Covenant of Stella Durus

Symbol: A shining five-pointed star

Sited on the outskirts of Narbonne, this cosmopolitan covenant consists of Bonisagi, Flambeau, Jerbiton, and one particularly ambitious and long-sighted Tytalus interested in the chess games of noble alliances and marriages. Their interests include research on the magical spirits and ancient ruins throughout the countryside. An Autumn covenant, their personal goals often distract them from uniting as a cohesive force in politics, Hermetic or mundane, and they only want to remain unnoticed as the Albigensian Crusade progresses.

Stella Durus began as a small estate on the left bank of the Aude, outside of Narbonne proper, maintaining an old manor farm. The magi here quietly worked alongside their neighbors, supporting the growth of the urban environment through the 11th and 12th centuries while recovering from the long-past founding members' participation in the Schism War and some forays against the Muslim occupation of Iberia. The current senior members of the covenant are the elder Bonisagus, Marcella, who is focused on uncovering a way to identify and harness the powers of a magical spirit—the spirit of the Aude river; and Jean Marie, a follower of Jerbiton who was looking for someplace pleasant to put down roots. Marcella's spirit of exploration combined with Jean Marie's bucolic attitude attracted Renaud and his current fascination with the regional Mithraic sites and the troubadours appearing across the countryside.

The old Roman villa has been modified, added to, and rebuilt several times over since its initial construction. Always reclusive, the covenant members are often considered odd neighbors the other local residents ignore unless circumstances demand otherwise the servants of an oft-traveling merchant or very minor lord on Crusade. The defenses are nearly nonexistent, the structure is nothing remarkable. The covenant seems to have taken a policy of hiding in plain sight. There is a Magic aura of 2 in the basements, where a Roman mithraem once stood.

Stella Durus has one overarching tenet: they are individuals banded together for the sake of mutual protection and sharing resources. In fact, that attitude was the reasoning behind the selection of their covenant name, referring to the stars that guide many explorers and playing on the multiple interpretations of the word "durus" as committed, rough, and enduring. These magi all have a loose interest in maintaining their home, but no uniting force to drive their covenant. Members regularly skip meetings, bicker over the distribution of maintenance tasks and try to find ways to keep their time their own. They like the proximity of Narbonne, but find the river does an excellent job of providing some measure of isolation.

Five magi make their home at Stella Durus.

Marcella of Bonisagus

Age: 92 (Apparent age: 63) Personality Traits: Focused +2, Nurturing +2, Oblivious +2

A long way from her native Lancaster, Marcella convinced her filia, Giacoma, to return to Stella Durus and assist her for seven years in exchange for the elder Bonisagus' help with a difficult situation Giacoma created. Her filia's indiscretions disappoint her, and she secretly worries that one day she may not be able to help or shield her former apprentice. For now, Marcella contents herself with attempting to unravel her current project. She believes that a symbiotic relationship can exist between a genius loci or a Daimon and a nearby settlement, where the population center influences the strength of the spirit and allows for the extraction of regularly generated vis which might otherwise be too trivial to hunt for. She can be obsessive in her research, keeping odd hours or working deep into the night, following seemingly unrelated avenues of inquiry, and traveling wherever leads or experts can be found. She enjoys the social aspects of her research, discussing Hermetic theory with anyone willing to talk. Marcella actually has a reputation of taking virtual prisoners at Tribunal gatherings, talking about strange trivia until

Faerie Might: 20 (Vim)

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

Size: +0

Virtues and Flaws: Narrowly Cognizant, Passes for Human; External Vis (scimitar, grants Puissant Single Weapon), Greater Power, Increased Faerie Might (Major); Faerie Sight, Faerie Speech, Feast of the Fae, Improved Characteristics x3, Infiltrator (Branded Criminal), Lesser Power x3, Positive Folktales, Pretentious, Puissant Single Weapon; Fury (failure in chosen mission), Sovereign Ward (person it has agreed to serve); Overconfident, Pious (Islam), Role Requires Suffering, Traditional Ward (Name: Howling Knife of the Dunes)

Personality Traits: Brave +3, Jinn +3, Bargaining +2

Reputations: Capable Bodyguard 3 (Sahir), Creature for Hire 2 (Maghreb Pirates)

Combat:

Scimitar: Init +3, Attack +12, Defense +9, Damage +8

Fist: Init +1, Attack +6, Defense +6, Damage +2

Soak: +6

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Pretenses: Area Lore: Mediterranean Coasts 3 (places to come ashore),

