an evergreen maid of the woods. I hunt 
  the humans who ransack my forest, but invite in those 
  who show respect for nature.
  Attributes: A wood staff, plant necklace, flower tiara, or 
  little bird.
  Plant Fusion (Virtue): Can merge with a tree in one 
  round, and emerge from the trunk of another on any 
  following round.
  Taboos: Cannot damage a mundane plant; may not 
  hurt or kill a mundane animal; cannot drink the water; 
  cannot shout or whisper.
  Elf (DEX)
  Concept: I descend from Norse beings, guardians of 
  elven kingdoms where no mortal should enter. I 
  sometimes share my music or my dances with humans, 
  to better make fun of their awkwardness.
  Attributes: A bow, hat, cap, shoes, or musical 
  instrument.
  
  12
  Accuracy (Virtue): Gets a +3 bonus when attacking 
  with a ranged weapon.
  Taboos: Cannot speak other than singing; can’t cry or 
  laugh; can’t apologize; cannot interrupt an artistic 
  representation.
  Folktale Animal (COM)
  Concept: I am an animal (fox, boar, bear, lion, crow) 
  with humanlike mentality, who distrust their own kind 
  and love to play tricks on humans, or that mimic human 
  customs, lifestyle and hierarchy.
  Attributes: A particular weapon, cap, hood.
  Motley humanity (Virtue): Folktale creatures are not 
  hindered by sacramental or religious behaviours, and 
  have no penalty when they are in the Divine aura 
  generated by a mundane community.
  Taboos: Cannot bear the company of another species 
  of folktale animal (at the player’s choice; can be 
  selected several times); can’t buy his food; cannot enter 
  a house where he was formally invited to enter (have to 
  be an intruder).
  Fair lady (INT)
  Concept: Like most of the fairy maids, I choose a 
  mortal and will do anything to occupy all his thoughts. 
  Some of my friends want to kill or marry their chosen 
  one; most of us have personal goals that nobody 
  knows, or we are very involved in the politics of the fairy 
  courts.
  Attributes: Wand, dress, crown, jewellery.
  Talented Artistry (Virtue): A +2 bonus when dancing, 
  singing, or painting.
  Taboos: Can’t see something spilled without picking it 
  up and putting it away; cannot cross a circle drawn on 
  the ground; can’t draw blood; cannot succeed at a 
  Concentration roll.
  Ghosts (PRE)
  Concept: I hunt the mortals of the places I live in. I 
  pursue a specific family with my terrifying scream, from 
  generation to generation.
  Attributes: Chains, shroud.
  Immaterial (Virtue): A ghost may pass through objects, 
  walls, and characters.
  Taboos: Cannot enter an inhabited place without 
  having been invited; cannot touch mundane things or 
  people; cannot talk, see or hear.
  Giants (STR)
  Concept: I protect my mountains, where I don’t tolerate 
  the presence of intruders; I live alone and hate humans 
  (they hate me too). Some giants are also guardians of 
  portals to fantasy and take that role very seriously. They 
  let pass only followers of their fairy court, which creates 
  problems.
  Attributes: Club, fur coat, ring.
  Huge Body (Virtue): All giants have +3 Size, making 
  them harder to fight and to kill (and harder to dress as 
  well).
  Taboos: Can’t lie; cannot pick up rocks because his 
  hands grind them; cannot hold objects he hasn’t made 
  himself (they fall from his hands); cannot succeed at 
  Legerdemain or Stealth rolls.
  Leprechauns (QUI)
  Concept: I live away from humans, but if they want to 
  bargain with me or cause me trouble, I love to play 
  pranks on them and persecute them.
  Attributes: Hat, shoes, pot, flower.
  Tricky (Virtue): A +2 bonus for Legerdemain, Stealth, 
  or Bargain rolls.
  Taboos: Can’t lie; can’t hurt someone calling him by his 
  name; can’t do harm to a family of humans in particular; 
  cannot stand a particular animal species.
  Mythological beasts (PER)
  Concept: I let mortal children come close and I play 
  with them, but I run from the adults; old and noisy 
  humans are dangerous, I attack them if they try to catch 
  me.
  Attributes: Necklace, ribbon, garland of flowers.
  Tireless (Virtue): Long travel never inflicts fatigue.
  Taboos: Cannot cross a river; cannot refuse food which 
  is handed out; cannot spend a night without having 
  howled at the moon for an hour; cannot communicate 
  with the mundane representatives of its species, who 
  flee or attack it on sight; can’t eat in the company of 
  other characters (they’re too intimidating).
  2 - Allegiance
  Most fairy creatures are held accountable to one of the 
  fairy Courts, which is interpreted as a Virtue (Social 
  Status, major). Fairies of a given Court are well-
  organized and can help each other. But a fairy doesn't 
  have to follow the same masters forever. There are four 
  major fairy Courts, corresponding to the seasons. You 
  must choose the Court of birth for your fairy creature, as 
  well as which she serves today (which may be the same 
  one).
      Here is a summary of the four main fairy Courts (with 
  their themes), but you are free to invent wild or minor 
  Courts:
      • I was born in the... Court of spring... because I am a 
  creature... of youth and renewal, of joy and dance, 
  
  13
  hope, life and love, from forests and lakes.
      • I was born in the... Court of summer... because I’m 
  a creature... of passion, anger, power, beauty and 
  wealth, from the sky, the light, the Sun and the clouds, 
  fire.
      • I was born in the... Court of fall... because I am a 
  creature... of melancholy, of the past, time, memory, 
  from mist, seas and storms.
      • I was born in the... Court of winter... because I am a 
  creature... of revenge, fear, violence, ice, cold, sadness 
  and death, from mountain, marshes, of the underworld.
  Change of Allegiance
  If the current Court of this creature is not her Court of 
  birth, add a sentence to her concept to explain how she 
  changed allegiance. Here are a few suggestions:
      • Fidelity: I became friends with another fairy 
  creature, maybe my twin brother or sister; they decided 
  to quit our Court, and I did the same by attachment or 
  bandwagoning.
      • Conflict: I quarrelled with other creatures, old 
  friends, and I have a feeling that only a new Court can 
  help me take revenge in the most beautiful way. I asked 
  in person to join my new allies.
      • Corruption: Courtiers or the Queen herself made 
  me tempting promises of power, luxury, or something 
  that I have wanted for a long time; my current allegiance 
  serves my interests.
      • Seduction: I adore one of the strange creatures of 
  a new Court; I fell under its spell and I live for it. This 
  feeling is probably not shared. In any case, I became 
  her devoted servant. It is probably a fairy hex, because 
  fairy beings cannot love.
      • Change: Something changed my essential nature, 
  and my essence itself aligned with new sentiments. I 
  just joined the Court that reflects my new character 
  best.
      • Duplicity: I still serve another Court, but I try not to 
  talk about it; it’s a known secret to me. I spy on others 
  and I bring everything to my true masters, knowing that 
  this double game can cost me much…
      • Versatility: I don't really have a reason to serve 
  these monarchs more than others, but I was tired of my 
  old friends; I decided to change and for now, I’m having 
  fun here.
  The Nemesis
  Fairy beings are rowdy, mischievous, and facetious. 
  There are few who don't have personal enemies. To 
  represent this, you must designate your Nemesis. In 
  terms of rules, the Nemesis is considered a Flaw (Story, 
  major). Choose it from the following possibilities:
      • One Fairy Nature: Among these creatures is a 
  single powerful opponent, or else you suffer the enmity 
  of all these creatures in general. It can be her own 
  species.
      • Her Fairy Court: The leaders of this Court despise 
  this creature and expect nothing good of her services; 
  they reproach her and want to send her away. She 
  serves them despite their orders, hoping to get back in 
  their good favours.
      • Another Fairy Court: The rulers of this Court, or all 
  the Courtiers of this faction in general, don’t like her. 
  Maybe it’s a personal hatred, or else it is due to a war 
  between her current Court and this one.
      • The Mundane World: Mundane animals feel a kind 
  of wickedness coming from her; they flee her or hate 
  her. Humans despise or attack her on sight.
      • The Divine: The Church sees her as a servant of 
  Satan. The servants of God and the angels do not want 
  to deal with her, or they seek to banish her. Believers 
  always interpret her actions as devilry.
      • The Infernal: She has already played tricks on 
  demons, who see her as a nuisance to their projects 
  and seek to destroy her. A demon may even be 
  dedicated to destroying her.
  3 - Balance of Virtues and Flaws
  At this point, the character is already balanced in 
  Virtues and Flaws. If you wish, you can select up to 5 
  points of additional Virtues for your character from the 
  rulebook (but no Hermetic virtues, of course, you 
  naughty fay). You must then balance these with as 
  many points of Flaws. Adapt them to your concept as a 
  fairy being.
      For example, you may pick up “Outsider” and 
  interpret it as “a stranger in her own Court” or “other 
  fairies see you as too-human”. In addition to the Virtues 
  and Flaws available, you can also choose from the 
  following:
  New Virtues
  Bombast (Supernatural, major)
  This creature has a +15 Supernatural power bonus (see 
  below).
  Preposterous Display (General, major)
  Should you try something holding the attribute chosen 
  by your Nature, you gain a +1 bonus to the roll.
  Presence (Supernatural, minor)
  This creature has a +5 bonus to Supernatural power 
  (see below).
  Inventive (General, minor)
  This character has an extra charm (see below).
  
  14
  New Vices
  Taboo (Supernatural, major)
  Select one additional taboo found in those of this fairy 
  nature.
  Ban (Social Status, major)
  Although almost all fairy beings belong to a fairy Court, 
  some have chosen to leave their friends in order to live 
  alone, or else they have been banished from their 
  Court. They do not always find new allies. Such 
  creatures are rare and even more unpredictable. 
  Choose this Flaw to represent the independence of a 
  fairy character. In this case, she loses all the benefits of 
  her allegiance Virtue.
  Lack of Confidence (Personality, major)
  Should you lose the attribute of you Nature, or should it 
  be stolen, you suffer a -1 penalty to all rolls until you get 
  it back.
  Frivolous (Personality, minor)
  This character has a -5 penalty to Supernatural power 
  (see below).
  4 - Characteristics
  The characteristic associated with your character’s 
  Nature is automatically set at +6. You’re supernatural, 
  aren’t you? Now you know it.
      To choose the values of your other characteristics, 
  spend 7 points as in the creation of a regular character. 
  Refer to the basic manual for more details. Note that 
  this means that a fairy creature is superior to a mere 
  human (since fairies don’t have to spend points for the 
  characteristic associated with their Nature).
  5 – Supernatural power
  In this last step, you determine your character’s Faerie 
  Might and Charms. The base Might of a fairy character 
  is 5, possibly modified by Virtues or Flaws (Bombast, 
  Presence, or Frivolous).
      When you have calculated your character’s Might, 
  you can choose her Charms. The creature selects 
  Charms with a combined level equal to her Might, and 
  can have no more than Might/5 in individual Charms. 
  Characters with Might 0 have no Charms. Might that is 
  not used to select Charms can be allocated to 
  Penetration. Each Charm is a power and has a Might 
  cost when it is used, as explained in the basic manual. 
  Below is a list of suggestions for Charms, but you are 
  free to invent others, with the agreement of the other 
  players (be sure not to crush entire armies with a single 
  blink, though). You can also design new charms based 
  on formal Hermetic spells (but not on rituals). Fairy 
  creatures are unaware about the spell supplements, 
  and their magic is considered in any case to be 
  spontaneous.
      List of Suggested Charms:
      • Level 1: Get a +1 bonus when rolling a stress die 
  for a specific ability. Turn an object into another object 
  of the same size. Create a small object, chosen when 
  this Charm is selected, for 1d10 rounds.
      • Level 5: Get a +3 bonus when rolling a stress die 
  for a specific ability. Increase a chosen characteristic by 
  +1 until midnight. Increase or decrease the size an 
  object. Create a small object, chosen when this Charm 
  is selected, that lasts until midnight.
      • Level 10: Get a +6 bonus when rolling a stress die 
  for a specific ability. Increase a chosen characteristic by 
  + 2 until midnight. Turn an object into another object of 
  bigger or smaller size. Create a small object that lasts 
  for a month.
      • Level 15: Get a +9 bonus when rolling a stress die 
  for a specific ability. Increase a chosen characteristic by 
  +3 until midnight. Transform a mundane animal into 
  another animal or an object of the same size (choose 
  what you turn things into when you select this Charm). 
  Create a fairy animal for 1d10 rounds; it doesn’t 
  necessarily obey you. Levitate one meter from the 
  ground. Become invisible for a round.
      • Level 20: Get a +12 bonus when rolling a stress die 
  for a specific ability. Increase a characteristic by +4 until 
  midnight. Transform a human or something magical into 
  a mundane animal or object. Create a magical object 
  that is bound to you, allowing you to feel what it touches 
  (if the object breaks, you suffer a minor injury). Create a 
  fairy animal (Might 5) which serves you. Summon an 
  intelligent fairy being, of your own Nature (Might 0) for 
  1d10 rounds. Take on the appearance of a living thing 
  in sight.
      • Level 25: Fly. Be invisible. Make somebody you 
  touch be invisible until midnight.
      Once this is done, just you more to find a name for 
  this colourful character and send her to harass your 
  favourite Magi!
  Tips & Hooks
  How to Pimp My Fay
  If you don't have a clue which Charm to choose, read 
  the concept of the character again; it may be helpful. Go 
  out, breathe and see the sun shine. Read a book, watch 
  a movie. Let your fantasy become reality. Ask your 
  friends, storyteller or mom for clever advice.
  Fairies, Fairies Everywhere
  In a usual game of Ars Magica, players play grogs, 
  companions or magi. But in this scenario, all players 
  play a fairy being. Well, it's quite different, as you can 
  guess.
  
  15
  Their actions can be linked to the undergoing campaign, 
  or not. Maybe are they sent by a fairy Court to 
  investigate a place, bring back a valuable item, or take 
  revenge on a disrespectful mortal. Maybe they have 
  until the full moon to save a fairy friend from a bad fate. 
  Or let them find their own goals in the countryside, and 
  watch them torment the poor inhabitants. Some Magi 
  may have to clean up the mess next time... Yes, I’m 
  talking about your, regular characters!
      You don’t have to be smart or cautious in a game like 
  this, because fairy creatures aren’t hungry and cannot 
  die. If a fairy creature is harmed and (following the 
  wound table) are incapacitated, she simply fades away 
  and goes back to Arcadia, the Faerie realm. She may 
  return to the mundane world in a few days, at full power. 
  Although, being slaughtered by nervous peasants or 
  destroyed by Creo Ignem spells is never a pleasant 
  journey.
  Hook: A New Star is Born
  The inhabitants of a region begin to tell all sorts of 
  stories about a creature that lives in the neighbouring 
  woods. This thing, whose identity is unknown, will creep 
  at nightfall to isolated houses, banging on the walls or 
  blowing in the windows. There is no question that a new 
  magical creature has appeared in the land. But this is 
  your territory! She has to go bother humans elsewhere! 
  We have to say some words to this intruder…
  Casual Players as Fairy Visitors
  It might be that one of your friends has heard of your 
  sessions of Ars Magica and wishes to discover the 
  roleplaying thing. In these situations, it can be tricky to 
  integrate her into your group of players. The rules of the 
  game can seem boring to a beginner who doesn’t even 
  know yet if the very principle of roleplaying suits her. On 
  the other hand, it is also more difficult to interpret a 
  character that you did not create yourself. Integrating a 
  whole new magus or companion into a lengthy 
  adventure is not easy, while playing a grog while the 
  other players are masters of magic can be frustrating or 
  give the feeling of being relegated to second place. 
      Other times, some of your friends are interested in 
  Ars Magica, but do not have enough free time to attend 
  each game session.
      You can suggest to these curious or casual players 
  that they play a supernatural being: they are wacky and 
  unpredictable, so their sudden appearance can easily 
  be explained. If they do not return for several sessions, 
  or at all, the explanation is easy: this creature has 
  forgotten mortals, has better things to do, or took ill for 
  some convoluted reason, probably known only by her.
  Hook: Envoy of the Queen
  One of the Queens of the fairy Courts is particularly 
  interested in one of the mages of the covenant. Maybe 
  it’s because she finds him physically pleasing, or 
  because of how he acts during his adventures, or 
  because of the area of his research in the laboratory. 
  This noble lady has sent one of her agents to contact 
  the magus. It is likely that the envoy’s real mission is 
  ultimately to abduct the target of the Queen’s interest 
  and take him to her palace, like it or not…
  So Far, Much Trouble
  Keep in mind that fairy beings don’t gain experience 
  points or have Abilities. When a storyteller asks players 
  to roll a specific Ability, fairies only have their 
  characteristic plus the roll of the die. This means they’re 
  bad at doing things, even if it may seem easy for 
  random grog.
      Fairies are only truly good at what they are (the 
  characteristic tied to their Nature) and what they are 
  dedicated to (Charms that grant a bonus when rolling a 
  specific Ability). Pick Charms according to the 
  creature’s spirit. Fortunately, fairies have good values in 
  characteristics: this can save the day.
  
  Shield Grogs for House Tremere
  The Black Cloaks 
  by Jason Tondro
  16
  “Then we will fight in the shade."”— Herodotus’s Historia
  The Black Cloaks are elite shield Grogs trained by 
  House Tremere. Their training is inspired by the 
  Spartans of Lacaedemonia, though most are recruited 
  from the Bulgarian or Hungarian peoples. No one 
  outside of House Tremere is sure how many Black 
  Cloaks there are, probably a few hundred. They must 
  be physically excellent specimens and are drilled in 
  obedience and martial prowess from childhood; in the 
  winter of their 14th year they are cast naked into the 
  mountains. Those that reach safety are given their black 
  cloak, but their training is not over. Many do not survive 
  the training process and others are weeded out and join 
  the regular ranks of the Turb. Those that complete their 
  training are masters of fighting with long spears and 
  massive steel shields (emblazoned, naturally, with the 
  symbol of House Tremere). They can ride, but prefer to 
  run and fight on foot. Their back-up weapon is a short 
  sword. All speak perfect Latin; many, in fact, speak 
  better Latin than the magi to whom they are assigned.
      Black Cloaks are trained to obey magi and doing so 
  is a point of pride for them; this doesn’t mean they 
  agree with their orders, but they will execute those 
  orders to perfection. Black Cloaks believe they are the 
  best shield grogs in the Order, and they perceive any 
  other duty as beneath them. A Black Cloak will perform 
  manual labor if ordered by a magus, but will hate his 
  master for it, seeing it as an intentional humiliation. 
  However, they will tolerate this, as long as no one else 
  is assigned the task of guarding a magus. When a 
  Black Cloak finds out that his magus chose someone 
  else to protect him, this is the greatest of insults. More 
  than one shield grog has found himself kidnapped at 
  night, tied up, and dumped in a river by a territorial 
  Black Cloak.
  Mechanics
  Black Cloaks are elite shield grogs, and they violate the 
  normal rules for grogs in three specific ways.
      • First, they have a Major Personality Flaw: Proud. 
  This is the source of their violent territoriality, but it also 
  ensures they will always obey their magus, even if the 
  orders are humiliating or suicidal.
      • Second, they have more points in Virtues & Flaws 
  than other grogs (+5/-5), but still half as many as a 
  companion level character.
      • Third, their spears are unique weapons, identical to 
  long spears except that they can be thrown and can be 
  used in one hand by someone with Strength +1 or 
  more. Because of their unusual characteristics, and the 
  fact that only a few Tremere-supported craftsmen know 
  how to make them, Black Cloak spears are Expensive 
  and all imported from the Transylvanian Tribunal.
      Give each Black Cloak an additional Personality Trait 
  at +1 or +2, to distinguish them from their colleagues.
  Black Cloak of House Tremere
  Characteristics Int 0, Per 0, Com -2, Pre +1, Str +2, 
  Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik +2
  Size 0
  Age 25 (25)
  Confidence Score 0
  Warping Score 0
  Virtues & Flaws Turb Trained; Cautious with Single 
  Weapon, Improved Characteristics, Puissant Single 
  Weapon, Warrior; Pack Mentality, Proud: Major, 
  Restricted Learning: Athletics, Brawl, Single Weapon, 
  Survival, and Thrown Weapon
  Personality Traits Proud +6, Brave +3, one other at +2 
  or +1
  Reputations Elite Shield Grogs of House Tremere +2 
  (Order of Hermes), Territorial +3 (House Tremere)
  Combat
      Long Spear and Infantry Shield Init +5, Atk +13, Def 
      +15, Dmg +9
      Thrown Spear Init +2, Atk +11, Dmg +9
      Short Sword and Infantry Shield Init +3, Atk +13, Def 
      +15, Dmg +7
      Brawl (Evasion + Shield - Enc) Init +2, Def +10
  Soak +10 (Sta 2 + Protection 8)
  Fatigue Levels OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
  Wound Penalties -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), 
  Incapacitated (16-20), Dead (21+)
  Abilities Athletics (running) 4, Brawl (evasion) 5, House 
  Tremere Lore 1 (military policy), Latin 5 (impeccable 
  diction), Order of Hermes Lore 1 (Grogs), Ride 1 (long 
  distances), Single Weapon 5+2 (shield), South Slavonic 
  5 (swear words), Survival 3 (winter), Thrown Weapon 5 
  (spear)
  
