Uderzus, Magister of Perception

Magic Might: 49 (Mentem)

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

Age: 94 (50)

Personality Traits: Megalomaniacal +2, Patient -2, Straightforward -2, Tolerant -3

Combat:

Lance: Init +1, Attack +7, Defense +4, Damage +9

Soak: +1

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

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

Abilities: Artes Liberales 1 (astronomy), Awareness 9 (searching), Concentration 3 (reading), Finesse 4 (Mentem), Folk Ken 3 (magi), German 5 (understanding), Great Weapon 4 (lance), Latin 5 (reading), Magic Sensitivity 3, Magic Theory 3 (enchantment), Parma Magica 7 (Corpus), Penetration 3 (Intellego), Second Sight 5, Sense Holiness and Unholiness 4

Arts: Cr 25, In 30, Mu 15, Pe 15, Re 15, An 5, Aq 15, Au 15, Co 25, He 5, Ig 15, Im 25, Me 25, Te 15, Vi 25

Powers:

Ghostly Body, 0 points, constant, Mentem: Uderzus is aware he is a ghost, and can turn invisible, pass through walls, ignore physical attacks, and otherwise take advantage of his spirit form.

Ghostly Certamen, 0 points, special, special*:* Uderzus can participate in certamen with living magi, and can also initiate certamen against other ghosts. The phantasms are real to them, and attack and defend as normal, but instead of causing Fatigue, Weakening Totals affect ghostly opponents' Might Pool.

Ghostly Magic, 1 or more points, -2, by spell: Uderzus can make a spell he has cast affect the physical world by spending 1 point of temporary Might per magnitude of the effect.

Uderzus also carries the spiritual counterpart of his Sundered Lance, once a holy item, which retains two divine powers, both of which have penetration 30:

Pierce the Mail of Falsehood, PeVi20: The lance reduces the casting total of any non-ritual Creo or Rego magic at which it points by 20 spell levels.

The Trembling Lordling, CrMe30: Characters with noble blood at whom the lance is leveled experience a glimpse of terror so frightening that they are afraid of it for the rest of their lives. The source of the terror is different for each character, i.e. one person might see a mouse while another experiences extreme claustrophobia, and this power can only ever be used against each character once.

Spells Known: Uderzus also knows many Intellego Imaginem and Intellego Mentem spells, but they do not function in Calebais as long as the Veil is active.

Eyes of the Bat (InAu25/+46)

Vision of Heat's Light (InIg20/+46)

Well Without Light (PeIg25/+30)

Sight of the Active Magics (InVi40/+56)

Wind of Mundane Silence (PeVi40/+41)

Wizard's Sigil: Uderzus is evidenced by tiny cracks in his spells, like flaking paint. This shows through in his powers, above; for example, the darkness in his Well Without Light fractures in places, allowing threads of light (but not enough to see anything) to show through, and his illusions might have subtle but telltale cracks.

Vis: 9 Vim left in his ghostly lance, if his questions are satisfactorily answered

Appearance: Uderzus is short and squat; he is missing his left hand and has difficulty standing up straight. His ghostly image is very solid and quite realistic. He has flame-red hair in patches, but other parts are white and gray. His burlap tunic is scorched and ripped, and he leans against his seven foot lance, the last foot of which has broken and splintered at the end.

Roleplaying Tips: Purse not only your lips but your whole face. Laugh happily when others fail, but give grudging admiration when they succeed. Practice grimaces in the mirror and perfect a series of taunts. Don't forget to have trouble positioning the lance you always have with you, and remember that you are stronger than you appear. When faced with characters casting Creo or Rego spells at you, aggressively swing the lance to point at them and haughtily stop them in their tracks.

els instead of his Might. Once the character is nearly unconscious, he will use the body destructively, making it leap against other characters, dive underwater, or hit itself.

