The Black Forest

The largest forest in western Europe, the Black Forest lies in the south-west of the Rhine Tribunal, and is an impenetrable and sinister faerie wilderness almost completely untouched by human civilization. From north to south, it is over 100 miles long and up to 40 miles across. The tree-covered heights loom ominously above the broad and cultivated valley of the Rhine to the west, punctuated by a handful of small rivers that lead tortuously up into hidden and steep-sided valleys and canyons. The contrast in altitude on the eastern fringe is less marked where the forest is interrupted by the River Neckar and gradually gives way to the rolling hills of the Swabian upland.

The whole of the forest is hilly, with the highest peaks in the southern stretches, although the treeline is unbroken. The densely packed trees, steep slopes, and sudden precipitous drops make entering into and attempting to navigate through it a formidable prospect. There are no clearings and few stretches of level ground. Oak and beech trees are prevalent among the lower slopes and outer edges of the forest, but in the center and the higher reaches the fir is dominant. These trees cluster together oppressively, allowing little light through the forest canopy — no sunlight reaches the gloomy forest floor. This is the refuge of bears, boars, and deer, and many types of stranger beasts. Dark and malevolent creatures, including bockmen, goblins, oversized bats, and worse lurk amongst the trees and hunt at night. Legends speak of the King of the Black Mountain, who lives in a great fortress on the highest peak. None who have seen him have ever returned to tell the tale. Villagers who stray too far into the woods have a habit of vanishing without trace, never to be seen again. Those strange few who manage to sustain an existence within the forest are also somewhat dark and sinister — some say these folk are half-fay themselves.

There are only a few villages that have penetrated the outer edges of the Black Forest, as well as about a dozen monasteries. With the two alternative monastic principles of eremitism (living a solitary life in the wilderness) and coenobitism (living in a community), the seclusion of the forest is attractive to religious orders, despite its dangers. Apart from the auras of these monasteries and a couple of other notable sites (see below) — islands of divine or magic power in a sea of faerie wilderness — the entire forest has a Faerie aura of 3.

The Origins of the Black Forest Spirits

The Black Forest was originally just the southwestern portion of the great Hercynian Forest, until the construction of the limes by the Romans — the first fracturing of the Forest — separated it from the rest. The vastly powerful magical spirit of the forest therefore also fractured into two, with a lesser genius locus of the Black Forest arising at its geographic center at the Glade of the Seven Waterfalls. From their base of operations at a temple at the later site of Durenmar, the Roman Cult of Mercury, in their attempts to harness the primeval power of the forest, succeeded in binding this spirit to a pact of their devising, trapping it by its own powers to enforce the swearing of oaths. In agreeing to surrender much of its power to them, it secured a binding promise that the Black Forest would remain unviolated. Reduced in potency, the spirit withdrew its presence to the Glade of the Seven Waterfalls.

This attempt to impose order and control onto a primeval spirit of the wild was not completely successful. Part of the genius locus — that aspect representing the fundamentally alien and uncontrollable nature of the forest — rebelled and splintered from the whole. It retreated away to the southern and most inaccessible stretches of the Black Forest, and dwindled there. However, as human settlement sprung up around the edges of the forest, and people intruded in, stories inevitably grew about the dark, secret reaches of the forest. Thus, the fragmentary spirit did not fade entirely, but instead began to grow anew, feeding on the fears of mortals, warping and acquiring a dark faerie nature. Thus was the King of the Black Mountain born, growing to extend his control over all those areas left empty by the withdrawal of the parent spirit to the Glade of the Seven Waterfalls.

The only road across the Black Forest starts in the town of Offenburg, at the western edge, follows the valley of the River Kinzig along most of its route, and connects to Rottweil on the eastern side. In the first century AD, during the rule of the Roman emperor Vespasian, the 8th legion, under the command of Cornelius Clemens, built this road to shorten the distance between Argentoratum (Strassburg) and Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg) in Raetia. The construction of the road was difficult in such an unforgiving environment, but the legion was aided by Mercurian priests, who erected magical milestones along the route, with the power to ward away the supernatural denizens of the forest.

Nowadays, the road is in a poor state of repair, with the crumbling remains of Roman paving weathered and overgrown, but it remains the only feasible way to get a wagon or cart through the forest. The central stretch of the road, nearly 30 miles long, between the monastery of Gengenbach in the west to Waldmössingen (an isolated village at the site of ruined Roman fort) in the east, is uninterrupted by any signs of human civilization. With good weather, this can typically be traversed in two days, but the necessity of spending at least one night in the middle of the forest is unavoidable. For this reason, and for fear of the sinister fae therein, the road is seldom used. Wise travelers make camp by the Roman milestones, and do not stray from their protection.

Crossing the forest elsewhere is all but impossible, except perhaps for a hardy and well-protected group on foot, with experienced woodsmen. Even then, it is a journey of weeks through perilous terrain.

The King Fir of the Black Forest

Faerie Might: 90
Personality Traits: Malicious +5, Secretive +3, Vengeful +3
Special Powers: Control Weather, Grant Flaw (many, including Depressed, Fear, Lame, and No Sense of Direction), Grant Victory (very seldom used), Grant Virtue (unknown, very seldom used), Possession, Regio, Shroud

The ruling spirit of the largest forest in western Europe is to be found in its southern stretches, atop its highest peak, the Feldberg, although his malign influence is felt throughout the whole of the Black Forest. Surrounded by impenetrable swathes of fir and impossible slopes, the only route to the mountain is via a tortuous and haunted valley named Höllental (Hell Valley) which winds upwards from the center of the forest. The peak of the Feldberg is bare, apart from a great, dark fir tree — no mortal who sets sight on it may ever leave the forest. The spirit, known as the King of the Black Mountain, is reputed to be a great black-cloaked man with a terrible countenance. He maintains a huge dungeon beneath his mountain, where hundreds of human slaves toil endlessly — those poor souls unfortunate enough to have strayed too deeply into his domain. There are multiple levels to the regio at the Feldberg, which have a Faerie aura from between 3 and 8.

Several other dark faerie courts exist within the Black Forest, but the King of the Black Mountain is the undisputed dread ruler of them all. However, his dominion does not extend over the Glade of the Seven Waterfalls or the Fane of the Founders. Since he lacks the qualities and powers of the original genius locus of the Black Forest, these sites are fundamentally unknowable to him and beyond his grasp. Nevertheless, he is twisted with his desire for revenge against those who bound the original spirit and longs to become whole again. He thus seeks the destruction of Durenmar, knowing it to be the home of those responsible for his fate; were it to be destroyed, the ritual at the Fane would go unrenewed, thereby releasing the magical spirit from its oath, which he might then be able to dominate and subsume.

Bockman

Faerie Might: 20 (Animal)
Characteristics: Int –1, Per +1 Pre –5, Com 0, Str +1, Sta +2, Dex +5, Qik +2
Size: –1
Virtues and Flaws: Ways of the Forest
Personality Traits: Malicious +3, Brave –1
Combat: Claws: Init +9, Attack +13, Defense +9, Damage +3 (includes bonus for Ways of the Forest)
Soak: +5
Wound Penalties: –1 (1-4), –3 (5-8), –5 (9-12), Incapacitated (13-16)
Abilities: Athletics 3 (leaping), Awareness 3 (forests), Black Forest Lore 6 (roads), Brawl 3 (claws), Second Sight 4 (glamors), Stealth 3 (forests), Survival 6 (forests)
Powers:
Faerie Nature: As a faerie, the bockman does not suffer from Fatigue, nor is it affected by diseases or old age. All faeries also have the Second Sight Virtue, and gain the benefits or penalties of any supernatural aura when using their faerie powers, according to the Realm Interaction table (see ArM5, page 183).

Vulnerability to Iron: Weapons made from iron do an extra 2 points of damage to the bockman.

The Patient Stance, 0 points, Init n/a, Imaginem: Whilst remaining motionless, the bockman cannot be distinguished from the surrounding vegetation; it is effectively invisible. This power only works in forests.

Unease of the Still Forest, 2 point per hour, Init n/a, Mentem: The bockman can radiate an aura of unease for up to 100 paces from its current location. The aura causes birds to stop singing, and an unnatural silence strikes the area of effect. This aura causes a growing feeling of dread to all within it; tempers become frayed, and people become paranoid and jumpy. For every hour subjected to this aura, a person suffers a cumulative –1 penalty to Personality Traits involving bravery or positive action, and it similarly enhances those such as Short-Tempered and Suspicious. No sleep can be gained while under the effects of the aura, and no Fatigue can be regained.

Fear, 4 points, Init +2, Mentem: The victims of this power suffer an overwhelming dread, and if they fail a stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 6 (modified by a Brave Personality Trait), they will run in fear until exhausted, or (if unable to run), will collapse in a quivering heap until the sun rises. If the bockman uses this power when it may be seen, then anyone who sees it can be affected (up to ten people); otherwise it can affect only one target.
Vis: 1 pawn of Animal vis, in the right horn; 1 pawn of Mentem vis, in the left horn
Appearance: Although human in shape, the only thing remotely human in appearance is its chest and arms. It has the head and legs of a goat. The horns are usually backwards-curving and sharp. Its feral eyes and slavering jaws (filled with sharp teeth) strike fear in the bravest hearts.

These horrible faeries lurk near the paths through the Black Forest, waiting to ambush travelers. They usually use their Unease of the Still Forest to spook their victims and their mounts, before leaping out from concealment and unleashing their Fear power. They are physically weak in combat, and notoriously cowardly themselves; their main purpose (which is successful) is to discourage travelers through the forest. They nearly always work alone, and can be found in many of the oldest forests in Germany.

I arrived for the first time at the Oldest Covenant, the supposed heart of the Order of Hermes itself. Durenmar! I must have heard the name over a thousand times. The stories told of a mighty fortress filled with riches, a thriving congress of magi dedicated to the unity of the Order, and of magics of immense power. So it was with heady excitement that I emerged from the hidden forest path to the covenant in its secluded valley. In the first instant my breath was indeed taken away, as this place is undoubtedly beautiful as told. But in the next moment I found myself thinking: Is this all there is? There is no great fortress here, and the towers of the magi hardly reach to the sky! I was expecting overt displays of the Art — there were none — although even an unGifted soul such as myself could feel the residual magic in the air.