  17
  Equipment: Full metal scale armor (load 6), gambeson 
  (load 1.5), open helmet (load 1), infantry shield (load 3), 
  spear (load 2), short sword (load 1), black cloak. The 
  Black Cloak spear is as long as a boar spear but lighter; 
  a strong man (+1) can wield it in one hand. It has Init 
  +3, Atk +3, Def +1, Dmg +5. It can be thrown with Init 0, 
  Atk +2, Def 0, Dmg +5. It is Load 2
  Encumbrance 2 (4)
  Officers
  If several magi at a covenant are protected by Black 
  Cloaks, there may be an officer assigned to them. A 
  decimus (“leader of ten”) commands all Black Cloaks at 
  a given covenant, and his pride demands he be 
  assigned to the covenant’s princeps. The decimus is 
  also responsible for training replacements, in the event 
  the covenant is too far away from Transylvania to 
  receive regular supply.
      A decimus is usually three years older than his fellow 
  Black Cloaks. He has Leadership 3 (Tremere) and 
  Teaching 2 (soldiers); replace Survival and Brawl in his 
  Restricted Learning Flaw with Leadership and 
  Teaching.
      There are higher-ranking officers in the Black Cloak 
  structure. Centurions, assisted sometimes by optios, 
  supervise Black Cloaks in tribunals other than 
  Transylvania. Centurions are always officially attached 
  to the highest-ranking Tremere in a tribunal, even if that 
  magus’s shield grog duties are handled by another 
  Black Cloak. The overall commander of the Black 
  Cloaks is a prefect based at Coeris, assisted by other 
  officers in charge of training, assignment, supply, and 
  so on.
  Story Issues
  House Tremere uses the Black Cloaks to show young 
  covenants the benefits of alliance with the House and 
  the wisdom of doing things the Tremere way. Young 
  Tremere magi founding covenants in dangerous areas 
  can be assigned a Black Cloak, making them the envy 
  of their fellow magi. Covenants with a Tremere princeps 
  can request a squad of Black Cloaks able to protect 
  every magus on the council. These soldiers are given in 
  good faith and are not spies for House Tremere; the 
  House has plenty of ways of gathering information more 
  effective than asking shield grogs to spy on their magus 
  and, besides, this would place the Black Cloak in an 
  untenable conflict of interest. Black Cloaks are 
  absolutely discreet and will never snitch, gossip, or 
  inform on their magus or another Black Cloak, but they 
  also assume magi will get whatever information they 
  need by spells. In this way, everyone’s honor is 
  assuaged.
      Aged and respected Tremere can command an entire 
  honor guard of Black Cloaks, ensuring that their arrival 
  in any social situation is suitably impressive. Tremere 
  visiting Coeris for regular House meetings, or Tremere-
  dominated covenants in other tribunals, can observe 
  Black Cloaks in training and allow their native shield 
  grogs to test their skills against the elite. In the event 
  House Tremere ever went to war, all unassigned Black 
  Cloaks would be issued magical weapons and armor 
  out of the House’s extensive stockpile and would form 
  an elite striking arm.
      Black Cloaks are issued scale armor out of tradition, 
  but this is not the best possible option. This is 
  intentional on the part of House Tremere, as it creates 
  an opportunity for each magus to gift his or her Black 
  Cloak with mail. This establishes a positive relationship 
  between wizard and grog. Black Cloaks like to receive 
  gifts of magical weapons and armor from their magi, 
  particularly if they are permanent gifts and not merely 
  on loan from the covenant stores. 
      Black Cloaks who see action defending their magus 
  are honored by their fellows and rise in unofficial status, 
  while those who are ignored by lab-rat magi are 
  privately mocked and assigned menial chores around 
  the barracks. As a magus rises or falls in stature and 
  reputation, the status of his Black Cloak similarly rises 
  and falls; there are a handful of tales about Black 
  Cloaks whose magi have been Marched. Sometimes 
  the Black Cloak abandons his post in shame, 
  sometimes he remains with his magus and dies 
  alongside him. Every possible outcome in this situation 
  is terrible to a Black Cloak; there is no honorable choice 
  once a magus has betrayed the Order.
      Thanks to their Cautious with Single Weapon Virtue, 
  a surprising number of Black Cloaks live long enough to 
  retire; they are issued a pension of land and even 
  occasionally marry, but most pine for the honor and 
  glory of their former assignment. A retired decimus 
  makes an excellent drill sergeant for a covenant — he 
  will have the abilities necessary to train large numbers 
  of soldiers, and a personality colorful enough to talk 
  back to magi.
  Author’s Notes
  The Black Cloaks are of course inspired by Frank 
  Miller’s graphic novel 300 and the original Spartans, but 
  their intense pride and their willingness to murder other 
  shield grogs to maintain their post is lifted from A Few 
  Good Men and Kiefer Sutherland’s infamous “Code 
  Red” in that movie. Some may argue that a soldier 
  willing to throw a sack over the head of a rival and hurl 
  him into a river would never be condoned by the House 
  Tremere of 5th edition Ars Magica, but this sort of 
  
  An ArM5 Adventure
  The Mutability of Otherworldly 
  Fortunes
  by Jim Seals
  18
  extrajudicial punishment has a long history in elite 
  military units. Black Cloaks are so few in number and so 
  useful that their violent eccentricities are within 
  manageable limits. After all, if you only use them the 
  way they’re meant to be used, you’ll never have a 
  problem. And, anyway, it makes for good stories.
  PLOT OVERVIEW
  25 November 1120: The foundering of the White Ship at 
  Barfleur, Normandy was a maritime disaster that 
  condemned three hundred and two souls to their watery 
  graves, including the rightful heir to the English throne. 
  The loss of William Ætheling led to a crisis of succession 
  upon his father’s death, culminating in a long drawn-out 
  civil war in England and France, a period of time known 
  simply as the Anarchy. Now, a century has passed and 
  Infernal powers have gathered round Barfleur to bear 
  witness as four otherworldly entities — the so-called 
  “survivors” of the White Ship, tragic figures all — find 
  themselves at an impasse, leaving the troupe free to aid 
  or hinder their efforts as they see fit. Be warned, 
  however: The bid for greatness may come at the cost of 
  their immortal souls.
      “The Mutability of Otherworldly Fortunes” is a single 
  night adventure for spring characters. It is designed to 
  introduce demons into a beginning Ars Magica 
  campaign. The adventure makes use of Realms of 
  Power: The Divine, Realms of Power: The Infernal, 
  Realms of Power: Magic and Through the Aegis: 
  Developed Covenants.
  MYTHIC HISTORY
  “No ship ever brought such disaster to England.”
  — William of Malmesbury
  Thomas FitzStephen was the captain of the White Ship. 
  At the age of 62, it was FitzStephen's own drunken pride 
  that led to the single greatest maritime disaster to ever 
  strike Mythic Europe. The foundering of the White Ship 
  resulted in the immediate deaths of 302 passengers and 
  crew. What's more, it precipitated a crisis of succession 
  for the English throne, leading to a nineteen-year long 
  period of civil war in the Anglo-Norman world known as 
  the Anarchy.
  DRAMATIS PERSONÆ
  The following character summaries are provided for 
  ease of reference:
      • William the Ætheling, Duke of Normandy: Son 
  of King Henry and the late Matilda, the Queen of 
  Blessed Memory, William is the rightful heir to the 
  English throne. A holy warrior of True Faith, he 
  resides within the Devouring Regio, standing in the 
  way of Richard of Lincoln’s release.
      • Richard of Lincoln: Baseborn son of King 
  Henry and the succubus Ansfride, Richard is in the 
  service of the demon Aborym. A Demon-Blooded 
  human, he resides within the Devouring Regio as 
  prisoner; he is locked in immortal combat with his 
  half-brother, William.
      • Matilda, Countess of Perche: Baseborn 
  daughter of King Henry and Edith, Matilda died in the 
  foundering of the White Ship. Now an Infernal ghost, 
  she is charged with the haunting of Barfleur Harbor; 
  her fate is to claim a new soul every winter, failure to 
  do so will banish her to Hell forever. 
      • Thomas FitzStephen, Captain of the White 
  Ship: Thomas survived the initial foundering of his 
  ship only to drown himself shortly thereafter lest he 
  suffer the king’s wrath. Now a Drowned Man 
  supernaturally bound to his role of captain, he has 
  spent the last century swimming through a magical 
  regio only to surface in time to warn the players of 
  the coming storm. 
      For more in-depth write ups of each cast member 
  see their Detailed Character Sheet; additional 
  biographical information is provided in Mythic 
  History.
  
  19
  Having won the Château de Gisors and secured his 
  son's homage of Normandy from King Louis the Fat, a 
  victorious King Henry gave word that after four long 
  years of military campaigning across the Continent he 
  and his retinue would return home to England. Chief 
  among his retinue were his children: William the 
  Ætheling, his rightful heir and the duke of Normandy; 
  Richard of Lincoln, his illegitimate son; and his 
  illegitimate daughter, Matilda, Countess of Perche. By 
  21 November, the retinue arrived at Barfleur and a fleet 
  was assembled; one vessel reporting for royal service 
  was the White Ship.
      During these few days at port, Thomas son of 
  Stephen presented himself to King Henry. Embolden 
  with drink supplied to him by the king's favorite, Richard, 
  the Norman nobleman claimed that his newly refitted 
  White Ship was the finest of all the fleet. After providing 
  his king with a relief of one mark of gold (six Mythic 
  Pounds), he requested his father’s position. For 
  Stephen FitzAirad had captained the Mora, which had 
  borne the king’s own father, William the Conqueror, 
  across the English Channel in 1066. Even though he 
  had already pledged himself to another ship, the king 
  was so moved at these impassioned words of familial 
  fealty that he acquiesced on behalf of his son, the newly 
  named rex designatus (“king-designate”). With the 
  petition granted, the retinue would soon set sail from 
  Barfleur.
      On the evening of 25 November conditions were 
  finally right to set sail. From Barfleur, the sojourn to 
  England should have taken 10 to 12 hours. The 
  crossing was made easier at night as sailors, without 
  the benefit of compasses, could maneuver using the 
  Pole Star as their navigational landmark. Despite this 
  advantage, the Harbor of Barfleur is a treacherous one 
  even under the best of conditions. The Harbor is one-
  and-a-half miles south of the Pointe de Barfleur, with a 
  tidal race that reaches upwards of five knots; this strong 
  current would have driven ships southward, thus 
  hindering ingress and egress into the port. This meant 
  that the royal procession had to wait until high water 
  when the race had slackened.
      What followed was a night of drunken revelries as the 
  young nobility of King Henry’s retinue flocked to the 
  White Ship en masse, indulging in their youthful pursuits 
  of sinful excess while more and more wine was imbibed 
  by passengers and crew alike. Holding court at the 
  heart of this sordid affair was Richard of Lincoln.
      A child of demons, Richard was born out of wedlock 
  in 1094. When he’d been removed as the Count of the 
  Contentin in 1090, Henry had become persona non 
  grata within the House of Normandy against his rival 
  brothers. Following the triumphant Siege of Mont Saint-
  Michel, which ended with him fleeing Brittany for France 
  as part of a negotiated surrender, Henry wandered the 
  Norman countryside of Vexin, a listless nobleman 
  without a court to call his own. In 1092, he came across 
  the town of Domfort. There he met with the demon 
  Aborym. (See the sidebar “Aborym” for more.) The two 
  struck up a pact in secret that would see the Infernal 
  duke lending aid to this beleaguered nobleman in order 
  to best his meddlesome brothers once and for all. As a 
  show of his “good faith,” Aborym quickly delivered to 
  Henry control of Domfort, wrestling the town over from 
  one Robert de Bellême in a bloodless coup. Over the 
  next two years Henry would rebuild his “court in waiting” 
  at Domfort beneath the demon’s cautious guidance. 
      In 1094, Aborym came to his ward one last time, 
  presenting him with Ansfride, a succubus. In exchange 
  for all he had done, his demonic patron required of 
  Henry a baseborn son of royal lineage. Giving into his 
  wanton lust, the future king agreed and so 
  consummated their Infernal compact, siring an 
  illegitimate son: Richard.
      Of Richard’s character the contemporaneous 
  historian William of Malmesbury wrote that he was a 
  “high-spirited youth,” whose devotion to King Henry won 
  his father’s love; indeed, the two were of similar 
  temperaments: Both were brash men, given to bold, 
  assertive — if not harsh—action and neither was a 
  stranger to the vices of sin.
      Sadly, King Henry’s love for his baseborn son blinded 
  him to the threat Richard posed to his line of 
  succession. True to his nature as a Demon-Blooded 
  human, Richard willingly remained under the thrall of 
  the demon Aborym, and by 25 November his task was 
  nearing completion. Come day’s end, he would ensure 
  that all aboard the White Ship, including his half-brother, 
  William, would drown to their collective deaths, thus 
  sowing the seeds of the Anarchy to come. Having 
  maneuvered FitzStephen to petition the king by 
  appealing to the captain’s vanity, Richard saw that the 
  appetite for liquor was quenched and then some, 
  ensuring that neither captain nor crew were of sober 
  mind for the passage ahead. He would use his demonic 
  powers to inspire the crowd toward greater and greater 
  acts of depravity as the night progressed.
  However, Richard could not complete this undertaking 
  alone. Promising her eternal splendor, Richard 
  manipulated his half-sister, Matilda, into supporting him 
  in this endeavor. The cuckolding wife of the Count of 
  Perche, Matilda saw to the last minute dismissal of a 
  gathering of priests who had come to bless the vessel, 
  potentially invoking the power of the Divine and 
  thwarting Richard’s machinations. 
  
  20
      For his part, William the Ætheling abstained from 
  partaking in the bacchanal above decks. Instead the 
  son of the recently departed Matilda of Blessed Memory 
  secluded himself within his private stateroom within the 
  fore of the ship observing softly spoken prayers. There 
  he was visited by an angel, Gallchobhar. The angel 
  came with a message from God: William would know 
  death this night, but he would live on fighting for the 
  Lord until deliverance would come in the form of 
  Hermetic magi. He must be brave.
     As William wept alone in his cabin, the White Ship 
  gave a tremendous shudder. 
      Well past midnight, FitzStephen gave the order to set 
  sail. By now the king’s vessel was far ahead of them 
  and the revelers had taken to mocking the captain, thus 
  wounding his pride. Overwhelmed with more liquor than 
  sense, the captain ordered his men to launch. The 
  captain ascended the mast, shouting down for his men 
  below to overtake their king’s ship. This was greeted 
  with much cheering from the intoxicated revelers on 
  deck.
      It was then that the White Ship struck the Quillebœuf 
  Rock along her port-side. With her hull now hopelessly 
  compromised, the ill-fated vessel started to take on 
  water and sink. In an attempt to compensate, the 
  oarsman started to shove against the rock itself, but 
  only managed to succeed in capsizing her instead. 
      Acting quickly, William the Ætheling’s guards 
  launched a skiff that would have seen their liege safely 
  upon dryland were it not for the selfish cries of his 
  sister, Countess Matilda. Matilda pleaded with William 
  to return and rescue her. Remembering the angel’s 
  words, William ordered the skiff about. He would be 
  brave; he would save his sister. However, once the skiff 
  was within sight of Matilda, drowning men desperate to 
  save themselves pulled the little boat over. And so the 
  rightful heir of England and Normandy drowned, along 
  with Richard of Lincoln and Matilda, the Countess of 
  Perche.
      However, their stories did not end there. For the 
  White Ship had become ensnared within a Devouring 
  Regio, consuming all three. Inside the regio, the 
  brothers met once more. Now, their true natures 
  revealed, the two have since been engaged in a 
  century-long combat with one another, neither side able 
  to one up the other. Matilda has become an Infernal 
  ghost. Each winter she is cursed to claim another soul 
  for the ranks of the undead legion growing beneath the 
  harbor of Barfluer. And as for FitzStephen, he managed 
  to survive the initial destruction of his ship by clutching 
  onto the mast. There he clung on for dear life, soaked 
  through and exhausted. All the while his sole 
   
  companion throughout the night were the wails of his 
  passengers and crew, cast adrift in their collective death 
  throes. As the hour passed, one into the next, those 
  wails continued to ebb until the only sound was 
  FitzStephen's own sobbing. It was then that the captain 
  of the White Ship knew Prince William was dead. 
  Fearing his king's wrath over his Maker’s, FitzStephen 
  chose death over dominicide. Releasing the 
  waterlogged mast, Captain Thomas FitzStephen 
  surrendered himself to the deep. 
      But one denizen of the deep had other plans for the 
  captain: Aldous the Forlorn, High Vicar of the Devil’s 
  Hole. For reasons all his own, the Atlantean warlock 
  breathed new life into the captain, transforming him into 
  a Drowned Man and condemning him to an existence of 
  endless servitude.
  CHARACTERIZATION
  While William the Ætheling, Richard of Lincoln, 
  Matilda of Perche and Thomas FitzStephen were 
  once real life people living in the 1100s, their 
  characterizations in “The Mutability of Otherworldly 
  Fortune” are entirely fictitious. Liberties were taken in 
  order to make the most of the various systems within 
  ArM5 in order to tell the most compelling narrative 
  based on historical events as possible. Thus, the 
  author fully acknowledges any historical inaccuracies 
  present in the work in advance and apologizes 
  accordingly. 
  THE DEMON ABORYM
  Infernal Order: Vessel of Iniquity 
  Rank: Prince
  Infernal Might: 50
  Aborym is a newly christened prince of Hell. 
  Commanding twenty-six legions, the former duke is 
  the demon of burning cities and castles. He 
  descended the ranks of Hell when he convinced 
  King Henry I to enter into a demonic pact that would 
  see the youngest son of William the Conqueror 
  ascend to the English throne. However, the demon’s 
  crowning achievement came decades later, during 
  the subsequent succession crisis and resultant civil 
  war known as the Anarchy. His obsession is — 
  appropriately enough — anarchy.
      Should the players side against William and come 
  to the aide of Richard of Lincoln then their covenant 
  is granted the Boon: Powerful Ally — Aborym; this 
  Major Boon is balanced with the Major Hook: Rival 
  — The Church as word spreads of the players’ 
  involvement. 
  
  21
  THE WHITE SHIP
  In 1120, the White Ship was a newly refitted Norman 
  longship. Crafted in the tradition of a Viking longboat, 
  she is a single-masted, square-rigged seafaring 
  vessel, whose primary form of propulsion is by oar. 
  Like all longboats, she rides low on the waterline.
      The White Ship was not designed for prolonged 
  sojourns across vast distances of open sea; instead, 
  she was built to traverse short distances, such as 
  across the English Channel or traveling along the 
  coastline, exceptionally quickly. Complete with a side 
  rudder to properly navigate by, her cruising speed is 
  5 miles-per-hour with a maximum speed of 12 miles-
  per-hour. Note that this speed cannot be sustained 
  for longer than 10 minutes before the active crew is 
  fatigued and needs to be relieved. Although she can 
  serve as a passenger transport, the White Ship is 
  not a luxury vessel; the crew shares tents which are 
  pitched right on deck. As there is no below decks, all 
  equipment is bundled on deck, in the center of the 
  ship around the mast or covered in tarps.
      The ship’s dimensions are 30 yds in length, 20’ in 
  width at its widest point, and weighing 300 tons, 
  granting her a size of +6. In 1120, she was of 
  Superior construction, granting her 9 Damage 
  Levels; however, having survived through a 
  Devouring Regio, she is now a Supernatural 
  construct, granting her 15 Damage Levels.
      To sail properly, the White Ship needs a crew of 
  150 oarsmen working in 3 shifts of 50, plus an officer 
  per shift and a captain. In order to accommodate a 
  crew of this size 30 tons of cargo has been reserved 
  for their provisions, leaving 120 tons for either 
  passengers or cargo.
      Lastly, the White Ship has been outfitted with both 
  a forecastle and aftcastle. The aft cabin is reserved 
  for the captain, and the fore cabin is reserved for 
  aristocratic passengers. 
      The total cost of operating the White Ship is 236 
  Mythic Pounds annually. For how to best use the 
  White Ship in combat, see "Ship Combat" in City & 
  Guild, pg. 86.
  ALDOUS THE FORLORN
  Though speculation abounds, presently the Order of 
  Hermes knows little of the so-called “High Vicar of 
  the Devil’s Hole." The name of Aldous the Forlorn 
  was first recorded in the writings of the eighth-
  century magus Sebastian of Flambeau. There, the 
  former hedge wizard and founder of the Schools of 
  Sebastian paints Aldous first as an ardent opponent 
  then as a stalwart, if tortured, friend. Of his friend, 
  Sebastian writes in the fondest terms, describing his 
  life as “tragically long.” References to an Aldous 
  abound in captain’s logs and much loved sea 
  shanties throughout the remainder of the eighth-
  century and continue well into the eleventh. If the 
  anecdotes of sailors are to be believed, this Aldous 
  is a wanderer, said to endlessly roam the currents of 
  the North Seas seeking malicious mariners who 
  would hunt the denizens of the deep. 
      However, Sebastian’s reference of a “tragically 
  long life” have led some in the Order of Hermes to 
  propose the notion that Aldous the Forlorn was, in 
  fact, the same nameless passenger Argus of House 
  Verditius wrote about in the 43rd volume of The 
  Journals of Argus. This volume is dedicated to a 
  single conversation wherein the passenger in 
  question claims to have been alive during the 
  foundation of the Order and that he was even 
  approached by Trianoma herself to share his 
  knowledge and found a house, an offer that he 
  demurred. As tall a tale as any the Verditius ever 
  committed to paper, some stories the passenger 
  relayed have since been confirmed by Hermetic 
  historians, lending a modicum of credibility to the 
  passenger’s claims.
      Now, word on the North Seas is that Aldous the 
  Forlorn has returned to continue his crusade with a 
  renewed vigor. Whether he is the same Aldous 
  cursed with a “tragically long life," Argus's 
  anonymous passenger, or someone else entirely 
  remains to be seen.
      Aldous’ role in the narrative is to provide players 
  with an evocative name, to tease of other, grander 
  stories that may yet be told elsewhere. Aside from 
  having transformed Thomas FitzStephen in 1120, he 
  takes no active role in this adventure.
  
  22
  DETAILED CHARACTER SHEETS
  WILLIAM THE ÆTHELING, HEIR OF TRUE FAITH
  True Faith Score: 1; Magic Resistance: 10 (from True 
  Faith)
  Characteristics: Intelligence +1, Perception 0, 
  Presence +3, Communication +2, Strength +1, Stamina 
  +1, Dexterity +1, Quickness 0
  Size: 0
  Age (upon Death): 17; Born: 1103
  Decrepitude: 0 (0)
  Warping Score: 0 (0)
  Confidence Score: 1 (3)
  Faith Points: 1 (1)
  Virtues: Blood of Heroes: Second Coming of King 
  David (0); Rex Designatus; Wealthy; True Faith; Affinity 
  with Music, Affinity with Thrown Weapon, Arcane Lore, 
  Famous, Improved Characteristics (x2), Privileged 
  Upbringing, Puissant Music, Puissant Thrown Weapon, 
  Strong-Willed, Student of the Divine; Heroes Birthright: 
  Psalm of Protection (0); 
  Flaws: Flawed Heroes Birthright: Necessary Condition 
  — Perform Music: Lyre, Martyr; Heir, Heroic 
  Personality, Weakness: Married Women
  Personality Traits: Martyr +5, Adulterer +3, Pious +1
  Reputations: Rex Designatus +4
  Combat:
  • Dodge, Initiative 0, Attack N/A, Defense 0, Damage 0
  • Sling, Initiative -3, Attack +10, Defense +8, Damage 
  +5; Requires two free hands to load and fire; a sling’s 
  range is 20 paces.
  Soak: +1
  Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious
  Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), 
  Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) 
  Abilities: Area Lore: England 1 (Westminster), Area 
  Lore: Normandy 1 (Rouen), Artes Liberales 2 (Music), 
  Charm 1 (Court of King Henry 1), Common Law 1 
  (Exchequer Laws), Dominion Lore 4+2 (Martyrs), 
  Etiquette 3 (Court of King Henry 1), Folk Ken 2 (Court of 
  King Henry 1), Hunt 2 (Foxes), Intrigue 1 (Court of King 
  Henry 1), Latin 3 (Reading), Living Language: French 3 
  (Norman), Leadership 3 (Court of King Henry 1), Music 
  5+2 (Lyre), Native Language: English 5 (Cockney), 
  Organization Lore: Court of King Henry 1 
  (Personalities), Organization Lore: House of Normandy 
  1 (History), Ride 2 (Cantor), Survival 2 (Seafaring), 
  Swim 1 (Oceans), Thrown Weapon 5+2 (Sling)
  Powers:
  Psalm of Protection: This power is a variant of the 
  Hermetic spell Circular Ward Against Demons (ArM5, 
  pg. 162). As with the better known Rego Vim spell, this 
  power’s level varies. This power is bestowed to William 
  courtesy of his Heroes’ Birthright; as a consequence, 
  his Psalm of Protection is at Level 15. However, William 
  play his lyre for the ward to function. If he stops playing 
  for any reason the power is deactivated.  
  Encumbrance: 0 (0)
  Equipment: Tied on either side of William Ætheling's 
  leather belt is his sling and pouch filled with rocks. He 
  also carries a lyre. 
  Appearance: Standing at 5’ 10”, William Ætheling is a 
  dashing young man blessed with his mother’s looks. 
  There is a natural curl to his russet brown locks and his 
  chiseled visage is decorated with a well-kept beard. 
  However, his most striking feature is his poignant, 
  cobalt blue stare that speaks volumes even in silence. 
    
