Central Germany

The central and southern parts of the Rhine Tribunal, stretching from the Harz Mountains on the edge of Saxony down through Thuringia and Franconia as far as the River Danube and Bavaria, are at the very heart of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. This is a diverse and only moderately populated landscape, characterized by rolling hills, rocky and isolated wildernesses, and innumerable magic and faerie forests of varying sizes. In between are a number of cities, which while not as venerable as the great Roman cities of the Rhineland, are nevertheless important in both trade and politics within the empire. In the courts and cathedrals of this land, cultural life has, unlike elsewhere, developed a uniquely German flavor.

The Rumaquelle

The Rumaquelle is a magical spring hidden among the forested slopes of the southern Harz, whose water is of a characteristic green color. At the Römerstein castle there once lived a young giant by the name of Romer, who fell in love with a beautiful girl he met in the forest. The girl, Ruma, loved him in turn, but as she was the daughter of the dwarf king (who some believe to be Gübich), a sworn enemy of Romer's father, the two married in secret. After Ruma gave birth to a baby boy, the dwarf king found out about the marriage and was enraged. He punished his daughter and ordered her to leave Romer. When she refused, he issued a great curse, murdered the child, and imprisoned her in a cave. Ruma tried with all her might to escape and find Romer — since her mother was a mermaid she was able to transform into a stream of water and search out the many subterranean passages. After many years of labor, she finally reached the surface beyond the realm of the dwarfs. This place became known as the Rumaquelle (Ruma's spring). It is believed that Romer and Ruma still meet here to this day.

The northernmost mountain range in Germany, the Harz are a fifty-mile stretch of high granite hills — a desolate wilderness surrounded by the civilized towns of Saxony (see Chapter 7: The Lowlands, Saxony). When not being assaulted by winds from the unbroken northern plain, rain and fog usually hold sway. The peaks are often shrouded by low cloud, giving them an eerie sense of detachment from the surrounding lowlands. The lower slopes consist of gloomy forests with hidden and strange rock formations, and are dotted with whispering streams, lakes, and caves. Here are known to live a small number of secretive dwarflike folk. Gübich (see Chapter 4: The Forest, Woodland Spirits) is a morose figure who dwells in moss-covered caves. He has the ability to control the weather, by summoning rain and storms, and sometimes leads travelers astray. Kröpel, on the other hand, is a good-natured creature who often travels abroad, remaining hidden by his hat of fog.

The highest mountain of the Harz, the Brocken, at 3750 feet is one of the most potent supernatural sites in Germany. The bare peak is topped with a mass of huge granite blocks called the Witches' Altar, which every Walpurgis Night bears witness to a great ritual where the fertility goddess Walpurga summons the spirits of summer to defeat those of winter. Walpurgis Night is the 30th of April — the eve of May Day — and in Germany is even more important for witchcraft than its opposite in the calendar — All Hallow's Eve. Witches from many miles around gather on this day on the Brocken's slopes, followed by many dozens of those villagers who still believe in the old traditions. Fires are lit to drive out the spirits of winter, and hymns are sung to the old forgotten gods. Only the most powerful of witches are allowed to approach the Witches' Altar, where the ritual takes place.

At other times of the year, the Brocken is still a popular meeting place for witches. In Hermetic circles, it is known to be a good place at which to find a potential apprentice. A nearby spring is called the Magic Fountain and grants visions to those who drink from it. On the rugged slopes grows a pale violet anemone dubbed the Sorcerer's Flower, reputed to be a source of vis. The lower slopes of the Brocken have a Faerie aura of 2, with 4 at the summit. These values are doubled on Walpurgis Night.

A dozen miles to the east of the Brocken, in the wilds of the northeastern Harz, is a rocky crag known as the Hexentanzplatz (Witches' Dancing Ground). A set of ancient steps lead up to the weathered summit, which has a Faerie aura of 2. The witches of the Harz gather here every April to hold council, before proceeding on to the Brocken.

Directly across a ravine from the Hexentanzplatz is a lower slope with a large rock called the Rosstrappe, bearing the huge imprint of a horse's hoof. Legend relates that a princess by the name of Brunhilde was being pursued through the forest by a lusty knight, Bodo. Reaching this spot, she spurred her horse to make a mighty leap across the ravine to the Hexentanzplatz, and thus evaded the tireless suitor — a nearby witch transformed him into a dog, and he fell into the chasm. Some say a hound still lives down there by the stream, guarding Brunhilde's crown, which fell from her head during the leap.

Walpurga

During the nine days before Walpurgis Night, a modest Holzfrau (see Chapter 4: The Forest, Woodland Spirits) by the name of Frau Holle, riding on a rickety wagon, is abroad in the land, pursued by the troop of the Wild Hunt (see below). She asks those villagers she encounters for aid and protection, and also checks that their household tasks are in order. Those who help Frau Holle are often rewarded with gifts of gold; for example, a peasant who carves a new linchpin for her wagon may discover the swept-away wood shavings to be transformed into gold, or a farmer who hides her in his grain barn might find his rye crop to be sprinkled with gold the next morning. After having evaded the Wild Huntsman, with the help of the good folk of the Harz, on Walpurgis Night Frau Holle ascends the Brocken.

At the summit of the mountain, the Holzfrau casts aside her old clothes to reveal herself as the goddess Walpurga — a beautiful and ethereal lady dressed in a white cloak and crown, wearing shoes of fire and carrying a spindle and a three-cornered mirror with the power to foretell the future. Aided by the chants of the witches, she enjoins the forces of summer to arrive and do her bidding. There then follows a great tumult as powerful airy elemental spirits of various kinds do battle around the Witches' Altar, with the dark and cold phantoms of the Wild Hunt ultimately being defeated. The ritual ends as dawn breaks on May Day, and Walpurga rides off in her wagon across the clouds below the peak.

