Chapter Eleven
Rhine Sagas
This chapter presents a number of ideas for sagas set in Mythic Germany. The Rhine Tribunal is diverse enough to support a wide variety of saga types: those focusing on the wilderness, the Fay, mundane nobility, trade, the Church, or Hermetic politics are all possible. The middle six chapters of this book (Chapters 5 to 10) each describe a distinct region of the Rhine Tribunal, including the covenants and mythic sites to be found therein. Each has a different flavor and feel, and which area you choose may well influence the course of your saga. The grand plots described in this chapter are intended to be played out gradually over the course of a saga, perhaps taking several decades before they are completely resolved. While none of these ideas are mutually exclusive, we do not recommend that they all be implemented simultaneously, at least not to the same level of intensity. A covenant set in the east of the Tribunal should not be dragged into the plots of those magi who wish to establish the Lotharingian Tribunal, although they may hear of these schemes at Tribunal. Similarly, you should take into account the mood of your saga and the interests of your troupe when deciding which plots to use. Some of these story-arcs are political, others are action-oriented, and they may not be suitable for all players. Chapter 12 consists of a single saga worked up in much greater detail.
If you are intending to be a player (rather than a storyguide) in a saga set in the Rhine Tribunal, then you should not read any of this chapter beyond the first section, nor Chapter 12.
Establishing Your Covenant
FOUNDING A NEW COVENANT
This is the default and probably most popular choice, although also the most challenging, requiring at the outset both the finding of a suitable covenant site and the garnering of sufficient political support for Tribunal approval of a new covenant (see Chapter 3: The Rhine Tribunal, On the Founding of Covenants). New covenants in the Rhine Tribunal occur rarely, but a talented group of young magi working together ought to be able to accomplish it.
ESTABLISHING A CHAPTER HOUSE
This tradition, originating in the Greater Alps Tribunal, allows covenants to exist on several sites, possibly quite remote from one another. Any covenant with sufficient resources might support chapters, but of the covenants described in this book, currently only Fengheld does. Chapters are not new covenants, therefore they do not require the approval of Tribunal; also, the motherhouse will provide resources for its foundation. The major disadvantage is a lack of independence — the magi of a chapter are bound by the charter of their parent covenant, although they may write additional clauses that apply to the chapter only.
SETTLING AT AN EXISTING COVENANT
While this is certainly the easiest option for young magi, not many covenants are likely to both have room and be welcoming. Fengheld, Triamore, Oculus Septentrionalis, Irencillia, or a covenant of your own devising might be willing to accept new members. However, the magi would likely chafe under the dominance of elder magi and the chores they might demand.
TRAVEL FROM COVENANT TO COVENANT
This may appear to be the most unorthodox choice, although it is in fact much more common here than elsewhere, as the Rhine Tribunal has long-established traditions of hospitality for wandering magi, known as peregrinatores, who may guest at other covenants (see Chapter 3: The Rhine Tribunal, Upon Being a Rhine Magus). While such magi may lack a permanent home, they are free to travel to all four corners of the Tribunal, if they so wish.
Potential Sites
Here is a list, by no means exhaustive, of suitable locations for the siting of new covenants (or chapter houses), together with the themes that are likely to accompany them. Some specific sites are also suggested in previous chapters.
Antagonists in Your Saga
This chapter suggests a number of powerful organizations and entities (such as the Order of Odin, powerful devils, sects of rogue wizards, and so on) that are strictly optional, and by no means all of which should be assumed to be present in the Rhine Tribunal. These are merely suggestions for the kinds of powerful antagonists and plots that you might design for your saga. You should think carefully about the consequences for your saga before introducing any of these elements. How might this affect the focus and tone of the saga? To what extent is it widely known? How might the magi of the Tribunal react to this threat? What challenges will this pose, and how might the player characters overcome them?
THE RHINE GORGE
Thought by some in the Tribunal to be cursed, this region is the site of several failed covenants, although it is also believed to have a number of ancient vis sources. It is a well-populated region, however, and any covenant established here is likely to have to deal with the nobles, archbishops, and robber barons who control the trade along the river. See Chapter 12: Curse of the Rhine Gorge.