      William Ætheling is his mother’s son. Matilda of 
  Scotland was herself the daughter of King William III 
  and his wife, Saint Margaret. Upon her death in 1118, 
  William organized the English court to petition Rome to 
  see her canonized; his own death in 1120 aboard the 
  White Ship led these overtures to a premature end. 
      It was William’s pedigree as the son of both the Duke 
  of Normandy and the Kings of Scotland that led many 
  scholars to allege he was poised to unite the Anglo-
  Saxon and Norman worlds, shepherding in a golden 
  age for his two peoples. Later, this claim was reaffirmed 
  by the man himself thanks to his brief stewardship of 
  the English court in the wake of both his mother’s 
  passing and his father’s absence. However, none 
  suspected that the deal Henry struck to ensure his 
  ascension to the throne would prove to be his line’s 
  downfall. William Ætheling died aboard the White Ship, 
  a victim of Infernal maneuverings. 
      For the past century he has been in a contest of wills 
  against his siblings, Richard of Lincoln and Countess 
  Matilda of Perche, within a Devouring Regio. Ever since 
  his death in 1120, he has not once stopped playing his 
  lyre and he is tired… so, so tired…
  THE SECOND COMING OF WILLIAM
  If the PCs aid William and succeeded in defeating 
  Richard of Lincoln, William could return to Mythic 
  Europe. He gains the major flaw “Raised from the 
  Dead” (RoP: D, pg. 36) and the Reputation: 
  Providence’s Blessed Heir +4 (Barfleur). His Warping 
  Score is determined by when this adventure takes 
  place. If he returns in 1220, his Warping Score is 5 
  (28) — Divine. Each year earlier or later in time 
  subtracts or adds one to this Warping score. With a 
  Warping Score of 5, William has the following flaws: 
  Susceptibility to Divine Power, Disfigured (Stigmata 
  Scars), and Weeping Stigmata (See the sidebar 
  “New Virtues & Flaws.”)
  
  23
  NEW VIRTUES & FLAWS
  Rex Designatus (Social Status Virtue, Minor)
  By virtue of the tenets of male primogeniture, you are 
  the designated king. One day you will inherit the 
  kingdom, but not today. You may take Academic and 
  Martial Abilities during character generation. The 
  Wealthy Virtue and Poor Flaw affect you normally. 
  This Virtue is only available to male characters, and is 
  compatible with the Landed Noble Virtue. 
  If you take this Virtue you must balance it with the Heir 
  Minor Story Flaw. 
  Flawed Heroes’ Birthright (Heroic Flaw, Major or 
  Minor)
  This Flaw allows Mythic Companions with the Heroes’ 
  Birthright Virtue to take a Hermetic Flaw, either Major 
  or Minor. These Hermetic Flaws must impact the 
  power granted to the character as it would a Gifted 
  Magus. Not all Hermetic Flaws will be compatible with 
  Heroes’ Birthright; the exact flaw must be agreed to by 
  the Storyguide during character creation. 
  Martyr (Personality Flaw, Major or Minor)
  You would rather suffer harm than allow others to do 
  so. If there is a price to be paid, you insist on paying it. 
  If there is a vital mission which is suicidal, you 
  volunteer. When someone needs to guard the rear 
  while the others escape, you insist on being that 
  person. When others try to pay these prices, accept 
  these missions, or brave these risks, you will enter 
  private negotiations to short-circuit them, sneak out 
  the night before to get a head start, or just knock your 
  ally out with a swift punch to the head so that you 
  suffer whatever awful calamity is about to happen, 
  instead of them.
      This Flaw virtually ensures that your character will 
  find a premature end to life, but this is something you 
  are willing, perhaps even eager, to accept.
  Selfish (Personality Flaw, Major or Minor)
  You lack consideration for the wellbeing of others, 
  even those around you. Thus, your main 
  preoccupation in life is your own personal profit or 
  pleasure and to hell with everyone else. 
      As a Major Flaw, your character cannot take any 
  altruistic Personality Traits; as a Minor your character 
  can take one altruistic Personality Trait (such as 
  Compassionate) as a Minor. However, if you 
  character tries to indulge in an altruistic act, you must 
  first make a Personality Stress Die roll of Ease Factor 
  9 against your Selfishness Personality Trait.
      This is not a good Flaw for a player character, as it 
  is likely to lead to conflict with the other players in the 
  troupe.
  Sins of the Father (General Flaw, Minor)
  Your Father lived a heroic life, one of unparalleled 
  greatness that now casts a large shadow over your 
  own. While there are a few who praise him a “hero,” 
  many more curse him a “villain.” Regardless, people’s 
  expectations regarding you are strong. You have a 
  Reputation of the appropriate type at level 3 among 
  your peers. This Reputation is seen as good to a few, 
  and bad to many more. Lastly, your father made many 
  enemies during his storied lifetime, some of whom 
  have outlived him and still bear a grudge.
  Weeping Stigmata (Supernatural Flaw, Minor)
  Weeping Stigmata is a new Supernatural Flaw that 
  acts as a mystical Minor Virtue. The stigmata scars 
  have opened and are continuously weeping blood. 
  Though not fatal the blood loss permanently removes 
  a level of fatigue. 
      If this flaw is Divine in nature, the blood, if ingested, 
  has the power to heal the wounds of others. In 
  exchange for long-term Fatigue levels, a character 
  can instantly remove either a light, medium, heavy, or 
  even incapacitating wound. Also, the person losing 
  the wounds gains Divine Warping Points. Lastly, this 
  flaw must be accompanied by the Disfigured 
  (Stigmata Scars) Flaw.
  Divine
  Warping
  Long-Term 
  Fatigue
  Light
  Medium
  Heavy
  Incapacitating
  Wound
  Level
  1
  2
  3
  4
  1
  2
  3
  4
  
  24
  RICHARD OF LINCOLN, A DEVIL CHILD
  Infernal Might: 5 (Corpus)
  Characteristics: Intelligence -1, Perception -2, 
  Presence 2, Communication 2, Strength 2, Stamina 2, 
  Dexterity 1, Quickness 1
  Size: 0
  Age: 26 (23); Born: 1094
  Virtues: Devil Child (0); Knight; Commanding, Demon 
  Blood, Summoning, Wealthy; Enticer of Multitudes, 
  Improved Characteristics, Mentored by Demons, 
  Puissant Single Weapon, Warrior; Puissant Guile (0)
  Flaws: Tragic Life — Destiny of Cain, Pride; Corrupted 
  Abilities, Lesser Malediction: Demonic Weakness 
  (Abhorrent Circumstance: Mockery), Manufactured 
  Ignorance
  Personality Traits: Vainglorious +3, High-Spirited +1, 
  Thick-Skinned -3
  Combat:
  • Sword, Long & Heater Shield: Initiative +2, Attack +14, 
  Defense +14, Damage +8
  • Fist: Initiative +0, Attack +4, Defense +4, Damage +2
  • Kick: Initiative -1, Attack +5, Defense +4, Damage +5
  Soak: 9
  Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious
  Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), 
  Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) 
  Abilities: Animal Handling 2 (Horses), Area Lore: 
  Normandy 2 (Domfort), Area Lore: England (Lincoln), 
  Athletics 2 (Running), Awareness 3 (Battle), Bargain 1 
  (Thaphaboath) [Corrupted], Brawl 3 (Below the Belt), 
  Charm 2 (Ladies-in-Waiting), Chirurgy 1 (Sword 
  Wounds), Etiquette 3 (Court of King Henry I), Guile 2+2 
  (Court of King Henry I), Hunt 4 (Foxes), Infernal Lore 1 
  (Thaphaboath) [Corrupted], Intrigue 1 (Court of King 
  Henry I), Leadership 4 (Soldiers), Living Language: 
  English 4 (Lincolnshire), Native Language: French 5 
  (Norman), Organization Lore: Court of King 2 
  (Personalities), Penetration 1 (Thaphaboath) 
  [Corrupted], Ride 5 (Airs Above the Ground), Single 
  Weapon 5+2 (Long Sword), Stealth 1 (Shadowing), 
  Survival 2 (Forests), True Name of Thaphaboath 1 
  [Corrupted]
  Goetic Arts: Summoning 5, Albating 0, Binding 0, 
  Commanding 5
  Powers:
  As the Vessels of a Potter Shall They Be Broken to 
  Shivers, 3 points, Initiative +1. Richard of Lincoln 
  concentrates his Infernal might upon a target, and 
  causes it a Medium Wound, severe enough to cripple a 
  limb until it is healed. Richard tends to weaken his 
  opponents prior to unsheathing his own sword.
  Babylon the Great is Fallen, and is Become the 
  Habitation of Devils, 3 points, Initiative +1. Richard of 
  Lincoln tarnishes an Infernal aura with a trait of his 
  choosing +3. In 1120, Richard used this spell to grant 
  the White Ship a +3 Bacchanal to inspire the excessive 
  drinking of the passengers and crew.
  Vis: 1 Pawn of Corpus
  Encumbrance: 1
  Equipment: Richard of Lincoln comes armed-and-
  armored with a long sword, heater shield and a 
  complete suite of metal scale.  As benefiting his 
  Wealthy status, all of his equipment is of Superior 
  Quality. Richard’s armor is preternaturally black in 
  appearance, granting him an aura of menace on any 
  battlefield. He is also adorned in a single-shoulder gold 
  cape; this is nothing more than a vain affectation.
  Appearance: Richard of Lincoln is a silver-haired fox of 
  a man. Unlike his brother, he is immaculately clean 
  shaven with a predatory smirk as if all life was a joke 
  and he is the sole person in on the punchline. Despite 
  his accelerated aging brought on by his Demonic Blood, 
  Richard has weathered his aging rolls well thanks to his 
  status as a Wealthy Knight.
      The architect of the White Ship disaster, Sir Richard 
  of Lincoln is a devil child. Bastard brother to the rightful 
  heir of England and France, William Ætheling, Richard 
  was conceived at the behest of the demon Aborym, who 
  arranged the unholy union of King Henry and the 
  succubus Ansfride, thus sealing a demonic pact. 
      Once the scion was of age, King Henry had him 
  fostered to the bishop of Lincoln, Robert Bloet. Whether 
  the king was aware of the bishop’s proclivities towards 
  diabolism remains something of a distinction without a 
  difference as Richard soon began his training in the 
  Goetic Arts upon his arrival at Lincoln. In addition to his 
  duties as squire and later knight, Richard was trained in 
  both Summoning and Commanding. The culmination of 
  these studies came when the bishop taught him the true 
  name of Thaphaboath. Ever since then, the mazzik 
  demon has served as Richard’s own personal shield 
  grog.
      Upon his return to court, Richard of Lincoln was 
  knighted and took up the role of guard, serving in his 
  father’s campaign against France. Following the 
  campaign’s victorious end, Richard set to work fulfilling 
  his demonic destiny: Richard maneuvered a drunken 
  Captain Thomas FitzStephen into petitioning his king 
  and later used his demonic powers to inspire the 
  bacchanal that ultimately claimed both ship and crew.
      For the past century he and his bastard sister, 
  Countess Matilda of Perche, have been caught in a 
  Devouring Regio in a contest of wills against William 
  Ætheling.
  
  25
  COUNTESS MATILDA OF PERCHE,
  AN INFERNAL GHOST
  Order: Evil Spirit
  Infernal Might: 10 (Mentem)
  Characteristics: Intelligence +1, Perception -2, 
  Presence +2, Communication +3, Strength N/A, 
  Stamina N/A, Dexterity N/A, Quickness N/A
  Size: 0
  Age (upon Death): 34; Born: 1086
  Virtues and Flaws: Gentlewoman; Affinity w/ 
  Enchanting Music, Blessing of Venus, Enchanting 
  Music, Puissant Enchanting Music; Selfish (Major)*; 
  Weak-Willed
  Personality Traits: Obsession Trait—Selfish +8
  Reputation: None
  Hierarchy: 0
  Abilities: Area Lore: Normandy 3 (Perche), Charm 5 
  (Seduction), Carouse 3 ( ), Enchanting Music 8+2 
  (Sailors), Etiquette 3 (Docks), Folk Ken 5 (Sailors), 
  Guile 3 (Port Authorities), Intrigue 3 (Lower Decks), 
  Native Language: French 6 (Norman), Organization 
  Lore: House of Normandy 3 (Personalities)
  Powers:
  Envisioning, 1 point or 3 points, Init +0, Mentem: Matilda 
  uses this power in order to summon her next victim to 
  their impending death. Her victims are invariably Grog-
  level sailors of ill-repute. Entering their dreams over the 
  course of three nights, the Infernal ghost strikes up a 
  romantic relationship with her intended victim using her 
  Enchanting Music. On the final night, she reveals to her 
  newfound lover the site of her death. She appears to 
  them to be drowning as she pleads desperately with the 
  victim to come and rescue her.
  Possession, variable points, Init +2, Mentem: See 
  Chapter 4: Infernal Legions, Demonic Powers.
  Obsession, 1 to 3 points, Init –5, Vim: Selfish. See 
  Chapter 4: Infernal Legions, Demonic Powers.
  Vis: None—Countess Matilda has no ability to form a 
  body, and thus cannot leave behind a corpse.
  Appearance: Countess Matilda can only be seen by 
  those with Second Sight (and those whom she targets 
  with her Envisioning Power). She appears as she did in 
  life, a ravishing beauty the likes of which men would kill 
  over. Her long locks of strawberry blonde are windswept 
  to one side, revealing a preternaturally azure gaze and 
  lush lips.
      Countess Matilda of Perche is an Infernal ghost. By 
  25 November 1220, she has been haunting the harbor 
  of Barfleur for the past century; in that time she has 
  claimed a total of 100 lives. Her last victim occurs during 
  the prologue of “The Mutability of Otherworldly 
  Fortunes” on Friday, November 13, 1220.
      Each winter she is released from the Devouring 
  Regio and she uses her Infernal power of Envisioning to 
  lure another unsuspecting male victim to his watery 
  demise. Motivated to rescue the drowning ghost, the 
  victim invariably takes a boat out to the Quillebœuf 
  Rock, where skeletal revenants await to pull the ship 
  under. In this, Matilda of Perche is recreating the same 
  sin of selfishness that claimed her half-brother’s life.
  CAPTAIN THOMAS FITZSTEPHEN,
  A DROWNED MAN
  Magic Might: 0
  Characteristics: Intelligence -1, Perception -2, 
  Presence 2, Communication 2, Strength 2, Stamina -1, 
  Dexterity 0, Quickness -2
  Size: 0
  Season: Spring*
  Age: 62 (60); Born: 1058
  Decrepitude: 1 (2)
  Warping Score: 0 (0)
  Confidence Score: 1 (3)
  Virtues and Flaws: Magic Human (0); Landed Noble; 
  Wealthy; Greater Immunity: Drowning, Transformed 
  Human; Mild Aging, Vernacular Education, Well-
  Traveled; Oath of Fealty: House of Normandy, Servant 
  of the Ocean: Captain of the White Ship; Proud (Major); 
  Careless with Profession: Sea Captain, Obese, Sins of 
  the Father; Prohibition (0)
  Magical Qualities & Inferiorities: Natural Appearance; 
  Improved Soak; Minor Virtue: Unaffected by the Gift; 
  Monstrous Appearance; Bound to Captain of the White 
  Ship Role, Minor Flaw: Temperate
  Personality Traits: Captain of the White Ship +3 
  (Essential Trait), Servile to Aldous the Forlorn, High 
  Vicar of the Devil’s Hole +2, Well-Kept +1
  Reputations: Son of Stephen FitzAirad, Ferrier of 
  William the Conqueror +3 (House of Normandy)/-3 
  (English)
  Combat:
  • Dodge: Initiative -3, Attack N/A, Defense +1, Damage 
  N/A
  • Fist: Initiative -3, Attack +4, Defense +1, Damage +2
  • Kick: Initiative -4, Attack +4, Defense +4, Damage +5
  • Dagger: Initiative -3, Attack +6, Defense +2, Damage 
  +5
  Soak: 4
  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: England 2 (Lyme), Area Lore: 
  Germany 1 (Husum), Area Lore: Netherlands 1 (Hoorn), 
  
  26
  Area Lore: Normandy 2 (Barfluer), Area Lore: North 
  Seas 4 (English Channel), Artes Liberalis 3 
  (Astronomy), Athletics 2 (Aboard Ship), Awareness 2 
  (Weather), Bargain 3 (Port Authorities), Brawl 2 
  (Dagger), Carouse 3 (Drinking Songs), Civil & Canon 
  Law 2 (Maritime), Charm 3 (Tavern Wenches), 
  Common Law 1 (Salvage Rights), Etiquette 1 (Court), 
  Folk Ken 3 (The White Ship), Leadership 5 (The White 
  Ship), Living Language: English 3 (West Country), 
  Living Language: Low German 2 (West), Native 
  Language: French 5 (Norman), Organization Lore: 
  House of Normandy 2 (Personalities), Organization 
  Lore: The White Ship 3 (Personalities), Profession: Sea 
  Captain 4 (The White Ship), Survival 4 (Oceans), Swim 
  4 (Oceans)
  Equipment: Quilted Armor, Excellent Quality; Dagger, 
  Superior Quality
  Encumbrance: 0
  Appearance: Despite his sheer bulk, Thomas 
  FitzStephen cuts quite a figure. A prideful man through 
  and through, the captain of the White Ship maintains an 
  immaculate appearance at all times. His well-trimmed 
  silver hair is worn long and loose about his shoulders, 
  and his weather-worn visage is kept clean shaven save 
  for his rather imposing mustache, which is — amazingly 
  enough — the same color as the sea at night.
  L’HOMME ROUGE
  “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do 
  it, for him it is sin.”
  —James 4:17
  Order: Duke of the Deluders
  Infernal Might: 40 (Corpus)
  Characteristics: Intelligence +1, Perception +5, 
  Presence -3, Communication -2, Strength +4, Stamina 
  +4, Dexterity +4, Quickness +4
  Size: +3
  Confidence Score: 2 (6)
  Virtues and Flaws: Frightful Presence, Premonitions, 
  Puissant Guile; Disfigured, Hunchback, Missing Eye, 
  Reclusive
  Personality Traits: Apathy +6, Reclusive +5, Enigmatic 
  +5
  Reputations: Schadenfreude 7 (Infernal)
  Hierarchy: 7
  Combat:
  • Hooves: Initiative +6, Attack +13, Defense +13, 
  Damage +5
  • Dodge: Initiative +4, Attack N/A, Defense +11, 
  Damage 0
  Soak: 4
  Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious
  Wound Penalties: –1 (1–8), –3 (9–16), –5 (17–24), 
  Incapacitated (25–32), Dead 33+
  Abilities: Awareness (Under Surveillance) 8, Brawl 6 
  (Hooves), Divine Lore 5 (Grigori), Guile 6+2 Infernal 
  Lore 7 (Grigori), Penetration 5 (The Wordless 
  Conversation), Premonitions 9 (Disasters), Normandy 
  Lore 10 (Historic Locations)
  Powers:
  The Wordless Conversation, 0 points, Initiative 0, 
  Mentem: L’Homme Rouge may speak directly into the 
  mind of any creature he can see, and may choose to 
  hear any mental or verbal response that the target may 
  make.
  Corrupted Knowledge, 2 points, Initiative -3, Mentem: 
  When L’Homme Rouge spends a season teaching an 
  Ability (including Supernatural), he uses this Power to 
  corrupt the knowledge that he teaches, granting the 
  Flaw Corrupted (Ability). The Power only inflicts the 
  Flaw if the character being schooled acquires an 
  increase in the Ability score because of the teaching 
  supplied by the demon. Those affected by this Power 
  soon learn that they get greater rewards if they use their 
  Ability for selfish or sinful purposes. 
  Delusion, 1 or 5 points, Initiative +3, Imaginem: 
  L’Homme Rouge is a consummate deceiver, and has 
  the ability to create elaborate illusions. A minor illusion 
  which affects an Individual amount of material (such as 
  the demon itself) costs one point; a larger illusion which 
  fills a room costs five points. These visions always have 
  a flaw, however (they smell wrong, can only be seen by 
  one target, etc.). 
  TRANSFORMED HUMAN: MECHANICS
  Captain Thomas FitzStephen’s last recollection in his 
  previous life was of falling into the darkness before 
  sensing the presence of another. His next recollection 
  is of swimming endlessly before being washed up onto 
  the coastline of Barfleur unconscious. In essence, 
  from our perspective, the captain of the White Ship 
  has been swimming for a hundred years.
      Mechanically, FitzStephen fell into a magical regio. 
  There he was transformed into a Drowned Man. Now 
  a Magic Human, FitzStephen earned the Supernatural 
  Virtues of Transformed Human and Greater Immunity: 
  Drowning as well as the Story Flaw Servant of the 
  Ocean. The Personality Flaw Prohibition was included 
  by way of this new Story Flaw, though this does not 
  count towards his total number of Virtues and Flaws. 
  In exchange for these new Virtues and Flaws, 
  FitzStephen has since lost Landed Noble, Wealthy, 
  and Oath of Fealty: House of Normandy. This 
  represents the loss of his mundane nature.
  
  27
  Duplicate the Magi’s Creation / Duplicate the Magi’s 
  Control: L’Homme Rouge can duplicate any Hermetic 
  spell of the Techniques Creo and Rego. This costs him 
  1 point of Might per magnitude. L’Homme Rouge is 
  partial to spells that create or control storms, such as 
  Incantation of Lightning or Gathering of the Stormy 
  Night. The demon cannot create any effect with a level 
  greater than his Infernal Might, nor duplicate Ritual 
  effects. 
  Coagulation, 4 points, Init –1, Corpus: L’Homme Rouge 
  can assume his unspeakably hideous physical form. 
  While this entire process takes 40 rounds to complete, 
  the dissolution of this physical form is nigh 
  instantaneous, taking only a round of concentration 
  even if his concentration is interrupted.
  Obsession, 1 to 3 points, Init –5, Vim: Apathy. L’Homme 
  Rouge “blesses” others with his Apathy Obsession Trait.
  Weakness: Ordering
  Equipment: L’Homme Rouge carries a glass cane 
  fashioned out of human ash. Forged in the Fire Pits of 
  Hell, the cane is of Exceptional Quality and grants the 
  material bonus +5 destroy human body.
  Vis: 8 pawns of Corpus in left eye
  Appearance: Clad in red robes, L’Homme Rouge 
  appears as an elderly man of 13’, complete with 
  crookback. There’s an exposed socket where his right 
  eye ought to be, and his shattered jaw has been 
  sutured together with rotting leather. The demon of 
  tempests seldom utters a word. Beneath his robes are a 
  pair of cloven feet.
      “The Red Man” is a demon of French legend. He is 
  said to haunt historic sites on the eve of some great 
  disaster, then disappear into the ether as soon as his 
  presence is detected. William of Champeaux, the 
  eleventh-century theologian, postulated that L’Homme 
  Rouge was a member of the Grigori, a tenth choir of 
  angels known as the Watchers; their charter was to act 
  as earthly shepherds of mankind. What brought the 
  theologian to this conclusion were the reports of the 
  demon’s apparent size and his proclivities toward 
  natural disasters. According to William, L’Homme 
  Rouge must’ve been cursed by God for having spoken 
  out of turn, hence the sutures. Whether or not there is 
  any truth to this conjecture remains to be seen.
      Regardless, it is well known that the demon values 
  his solitude. Those daring to disrupt this solitude are 
  fools and should be given pitied accordingly, for the 
  wrath of the L’Homme Rouge is awesome indeed.
   
