Integrating Hyperborean Magic

Upon learning or finding a Hyperborean hymn or relic, a magus may decide to attempt to incorporate its magic into Hermetic theory.

Below are the minimum numbers of breakthrough points required to integrate various aspects of Hyperborean magic into Hermetic theory. It is recommended that the required number of breakthrough points be slightly varied (by perhaps 3 to 5 up or down) so players are never sure exactly how many they need.

Integrating a New Duration (Minor Breakthrough): 30 breakthrough points

Integrating Spirit-travel (Minor Breakthrough): 35 breakthrough points

Integrating Vis-less Permanent Magic: 70 breakthrough points

Integrating Vis-less Enchantment: 65 breakthrough points

Integrating the Elimination of Shape, Material, and Size Limits: 60 breakthrough points

Integrating Ritual Effect Enchantment: 65 breakthrough points

• 1. Finding the Source: Sources for Hyperborean hymns or relics are scattered throughout Mythic Europe, concentrating on areas sacred to Apollo or other significant sun deities, and require quests and stories to find. There are legends of Hyperboreans who reached as far as Iberia, Britain, and the Far East. Sources of Hyperborean hymns would include fragments of the hymns, such as those found at the Basilica of Ten Thousand Columns (see below), scribed upon ancient relics, or even related by the ghosts of famous Hyperboreans.
• 2. Gaining Insight: Each source allows your character to gain one Insight, which permits him to create one specific effect.
• 3. Incorporating the Insight: The researcher must incorporate the Insight into a magical effect, either a spell or magical device. The effect must resemble the most significant Power of the source of the Insight. If your character finds a hymn fragment with that allows someone to command spirits, the effect he creates must do likewise; a source can only be used to attempt a Breakthrough related to its Powers.
• 4. Research, Research, Research: As per the process outlined in the Introduction.
• 5. Consequences: Some advice as to the consequences of integrating aspects of Hyperborean magic into Hermetic theory is included in the text nearby.

Most of the remaining fragmented hymns and relics are not very good sources for gaining Insight. Their remnants hint at once-powerful magic, but in most cases, without the complete words of the hymn or a working relic, Insight into the magic of Hyperborea is elusive.

Hymns: Most Hyperborean hymns were carved onto Apollo's temples, or stored on fragile parchment. Having only a fragment of a hymn (such as a sacred name or fragments of a prayer string) imposes a –2 penalty on the Insight roll, while a near-complete fragment grants a +2 bonus to the roll. The completeness (or lack thereof) of a fragment, and its modifier to Insight rolls, is up to the storyguide, but should not be more than +/– 2. Knowing (or using Insight gained from) other Hyperborean hymns grants no additional bonus; each Hymn Ability is different enough from others that one must, in effect, learn the system all over again. (That is, your character has to integrate or gain Insight from each of the hymns).

Relics: There are very few working Hyperborean relics still extant. Using a whole, working relic as a source grants a +2 to the Insight roll. A damaged relic can still be a source of Insight, but decreases the Insight roll by –2. A profaned relic (or a relic with no working Powers) decreases the Insight roll by –3.

Teachers: The last known Hyperborean wizards were killed over 300 years ago. Nevertheless, several ghostly priests still persist, and, with difficulty, could be convinced to share their knowledge. It is also possible that the Hyperboreans still live safely in their northern lands, venturing out only in spirit form; the tale of Cleodemus, in the quote at the start of this chapter, tells of the case of a Hyperborean mysteriously visiting

the estate of a Roman noble. Thus, the hymns could form the basis for a mysterious hedge-wizard antagonist who visits the players characters' covenant.

Hyperborean Language: Knowing the Hyperborean language makes gaining Insight easier. Having a basic proficiency in Hyperborean grants +1 to the Insight roll for every point the researcher has in the Ability above 4, to a maximum of +3.

Multiple Sources: Insight can be gained from multiple sources, so long as both sources are similar enough. If two different sources are used, and both utilize the aspect of Hyperborean magic that the researcher is trying to integrate, then breakthrough points from both can be added to the research project. Remember, however, that you may not use a single source for repeated Insight. One source only provides Insight one time for one thing. To gain an Insight into another Breakthrough from Hyperborean magic requires an adventure to find another source.