Granorda, meanwhile, raises the water-logged corpses from the water (this does not include her own, which is encased in a coffin at the back of the room or in another part of the burial chambers). Suddenly, all around the characters, partially decomposed bodies will rise from the black, icy waters, moaning and spreading their withered arms menacingly. These corpses are soft and pulpy, not tough like corpses buried in the ground, so they are not very powerful. Still, it will be a deadly fight. Consider:

• I. The corpses, 17 full and 5 partial, rise from all around the party, ahead and behind, assuming the characters have come to the center of the room. They will probably be outnumbered. The first round, just have one corpse attack each character, but after that they should start ganging up.
• II. Various independent body parts (including those caused by the fight) move through the water, grasping, biting or kicking the characters' legs. This attack is mostly ineffectual, but it can be very creepy and demoralizing.
• III. This section of the ruins is not magically lit, so the party may be depending upon torches or lanterns to see, which will go out if dropped into the water or the bearer is pulled down.
• IV. Characters should suffer a -3 on Attack and Defense rolls, due to the poor fighting conditions. These circumstances include at least three extra botch dice for any 0s rolled, taking into account fighting in water, the cold temperature, bad air, limited visibility, and the partial body parts that may trip or pull characters down. Botches probably mean that the character loses his footing and is pulled down.
• V. Unconscious or Incapacitated characters are likely to drown if they are not rescued immediately, as they will fall underwater, and the corpses will try to hold them down.
• VI. Crenvalus will continue to try and possess magi, keeping them off-balance and using his powers whenever he has a firm hold.

Magic Might: 0 (Corpus)

Characteristics: Str +3, Sta -3, Dex -3, Qik -3

Combat:

Punch and Grapple: Init -3, Attack -3, Defense -3,

Damage +3

Soak: -3

Wound Penalties: -0 (1-5), -0 (6-10), -0 (11-15),

Splattered (16-20) (yes, "splattered")

Appearance: Each of these creatures is a bloated corpse, remarkably well-preserved, animated but mindless. What little clothing or few possessions they carried

are tattered and decayed.

Note: The corpses can only fight as untrained groups. These corpses are mindless, and do not fear anything; they cannot be affected by Mentem spells of any kind. They cannot really see or hear either, but simply have a magical sense of where the characters are. They ignore wound penalties and have no fatigue. If their bodies are searched afterward, there might be trinkets or other small objects of value on them, but this sort of looting will frighten Granorda into casting more spells to protect herself.

If the players are doing badly, Granorda might end her spell, intending to speak sharply to the characters after properly chastising them. Uderzus might also intervene, driving Crenvalus back with his lance and casting Wind of Mundane Silence, berating the characters for allowing things to reach this point. If he is overpowered, Crenvalus will go completely mad, and charge out of the room shouting "Larine has brought our doom; let us bury this covenant and our pitiful dead forever!" He will race out of the vaults, intending to make his way to the surface and shake the entire covenant to pieces, but he will settle for the tunnel. If the characters don't stop him, he will cause another earthquake that could collapse the treasure chambers, and will certainly release the deluge described above.

BELL CHAMBER

The third chamber, assuming the caverns haven't been destroyed or flooded, is filled with three feet of water. In the center is the Bell of Ibyn, the legendary device described in Crenvalus's letter, which provided a magical warning system for the covenant of Calebais worthy of the wizards who founded it. There is also a small chest beside the Bell, completely submerged, in which may be found three more diadems (see page 78).

Getting the Bell out of the chamber and up the well to the outside world is a monumental task, and if you have time you should roleplay through the activity, as it is a relaxing opportunity to develop characters and visualize the extraordinary situations in which they participate. If you need to wrap up the session quickly, however, simply call for a general roll from every character to see how they do, and briefly describe their journey back. The players have already proven their worth by getting hold of the Bell in the first place, so it can be assumed that such competent characters can find a way to haul it home.

Once other magi learn that the characters have retrieved the Bell, their covenant may have many visitors who wish to see it or study it. Though it would probably be improper and seen as unreasonably greedy to ask for something in return for merely allowing a magus to look at it, asking for a minor sum of vis in exchange for a season of studying it is quite acceptable. If they actively spread word of their find, the characters and their covenant may receive Hermetic status and positive reputations among others in the Order.

I. The characters might be able to convene a meeting of the council of Calebais, using Ferdina's ghostly chime or by

personally coaxing the spirits to gather. There are seven council members, which according to their charter is enough to vote on covenant business, and Ferdina can act as council head to introduce issues: hearing proposals, inviting magi to join, giving away their treasure, ending hostilities, or even disbanding the covenant. It is unlikely that the ghosts will remain for long unless magically coerced, but it is possible that the characters could convince them to vote on one or two issues before everything breaks apart.