Nonplussed, I was shown to the guest quarters, which are comfortable, but hardly palatial. There appeared to be no obvious defenses to speak of, although being so well hidden, I daresay mundane fortifications are hardly needed. The covenfolk seem mostly old and very eccentric, and have very little to do with the magi. Some claim to have never even seen certain of them, despite having lived there for decades, if you can believe that. On the other side of the valley, where all but a chosen few of the covenfolk are forbidden to tread, stand the Three Towers. Clearly the power and secrets of this place are stored away there...

When I was eventually taken, past the Forum, to the Great Library, the mystery of the seeming emptiness of this place was uncovered. Here is where the magi are! As I ascended through the tower, past countless rows of neatly-stacked books, a dozen pairs of eyes looked up surreptitiously from their weighty tomes. It was then that it occurred to me: It is not some empty ideal of unity, nor some rose-tinted historical pilgrimage which draws magi to this place... It is knowledge itself.

— Horst of House Mercere, Fengheld Covenant

Durenmar, the domus magna of House Bonisagus and the oldest covenant in the Order of Hermes, is the meeting place for gatherings of the Rhine Tribunal and the Grand Tribunal, and is home to the Great Library, the repository of collected knowledge of House Bonisagus and the largest collection of Hermetic books that exists. Durenmar likes to consider itself as the center of the Order of Hermes, both traditionally and politically. While it remains greatly respected, largely due to its inseparable association with House Bonisagus, in truth its power and influence are waning somewhat, both within the Rhine Tribunal and further afield. Its Bonisagus magi look inwards, and most of the covenant members are preoccupied with their own research, leaving the neglected infrastructure to slowly crumble. The majority of Durenmar's magi belong to House Bonisagus, and most other members of that House visit at least once during their lifetime.

The Glade of the Seven Waterfalls

Magic Might: 80
Personality Traits: Enigmatic +4, Wise +3
Special Powers: Grant Virtue (Clear Thinker), Guide, Oath-Swearing, Regio, Shroud

Deep in the center of the Black Forest a stream tumbles down through a precipitous valley over a series of seven waterfalls. The only route to the glade at the top is up a narrow path alongside the stream, through stands of hazel and beech. Unlike King Fir, which dominates elsewhere, the spirit of the glade — the remnant of the forest's original genius locus — is peaceful. However, she will only allow those who have completed a Quest to make the ascent of each waterfall — each of which corresponds to a level of the regio — with a different task required for each level. As the visitor ascends past each waterfall and into the next regio level, he is granted a new level of understanding into the Forest. Should any reach the top level, they achieve a complete and harmonious understanding of the Forest.

Since the site has never been found, or at least no-one has ever told of its finding, its exact nature is a matter of speculation. Bonisagus magi of the lineage of Hercynius believed in the existence of a site that the Mercurian priests, and later Bonisagus, were seeking. Some magi prophesize that one will be destined to discover the glade and will be granted godlike powers. Alternatively, the original spirit might have dwindled entirely and have been replaced by that of a powerful Hermetic maga passed into Final Twilight, perhaps even the Founder Merinita, who waits patiently to reveal her secrets to one who is deemed worthy.

STORY SEED: THE GLADE'S SECRETS
Once the site is discovered, ascent of the waterfalls may become a long-term goal for a magus who wishes to explore the Forest Paths. In order to complete the ascent, the spirit should assign the magus a series of Sacrifices and Quests of increasing difficulty. For example, the Sacrifices might involve successively losing parts of their Hermetic magic (acquisition of Hermetic Flaws), and each Quest might be to gather an artifact from another forest.

Around 754 AD, the Founder Bonisagus moved from his Alpine cave to the site of a small Roman temple deep within the Black Forest. His intent, not fully revealed even to his closest followers, was to try to harmonize the new Hermetic system with the most ancient and primeval of magics, the secret of which he believed lay hidden in the forests of northern Europe. In 767, the founding of the Order of Hermes was declared and the first Tribunal was held. In the following years, all of Bonisagus' followers and some of the Founders stayed and buildings were erected on the site. Durenmar formed the model for subsequent early covenants that were founded throughout Europe.

Much of its history since the Founding relates closely to the history of the Tribunal itself. A perennial Autumn covenant (though it appears to be on the verge of slipping into Winter), Durenmar has stayed much the same, immune to many of the changes in the wider world in its forest isolation. It has never needed to defend itself against mundane attacks; the only threats have been enemies from within the Order (most notably, during the Schism War) and the fay of the Black Forest.

Durenmar's fall from its greatness of the early years of the Order can be traced from the events of the Schism War: the failed diplomacy of House Bonisagus and the exiling of the lineage of Hercynius (see Chapter 3: Tribunal History and Customs, History). The Hercynian magi of the Waldherz chapter ensured a largely harmonious relationship with the Black Forest (and many of its fay denizens). Since their eradication, however, the magi of Durenmar have been largely ignorant of the faerie woodlands that surround their covenant. Relations with these fay began to deteriorate into animosity, and in 1081 magi of Durenmar accused Dankmar at Tribunal of secretly being in league with them and of stirring up trouble, although no charges were proven. Their worst fears were realized in 1085, when a major raid against Durenmar by forces of the King of the Black Mountain, the powerful faerie lord of the Black Forest (see above), resulted in the death or capture of a number of Bonisagus magi and many covenfolk. None of those captured were ever returned and their fate remains unknown to this day. Recovering from this attack in the following years, several brilliant magi invented the most powerful version of the spell Aegis of the Hearth yet, thwarting further direct faerie attacks against their covenant.

In the first half of the 12th century, Durenmar lost access to a number of magical sites, due in part to the increased settlement activity of the Zähringen dukes of Swabia. Experiencing a shortage of vis, and bolstered in confidence by the increased strength of their magical defense, the magi began searching the surrounding forest anew for vis, soon turned to relentless and greedy raiding. In 1151, Dankmar accused Durenmar at Tribunal of faerie molestation and of plundering faerie sites of the Black Forest, thereby making the forest a hazard for magi. Despite Dankmar's lack of influence and the great prestige of Durenmar, this claim was successfully prosecuted, with the rare support of both the Hawthorn and Elder Gilds. They were fined a rook of vis to every other covenant in the Tribunal and restricted from further harvesting from faerie sites for fourteen years, unless a peace was made with the fay (which it never was). To this day, Durenmar has still not fully recovered from this landmark defeat and the tarnish to its reputation.

Recent decades have seen a gradual decline in the fortunes of the covenant; the lack of research breakthroughs has caused disillusionment; some promising magi have left, whilst others have been lost to old age or Final Twilight. At the same time, the Tribunal has become fractured, with Durenmar's leadership increasingly ineffective. Meanwhile, Fengheld has quietly grown to become the largest and arguably most powerful covenant of the Tribunal.

Durenmar is nestled at the floor of a steep-sided valley some 15 miles within the northern Black Forest, surrounded by a great expanse of undulating woodland. The natural geography of the place affords a good measure of protection by itself — the only sensible means of access is from lower down the valley. Here, the covenant maintains a guard post, which is enchanted with protective magics to hide the track of three miles leading to the covenant. It is very seldom that unwanted mundane eyes catch sight of the towers of the magi, which lie below the treeline of the forest outside the valley, although exaggerated rumors persist in the monastery of Hirsau (see below), about 15 miles to the north, of the "hidden city of sorcerers."

The covenant consists of a number of buildings spread over a large clearing, divided in two by a small river — little more than a stream. There are no physical fortifications to speak of (the covenant relies instead on seclusion and magical defense). The principal buildings are the Forum of Hermes and the three towers. Viewed from the north side of the valley, and set against the dramatic backdrop of the steep rocky and forested slopes, the ancient vine-covered towers form a scenic picture that is famous throughout the Order, conveying an impression of peaceful idyll. The quarters for the covenfolk and guests are a jumble of buildings of various ages and states of repair.

A Magic aura of 7 is present over the clearing, and it is protected by a very high magnitude Aegis of the Hearth.

THE TOWER OF BONISAGUS

More commonly known as The Great Library, this 450-year-old tower to Bonisagus' skill. It is rumored that if his tower should ever fall, so will the Order of Hermes also fall. The entire tower is enchanted with protective magics to prevent all forms of natural decay to the books inside. At the base of the tower grows a huge and ancient magical vine, rumored to have originally been planted as by the Founder Merinita, as a gift to Bonisagus. It spreads up and around the entire height of the tower, branching often, and in sections actually winding inside the building — here the interior design is adjusted to accommodate it. The vine does not damage or degrade the stonework of the tower — it almost seems respectful of the structure. The magi of Durenmar, in turn, revere the vine (although the smell of the blossom in the spring can be cloying) and carefully harvest its sap (which is a golden-green color) as precious Intellego vis. Merinita magi like to think of the vine as being symbolic of their faerie magic — a flavor distinct from the Hermetic; a living, natural power with the potential to suffocate and conquer Hermetic magic, yet which chooses instead to twine within and coexist harmoniously. The plant is however magical, not fae in nature, since Merinita herself did not practice faerie magic.

THE BLACK FIR

The Black Fir is a slightly ominouslooking tree that stands alone a short distance from the Great Library. Despite being ignored by most of the magi (although they happily tolerate its presence, on account of the pine cones worth Perdo vis that are greedily collected every year), the fir is key to a sinister faerie plot of revenge. More than a century ago, relations between Durenmar and the fay of the Black Forest had reached an all-time low (see above). Attempts at direct retribution by the King of the Black Mountain against Durenmar for their plundering were thwarted, due to their new and mighty Aegis of the Hearth, and so he was left to ponder alternative plans.