LOWER LORRAINE
This is a fairly large territory currently without a covenant, and is likely to have at least some unclaimed vis sources, perhaps in the south of the region and in the Vosges Mountains. A saga set here might get involved with the schemes of the Apple Gild devised by Triamore and covenants of the neighboring Normandy Tribunal, which might be linked to competing mundane German and French interests. See Chapter 5: The Rhine.
THE BLACK FOREST
There are sufficient magical resources within the Black Forest to support a third covenant. This is likely to be a saga with a high fantasy component and low mundane involvement, as the characters get involved in the schemes of the dark fae of the forest and the rivalry between Durenmar and Dankmar. See Chapter 6: The Black Forest.
DENMARK OR SCANDINAVIA
Officially part of the Novgorod Tribunal, although this will soon be contested at the Grand Tribunal (see Chapter 9: The Eastern Marches, Heorot), themes here would involve colonizing lands that are new to the Order of Hermes and interactions with the Norse wizards. Oculus Septentrionalis has a strong interest in this region also, due to their desire to control trade on the Baltic Sea. See Chapter 7: The Lowlands.
ONE OF THE CENTRAL FORESTS
The central regions of the Tribunal are widely forested and rich in mystical sites (particularly faerie sites), but with little Hermetic presence. This setting will particularly suit a covenant or chapter stemming from Irencillia due to the influence of the faerie courts, but any covenant could forge an existence in these forested uplands. One of the Alpine covenants to the south could even attempt to establish a chapter here, as a (likely unwelcome) incursion into their neighboring Tribunal. See Chapter 8: Central Germany.
THE POMERANIAN FOREST
This is a wild and untamed region, traditionally the haunt of witches, werewolves, and giants. A covenant sited here might try to civilize the region, or else be dominated by the non-Roman houses such as Bjornaer and Ex Miscellanea. Pomerania is another region of contention between the Rhine and Novgorod Tribunals, and there is likely to be a fair amount of internecine strife in a saga set here. See Chapter 9: The Eastern Marches.
THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS
This is a region rife with the intrigues of the Transylvanian Tribunal. The covenant of Roznov was intended to be a bridgehead for House Tremere's policies, and any new covenant founded here is bound to be caught up in their schemes. In addition, this wild region is one of the very few remaining places in which pagan remnants may be found in the Holy Roman Empire. See Chapter 10: Bohemia.
The Crintera Schism
This saga concept revolves around the troubles within Crintera. There are three major concerns of Prima Falke that come to a head here: the non-Hermetic shapeshifter enemies in Pomerania, the split between the Harmonists and Wilderists, and the crisis on the island of Rügen. This saga may be easily integrated into a conventional saga (although at least one magus should be from House Bjornaer), but an interesting variant would be for most or all of the players to have magi of House Bjornaer. In this situation, it is recommended that the player characters begin with an overall neutral stance to the Wilderist-Harmonist debate, and have their political leanings develop over the course of the saga.
The troubles begin innocuously enough. Prima Falke desires to put an end to the animosity between House Bjornaer and the non-Hermetic shapeshifters. She therefore encourages a group of young magi to attempt to meet with these "wizards," and learn about them, specifically pinpointing precisely what their grievances are — House Bjornaer has never really understood the source of the feud, for they abandoned an oral history after joining the Order. Infiltrating the tightknit community of Pomeranian shapeshifters should not be easy, but they are not a coherent society and have their own internal factions and feuds. Eventually, the most peaceful of the factions agrees to a meeting with Falke, which must be done in secret. This meeting will be opposed both by members of House Bjornaer and by rival factions in the shapeshifter communities.
Assuming the initial contact is successful, the shapeshifters may be invited to join the House, despite the fact that most of them do not have the Gift. This issue will first be brought up at the Gathering of Twelve Years in 1227, followed by the Grand Tribunal meeting in 1228. Falke will face strong opposition at both meetings, but she will argue for the need to strengthen her House and use the precedent of the unGifted members of Houses Mercere and Jerbiton to argue the legality of this issue to the Tribunal. Ultimately, it comes down to the issue of whether the Grand Tribunal has the authority to tell the Prima of Bjornaer how to run her own House, which has implications for the whole Order. It is likely that, to stave off a major change in the Code of Hermes, the shapeshifters will be allowed to enter House Bjornaer.