• II. The Hrools may be searching for a new god to lead them now that their old god has grown weak and lost most of her powers. Perhaps some of the Hrools have heard stories about Christianity and ask the characters to help them convert. If the characters use magic, the ermines may prostrate themselves and call out to the almighty characters for mercy, and some members of the tribe might gather their things and follow the characters when they leave Calebais, whether they are invited or not.
• III. Perhaps Crenvalus is demon-plagued, and has been for a long time. In order to gain the power and dominance that he desired, he made a pact with this creature that lasted beyond his death, and it has gradually taken command of his will. This explains the dual nature of his personality more directly. If Crenvalus is laid to rest, the demon will crawl out of his heart and fly away, after making a short speech ("Pedifilers, mortifilers, villifiers, you! Curse your rapturements for murdering my useful worm! Expect my return, right soon, with flames to burn your pitiful fleshy skins!").

The diadems are the C-shaped crowns made of gold wire, each with a green gemstone shaped like an eye worn at the forehead. The back of a diadem is open, and it naturally clasps any normal-sized head. They have specific powers of their own, but since they are mystically connected to the Bell, their powers are few until the Bell is mended. There were twenty-four of them in all, but many of them have been lost. Luckily, characters only need one, though the Bell will be more useful if they recover more.

I. Those who wear a diadem can see through any illusion cast by Mormulus, including all illusions in the story except those creat-

• ed by Uderzus. This allows them to walk through the Veil without having to answer the riddle and perceive Mormulus's lab as it really is. (InIm30)
• II. A diadem is a mark of authority in the covenant, and those who wear one may command the dryad to change the riddle, refuse entry to Calebais, or temporarily give up the Veil for a day and a night. The wearer falls into a deep sleep and takes control of the Veil in the meantime.
• III. If characters are foolish enough to wear a diadem all the time, they will quickly gain Warping points for being under a constant mystical effect, producing a Major Personality Flaw:

One of the more well-known magical artifacts in the Order of Hermes is the Bell of Ibyn. This is not so much because of its power (though it is formidable) or because of its strange origins, but rather because of the pride the magi of Calebais had in it. Older magi or students of Order of Hermes Lore will remember how magi of Calebais were known for boasting that their covenant was immune to attack because of their precious Bell. The characters will probably know of these stories and be eager to begin using their treasure. However, they will soon find that it is more difficult to use than they might think. In fact, it will have little effect at all until they can discover the key to unlock its powers.

The Bell is partially submerged, but has not been tarnished at all. It does not look like a normal church bell, oval with a round bottom and a round knocker inside; instead, it has two convex sides that meet at either of its edges, and a flat top with a massive bracket that was at one time attached with ropes to the rotted wood frame. It is three feet wide and five feet tall, and weighs nearly 600 pounds. Viewed from the bottom, it looks like an eye, though without a clapper or pupil. The sides of the Bell are inscribed with strange, non-Hermetic runes. There is also a series of twelve knobs on each side, each knob a round projection about two inches long and an inch thick, marked with a different strange and unfamiliar symbol. The knobs on the front protrude outward, while those on the back are rounded into the interior of the Bell.

The Bell has no readily discernible powers, except that it is certainly magical if tested with Intellego Vim. Only by playing about with it while wearing one of the diadems can the magi get a glimpse of its power. Approximate levels are provided in case the characters investigate it in a magical laboratory, but since it is unusual magic, not entirely conforming to Hermetic Theory, it may not work as the players expect, and the effect levels may not correspond to those of other Hermetic devices. The powers they might discover are:

I. Whenever the Bell rings, such as when someone strikes it with something, it will toll with a horrible, flat sound that will slowly die after five minutes of ringing. This sound is not so loud as to harm those standing nearby, yet can be easily heard throughout the entire covenant. (ReIm15)

II. Any time a human dies within the boundary that surrounds the covenant, the Bell will ring from one to six times, depending on the victim's power and importance in the covenant. If any of the characters die during the story, even in the forest that surrounds Calebais, the Bell will ring, but with a horribly flat sound. (InCo20)

III. When a person wearing a diadem touches the Bell and says "Corona fracta est" (coh-ROH-nah FROCK-tah EST, "The crown is broken"), they will be able to see all the surrounding area of the covenant from the perspective of any creature or person within that radius. They have no control over the subject, and it will not know it has been possessed. This effect works even at Calebais, despite Mormulus's Veil, as the Veil was designed to exclude the Bell from its effects. (InAnMe25)

If the characters devote time to magical study of the Bell, they may learn of the following properties, in addition to those described above:

Level 10: To use any of the powers of the Bell, you must wear a diadem.

Level 30: The Bell is damaged, and many of its powers are not accessible.