Artes Liberales 1 (astronomy), Athletics 3 (climbing), Awareness 5 (identifying threats), Bargaining 3 (establishing terms), Brawl 4 (fist), Faerie Speech 5 (issuing threats), Folk Ken 3 (humans), Leadership 2 (pirates), Profession: Navigator 1 (staying on course), Profession: Sailor 4 (pirate), Single Weapon 5+2 (scimitar), Survival 1 (desert)

Powers:

Sirocco's Form, 5 points, Init –4, Auram. The Jinn Corsair transforms into a swirling cyclone of gritty desert wind. He may carry one person inside this wind. CrAu 50 R: Per, D: Until, T: Ind, (Base 30, +4 Until): Greater Power (50 levels)

Sense the Living Treasure, 3 points, Init –7, Corpus. The Jinn Corsair concentrates and senses the location of the person linked to an arcane connection in his possession. The longer he concentrates, the better he knows the distance and direction to the target. InCo 20 R: Arc, D: Conc, T: Ind. (Base 3, +4 Arc, +1 Conc): Lesser Power (20 levels, 1 intricacy point on cost.)

Scimitar of Blazing Fury, 3 points, Init –8, Ignem. The Jinn Corsair coats his weapon in searing white flame, adding +10 damage to attacks made with the weapon. CrIg 20 R: Touch, D: Diam, T: Ind. (Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Diam): Lesser Power (20 levels, 1 intricacy point spent on cost.)

Conceal the Precious Charge, 3 points, Init

–5, Imaginem. The Jinn Corsair can make a target he touches undetectable by normal sight, regardless of what it does. However, the target still casts a shadow. PeIm 15 R: Touch, D: Diam, T: Ind. (Base 4, +1 Touch, +1 Diam, +1 changing image): Lesser Power (15 levels, 2 intricacy points spent on initiative)

Equipment: Scimitar, clothes, any reasonable equipment necessary for his current activities.

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Vis: There is one pawn each of Auram, Corpus, Ignem and Imaginem vis in the Jinn's scimitar, for four total pawns. The scimitar has no encumbrance and its possessor gains the Puissant Single Weapon Minor Virtue.

Appearance: Dressed like a male Maghrebi pirate with a grinning and handsome countenance, the Jinn has a branded scar on his left cheek. His clothing is made of rich fabrics and he bears a well crafted scimitar. Turned in the morning light, this blade seems to be fashioned of glass.

The Jinn Corsair often barters with mortals who seek him for a term of protective service. He takes this duty seriously; his success is a matter of some pride, and he has only lost a charge twice. Once to a dragon, and once at the hands of a Hermetic magus—perhaps it was one of the magi from the covenant?

some more pressing matter surfaces. She's more than content to allow Jean Marie to handle what she considers the necessary evils of the covenant, allowing her to focus on research. As long as there are funds for supplies when she needs them, she doesn't care how the Jerbiton manages Stella Durus or how he spends his days.

Giacoma of Bonisagus Filius Marcella

Age: 28 (Apparent age: 28) Personality Traits: Self-Serving +3, Inquisitive +2, Willing to Cut Corners +2

Giacoma is a former apprentice of Marcella who ran up a sizable debt through a Tribunal decision in Rome. Now, owing vis to a vindictive covenant across the Adriatic, she was more than willing to accept an offer from her mater — if she worked with Marcella on her research on the magical spirit of the River Aude for three seasons a year for the next seven years, she could have the vis to pay off her debt, access to the research results, and Marcella would perform her Longevity Ritual. A little bitter about her need to return to the laboratory of her mater, but happy to be clear of the danger she escaped, Giacoma hopes that the results of their investigations will reveal a better way to draw Vim vis from nature spirits, thereby uncovering vis sources in otherwise vis-poor regions. Such a discovery would make Giacoma rich, which is what really concerns her. She loves the temporal power of wealth and often directs her personal research in directions she believes will create it.