  BARFLEUR, A HISTORY
  INTRODUCTION
  Of Barfleur’s historical noteworthiness, The Lion and the 
  Lily simply states the following:
      The harbor town of Barfleur was where much of 
  William the Conqueror’s invasion fleet was constructed. 
  Since then, many military and mercantile vessels have 
  been commissioned at the Barfleur shipyards. The 
  harbor is not without its perils — William son of Henry I 
  (king of England) was drowned after his ship, while 
  leaving Barfleur, hit a rock in 1120. (57)
      While factually accurate, this recounting leaves much 
  to be desired in communicating to the reader the sheer 
  importance this port city enjoyed during the early Middle 
  Ages, especially following the Norman Conquest of 
  England. Under the ruling stewardship of the dukes of 
  Normandy, then the kings of England, Barfleur was the 
  principal contact point between the northwestern 
  province of France and Great Britain.
  ETYMOLOGY
  Barbeflie… Barbeflet… Barbeflot… Barbefluctum…
      Of Barfleur’s founding nothing is known. Even her 
  name remains a mystery with current medievalist 
  discovering numerous variants, whether coming from 
  chroniclers of the period calling the harbor anything 
  from Barefleu to Barbaflot to historians using such 
  Latinized alternatives as Barbefluvium or Barofluctum. 
  (In 1220, the use of the name “Barfleur” is, actually, 
  something of an anachronistic detail as the word is, in 
  truth, a fourteenth-century construct, which may or may 
  not have Scandinavian origins; however, “The Mutability 
  of Otherworldly Fortunes” embraces this anachronism 
  to promote clarity and remain consistent with canonical 
  Ars Magica source materials.) What is known of 
  Barfleur’s prehistorical past is that it is indeed an 
  ancient city and was once home to a stronghold. 
  THE COMING OF SAINT ROMPHAIRE
  “He [Romphaire] greatly honored the priesthood of 
  God.”
  —Venance Fortunat, Bishop of Poitiers
  During the mid-500s, a British expatriate, Romphaire, 
  found himself shipwrecked upon the beaches of 
  Barfleur. While en route to southern Aquitaine, a violent 
  storm had swept his vessel off course, smashing onto 
  the rocks and shoals. Perceiving the storm as an act of 
  Divine Intervention, Romphaire remained instead of 
  continuing onward to Aquitaine. He took up residence 
  near his impromptu landing two-and-a-half miles north 
  of the harbor town, where he soon earned a reputation 
  
  28
  as a miracle healer. 
      In time, this reputation caught the attention of the 
  Bishop of Coutances, Saint Lô. Lô sent word, bidding 
  Romphaire’s come to Coutances where his healing gifts 
  could be tested. Pleased to see that the rumors of the 
  expatriate’s divine might were true, the bishop 
  bestowed priesthood onto Romphaire. Romphaire 
  returned to Barfleur as pastor, becoming the second 
  patron of the parish church of Barfleur until 570, when 
  he was called upon to succeed Saint Lô.      
      Romphaire died sometime in 600 AD, and was 
  elevated to sainthood soon thereafter. 
      As for Saint Romphaire’s residence at what is today 
  known as Gatteville-le-Phare, the grounds remain 
  consecrated with a Divine Aura of 5. By 1220, a holy 
  magus named Uriel, formerly of House Flambeau, has 
  erected a lighthouse using Conjuring the Wizard’s 
  Tower at this location. The tower overlooks a rock which 
  contains an imprint of a chain from the saint’s ship, 
  called the Step of Saint Romphaire.
      From time to time the residents of Barfleur can catch 
  a glimpse of the gregarious Uriel engaged in animated 
  conversations with a robed stranger during his morning 
  walks along the coastline; whether this is Saint 
  Romphaire himself or a passing stranger remains to be 
  seen. 
  TIMELINE: 700s—1200 AD 
  For five centuries, starting in 700s until 1200, Barfleur is 
  a staging ground for several military campaigns and the 
  site of diplomatic envoy missions between England and 
  Normandy. For ease of reference, what follows is a 
  quick timeline of these events.
  • Early 700s: King Arthur is said to have met with his 
  allies at the port of Barfleur before marching on 
  campaign against the Romans.
  • 996: Æthelred the Unready, king of England, declared 
  war on Richard III the Good, Duke of Normandy. 
  Dispatching a fleet of armed soldiers to seize the 
  province of Contentin, the English forces met 
  unexpected resistance from the harbor’s residents upon 
  their landing. The Norman peasants were able to hold 
  the English off long enough for reinforcements to come 
  from the viscount of Contentin, Nigel. Ultimately, the 
  English were unsuccessful in their bid for conquest. 
  • January 1026: Richard III, Duke of Normandy, was 
  wed to Adela the Holy, daughter of Robert II the Pious 
  at Barfluer.
  • 1037: In a mirror image of his father’s own bid for 
  conquest, Edward the Confessor, son of Æthelred the 
  Unready, departed Barfleur with forty ships under his 
  command to assert his claim to the English crown. His 
  bid was also unsuccessful and he was obliged to return 
  to the harbor town.
  • 1042: Sixty ships left Barfleur under the command of 
  the Comte de Longueville to replace the son of Cnut the 
  Great, Harthacnut, on the throne of England. This 
  undertaking failed. Despite this, Harthacnut’s death 
  came in June of that same year, paving the way for 
  Edward the Confessor’s succession to the English 
  throne.
  • 1066: William the Conqueror leaves Barfleur for 
  England onboard the Mora, captained by Stephen. This 
  culminates in the Norman Conquest of England. During 
  his reign, King William and Queen Matilda bestowed 
  upon the Cartulary of the Holy Trinity of Caen a house 
  at Barfleur. 
  • 1099: William the Red, third son of William the 
  Conqueror and his successor to the English throne, 
  returns to Normandy via Barfleur.
  • 1105: King Henry I, successor to William the Red, 
  lands at Barfleur with a fleet. 
  • November 25, 1120: The White Ship disaster occurs, 
  claiming the lives of King Henry’s children, including his 
  rightful heir, William Ætheling.
  • Mid-1100s: The Bishop of Bayeux and the Bishop of 
  Countances held residences in Barfleur; Radulphe 
  Goudin resided in the former, while William of St. John, 
  the latter. 
  • 1151: Henry, Duke of Normandy—later King Henry II 
  of England—was at Barfleur. The son of Empress 
  Matilda, issue of King Henry I, was marshalling men to 
  wage war against his grandfather’s successor King 
  Stephen when he was recalled to Normandy in order to 
  rescue one of his fortresses besieged by the King of 
  France. Later, Duke Henry issued a charter to Ranulf II, 
  earl of Chester, giving him all of his father’s heritages in 
  England and Normandy, including the Castle of 
  Barfleur. 
  • December 1154: Following King Stephen’s death, 
  Duke Henry departed Normandy from Barfleur to claim 
  the English crown. 
  • 1154-1189: Throughout his tenure as king of England, 
  Henry II would make several embarkations and 
  disembarkations at Barfleur. The most notable of which 
  came in July 1174 when he left Barfleur for 
  Southampton with Queen Eleonore, some cavaliers, 
  and a troop of Barbancons, collecting a large number of 
  ships at the harbor town that had been awaiting his 
  arrival.
  • August 1189: Following King Henry II’s passing, his 
  son, Richard the Lionheart, having been recognized as 
  the Duke of Normandy departed for England from 
  Barfleur to be crowned king.
  
  29
  • May 9, 1194: King Richard returned to Barfleur ahead 
  of a fleet of a hundred ships to assist the Verneuil, then 
  besieged by the King of France. Richard chose the port 
  town as landing as he wished to court their favor. 
  • December 4, 1194: King Richard issues a charter 
  extending tax relief to the monks of Canterbury; in the 
  charter, the port of Barfleur is listed among his subjects.
  • February 10, 1199: The Lionheart’s successor, his 
  brother John, was at Barfleur, where he confirmed his 
  patronage of the port town. 
  • 1200: King John went to Barfleur twice: Once in 
  February 5-10 and again in September 15-17. It is 
  during King John’s reign that Normandy once again 
  becomes French. As a consequence, Barfleur’s 
  importance as the principal contact point between the 
  northwestern province in France and Great Britain 
  comes to an end. 
  BARFLEUR IN 1220
  By 1220, Barfleur’s role in Mythic Europe is to serve as 
  a port-of-trade and shipyard for the North Seas. Thanks 
  to its centralized location, Carles Magnus of House 
  Tytalus has chosen the harbor town as the homeport for 
  his Covenant of the Northern Seas. For more on 
  Magnus and his ambitions of creating a new tribunal on 
  the open seas consult the Ars Magica sourcebook 
  Through the Aegis: Developed Covenants. 
      Of the harbor town’s approximate 250 residents most 
  are either shipwrights or fishermen, plying their trade in 
  relative obscurity for the last twenty years or so. The 
  harbor town is home to a handful of notable residents, 
  including Shimon Avraham (Through the Aegis, pg. 22), 
  Nadríc the Dwarven shipwright and de facto 
  harbormaster, and Gaëlle Annick, owner of the Hotel-
  Dieu. 
  NOTABLE LOCATIONS
  Here is a breakdown of notable locations strewn 
  throughout Barfleur proper. 
  • The Abbey House of the Holy Trinity: Bestowed to 
  the abbey of Cartulary of the Holy Trinity of Caen by 
  William the Conqueror, this house is still patronized by 
  parishioners of the abbey. As a consequence, the 
  abbey house has a Divine Aura of 3. Its location is 
  centralized to the town.
  • The Bishops’ Retreat: Located far away from the 
  hustle-and-bustle of the dockyards are the Bishops’ 
  Retreat. These neighboring residences are directly 
  across the street from one another and belong to the 
  Bishops of Bayeux and Countances respectively. Unlike 
  the abbey house these are not frequented as often and 
  as a consequence share a Divine Aura of 2.  
  • The Church: Built on the shoreline of Barfleur stands 
  the same church Saint Romphaire oversaw during his 
  lifetime. Like all buildings in Barfleur in 1220, this 
  modest building is a wooden construct, supporting its 
  own well and a bell tower. Presently, the harbor town is 
  without a pastor as the previous one died rather 
  unexpectedly in his sleep one autumn night. Despite 
  this the church maintains a Divine Aura of 4.
  • The Counting House: As the town’s most prominent 
  tax collector, Shimon Avraham resides in the Counting 
  House. Standing at a towering four stories, the Counting 
  House is quite lavish, furnished in nothing save the 
  finest, and is easily the most ostentatious place in all 
  Barfleur. While he is a proud member of the town’s 
  Jewish community, Shimon’s propensity for showing off 
  his wealth has left him something of a social outcast 
  among his own. 
  • The Hotel-Dieu: Much like how the town itself remains 
  a mystery, no one is quite certain as to the true origins 
  of the ancient Hotel-Dieu. Most residents have long 
  since reasoned that the hospice was established during 
  the founding of the harbor town and may have even 
  been the town hall. Regardless of whether or not this 
  speculation is true, the hotel is not a royal foundation. 
  Its continued existence is due in large part thanks to the 
  generosity of the nobles, ecclesiastics and nuns who 
  frequent Barfleur en transit to places elsewhere. The 
  current proprietress is a Breton expatriate, Gaëlle 
  Annick.
  • The Islet: Beside the church is a granite outcropping 
  known as the Islet. Carved onto this massive stone 
  jutting out into the ocean is a cross. Once word of Saint 
  Romphaire’s passing reached Barfleur, this carving was 
  made in memorial to his years of service here. Since 
  then this cross weeps 6 pawns of Corpus Vis (Divine) 
  each spring, and is registered in Uriel’s name as per the 
  Normandy Peripheral Code. 
  • La Carcasse Brisée: Overseen solely by the town’s 
  de facto harbormaster, Nadríc, La Carcasse Brisée 
  (The Broken Carcass) is what passes as a house of ill-
  repute at Barfleur. Housed within the hull of a 
  decommissioned cog idly floating on the waters of the 
  bay, La Carcasse Brisée is home to all manner of vices 
  and indulgences, including though not limited to 
  drinking, dicing, and whoring. Patrons be warned 
  though: as proprietor, Nadríc expects his due share or 
  else.
  
  30
  THE MUTABILITY OF OTHERWORLD 
  FORTUNES
  CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER BREAKDOWN
  “The Mutability of Otherworldly Fortunes” is broken 
  down into five interconnected chapters: An introductory 
  prologue, three chapters detailing a beginning, middle, 
  and an end, and a concluding epilogue. Each chapter is 
  intended to be roughly an hour in length. 
      As the Storyguide, you may find through the course 
  of play that your troupe is breezing through certain 
  chapters while stagnating in others; this is to be 
  expected. This adventure is purposefully designed to 
  present Storyguides with a lot of material, both historical 
  and mechanical, to give them enough to play around 
  with. As always, the Storyguide is encouraged to rework 
  whatever she chooses to provide her players with the 
  best gaming experience. 
      What follows is a Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown of 
  the story:
  • PROLOGUE: Set on Friday the Thirteenth of 
  November 1220, the prologue sees the players assume 
  the roles of Grog-level sailors enjoying a night of 
  carousing at the local tavern. As the night passes, have 
  players make subsequent Carouse rolls; the player with 
  the lowest roll (or better yet, a botch) is selected as the 
  final victim of the Infernal ghost that haunts the harbor 
  of Barfleur, Countess Matilda of Perche (for more on 
  infernal ghosts, see Realms of Power: The Infernal, pg. 
  36).
  • CHAPTER ONE: Set on Wednesday, November 
  25—twelve days after the Prologue—the principle 
  characters find themselves visiting Barfleur. As the sun 
  sets, a man is discovered floating like driftwood in the 
  middle of the harbor. Once he is rescued, the players 
  discover he is a Drowned Man, Thomas FitzStephen, 
  captain of the ill-fated White Ship that foundered a 
  century ago (for more on drowned men, see Realms of 
  Power: Magic, pg. 96). What’s more, he comes with an 
  ominous proclamation.
  • CHAPTER TWO: True to the captain’s word, “they” 
  have arrived: Demons from all across Mythic Europe. 
  However, none take any overtly aggressive action 
  toward either the player characters or the denizens of 
  Barfleur; instead, all appear transfixed by the harbor. 
  Their collective demonic presence is driving the entire 
  town toward madness. Amidst all this chaos, from out of 
  the harbor marches a brigade of animated skeletons 
  (for more on revenants, see RoP:M, pg. 99). Three 
  hundred and ninety-eight strong, the brigade is bound 
  by shackles, hoisting the White Ship from out of the 
  depths.
  • CHAPTER THREE: The White Ship is revealed to be 
  a devouring regio (see RoP:I, pg. 16). Upon her deck, a 
  century-old battle between brothers rages on in 
  stalemate. Locked in unending combat is the child of a 
  demon, Richard of Lincoln, and his blessed rival the 
  duke of Normandy, William the Ætheling, empowered 
  by True Faith. Aiding Richard is their sister, Countess 
  Matlida, and wanting to support William is Captain 
  FitzStephen. The players must now chose who to 
  support. Determining a side and lending aid is enough 
  to push this battle in either’s favor. The chapter ends 
  with one side triumphant over the other.
  • EPILOGUE: Dawn comes with either the Infernal or 
  Divine triumphant. With the conflict resolved, the greater 
  forces of hell have either grown bored, retiring to follow 
  their own corrupted pursuits elsewhere, or were 
  banished by the resurrection of William the Ætheling.
  PROLOGUE
  November, Friday the Thirteenth 1220: As the sun 
  starts to set on Barfleur, the evening’s adventure opens 
  with the players assuming the roles of Grog-level sailors 
  enjoying a night of indulgences at the local watering 
  hole: La Carcasse Brisée. These should all be 
  hardworking, hard drinking men of ill-repute prone to 
  visiting dens of iniquity on their free time.
      Prior to the start of play, each player should be 
  encouraged to create their own Grog using the 
  character creation rules detailed on either ArM5, pg. 17 
  or the more comprehensive rules seen in Grogs, pgs. 
  61-73. (Should a player come unprepared without a 
  Grog of their own then go ahead and have them use the 
  Sailor of the Northern Seas write-up on page 23 of 
  Through the Aegis: Developed Covenants.) Lastly, each 
  player must select a sinful personality trait, along with a 
  corresponding negative reputation, thus ensuring their 
  ill-reputed status.
      With a supporting cast now set, the Storyguide 
  should give some consideration to how these 
  characters factor into the campaign’s overall narrative. 
  Keep in mind that none of these men can be native to 
  Barfleur. Barfleur is a port city, home to craftsmen and 
  fishermen, not sailors. Presumably, the principal magi 
  characters have already arrived at Barfleur by 
  November 13th; if so, then have these sailors be the 
  crew of that transport vessel, presently caught in a 
  holding pattern, awaiting resupply before shipping off 
  again for ports unknown elsewhere in Mythic Europe. If 
  your troupe happens to be running a maritime-themed 
  campaign like the Covenant of North Seas, then merely 
  select one of your player’s vessels as their vessel.
  
  31
  La Carcasse Brisée is a den of iniquity with an Infernal 
  Aura of 1; thanks to the largesse of her patron, the Hulk 
  can more than accommodate any vice, regardless of 
  how esoteric. It is owned and operated by Barfleur’s de 
  facto harbormaster Nadríc. Once a master shipwright in 
  his own right, Nadríc has slowly been corrupted thanks 
  to his prolonged exposure to La Carcasse Brisée’s 
  Infernal Aura. He is now little more than a ward boss for 
  Barfleur’s docks. At his beck-and-call is a small cadre of 
  seasoned thugs (use the Grizzled Veteran statistics, 
  ArM5 pg. 21) to keep the peace in his establishment 
  and collect his protection racket. Once the players 
  arrive by rowboat, Nadríc is present and more than 
  willing to keep the players entertained. Also in 
  attendance are some local color, all of whom are 
  regulars: Archibald, a hermit; Athol, a wayward wife; 
  Fergie, a widowed tavern keep; Kenina, an orphaned 
  bar-maiden; Kester, a Saxon bastard, and Norm, a 
  down-and-out herald for the duchy of Normandy. Lastly, 
  there is a bevy of girls on hand to entertain the men’s 
  baser urges—for a price, that is.
      Here the Storyguide is encouraged to indulge the 
  players in entertaining their characters’ vices. 
  Remember there is no shortage of NPCs willing to 
  encourage them, providing motivation to keep the 
  players occupied, whether this is in the form of 
  purchasing them another round of drinks or challenging 
  them to a game of dice. With each new distraction that 
  comes along have the players roll a Stamina + Carouse 
  Roll against one another. Throughout the prologue call 
  for multiple such rolls; each time taking note of the 
  character with the lowest roll and having that person 
  quietly removed from the scene. This can take the form 
  of Fergie making her move on them or one of the 
  Grizzled Veterans escorted them from the premises. 
  (Botches should always be handled as if the character 
  passed out right where he was standing.)
      Once there is one Grog left standing, he should 
  quickly lose interest as much of his fellows have either 
  passed out or are nowhere to be seen. Even the NPCs 
  seem to be fewer and farther between. Last call is given 
  and the character is escorted to a rowboat. Upon 
  entering the rowboat the Grog is possessed by a 
  waking dream. This is the Infernal ghost’s Envisioning 
  Power at work, luring him to deviate in his course and 
  rescue her. 
      Have the player make an appropriate Personality Roll 
  against an Ease Factor of 15 to resist the siren’s call. If 
  he manages to resist, he will see one of the other 
  rowboats as it peels away from the procession in the 
  direction of where his vision ended. He watches as the 
  boat comes to a halt. It is there one second, he blinks 
  and the next it is gone. There is not even a scream 
  released. If the player cannot resist, he is lured toward 
  where the Quillebœuf Rock is located. Peering into the 
  water’s surface he is greeted not by the sight of a 
  beautiful woman but by a horde of skeletal revenants 
  rising up to drag his rowboat down.
  CHAPTER ONE
  November, Wednesday the Twenty-fifth, 1220: Twelve 
  days have passed since the events of the Prologue and 
  the magi characters find themselves at Barfleur as a 
  confluence of otherworldly powers a hundred years in 
  the making finally comes to an impasse.
      Just as Storyguides should give some consideration 
  as to how the Grogs of the Prologue factor into the 
  campaign’s overall narrative, it must be asked why the 
  magi find themselves in Barfleur instead of at their own 
  covenant wherever that may be.
      “The Mutability of Otherworldly Fortunes” is set in 
  winter 1220; presumably, a minimum of three other 
  game sessions have been held prior to this adventure. If 
  this is the case, the Storyguide is encouraged to seed 
  this adventure earlier into her Saga, preparing the 
  players for travel. There are several reasons magi may 
  want to travel to Barfleur; key among them is that this is 
  the homeport of the rather unconventional Covenant of 
  the North Seas. Overseen by one Carles Magnus, a 
  Tytalus magus with ambitions to transform the Order of 
  Hermes, the North Seas Covenant is a maritime one 
  where each magus must be master of their own 
  seafaring vessel before signing the charter. Founded in 
  1209, this impoverished springtime covenant is eager to 
  ally themselves with fellow covenants to solidify their 
  own tenuous standing within the Normandy Tribunal. 
  Perhaps the troupe has a meeting with Magnus to 
  formalize a partnership.
      What’s more, Barfleur is also home to Uriel. Formerly 
  of House Flambeau, Uriel is a holy magus. He 
  renounced the paganism inherent within the Order of 
  Hermes so as he might share a closer relationship with 
  the Lord. Loquacious to a fault, Uriel must live his day-
  to-day life as a blatantly gifted magus, leaving him with 
  precious few opportunities to socialize with his fellow 
  residents of Barfleur. He is more than eager (some 
  might even say overly so) to engage with any of visiting 
  magi and give them a tour of his extensive library. A 
  Parma Magica expert, Uriel made several 
  breakthroughs in the field prior to his total conversion. 
  Presently, he serves as lighthouse keeper.
      Barfleur’s central export is superior quality 
  shipbuilding; their shipwrights are known throughout the 
  North Seas. If the troupe is seeking to expand their 
  