Insight Example

Moratamis finds a fragment of a hymn that uses the 19 Year Duration and starts to research it, gaining breakthrough points for an effect using that duration. Some years later, she finds a more complete fragment of another hymn that also uses the 19 Year Duration. She decides to use this as well, and the more complete fragment allows her to gain Insight more easily; the breakthrough points accumulated from her earlier research are added to her new breakthrough points, as both aspects of the research focus on the 19 Year Duration.

19 Years Duration: Currently, unless enchanted into a magical device, Hermetic magic cannot produce spells with an ongoing duration longer than one year; with this duration, for a single increase in magnitude, Rituals would last almost 20 times longer. This Breakthrough would dramatically increase Hermetic magic's longevity. Hermes portals would need only a small amount of extra vis to last 19 times as long, and year-long Rituals would similarly have a substantially greater impact. Most importantly for the Order, attempting to integrate a new 19 Year Duration with the Aegis of the Hearth spell would revolutionize Hermetic defenses, although to do so would require another Major Breakthrough (as Aegis of the Heath was itself a Major Breakthrough, see ArM5, page 161).

Spirit Travel: Hermetic magic already allows for limited spirit travel, through the Art of Mentem. Hyperborean spirit travel is less risky than with Hermetic magic. Magi, particularly Seekers, may find Powers such as Radiant Mantle of the Night Wanderer a safer way to travel to dangerous and faraway locations. This could also alter the way that Hermetic society operates, as magi not wanting to make the trip to a Tribunal meeting could still attend in spirit. This may also have consequences for the Redcaps, as magi start traveling in spirit to visit their sodales, rather than writing them letters.

Vis-less Spells: Hyperborean magic does not require vis for permanent effects. This is the most upsetting of the Breakthroughs, as it would allow Hermetic magi to create permanent objects out of thin air, heal wounds, resolve aging crises, and devise Longevity Rituals, all without vis. Vis would become useful only for making magic easier to cast, and for enchanting items in the laboratory, rather than as an absolute necessity for Rituals or healing magic. Hermetic society and its economy would change dramatically. The vis-trading system of House Mercere (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, pages 84–85) would dramatically decline in value, and the vis stocks of powerful covenants would be of less use. It could be in the interests of these groups to prevent such a discovery from being propagated. Of all of the possible ways to integrate Hyperborean hymns into Hermetic magic, this is the most potentially saga-upsetting, and may unbalance the game.

Vis-less Enchantment: This Breakthrough would allow the enchantment of magical devices by supplementing vis with Warping Points, at a rate of 2 Warping Points for every pawn of vis that would have been needed. This would give Hermetic magi the unenviable choice between personal sacrifice or resource sacrifice when creating magical devices. This Breakthrough would allow vis-poor magi to compete with their richer sodales, but effectively decrease their Hermetic lifespans.

Elimination of Shape, Material and Size Limits: For Hermetic magi who regularly enchant items, this would allow any item to be enchanted with any number of effects. A single copper ring could be enchanted with scores of levels of effects. Precious metal and gems would cease being the main materials used to for powerful effects, and this, like vis-less enchantment, would allow poor magi to compete with their rich colleagues. Items would still need to be "opened," and would require the same number of pawns of vis (or twice as many Warping Points, if that Breakthrough had also been integrated) as normal to prepare for any enchantment (ArM5, Preparation for Enchantment, page 97). Once prepared, however, the item could be invested with an effectively unlimited number of magical effects.

Ritual Effect Enchantment: Hermetic magic cannot currently enchant Ritual effects into magical devices, which makes it impossible for devices or potions to permanently heal. . The unlimited Ritual effect Breakthrough would allow Hermetic The Basilica of Ten Thousand Columns

In that island, there is a magnificent grove (or precinct) of Apollo, and a remarkable temple, of round form, adorned with many consecrated gifts. There is also a city, sacred to the same god, most of the inhabitants of which are harpers, who continually play upon their harps in the temple, and sing hymns to the god, extolling his actions.