Around this time, the fir began to grow at the edge of the forest adjacent to the covenant, which marks the maximum extent of the Aegis. When the magi discovered that it was a valuable source of vis, they later adjusted their Aegis boundary so that the tree was just inside, under its protection. Thus were the defenses of Durenmar breached, and the rest was and is merely a question of time. Through the intervening decades, the Black Fir has both grown and slowly inched its way across the meadow, at the rate of about six inches a year, in the direction of the Tower of Bonisagus. The movement of the tree is so slow that it has passed unnoticed; indeed, its original discovery has passed out of living memory — in the minds of the current magi of Durenmar, the fir seems an immemorial constant. What exactly will happen when the fir finally reaches the tower — or the vine is unknown. However, given that the revenge of the King of the Black Mountain has taken centuries to enact, the consequences for Durenmar are likely to be severe, perhaps even epic in scale.

THE TOWER OF NOTATUS

The Tower of Notatus was conjured by and named after the first Primus of House Bonisagus. It was also created by Conjuring the Mystic Tower, yielding a building of identical proportions to the Tower of Bonisagus. It houses most of the Bonisagus magi at Durenmar, who have some of the most well-equipped and highly specialized labs in the Order. The top two floors are the sanctum of Murion; the lower is her laboratory and the top floor is reserved for her living quarters and an opulent meeting chamber, where important matters are discussed with some of her closest advisors and allies. In the basement of the tower are two excellent laboratories that are often used when two or more magi wish to work together outside their sancta, for covenant projects, or for the communal teaching of apprentices. If not already in use by magi of Durenmar or resident peregrinatores (which is commonly the case), a visiting magus with the status of master or archmage may be permitted to use the laboratory for a season, albeit with a charge of at least five pawns of vis. (There are also two small standard laboratories among the guest quarters across the river that can be used for the lesser fee of two pawns of vis per season each, when not occupied by resident peregrinatores.)

THE TOWER OF TRIANOMA

This tower, again conjured using the same ritual spell, is the youngest of the three (although still centuries old) and was named not after the magus who originally cast the spell, but in honor of Trianoma (the maga who worked to bring the Founders together with Bonisagus). It is now shorter than the other two towers, with a crooked and ruined top, the top two floors having been destroyed by a long-forgotten magical accident and never reconstructed. This tower houses the sancta of Bonisagus magi of Trianoma's lineage and some of the covenant members not of House Bonisagus. It has several basement levels, most of which are occupied by House Mercere and comprise one of the Rhine's two official Mercer Houses (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages), a center of Redcap activity for the southern stretches of the Tribunal, as well as two additional sancta that house peregrinator magi.

OTHER BUILDINGS

The first building that visitors reach when they arrive at the covenant proper is a mill, topped with a small guard tower. Newcomers are greeted here by the turb of Durenmar, and a bell is rung to signify the arrival of a magus.

Not far from the Tower of Bonisagus is a large standing stone that was erected by Notatus at the site where the first ever casting of the Aegis of the Hearth ritual, which he invented, took place. Visitors to the covenant need to be officially welcomed to the covenant and granted a token so that they will not suffer the usual spellcasting penalty caused by the Aegis, and this occurs at this stone.

When he first came to Durenmar to study with Bonisagus, the Founder Verditius built himself a laboratory not far from the Tower of Bonisagus. Verditius' Forge still stands and traditionally houses the Artificer (see below) of Durenmar. It is an unobtrusive structure, partially underground, covered by a grassy bank on one side leading up to its roof.

Durenmar's Protector (see below) occupies the Watchtower — a square two-story fortified stone building in a commanding position atop the cliffs overlooking the valley. Philippus Niger, the current occupant (see below), built this dwelling set apart from the main valley in order to prevent his familiar from inadvertently withering Durenmar's vegetation. Nevertheless, the Watchtower stands in a small patch of blasted ground, surrounded by dead trees.

Seneca's Folly is a jumble of ancient and overgrown timber beams that has been untouched for many decades. Seneca was a crazed magus who was obsessed with the idea of building the tallest tower in the world. During the construction of the huge wooden edifice he suffered a massive magical botch that sent him into Final Twilight, and which caused his half-built tower to collapse in ruins, killing numerous covenfolk and his apprentice. Nowadays, Seneca is a semilegendary figure and the story of his tower is used as a cautionary tale to urge prudence on apprentices.

At the upper end of the clearing is a small hunter's lodge by the side of a narrow path leading deeper into the Black Forest. The covenant maintains a small band of expert huntsmen who make forays into the nearby woodlands to hunt for both vis and game.

Underneath the cliffs on the north side of the clearing is a series of caves of indeterminate extent, which few have explored in detail. According to some of the more far-fetched stories, it is believed the magi of Durenmar have enslaved a band of gnomes deep within who toil away endlessly to mine precious stones for wealth and vis.

The Forum of Hermes and the Tribunal Field, relating to Tribunal gatherings, are discussed in Chapter 3: Tribunal History and Customs, Tribunal Gatherings.

The Prima of House Bonisagus, currently Murion, leads the covenant and also has influence over the political and research priorities of her House as a whole, in which she is assisted by other prominent magi. The current leadership of Durenmar is dominated by Bonisagus magi with a distaste for exotic magics the prevailing wisdom is that the House should enhance and purify the existing Hermetic theory, rather than pollute it by incorporating other, inferior, styles of magic. Consequently there is an intolerance of hedge wizardry and those outside the Order. Those texts in the Great Library dealing with such subjects are hidden from public view, and only the House elders are permitted access. Critics claim that this inward-looking philosophy will only cause the House and covenant to stagnate further. Some also say that Murion has stepped beyond her bounds by directing research rather than guiding it. At covenant meetings, the proxy sigils of retired magi held by many of Durenmar's members are deemed valid, provided that the retired magus was a former member of Durenmar. The covenant is not dominated by politics, however; for most of the magi, Durenmar remains a place of quiet refuge and research, rather than a hotbed of intrigue. Further information on the organization of House Bonisagus is revealed in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages.

The entire south side of the valley, where the sancta of the magi are to be found, is reserved for magi. Only the most trusted covenfolk are permitted to set foot here — those few that personally serve the magi. Being selected for such duty is considered a high honor, as the other covenfolk with more menial duties typically have no regular contact with them. Many functions (such as heating, lighting, cleanliness) are performed with the aid of (or directly by) magic items. Meals and other daily necessities are magically transported from the kitchens directly to the towers.

Durenmar does not currently have any chapter houses, although it has in the past.

STUDYING IN THE GREAT LIBRARY

The Great Library is the repository of the collected knowledge of House Bonisagus, which they have sworn to share with the Order, meaning that in principle, all magi are allowed access. However the magi of Durenmar long ago decided on an additional principle that also applies, namely "those who study from the Great Library must also contribute to the Great Library." This has the dual effect of ensuring that the library is continually growing (indeed, this is the main reason why it has grown to be the Order's greatest) and of keeping the number of visitors down to a manageable level. Even so, in any given season there may be around a dozen magi deep in study in the tower: some members of Durenmar, others from the Rhine Tribunal, and a couple of magi from further afield. The library is undoubtedly the greatest draw of the covenant, and some magi are willing to travel great distances to Durenmar so that they may be able to read some of the most valuable or unique tomes. A request for a copy of a lab text or spell may also be sent by Redcap, although the request must be accompanied by a payment of vis to cover the cost of scribing. However, the covenant is notoriously slow at fulfilling such requests.

For each new contribution to the Great Library, a magus is permitted to study freely there for two seasons. At the discretion of the librarian, additional seasons of credit may be granted for exceptional contributions, such as weighty summae. He also decides which contributions are accepted — there is little need for low-level or mediocre-Quality summae, or common spells, since the library already has a glut of such texts. Tractatus and new spells (even if they are only subtle variants of existing spells) are usually welcomed. The contributor need not be the original author of the text — copies are accepted. Such copies can be scribed in the library, for which materials are provided.

Instead of contributing a tome or spell, a magus may instead gain a single season of credit by volunteering for a season of copying. (There is always a backlog of such work that needs to be done.) This is, however, considered demeaning duty suitable only for apprentices, who typically earn credit in this way during their seasons of stay at Durenmar.

In practice, there is a way for magi to evade the necessity of contributing to the library: a suitable quantity of vis offered as a "donation" will usually be accepted by the librarian as a substitute. These bribes are never officially acknowledged by Durenmar, but they form a useful supplement to their dwindling vis income.

The contribution requirement is exempted for those who only wish to consult lab notes or the Tribunal records. House Bonisagus and members of the covenant are also exempt from all these requirements and may study for as many seasons as they wish. However, there remains an incentive for members of House Bonisagus to scribe up their discoveries (aside from altruism, personal glory, and the expectation of their peers): contribution to the Great Library is generally considered sufficient fulfillment of their Hermetic Oath to share their knowledge. If they do not, they can legitimately be pestered by other magi for details of their research, but if their work is already in the library, interested parties can instead be referred there and need not trouble them further.

It is not surprising that some of Durenmar's greatest books are in high demand, and so it often happens that two magi desire access to the same tome in the same season. The usual privilege of rank applies. For magi of the same rank, Bonisagus and members of Durenmar are always given priority. Otherwise, if neither gracefully accedes, certamen is an accepted means of resolving the dispute. However, a handful of the most popular tomes of all have had a second copy made.

Visitors to the Great Library are not permitted to take its books outside its walls, nor to copy them, without the explicit permission of the librarian. Permanent members of Durenmar may take the Lab Texts to their own laboratories, but even they are expected to study other books within the Great Library. At his discretion, Durenmar may occasionally trade tomes on a like-for-like basis. Needless to say, the greatest summae are only ever traded with highly trusted magi or covenants, if at all.

Story Seeds: The Great Library

There are a number of ways in which the Great Library can be used as the starting point for adventures. Magi are often in search for a scrap of forgotten knowledge or rare tomes as part of a story, and the library is an obvious place to look. If the material being searched for is sufficiently exotic or non-Hermetic, the librarian is likely to be somewhat less than helpful ... How will the magi be able to persuade him to allow them access to those texts within his sanctum? In reading through an old book, or perhaps the lab notes of an ancient magus, characters may discover an obscure reference to forgotten artifacts, lore, or legends. The Great Library is also an ideal location for a chance meeting with a magus from a distant Tribunal.

THE CONTENTS OF THE GREAT LIBRARY

This is an outline of the contents of the Great Library. The storyguide should feel free to adjust these numbers and determine levels and Qualities as best fits the saga. Bear in mind that it is the greatest library known to the Order of Hermes, and will contain many near-legendary texts. A magus' familiarity with its contents is reflected by his Durenmar Lore Ability.