  32
  sphere of influence and open new opportunities for 
  trade across the seas then there is no better place to 
  come.
      Lastly, for the Storyguide who wishes to be less coy, 
  if the troupe has a character (be he magi or custos) 
  blessed with the Premonition Supernatural Virtue, 
  simply conclude the previous session with him receiving 
  a vision of the dastardly events to come or, for those 
  Storyguides who wish to be even more heavy handed, 
  simply have Gabriel, the Archangel of Prophecy 
  (Realms of the Power: The Divine, pg. 29) appear 
  before the covenant and expressly tell the player 
  characters that their presence is required at Barfleur. In 
  either case impress upon the players the dire 
  consequences of inaction.
      Ultimately, this motivation will vary wildly between 
  individual Sagas and should be tailored to the needs 
  and expectations of the troupe gathered round the 
  gaming table. Regardless of the motivation, the magi 
  find themselves in mid-conversation with the 
  appropriate NPC when a trusted Grog barges in, 
  interrupting the discussion with word from harbor: 
  “They’ve found a man adrift out in the harbor!”
      If your troupe has magi prone to heroic action then 
  this is an excellent opportunity to showcase their 
  abilities in reeling in this unknown man. Otherwise, feel 
  free to have the players reassume their Grog roles from 
  the Prologue, perhaps with the erroneous expectation 
  that this man must be their lost compatriot. Once the 
  man is reeled onto the shore, a crowd has gathered, 
  surrounding the principle characters. Present in this 
  crowd is Archibald, a hermit seen in the Prologue. In 
  short order, the rescued man regains consciousness. At 
  first, he is delirious, rambling incoherently about how it 
  was all his fault, that he failed his king, that he killed his 
  prince, and that they’re all going to go to hell.
      It may take some Mentem magic to calm the man’s 
  hysteria or (at the very least) a Folk Ken roll or two to 
  earn his trust. Once trust has been earned, he reveals 
  his name to be Thomas FitzStephen, Captain of the 
  White Ship. Archibald shouts that that’s horse shite. “He 
  can’t possibly be the Thomas FitzStephen,” he goes on 
  in a rant. “I mean, look at him! He’s obviously lying. That 
  ship wrecked a hundred years ago today! I ought to 
  know; my bon-papa died aboard the White Ship.” The 
  news that a hundred years have passed takes 
  FitzStephen’s off his guard. For him, the wreck 
  happened hours ago; little does he realize that he’s 
  been swimming through a Magic Regio for all this time.
      Magi assembled will use either spells or lore rolls to 
  try to unravel this mystery. If they try to peer into 
  Thomas's mind, they catch fragments of what happened 
  that fateful night, along with a name: Aldous the Forlorn. 
  If they try to resolve the questions with lore, have them 
  roll against either English or Norman lore, Ease Factor 
  6. A Magic Lore roll against an Ease Factor 8 will reveal 
  that FitzStephen is most likely a “drowned man,” and 
  that Aldous is the Magical Creature responsible for his 
  newly transformed nature.
      Regardless of how much is learned, the investigation 
  comes to a screeching halt when ominous storm clouds 
  roll in, blocking the sun. Allow the characters a moment 
  or two to soak in the corrupted atmosphere as an 
  Infernal Aura of 2 descends upon all of Barfluer. The 
  chapter ends with Thomas FitzStephen’s deflated 
  warning: “It’s too late. They’ve already come…”
  CHAPTER TWO
  Chapter Two sees the session’s principal characters 
  caught by surprise as the denizens of Hell descend 
  upon an unsuspecting Barfleur. Storyguides must be 
  aware that this chapter was not designed for bombastic 
  heroism. Instead, our protagonists are quickly swept up 
  into a mad dash to save as the town’s citizens from 
  themselves. Mere moments after the unexpected 
  blotting of the sun and Captain FitzStephen’s 
  proclamation, three score demons have suddenly 
  arrived at Barfleur. 
      As if on an unholy pilgrimage from all corners of 
  Mythic Europe, they have come. First to arrive are the 
  demons collectively known as Sabaoth. In their natural 
  form of a singular, monstrously-sized crow, Saboath 
  lazily circles overhead, making several passes, before 
  finally exploding into A Murder of Crows and 
  descending upon the port town. The individual crows 
  perch along the scattered rooftops of the port town, all 
  with a clear line of sight to the harbor. Behind them, 
  trudging across the town’s paved road, is a mobilized 
  unit of warrior demons, Fimus. Leading this march is 
  none other than the so-called Prince of Hell himself, 
  Gaap. He maneuvers his column to assume a parade 
  rest along the dockside. Lording over this procession, 
  atop a hill overlooking the town, is the majestically 
  terrifying L’Homme Rogue: The Red Man. This fallen 
  Grigori, like all his demonic brethren, takes no notice of 
  the town’s residents and merely stands there, transfixed 
  by the harbor itself.
      Storyguides need to stress to their players that none 
  of the demons present are actually actively harming the 
  citizens. Rather, they all appear to be preoccupied with 
  whatever is occurring out in the harbor. However, this 
  does not mean that the citizenry is left unmolested. 
  Indeed, the collective demonic presence, plus the 
  sudden appearance of an Infernal Aura of 2, has driven 
  
  33
  many to sudden bouts of madness: men and women 
  are tearing each other apart for no apparent reason all 
  through the town. If your players fail to take action, 
  Captain FitzStephen, desperate for redemption, shouts, 
  “Let’s move these people out!,” before wading in and 
  separating people.
      Scattered throughout the port town are various “safe 
  houses” that the principal characters can relocate 
  people to, each comes with its own Divine Aura. During 
  the crisis, these Divine Auras are not only intact, but 
  each has increased by a factor of one. However, the 
  problem quickly becomes one of logistics as there is 
  simply not enough room (or time) to vacate a town of 
  250 to these locations. The turning point of the chapter 
  comes when, amidst all this chaos, the principal 
  characters encounter the Countess, Matilda of Perche, 
  an Infernal ghost. Unlike all the inactive demons around 
  her, the Countess is laughing, soaking in the madness. 
  Her gaze settles on the player characters as she 
  cackles, “You will all drown. Drown in a sea of your own 
  blood!”
      The players may wish to engage the Countess in 
  battle at this point. (Also, if Captain FitzStephen is still 
  with the group when the Countess reveals herself, he 
  recognizes her instantly and provides the magi with the 
  ghost’s true name, thus aiding them in casting spells 
  against her.) If this is not the case — or if the Countess 
  wins Initiative — she retreats back to the harbor. 
  Regardless of how this confrontation resolves itself, 
  draw the PC's collective attention to the harbor. The 
  chapter concludes with the sudden rising of the White 
  Ship. From its watery grave, a brigade of 398 animated 
  skeletons march onto the beach and docks of Barfleur, 
  hoisting the vessel up by infernal chains. (This count 
  includes the original passengers and crew of the White 
  Ship, plus all of the Countess’ victims for the last one 
  hundred years.) 
      Yet all hope is not lost, as the more perceptive of the 
  principal characters can make out the faint echoes of a 
  lyre raised in psalm coming from the quarterdeck of the 
  White Ship. 
  CHAPTER THREE
  If the previous chapter cast the players in the role of 
  reactionaries scrambling to curtail violence, then this 
  chapter casts them in the role of proactive heroes 
  whose choices may determine the fate of Mythic 
  Europe. Yet, before all this can come to pass, the 
  players will need to somehow board the White Ship, 
  preferably undetected.
      With the White Ship now upon the ocean once more, 
  a lull has descended upon the port town. All the chaos 
  of the previous chapter has evaporated, as if the entire 
  world were holding its collective breath. Afford the 
  players a moment of downtime to collect themselves 
  and regain their bearings.
      Investigative players may wish to use this opportunity 
  to question Captain FitzStephen as to what truly 
  happened that night one hundred years ago. A penitent 
  man, FitzStephen will bare his sins, leaving no name 
  unspoken, thus affording the players the True Names of 
  all the major players involved. The captain is oblivious 
  to Richard's demon blooded nature, but will share that 
  the young man was particularly thin-skinned for a 
  nobleman. Astute players may pick up on this hint and 
  deduce Richard’s demonic weakness.
      Once the players have had a moment to breathe, 
  return their attention to the immediate concern of 
  boarding the White Ship. Now, the assumption at work 
  here is that more seasoned Ars Magica players will 
  approach this with extreme caution (“We’re surrounded 
  by hundreds of reanimated skeletons, for goodness 
  sake! To say nothing of the assembled demon 
  congregation all around us”), while new players might 
  be prone towards recklessness (“I throw my sword at 
  the nearest demon! What loot do I get?”). As 
  Storyguide, you may need to thread the needle here. If 
  the group is overly cautious to the point of inaction, 
  remind them that since their arrival the demons have 
  not made a move; if the group is overly reckless to the 
  point of mounting a suicide run, remind them of how 
  woefully outnumbered they are in the present situation. 
  If the Storyguide wishes to make such friendly 
  reminders in-character, utilize Captain FitzStephen for 
  this purpose.
      Barring spells that allow for either instantaneous 
  travel or flight, the principle characters may be resort to 
  the most mundane of approaches: A common rowboat. 
  There are many such boats moored at the docks 
  waiting to be used for such a purpose. During this 
  sequence, the Storyguide should encourage the players 
  to come up with a means to shroud their approach, 
  whether that is taking an indirect route to come up on 
  the White Ship’s stern or manipulating the weather to 
  create a shroud of fog.
      For his part, Thomas FitzStephen insists on 
  accompanying the troupe. Not only is his Essential Trait 
  “Captain of the White Ship,” he is also bound to the role. 
  Now that the ship has resurfaced, these aspects of his 
  personality are reasserting themselves. The final 
  decision as to whether or not to bring the captain on this 
  mission is up to the players. If the group consensus is 
  that he is to remain dockside, he will. He just will not be 
  pleased.
  
  34
      Fundamentally, the Storyguide wants the players to 
  reach their destination. After all, the entire evening has 
  culminated in the troupe arriving to break a century old 
  stalemate. So it is inadvisable to make the approach too 
  insurmountable by, say, drawing the ire of the entire 
  demon congregation. In addition, the Storyguide should 
  not also just hand wave the journey, either.
      Use this passage to bring tension into the game. 
  Have an unexpected botch Stealth roll? Then their oar 
  winds up hitting the side of the boat and attracting the 
  attention of the nearest reanimated skeleton, and now 
  he’s coming to investigate. (If one of the PC Grogs died 
  in the Prologue, then go ahead and make this his 
  reanimated corpse instead.)
      Once the troupe has boarded the White Ship, they 
  are greeted by the sight of a lone man, William the 
  AEtheling, playing a lyre with bloodied hands. Lording 
  over him is a demon, Thaphaboath. Thaphaboath is 
  mindlessly pounding on an invisible barrier separating 
  him from his prey.
      Before the players are allowed to act, a voice from 
  the crow’s nest hails them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were 
  you,” he says as he descends toward the deck below 
  along a yardarm. “He can be quite testy when provoked. 
  Can’t you, my pet? Yes, yes, you can!” He introduces 
  himself as Richard of Lincoln, and he supposes that 
  they are the wizardry folk here to break this stalemate.
      If questioned or threatened, Richard responds with 
  mirth. He is confident of victory as it is only a matter of 
  time before William succumbs to exhaustion. Once the 
  lyre goes silent, William’s Divine protection will fail him, 
  Thaphaboath will bathe in his blood, and they will all 
  finally be free of the Devouring Regio that has kept 
  them prisoner for the past century.
      “Of course, you could always help… speed the 
  process along. I’ll make it well worth your while.” He 
  smiles. If the players have not dealt with Matilda, she 
  too appears alongside her bastard brother. “Or… Well, I 
  suppose you could do that pedantic hero nonsense and 
  rally to his aid instead. The choice is yours. Either way 
  I’ll be amused, at least.”
      The battle lines are drawn; it is now up to the troupe 
  to decide what side to take.
  SIDING WITH RICHARD OF LINCOLN
  As sinning is always easier than living a righteous life, 
  this is by far the easiest option presented. All that needs 
  to happen is for someone without an Infernal Might 
  score to move in close on William and make the kill. The 
  aetheling is so exhausted at this point that he won’t 
  even put up much of a struggle in his own defense. 
      The task of defending the prince falls upon Captain 
  FitzStephen’s shoulders, if he is present. Siding with 
  Richard against William will provoke the captain, and he 
  will do what must be done to see him protected.
  SIDING WITH WILLIAM THE AETHELING
  By far the more difficult of the two options presented, 
  siding with the rightful heir of England has the potential 
  of pitting the troupe in mortal combat against a Devil 
  Child with Infernal Might 5, an Infernal ghost with 
  Infernal Might 10, and a demon shield grog with an 
  Infernal Might 15.
      Of the three combatants, the easiest to turn would 
  actually be Thaphaboath, as he has grown weary of his 
  master’s prattling. Players may be able to detect his 
  reluctance to act with a high enough Folk Ken roll and 
  attempt to Bargain with the demon. He may even 
  divulge his master’s demonic weakness.
      Siding against Richard will bring Captain 
  FitzStephen, if present, into the fray on their side. If he 
  has not done so, he can provide the true name of the 
  Countess.
  CHOOSING TO SIDE WITH NO ONE
  Inaction is also a choice. Choosing to side with neither 
  brother will result in the White Ship descending into the 
  same Devouring Regio from whence it came. This 
  process comes suddenly, and threatens to swallow the 
  troupe right up with the ship and all hands. The troupe 
  will need Athletic + Quickness rolls against a Ease 
  Factor of 12 if they are to escape with their lives.
      In this case, Captain FitzStephen, if present, willingly 
  goes down with his ship.
      The chapter draws to a close when either one brother 
  is dead or the ship has returned to the depths of 
  Barfleur harbor.
  EPILOGUE
  SIDING WITH RICHARD OF LINCOLN, REDUX
  If the troupe slays both William and Captain 
  FitzStephen, Richard is triumphant and free of the 
  Devouring Regio. Sadly, he will not live long enough to 
  enjoy his spoils. He is in mid-monologue, applauding 
  the troupe for their pragmatism, when his age suddenly 
  catches up to him, exacerbated by his Demonic Blood. 
  Richard of Lincoln turns to ash before the players.
      Once the initial shock abates, the troupe is greeted 
  by another man. Striding onto the main deck from the 
  aftcastle, this man appears to be in his late fifties, rather 
  hearty for a man of his years. There is a severe cast to 
  his mirthless expression and he bares more than a 
  passing resemblance to the late Richard of Lincoln.
  
  35
      “You must forgive my son,” he says. “He was always 
  so petulant.” He looks out across the harbor at the 
  demon hordes amassed at Barfleur. “No, that won’t do, 
  won’t do at all.” With a wave of his hand, the spellbound 
  demons are let loose upon Barfleur, turning the once 
  quiet seaport into a veritable bloodbath. The church, 
  along with the other divine auras located throughout the 
  town, are razed and the fire of the lighthouse is snuffed 
  out in appropriately dramatic fashion. From this point 
  onward, Barfleur’s aura is now an infernal one. “There, 
  that’s better.” If the troupe inquires as to who this 
  newcomer is, he demurs graciously: “A friend.” He is, in 
  fact, the demon Aborym.
      Before he leaves, he reveals to the troupe 
  Thaphaboath’s True Name and transfers ownership of 
  the demon from his late son to the covenant, earning 
  them one demonic shield grog. For ensuring that his 
  son has, at last, completed his Tragic Life destiny, the 
  covenant earns the boon Powerful Ally—The Demon 
  Aborym. This Major Boon is balanced with the Major 
  Hook: Rival—The Church once word spreads of what 
  the players’ have done.
  SIDING WITH WILLIAM THE AETHELING, REDUX
  Rallying to the aethling’s cause and slaying his bastard 
  brother has the troupe witnessing a miracle as William 
  is resurrected, earning the Major Story Flaw: “Raised 
  from the Dead.” (See the sidebar “The Second Coming 
  of William.”) This miracle is seen by all in Barfleur, and 
  is strong enough to banish all the demons back to Hell.
      All those in the troupe who believe in the Divine — 
  regardless of whether that is Christianity, Judaism or 
  Islam — earn themselves a singular Faith Point for 
  participating in the miracle. Those of other religious 
  persuasions earn no such reward. However, no other 
  material rewards are granted to the troupe.
  CHOOSING TO SIDE WITH NO ONE, REDUX
  If the troupe made their Athletics checks and outraced 
  the Devouring Regio, they find themselves treading 
  water in the bay of Barfleur. Across the way, the demon 
  horde, having grown bored, disperses from whence 
  they came in disappointment.
  THE FATE OF THE WHITE SHIP
  Provided that the White Ship survived the ordeal, she 
  now belongs to the troupe; neither side has a vested 
  interest in the legendary ship any longer.
      If he survived, Captain FitzStephen will remain 
  onboard to serve the covenant as the ship’s 
  commander. He does this even if the troupe aligned 
  with Richard against William, as he is magically bound 
  to his role, whether he likes who he is serving or not.
  BIBLIOGRAPHY
  Bellot, and Louis Drouet. Notice Historique Sur La Ville 
  De Barfleur. Paris: Livre D’histoire, 2000. Print.
  Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Demons in World 
  Religions and Cultures. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 
  2012. Print.
  Bernard, Jacqueline. “Saint Romphaire,” Journal of the 
  Manche Department, No. 100, October 1983.
  Chandler, Victoria. “The Wreck of the Write Ship.” The 
  Final Argument: The Imprint of Violence on Society in 
  Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Ed. Donald J. 
  Kagay and L. J. Andrew. Villalon. Rochester, NY: 
  Boydell, 1998. N. pag. Print.
  Green, Judith A. Henry I: King of England and Duke of 
  Normandy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2006. Print. 
  “William of Malmesbury’s Chronicle of the Kings of 
  England. From the Earliest Period to the Reign of King 
  Stephen : William, of Malmesbury, Ca. 1090-1143 : 
  Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive.” Internet 
  Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2016.
  
  Magi of the Order
  Euryalus Koios of House Tytalus 
  by Jason Tondro
  36
  The magus known now as Euryalus Koios was born in 
  1156 in the Italian countryside. Fair and charming, he 
  was nevertheless ostracized by his Gift. As an 
  adolescent, Euryalus was drawn to other boys, and his 
  guilt and shame over his “unnatural” desires led him to 
  embrace his outcast status. He was found by a Jerbiton 
  magus who sent him to the University of Bologna, 
  where he learned his letters and the classics. Euryalus 
  had several male lovers among the students of 
  Bologna, but when his master at last opened his Arts, 
  Euryalus kept his attraction to other men a secret.
      Euryalus’s apprenticeship was unusual only because 
  of his relatively advanced age; he was Gauntleted when 
  he was 31, and for a time he was an ideal Jerbiton. He 
  cultivated a lifestyle of beauty and taste, pursuing his 
  magical studies not for power or glory but for comfort 
  and joy. His impeccable spellcasting technique and 
  witty way with words made him a popular author and 
  teacher, and he quickly began to produce a small library 
  of texts on Spell Mastery, first writing on all his own 
  spells but then branching out to master spells which 
  were popular in the Order and for which there was a 
  sure demand. He has sold many tractatus to Flambeau 
  magi, to Quaesitors, and to those seeking to avoid 
  them. Later, he joined the Cult of Mercury, at first purely 
  to learn their Spell Mastery techniques; eventually he 
  came to enjoy the beauty of their pagan rituals. In the 
  pursuit of useful spells, Euryalus made himself a 
  generalist; none of his Arts are especially high, but he 
  knows a great many useful incantations and lives 
  comfortably as a respected author on a specialized 
  field.
      But Euryalus was tormented by his unnatural 
  attraction to men. As a student he had read Thomas 
  Aquinas and other Doctors of the Church who 
  condemned sodomy in the strongest terms. Jerbiton 
  magi often marry, but the hypocrisy and strain of 
  keeping his true self hidden, and thus closing off all 
  possibility of a happy romantic life with a partner of his 
  choosing, became unbearable. Euryalus had learned to 
  be an excellent liar, but he was by nature an honest and 
  compassionate man. He began to consider options. At a 
  meeting of his regional tribunal he overheard a debate 
  of House Tytalus, and his interest in Calliclean ethics 
  was piqued. He began a long correspondence with a 
  senior Tytalus magus, seeking to learn more about the 
  House's principles. Until now, he had always judged the 
  House harshly, as a place for diabolists and trouble-
  makers. But he began to wonder if House Tytalus might 
  be a place where his defiance of traditional Christian 
  values would not be condemned.
      Seven years later, Euryalus attended tribunal once 
  more, and this time entered the debate for himself. He 
  defended love between those of the same sex — men 
  or women — as something God had made and, thus, 
  not unnatural. In the process, he “came out” as a 
  sodomite himself. Euryalus didn’t convince many of the 
  Jerbiton or Flambeau in his audience, but the magi of 
  House Tytalus were impressed at his courage and his 
  loyalty to his own nature. They welcomed him within 
  their House and gave him the new name of Koios, a 
  Titan renowned for his knowledge and wisdom.
      In the years since, Euryalus Koios has made peace 
  with himself and his sexuality. Most magi have little 
  interest in love of any sort, and don’t particularly care 
  whether Euryalus has sex with men or not, but the 
  simple fact that he’s no longer hiding his desires and 
  lying to his sodales and covenfolk has transformed 
  Euryalus’s life. He is happier now, more at ease with 
  himself and his future. There has been a price to pay; 
  Euryalus’s parens no longer communicates with him, 
  and most of the covenfolk avoid him. The local priest 
  has devoted many weekly sermons to the tale of Sodom 
  and Gomorrah. Euryalus figures he’s going to Hell, but 
  he will go to Hell true to himself.
      Several years ago, Euryalus decided to take an 
  apprentice. His magic does not work on children (a 
  restriction he inherited from his parens) and so to avoid 
  any hint of scandal he chose a young woman and sent 
  her off to school. By the time she’d attained her 
  baccalaureate at Palermo, she was old enough for 
  Euryalus to open her Arts. She’s now 21 and a third of 
  the way through her apprenticeship. Euryalus intends to 
  enchant a talisman with her help.
  LGBT concerns and the Order
  Words like gay, queer, homosexual, and lesbian are 
  modern inventions, and would not have been used in 
  the 13th century. The literature on sodomy in the 
  classical and medieval church is extensive, and the 
  