In the meantime, the crisis on Rügen has by no means been resolved; while the Danish king withdraws from Pomerania and Holstein in 1227 (coincidentally, the same year as the Gathering of Twelve Years), the settlements on the island remain and the Harmonist faction stays dominant in Crintera. Unfortunately, many of the newly inducted members of the House have a natural inclination towards the Wilderist faction, something that Falke had not anticipated. The balance of power shifts in the House, and at the next Gathering of Twelve Years the tension is palpable. Urgen and Falke battle over the fate of the mundanes on Rügen, each supported by similar numbers of magi. The factions cannot be reconciled, and the covenant is sundered in two. Urgen and the Wilderists head for Pomerania, claiming that they are the true domus magna; Falke and the Harmonists remain besieged on Rügen, claiming the same. The two factions war for many years, and Tribunal meetings of the Rhine are dominated by internecine conflicts between the two rival domus magnae of Bjornaer. Each covenant holds its own Gathering of Twelve Years, at which they plot the downfall of their opposite number.
The Rhine Tribunal does not sit idly by while this conflict takes place. Support for each faction of House Bjornaer from other magi hides personal and political agendas. The Oak Gild aligns with the Harmonist Bjornaer to start a territorial dispute between the Rhine and Novgorod Tribunals. The Ash Gild aligns with the Wilderists, hoping to hijack their aggression to gain control over the mundanes. Either side might be joined by Flambeau, Tremere, and Tytalus magi from other Tribunals, spoiling for a fight. Is it really possible that the Schism War could happen all over again?
As the Grand Tribunal of 1261 approaches, it is clear that the affair must be settled once and for all. Hostilities will escalate between the Wilderists and Harmonists as they vie for supremacy, and may even spill over into other Tribunals. Attempts are made on the lives of both Falke and Urgen, as well as other powerful members of the House who may be able to sway the Grand Tribunal. Both factions try to occupy the traditional grounds at the Tribunal Field of Durenmar, and both Falke and Urgen (or their successors) try to take the ancient seat of Bjornaer in the Forum. Precisely how the conflict is resolved is up to the storyguide, but the player characters, by now powerful members of the House, should have a central role. Whatever occurs, Crintera will be reunited (by force, if necessary) at this meeting.
Wind, Wave, and Ice
Sagas set around the Baltic Sea are likely to be a mix of a number of story types — high adventure in unexplored lands, diplomatic missions, political wrangling, and direct conflict against unknown foes are all possibilities. We have not suggested a single, over-arching plot for a Baltic Saga; instead, presented below are a number of ideas and components that can easily be integrated into a saga rich in many facets of life near the Baltic Sea.
An organized group of powerful pagan wizards in Scandinavia (dubbed "The Order of Odin") has always been a threat and bugbear of the Order of Hermes, and none feel this more acutely than the Rhine Tribunal, bordering so close to the northern lands. The existence of the Order of Odin has never been doubted, except by those few magi who have actually attempted to locate members of this Order, and failed.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Two powerful demons have fought for dominance over the souls of the German people ever since the Fall. Gymir's earthly fief is Scandinavia, whereas Radegast controls the Slavic lands. At the same time they fight each other, each of the demonprinces struggles against the incursion of the Dominion into their fiefs. Previously, they warred for control of Germany proper, but this is a battle they have now mostly lost to the Church. Nevertheless, the lands of Germany often form the battleground upon which they meet. A saga revolving around the machinations of these two powerful demons should start slowly, with occasional demonic plots, so that only later will the players realize they are interlinked to form a greater menace. The overt presence of demons should be kept to a minimum; corrupt humans can be all the more terrifying. The level of demonic involvement in the dealings of the Order must be carefully gauged according to the wants of the storyguide and players. If a dark, brooding saga that is rife with paranoia is desired, then the Order could be heavily infiltrated by the two demons, with both knowing and unknowing pawns. The former will be few in number, and even then will rarely know the full extent of their Infernal master's plans. Alternatively, the Order might be free from demonic taint, and be at the forefront of the fight against the two demons; this lends a more optimistic, "crusader" feel to the saga. Once again, those magi who understand the full story regarding the demons' feuds will be very few, but enough to subtly guide the player characters on the correct path.