Walpurga is a powerful lady of the Seelie Court, who represents summer and growth. She is entirely beneficent to mankind, and is the Queen of the Holzfrau. She has a Faerie Might of 50, and any powers over growth, vegetation, and healing that the storyguide deems appropriate.

The witches of the Harz who worship Walpurga as a goddess are also left to the storyguide to design. For example, they might be cunningfolk, with minor magical powers to create potions and charms. They should never be able to cast spells or display any other major magic, else the Order of Hermes would have either adopted or exterminated them long ago.

The Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt is a pervasive myth throughout the kingdoms of northern Europe; a tumultuous band of wild spirits who sweep down from the sky, hunting sinners and innocents alike. Those caught by the Hunt have their souls dragged off to Hell, or so it is said.

In fact, there are two Wild Hunts, which are often confused in the minds of men. The first is Hellequin's Hunt, a host of the dead, trapped in a mobile regio that is centered on Hellequin, a cursed spirit whose task is to guide spirits who are unable to reach Heaven onto their resting place. The ghosts who accompany him died unfulfilled, and the Hunt grants them a chance to convince mortals to grant them grace, so that they may pass on.

The Wild Hunt proper is a troupe of faeries of storms and of winter. It arises in the Teufelsküche (see Chapter 7: The Lowlands, Saxony), and sweeps across Germany on stormy winter nights, terrorizing the peasantry. The Wild Huntsman is a powerful, Unseelie faerie lord, perhaps once a fragment of the mighty Woden, but now a wrathful spirit who seeks to maintain winter's hold on the land. The Wild Hunt seeks out the Holzfrauen, hoping that if all of these faeries of vegetation can be caught, then spring cannot come to the land. Occasionally they seek mortal prey; but, being spirits of wind, night, and winter, they cannot directly harm their prey although terror, buffeting winds, and chilling cold are still fearsome weapons. If, however, the Wild Huntsman is able to convince a mortal to mount up and ride with the Hunt, then each of the huntsmen may strike with lethal force, and much damage may be done by them. The unfortunate mortal who accompanied them will often be found at dawn, exhausted and chilled to the bone, and will never recover from his experience (gaining the Enfeebled Flaw).

The Hunt is composed of the following faeries. A typical Hunt includes the Wild Huntsman, 10-15 Horsemen and 25-30 Hounds:

The Wild Huntsman: The focus of every Hunt, the Wild Huntsman is a grim figure on an immense black horse, wrapped completely in a storm-gray robe. The glint of a shiny helm can be seen under the hood of his cloak, and he carries a spear. The Huntsman has a Faerie Might of 50, and he has numerous powers that give him control over terror, the night, the winter, and storms.

The Horsemen: These fearsome faeries embody the icy storms of winter. They appear to be ghostly men on horseback, but when in flight, the horses and the men become one. Their very presence can spread fear, and they can control the winds and inflict bone-chilling cold. Each Horseman has a Faerie Might of 20, and can produce the effects of following spells, at a cost of 1 Might each: Broom of the Winds, Winter's Icy Touch, Panic of the Trembling Heart. If a mortal accompanies the hunt, then the weapons and hooves of the Horsemen become substantial, and they may directly inflict damage through trampling and spear-thrusts.

The Hounds: Immense grey dogs, whose howls are the ululation of the arctic winds. Each Hound has a Faerie Might of 10. They are as insubstantial as the rest of the hunt, and although they appear to bite those that they chase, it is actually an effect similar to Talons of the Winds (no Might cost), except that (unless a mortal accompanies the Hunt) this power only inflicts Fatigue damage (one level for a Light wound, two for a Medium wound, and so on); the wounds seem very real to the victim, however.

Amid the slopes of the northern Harz is a hidden and primeval cave with a Magic aura of 3. Strewn across the cave floor are arranged the ancient bones of bears, which may be harvested for Animal vis. These bones, teeth, and scraps of hide appear to be from bears which are far larger and more fearsome than any which roam — or at least which are commonly known to roam — the Harz today.

The covenant of Fengheld is the largest in the Rhine Tribunal, both in sheer physical size and in the number of magi who it claims as members. It is also perhaps the most diverse of the Rhine covenants, having no single House or gild dominating its membership. This Autumn covenant is perceived as the most neutral of the covenants in the Tribunal, although the more paranoid magi have suspicions regarding its true agenda. It likes to give the image of being politically impartial, and a peacemaker — both the Apple and Linden Gilds were formed by members of this covenant — and often adjudicates conflicts between covenants; nevertheless, its main purpose is to keep all the other covenants so bound up in political machinations that they don't notice the burgeoning power of Fengheld. So far, this policy has been successful — although the covenant now commands more than forty Tribunal votes, nearly a quarter of the total, they are seldom all cast together

Story Seed: Who's Been Harvesting My Vis?

The cave is in fact the secret hiding place of an ancient lineage of Bjornaer magi, all with bear heartbeasts, descending from the Founder Bjornaer herself. The two current magi of this line are Archmage Urgen (see Chapter 9: The Eastern Marches, Crintera) and his filia Odorpes (see below, Fengheld) — each visits the cave on occasion, and they would be most displeased to discover any other magus harvesting from their secret vis source.