Around the walls of the visitable floors of the tower are arrayed a series of sturdy oak tables, stacked high with books and scrolls, as well as large desks at which magi study. Many of the tomes are copies of originals penned by magi of renown centuries ago.

The First Floor: Upon entering the tower, one reaches the scriptorium, where books are scribed, bound, and copied. At one end is also an eclectic and disparate collection of mostly ancient mundane books, assembled from a variety of faraway places.

Endless stacks of lab notes (describing the obscure, forgotten, and incomplete research projects of long-dead magi — Lab Texts for completed projects are found on the second floor) sit here gathering dust, along with the voluminous complete records of gatherings of the Rhine Tribunal and Grand Tribunals since the Order's founding. A magus may spend a season in an effort to discover a set of lab notes relevant to a particular project or research interest. The success should be determined by an Intelligence + Magic Theory roll against an appropriate Ease Factor. If a magus wishes to consult the lab notes of a specified author, then no such roll is required; the relevant notes will likely be found after at most a few days of searching, unless access is restricted (see below).

A season spent painstakingly perusing the Tribunal records will allow a magus to catalog and extract all the entries pertaining to a specific narrow subject, covenant, or magus. (No roll is required.) To extract just one single relevant entry, or to consult a specific small section of the records, one Intelligence + Order of Hermes Lore roll against an appropriate Ease Factor may be made per day of study, with a cumulative penalty of 1 point for each day after the first. Folios produced by House Bonisagus (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages) stretching back to the first discourses can also be found on this level.

A well-worn spiral staircase leads up, and most magi head straight for it.

The Second Floor: This floor contains many hundreds of Lab Texts, with copies for almost all standard spells (those listed in the Spells chapter of ArM5) and many unique and unusual spells as well as many enchanted devices. (Many spells that have become "standard'" throughout the Order did so precisely because they were written up in the Great Library, and became widely disseminated.) Here are also numerous tractatus on Spell Mastery Abilities.

To determine if a desired spell is available in the library, roll a stress die. The Ease Factor for standard spells is 3, or 6 for a specific version of a general-level standard spell up to level 40. The storyguide should assign an Ease Factor of between 6 and 21 for non-standard spells. For standard spells, a failure indicates that a magus of higher rank or privilege is using the Lab Text in that season; a botch indicates that the spell does not exist in the library. If the roll matches the Ease Factor exactly, there is a magus of equal rank who also wishes to use that Lab Text in the same season: a certamen must be fought to gain the right. For non-standard spells, or specific versions of general-level standard spells, a failure indicates that the spell does not exist in the library; a botch indicates that a spell exists, but is discovered to have a significant flaw or deviation from the desired effect. For all spells, for every full six points by which the roll exceeds the Ease Factor, there is also one tractatus dedicated to Mastery of the spell, with a Quality of a simple die plus 2.

For enchanted devices, roll a stress die. The Ease Factor is between 6 and 21, as for non-standard spells, but beating the Ease Factor means only that there is a Lab Text for an enchantment very similar to the one wanted. Only if the roll beats the Ease Factor by at least 6 is there a Lab Text for exactly the enchantment required.

The Third Floor: This level is dedicated to tractatus and summae on Abilities, principally Magic Theory, although books on other Arcane Abilities and the Arts can be found among the several hundred tomes.

A magus would need to read dozens of tractatus before he exhausted the supply of any particular Art. They vary widely; a typical Quality is between 3 and 9, with a maximum of about 12.

To determine the Quality of a studied tractatus, roll a simple die and add 2. Durenmar Lore may be added to this roll, if desired, but with a cumulative penalty of 1 point for each such previous use of Durenmar Lore in the same Art. It is suggested that the Quality should not exceed 12 (with 14 as the absolute limit).

The library's summae on the Arts and Arcane Abilities (including three copies of Principia Magica, the authority on Magic Theory written by Bonisagus) amount to well over a hundred books, many consisting of multiple volumes. They include at least one outstanding summa (of very high level and Quality) in each Art, and numerous others of varying level and Quality. For low-level summae, a typical Quality is between 6 and 15, with a maximum of about 24. For high-level summae, a typical Quality is between 6 and 9, with a maximum of about 12. There are only a couple of dozen Art summae with levels of 15 or more; levels of greater than 20 are virtually unheard of in the Order.

To determine whether a summa of a specified Art is available to a magus, roll a simple die and add 10. (Masters, Bonisagus magi, and members of Durenmar may add a further 3 to this roll. Archmagi may add a further 6. However, the total cannot exceed 20.) The Ease Factor is the desired level of the summa. A failure indicates that either such a highlevel summa does not exist in the library (although there exist summae of at least level 17 for all fifteen Arts) or — more likely — that a magus of higher rank or privilege is using the tome in that season. To find a summa on an Arcane Ability, roll a simple die only (do not add 10, or any further bonus) against the desired level; with failure indicating that the desired book does not exist. For either type, if the roll matches the Ease Factor exactly, there is a magus of equal rank who also wishes to read that tome in the same season: a certamen must be fought to gain the right. To determine the Quality of a summa in the library, roll a simple die and add 5. Durenmar Lore may be added to this roll, but with a cumulative penalty of 1 point for each such previous use of Durenmar Lore in the same Art or Ability. It is suggested that the Quality should not exceed 30 — the summa's level, or 24, whichever is lower (with 28 as the absolute limit).

The Fourth and Fifth Floors: Each of these floors is divided into two laboratories, for the use of magi who want to work from the many Lab Texts gathered in the library. The laboratories are somewhat cramped, but specially created equipment means that they can be used without penalty, and they are generally in high demand.

The Sixth and Seventh Floors: The top two floors of the tower consist of the sanctum of the librarian, and are thus offlimits, except at his invitation. His chambers house numerous miscellaneous magic books and those lab notes that are known to concern exotic theories and hedge magic traditions, to which access is heavily restricted.

The Basement: The basement levels of the tower are protected by a great iron trapdoor, which is magically enchanted. Here are safely kept many of the originals of the library's most precious tomes, of which only the copies upstairs may be consulted. Here are also Durenmar's vis stores, as well as countless magic items and "relics" (including some of the original possessions of the Founders).

There are currently ten Bonisagus magi at Durenmar, and five magi from other Houses, most of whom are described below. Storyguides should, however, feel free to change these magi or add to their numbers, should it suit the needs of your saga. Amongst those from other Houses, there is one who holds the honorary title of "Protector" (responsible for the martial defense of the covenant) and another who is designated "Artificer" (whose duty is to craft items to contribute to the covenant's greatness). Traditionally, notable magi of Flambeau and Verditius, respectively, either masters or archmages, are chosen by the Primus and invited to join. There is also always at least one magus of House Guernicus present — Durenmar is usually home to the senior Quaesitor of the Tribunal. By tradition, a Gifted member of House Mercere is resident, and oversees the Mercer House. One or more Redcaps may also be found here at any given time — a welltraveled route is south to the Tribunal of the Greater Alps and to Harco in the Roman Tribunal, either via the Rorschach chapter on Lake Constance, the Copper Rooster inn in Basel, the covenant of Sinews of Knowledge, which has close and friendly relations with Durenmar, or directly by use of the Mercere Portal to Harco.

MURION, PRIMA OF HOUSE BONISAGUS

Age: 98 (Archmage)
Personality Traits: Loyal to Personal Agenda +3, Judgmental +2, Loyal to House Bonisagus +2

A haughty and overbearing woman, Murion wants to see Durenmar (and the Rhine Tribunal) restored to their rightful place of dominance in the Order. Although not her greatest priority, the plans of the Ash Gild to invade the Norse lands complement this ambition nicely: such a war would draw powerful magi and resources to the Tribunal, looted vis and artifacts would enrich it, and, ultimately, Hermetic colonization of the northlands would shift the geopolitical center of the Order back towards the Rhine. Murion is well-versed in all of the Hermetic Arts, but is especially brilliant with Rego and Imaginem. She wears a great cloak of white feathers enchanted with illusionary powers, and conspiracy theories abound about the notable magi she may have impersonated, or the various schemes in which she may be involved. Her raven familiar, Kolkrabus, is occasionally dispatched to spy on the magi of Dankmar, and other perceived enemies (in disregard of the Code of Hermes). As both the Praeco of the Tribunal, holding the sigil of Bonisagus (see Chapter 3: Tribunal History and Customs, Tribunal Gatherings), and the leader of the largest gild, the Oak, Murion is unquestionably the most politically powerful maga in the Tribunal.

ANDRUS, FOLLOWER OF BONISAGUS

Age: 61 (Master)
Personality Traits: Busy +3, Modest +1, Strong-Willed –1

Andrus, a thin and balding man with a perceptive and commanding stare, some forty years from his Gauntlet, is the first filius of Murion. He is a Colens Arcanorum (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages), jointly responsible for dissemination of the House's knowledge and research, and his onerous duties as librarian take up a lot of his time, distracting him from his research, meaning that he is always at the covenant. Since Andrus controls access to the Great Library, it is most unwise to annoy him. Politically, he is regarded as Murion's puppet, and is rumored to be preparing to challenge her for Archmagehood in the coming decade.

TANDALINE, FOLLOWER OF BONISAGUS

Age: 78 (Master)
Personality Traits: Opaque +3, Blasé +1, Sympathetic +1

Tandaline, a pale and slender woman whose eyes appear to constantly shift color in a hypnotic fashion, has been acknowledged as a master of both Muto and Auram for several decades; she seeks further insight into her favored Form by the remarkable process of temporarily transforming herself into vapor. She is however of the politically-oriented lineage of Trianoma. She is the closest confidante of Murion, who appointed her as a Tenens Occultorum (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages), and with whom her political inclinations coincide for the most part, although she is a free-thinking and well-respected maga in her own right. As part of her duties, Tandaline takes it upon herself to keep in written contact with many magi in her House, and she will exercise her considerable political connections to cause great trouble for anyone who is reported to be abusing a Bonisagus magus.