The two infernal princes operate under different strategies. The heartland of Radegast's power, which is now the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, is still largely pagan, and the biggest threat to his plans are the invading Germans, rather than Christianity. Radegast wants to encourage them to expand northwards, deflecting them from moving east towards his chosen people, the Slavs. He wants to see the Hanseatic towns spread, and destroy Gymir's pagan followers, but also see these new settlements corrupted by greed. Simultaneously, Radegast operates in the Slavic lands under the guise of the "Old Ways," taking multiple personae among the huge pantheon of gods. Radegast is both subtle and tricky, and most likely to manipulate innocents (including player characters) to fight his enemy for him. The subtle and wily demon has one key ability — he is able to disguise his infernal power as magic or faerie power; thus, the auras of Rethra (Chapter 9: The Eastern Marches, Pomerania) and Mount Radhost (Chapter 10: Bohemia, Roznov) are really Infernal auras, they just appear to be otherwise to those who can detect these things.
Gymir's primary goal is to repel any incursion of the Dominion of God into the Northlands, and he controls an aggressive faction of wizards. Gymir targets the Church as his primary foe; the Scandinavian kingdoms were the last to convert to Christianity in Europe, and many parts of Sweden have still not accepted the Cross. Gymir uses natural catastrophes and extreme weather as his primary weapons, and mostly operates through the Norse people. He is a more direct, brutal foe than the slippery Radegast, but under assault from the Dominion, Gymir has adopted a much more defensive position over the last century. Nevertheless, he is still powerful enough to resist Radegast's tactics. Gymir is a lot less subtle than his enemy, and in the wild lands of the North can afford more showy displays of power to impress his allies. However, Waddenzee also fits into his plans, as its piracy is one means of thwarting the German expansion. Also, he has recently begun infiltrating and corrupting the Holy Vehm (their leader, the pious archbishop of Cologne, is murdered in 1225), which he plans to use as a surrogate to destroy Radegast's pagan followers in northern Germany.
Unsurprisingly, these two demons are using the Order of Hermes directly or indirectly in their plans. There are some few actual diabolist magi — Hermetic, Norse, and others — who are directly involved. Imanitos Mendax of Oculus Septentrionalis is a willing pawn of Radegast, trying to corrupt the Hanseatic towns. The covenant of Roznov is also his unwitting pawn — Radegast plans to form a broad coalition of magi (headed by the Ash Gild), that will support and instigate a war of the Order of Hermes against the Norse. Radegast also has a sect of worshippers in the cities of Holstein and among the Slavic Mecklenburg princes, who are drawn from the nobility and the priesthood. Like Roznov, they serve the demon, believing him to be a god, in return for diabolic powers. Imanitos Mendax, while he did not found this cult, exploits it, gaining power among its members by posing as a high priest of their "god." Gymir also has pawns with magical power. Depending upon your view of the Order of Odin (see above), these wizards may be native Norse magicians (and may even form the bulk of the much-feared Order of Odin itself), or they might be renegade Hermetic magi.
You may wish to dovetail the schemes of Radegast and Gymir with either the corruption of the Knights of the Sword, the taint of the former covenant of Rudiaria (see Chapter 12: The Curse of the Rhine Gorge), and/or the Dark Jerbiton (see Chapter 7: the Lowlands, Oculus Septentrionalis).
The Order of Odin
This book makes no definitive statement about the existence (or not) of the Order of Odin, and each storyguide should decide the "truth" as it applies to their saga. The question is two-fold. Firstly, are there wizards or other wonder-workers resident in Norse lands who are the match of a Hermetic magus? Secondly, is there an organization of Norse wizards; and furthermore, how organized are they? The answers to these questions will shape the putative Order of Odin for your own saga. The options range from a Norse equivalent of the Order of Hermes, casting their runic spells at their foes, right down to a mere scattering of disorganized and weak hedge magicians who can do little more than brew up a love potion.
Broadly speaking, Norse legends speak of magicians who can shift shape, foretell the future, and see places from far away. Some can also use runic spells to raise corpses from their graves, to control the weather, to assist in battle, and to curse their foes. No single Norse magician should be capable of doing all these things.
Covenants of the Rhine might be involved with the Order of Odin in the following ways:
- The covenant of Oculus Septentrionalis desires to exploit the rich resources of the Baltic Sea to their advantage. They are active in the leadership of Lübeck, strongly promoting trade and the founding of new port cities, and become centrally involved in the formation of the Hanseatic League.