Fengheld was founded in 1039 by veteran members of Houses Flambeau and Tremere returning from the Schism War in Stonehenge and Normandy. The Tribunal had no problems agreeing on the founding of a covenant for these "war heroes," but it was originally intended as a place that older magi could spend their glory days in isolation from mundanes. However, the founding of the covenant coincided with the reign of Henry III, and the politically inclined Tremere magi of Fengheld, in cahoots with the Transylvanian Tribunal, were involved in his conquests of Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary, seizing numerous vis sites in the process.

As its main site grew full, Fengheld tried to sponsor daughter covenants populated by young Tremere magi, but were blocked by the Tribunal. Instead, they resorted to the founding of chapter houses, copying the common practices of and citing as precedent the Greater Alps Tribunal, reckoning that they had enough martial power to defend multiple sites. Fengheld has recently loosened its ties with the Transylvanian Tribunal, and is no longer seen as being dominated by House Tremere.

Fengheld's main site is a sprawling hilltop fortress in a fairly isolated spot among the hills of the eastern Harz. The south side of the hill is covered in vast vineyards and orchards, whereas grain and root crops are grown in the valley floor below. On the rest of the hill, sheep and goats graze, watched over by shepherds. On the top of the hill, an immense curtain wall surrounds the entire covenant complex, which consists of a score of individual buildings, including a tower for each of the resident magi, an elaborate guest house, an immense meeting hall, and numerous buildings inhabited by the various covenfolk and grogs. Well over two hundred people dwell in Fengheld and its outlying hamlets; most of the food — except for a few luxuries — are grown on site. The isolation of the site partly — but not wholly — explains how this vast farming operation has remained unnoticed by the local nobility, but Fengheld has never been openly accused of manipulating mundanes to ignore their presence. The covenant is magically rich in terms of minor items and raw vis, harvesting from about two dozen different sites, some of them hundreds of miles away. Fengheld's library, while vast, is dominated by books of lower levels than one might expect from a covenant this large. Consequentially, magi trained here tend to be generalists, although the covenant actively tries to invite specialist magi as guests so they can enhance the library. The hilltop has a Magic aura of 5.

In addition to the main site, there are also half a dozen chapter houses spread throughout northern mainland Europe. Each is inhabited by one or more magi, and they take a variety of forms, depending upon the location and needs of the inhabitants.

Fengheld's Chapter Houses

Each of Fengheld's chapters is still a part of the main covenant. All magi must accept the charter of Fengheld, and any strictures or rulings from the Tribunal that apply to Fengheld also apply to the chapter houses (and vice versa). However, a chapter usually has a local charter that applies only to those magi who live in the chapter house.

Of the eleven magi of Fengheld that live in chapters, only six are detailed in the five chapter houses given below. The placing of the other five magi has been left to the storyguide to determine. We suggest that Fengheld's biggest chapter, run by Clemens filius Stentorius, the most senior master of Fengheld, could be sited close to the player covenant. Alternatively, the player magi could themselves constitute one of the remaining chapters, which would make them beholden to the dictates of Fengheld's senior magi.

Fengheld House: The most remote of Fengheld's chapters is located in the city of Cherbourg in Normandy. Only a single maga lives here, Marguerite of Flambeau. The chapter is a simple, fortified townhouse owned by Sir Jozef of Poznan, a crusader of Polish birth. Marguerite is a woman of stunning beauty, who considers mundane folk beneath her. She is as rude as she is beautiful, and does not hesitate to make the most cutting remarks she can. This chapter runs a small trading business with England and France.

Rheingasse: Two Gentle-Gifted magi live at this chapter in the center of Cologne. Their purpose is to arrange the supplies and organize the mundane contacts of Fengheld, and they are remarkably adept at their task. Wilhelm Weiss of House Jerbiton poses as a wealthy merchant, and his companion Garrinchus is a newly apprenticed member of House Ex Miscellanea, whose master was acknowledged as an expert in physick. Both magi are members of the Apple Gild, and Wilhem is its co-leader**.**

Turris Acontiarum: Hassan El-Megrayhi maintains a lone tower in the Kyffhäuser Mountains, where he studies the stars with but a single, mute companion.

Lusatia: Taking its name from the March of Lusatia (see Chapter 9: The Eastern Marches, The Margravate of Lusatia), Lusatia is only 10 miles from the agreed border with the Novgorod Tribunal, and the foundation of this chapter house was the cause of the most recent boundary dispute between that Tribunal and the Rhine (see Chapter 3: Tribunal History and Customs, History). Located in an idyllic spot on a bend of the River Sprec, this chapter has a single inhabitant, Odorpes filia Urgen of House Bjornaer. Odorpes is not exactly a model member of her covenant, and Fengheld has accused her at Tribunal more than once of failing to fulfil her duties, although they are reluctant to discipline her harshly for fear of her aggressive and powerful parens. Odorpes spends most of her time in her heartbeast (a bear), and hibernates for the whole winter.

Durenmar Chapter: Plans are currently underway to establish a chapter at Durenmar. This scheme, the brainchild of Rudolph of Bonisagus, is cautiously supported by Fengheld, although some senior members question the wisdom of this action.

Fengheld currently boasts a membership of 23 magi, although only a dozen live at the main site. The internal structure of the covenfolk is an elaborate hierarchy, headed by Archmage Stentorius. Directly beneath him are Fengheld's eight magi of master rank, five of whom dwell at the main site (Eule of Bjornaer, Horst of Mercere, Peter von Würzburg of Verditius, Dorana of Bonisagus, and Indulius of Flambeau), and three at the various chapter houses (Clemens of Tremere, Hassan El-Megrayhi of Criamon, and Wilhelm Weiss of Jerbiton). The third rank of the covenant consists of 14 journeymen, with the six who dwell at Fengheld itself being given a slightly higher precedence to the other eight.