CAECILIUS, FOLLOWER OF BONISAGUS

Age: approximately 160 (Archmage)
Personality Traits: Diligent +3, Touchy +2, Indolent +1

Caecilius is the most venerable of Durenmar's magi, and he is acknowledged as the greatest living exponent of Intellego magics. Since being appointed a Quaesitor many years ago, his research has tended towards pushing the limits of the investigative rituals employed by House Guernicus. It is rumored that he initially rejected the title, but was eventually persuaded out of a sense of duty, since the Quaesitorial presence in the Tribunal was otherwise very weak. He remains a somewhat reluctant Quaesitor who is not exactly proactive in politics or enforcing the Code — although this may be in part due to his increasingly frequent Twilight episodes. However, when called upon to take action he reveals himself as a brilliant investigator and his genius has solved and thwarted numerous Hermetic crimes down the years. Caecilius has a spotless Hermetic record, which is notable given his great age, and at Tribunal adjudicates as the senior Quaesitor. His familiar is a silver-coated wolf.

OCCULTES, FOLLOWER OF BONISAGUS

Age: 72 (Master)
Personality Traits: Friendly +3, Inquisitive +2, Showy +1

Occultes is a colorful man whose magical research concerns manuscripts and items of all kinds. He has succeeded in creating a small golem, which serves in his laboratory to limited effect, and has enchanted numerous magical texts and quills. He gathers information from far and wide about noteworthy artifacts or strange magical practices. A significant minority of Bonisagus magi would prefer to see Occultes as Primus of their House instead of Murion, since he is the figurehead of a group of outward-looking magi who favor a more gentle and inclusive approach, allowing for the expansion of Hermetic magic by incorporating exotic techniques and hedge wizardry. He formerly served as librarian, but was relieved of that post by Avarret, the former Primus. However, he has since risen to become the leader of the Linden Gild instead. Although he no longer has access to the restricted texts in the library, he is well aware of the contents of these tomes. In fact, he quietly copied or relocated the most interesting ones to his own sanctum, which he secretly distributes to close allies with a relevant research interest. Murion tolerates the presence of Occultes at the covenant, but keeps a watchful eye over him. As he is an amiable fellow with modest political ambitions, she perceives that he does not pose much of a threat. Besides, acting against such a wellrespected magus could cause the factional differences in the House to widen into a damaging schism, something she wishes to avoid.

RICARDUS CAESPUUS, FOLLOWER OF BONISAGUS

Age: 56 (Master)
Personality Traits: Reclusive +3, Artistic +2, Intense +1

Ricardus lives somewhat apart from the other magi of Durenmar — his sanctum on the southern edge of the covenant is a large building whose walls are built mostly of glass. Given the expense and small size of 13th-century windows, it is a remarkable and unique construction, consisting of thousands of delicate leadframed panes supported by wooden beams. This is a laboratory highly specialized in Herbam, and contains all manner of peculiar and exotic plants, from which Ricardus has managed to cultivate several different types of vis in a method akin to vis extraction. Although his work would seem to be of import, his efforts at communicating his discoveries are perceived to be lacking — or at least no-one can understand a word he says, despite his earnest and friendly manner. Regarded as little better than a hedge wizard by Murion and her followers, his continued presence at Durenmar is only tolerated on account of his extreme usefulness in harvesting vis and regular contributions to the covenant's stores.

PETRUS VIRILIS, FOLLOWER OF BONISAGUS

Age: 32 (Journeyman)
Personality Traits: Shy +3, Rebellious +1, Trusting –2

An otherwise mediocre magus, the most noteworthy thing about Petrus (much to his chagrin) is that he has a rather unique personal supply of vis — his semen is Vim vis. Quite how he came to acquire this remarkable property is not exactly clear, but is the subject of much speculation. Some reckon he has a faerie gift. Others recall his very liberal-minded mater Susanna (who has since entered Final Twilight) and her obsessive research interest into fertility and the Gift. Tandaline eventually cajoled him into an experiment, which resulted with him fathering a Gifted son on a serving maid (the child is now Tandaline's apprentice). Since then, on the orders of Prima Murion, he has fathered a further four children, all of them Gifted (those of them born at Durenmar sons, due to a Twilight Scar of Archmage Philippus, see below). For reasons he is reluctant to discuss (but which are thought to relate to his mater), he is somewhat averse to sex, and is totally ill at ease with women generally. He has no interest in fathering children and prefers to keep his vis for his own use, but Durenmar consider his unique "talents" to be too important to waste. It is not known whether his remarkable success rate so far is merely luck, or due to his special magical properties, but this hasn't stopped the several letters of approach from interested young female magi. Petrus is secretly planning to invent a longevity ritual, which would (probably) render him infertile. Were Murion to hear of this, she would be furious, since she has declared that his ability is too important to House Bonisagus to be lost.

Story Seeds: Petrus Virilis

One of the female player characters desperately wants a Gifted child, and she comes to hear of Petrus. What will she have to offer him in exchange for his services? (As he is so averse to female companionship, something more than conventional seduction will be needed.)

Petrus inexplicably falls in love with a peasant girl, and despite the adverse effects of his Gift, the feelings seem mutual. In an act of rebellion, he plans his wedding in a nearby town. If he gets married, will Durenmar place his soul in peril by trying to force him to break his vows of chastity? If he is allowed to continue a normal, married life without interference, any children of the union will be of great interest to the covenant.

WINFRIDA, FOLLOWER OF GUERNICUS

Age: 27 (Journeyman)
Personality Traits: Yearning for a Better Life +2, Self-Confident –1, Forceful –2

Although a Quaesitor, Winfrida is young, inexperienced, and a little timid secretly she would prefer the peaceful life of research enjoyed by members of House Bonisagus. Since there is always at least one magus of Guernicus at Durenmar, her application for membership was accepted several years ago, shortly after passing her Gauntlet in the Greater Alps Tribunal. Winfrida and Tabanus are among the very few (perhaps even the only two) Guernicus magi in the Rhine Tribunal. Murion seems to be grooming and indoctrinating her, so that her loyalties are confused. Tabanus regards her as weak and ineffectual.

Philippus Niger of House Flambeau

Characteristics: Int +5, Per –2 (0), Pre –1 (0), Com +1, Str –1 (1), Sta +2 (2), Dex –2 (2), Qik –1 (0)
Size: 0
Age: 125 (90) (Gauntlet at 21; Archmage)
Decrepitude: 2 (2)
Warping Score: 8 (5)
Confidence Score: 3 (5)
Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Archmage; Mythic Blood; Affinity with Penetration, Affinity with Perdo, Great Intelligence (x2), Minor Magical Focus (Dispelling, with Mythic Blood), Puissant Perdo*; Driven, Enemies; Ambitious (with Mythic Blood), Deficient Form (Imaginem)
Personality Traits: Alarmist +3, Condescending +3, Obsessive +2, Cool-Tempered –1, Cheerful –3
Reputations: Master of Perdo 5 (Hermetic), Archmage 4 (Hermetic), Don't Mess with this Magus 4 (Hermetic)
Combat:
Dagger: Init –4, Attack +4, Defense +3, Damage +2
Long Sword: Init –2, Attack +6, Defense +4, Damage +5
Soak: +2
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: –1 (1-5), –3 (6-10), –5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20)
Abilities: Awareness 2 (when alone), Artes Liberales 3 (scribing), Brawl 3 (dagger), Chirurgy 2 (magical wounds), Code of Hermes 4 (hedge wizards), Concentration 4 (maintaining spells), Dominion Lore 2 (divine creatures), Durenmar Lore 3 (tractatus), Faerie Lore 2 (Norse fae), Finesse 6 (Perdo), Folk Ken 3 (body language), High German 5 (orders), Guile 2 (peasants), Infernal Lore 4 (earthly demons), Intrigue 3 (Hermetic), Latin 5 (speeches), Leadership 2 (grogs), Magic Lore 5 (Norse wizards), Magic Theory 8 (inventing spells), Order of Hermes Lore 4 (Flambeau), Parma Magica 7 (Corpus), Penetration 8 (Perdo), Philosophiae 4 (metaphysics), Profession: Scribe 3 (about Vim), Ride 2 (speed), Single Weapon 3 (long sword), Teaching 4 (Arts), Theology 3 (souls), West Norse 2 (threats)
Arts: Cr 10, In 15, Mu 10, Pe 35+3, Re 12; An 7, Aq 7, Au 7, Co 15, He 7, Ig 8, Im 5, Me 15, Te 7, Vi 20
Twilight Scars: Philippus has suffered many Twilights over his ten-decade career. The most notable of these caused the following Scars: when angry he appears to grow in size, his shadow occasionally moves without a corresponding movement from Philippus, he can always tell true gold from false, only male children are born at a place he has lived for more than a year, his presence sours wine, he winces at noises greater than a normal speaking voice, he seems to attract black animals who gather whenever he is outside, and flames dim and extinguish when he enters a room
Equipment: Clothes, dagger, long sword
Encumbrance: 3 (3)
Powers:
Sniff Out the Witch, 0 points, Init +0, Vim: Philippus can smell the residue of magic, such as that found on those with magical powers. This effect has a Penetration of 5, and requires both words and gestures, much like a Hermetic spell. (Sense the Lingering Magic, T: Smell)

Spells Known:
Agony of the Beast (PeAn 15) +47

Cripple the Howling Wolf (PeAn 25) +48, Mastery 1 (Multiple Casting)

Curse of the Desert (PeAq 25) +47

Chaos of the Angry Waves (ReAq 20) +21, gained from Twilight

Sight of the True Form (InCo 15) +32

The Wound That Weeps (PeCo 15) +55

Bane of the Decrepit Body (PeCo 25) +55

Curse of the Leprous Flesh (PeCo 25) +55

Evisceration of a Thousand Knives (PeCo 30) +55

Clenching Grasp of the Crushed Heart (PeCo 40) +57, Mastery 2 (Fast Casting, Penetration)

The Leap of Homecoming (ReCo 35) +29

The Great Rot (PeHe 25) +47

Winter's Icy Grip (PeIg 30) +49, Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Ward Against Heat and Flames (ReIg 25) +22

