Lost Temple of Serapis Altar with Theatre of Heron Brazier Pillar Statue of Serapis ADYTON CELLA Staircase to Pediment Chambers

The temple has many devices that Hypatia can use against intruders with her Command Mechanica Power.

Statue of Serapis

The statue of Serapis stands over ten feet tall and is made of ivory plates cunningly fitted together over a brass frame. It depicts a Zeus-like figure dressed in a tunic with a magnificent beard. Gold foil and silver inlay covers much of the statue. The statue contains a powerful Theurge's Trumpet (see above) and Hypatia uses it upon intruders immediately. This mechanica is capable of sounding every ten rounds. The flickering shadows and flexible construction of the statue make it appear to move slightly but it is otherwise inert. Anyone desecrating or plundering it finds that Serapis takes an interest in him in the future.

Some decades after her death, the violent cataclysms of Alexandrian politics destroyed what remained of the Library, waking Hypatia from her rest. She found herself trapped within the temple, only able to leave when the Dominion ebbs enough to expose the temple's Magical aura. In time, madness became a blessing.

Intellect gone, the spirit of the once-beautiful scholar prowls the temple, seeking any target for her pain. Her first priority is those carrying Christian symbols. Others, such as the scholars who failed to save her, the mob who killed her, and the soldiers who betrayed her, are all victims for the vengeful ghost.

Magic Might: 25 (Mentem)

Characteristics: Int +4, Per +1, Pre +1, Com +2, Str –2, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik 0

Size: 0 (non-physical)

Age: n/a (30)

Virtues and Flaws: Mechanica of Heron; Offensive to Animals, Puissant Ability (Mechanica of Heron), Second Sight; Strong Willed

Personality Traits: Prideful +3, Vengeful +4, Compassionate –2

Reputations: Wise Scholar 4 (Ancient Alexandria), Pagan Harlot 3 (Alexandrian Christians)

Combat:

Dagger: Init 0, Attack +6, Defense 3, Damage +2

Soak: +1

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6– 10), –5 (11–15), Inc. (16–20)

Abilities: Artes Liberales 5 (rhetoric), Awareness 2 (alertness), Brawl 2 (dagger), Commanding 3 (ghosts), Mechanica of Heron 9 (delicate), Etiquette 3 (scholarly), Folk Ken 3 (students), Greek 5 (Ancient Alexandria), Intrigue 3 (plotting), Latin 4 (Ancient Roman), Leadership 3 (intimidation), Local Area Lore 4 (Rome), Magic Lore 3 (constructs), Philosophiae 6 (metaphysics), Second Sight 3 (details), Teaching 4 (metaphysics), Theology 2 (debate)

Powers:

Ghostly Body, 0 points, constant, Mentem: Hypatia knows she is a ghost and can turn invisible, pass through solid objects, ignore physical attacks, and otherwise take advantage of her non-corporeal form.

Command Mechanica, 0 points, Init +10, Vim: Hypatia may command any mechanica in her presence to do her bidding. These discharge their effects or physically attack as best they can. The mechanica remain under her control while they remain in her presence.

Death Agony, 3 point, Init –1, Corpus: Hypatia can inflict her deaththroes upon a victim. The victim takes a Light Wound and can do nothing except writhe in agony until he succeeds in a Stamina stress roll against an Ease Factor of 12.

Mastery of Forces, 2 points, Init +10, Vim: The ghost redirects a spell or attack against another target. The original attacker must make a Strength check against an Ease Factor of 6 to stop a physical attack. Magi must make a Finesse check against an Ease Factor of 6 to abort their re-targeted spell. If the check fails, the original attacker must roll normally to see if his original attack hits the new target.

Refute, 1 point, Init –5, Vim: Hypatia can nullify a magical effect. This cancels the effect of any one spell or magical effect chosen by Hypatia with a level less than or equal to her current Magic Might Pool plus a stress die. The effect must have a Creo, Rego, Perdo, or Muto Technique or an Aruam, Aquem, Ignem, Mentem, or Terram Form for her to refute it.

Equipment: Apparent clothing, jewelry, and a small dagger, but they are all ghostly and really part of her.

Vis: 5 Mentem in a scroll case.