Fengheld is home to one of the Rhine Tribunal's two Mercer Houses (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages), the other being at Durenmar. It is also the home of the Tribunal's senior Redcap, and its central location and the great generosity that is shown to Redcaps ensures its popularity over Durenmar. Those who visit the northern covenants (including Boris of Novgorod, from Oculus Septentrionalis) meet here at agreed times with those who serve the southern half of the Tribunal. They exchange information and news, and occasionally meet with Redcaps from other Tribunals who do not wish to brave the Black Forest to visit Durenmar. This monopoly on the news of the Order has proved to be a great benefit to Fengheld.

STENTORIUS, FOLLOWER OF TREMERE

Age: 107 (Archmage)
Personality Traits: Proud +3, Stickler for Rules +2, Forgiving –3

Stentorius is one of the most politically powerful magi in the Rhine

Tribunal. He is the authoritarian leader of the largest of the Tribunal's covenants, an Archmage in his own right, and the Tremere exarch of the Rhine Tribunal (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages). As such, he administers about three-fifths of the sigils of the Tremere magi in the Tribunal, including those of his filius and the two Tremere magi of Triamore (the rest are held by Severicus of Roznov).

Stentorius is a large man, nearly a hundred years from his apprenticeship, but bearing his advanced age well. He has an impressive, bushy beard, iron-gray in color, which covers his chest, and a craggy nose. He is known, rather predictably, as a master of Rego magics, although he is equally adept with most Forms. He wears ostentatious robes of deep crimson red, covered in the Hermetic symbols for Rego and the Forms, and of House Tremere.

His familiar of more than half a century is a supremely arrogant large gray cat by the name of Oswald. He wears a bejeweled golden pendant crafted for him by Stentorius (imbued with multiple uses of Aura of Rightful Authority, amongst other effects) and seriously considers himself the ruler of Fengheld and all its inhabitants, if not the whole Tribunal. When he deigns to visit Durenmar, he is much annoyed by the taunting of Kolkrabus, the raven familiar of Murion. Kolkrabus believes Stentorius has usurped his human's rightful role as the leader of the Oak Gild.

HORST, FOLLOWER OF MERCERE

Age: 68 (Master)
Personality Traits: Widely-Read +3, Fascinating +2, Political –3

Horst is a famed author who has written books of high quality on a huge range of subjects, both mundane ones and on Magic Theory (despite having no Gift). His books are usually the mainstay of a Rhine magus' apprenticeship, and he is considered almost encyclopedic in his knowledge. The corpulent Redcap is asked to use his prodigious memory at Tribunals to recall obscure points of Hermetic law, and his vast knowledge about the business of the Order would be a great asset to Fengheld, were Horst not completely apolitical. Horst is the senior Redcap of the Rhine Tribunal, overseeing the Mercer House, and many Redcaps may be found here, resting from their journeys.

EULE, FOLLOWER OF BJORNAER

Age: approximately 160 (Master)
Personality Traits: Owlish +6, Apathetic +3, Wise +3

A contender for the oldest magus in the Tribunal (along with Caecilius of Durenmar and Schadrit of Dankmar), Eule is an interesting phenomenon — a follower of Bjornaer who has received the honorary rank of Quaesitor from House Guernicus. For many years she was the only senior Quaesitor in the Rhine Tribunal, but is now in retirement from her official duties. Her heartbeast (as her name suggests) is an owl, and she is still sought out by magi for her famous good advice.

Only her filius (Günther Lupus) suspects that Eule has entered Final Twilight. She has not taken her human form for many years, and has not spoken for even longer. The myth of her wisdom has been perpetuated by a fraud set up by Günther; in the floor of the room where she receives her visitors is hidden a magic item with a low level (but very high Penetration) Perdo Mentem effect that calms the mind and removes emotion. With a few verbal promptings by Günther (who is "interpreting" his mistress' hoots), her petitioners usually manage to find their own answers to their quandaries, but attribute the solution to Eule's wisdom.

PETER VON WÜRZBURG, FOLLOWER OF VERDITIUS

Age: 62 (Master)
Personality Traits: Charming +3, Generous +2, Industrious +2

Peter is a famed grower of grapes and maker of wine, both within the Order and among the nobles of southern Saxony and Thuringia. A number of minor magical items assist in the cultivation of the grapes that cover Fengheld's southern slopes, which would otherwise struggle at this relשtively northerly latitude; he cultivates special varieties into wine as Charged Items. His squirrel familiar is as industrious as he is, and they are often seen together, tying up the vines with twine, testing their sweetness and fertilizing the soil. Peter is often the first magus met by visitors to Fengheld as he tends to his precious grapes.

DORANA, FOLLOWER OF BONISAGUS

Age: 76 (Master)
Personality Traits: Hedonistic +2, Peaceful +1, Secretive –2

Dorana is the foremost maga of the lineage of Irmele filia Trianoma in the Tribunal, having settled down at Fengheld after several decades of travel as a peregrinator, during which time she accumulated a detailed knowledge of nearly all the Tribunal's covenants and many of its magi. Although she generally argues for rationality and peace in Fengheld's dealings and her viewpoint often prevails — she nevertheless cannot stand her prima Murion. She urges Stentorius to challenge her for the leadership of the Oak Gild, and her close ally Occultes at Durenmar to challenge her for the Primacy of House Bonisagus. Dorana's expertise with weather magics is put to good use as Fengheld's agriculture requires a careful balance of sun and rain, with occasional thick fog to deter unwanted visitors. Her latest apprentice Felecia (see Chapter 3: The Rhine Tribunal, Upon Being a Rhine magus) has just completed her Gauntlet and set out on her travels.