Renaud of Flambeau

Age: 54 (Apparent age: 40) Personality Traits: Dignified +3, Courageous +2, Foolhardy +2

The third son of a minor Norman lord who was fostered with his uncle, a petty

Marcella's project has been ongoing for years. The potential ramifications of her research could significantly change the economy of the Order as vis becomes much more abundant in locations tied to ancient nature spirits. Marcella isn't looking to kill the genii loci or Daimons, but skim vis from spirits, finding a way to "bleed" them, creating a renewable resource. The situation at Toulouse would probably provide insight, but she refuses to risk herself in such a volatile location. She has not yet determined a way to link an urban population to a Daimon, or how to invoke an Aspect for collection without alerting the Daimon, or how to draw vis from a spirit's locus without disturbing it. She is experimenting with various ideas that address these concerns, but keeps her progress a tightly held secret. The next

steps in Marcella's research might include:

• A ritual incorporating aspects of Wizard's Communion and requiring the participation of magi with high scores in Muto and Rego techniques and elemental Forms. Guided by Marcella, success might forge a persistent link to the magic spirit of the Aude, allowing the Bonisagus to harvest in a manner similar to distilling Vim vis but with a greater yield. Unfortunately, this success might be tempered by the Daimon's awareness and loathing of the connection.

• An extended negotiation with the spirit over the course of a collaborative ritual led by Marcella, where an Aspect of the Daimon undergoes the equivalent of a willing sacrifice which somehow strengthens its bond with

• the locus of the town over time while providing the magi with vis through a short-term loss of Might.

• A ritual which results in the ceremonial murder of the spirit of the Aude River, yielding a single bolus of vis determined by the storyguide. The consequences of this action eventually lead to the silting of the waterway and the decline of Narbonne as a port.

• Searching for and attempting to recover the Roman watermill complex of Barbegal. This would bring her into conflict with the Coenobium's political aims. To avoid this complication, she is willing to trade texts and connections in exchange for discreet investigation by a third party, like the player characters.

knight, Renaud has fought in Iberia, the Albigensian Crusade, and even the Third Crusade shortly after his Gauntlet. He firmly believes in the concept of "mens sana in corpore sano," — a healthy mind in a healthy body. He trains with the grogs, serving as their mercenary captain, and his battlefield experience only reinforces his reputation as

a capable warrior and magus. Several close brushes with jinn in Iberia and a bad experience with the nobles executing the Albigensian Crusade left Renaud recently soured and looking for inspiration. A discussion at Tribunal with Jean Marie about the troubadour movement in the area inspired him to join Stella Durus. From here, he can investigate Roman ruins and local universities for bits of Mithraic lore while experiencing the very core of the troubadour movement. In fact, he has suggested becoming a troubadour patron twice to his fellow magi, and may personally retain one despite the perceived risks. The wisdom of bringing a wandering storyteller within the walls of the covenant seems questionable at this time, and so far, he has been dissuaded despite his role as magus in charge of defenses, but who knows for how long.

Age: 87 (Apparent age: 45) Personality Traits: Genial +3, Spendthrift +2, Talkative +2

Jean Marie enjoys a pleasant semiretirement at the covenant. He keeps busy, acting as a senior advisor for and managing a portion of a mundane shipping company

Ducaru of Tytalus

Age: 44 (Apparent age: 34) Personality Traits: Boastful +2, Calculating +2, Reckless +2

A Romanian arrival apprenticed in the Theban Tribunal, Ducaru joined the covenant with a very individual goal. He intends to infiltrate the nobility to broker marriages and alliances and has begun doing so, creating a Norman persona. He listens more than he speaks, influencing active participants, rather than participating himself. Ducaru prefers making suggestions and observing the effects versus acting directly. He plays a dangerous game, one which could have him facing charges at Tribunal should it become well-known. Jean Marie suspects it, as the Tytalus occasionally pumps him for information about the local nobility through the Jerbiton's troubadour contacts.

Never seen without his distinctive goatskin cap, Ducaru's mastery of Mentem magics makes his goal a possibility, but his expert knowledge of Vim only seems to draw suspicion. He does not consider himself evil, but he also does not allow morals or society's expectations to limit his actions. He often takes actions, especially unexpected actions, simply to observe the outcome. The least involved in covenant operations, Ducaru always contributes at the most opportune moment. He keeps a game of chess running in a Perpignan tavern, where he is in the process of beating Etienne of Ara Maxima Nova. The two have been trading games for months. Redcaps now frequent the tavern, keeping current on the state of the game and placing wagers on who will win.

The covenfolk and grogs of Stella Durus are a mix of nationalities, brought to the covenant by its various members over time. They seem to have blended well together, but occasional conflicts emerge. The staff members speak a half dozen different languages, which has led to most of the misunderstandings, but Marcella likes this diversity, and encourages covenfolk to keep their various language skills sharp. The highly competent and veteran turb languishes here, bored with little to keep them occupied. However, in keeping with the magi's request for an unobtrusive existence, they do not train or muster where they might be seen. Renaud wants to maintain their excellence, though, and has been working on ways around this problem.