  37
  word covers all non-procreative sex, including not only 
  homosexuality but also masturbation and oral or anal 
  sex between men and women. Thomas Aquinas, Peter 
  Damien, Hildegard of Bingen and many others all wrote 
  about these topics and they all agreed they were sins, 
  approximately equal to adultery. The Cathars and 
  Waldensians were especially likely to be accused of 
  sodomy. Unnatural sex between women was (only 
  slightly) less serious than between men, but much less 
  reported; although there are literally thousands of 
  accusations of male sodomy in the medieval historical 
  record, there are only a handful of similar accusations 
  towards women.
      Sexuality is of so little interest to most magi that 
  homosexuality probably doesn’t count as a Dark Secret, 
  though it could be one for a companion or grog in a 
  typical Christian town. Instead, Curse of Venus can be a 
  very useful Story Flaw for homosexual magi. Curse of 
  Venus models a string of inappropriate, one-sided, 
  doomed, or dangerous romances, and for most LGBT 
  magi in Mythic Europe, that’s a pretty good description 
  of their love life.
  Euryalus Koios
  Characteristics Int +1, Per -1, Pre 0, Com +2, Str 0, 
  Sta +1 (1), Dex +1, Qik +1 (1) 
  Size 0
  Age 64 (52; longevity ritual with a +8 bonus)
  Decrepitude 0 (3) 
  Warping Score 3 (10)
  Confidence Score 2 (5)
  Virtues & Flaws Hermetic Magus, Baccalaureus; the 
  Gift; Arcane Lore, Flawless Caster, Good Teacher, 
  Mastered Spells, Privileged Upbringing, Self-Confident, 
  Skilled Parens; Creative Block, Curse of Venus, 
  Oversensitive (Insults), Restriction (Children), Soft-
  Hearted
  Personality Traits Kind +2, Open +3
  Reputations Convert to House Tytalus +2 (Order of 
  Hermes), Member of the Magistri Magia +1 (Order of 
  Hermes), Sodomite +3 (covenfolk), Good Writer +2
  Combat
  Dodge Init +1, Defense +4
  Soak +1
  Fatigue Levels OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
  Wound Levels -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), 
  Incapacitated (16-20), Dead (21+)
  Abilities Area Lore: Roman Tribunal 2 (magi), Artes 
  Liberales 2 (rituals), Awareness 2 (details), Brawl 2 
  (dodge), Carouse 2 (students), Charm 3 (men), Code of 
  Hermes 1 (scrying), Concentration 2 (spells), Etiquette 2 
  (students), Finesse 2 (Imaginem), Folk Ken 2 
  (teachers), Guile 2 (teachers), Intrigue 3 (concealing 
  things about himself), Northern Italian 5 (vocabulary), 
  Latin 5 (Hermetic), Magic Lore 2 (Italian), Magic Theory 
  6 (inventing spells), Order of Hermes Lore 3 (magi), 
  Parma Magica 3 (Mentem), Penetration 2 (Mentem), 
  Philosophiae 3 (rituals), Profession: Scribe 5 
  (Hermetic), Teaching 1 (one on one), Theology 2 (sex)
  Arts Cr 11, In 6, Mu 6, Pe 7, Re 10; Aq 5, An 5, Au 6, 
  Co 10, He 5, Ig 6, Im 11, Me 10, Te 6, Vi 11
  Twilight Scars All his physical motions seem 
  supernaturally precise, Children feel safe in his 
  presence, Never needs to shave his facial hair
  Equipment Well-tailored clothing in the latest fashions, 
  a knife for trimming quills, 12 pawns Creo vis in chess 
  piece tokens
  Spells Known
  • The Incantation of the Lightning +21 (CrAu 35) 
  Mastery 3 (3): Magic Resistance, Penetration, Stalwart 
  Casting
  • Purification of the Festering Wounds +23 (CrCo 20) 
  Mastery 1: Penetration
  • Restoration of the Defiled Body +30 (CrCo 25, Ritual) 
  Mastery 1: Stalwart Casting
  • Severed Limb Made Whole +30 (CrCo 25, Ritual) 
  Mastery 1: Stalwart Casting
  • Incantation of the Body Made Whole +30 (CrCo 40, 
  Ritual) Mastery 1: Stalwart Casting
  • Revealed Flaws of the Mortal Flesh +18 (InCo 10) 
  Mastery 1: Penetration
  • Whispers through the Black Gate +19 (InCo[Me] 15) 
  Mastery 2: Ceremonial Casting, Imperturbable Casting
  • Eyes of the Cat +13 (MuCo[An] 5) Mastery 1: Multiple 
  Casting
  • Endurance of the Berserkers +19 (MuCo 15) Mastery 
  2: Imperturbable Casting, Stalwart Casting
  • Pilum of Fire +21 (CrIg 20) Mastery 3 (3): Magic 
  Resistance, Multiple Casting, Penetration
  • Ball of Abyssal Flame +20 (CrIg 35) Mastery 2: 
  Resistance, Stalwart Casting
  • Haunt of the Living Ghost +24 (CrIm 35) Mastery 1: 
  Imperturbable Casting
  • Prying Eyes +18 (InIm 5) Mastery 1: Quiet Casting
  • Summoning the Distant Image +19 (InIm 25) Mastery 
  2: Disguised Casting, Penetration
  • Aura of Ennobled Presence +20 (MuIm 10) Mastery 2: 
  Quiet Casting, Still Casting
  • Disguise of the Transformed Image +20 (MuIm 15) 
  Mastery 2: Quiet Casting, Still Casting
  • Veil of Invisibility +21 (PeIm 20) Mastery 2: Disguised 
  Casting, Fast Casting
  • Silence of the Smothered Sound +21 (PeIm 20) 
  Mastery 2: Penetration, Magic Resistance
  
  38
  • Dispel the Phantom Image +21 (PeIm 25) Mastery 2: 
  Fast Casting, Penetration
  • Wizard’s Sidestep +23 (ReIm 10) Mastery 2: Fast 
  Casting, Quick Casting
  • Posing the Silent Question +20 (InMe 20) Mastery 3: 
  Quiet Casting x2, Still Casting
  • Loss of But a Moment’s Memory +20 (PeMe 20) 
  Mastery 2: Quiet Casting, Still Casting
  • Aura of Rightful Authority +24 (ReMe 20) Mastery 3: 
  Quiet Casting x2, Still Casting
  • Incantation of Summoning the Dead +23 (ReMe 40) 
  Mastery 2: Imperturbable Casting, Stalwart Casting
  • The Shrouded Glen +29 (ReMe 40, Ritual) Mastery 1: 
  Stalwart Casting
  • The Crystal Dart +16 (Mu[Re]Te 10) Mastery 3 (1): 
  Magic Resistance, Multiple Casting, Penetration
  • Edge of the Razor +15 (MuTe 20) Mastery 2: Fast 
  Casting, Penetration
  • Sense of the Lingering Magic +19 (InVi 30) Mastery 1: 
  Ceremonial Casting
  • Demon’s Eternal Oblivion +22 (PeVi 10) Mastery 3 (1): 
  Fast Casting, Multiple Casting, Penetration
  • Masking the Odor of Magic +21 (PeVi 25) Mastery 2: 
  Ceremonial Casting, Disguised Casting
  • Opening the Intangible Tunnel +24 (ReVi 15) Mastery 
  2: Disguised Casting, Penetration
  • Maintaining the Demanding Spell +24 (ReVi 20) 
  Mastery 2: Imperturbable Casting, Stalwart Casting
  • Aegis of the Hearth +31 (ReVi 25, Ritual) Mastery 2: 
  Lab Mastery, Stalwart Casting
      Euryalus Koios has prepared casting tablets for 
  several of his spells. These can be copied for magi at a 
  cost of 1 pawn for every 15 levels of the spell, rounded 
  up. If the client needs the casting tablet immediately, 
  scribes can give copies they have already made, but 
  the price is doubled. 
  • Whispers through the Black Gate (InCo[Me] 15)
  • Purification of the Festering Wounds (CrCo 20)
  • Restoration of the Defiled Body (CrCo 25)
  • Severed Limb Made Whole (CrCo 25)
  • Incantation of the Body Made Whole (CrCo 40)
  • Haunt of the Living Ghost (CrIm 35)
  • Posing the Silent Question (InMe 20)
  • Incantation of Summoning the Dead (ReMe 40)
  • The Shrouded Glen (ReMe 40)
  • Aegis of the Hearth (ReVi 25)
      Euryalus Koios has written a tractatus on Spell 
  Mastery for many of his spells. All these books are 
  Quality 11 and a copy can be secured for 3 pawns (a bit 
  higher than normal because of the rarity of high quality 
  books on Spell Mastery). Delivery is made after one 
  season. If the tractatus is needed immediately, double 
  the price. For an additional pawn and a season of delay, 
  Euryalus’s scribes can secure resonant materials from 
  House Mercere, raising the book’s Quality to 12.
  • Aegis of the Hearth
  • Aura of Ennobled Presence
  • Aura of Rightful Authority
  • Ball of Abyssal Flame
  • The Crystal Dart (two volumes)
  • Demon’s Eternal Oblivion (two volumes)
  • Disguise of the Transformed Image
  • Dispel the Phantom Image
  • Endurance of the Berserkers
  • The Incantation of the Lightning (two volumes)
  • Incantation of Summoning the Dead
  • Loss of But a Moment’s Memory
  • Maintaining the Demanding Spell
  • Masking the Odor of Magic
  • Opening the Intangible Tunnel
  • Pilum of Fire (two volumes)
  • Posing the Silent Question
  • Sense of the Lingering Magic
  • Silence of the Smothered Sound
  • Summoning the Distant Image
  • Veil of Invisibility
  • Wizard’s Sidestep
  Cassidy, a Partridge of Virtue
  Magic Might 8 (Imaginem)
  Characteristics Int 0, Per +2, Pre 0, Com +1, Str -10, 
  Sta 0, Dex +2, Qik +7
  Size -5
  Season Summer
  Virtues & Flaws Magic Animal, Magical Companion; 
  Common Sense, Essential Virtue (Good Liar +3), 
  Puissant Stealth, Sharp Ears; Fragile Constitution, 
  Noncombatant, Reclusive
  Qualities & Inferiorities Camouflage; Timid
  Magic Qualities & Inferiorities Gift of Speech, Lesser 
  Power, Personal Power
  Personality Traits Lustful +3, Duplicitous +2
  Reputations Lustful +3, Duplicitous +2
  Combat
  • Dodge Init +7, Defense +10
  • Evasion (+5 for Size) Init +7, Defense +15
  Soak 0
  Fatigue Levels OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
  Wound Penalties -1 (1), -3 (2), -5 (3), Incapacitated 
  (4), Dead (5)
  Abilities Artes Liberales 1 (music), Athletics 3 (flying), 
  Awareness 4 (predators), Brawl 2 (dodging), Folk Ken 3 
  
  39
  (clients), Guile 4 (lying about self), Intrigue 4 (keeping 
  secrets), Latin 5 (Hermetic), Magic Theory 6 
  (Imaginem), Music 3 (singing), Northern Italian 5 
  (vocabulary), Order of Hermes Lore 2 (magi), Stealth 
  4+2 (Hiding), Survival 3 (fields), Theology 1 (sexuality)
  Powers
  Hear the Song, Know the Singer, 2 points, Init -3, 
  Imaginem
  R Per, D Constant, T Hearing
  When Cassidy hears a voice, he can identify who the 
  speaker is and where the speaker is located. This is a 
  constant effect, but it must penetrate. 
  InIm 25 (Base 3, +2 Sun, +3 Hearing, +1 Constant: 
  Personal Power (25 levels)
  The Earth that Conceals, 3 points, Init +3, Terram
  R Touch, D Diam, T Ind
  Cassidy avoids harm by creating a hollow cavity in the 
  earth directly underneath himself, sinking into it, and 
  closing it behind him. After two minutes, the cavity fills 
  and Cassidy is deposited unharmed back onto the 
  surface.
  ReTe(An) 15 (Base 3, +1 Touch, +1 Diameter, +1 
  Animal, +1 Stone): Lesser Power (15 levels, 10 points 
  spent to improve Init)
  Vis 2 Imaginem in wings
      Euryalus Koios’s familiar is a Partridge of Virtue 
  named Cassidy. Partridges are known for being so 
  lustful that females can be impregnated just by the wind 
  that passes a male. Male partridges, in their turn, 
  sometimes try to mate with each other. Partridges have 
  a number of tricks they use to escape prey, including 
  covering themselves with dirt or pretending to have a 
  broken wing, and thus luring enemies away from the 
  nest. Cassidy is usually hiding inside his master’s 
  sleeves or hood, for he is a coward who flees all 
  violence. However, his cautious nature has served his 
  master well, and Euryalus Koios has learned to heed 
  the advice of his perceptive friend.
      Cassidy was bound almost twenty years ago with 
  CrIm and a Binding Total of 30. He has a Gold Cord of 
  0, Silver Cord of 2, and Bronze Cord of 2. Cassidy’s 
  Essential Virtue adds +3 to any attempt to lie; his 
  Camouflage Quality gives him a +3 bonus on all rolls to 
  hide, so long as he is not moving.
  Euryalus Koios’s Laboratory
  Euryalus Koios’s laboratory is optimized for writing, and 
  is dominated by a magnificent desk lit by free-standing 
  magical lamps. A walking bookstand can position itself 
  wherever necessary, and the magus has a habit of 
  pacing as he reads. Note that the lab’s +6 specialization 
  in Texts allows Euryalus Koios to add 2 to his Latin 
  when he is writing Lab Texts and books.
  Characteristics Size 0, Refinement +3, General Quality 
  +1, Upkeep 0, Safety 0, Warping 0, Health 0, Aesthetics 
  +3
  Virtues & Flaws Highly Organized, Greater Feature: 
  Desk, Magic Item: Bookstand of Hespera, Magical 
  Lighting
  Specializations Im +1; Texts +6
  Lab Total Te + Fo + 16 (Int 1 + MT 6 + Aura 3 + GQ 1 
  + familiar 6) + 1 Inventing Spells + Lab Specializations
  The Magistri Magia
  The Magistri Magia (Masters of Magic) is a Hermetic 
  society made up of wizards who have mastered spells, 
  and who use that mastery to author casting tablets and 
  books on Spell Mastery. Members are often known for 
  their Flawless Magic, and they usually join the Cult of 
  Mercury to gain access to that group’s mastery 
  techniques. Sometimes one of the Magistri will conduct 
  original research to invent new Mastery special abilities.
      The eldest of the Magistri is entrusted with a large 
  library of books on Spell Mastery, copied and improved 
  over the centuries, from which other members can 
  borrow and contribute. This magus retains trained 
  specialists who can copy these books for magi 
  elsewhere in the Order. When this senior member dies 
  or passes into Twilight, his will stipulates the next 
  recipient of the library. The current senior member is 
  Petrus of Bonisagus (Tales of Power 70).
      The Magistri Magia isn’t a particularly active society 
  and doesn’t formally meet; most members correspond 
  with each other and send books back and forth through 
  the Redcap network. These letters are eventually 
  gathered together to form new books on Spell Mastery. 
  Tribunal meetings are a time for Magistri to meet face-
  to-face and talk shop. 
      Magi who want to master a given spell can reach out 
  to one of the Magistri and, if a book is already in 
  existence on the needed spell, commission a copy. If 
  the spell hasn’t got a mastery text yet, one of the 
  Magistri may learn it, practice it, and write a book for a 
  client. Copies of an existing book cost 1-5 pawns, 
  depending on the quality, and take a season or two to 
  deliver. Hiring a member of the Magistri to research and 
  write the book for you is a much more serious prospect, 
  usually requiring a year and rook of vis.
      The Magistri Magia are also a source for casting 
  tablets. Tablets are especially useful to new covenants 
  of young magi who want access to high level wards, 
  healing magic, and information-gathering spells. 
  
  40
  Anyone who has mastered a spell can write a casting 
  tablet for it, and once such a tablet is written it can be 
  copied in bulk by scribes trained in Magic Theory, so 
  covenants looking to buy a tablet can usually find one at 
  a reasonable price, perhaps 1 pawn for every 15 levels 
  of the spell (rounded up). However, in the event such a 
  tablet isn’t already prepared, a member of the Magistri 
  can learn it and write the tablet himself for a commission 
  of 5p.
  The Library of the Magistri Magia
  Mastering a spell can be a challenge. While spells can 
  be practiced over the course of a season, earning 5 XP 
  and enough for Mastery 1, magi prefer to learn by 
  reading books. But finding a book for the spell you want 
  to master is hard. Over the centuries, the Order has 
  accumulated many books on the 15 Arts and every 
  magus reads the best ones; that’s why Covenants 
  describes a “sound tractatus” as having a Quality of 
  around 10. But there are thousands of known spells and 
  only a small fraction of those are commonly mastered. 
  Unless you’re looking for a tractatus on Pilum of Fire, 
  chances are you’re going to have to satisfy yourself with 
  a book written by a magus who wasn't a Good Teacher 
  with Communication of +3 or higher.
      The following books on spell mastery are known in 
  the Order, and are culled from published sources.
  • Amadeus of Bonisagus, Fortress of the Home, Aegis 
  of the Hearth Spell Mastery Tractatus, Quality 14
  • Notatus, Notes on Aegis of the Hearth, Quality 11, 
  also includes lab text for a level 20 version of the spell. 
  • Ventus Gurges, Master of Storm & Clouds vol I, The 
  Cloudless Sky Returned Spell Mastery Tractatus, 
  Quality 8
  • Ventus Gurges, Master of Storm & Clouds vol IV, 
  Clouds of Rain & Thunder Spell Mastery Tractatus, 
  Quality 8
  • Ventus Gurges, Master of Storm & Clouds vol II, 
  Clouds of Thunderous Might Spell Mastery Tractatus, 
  Quality 8
  • Felix of Tytalus, Tenebris caeli domino, Clouds of 
  Thunderous Might Spell Mastery Tractatus, Quality 9
  • Calvacius of Verditius, Magister Crystallum Pilum, The 
  Crystal Dart Spell Mastery Tractatus, Quality 8
  • Helveticus of Flambeau, Scourge of the Infernal, 
  Demon’s Eternal Oblivion Spell Mastery Summa, 
  Quality 15 Level 3
  • Calvacius of Tytalus, Destruet Extremum Preiudicium, 
  Demon’s Eternal Oblivion Spell Mastery Tractatus, 
  Quality 8
  • Ventus Gurges, Master of Storm & Clouds vol III, 
  Gathering the Stormy Might Spell Mastery Tractatus, 
  Quality 8
  • Felix of Tytalus, Incantotione fulmineus, Incantation of 
  the Lightning Spell Mastery Tractatus, Quality 9
  • Amadeus of Bonisagus, Arcane Travel, Piercing the 
  Magical Veil Spell Mastery Tractatus, Quality 14
  • Maris of Flambeau, Flambeau’s Legacy, Pilum of Fire 
  Spell Mastery Summa, Quality 16 Level 4
  • Felix of Tytalus, Domito hastam Ignis, Pilum of Fire 
  Spell Mastery Tractatus, Quality 9
  • Manlius of Tytalus, A Transparent State, Veil of 
  Invisibility Spell Mastery Summa, Quality 15 Level 2
  • Marcus Cordo, Multa Partum Vulnera, The Wound that 
  Weeps Spell Mastery Tractatus, Quality 8
  • Ventus Gurges, Master of Storm & Clouds vol V, 
  Wrath of Whirling Winds and Water Spell Mastery 
  Tractatus, Quality 8
      These authors make good sources for additional 
  books on Spell Mastery, especially in their field of 
  specialization: Amadeus in Vim, Felix in elemental 
  magic, and Ventus in weather. However, there are other 
  magi, alive in 1220, who are able to author books on 
  Spell Mastery and who might be members of the 
  Magistri Magia. Here is a list of possible books by magi 
  who have mastered a spell at level 2 or higher and who 
  have Communication scores of 0 or better.
  • Micheal Amhreaidh (TtA 110), Circular Ward Against 
  Demons, Quality 8
  • Petrus (ToP 70), The Incantation of the Lightning (two 
  volumes), The Wound that Weeps, Quality 7
  • Phillipus Niger (GotF 59): Aura of Rightful Authority, 
  Clenching Grasp of the Crushed Heart, Demon’s 
  Eternal Oblivion, Wind of Mundane Silence (two 
  volumes), all Quality 7
  • Monica Ierne, Stone to Falling Dust and Wielding the 
  Invisible Sling (two volumes), all Quality 7
  • Rotgiers de Gerberoy (L&tL), Wind of Mundane 
  Silence, Quality 7
  • Ferra of Bonisagus (TtA 137), The Call to Slumber 
  (two volumes), Coerce the Spirits of the Night (two 
  volumes), Incantation of Summoning the Dead (two 
  volumes), Lay to Rest the Haunting Spirit (two 
  volumes), Pilum of Fire, Voices from Hollow Spaces 
  (two volumes), Wings of the Soaring Wind, all Quality 6
  • Julia of Merenita, Wizard’s Sidestep and Demon’s 
  Eternal Oblivion, both Quality 6
  • Timian, Haunt of the Living Ghost, Quality 6
  • Antunnos of Bjornaer, Grip of the Choking Hand, 
  Quality 6
  • Severin of Tytalus, Chirurgeon’s Healing Touch (two 
  volumes), both Quality 6
  • Hugh of Flambeau, Maintaining the Demanding Spell, 
  Quality 6
  • Ranulf of Flambeau, Pilum of Fire (two volumes), both 
  Quality 6
  
  Adversaries
  The Court of Roses
  by Jim Mangiameli
  41
      The expected Quality for books on Spell Mastery is 
  simply lower than that for books on the Arts. Quality 8-9 
  are considered “sound”, selling for 2 pawns. Those of 
  Quality 6-7 are “vain” but still better than simple 
  practice, and worth 1 pawn. Books with a Quality over 9 
  are especially valuable (3-4p), and the best books are 
  Quality 15, selling for 5p. Note that Spell Mastery is an 
  Arcane Ability, so these books can rise in Quality with 
  resonant materials. Prices presume delivery in a season 
  or two; if the client needs a book immediately, double 
  the price.
  Love is in the air and the wine we drink. The latter is 
  literally true in the Court of Roses, a faerie regio 
  presided over by Lord Marance.
      Quick Concept: A faerie court headed by a king who 
  delights in all aspects of mortal love.  Lovers in his court 
  are sought-after guests, as this gives him the vitality to 
  grow.  This manifests as mystic wine consumed by his 
  court and their guests.  His regio entices lovers of all 
  types to join him, sometimes for much longer than they 
  realize.  Story seeds abound as magi may encounter 
  someone claiming sanctuary in the court to escape an 
  arranged or abusive marriage, numerous couples 
  pledging their troth, or perhaps the lost love of one of 
  their own, stranded in the regio.
      This faerie regio can exist anywhere that mortals in 
  love are likely to spend their time—in the marketplace, 
  on a dune overlooking the beach, in a crowded tavern, 
  at the back rows of a church.  This article places the 
  Court of Roses in a regio within a marketplace in a city 
  in Mythic Europe, but again, many locations can work. 
   The area it overlays should not have an Infernal aura, 
  but any of the others would be reasonable depending 
  on where it is set.
      Lord Marance is a faerie king who derives vitality 
  from all types of love.  Entering his regio is possible in 
  one of several ways:
      • Two people chasing one another, with the pursued 
  person hoping to be caught
      • Buying a rose in the marketplace, and either 
  wearing it in one’s hair or presenting it to someone else.
      • Being guided by an inhabitant of the regio.
      • Saying ‘I love you’ to someone, and meaning it. 
   (The other person does not need to be there; it could be 
  a knight with his lady’s favor, someone mumbling under 
  their breath towards someone for whom the feelings are 
  unrequited, and so forth).
      • Perceiving the regio boundary via the Second Sight 
  virtue or Hermetic magic.
      • Drinking anything from a glass etched with a rose.
      Storyguides are encouraged to come up with similar 
  ways to enter the regio.  Notably, however, it is not 
  possible to simply walk into the area (the regio 
  boundary is not physical-only). The regio has a Faerie 
  aura of 4.
      On entering the regio, travelers will notice the subtle 
  differences.  Instead of a bustling marketplace, they will 
  see a court with a feast laid out.  Having pride of place 
  is an elegant table with a high variety of wine bottles, 
  flasks, and decanters, with equally varied-looking liquids 
  poured within.  Each has a rose inscribed upon it. 
      Inhabitants in the regio are also varied.  Mortal 
  visitors include couples young and old, knights trying to 
  win their ladies’ favor, true friends, and suitors trying to 
  win their true love’s freedom from the court of Roses 
  (see later).  Some are here willingly, enjoying the drink 
  and atmosphere.  Some use this as a haven to avoid 
  pursuit.  Many are bewildered to have arrived here, and 
  are searching for the way out.  A minority are captives, 
  parted from their true loves, hoping to see them again. 
   Likewise, a few have been here for much longer than 
  they realize.
      Lord Marance’s court has an active retinue of faeries. 
   The majority take the guise of either mortal knights who 
  woo female visitors, or lovely ladies seeking to attract 
  attention.  Of note, there are no satyrs or nymphs in his 
  court—Lord Marance gains no benefit from enchanted 
  feelings, nor from lust or revelry.  He has issued a ban 
  on satyrs from attending court, which does not stop 
  them from trying to raid it for his wines.
      Lord Marance will welcome player characters and 
  invite them to drink.  He will use his ability to ensure 
  there is a glass for each inhabitant, and then cause 
  each glass to be filled (assuming there is suitable 
  inspiration, which there usually is).  He will invite 
  