— Hecataeus of Abdera, Peri Hyperboreon

From the fourth century BC, the Basilica of Ten Thousand Columns was a temple to Apollo Phoebus, "the Shining One." Amid its marble columns walked the descendants of the Hyperboreans. Nestled at the foot of Mount Pelister among the Balkan Mountains and on the banks of the River Dragor, the basilica stood as a testament to the majesty of Apollo. Perpetually surrounded by a sweet, nourishing breeze, the basilica was a place of peace and tranquility.

One day, towards the end of the eighth century, the basilica was visited by five strange people, Latin-speaking scholars from the West with arcane powers. They told the priests of a

fraternity of wizards, the Order of Hermes, which offered protection to those who joined, and death to those who did not. The priests replied that

they served only Apollo and therefore could not join the Hermetic Order; they sent the five Western magi away.

Several years passed. The Westerners' visit was forgotten by most of the priests, and they thought no more of it.

Trianoma and Tremere attacked without warning. Tremere and his three filii sucked away the breath and twisted the tongues of the Hyperboreans, making it difficult for them to sing their hymns. Trianoma invoked powerful Thessalian curses of bad fortune and heated the air, damaging the fragile relics.

The magical battle that followed is recalled in early Hermetic histories as a great victory for the nascent Order of Hermes. Trianoma, assisted by Tremere, defeated a group of formidable Hellenic wizards whose stubborn refusal to join the Order jeopardized Hermetic peace in the East. The wizards, priests of Apollo, were aided by many mighty spirits and potent magical devices, and held out valiantly against Trianoma and Tremere before finally succumbing. Tremere himself was badly wounded and one of his allies, a mighty Dacian necromancer, was killed by Abaris Hyperberetaeos, the basilica's high priest. With the Apollonian priests defeated, Trianoma and Tremere looted the temple, uncovering many of Apollo's relics and hymns and returning them to the West.

Both Trianoma and Tremere recorded the approximate location of the basilica in letters, and histories of the Order of Hermes's early years also mention the ruins. The journals and letters of later Hermetic explorers, who visited the ruins in the hope of finding the hidden regio, also hint at where the temple may be hidden.

Due to the legends of the great treasures to be found at the temple, however, few magi gave the exact location. The temple is also missing

magi to enchant Ritual effects into magical devices, including permanent Creo effects (see ArM5, pages 96 and 98). (The Mercere Portals in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 80, made use of a Breakthrough like this one.) The result — an Order of Hermes that could create charged items with permanent effects, as well as enchanted devices that can permanently heal — would be dramatic. Longevity Rituals could be enchanted into devices, as could powerful Creo Corpus spells such as Cheating the Reaper or Incantation of the Body Made Whole. Magi deaths due to injury or aging would decrease. Safe Hermetic travel, as covenants began enchanting permanent Hermes Portals, would increase. Items that permanently create food or precious metals could alter the economy of the Order or even Mythic Europe, as covenants would no longer require supporting villages to feed

Why did Tremere and Trianoma attack the basilica? Theories regarding the motives of Trianoma abound, particularly given her normally diplomatic temperament.

One Hermetic legend tells of the jealously between the Hyperboreans and the Thessalian witches, particularly the enmity held by Erictho and her ancestor Medea, who were badly treated by Apollo. The Hyperborean priests, aligned with the sun, were the natural enemies of the lunar Thessalian witches. Trianoma, born of the same blood as Erictho and Medea, was naturally inclined against the Hyperboreans.

Another tale recalls an ancient Greek myth of Apollo, where the sun god was commanded to kill Otos and Ephialtes, the two giant children of Poseidon, before they had time to grow too great in power and threaten the home of the gods. Trianoma, gifted with visions, foresaw that the Hyperborean priests were charged with ensuring that the Order of Hermes would not grow so great as to threaten the gods. She believed that one day the Hyperboreans would seek to destroy the Order — the mighty child of Hermes — lest it grow too great in stature. She and Tremere both decided on a preemptive strike to preserve the Hermetic Order.

Some Trianoma magi believe that Trianoma sought the secret of Longevity Rituals from the Hyperboreans, who were renowned for their long lives, and that when the priests refused to share their secrets, she was convinced by Tremere to take them by force. These Trianoma magi note the practical maximum of the Longevity Ritual is just over 250 years, the same life-span as Aristeas the Hyperborean.