Level 40: The Bell uses strange, non-Hermetic magic, which has been intertwined with effects designed by magi from the Order of Hermes. Its unusual origin makes it difficult to identify its powers as long as it is broken.

Level 55: The Bell is out of tune, and must be adjusted in order to function properly. This involves filing down the knobs, but as some of them are already worn, this is dangerous without sure knowledge of how to go about it.

Level 80: The knobs are tuned to resonate with the personalities of those who wear the diadems, and there must be at least twelve different people involved to create the proper sound.

Once the characters realize that there is important information they lack in order to understand how to use the Bell, they will probably question the ghosts that remain, but none of them know or remember the details of the ritual, since it was Ornath who traditionally led the ceremony. Laboratory investigation may yield some of the information they seek, but all of the effects are of such high magnitude that it is doubtful they will be able to learn more than a general idea that it is magical and has very powerful effects. Eventually, however, one of the characters should remember Sister Larine and Crenvalus's cryptic curses about her giving the magi the key, and resolve to track her down to see if she can provide the information they need.

If the characters have successfully dealt with the ruins of the covenant and solved the mysteries that surround its fall, they will eventually come to investigate the secrets of the Bell of Ibyn, which does not seem to work as reputed. The events of this chapter should not happen immediately after their expedition to the ruins; they should have plenty of time to rest and begin preliminary investigation of the Bell on their own. Only after several seasons of study should they come to the irrefutable conclusion that the Bell is damaged.

When all other avenues have been exhausted, the players should think of the nun who provided them with the letter in the first place. To help them along, you can have the Redcap from the first chapter arrive at the covenant again and ask how they fared. This may remind them that there is another source of information about Calebais, if they can convince Ash to tell them where she is.

Ash will not be easy or cheap to persuade. She gave her word that she would not tell the characters Sister Larine's name or where she lives, and she will not break it. She might agree to bring them there to see her, but only if she has no doubts that the characters can be trusted. Essentially, there are three factors that they must address for her to feel comfortable with taking them to the convent.

Firstly, they must prove to Ash that there is no need for secrecy, either because they have already learned or deduced the nun's name, or because they also swear to keep her identity secret. Knowing who she is, they might be able to track her down without Ash's help, but the Redcap will not take kindly to threats that she is not needed and will be furious if she learns that the magi went to the convent without consulting her.

Secondly, the characters must convince Ash that there is a good reason to visit the convent, because the nuns will not think well of magi, and will certainly think less of Ash and Larine for bringing them there. They must persuade Ash, either by promising not to bring characters who could frighten the sisters (i.e. only wizards with the Gentle Gift and no companions with strange habits or bizarre appearances), or by explaining the situation and impressing upon her that Larine is their only hope of unlocking the final riddle of Calebais. If Ash understands the wizards' desperation, she will feel more personally involved in their plight, and perhaps decide that she can risk the consequences of the nuns' disapproval for the greater glory of the Order of Hermes.

Finally, Ash must like and/or respect the characters. If they treated her particularly well in the first chapter, this requirement will not be hard to meet, so long as they continue to go out of their way to

None of the characters in this chapter have been fully developed according to the rules of Ars Magica. This is by design, to encourage you to roleplay as much as possible, and to give you the freedom to use them however you think is best for the story. This is an opportunity for you and the players to develop characters through choice and desire, and thus you should find yourself using the dice and the rules for nothing more than

Personality tests, and then only when characters behave in ways that are contrary to their natures. For example, the players will probably figure out that they are supposed to be on their best behavior for the abbess, and after they have had a chance to settle in and become complacent you may want to have them make a roll or spend Confidence points whenever they want to act in some way that is particularly out of character for them.

earn her favor. She expects good treatment as a member of the Order of Hermes, and believes that she deserves additional respect as one who performs a valuable duty. The characters will have to do something special, beyond what she feels she is entitled, to gain her notice. If she is not ill-disposed toward them, the characters can gain this trust with a little effort. If the characters have offended her, they will have to make substantial amends, and even then she will probably feel like they are trying to buy her off.

If the magi can address all three of these points with Ash, she will agree to escort them to the convent when they are ready. It is probably a fair distance; perhaps about sixty miles from the abbey that the characters visited in the first chapter, though it can be anywhere if you would like there to be more distance between these two expeditions. After their long journey, the characters will arrive at the convent tired and anxious, and will unfortunately find a great disappointment waiting for them.