  42
  everyone to join for a drink and pledge a toast.  Drinking 
  the wine will not have any negative effects, unlike most 
  faerie food consumed (as this is technically from 
  mortals).  Players may realize it is safe by succeeding at 
  an Int + Faerie Lore roll of 9+, a roll on Lord Marance’s 
  reputation, or an Int + Area Lore roll of 6+.
      If the players drink the wine, emphasize the taste and 
  textures.  Lord Marance’s collection is varied, just as 
  there are many different types of love.  A glass filled 
  from a young couple will have a spicy, heady taste.  A 
  glass filled from the love of a pair of elders will taste 
  deep and rich.  A love between a child and a favored 
  pet will be soothing like warm milk.  Unrequited love will 
  taste bitter.   These effects are not resisted, being the 
  equivalent of Imaginem effects.  The drinks are 
  nourishing, however, and the equivalent of a good meal.
      Once this business is done, Lord Marance will 
  engage the characters in conversation, putting them 
  ease as he feels any good host would.  He will direct 
  the conversation to any strong feelings of love they may 
  have, such as with the True Love, True Friend, or Lost 
  Love flaws.  If they do have such a love, he will invite 
  them to bring the person in question to the regio.  If 
  already there, he will ask if they want to ‘stay.’  This may 
  result in them remaining in the regio for much longer 
  than they intended (see Lord Marance’s description). 
   He may grant favored visitors the Unaging and No 
  Sense of Time virtue and flaw.  In his mind, this is 
  showing respect to honored guests.
  Lord Marance
  Lord Marance is not designed as a player character; his 
  virtues and flaws do not balance
  Faerie Might: 30 (Mentem)
  Characteristics: Int 0, Per +1 , Pre +2, Com +2, Str -1, 
  Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik 0
  Virtues and Flaws: Feast of the Fae (each new drink 
  Lord Marance consumes from lovers’ energy restores 5 
  might points), Faerie Speech (speak and understand all 
  human languages), Humanoid Faerie, Positive Folktales 
  (if not using Realms of Power: Faerie, this can be 
  substituted for a good reputation), Narrowly Cognizant 
  (If not using Realms of Power: Faerie, this simply 
  means that Lord Marance is aware he is a faerie, aware 
  that he needs to drink of mortals’ love, seeks ways to 
  bring guests to his regio, and seeks to improve himself, 
  but will not become a different type of faerie and is not 
  aware that he may survive wounds that would kill a 
  mortal), Hatred (Satyrs)
  Personality Traits: Courtly +2, Protective +2, Hates 
  Satyrs +4, Rambunctious -2, Hospitable +3
  Reputations: Hospitable 4 (local area), Killjoy 3 (faerie 
  courts of revelry)
  Combat: Lord Marance generally does not engage in 
  physical combat.  His men will protect him (assume he 
  has five Standard Soldiers, one Grizzled Veteran, one 
  Tough Guy, and two Knights).  Additionally, many 
  visitors to his court will defend him.  He will be 
  permanently slain if he is stabbed through the heart, his 
  pendant is removed, and all the drinks on the table are 
  shattered (see below).  If he would take a mortal wound 
  but the above acts are not performed, he automatically 
  revives at the next Sunrise or Sunset with all 
  Incapacitating wounds improved to Heavy.  He will then 
  heal with a +8 modifier, using his drinks as nourishment. 
   Any faeries he invites to drink will have this benefit. 
   Mortals will only heal at an accelerated rate if they drink 
  the liquid that their own love produced (see below). 
   Marance does not think of himself as immortal and he 
  would consider such a nearly-fatal blow to be a close 
  call. He instinctively protects his pendant and drinks, 
  since he values them, but does not realize these are the 
  keys to his survival.
  Soak: +5
  Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), 
  Incapacitated (16-20), dead (21+)
  Pretenses: [Area] Lore 5 (lovers’ meeting places), 
  Bargain 4 (leaving the regio), Carouse 4 (dignified), 
  Charm 4 (putting people at ease), Etiquette 6 (Hosting), 
  Finesse 8 (drinks), Folk Ken 5 (lovers), Speak [All]  5 
  (toasts), Intrigue  4 (Lovers’ spats) , Leadership 5 
  (subjects), Penetration 3 (Mentem), Profession [Brewer] 
  5 (for crowds), Theology 1 (Marriage).
  Powers:
  Love’s Vessel (2 points, Terram, Init -3): Lord Marance 
  can create a new container to fill with the energy of a 
  mortals’ love.  He may only use this power when it is 
  about to be filled.  He also has only a limited control 
  over what it will look like, as it is often highly dependent 
  on the lovers in question.  For example, a young couple 
  carousing may cause him to generate a stein, a lord 
  and lady will result in the creation of a fine decanter, 
  etc.  Any container he creates will have a rose 
  emblazoned upon it. Each container is unique to the 
  person or people whose love inspired it.
  Lovers’ Nourishment (2 points, Aquam, Init -5): Lord 
  Marance may fill one of the containers he creates with 
  the energy of a lover in his regio.  As with Love's 
  Vessel, he does not have direct power over the liquid 
  therein—it may be a heady wine for newlyweds, apple 
  cider for a child’s first infatuation with a playmate, and 
  so forth.  This power is not resisted.  The taste is always 
  an excellent example of its type of beverage unless 
  Lord Marance botches his finesse roll—even the bitter 
  taste drawn from the feelings of a parent mourning the 
  loss of a child will be strongly compelling.  Note that this 
  
  43
  power will fail if the feelings are feigned, are simply lusty 
  thoughts, or are magically induced.  If this occurs, Lord 
  Marance will order the offending party to be removed 
  from the regio and apologize to his guests.  Each liquid 
  is unique to the person or people whose love inspired it. 
   The quantity in each container depends on how long the 
  individual(s) in question have stayed in the regio.
  Create Glasses (0 points, Terram, constant): There are 
  always enough glasses for Lord Marance, his court, and 
  guests to drink from.  If removed from the regio, they will 
  fade away into rose petals.
  Language of Love (0 points, Mentem, constant): Lord 
  Marance can tell if anyone in his court possesses the 
  True Love, Lost Love, or True Friend virtues or flaws. 
   He perceives this as smelling the scent of roses.  This 
  power needs to penetrate normally.
  Toast (5 points, Aquam, Init -5) Lord Marance can 
  cause the glass of each guest to fill with a liquid from 
  one of his containers.  He cannot create more per glass 
  than is in the container, but he is not limited by the 
  number of guests or retainers.  For example, assume 
  Marance has recently filled a small, crystalline goblet 
  with amber wine from the energy given by the happy 
  marriage of a baron and his wife.  He proposes a Toast 
  to his subjects and guests.  Each guest will receive a 
  goblet of this wine equal to the amount the container 
  was filled with initially.  
  Grant Virtue: Unaging (5 points, Corpus, Init -10): Lord 
  Marance may grant the Unaging virtue to particularly 
  favored guests, or those who agree to stay in the Regio. 
   This power needs to penetrate normally.  Anyone in the 
  regio who has been blessed in this way does not make 
  aging rolls while they remain.
  Grant Flaw:  No Sense of Time (5 points, Mentem, Init 
  -10): When granting his Unaging virtue, he also grants 
  his target this new flaw as well.  Similar to No Sense of 
  Direction, recipients lose awareness of the passage of 
  time—days or weeks seem like a few hours, years 
  seem like a matter of weeks.  Lord Marance is aware 
  that this power exists, but in his view he's just being 
  hospitable.  He is unable to use one power without 
  using the other.  He is willing to negotiate to allow 
  guests to leave, with persuasion.  This power needs to 
  penetrate normally.
  Lovers’ Lane (0 points, Imaginem, constant): Lord 
  Marance has some control over his regio to make it 
  suitable for lovers that want to stay.  Favored guests 
  (those who received his Unaging and No Sense of Time 
  gifts) perceive the area as conducive to their love.  It 
  may appear as the chapel where they married, the 
  secluded lane where they would meet during their 
  courtship, etc.  He also has minor powers to ensure that 
  everyone has a place to sit and be comfortable.  Magi 
  would be fascinated to learn if the changes are simply 
  illusions, features of the regio, or exist simply in the 
  viewer’s mind.  Lord Marance would take an 
  extraordinarily dim view of magi conducting such 
  research, however.
  Equipment: A variety of decanters, steins, and goblets, 
  described above.  Each is filled with different liquids 
  granted by the many flavors of lovers that visit his court. 
   Each container and the drink contained therein is 
  unique to each person or couple.  He also wears a 
  pendant shaped like a rose over his heart.
  Vis: 5 pawns of Mentem in his pendant.  Lord Marance 
  occasionally will send characters off with a gift of a drink 
  to take with them.  This can be harvested as one pawn 
  of Mentem vis.  This could serve as a covenant vis 
  source, possibly as a Contested Resource or Public Vis 
  Source.  Any drinks taken from the court without his 
  consent will vanish into rose petals.  He will be annoyed 
  if the party absconds with drinks they were given for a 
  toast, but utterly enraged if they make off with one of 
  the containers from his tables.  The former is poor 
  manners for a guest, but the latter is theft.  He will bar 
  the former offenders from entering the regio again 
  without a profuse apology, but send his guards after 
  anyone who steals containers from the table.
  Appearance: A stately man in comfortable but 
  expensive robes.  He speaks softly and courteously. 
   He wears a pendent shaped like a rose over his heart.
      Lord Marance considers it his duty to provide a haven 
  for lovers and to be a dutiful host.  He is always seeking 
  new guests to his court.  He gains vitality from sharing 
  in lovers’ emotions, as described elsewhere.  This is 
  what motivates him, and he is always delighted to find 
  new drinks, as this translates to new forms of love.  His 
  manners are impeccable.  In personality, he most often 
  ranges from a gracious host to an encouraging 
  counselor.  As he has been around many humans, he is 
  often able to provide advice to lovers having trouble. 
   He gains no vitality from the more physical aspects of 
  love or lust, nor from supernaturally induced emotions. 
   He forbids any coercion in his court, though he does not 
  discourage amorousness between couples.  He will use 
  the powers of his regio to give them privacy, though he 
  expects them to rejoin and socialize eventually. 
   Characters there unwillingly as the result of a bargain or 
  captivity are treated with courtesy.  They are not 
  allowed to leave, but he does not allow anyone else to 
  force their suit upon them.
      Other than the presence of satyrs, succubi, or other 
  supernatural creatures that embody lust instead of love, 
  
  44
  the few things that make him angry are massive 
  rudeness or disruptions by guests, theft or vandalism of 
  his drinking containers, or attempting to coerce 
  someone’s affections (either by force or magic).
      He views magi with the Gift as having the potential 
  for a strong spice for his drinks if they are in love with 
  someone—potentially spoiling everything, but also 
  possibly a sublime experience.
      Lord Marance himself experiences love vicariously 
  through his drinks.  He does not himself fall in love with 
  others, so he does not attempt to woo any of his guests. 
   Many of his retainers, particularly knights, do 
  experience this and will attempt to court compatible 
  visitors.  In their own minds, these feelings are genuine, 
  as they are incognizant faeries.  (If you are not using 
  Realms of Power: Faerie, this means that his retainers’ 
  feelings of love are genuine, and they do not realize that 
  these feelings serve their master’s vitality). 
      Generally, Lord Marance’s men will not pledge their 
  suits when they are clearly unwelcome.  The only 
  exception would be if the person’s True Love is present 
  in the regio, and that person will fight for their beloved’s 
  honor.  A faerie losing the fight and bringing the lovers 
  closer together will gain vitality, represented by the 
  containers filling more when Marance uses his power. 
   He will apologize profusely to the people in question 
  and (non-fatally) discipline his retainer.  In the minds of 
  the faeries, they were acting uncharacteristically 
  churlish due to being smitten.
      While not hostile by nature, he is loath to allow any of 
  his ‘favored guests’ (Those that have received the 
  Unaging and No Sense of Time) to leave the regio. 
   Players may encounter difficulties attempting to secure 
  these individuals’ release, particularly since anyone 
  thusly affected has no desire to leave and does not 
  realize they have stayed for years.  The loss of time is 
  supernatural, but the enjoyment is not and therefore not 
  a magical effect that can be resisted or dispelled.
      Other ways in which Lord Marance could prove 
  antagonistic are detailed below.
  Story Seeds
  • A player’s Lost Love is here!  Though treated 
  courteously, she is unable to leave.  Lord Marance 
  savors the pining lovers’ vitality as a bittersweet, yet 
  compelling, drink.  He will gladly allow the player 
  character to stay here with his love, but the players 
  must negotiate for them to be able to leave.
  • Scipio of Merinita (see Magi of Hermes) approaches 
  the players and tells them that his beloved is trapped in 
  Lord Marance’s court.  He will reward the players 
  handsomely if they can win her freedom. 
  • While enjoying a pleasant visit, a satyr raiding party 
  appears and attempts to steal some of the wine for their 
  revelries.  Lord Marance is provoked to rare outrage, 
  and his guards draw steel.  Do the magi attempt to 
  defuse the situation, favor one side in the battle, or use 
  the distraction for their own purposes?
  • A child with an odd manner and his parents hide here, 
  terrified but clearly protective of each other.      
      Questioning the child reveals that he was an 
  apprentice to a powerful but imposing Tytalus maga. 
   His parents, with the aid of a friendly Merinita, braved 
  the maga’s wrath to spirit their son away and are hiding 
  here.  The Tytalus maga will soon find the regio, if she 
  hasn't already. She plans to reclaim her apprentice one 
  way or another.  If the magi side with the Tytalus, the 
  Merinita will bring a charge of molesting the fae.  If they 
  protect the child, the maga will charge them of depriving 
  her of her apprentice (she may suspect the Merinita’s 
  complicity, but has no proof.  The charge would be 
  much easier to prove against the characters).  How will 
  they react?
  • The scribe and the head cook at the player characters’ 
  covenant have become lovers and regularly meet here. 
   They have either started neglecting their duties, or have 
  simply vanished from the covenant since think they 
  have only been in the regio for an hour.  Can the 
  players persuade them to return to their home and 
  duties without angering Lord Marance or losing their 
  loyalty?
  • The town butcher and glover have fallen deeply in love 
  and now live in the Court of Roses.  Lord Marance is 
  fascinated by the love between two men and is highly 
  protective of them both.  This is considered a sin in 
  Mythic Europe.  Secular or canon authorities may find 
  their way into the regio while the characters are present.
  • If your saga is set near the Theban Tribunal, Lord 
  Marance has a special request.  Baucis and Philemon 
  were one of Greek Mythology’s earliest happy couples. 
   As a reward from Zeus for their piety and fidelity, they 
  were both transformed to trees at the same moment at 
  the end of their long lives so neither would have to live 
  without the other.  Lord Marance asks the players to 
  provide seeds and grapes from these trees for his court, 
  promising great rewards if the players comply.  This 
  story can work in other areas; simply substitute another 
  famous pair such as Tristan and Isolde or Roland and 
  Oliver.
  • Lord Marance wants to perform the sacrament of 
  marriage for his guests.  If any of the players is a priest 
  or friar (or has contacts with one), Marance requests 
  that he stay to educate him in Theology so that he can 
  be ordained.
  
  Illuminations
  The Book of Szabo
  • The drinks from a toast taste utterly foul.  The couple 
  from whose feelings the drinks were made both protest 
  their love for each other, aghast.  What can have 
  caused this?  Is one of them faithless?  Is there a 
  demon of lust perverting people’s nobler feelings?  Is 
  there a magus mis-casting spells and potentially 
  arousing the faerie’s anger?
  By Jason Tondro
  The Book of Szabo is a four­volume treatise on whaling 
  in Mythic Europe. Szabo ex Miscellanea, of the lineage 
  of Pralix, went north looking for traces of the Order of 
  Odin. She seems to have known of the whaling exploits 
  of the Basque, but her own adventures brought her into 
  contact with norsemen who, while they only hunted 
  whales in times of desperation, often fought over their 
  corpses. The Book is filled with anecdotes which can 
  aid a reader in hunting whales, but there is almost no 
  specific knowledge on how to render the corpse once 
  the whale is killed. The book does detail the many 
  valuable ingredients in a whale corpse, however, 
  including ambergris and spermaceti. Szabo traces the 
  whale through Greek, Roman, and early Christian 
  writing, where it is usually called the aspidochelone. The 
  aspidochelone has two distinctive behaviors: first, it 
  lures its prey into its mouth by virtue of a sweet smell; 
  second, it is so large that it can impersonate an island 
  and thus lure innocent travelers to drowning. Both these 
  traits illustrate the whale’s nature as a creature of the 
  Devil.
      Szabo tells many stories about Scandinavian clans 
  who have come to blows over the vast resources 
  presented by a beached whale, especially during times 
  of famine when food is scarce and precious. When 
  northmen do dare to hunt whales, they mark their 
  spears with a distinguishing rune, register this mark with 
  the community, and then leave the spear in a whale 
  when it dives to escape. After the monster eventually 
  dies and washes ashore, the hunter can be identified by 
  the mark on his spear and he is entitled to the majority 
  of its flesh, though the owner of the land upon which the 
  animal beaches is also owed a share. Norse law books 
  are filled with very specific stipulations about how a 
  whale is to be divided, in order to minimize conflict 
  between families who might each want a share of the 
  spoils.
      Szabo also includes many stories of Infernal whales 
  like Hafgufa (Sea­Reek), a monstrous whale able to 
  swallow entire ships whole, and Lyngbakr (Heather­
  Back), a whale so large that it appeared to be an island, 
  luring innocent travelers to their death. Among the many 
  fantastic events Szabo witnessed, several suggest a 
  particular connection between whales and the self­
  reliant, spellcasting women of the north. For example, 
  Forsyth was a troll­wife who controlled the storm and 
  could adopt the shape of a whale, while other weather­
  witches and troll­wives rode whales across the sea in 
  defiance of traditional gender roles. But that's not all: 
  the Lappish king Finn transformed into a whale in the 
  heat of battle, so as to crush his enemies beneath his 
  monstrous bulk. Szabo writes that a covenant of 
  Bjornaer whale­magi travel south from the North Sea 
  every year, returning north to mate, but she was never 
  able to confirm this with her own eyes.
      Finally, the Book of Szabo contains several 
  laboratory texts for the hunting and use of whales, 
  spells written in a clean and clear hand. The book itself 
  is large and heavy, befitting its subject, and is bound 
  with flat plates of whale bone. The pages are thin 
  sheets of baleen, decorated with occasional illustrations 
  of monstrous fish.
      Treat the Book of Szabo as a Quality 8 tractatus on 
  Animal Handling, Civil & Canon Law, and Infernal Lore 
  (this last is Quality 9, thanks to resonant materials used 
  in the book’s construction). This Quality includes a 
  bonus for professional binding, scribing, and 
  illumination. Because the spells within the book’s fourth 
  volume are designed to affect whales, they are almost 
  all of high level. This makes the Book of Szabo very 
  costly, worth about 25p, far more than most covenants 
  would be willing to pay for it. For this reason, it’s never 
  been copied, and a magus who wants to study it will 
  have to borrow it, steal it, or loot it from a corpse.
  45
  
  Spells
  Preservation of the Aspidochelone, CrAn 30
  R Voice, D Moon, T Ind
  The spell preserves the corpse of an animal (up to Size 
  +10) against rot. This is necessary because whale 
  corpses are so massive that they take a long time to 
  harvest, render, and move. The preserved corpse of a 
  whale floats, but a rotted corpse sinks. If a whale is 
  killed at sea, this spell can be used to preserve it while it 
  is towed to shore. The spell is also useful to 
  necromancers, who can then animate the corpse with 
  other magic.
  (Base 2, +2 Voice, +3 Moon, +3 Size)
  To Conjure the Prison of Jonah, CrAn 45
  R Voice, D Sun, T Ind
  Creates a Size +9 whale without Might or powers; the 
  Sarda Whale on p66 of Faith & Flame serves admirably. 
  If conjured in the air and dropped as a weapon, the 
  whale's size grants a +18 bonus to the aiming roll. This 
  is mostly useful against seagoing vessels, because the 
  dropped whale must penetrate magic resistance. If you 
  add a Rego requisite and one magnitude, the whale 
  obeys the caster's mental commands. If you add a 
  Corpus requisite and one magnitude, you can conjure 
  the whale around a human target, imprisoning him in 
  the whale as Jonah was. This last effect needs to 
  penetrate.
  (Base 10, +2 Sun, +2 Voice, +3 Size)
  There She Blows, InAn 20
  R Arc, D Conc, T Ind
  The caster knows the location of a whale to whom the 
  caster has an arcane connection. This spell is usually 
  used with blood recovered from the whale, either 
  through battle or a spell.
  (Base 3 extrapolated from InCo, +1 Conc, +4 Arc)
  Familiarizing the Leviathan, MuAn 50, Ritual
  R Touch, D Year, T Ind
  Before Szabo could bind a whale as her familiar, she 
  had to get it inside her lab. This spell was designed for 
  that purpose. It reduces a large animal’s Size by -8 for 
  an entire year, making a whale about the size of a large 
  man and able to fit in a pool. Reduce its Strength by 16 
  and raise Quickness by 8. This inflicts 1 Warping point 
  over the course of the year, but no more if the spell is 
  designed for the beast which is its target. Other beasts 
  suffer 1 Warping when the spell is cast, 1 every season, 
  and another 1 at the end of the year, for a total of 6.
  (Base 4, +1 Touch, +4 Year, +3 Size, +2 to decrease 
  size by additional 6)
  Excising the Fishy Stench, PeAn 3
  R Touch, D Mom, T Ind
  This spell quickly ages an object carved from whale 
  bone. Whale bone is saturated with oil that takes 1-2 
  years to seep out, and all that while it stinks. But all that 
  oil makes the bone soft and ideal for carving. Once the 
  bone is carved into the desired shape or object, this 
  spell is used to immediately make it dry, hard, and 
  odorless.
  (Base 2, +1 Touch)
  From Hell’s Heart I Stab at Thee, PeAn 45
  R Voice, D Mom, T Ind
  A beast of up to Size +10 is dealt an incapacitating 
  wound.
  (Base 20, +2 Voice, +3 Size)
  Rendering the Ocean’s Bounty, ReAn 20
  R Voice, D Mom, T Ind
  This spell is Rego craft magic, rendering a whale’s 
  corpse into bones, meat, oil, and other parts. It requires 
  a Finesse roll with an Ease Factor of 15; failure ruins 
  the entire whale. (The Ease Factor is based on an Easy 
  task, +3 because it involves multiple stages and +3 to 
  do in an instant what would take one man a month or 
  more.) With a successful roll, barrels are filled with 
  whale oil from the fish’s blubber, the baleen and bones 
  are cleaned and stacked, and meat is ready to store. 
  Note that whale oil sells for £100 a ton, according to 
  City & Guild.
  (Base 3, +2 Voice, +3 Size)
  An Untenable Position for a Whale, ReAn 30
  R Voice, D Conc, T Ind
  A beast of up to Size +10 is lifted vertically into the air. It 
  can be moved up and down, but not sideways. The 
  spell is designed to be used on a whale’s corpse after it 
  has been secured by lines; the caster raises the whale 
  into the air, where it can then be pulled onto a (very 
  large!) boat. It can also be used to lift a living whale up 
  out of the water where it can be more easily attacked, 
  but the whale is not immobilized and will continue to 
  thrash about, a hazard to anything nearby.
  (Base 4, +2 Voice, +1 Conc, +3 Size)
  Wholly Blood, Wholly Whale, ReAn 35
  R Voice, D Mom, T Part
  Blood from a whale within range is pulled directly to the 
  caster, who should have a vial or other small container 
  prepared to receive it. While this spell can be used to 
  pull blood from a wound or from the open sea, it can 
  also take blood directly out of a whale's body. The 
  46
  