There is little discussion as to why Tremere was involved in the attack on the basilica, concerned as he was with the subjugation of the Hellenic magi of Greece and the growth of his House's influence. Indeed, the destruction of the basilica was the catalyst for many Greek wizards to accept the suzerainty of Jerbiton in exchange for protection from Tremere (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 112). Others, however, note a similar lunar tendency with Tremere, given his chosen familiar was a wolf.

Finally, some in House Bonisagus and House Tremere dismiss this Hermetic legend as slander and an attempt by Schism-war era propaganda to blacken Trianoma's and Tremere's good names.

In the ninth century, a monastery was established by Constantine VII over the temple's ruins, and part of which were incorporated into a new building. Even with the consecrated altar in the monastery, the area remained deeply magical. A century and a half later, despite repeated exorcisms by abbots and priests who believed the area to be haunted, the monastery was abandoned.

Attempts by Hermetic Seekers to uncover the Hyperborean treasure-trove proved largely fruitless, and as time passed the basilica was largely forgotten by the Order of Hermes. The last expedition, in the late 11th century by a group of Hellenic Jerbiton magi from the Tribunal of Thebes, was confronted by the resistance of several potent spirits, perhaps the same spirits who aided the original Hyperborean priests.

from most ancient maps, although it is mentioned as the receptacle of many devotional gifts to Apollo, and as a sister-temple to Delphi and Delos. The tombs of the Hyperborean maidens, Arge and Opis, could be inscribed with a map to the basilica.

Hermetic researchers attempting to locate the basilica would be able to find the rough area in which it is located, perhaps even its proximity to Mt. Pelister, but the exact location was never recorded. Older texts are likely to be found in monastic libraries in Greece, or in venerable covenants in the Transylvanian Tribunal. Due to the great magical wealth fabled to be at the basilica, few Hermetic magi would be willing to give this information to rivals, even if they were unlikely to make the journey themselves.

A troupe interested in visiting the basilica could start their quest with a story dedicated to finding a record of its location. A journey to the spacious halls of Coeris, or the somber shelves of a Byzantine monastic library, would be good places to start.

If your troupe is more interested in just getting straight to the basilica, a character could merely spend a season researching the Order's histories and archives. To find the location of the basilica in this way, you may make an Intelligence + Order of Hermes Lore stress roll against an Ease Factor of 21.

Locating the Basilica: Intelligence + Order of Hermes Lore + stress die vs. Ease Factor 21

If you succeed, the character successfully locates a letter or record that states the location of the basilica's ruins; failure means that his season's search was fruitless. A botch could

The closest town to the basilica is Manastir, the 11th century capital of the Bulgarian Empire, not far from where Emperor Basil blinded 14,000 Bulgarian captives in 1014 (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 114). The region is populated by Slavs and Bulgars, and ruled in 1220 by Theodore Ducas, magnate of one of the powerful imperial families of Byzantium. Manastir has its own bishop, and is on a trade route between the Adriatic Sea and Thessalonica.

Under Theodore, the Despotate is locked in endemic conflict with the Kingdom of Serbia and Bulgaria, and the Latin Empire. Theodore controls a number of strategically important towns, including Larissa, Dyrrhachium, several ports on the Gulf of Corinth, and access to the Egnatian Way, the main road to Constantinople.

Theodore is known for being ruthless and unscrupulous, taxing his subjects harshly, and waging what seems like an endless war against his neighbors. He is currently laying siege to Thessalonica, which is governed by the Latin rulers of Constantinople. Theodore recently captured Peter of Courtenay, the Latin emperor of Constantinople and an influential French aristocrat, cruelly torturing and executing him. Due to this, the Latin Empire is without a ruler, although succession has passed to Peter's son, Robert of Courtenay, who is traveling from his father's French lands.

Story Hook

The bishop of Manastir decides to revive the failed monastery of Saints Cyril and Methodius, located at the site of the Basilica of Ten Thousand Columns. This is a major exercise, requiring monks to be recruited, and a team of masons and other tradesmen to make the dangerous journey to Mount Pelister in order to rebuild the monastery. The bishop is most concerned over the tales of mighty ghosts haunting the site, and so searches for assistants to his exorcists, possibly even Hermetic magi.

mean that he uncovers a mistaken location far, far away from where the basilica truly lies.