Blessing of Childlike Bliss (PeMe 25) +55

Passion's Lost Feeling (PeMe 25) +56, Mastery 1 (Multiple Casting)

Lay to Rest the Haunting Spirit (PeMe 30) +70

Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe 20) +31, Mastery 2 (Quiet Casting, Still Casting)

Scent of Peaceful Slumber (ReMe 20) +29

Pit of the Gaping Earth (PeTe 15) +47

End of the Mighty Castle (PeTe 25) +47

Flaws of the Weaponsmith (PeTe 25) +48, Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

Demon's Eternal Oblivion (PeVi 25 & 50) +82, Mastery 2 (Penetration, Fast Casting)

The Heathen Witch Reborn (PeVi 25) +80

Wind of Mundane Silence (PeVi 25 & 50) +83, Mastery 3 (Penetration, Fast Casting, Still Casting)

Dreadful Bane of the Fae (PeVi 30 & 50) +81, Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Sap the Griffin's Strength (PeVi 30 & 50) +81, Mastery 1 (Penetration)

Shattering the Malicious Rune (PeVi 30 & 50) +81, Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)

New Spells:

Dreadful Bane of the Fae; PeVi Gen; R:Voice D:Mom, T:Ind: Like Demon's Eternal Oblivion, but works on creatures with Faerie Might. (Base effect, +2 Voice)

Evisceration of a Thousand Knives; PeCo 30; R:Voice D:Mom, T:Ind: Inflicts an Incapacitating wound to one target. (Base 20, +2 Voice)

Flaws of the Weaponsmith; PeTe 25; R:Voice D:Mom, T:Group: Affects up to 100 base metal objects (or equivalent), causing them to rust away to nothingness. This is the arms and armor of up to 30 men. (Base 5; +2 Voice, +1 Group, +1 number)

The Heathen Witch Reborn; PeVi Gen; R:Voice D:Mom, T:Ind: Reverses any shapechanging spell or supernatural Ability, if the spell level +10 beats the level of the shapechange spell (or the shapechange Ability x 5). (Base effect, +2 Voice)

Sap the Griffin's Strength; PeVi Gen; R:Voice D:Mom, T:Ind: Like Demon's Eternal Oblivion, but works on creatures with Magic Might. (Base effect, +2 Voice)

Shattering the Malicious Rune; PeVi Gen; R:Voice D:Mom, T:Ind: Like Unraveling the Fabric of (Form), but targeted specifically at rune-magic. (Base effect, +2 Voice)

Magical Items:

Knife of Human Bone (Talisman): A wickedly curved dagger with a serrated blade, enchanted to always be razor-sharp. Attunements: +2 Precise Destruction, +4 Destroy Body, +3 Destroying Minds

Unraveling the Fabric of (Form); PeVi 20; R:Voice, D:Sun, T:Ind (Base effect, +2 Voice): Ten related effects, one for each Hermetic Form. Each one has 24 uses per day (+5 levels). Final Level 25 each

Evisceration of Ten Thousand Knives; PeCo 35; R:Voice D:Mom, T:Group (Base 20, +2 Voice, +1 Group): As the spell of his own invention, but with Target Group. Penetration 20 (+10 levels), usable 24 times a day (+5 levels). Final Level 50

The Wizard's Bridle: A wicked-looking frame which sits over the head of the victim, forcing his mouth open and trapping his tongue with a spiked metal plate. Chains and rods attach to a set of shackles and manacles, thus preventing both words and gestures. It was created with the assistance of two of Philippus' filii.

Bind The Gift; ReVi 30; R:Touch, D:Sun, T:Ind (Base effect, +1 Touch, +2 Sun): Prevents the casting of any spells of level 25 or below. With 2 uses per day (+1 level) and an environmental tripper (+3), this is a constant effect. Final Level 34

Hinder the Gift: PeVi 55; R:Touch, D:Sun; T:Ind (Base effect, +1 Touch, +2 Sun): Reduces the Casting Total of any spells by 25 points. With 2 uses per day (+1 level), a Penetration of 20 (+10), and an environmental tripper (+3), this is a constant effect. Final Level 69

The Subtle Chain: A fine silver chain, 30 feet long and connected into a continuous loop, when laid on the ground, forms a circle 3 paces in diameter. Creates a variety of warding effects, each once per day:

Circular Ward Against Demons; ReVi 30; R:Touch, D:Ring, T:Circle (Base effect)

Ring of Warding Against Spirits; ReMe 25; R:Touch, D:Ring, T:Circle (Base effect)

Ward Against Beasts of Legend; ReAn 25; R:Touch, D:Ring, T:Circle (Base effect)

Ward Against Faeries of the Air; ReAu 25; R:Touch, D:Ring, T:Circle (Base effect)

Ward Against Faeries of the Wood; ReHe 25; R:Touch, D:Ring, T:Circle (Base effect)

Ward Against Monsters Which Walk As Man; ReCo 25; R:Touch, D:Ring, T:Circle (Base effect). Protects against creatures with a Might who are affected by Corpus.

Appearance: Philippus is a smallish but well-built man with a cool and reserved demeanor. His advanced age has left him a little deaf, bowed of back, and creaky-limbed. His cognomen ("the Black") might equally well refer to the color of his hair or his clothing, his pessimistic outlook, or to the fact that he is an undisputed master of Perdo magics. He wears a hooded cloak of deep black, over robes (or clothes) of darkest gray. His bone dagger is always on display, either unsheathed at his belt, or in his hand. His familiar is usually close by, but rarely in the same room.

Philippus Niger is an example of a magus who has devoted his whole life to one goal — the defense of the Order against non-Hermetic wizards. In addition to being an archmagus, he holds the position of Protector of Durenmar, a role for which he was personally chosen by Murion, to whom he is a political ally. Now that the threat of Final Twilight looms large in his life, he concentrates mostly on politics, and is the leading figure in the Ash Gild, dominated by Flambeau magi who wish to see the Order strike aggressively against the Norse wizards beyond the Baltic. He is pressuring the magi of Oculus Septentrionalis to install a Mercere Portal (see Chapter 3: Tribunal History and Customs, Tribunal Gatherings) to Durenmar — this would also be a blow to Fengheld — and to be more proactive in their investigation. A magus of his age, aggression, and political nature cannot avoid having enemies; most of Fengheld (and their allies) actively oppose him at every turn due to many previous slights (real or imagined), and several hedge magicians want him dead — fortunately, his Parma Magica keeps their malicious curses from affecting him.

His extreme age is fuelled by longevity rituals created for him by members of Durenmar, and in his long career he has trained 4 apprentices. The Wizard's Bridle, his feared magical item, has only been used once, to restrain a particularly dangerous member of House Tytalus who had been Marched.

Philippus is the eldest surviving member of the direct lineage from Apromor filius Flambeau, the undisputed master of destructive magics. As such, he has a Magical Focus for all destructive spells used against supernatural beings, and can "sniff out" the presence of magic. He is envied by the lineage of Apromor throughout the Order because of his familiar, Sordus. It took him three years to track down a female basilisk, and another year to convince it to give him one of its eggs to become his familiar. Sordus usually remains out of sight, because of his dreadful destructive power, but will sometimes slowly enter a room, casting his gaze left and right, as if to punctuate Philippus' threats.

It should be noted that, from 40 years after Gauntlet onwards, Philippus' spells were learned as lab projects (see the rule in ArM5, page 32). In the 66 seasons he spent in his laboratory, he has created all his magical items, enchanted his familiar, and gained 720 levels of spells.

Sordus, a Basilisk

Magic Might: 30 (Animal)
Characteristics: Int –3, Per 0, Pre n/a, Com n/a, Str 0, Sta +4, Dex –3, Qik –3
Size: –2
Personality Traits: Disdainful +3, Lazy +3, Indifferent +1
Combat: Sordus is too lazy to enter combat
Soak: +10
Fatigue Levels: OK, –1, –5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: –1 (1-3), –3 (4-6), –5 (7-9), Incapacitated (10-12)
Abilities: Folk Ken 2 (intimidate), German 5 (insults), Hunt 4 (lying in wait), Latin 5 (whispers), Magic Lore 2 (beasts), West Norse 3 (threats)
Bond Scores (PeVi Lab Total 81): Bronze +2, Silver +2, Gold +4
Powers:
Gaze of Death, 8 points, Init –3, Corpus: Sordus can choose to inflict an incapacitating wound on anyone on whom his gaze rests.

Horrid Wilting, 0 points, Init n/a, Herbam: Every living plant within 5 paces of Sordus dies. Vegetable matter will start to rot, and worms will appear in food. Wood will begin to decay within a day of his presence. Sordus cannot control this power.

Pollute Water, 0 points, Init n/a, Aquam: All standing water within 5 paces of Sordus becomes stagnant. Other liquids will putrify, and running water will turn black until he moves on. Sordus cannot control this power.

Familiar Powers:
Mental Communication: Sordus and Philippus are in constant mental contact, and can exchange words, images, and emotions, although either one can deny contact to the other. (Level 15)

Vis: 10 pawns of Perdo, in each eye
Appearance: Sordus is a huge lizard, standing about knee-height, and about 6 feet long from nose to tail. He is covered with tiny, diamondshaped scales that are various shades of gray, dark green, and black. On his head is a series of fleshy ridges, like a cock's comb, that resembles a crown. Every movement he makes is laborious but deliberate.

OTHER MAGI

There are three other Bonisagus magi resident at Durenmar, along with three magi of master rank from other Houses. One of these magi is Gudrun Tigurina, follower of Verditius, who is the holder of the title of Artificer. Another is Xavier of House Mercere, the Tribunal's only Gifted member of his House, and its archivist, who dwells at Durenmar since it is one of the two official Mercer Houses in the Rhine Tribunal. Horst of Fengheld (see Chapter 8: Central Germany, Fengheld) is, however, the leader of the Tribunal's Redcaps, at the other Mercere House, which suits Xavier fine. Durenmar can also accommodate up to six peregrinatores, and always ensures there is at least one representative from each gild in residence. There is a long waiting list to be a guest at Durenmar, and magi are often willing to accept ludicrous deals with the covenant to gain unrestricted access to the Great Library. Such guest magi are usually required to provide the gild training to at least one Rhine apprentice during their stay, taking two seasons. The Bonisagus magi, members and guests alike, share the workload of providing a season of additional training to all Rhine apprentices.