BALASTOR, FOLLOWER OF CRIAMON

Age: 26 (Journeyman)
Personality Traits: Feral +3, Mischievous +3, Contempt for Humanity +2

Balastor believes that enlightenment may only be gained by throwing off the shackles of mundanity. He was born feral, and his master noticed a powerful vital spirit, which dwindled as Balastor learned to speak and took on the other trappings of humanity. Now, Balastor seeks to return himself (and others, whether they want to or not) to that primal state. His Warped Magic causes his features to take on a savage, feral cast when he uses his magic, which is concentrated on releasing suppressed emotions and behavior. He is a mischievous, puckish figure who delights in causing trouble amongst selfimportant mundanes; nevertheless, his philosophy is in concordance with the Hawthorn Gild.

BEECHLEAF, FOLLOWER OF MERINITA

Age: 20 (Journeyman)
Personality Traits: Otherworldly +2, Suspicious +2, Naive +1

This fresh-faced journeyman, apprenticed at Irencillia by his master, Primus Handri (see Chapter 10: Bohemia, Irencillia), is privileged to have been offered a position at the covenant's main site, but is not sure of the political reasons behind his appointment and is justifiably nervous. Beechleaf is strongly influenced by the fae; he was raised by a dryad, and understands the ways of faerie better than he does humans. His skin is a faint shade of green, and his bronze-colored hair seems to have a life of its own, ruffled in an unseen breeze.

OTHER MAGI

Another five magi dwell at Fengheld's main site. These include the remaining master, Indulius follower of Flambeau, who is a feared hoplite. He forms an unusual (but effective) team with Günther Lupus, who has the heartbeast of a wolf, when hunting down oath-breakers. Fengheld also maintains eight laboratories for the use of guest magi at the main site (and at least one at most chapters), and is a famed host of peregrinatores. As the largest Mercer House of the Tribunal, there may also be up to a half-dozen Redcaps here at any given time.

The mundane inhabitants of the covenant are managed through similar hierarchies to the Hermetic members, each terminating in one of the magi. For example, Peter von Würzburg is in charge of the head vintner, the orchard keeper, and the farming foreman, who each in turn head up a team of workers.

Fengheld employs about fifty soldiers, fifteen companions, and nearly ten dozen other covenfolk, from craftsmen such as smiths, glassblowers, and percemenarii; to specialists such as scribes and huntsmen; right down to laborers such as herders and serfs.

Thuringia is a landlocked region consisting mostly of uplands with no major rivers. As a result, it is quaint rather than bustling — it is not exactly the major player in the politics or economics of the empire that its central location would otherwise suggest. The towns of this province are bounded between the tiny mountain range of the Kyffhäuser to the north and the mighty Thuringian Forest to the south. In the west are the heavily wooded highlands of the Rothaargebirge (Red Hair Mountains), named on account either of the color of the deciduous trees in the autumn or of the odd and fierce folk who live there. The Goldene Aue (Golden Meadow) is a fertile plain north of the River Saale in the east. The ancetral home of the landgraves of Thuringia is the Wartburg, near to the town of Eisenach — a great castle founded in 1067 by Count Louis I, whose walls have never been breached.

The Apple of the Kyffhäuser

Magic Might: 70
Personality Traits: Regal +4, Peaceful –1
Special Powers: Grant Victory (to anyone who manages to hang their shield on the tree), Grant Virtue (Unaging; to prolong the active life of the men-at-arms), Heal Wounds, Possession (any who fail to defeat the men-at-arms)

Forming part of the border between Saxony and Thuringia, the Kyffhäuser Mountains are a double line of hills that, in popular legend, are the resting place of any number of famous kings, most notably Frederick Barbarossa. At the base of the tallest peak of the Kyffhäuser stands a withered apple tree. The tree is closely guarded by men-at-arms, and it is said that whatever prince succeeds in hanging his shield on this tree will become lord of all the West; but those who fail are doomed to forever protect the tree as one of its warriors. The tree has been cut down three times by successful challengers (Clovis, Charlemagne, and Frederick Barbarossa) to prevent others from copying their feat. However, the tree has always sprung up again as luxuriant as ever, only to gradually fade and wither with the fortunes of those men. The next time it bursts into leaf, a terrible fight will begin; when it bears fruit, the king will hang his shield upon it and all men will rally around the shield while the wicked will be extirpated. The tree last bore fruit during the reign of Barbarossa.

The Minnesänger of the Wartburg

Since the rule of the landgrave Hermann I, from 1190 to 1217, the Wartburg has grown to become a famous center of literature and music, based on the great French courts of the period. The castle hosts lavish festivals, drawing performers and noble guests alike from far and wide. Central to these festivals are the minnesänger (minstrels), renowned composers and performers who travel from court to court, earning fame and wealth, and spreading stories and gossip around the realm.

The most brilliant of all the current minnesänger is Walther von der Vogelweide. At the great Wartburg festival of 1204, dubbed the Sängerkrieg (battle of the troubadours), he bested all of his rivals — including the famous Wolfram von Eschenbach and Henry von Ofterdingen — with a display of superlative skill. (This memorable contest itself became the subject of later tales and poems.) During the first decade of the 13th century, Walther von der Vogelweide was employed to compose poems singing the praises of successive rivals and claimants to the imperial throne. He first lent his service to the Hohenstaufen contender, Philip of Swabia, although he later turned his pen to the claim of Otto of Brunswick, helping him to gain the throne by 1209.