  amount of blood taken is far too small to inflict a wound 
  upon the whale, but the blood is an arcane connection.
  (Base 15, +2 Part, +2 Voice)
  Rendering a Hook into His Nose, ReAn 35
  R Voice, D Conc, T Ind
  By means of this spell, an animal of up to Size +10 is 
  rendered immobile for as long as the caster 
  concentrates. This spell is intended to hold a whale still 
  for a killing blow, but it can also be used on beasts 
  which walk the earth. 
  (Base 5, +2 Voice, +3 Size, +1 Conc)
  The Troll-Wife’s Mount, ReAn 40
  R Touch, D Conc, T Ind
  A spell used to control a whale so it can be ridden 
  through the sea. Its effect is identical to Mastering the 
  Unruly Beast (ArM5 p120), but the spell is three 
  magnitudes higher to affect whales. Most whales are 
  both cruel and hungry, and so can be difficult to control 
  with this spell. 
  Base 15, +1 Touch, +1 Conc, +3 Size
  Raising the Monstrous Fish, ReAn 40
  R Voice, D Conc, T Ind
  This spell is a variation on the well-known necromancy 
  Awakening the Slumbering Corpse. It animates the 
  corpse of a whale, which then obeys the caster’s 
  shouted commands. A level 50 version of this spell is 
  Range Arc, allowing the fish to leave the magus’s sight; 
  in this case, commands are delivered by thought.
  (Base 10, +2 Voice, +3 Size, +1 Conc)
  Butchery Upon the Ocean, MuAq 20
  R Voice, D Sun, T Part
  It is sometimes necessary to manually render the 
  corpse of a whale when it is found upon the ocean, far 
  from shore. This spell makes the surface of the water 
  firm enough to walk on. The area affected is about 15 
  paces in diameter, an area large enough for a crew of 
  men to work without fear of drowning. There are many 
  other practical applications for this spell, beyond the 
  butchery of whale corpses.
  (Base 3, +1 Part, +2 Sun, +2 Voice)
  Shape of the King of Terror, MuCo(An) 45
  R Pers, D Sun, T Ind
  Requisite Animal
  The caster places a whale bone pin between his teeth 
  and transforms into a Size +9 whale. You may change 
  back at will, ending the spell.
  (Base 20, +2 Sun, +3 Size)
  A Spell to Deter Whales, Cr(Re)He 20
  R Sight, D Diam, T Group
  Requisite Rego
  Whales in Mythic Europe avoid garlic; this spell 
  conjures a large amount of garlic and then disperses it 
  upon the ocean over an area of about a hundred cubic 
  paces, creating a barrier through which a whale will not 
  willingly pass. Usually a whale will just swim around the 
  obstacle. If used to deter a whale with Might, this spell 
  must penetrate its magic resistance to have any effect. 
  A Rego requisite is required to disperse the garlic over 
  a large area. 
  (Base 1, +1 Diameter, +3 Sight, +2 Group, +1 Rego)
  Whale Revenants
  When the corpse of a whale is animated through magic, 
  use stats based on the Sarda Whale from Faith & 
  Flame and the Walking Corpse from Realms of Power: 
  Magic. As an optional rule, the Whale Revenant has 
  Brawl equal to the Finesse of the magus who animates 
  it.
  Characteristics Cun -5, Per -4, Pre +2, Com -2, Str 
  +22, Sta +8, Dex +3, Qik -4
  Size +9
  Confidence Score 0
  Virtues & Flaws Reserves of Strength, Tough; Poor 
  Eyesight
  Qualities Aquatic, Defensive Fighter, Hardy, Imposing 
  Appearance (x3), Tireless, Tough Hide
  Magic Qualities & Inferiorities Improved Soak (x4), 
  No Fatigue
  Combat
  Tail Init -4, Attack +11, Defense +1, Damage +27
  Soak +21
  Wound Penalties -1 (1-14), -3 (15-28), -5 (29-42), -5 
  (43-56), Destroyed (57+)
  Abilities Brawl 3 (tail)
  Natural Weapons Tail (Init 0, Atk +4, Def +2, Dmg +5)
  47
  
  Goblin Market
  Sequenti, Verditius’s Second Ring 
  by Vincent Garcia Gomez
  Verditius was the consummate magical smith. Yet, for 
  all his prowesses, a lot of things escaped him. Even 
  before being introduced to Hermetic Magic, most 
  spellcasting eluded him. While his inability to use 
  Formulaic Magic wasn’t that much of a problem, his ego 
  couldn’t stand him being inferior to other magicians in 
  any way. More importantly, his difficulties with 
  Spontaneous Magic meant that he was unable to react 
  to unforeseen situations. This frustrated him immensely. 
  His first two rings were an attempt to change that.
      He thought, wrongly, that his difficulties with 
  Formulaic Magic came from something similar to the 
  Deficient Arts Flaw. Thus, he reasoned, if his rings 
  could supplement his spellcasting, he’d be able to make 
  powerful Formulaic spells so easy that even his 
  deficiencies wouldn’t matter much. To his dismay, his 
  efforts met with failure: Although the rings could support 
  his magic, they required him to participate in a Wizard’s 
  Communion — an effect he was unable to perform in 
  the first place. However, the effort wasn’t totally in vain; 
  once he joined the order, and although he seldom used 
  them this way, Verditius discovered a small benefit: the 
  look of amazement other magi gave him when he 
  boosted their spells through a Communion.
      He had more success with spontaneous magic. 
  Although he found out he couldn’t do away with his 
  limitations, he managed, at great cost, to instill in his 
  second ring the ability to grant its wearer dominion over 
  the form of Terram. And the results were impressive, 
  too — far beyond any spontaneous casting he had seen 
  before. Sadly, such a display of power was very 
  draining on the ring, which needed a long time to 
  replenish its energy, or else be fed vis to recharge.
      This is why the rings of Verditius are so shrouded in 
  mystery. The first ones were both successes, greatly 
  increasing Verditius’s power by giving him multiple 
  magical aides that could act alongside him, yet they fell 
  very short of his ambitions. And he didn’t want to 
  acknowledge his failures or their weaknesses. He thus 
  spoke little of them or what they could do, using them 
  sparingly but to great effect, which made them all the 
  more impressive and mysterious to the few witnesses.
      Born of Verditius’s frustrations and magical affinities, 
  Sequenti is not very bright, but obstinate and proud. It’ll 
  want its wielder to display its powers in the most 
  impressive way possible, usually by shaping metal and 
  stone into the most strange ways. It is also direct, 
  tending to resolve conflicts by brute force and violence, 
  which may make cohabitation with a peaceful magus 
  difficult. But it is also one of the last repositories of 
  Verditius's knowledge, able to act as mystagogue on a 
  few House mysteries and, more importantly, provide 
  insight into the process of its own creation. A non-
  Verditius might convince it to give up its secrets, thus 
  getting these mysteries out of House Verditius. The last 
  time something even remotely like this happened was 
  when Icilius the Traitor got the Automata mystery out of 
  the house. This didn’t end well.
      Where is the ring now? What happened to it, and to 
  its siblings? Rumors as to the ring's location may easily 
  lead the magi to exotic locales, from the sea floor to the 
  heart of a volcano (Hermetic Projects and Legends of 
  Hermes are useful here) or even to another Realm. One 
  interesting thing is that, due to its Unseen Porter power, 
  Sequenti is able to move on its own should it want to. 
  This means that, wherever it is, it is either by choice, 
  due to captivity, or because it has been tamed.
      Should House Verditius learn of it, or any of its 
  siblings, they’ll be unrelenting in their pursuit of the ring 
  and will let no other House have it, seeing it as a legacy 
  from the Founder. Yet, that very prize may prove the 
  House’s undoing, as magesmiths compete to win the 
  ring and try to learn its secrets. Certamen may very well 
  descend into Wizard’s War, or even outright thievery, 
  unless the Primus can keep a tight rein on the House or 
  Quaesitores reign in the more covetous and violent 
  mages. Finding the ring may be just the start of the 
  problem for the player characters: Unless they manage 
  (somehow? And for how long?) to keep their acquisition 
  a secret, they may very well soon find themselves on 
  the bad side of a House famed for its pride and 
  eventually responsible for that same House devouring 
  itself.
      On the other hand... Verditius magi are proud of 
  themselves and their achievements. Whatever the ring’s 
  powers, there will always be those who’ll deem it a 
  fraud, far beneath the “real” ring's abilities, or even their 
  own prowesses. Some of them may view the characters 
  are scammers or duped by some supernatural power. 
      Its interest to the order doesn’t stop with magic, 
  though. As a direct witness to the last years of its 
  creator, the ring would be prized by historians, who 
  48
  
  would milk it for any information, however scant, relating 
  to the Founder. That alone makes it worth a lot to magi. 
  And what of Verditius’s last days? It seems unlikely that 
  mere mundanes could so easily subdue the greatest 
  artificer of his age. Was he betrayed? Did he fake his 
  death? His heart and head were removed, his body fed 
  to the crows... Was this part of some elaborate Mystery 
  ritual? Whatever the truth is, Sequenti might have clues 
  towards learning it, clues some might prefer buried 
  forever. And even if it has no such knowledge, even if 
  the truth is nothing special, there will always be those 
  who think otherwise. 
      Last but not least, the ring may be used as a tool by 
  some non-hermetic group: Faeries wanting to drag magi 
  on a quest, demons willing to stroke the fires of greed, 
  hedge magi using it as a (dangerous) bargaining ship in 
  their negotiations, rival traditions wanting to foster 
  trouble in the order or distract its attention... The ring is 
  a great McGuffin.
  Sequenti
  Magic Might 15 (Terram)
  Characteristics Int -1, Per 0, Pre +3, Com 0, Str +1, 
  Sta +1, Dex 0, Qik 0
  Season Spring
  Confidence Score 1 (3)
  Size -14
  Virtues and Flaws Magic Thing; Mute, No Hands
  Qualities and Inferiorities Lesser Power (x8), 
  Improved Powers (×2), No Fatigue, Ritual Power (x4); 
  Limited Movement, Major Flaw (No Hands), Major Flaw 
  (Mute), Temporary Might
  Personality Traits: Hubris +3, Slow-witted +2, Violent 
  +2, Loves molding metal +3
  Reputations Legendary Artifact +5 (Order of Hermes)
  Combat
  Dodge Init 0, Defense +0 (+14 for Size if using Evasion)
  Soak +1
  Wound Penalties -1 (1), -3 (2), -5 (3), Incapacitated (4), 
  Dead (5)
  Abilities Area Lore: Sardaigne 2 (Magical Auras), 
  Concentration 1 (Powers), Finesse 4 (Terram), Magic 
  Lore 2 (Magical Smiths), Order of Hermes Lore 1 
  (History), Tuscan 5 (Enchantments), Verditius Cult Lore 
  3 (modifying initiation scripts)
  Powers
  Grant Crafter of Terram, 10 Points, Initiative -20, Vim
  R Touch, D Sun, T Ind
  Sequenti grants the “Crafter of Terram” virtue to its 
  wearer, allowing, for 1 fatigue, the casting of any Creo 
  or Rego Terram spell of level 25 or less.
  Invisible Sling of Vilano, 0 Points, Initiative -3, Terram
  R Touch, D Mom, T Ind
  As the spell in Houses of Hermes: Societas p38.
  Wall of Protecting Stone, 0 Points, Initiative -10, Terram
  R Voice, D Sun, T Ind
  As the spell (ArM5 153).
  Pit of the Gaping Earth, 0 Points, Initiative -5, Terram
  R Voice, D Mom, T Part
  As the spell (ArM5 155).
  The Unseen Porter, 0 Points, Initiative -4, Terram
  R Voice, D Conc, T Ind
  As the spell (ArM5 156).
  Wizard’s Communion, 0 Points, Initiative -10, Vim
  R Voice, D Mom, T Group
  As the spell (ArM5 160), cast at level 50.
  The Wizard’s Defender, 0 Points, Initiative -4, Terram
  R Touch, D Conc, T Ind
  Based on the Defender Swords in Through the Aegis, 
  this effect allows the wielder to automatically “parry” 
  incoming blows from metal weapons. The wielder must 
  be aware of the incoming attack, so he can still be 
  stabbed in the back. However, in normal melee he can 
  automatically “parry” any number of blows in a round. 
  The effect must be sustained by concentrating, but this 
  is normally done by Sequenti itself
  Vis 3 pawns Terram
  Appearance The ring’s appearance is very important, 
  historically speaking, because it tells us something 
  about who Verditius was and the power of his magic. 
  Was he concerned by appearances? Could he forego 
  entirely Shape and Material bonuses? A distinctive look 
  may serve to anchor a specific ring in the player’s 
  imagination, whereas a generic one allows you to play a 
  “mystery” mini-game where they have to try and guess 
  which ring they have discovered. It is thus suggested 
  that you either Sequenti a simple, elegant, generic 
  appearance, which harkens back to the Nibelungen 
  Ring and the One Ring, or instead that you go all-out 
  fantasy with, say, a ring of flowing, moving rock and 
  silver with one or more precious stones floating or flying 
  in it.
  How to Use Sequenti
  Sequenti is built around three core abilities, all under its 
  sole control:
  • It may enter a Wizard’s Communion with its wielder or 
  another magi, making Formulaic spells easier to cast 
  and granting a Penetration boost.
  • It may grant the “Crafter of Terram” virtue to its 
  wielder, although that costs Sequenti 10 might points it 
  can’t regenerate so long as the virtue is granted. Even 
  afterwards, it’ll be severely depleted.
  • It can use several powers on its own, both offensive 
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  Join The Team
  Submission Guidelines
  and defensive, whatever its wielder may be otherwise 
  doing. To any outside observer, this may appear as if 
  the magus is casting multiple spells at the same time. 
  This is very useful in life-or-death situations.
  Story Hooks
  • The ring has become the prized possession of 
  Polymathes the dragon (RoP: Magic p77), who may be 
  willing to trade it for something of even greater value. 
  But what could be worth more to the dragon than one of 
  the last remnants of Verditius’s secrets?
  • The ring now belongs to Ihab Ia’ara, a merchant of the 
  City of Brass (See Tales of Power p49), who is willing to 
  sell it to the characters at an outrageous price. 
  However, before the sale can be concluded, he is 
  assassinated; the ring is nowhere to be found but the 
  magi are the primary suspects. The PCs must now find 
  the real culprit to clear their name.
  • Alternatively, he’ll help them is they find a way to 
  depose the Malik. Is this a trap? Is the merchant really 
  who he claims to be?
  • The PC either track the ring, or discover it, in the 
  Sunken Laboratory of Hermanus (Legends of Hermes 
  p95). The situation is potentially explosive. Was House 
  Tremere aware of the ring’s true nature? Even if 
  Hermanus hid the information from his sodales, this 
  may end up badly for the relationship between two 
  Houses of the order. How will the PCs react? Will 
  House Tremere try to use a patsy or deflect the blame? 
  What if the ring was planted there by a third party?
  Peripheral Code cannot survive without your help. In 
  particular, we seek submissions which go beyond the 
  canonical Ars Magica setting, game rules, or traditional 
  storylines, but manuscripts on any topic of interest to 
  Ars Magica fans are welcome, both feature articles and 
  submissions to our regular columns.
  Feature Articles
  Feature articles are 2,000-5,000 words.
  • Adventures: While every covenant is different and 
  stories will usually be custom-written, there is a long 
  history of adventures written for Ars Magica. Thrice-Told 
  Tales, Tales of Mythic Europe, Tales of Power, Hooks, 
  and Mythic Locations are all good resources. In 
  particular, the distinct single-session episodes of Thrice-
  Told Tales make excellent models for writers. 
  Adventures win the gold medal of submissions; there is 
  no single category more needed, and no category so 
  seldom filled.
  • Alternate Settings: We eagerly look for articles on 
  alternate historical periods, wholly original worlds, or 
  even Ars Magica set in recognized settings from films, 
  fiction, and other games. This includes new Houses and 
  alternate takes on the Founders, an always-popular 
  topic for conversation amongst Ars fans.
  • Alternate Systems: We would like to see articles 
  adapting Mythic Europe and/or Hermetic magic to other 
  game systems.
  • Margins of the Order: With the official Ars Magica 5th 
  Edition line having come to a close, everything those 
  books have not covered is now fair game for us. All 
  those blank spaces are now the margins, and we would 
  like you to help us write in them. Example manuscripts 
  include a rival covenant, a potential covenant site, a 
  mythic location, new Hermetic Societies, Verditius 
  confraternities, Bjornaer septs, mystery cults, lineages, 
  hedge magic traditions, and so on.
  • Fiction: Ars Magica fiction for Peripheral Code should 
  be stand-alone short stories. Alternate settings and 
  historical periods are welcome. This is an excellent 
  place to test out ideas, characters, and settings which 
  you might develop further once they prove successful in 
  Peripheral Code. Many established authors use 
  anthologies and magazines to draft stories they later 
  develop into novels. Let us do that for you.
  Columns
  Regular columns are a good choice for authors 
  submitting for the first time or who do not have the time 
  to write long feature articles. Some columns are 
  designed to help GMs with the work of game 
  preparation, while others are of more general interest to 
  all Ars Magica players. A full column might be 1,000-
  2,000 words, but for columns made up of small 
  elements (Illuminations, Goblin Market, Reviews, House 
  Rules) an individual book, spell, or review might be as 
  few as 250 words.
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  • Magi of the Order: This regular column presents a 
  single Hermetic magus at a single point in his life with 
  full game stats and spell list, talisman and familiar if 
  appropriate, and any original spells and enchanted 
  items. The character needs to have Story Seeds that 
  make him useful to the GM; traditionally he either has 
  something the players need, needs something the 
  players have, or has goals which will conflict with the 
  players. We discourage you from submitting your own 
  PC; your character is never as interesting to everyone 
  else as they are to you. 
  • Goblin Market: This column spotlights enchanted 
  items and Magical Things. Avoid items which simply 
  duplicate spells which are already in the game. 
  Submissions should include complete game statistics 
  for the item, using the format found in other Ars Magica 
  books. Give the item a history and suggest how it might 
  create or be used in stories. 
  • Illuminations: Our library column details books and 
  spells for a covenant library. While the book needs 
  game mechanics, it is also important that the book be 
  interesting. Its author, history, physical details, current 
  location, and game mechanics can all contribute. 
  Design notes are useful when introducing new spells; 
  explain how the spell conforms to guidelines, and 
  address any game balance concerns. Give the spell 
  some context: who invented it, how is it used, and how 
  can a PC get ahold of it.
  • House Rules: Ars Magica is often house ruled, and if 
  you have some of those rules which have worked 
  especially well for you and your table, tell us about 
  them. House rules should be tested before you send 
  them to us, and you must include examples in your 
  submission illustrating how the rule works. Remember 
  that readers will probably not be able to ask you 
  questions later. You might include discussion about why 
  and how you developed this house rule, and how it 
  changed through play test. Short submissions (less than 
  1,000 words) are fine, but we will keep them until we 
  can gather them together into a single column of at 
  least 1,000 words. Larger submissions can be 
  published alone.
  • Reviews: Peripheral Code seeks a regular reviewer 
  who would contribute a column of reviews every issue. 
  See this issue’s editorial for details. More generally, we 
  are looking for book, film, game, and other product 
  reviews which would be of interest to Ars fans. With few 
  official Ars products on the horizon, this is a time for 
  players of the game to look elsewhere for game aids 
  and inspiration. Perhaps you have already reviewed a 
  fantasy RPG, novel, or film on Amazon or your blog. 
  We’d like to consider it for publication in Peripheral 
  Code. 
  • NPCs: Not all NPCs need character sheets, but the 
  ones that do are covenfolk, grogs, or other characters 
  with whom the PCs interact regularly. Strong NPC 
  submissions include story seeds, roleplaying advice, 
  complete game stats, and a complete background for 
  the character. 
  • Antagonists: Ars Magica has a uniquely labor-
  intensive process of NPC and monster creation. 
  Authors who do this work for Storyguides around the 
  world win the silver medal for submissions. Stat blocks 
  and spell lists for allies (who the SG can improvise) and 
  PCs (which players prefer to make for themselves) are 
  less useful, but every Storyguide needs antagonists, 
  preferably with story seeds and clear goals in opposition 
  to the players.
  • Other Columns (for example, on the Realms of the 
  Divine, Infernal, and Faerie) are possible, if we recieve 
  regular submissions which merit their creation.
  Format: Manuscripts should be Word documents. Do 
  not format your manuscript with bold, italics, bullet 
  points, or other formatting; if you are sending a 
  document you have already formatted, remove all 
  formatting before you submit it! Send manuscripts to 
  jason.tondro@gmail.com
  Art Submissions
  Peripheral Code believes artists should be paid what 
  the artist believes the work is worth. Peripheral Code 
  also has no significant art budget. But we are especially 
  interested in two things:
  • Cover Art: Cover art needs to be magical in theme, 
  but is not otherwise bound by the Ars Magica canon or 
  setting. This is a particularly good place for us to feature 
  art you have already created, and which you might sell 
  in other form (as, for example, prints). If we can work 
  with you on something like this, please reach out to us 
  with samples of your work and your financial 
  requirements.
  • Interior Artists: Art for columns and feature articles 
  should be created specific to each article. Artists 
  working in this capacity need to be fast and modestly 
  priced. If you are interested in contributing to Peripheral 
  Code in this capacity, reach out to us with samples of 
  your work and your financial requirements.
  Rewards: Writers who contribute to Peripheral Code 
  receive an electronic copy of the issue in which their 
  work appears and 4 XP in Craft: Writing. 
  More seriously, writing for Ars Magica has been 
  described as more of a meta-game than a business 
  proposition. Authors in Peripheral Code participate in 
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  the game of making the game, and they play this game 
  for fun. If writing for Peripheral Code is not fun, we 
  certainly understand your desire to take your writing 
  time elsewhere. The magazine does not make a profit; 
  income from issue sales incompletely defers the cost of 
  cover and interior art. Costs in excess of sales are 
  bourn by the editor.
  Send us your work. We want to read it..
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Ars Magica [multi]/5th edition/Peripheral Code [3rd party magazine]/Issue 2 - Summer 2017.pdf