The grogs and servants of Durenmar are a mixture of peculiar characters — a quiet bunch who largely keep to themselves. Although there appears to be no obvious chain of command, or interaction with the magi, they are orderly and go about their duties without complaint. Due to living in (and in most cases, being born in) such a strong Magic aura, many of them have weird deformities or strange supernatural talents. All covenfolk have at least one Minor Flaw due to Warping, and those over 30 years old have two. Those that reach their seventh decade gain a Minor Supernatural Ability Virtue in addition. There is no church at Durenmar and among the assorted odd beliefs of the covenfolk are the relics of an old pagan cult of nature worship. Visitors are often surprised at the great age and longevity of many of Durenmar's servants — whether this is due to the prevalence of faerie blood in the population, the beneficial surroundings of the valley environment or aura, or to some powerful artifact is a subject of speculation. The covenant's autocrat is a wrinkled and gentle woman called Sula. Despite being over ninety, she remains hale and will smoothly arrange the accommodation for visitors to the covenant, whose exact identity she determines with uncanny ease.

The characters witness the kidnapping of a magus who is travelling to represent his House at the rite to renew the Founders' vows. Who has committed this act, and what is their intent? What will happen if the rite is not performed?

and signed. Every seven years, at a point during the meeting of the Rhine Tribunal, twelve magi secretly enter the glade. Each is a member of a different House, and they gather to perform an age-old rite which is believed to preserve the Order by renewing the vows of the Founders. Only the Primi of the Houses and their designated representatives know about the existence of the Fane, and its precise location is protected by powerful magics.

The only times that this ritual has not been performed were the three Tribunals in 997, 1004, and 1011, due to the extreme level of distrust in the Order at this time. After the Schism War and the resultant destruction of House Diedne, the Primi needed no more convincing of the importance of the rite, and it was commenced again in 1018; a member of Ex Miscellanea (hitherto excluded from the rite) took the place of Diedne's representative. A lineage within House Ex Miscellanea continues to perform the rite to this day without instruction from the "leader" of that House.

The site of the Fane predates the Order; it was the site of many truces, including one between Germanic tribal chiefs and a Roman general, which resulted in the setting of the northern limit of the empire. As well as its concealing magics, the glade also radiates magic that encourages clear thoughts and calm minds. It is a source of vis to those who attend it — their reward for performing this service. The Fane is not a complete secret in the Order — certainly most magi at Durenmar know about it — but everyone who has tried to find it fails. The real secret lies in the nature and purpose of the rite conducted every seven years. Various rumors about the Fane exist — some say that those who have been there have met with Hermes himself. Others claim this is only a powerful faerie pretending to be Hermes, who exacted some terrible service from the Founders in return for his protection and knowledge. Some Merinita claim that the Order is therefore born from a faerie pact, and should return to the study of the fae. The truth, however is that the Fane is a powerful artifact into which the Cult of Mercury, through the use of powerful ritual magic, bound much of the original magical essence of the Black Forest. Thus, the Fane may be treated as if it has a Magic Might of 60, and it retains the following forest powers in a limited fashion: Produce Vis, Shroud, Oath-Swearing, Grant Virtue (Clear Thinker; temporarily). The ritual must be regularly renewed in order keep the spirit bound into the stone.

Story Seed: The Fane Falls

Not too far away from Durenmar in the Black Forest is a quiet glade with a Magic aura of 6. In its center is a slab of stone with twelve sides. It was here that the Oath of the Founders was composed

This small covenant was established by Aschlaranda, a maga exiled from Durenmar and House Bonisagus. Her intent was to oppose that great covenant at every turn, and she founded Dankmar in 1052 with her apprentice Schadrit. Now ancient, Schadrit of Ex Miscellanea squats in the center of her Winter covenant with brooding malice, while her descendants act according to her will.

Dankmar is located in the Black Forest, about 40 miles southwest of Durenmar and a few miles to the south of the Black Forest Road, in the dampest and darkest region. Dense stands of fir shroud the area in semi-darkness even in daylight. Poisoned by the thick carpet of needles, only fungi grow on the forest floor and the only bird song is the croaking of ravens.

The covenant itself consists of a circular palisade fence made of split logs, which encircles several wooden huts and four stone towers. Each of the towers is only two stories high: these are the sancta of the four magi of Dankmar, which extend underground into a series of interconnected caves, only accessible through the towers. The trees, mainly densely growing fir and yew, crowd over the covenant's walls, cutting out much of the light. All of the wooden structures in the covenant, particularly the tall palisade, are encrusted with fungi, particularly bracket fungi, which let off an eerie phosphorescent glow, that lights the covenant day and night.

The whole covenant and the area surrounding it, out to a radius of at least a mile, is cloaked in a version of The Shrouded Glen cast by Orphedra, which therefore carries her sigil of darkness, enhancing the gloomy atmosphere of the covenant. Not only does this spell guide people away from the covenant, it also fills them with a nameless dread all of the time they are within the affected area. Mundanes who have experienced this effect are severely dissuaded from ever returning. Those with Magical Resistance (including Parma Magica) are not affected by the brooding atmosphere of Dankmar if they resist this level 40 spell (with a Penetration Total of 20). Dankmar has a Faerie aura of 5.

Dankmar has close, careful contacts with the dark fae of the Black Forest. These are some of the most malign of faerie kind, who haunt the deepest parts of the forest, furthest away from humanity. While such creatures could never be called allies of the covenant — they are far too fickle for that — nevertheless there has been a working relationship with them ever since Schadrit came here, fleeing her enemies at Durenmar. These fae are responsible for the overwhelming panic that mortals suffer when they enter such wild places. They represent darkness, fear, and malice. Many of them have no defined shape, and some have no shape at all; all are resentful of the intrusion of mankind into their realm. Through their contact with these evil beings, Dankmar has endured despite strong opposition from both Durenmar and the policy of deforestation of the German emperor.

SCHADRIT, MAGA EX MISCELLANEA

Age: approximately 160 (Master)
Personality Traits: Malicious +5, Vengeful +4, Callous +3

Schadrit is a former apprentice of House Bonisagus and a former resident of Durenmar. When Aschlaranda of Bonisagus reappeared at Durenmar (see Chapter 3: Tribunal History and Customs, The Schism War), she brought Schadrit with her, and she completed her apprenticeship at Durenmar. When Aschlaranda was cast out from House Bonisagus, Schadrit was only a year away from her Gauntlet, but she was forced to suffer the same fate as her mistress. Together they founded a covenant, naming it Dankmar in parody of the birthplace of the Order. Schadrit is truly ancient, only a few decades from completing her second century. Her longevity potion has not preserved her looks as well as it has her age, and she is a withered hag who keeps herself shrouded in a voluminous black robe with a deep hood. Her face is so seamed with wrinkles that her features are barely discernible, except for her long, mole-covered nose. Schadrit has developed an expertise in Faerie Magic, and is perhaps the only practitioner outside of House Merinita. She is malicious to the point of downright evil, and rules Dankmar with an iron hand.

ORPHEDRA, FOLLOWER OF MERINITA

Age: 139 (Master)
Personality Traits: Cruel +3, Frightening +3, Optimistic –2

Orphedra is the covenant's link to the faeries of their forest home. She was apprenticed at Irencillia ten dozen years ago, but found that covenant stifling rather than invigorating, preferring as she does the darkness of primeval forest. Orphedra is as thin as a stick, and wears her hair in a tight bun, which accentuates her angular features and unnaturally smooth skin. Orphedra is the most despised of the magi among the covenfolk; they rarely see Schadrit and worship Jiphella, but Orphedra has an air that makes the skin crawl. Naturally reveling in Faerie Magic (it was she who taught Schadrit), she is inclined towards the dark fae and specializes in illusions, cold, darkness, and fear. She has struck a deal with the local bockmen (see above), who patrol the area around the covenant.

JIPHELLA, MAGA EX MISCELLANEA

Age: 73 (Master)
Personality Traits: Crude +3, Domineering +3, Moody +2

Jiphella is an immense maga, bloated with fat. She has lank, greasy, gray hair belying her old age. She is the biological daughter of Schadrit, conceived under the influence of some dark faerie charm long after her mother had performed her ritual of longevity. She was later trained in magic by her mother and is wholly cowed by her dominating presence. Jiphella's left eye is a sickly orange with a blood-red iris, and she can bewitch others with a glance. Jiphella is a master of Mentem magics, and most of the covenfolk are under her spell, obeying her instantly and without question.

LARINDA, MAGA EX MISCELLANEA

Age: 20 (Journeyman)
Personality Traits: Passionate +2,

and pretty, particularly compared to the rest of her covenant. She is the daughter of Jiphella, who is also her Hermetic parens, but has seemingly not picked up any other traits from her family, although she was conceived under the same charm that produced her mother. She has managed to maintain a sunny disposition despite her cruel mother and dominating grandmother, although she will do what they say out of a sense of familial duty. Her magical affinities lie in the natural world — Animal, Herbam, Aquam, and Auram in particular; she is becoming an expert at brewing potions.

The Destruction of St. Georgen

The Benedictine monastery of St. Georgen, founded in 1084 as a small daughter house of Hirsau, has had a greatly troubled history. Other monasteries in the Black Forest, impinging on the domain of the King of the Black Mountain, have found themselves the subjects of sinister attacks and unexplained accidents the disappearances of monks, the blight of crops, even landslides and earthquakes — but none has been so under siege by the wilderness itself as St. Georgen. As the deepest incursion of the Dominion into the forest, it represents the greatest threat to its ancient power. St. Georgen is — or rather was — but a modest place inhabited only by humble monks, yet the toll of its church bell carried even to the spiritual heart of the forest at the Seven Waterfalls. As such, it seems the very forest itself has retaliated against the monastery in force. In the face of these supernatural attacks, it has been abandoned more than once, yet always the monks returned.