Literature and poetry based on traditional German legends and sagas, such as the Nibelungenlied, originally composed for the court of Passau in Bavaria, are extremely popular. Other popular epics include Tristan und Isold, Parzival, and the Gudrunlied. Other courtly poetry, adapted from the French style, espouses the virtue of Frauendienst, a code of chaste and unrequited love expressed for an unattainable and idealized sweetheart, stressing the virtues of dignity and respect for the lady.

Story Seed: The Great Khan

the Great Khan of the Mongols hears of the tree at Kyffhäuser and its legend, and decides to try to hang his shield there. The fate of the West hangs in the balance — who might try to stop him?

The Master of Naumburg

The Master of Naumburg is a young architect and sculptor without peer, who travels around Germany in search of great churches in which to work. An enigmatic and secretive fellow, not much is known about him except that, although trained in France, he is of German origin. Some claim his work is aided by sorcery, others that he is divinely inspired, but none doubt the genius of his endeavors — his skill in stone and wood carving and painting is unmatched. By the end of his career, in the middle of the 13th century, the Master will have completed magnificent works in the cathedrals of Mainz, Meissen, and Naumburg, among others.

Erfurt, the oldest and largest settlement in Thuringia, falls under the dominion of the archbishopric of Mainz, and is thus an important episcopal city. It was from here that St. Boniface set out to convert the Slavic heathens in the east. The city is built around two hills. On the Domhügel stands the Marienkirche, which dates from the 8th century. The Petersberg houses a Benedictine abbey, where Frederick Barbarossa held court numerous times. The court of Frederick II visits Erfurt four times between 1214 and 1220. Significant wealth is derived from the export of woad, which is used for making fine blue dyes.

Saint Elisabeth

Elisabeth is daughter of the king of Hungary and (as of 1221) wife of the current landgrave of Thuringia, Louis IV "the Pious." Despite growing up surrounded by the splendor of the court of the Wartburg, she finds her life unfulfilled by riches and glamour, and instead devotes her life to the welfare of the needy and ill. Her acts of charity take place unbeknownst even to her husband. A minor miracle occurs when Elisabeth tries to bring some bread to the beggars before the Wartburg in her apron. When she meets Louis on the way, her husband asks "What do you have in your apron?" and she opens it to reveal a bunch of roses.

If your saga follows real history, upon the death of Louis in 1227 the young widow Elisabeth becomes patron of the town of Marburg, where she establishes a hospice for the poor and sick. After her death in 1231, the Teutonic Knights begin construction of a great church in her honor, over the site of the hospice. Upon her canonization in 1235, the cult of St. Elisabeth, dedicated to the poor, is formed, and Marburg becomes one of the major pilgrimage sites of Germany.

Naumburg, whose name was originally "Neue Burg" (New Castle), was founded when the Ekkehardinger counts moved their seat from across the river in the 10th century. Now it has grown to be a well-fortified and scenic town perched high above the River Saale, with its own bishop and a prosperous market. Naumburg has just begun construction of a large cathedral, to be dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul.

The town of Hersfeld is dominated by the sprawling imperial Benedictine abbey, one of the largest and most important in Germany. The springs around which it was built are known for their magical restorative powers; they and the giant bell in the Katharinenturm (tower) are both named after the site's 8th century founder (and archbishop of Mainz), Lullus.

Oftentimes, the Devil stood on a mountaintop near Züschen, a short distance to the north of Fritzlar, and watched with anger as the pious folk of the village of Neueburg were happily engaged in the erection of a church in honor of the Lord. As the chapel neared completion, and the honest villagers refused to be swayed by his temptations, Satan's wrath boiled over. He lifted up a great stone and hurled it towards the village, but the rock caught on his sleeve and fell some distance short in a field. The Devil went to the field and wept bloody tears onto his rock, leaving three red stains. The Riesenstein (Giant's Stone) still stands there alone — every All Hallow's Eve, the tears run from the stains anew, and are worth Ignem vis.

One of the largest forests remaining in Germany, the Thuringian Forest covers nearly one hundred miles of the border between Thuringia and Franconia, although it averages only 30 miles wide for most of its length. The mountains that are enfolded by the forest are low, with rounded summits forming a continuous comb for much of its length. The trees are chiefly pines and firs, and form many beautiful glens and glades in the deep valleys. It is the traditional boundary between northern and southern Germany, and dialects, customs, and dress differ sharply on either side of the forest.

The Feengrotten (Faerie Grottoes) are a series of hidden caves on the eastern edge of the Thuringian Forest. If one clambers down through a series of slippery slopes, past underground streams and stalactite caves, the central crystal caverns can be reached, where one is dazzled by a spectacular myriad of mesmerizing colors and lights dancing around the walls. The Feengrotten has a Magic aura of 1.

The network of passages and caves seems to shift and change to the explorer, and clambering through the tortuous twists of the grottoes will result in being covered with a glittering dust. Anyone getting genuinely lost in the labyrinthine passages will discover upon finally emerging that the dust is Imaginem vis, the quantity dependent on how many days that they were lost. Anyone who knowingly tries to get lost in the caverns to exploit this property will find that the dust is just dust. Harvesting the vis therefore presents a certain challenge for magi who discover the Feengrotten's secret.