The ruins of the Basilica of Ten Thousand Columns can be found on the banks of the Dragor River, secreted amid the Baba Mountains in the Despotate of Epirus. The basilica is a temple complex of great beauty and wealth. Parts of it have been built over by a ninth century Byzantine monastery, although this too has fallen into ruin. The entire area is surrounded by an unusually high Magic aura, and parts of the ruin have been absorbed into a Magic regio.

The basilica is a complex of four buildings: a sanctuary of Apollo in which the god is supposed to have resided, a treasury in which votive offerings to Apollo were stored, a small amphitheater used for religious festivals, and the gymnasium used by the priests for education. All of the buildings of the basilica are modeled on those found in Hyperborea.

Upon approaching the basilica, a traveler is struck by the incredible beauty of the vale, the picturesque stream that courses through the ruins, the magnificent rose bushes, the incredible brightness of the sun even on overcast days, and the sweetness of the air. A majestic snow-topped mountain towers over the vale. Despite having been uninhabited for centuries, the grass appears neatly clipped; the rosebushes, hedges, and trees pruned; and most of the buildings free of weeds, lichen, or moss. An intricately paved road winds its way through the complex, around a large olive tree, and ends at the sanctuary to Apollo.

The ruins themselves are made from a pure white marble, except for the treasury, which is crafted from yellow marble. Boulders of varying sizes, torn from the mountain, lie strewn throughout the complex. The gymnasium and amphitheater are almost entirely destroyed, although the foundations and a few roofless rooms remain. The sanctuary to Apollo has been converted into a small monastery, although this has been abandoned for 300 years, its domed roof half-collapsed and its fine mosaics flaking.

Apollo's Sanctuary

The sanctuary of Apollo is the center of the basilica complex. A number of complete Doric columns remain standing, while the stumps of 30 or so others remain, spread about the foundations. The entrance of the sanctuary faces east, joined to the road by the stands where two large stone bulls once stood, the feet of which remain. A large stone pillar, with badly damaged inscriptions in Hyperborean, stands directly before the sanctuary, although the statue of Apollo that stood upon it now lies

The ruins of the basilica have an exceptionally high Magic aura. Upon entering the vale where the ruins lie, the Magic aura quickly rises to a rating of 5. Along the elaborately paved road that winds through the basilica's buildings, the Magic aura is 6. Amid the buildings, the Magic aura is 7, while most of the buildings themselves have an aura of 8. A small copse, home to a flock of crows, has a Magic aura of 7, as do the stream and small ponds, where a large wedge of swans swims. Seven days after each new moon, the Magic auras in the vale increase by one, and decrease by one on the seventh day after the waning of the moon.

In the ruins of the monastery, attached to the sanctuary, the Magic aura drops to 4, and in the crumbling tabernacle, there is no Magic aura at all. On the holy day of SS. Cyril and Methodius (February 14) a feeble Dominion aura of 1 emerges around the altar. The olive tree radiates a Divine (Empyreal) aura of 1, which extends to its furthest branch.

Due to some lingering mystic correspondences, any spells cast or supernatural abilities used that relate to the summoning or control of the dead, divining the future, curing or causing disease, or invoking spirits receive double the benefit from the magical aura.

in pieces. The head of the statue was taken as a trophy by Tremere.

The sanctuary itself is a circular building, 70 paces in diameter, with a row of 48 columns in the outer sanctuary. The inner sanctuary once housed an ornate statue of Apollo Phoebus, and contained carvings depicting the

If a traveler started at Delphi and walked back along the Via Sacra ("Sacred Way"), he would find that the path is marked by conical Agyieus pillars, which are sacred to Apollo. These pillars are connected to the Hyperboreans because two of them, Pagasus and Agyieus, visited Delphi and marked their journey with these "Apollo stations." The Agyieus pillars are few and far between, crossing through Greece intermittently and into the Carpathians, and finally leading to the Black Sea.