The most recent, and seemingly final, episode in the history of St. Georgen occurred in 1208. Travelers arrived to find the buildings and fields in ruin, massively overgrown by strange dark vines, the twisted and misshapen bodies of the dead monks hung and trapped in them, with expressions of horror on their faces. As news of this sinister event spread to the Order of Hermes, many suspected that the magi of Dankmar were involved. The issue was raised at the most recent Tribunal of 1214, but Jiphella, the sole representative of Dankmar in attendance, disavowed any involvement. Technically speaking, the destruction of the monastery would have been in accordance with the "Guardians of the Forests" ruling (see Chapter 3: Tribunal History and Customs, History), although the Tribunal would never openly approve of such a drastic solution. With no mundane witnesses, the Code of Hermes had not been broken, and the Tribunal did not order an investigation into the issue, due to the results of a close vote.

Dankmar's covenfolk are a lesson to the Order about magical domination of mundanes. Every member of the turb (and the few scant servants they maintain) has been thoroughly bewitched by Jiphella. As such, they are fanatically loyal to the covenant; their minds are concentrated solely on the safety and comfort of their mistresses, whom they worship as gods. Members of the turb will gladly die for their magi, if it was so ordered. However, the grogs have been left slack-witted due to this domination; they have no capacity for independent thought, and would starve to death if not ordered to eat once a day. Dankmar employs no consortes.

The Benedictine monastery of Hirsau, in the northeast of the forest, is probably the most powerful in Germany. It was founded in 1059 with the relocation of the relics of St. Aurelius, a fifth-century Armenian bishop, and since then has grown rapidly, to number more than a hundred monks, and has founded many daughter houses throughout Germany. In the 11th century it was the center of the Hirsauer Reform, a movement to free religious establishments from the control of secular lords and bishops. Built in red sandstone and situated by a bridge over the River Nagold, Hirsau is modeled after the great Burgundian monastery of Cluny, whose traditions and customs it has adopted and brought into Germany. The grand basilica of St. Aurelius is 100 yards long. Possibly due to its Divine aura of 5, its size, or its location near the edge of the forest, Hirsau has been relatively immune to the faerie attacks that have beset the other Black Forest monasteries.

Some magi have remarked on the similarity of Hirsau with Durenmar; they are both the center of a learned movement that has founded many "daughter" houses, and are a strong supernatural defense against the forest. A legend recounts that an archmagus of Bonisagus gave up his magic and took holy orders. He was allegedly among the monks who founded Hirsau, but no magus has braved this stronghold of Divine power to try to ascertain the truth of this matter; although some speculate that if it is true, then the monastery is doubtless the heir (knowing or unknowing) to his magical legacy.

Far under the mountains near Seebach is an enchanted and isolated lake, which is home to a Nixe (a water-nymph). She will occasionally make visits to nearby settlements, where she will bewitch a young man with her beauty. However, the elemental spirits of the lake are jealous of the attention given to her by mortals, and if they follow her back to it when she returns (which she must do every night), the lake will surely be the cause of their death.

An enchanted spring in the eastern stretches of the Black Forest wells up from a crack in the rocks, forming a small but deceptively deep pool. This spring is the source of the mighty River Danube, lifeblood of the empire north and east of the Alps and eastern Europe. Like the Rhine (see Chapter 5: The Rhine, The Upper Rhine), the Danube has a powerful elemental spirit, although this one is of faerie origin. Danu was previously worshiped as a goddess by innumerable peoples before the Romans came. Now her power fades, but nevertheless, at the source of the river here, her presence is strong. There is a Faerie aura of 3 in the region of the pool, which rises to 5 if one is within the water itself. The pool is apparently without a bottom because of the regio here. Anyone managing to reach the top level of the regio (Faerie aura of 10) will find the bottom of the pool, and a gateway into Arcadia, that is the source of the Danube's water. Vast amounts of Aquam vis can be harvested at this site, but doing so is likely to anger Danu.

The duchy of Swabia surrounds the Black Forest and extends eastwards as far as Bavaria and southwards as far as the Alps. The recent history of the region has been dominated by two rival families: the Zähringens, whose estates consisted of the narrow strip of fertile land between the Rhine and the Black Forest, and the imperial Hohenstaufens, holding much of

The town of Baden, lying between the Rhine valley and the northwestern slopes of the forest, was simply named Aquae (Waters) by the Romans, on account of the extensive hot springs that emerge from halfway up the hillside of the Florentinerberg. These magical waters have the power to cure certain ailments, such as rheumatism and arthritis, and the Romans built an extensive complex of baths over them. This upper part of the town, now mostly ruined, retains a Magic aura of 2 and falls under the Hermetic ownership of Durenmar, which harvests vis from the springs.

The lower half of the town is now the seat of a lesser branch of the remaining Zähringen family. Some have suspected Durenmar of acting as a patron to the Zähringens — if this is the case, the recent failure of the family would be indicative of Durenmar's waning influence outside its borders. An alternative theory is that Durenmar has withered the Zähringens in order to prevent the family from any further intrusion or colonization into the Black Forest. However, given Durenmar's usual lack of interest in mundane politics, it is rather unlikely that either of these scenarios are true.

This Baden should not be confused with another Swabian town of the same name, also blessed with medicinal springs, which is a hundred miles further south, just beyond the Rhine in the Greater Alps Tribunal.

The largest settlement around the Black Forest, Freiburg was founded in 1120 by Conrad Zähringen. In the 12th century the Zähringens were the most prominent castle builders in western Swabia, and they drew much of their power and tax base from a number of the Black Forest monasteries, that they founded and controlled. Freiburg lies in the valley of the River Dreisam, surrounded on three sides by the heights of the forest. Twenty years ago, an ambitious project was started to construct a lofty cathedral, to be paid for by the citizens of the town. It was to be built from the red sandstone of the nearby hills. The Zähringen castle, from which the family took their name, lies a short distance to the north of Freiburg.

The Rottweiler

The Rottweiler is a characteristic breed of black and tan dog, large and fierce. It originates from the crossbreeding of the loyal dogs of the Romans with the wild and dark faerie species of the Black Forest. It is also called the Metzgerhund (butcher's dog), as the citizens of Rottweil, especially the butchers, have trained them to pull their carts. Rottweilers rarely bark; they make poor guard dogs, but excellent attack dogs.

At least one magus in the Rhine Tribunal uses these dogs instead of grogs. They are smart enough (given the correct training) to follow basic orders, and are staunchly loyal to their master. If a player wants to play a Rottweiler instead of a human grog, with the approval of the storyguide the hound may be created as a normal character, except that it has Cunning instead of Intelligence. All Rottweiler "grogs" have the following Virtues and Flaws: Keen Sense of Smell (like Keen Vision), Long Winded, Tough, Ability Block (Martial Abilities), Feral Upbringing, Simple Minded. They also suffer from the Mute Major Flaw, and therefore storyguides might allow additional Minor Virtues to balance this disadvantage. Their bite has the same combat statistics as a dagger. Calculate their age (and experience) as for a human, and use this age for making aging rolls; divide by seven to get their true age (thus they make seven aging rolls each year).

Some Rottweilers have more than the usual dose of faerie blood, and these have greater longevity than a typical dog (only one aging roll per year). Most commonly, this manifests as the Second Sight Ability, but may also grant the Faerie Blood Virtue, or even more exotic Abilities.

Rottweil, on the eastern edge of the forest, is another town of Roman origin, originally named Arae Flaviae (Altar of the Flavians). At the intersection of two roads, the Romans originally intended it to be a great provincial city, but their plans later changed as the border of their territory was extended beyond it. The remains of Roman temples, baths, and municipal buildings, while not as extensive as those of Baden, lie buried beneath the current town. Rottweil is hunched into a defensible position overlooking the upper stretch of the River Neckar.

Gmünd lies in the Stauferland, a tidy region of rolling hills and meadows between the Swabian Forest and the Swabian Jura. It is named after the Hohenstaufen dynasty of emperors, which includes Frederick Barbarossa and Frederick II. The first of these rulers, Conrad III, founded the town in the 12th century. It specializes in the production of luxuries such as jewelry and glassware.

To the south of Gmünd lie the Kaiserberge, a set of three round wooded hills — the Hohenstaufen (westernmost and lowest), the Hohenrechberg, and the Stuifen (to the east and highest). Each is topped with a castle, although it is the Hohenstaufen, ancestral home of the current imperial dynasty, which is the grandest and most famous.

The Swabian Jura is a series of harsh limestone hills separating the valleys of the Danube and the Neckar. Many of the peaks are defensively ideal, and some of the local lords, including the Hohernzollerns, have built forts atop them. The region is stringed with mysterious stalactite grottos, such as the Nebelhöhle (Misty Cave). The Wimsener Höhle is on the south side of the Jura, near to the monastery of Zweifalten, where the River Ach (a tributary of the Danube) disappears underground in a partially navigable tunnel for a couple of miles.

The Limes

The town of Gmünd lies on the limes, a series of ancient Roman fortifications dating from the 1st century AD (see Chapter 2: History, Germania Magna). Remains of ramparts, ancient forts, and temples may be found all along its route, which passes through the Odenwald, the Swabian Forest, and the Swabian Jura.

The site of the city of Ulm, on the northern bank of the upper Danube, was first settled in the 9th century by Jews, although only a small Jewish community now remains. In 1164, Frederick Barbarossa declared Ulm a Free Imperial City and a period of growth and prosperity followed. The city is surrounded by fields of flax and is home to numerous weavers, who produce linen that is widely traded in the empire.

At the southern edge of the Swabian Jura is a large round pool whose waters are a startlingly deep blue colour. This is the source of the River Blau, a minor tributary of the Danube. Blautopf Pool, surrounded by a Faerie aura of 2, is home to a beautiful but reclusive water faerie named the Schöne Lau, a long-haired maiden with webbed feet. She was not able to laugh the future holding no surprise for her and therefore her husband, a faerie king of the Black Sea, banished her to this place. She is occasionally visited by those seeking wisdom, including the humble monks of the nearby Kloster Blaubeuren, on account of her powers of divination. In exchange for a modest gift, the Schöne Lau will foretell a visitor's future. Such predictions invariably come to pass, although they seldom bring the desired or expected happiness. Anyone who would be able to make the sad maiden laugh would break the curse of her husband and earn her eternal gratitude.