Larger and more important than Thuringia to the north, Franconia, along with Lower Lorraine, contains some of the greatest German cities. It does not have its own ruler; rather, the land and wealth is shared between the emperor and the church, each with extensive estates. The River Main is the principal artery of the province, winding westwards through it to join with the Rhine. Much of Franconia is forested, including the fifty-mile-long stretches of the Westerwald and Odenwald on the right bank of the Rhine, and there are numerous upland wildernesses in the less civilized east of the region. For the cities of Franconia west of the Rhine, see Chapter 5: The Rhine, The Upper Rhine.

The city of Frankfurt was founded by Charlemagne in the 8th century after a miraculous victory in his long-running campaign to convert and subdue the heathen Saxons in the north of Germany. It is told that Charlemagne's army, outnumbered and in disarray after a recent defeat, were retreating southwards towards the River Main, pursued by the vengeful Saxons. With no bridges or ships, they found their way blocked and faced the prospect of annihilation. In dire straits, Charlemagne prayed to God for deliverance. Searching for passage across the river, the fog momentarily cleared to reveal a train of deer leaping through a ford. Charlemagne followed them, leading his army safely across to the south bank of the Main. The fog closed up again to hide the ford, and the Saxons were thwarted. Charlemagne later returned with a greater army and won a victory. Thus was the city established near this convenient crossing point, and named Frankfurt ("Ford of the Franks"). A fortress was built on the low hill of the Römerberg, the site of an older Roman settlement.

After the Treaty of Verdun in 843 (see Chapter 2: History, The Frankish Empire), Frankfurt became the capital of the eastern empire under Louis the German, who founded St. Saviour's church in 852. After a decline in the 11th century, the city won the favor of the Hohenstaufen emperors in the 12th century and was expanded and fortified, and began to host imperial elections. In 1220 Frankfurt hosts Frederick II's last Diet (a formal general assembly) in German lands for 15 years.

Frankfurt is now home to about 10,000 citizens and is a well-established trading center, its bridge across the River Main acting as a principal gateway between north and south Germany. The Römerberg at the center of the city is surrounded by a large open space for markets, trade fairs, tournaments, and imperial coronation festivals. Several Italian banking families maintain houses here.

To the north of Frankfurt, between the Main and the Lahn, stretches the forested ridge of the Taunus Mountains.

The Donar Oak

Divine Might: 40
Personality Traits: Peaceful +5, Wild –3
Special Powers: Grant Virtue (various, but rarely used), Healing

In the wilderness of Thuringia, at a place called Geismar, the remains of the great Donar Oak are to be found in a hidden glade. This tree, dedicated to the god Thunor, was formerly the focal point of the wild and pagan power of the entire Hercynian Forest. In the 8th century the missionary Boniface visited the glade and attempted to convert the pagan worshippers there. They watched with scorn as he made a superficial cut in the great oak. Yet at that moment, a terrible wind arose and the tree was smashed into four fragments and crashed to the ground. Thus were the heathens successfully converted. From the timber, St. Boniface built an oratory dedicated to St. Peter, and thereafter the wilderness was tamed and the power of the old forest diminished and fragmented.

The oak is now merely a stump, with a simple cross erected in its center, but it has regrown in a number of offshoots, symbolizing the rebirth of the Hercynian Forest into a number of smaller forests. The glade is peaceful and serene, and all manner of wild beasts become completely docile within it. In addition, any animal that eats the acorns from the remains of the oak (which are worth Creo vis) may be tamed, and any forest where one is planted and allowed to grow to maturity may be tamed. The exact location of the glade has passed into legend, and is believed by some to be a gateway to the Garden of Eden.

As the burial place of the martyred English monk St. Boniface, Fulda is an important pilgrimage site and home to a huge and wealthy monastery, which rivals Hersfeld, forty miles to the north. The Michaelskirche (church) is at the center of Fulda, and was built as a copy of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, in the shape of a Greek cross. Four other monastic churches lie a short distance outside the town in the four compass directions, arrayed in the configuration of a giant cross. The eastern of these, the Peterskirche, is perched on a hill and houses the crypt of St. Lioba, kinswoman of St. Boniface.

Fulda lies in a long valley bordered by two contrasting ranges of hills. The Vogelsberg, to the west, is a bright and airy region of woods, centered around the conical peak of the Taufstein. The Rhön, to the east of Fulda, is an impenetrable and secretive wilderness.

The site of the small city of Wimpfen, which is located in a defensible position high above the River Neckar, has a long history, having come under the successive ownership of the Romans, the Franks, the bishops of Worms, and it is now a favorite imperial residence, Frederick Barbarossa having wrested control from Worms in the 12th century. The Romans, for whom this was a frontier fort on the limes (see Chapter 2: History, Germania Magna), built a temple to Mercury on the highest point of the city — where now there stands an imperial palace. The city walls are topped with a series of opulent towers, each of a different color. The Roter Turm, for example, is made from red sandstone, whereas the Blauer Turm is built of a blue-tinted limestone. The Wormser Hof is the grand residence of the administrator of the bishop of Worms, who retains significant land and influence in the area. The lower part of the town below is nestled around the Stiftskirche (church) and a Benedictine abbey, next to an ancient bridge over the Neckar.

South of Wimpfen, between the Odenwald and the Black Forest, is the Stromberg, a series of gentle and fertile hills, where grapes have been cultivated for centuries.