The pillar in front of the ruined sanctuary of Apollo is also an Agyieus pillar. Like the herms — sacred stone idols of Hermes — the Agyieus pillars mark sacred paths and places to Apollo. The pillars may be enchanted, and provide the following shape and material bonuses: +2 invoking or controlling spirits, +3 divining the future, + 3 summoning sunlight, +5 cause or cure disease, and + 5 protection from hostile spirits.

god's journeys to Hyperborea in the winter months and his passage across the sky in his fiery chariot.

The inner sanctuary and half of the outer sanctuary have been converted into a monastery, a whitewashed two-story building with a domed roof that is collapsing. There is room for a community of 20 monks and laypeople, with a large central common area, and a small sacristy and shrine.

The monastery is elaborately decorated with mosaics and painted wooden panels covered in gold leaf. Icons of SS. Cyril and Methodius, the Archangel Raphael, and the emperor Basil II in golden armor abound, while

Apollo Phoebus means "Shining One," and from the fifth century BC he came to be seen as the deity of the sun, often being identified with Helios. According to one Hermetic legend, Apollo gained this title after defeating Hyperion during the Titanomachy (the war between Olympian gods and titans).

One of the 12 great Olympian Gods, Apollo is the god of prophecy and divination, and is also said to have dominion over plagues, healing, light, archery, the arts, and the sun. His symbols include swans, crows, dolphins, bows and arrows, the laurel crown, the lyre, and the tripod.

the altar is still shrouded by a fragile and faded curtain.

The Treasury of the Hyperboreans

Surrounded by a low wall, the Treasury of the Hyperboreans was the storehouse of the many devotional offerings made to Apollo. The remains of 30 statues of kings of Hyperborea stand before the treasury, which is built from deep-yellow limestone. Its walls are covered in carvings of scenes from Apollo's life, particularly of him curing disease and prophesying the future. Many of the details have been defaced, or covered over with Christian symbols. The treasury is a relatively small building with a modest antechamber leading through to the storage room, which is empty and plain. The arched doorway has faded scorch marks and signs of forced entry that are many centuries old.

It is this building that Trianoma and Tremere looted in the eighth cen-

During his many conquests, Alexander the Great, an initiate of many powerful arcane mysteries, founded cities and build shrines and temples upon ancient sites. These sites were located upon potent magical currents known as "dragon lines." Alexander believed that by "pinning" the dragon lines, he would be able to channel the earth's forces into his body and become a living god. The dragon lines are centered on Alexandria in Egypt and reach as far as Delphi, India, and the Island of Meroë at the Nile's source.

There is a ruined Alexandrian altar in the basilica, converted by monks into a Christian altar. However, ancient records indicate that Alexandrian altars can be found throughout Greece and the East, and throughout the barbarian lands to the very shores of the Scythian coast. One of the altars is

tury. Following the defeat and deaths of the Hyperborean priests, the two Founders spent a great deal of time and effort to break into the treasury, which was the most heavily defended of the buildings. Eventually they broke in, but found only a few treasures — certainly not the grand hoard that legends spoke of. Tremere wrote in later years that he believed the destroyed door was the passage to a regio, now forever cut off from the world.

Some way up the slope of the mountain is an amphitheater, although little remains except the stone semicircle used as the stage, and the elegant curve cut into a natural auditorium. On the night seven days after the new moon, a ghostly replica of believed to have the bronze sword of Alexander interred within it the same sword used to assassinate his father, Phillip.

The altars of Alexander have powerful mystical connections to each other, and link to over 70 different sites. A magus, casting a spell using the Arcane Connection Range while touching such an altar, is considered to have an Arcane Connection with a +4 multiplier to the other shrines, cities, or temples connected by the dragon lines.

It is possible that House Mercere knows the location of many of the 70 sites linked by the altars; indeed, many of the Merceres' Portals (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 80) may be built upon the ruins of altars. Determining the locations of other altars would require Magic Lore research (see Covenants, page 98).

the amphitheater appears, and minor spirits can be glimpsed reenacting scenes from Apollo's life.

The gymnasium is where the priests taught and contemplated their religious duties. Little remains except for the foundations, with a few stones rising to shoulder height. At nighttime and on Apollo's sacred days, ghosts of the slain priests can be glimpsed going about their sacred rites.

Although abandoned centuries ago by the living, the basilica is still the dwelling-place of spirits, ghosts, and daimons.