- Crintera pays little attention to activities on the Baltic Sea, being currently occupied by its own troubles. Crintera nevertheless clashes with Oculus Septentrionalis over the ownership of vis sites on the shores of the Baltic at almost every Tribunal.
- The covenant of Waddenzee is the permanent thorn in the side of the mercantile ambitions of Oculus Septentrionalis, mainly due to the risk to trade routes that Waddenzee poses. However, Waddenzee has other interests in the northern lands. Some of its members are active members of the Ash Gild, and pursue its agenda of aggression against the Norse wizards. Waddenzee land regularly on the shores of Norway and Sweden, and push deep inland in exploratory expeditions. They have found both vis and a handful of non-Hermetic wizards (all of whom have been exterminated), but they have no evidence to support the hypothesis of an "Order of Odin," despite perpetuating this myth for their own reasons.
- Recently, the covenant of Heorot has been founded on Zealand, with the express purpose of discovering more about the wizards of the North. Heorot is closely allied to Oculus Septentrionalis, and therefore has not received the benefits of Waddenzee's experience. In fact, the scholarly interests of Heorot are in direct conflict with the martial aspirations of Waddenzee, and it is ironic that if they pooled their knowledge, both of their agendas would be advanced.
- The Knights of the Sword (see Chapter 9: The Eastern Marches) are an active presence in the Baltic States to the east. This order of knights fights under the banner of crusade against the pagans of Prussia, Livonia, and beyond. Any saga that revolves around the Baltic Sea cannot ignore the substantial presence of this order, although whether they are on a righteous crusade gone awry, corrupted by Satan, or merely holy fools, should be decided by the storyguide.
Fenistal
Hidden deep in the southern Bohemian Forest is the "covenant" of Fenistal, the base of the exsules. Fenistal was the original temple of Diana at which Merinita served as the goddess' last disciple in Germania, and has been occupied ever since its presumed destruction by the surviving renegades of House Merinita. Fenistal, while isolated, is still dangerously close to Irencillia, which is perhaps the exsules's greatest enemy (as they perceive it — Irencillia are totally unaware of the existence of the exsules). Diana's temple lies in the upper level of a powerful magic regio, and the most powerful magics at the disposal of the exsules have been bent on keeping Fenistal hidden. Consequentially, only the uppermost level of the regio, with a Magic aura of 8, exists; there are no intermediate levels, making access very difficult. Nevertheless, two members of the covenant are always on guard to ensure wanderers do not stumble across Fenistal by accident. Fenistal maintains no warriors, and only the barest staff of servants, all of whom were once animals, who the exsules transformed to human form, making it almost impossible to infiltrate.
The exsules may provoke stories in a number of different ways:
- The renegades keep up to date with advances in Hermetic magic by stealing books and spying, although this is done sufficiently rarely so as not to raise suspicions. They prefer to target weak covenants, particularly those with few resources available to them to fight back. Unfortunately for the renegades, the yield of such raids is correspondingly poor. Being attacked by seeming Hermetic magi blatantly flouting the Code, but being unable to track down the perpetrators, will provide a challenge to any Spring covenant. Further confusion can arise if the player characters mistakenly identify the raiders with a rival covenant due to disguises and other subterfuge.
- Fenistal actively recruits Hermetic apprentices who have failed to complete their apprenticeship, for whatever reason, and who harbor resentment for the Order that has abandoned them. Such individuals are usually persecuted by aggressive Hermetic magi to prevent them from revealing the secrets of the Order, and the exsules give them shelter. These rare individuals are capable of supplying key information about covenants, as well as providing occasional meager updates to their magic.
- The ancient curse leveled on the renegades by Quendalon haunts them still. Faeries instinctively hate the exsules, and the favor is returned in full. Consequentially, they will rarely pass up an opportunity to put the fae and the Order of Hermes at loggerheads with one another.
- There is a secret society in the Order called the Huntress in the Wood, comprised mainly of followers of Bjornaer. The Huntress is primarily concerned with preserving primal, nature-oriented magic. Although the Huntress is totally unaware of the existence of Fenistal, it is actually a pawn of the exsules. The society meets in secret, faces hidden with animal masks, so they are ignorant of the fact that not all of their members are members of the Order. Fenistal has guided the agenda of the Huntress since its inception, and has instilled it with a secret agenda to take over the Elder Gild, and with it, Irencillia.