The Linden of Neustadt

Magic Might: 30
Personality Traits: Protective +6
Special Powers: Grant Victory, Grant Virtue (Berserk), Grant Virtue (Tough) to defenders of the town

This spirit has adopted the people of Neustadt as inhabitants of its realm, quite uniquely among the Forest spirits. Although having a town as the center of its realm has weakened the spirit, the people of Neustadt have become much more conservative about clearing swathes of forest and exploiting the woods. The town has even become known as Neustadt an der grossen Linden (Neustadt by the great Lime). On one occasion during a siege, its widespreading branches were devastated, but they were afterwards propped up by columns and monuments of stone, which bear inscriptions and the arms and devices of the princes and nobles who fought there. An old prophecy says that when the tree dies, the town's freedom will be lost. Despite the importance of the town as a trading post, it has seemingly resisted the temptation to spread and grow, and remains a quiet backwater.

The Odenwald

Of all the German forests, the Odenwald comes into bloom the earliest and most spectacularly of all, with the carpet of lilies and blossom of the numerous fruit trees heralding the arrival of spring throughout the land. This would be an ideal site for the Court of the Alder Prince (see Chapter 4: The Forest, The Courts of the Seasons), siting the Willow Maiden's court in the nearby Swabian Forest. An old Roman military road, the Strata Montana, cuts north-south through the forest — nowadays this is a well-worn trading route leading to Frankfurt, called the Bergstrasse. Not all is peaceful idyll under the eaves of the Odenwald, however, due to the presence of bandits who lurk near the swampy and deserted eastern bank of the Rhine, on the forest's western edge. The construction of a number of fortified way stations along the Bergstrasse has begun, to prevent these outlaws from preying on travelling merchants.

Story Seed: One for Sorrow

A magpie has made the Linden its home, and is gradually destroying the tree. Attempts to drive off the bird have failed. What could this magus of House Bjornaer have foreseen?

The Drudenbaum of Harberg

Magic Might: 30
Personality Traits: Mysterious +3
Special Powers: Grant Virtue (Magic Sensitivity), Grant Virtue (Second Sight), Possession

A mythical tree called the Drudenbaum is said to be found on the top of the Harberg mountain, which overlooks Nuremberg. Its name stems from the fact that wizards meet beneath it. It is told that its glossy leaves from time to time shed golden drops, milk oozes out of its roots, and under it lies a treasure guarded by a dragon. On the tree sits a great black bird, who clashes his wings together and raises a storm every time someone tries to steal the treasure. Those who drink a cup of the golden liquid are reputed to become sorcerers.

The dragon and the treasure are a myth, the rest is real. Wizards meet here because the golden drops are Creo vis, and the milk is Vim vis. The Drudenbaum is of no known species of tree, but when the spirit possesses any tree of its domain, that tree temporarily acquires the appearance and vis-producing traits of the mythical Drudenbaum. This possession is signified by the arrival of the black bird in the possessed tree's uppermost branches.

Würzburg, in the middle of Franconia, was established as a bishopric in the 8th century, and is an influential episcopal city of great artists and scholars. The venerable cathedral houses the shrine of St. Kilian, a 7th-century Irish missionary and martyr who first brought Christianity to this region. St. Kilian is more popularly considered the patron saint of wine, since Würzburg is at the center of Franconia's largest vineyards. Just over the city's bridge, on the west side of the River Main, the bishop has begun construction of a huge rectangular fortress high on the top of the Marienberg, where he intends to establish his residence.

The emperor Henry II elevated Bamberg to a bishopric in 1007 and undertook a building project to create a great city to rival Rome. Like Rome, the city is built on seven hills, the principal of which shoulders Bamberg's cathedral, founded by Henry II and the place of his burial. Although nowhere near the scale or majesty of Rome itself, the city retains a sense of spacious and opulent grandeur from Henry's vision. In contrast to Würzburg, beer is the main export of Bamberg. The city has over a dozen breweries, the oldest and largest of which, the Bierhaus, predates the city and produces a brew of almost legendary quality.

To the east of Bamberg is a region called the Luisenburg, consisting of countless bizarre huge weathered granite blocks scattered randomly for miles around. Beyond lie the Fichtelgebirge (Spruce Mountains) — a forbidding and empty landscape of rock-strewn hills, highland moors, and forests.

Story Seed: The Hunting of the Drudenbaum

Attracted by stories of treasure, or the possibility of vis, magi go in search of the Drudenbaum. However, they are not the only ones interested in its power — other magi, hedge wizards, and altogether stranger beasts also seek the tree. The fact that the 'tree' keeps moving about the Harberg Forest as the spirit shifts its consciousness about just adds to the confusion.

Nuremberg, although among the youngest of Franconia's cities, is arguably its most important, home to the Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle), an unofficial capital of sorts and treasure chest of the empire. By tradition, the castle is the site of the first Diet called by each new emperor, making the city politically powerful. Successive emperors, notably Frederick Barbarossa and, recently, Frederick II, have added extensively to the Kaiserburg — a sprawling edifice built on a sandstone hill overlooking the city each vying to build more impressive wings and towers than the last. There is even a chapel — the Kaiserkapelle whose upper level is reserved solely for the personal use of the emperor. Nuremberg is also an important trading city, lying at a crossroads of major trade routes. The city's principal export is linen, and it is home to many expert carpenters specializing in the crafting of looms.

The duchy of Bavaria, through which flows the Danube, already a great river here two hundred miles from its source, is a large province with numerous forests and bordered by hills to its east and the Alps to its south. The current duke is Louis of Wittelsbach; his dynasty has ruled since 1180. Only the smaller, less populated part of Bavaria north of the Danube (which is not Roman in origin) belongs to the Rhine Tribunal; the rest, including the cities of the Danube (principal among which is Regensburg), is claimed by the Greater Alps Tribunal.