Appearance: Hypatia was once a beautiful woman, but all that remains of her now is a tortured wreck. Her long, black hair is the only remnant of her famous looks. Red-rimmed eyes glare from her mutilated face. Her olive skin hangs in strips where her attackers tore it with oyster shells. Hypatia wears a long bloodstained white robe and sandals in the ancient Alexandrian style.

Eternal Braziers

Two bowls of bronze contain leaping flames that have no source. A jet of non-magical fire doing +10 damage attacks anyone venturing within ten feet of them.

Temple Door

Anyone standing in the doorway or attempting to leave the temple is in danger of being crushed by one of Heron's prized thaumata: the automated temple door. These heavy bronze doors slam shut or fly open with truly amazing speed. Those caught in the arc of the doors must make a Quickness – Encumbrance stress roll against an Ease Factor of 9 or be slammed for +15 damage. The

doors can open and close once per round.

The Victors' Spoils

Should the magi defeat Hypatia, they gain a great treasure in ancient wisdom but they must make haste to

leave before they are trapped. Many of the scrolls scattered around the temple are Heron's works, including uncorrupted copies of Pneumatica and Mechanica (Quality 10 each). Also present are a dozen broken mechanica of various sorts. Even if the magi cannot repair them, each is worth several Mythic Pounds for their material.

The pediment beneath the temple contains the rooms now entombing Theon and Hypatia. In her rage, the ghost destroyed almost all of the hundreds of scrolls and tab-

lets stored there. Other relics of the Library of Alexandria might have survived her wrath, however, ready for diligent magi to piece them back together.

In addition to whatever survives the battle, one other treasure awaits discovery. In the adyton (sacred chamber) is Heron's Theater, one of the greatest mechanica ever constructed.

Heron's Theater

The automated theater was Heron's greatest masterpiece. Properly attuned and prepared, it shows its own stories, casting its figurines into a variety of roles and scenes. When started, the theater's stage doors open and miniature figures act out dramatic events accompanied by sound effects. Ostensibly powered by knotted strings with weights, it has a surprising tendency to improvise stories on its own. Those studying the theater might be particularly disturbed by the appearance of figurines resembling themselves in these spontaneous plays. Careful examination of these new plays may give inklings of events that have not yet come to pass.

This device would fascinate any magi who seek a method of breaking the Hermetic Limit of Time.

The Web of Mnemosyne

InIm 60

Pen +20, 1/month

R: Voice, D: Conc, T: Group

Once per month, Heron's Theater can predict the future of someone associated with it. The target must be among those watching the play, and the effects last for the duration of the play, which usually takes about an hour. The effect is non-Hermetic and apparently breaks the Limit of Time. As such, investigating it is remarkably difficult.

The play is often highly allegorical, based on the mythic figures and archetypes available in the theater's assembly of puppets and figurines. Interpreting what a play means might be an adventure in itself as characters consult with scholars, seers, and holy men.

While searching for the surviving remnants of Heron's magic, Seekers

may come into conflict with others who have business with Heron or Hypatia.

Magi of Constantinople

Several covenants of the Tribunal of Thebes maintain contacts or demesnes in Constantinople. These magi take a proprietary interest in the city and anyone venturing into it. One covenant, Michaels' Tabula, has actually established their covenant in an abandoned mithraeum in

one of the city's many ruined districts. Currently, the covenant numbers about a half-dozen magi, mostly from House Jerbiton. Long-time residents of Constantinople, they have little love for "Franks," or any magi hailing from the kingdoms responsible for the destruction of "the City."

If this covenant discovers the investigating magi, they demand first rights to any mechanica and texts found in the city. This is a flagrant violation of the Peripheral Code, but the magi are presumably far from home and on this covenant's home ground. If friendly relations can be established, the magi of Michaels' Tabula may trade any Heronic texts or mechanica they have obtained over the years for vis or assistance in dealing with interloping Crusaders. Displaying such an interest in these "worthless" items may pique the inter-

est of other magi in Heron's teachings. The Seekers may find themselves with a race to uncover Hypatia's tomb on their hands.

The Shadhali Brotherhood

Near the site of the ruined temple is the humble madrasa of the Shadhali Brotherhood. Ahmed Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi teaches Sufi mysticism to his followers here. The Shadhaliyyah are aware of the tomb as an ancient pagan temple and that the area about it is haunted. The have no other idea of its significance. Should they learn of the site's association with the Library of Alexandria, they may wish to take charge of such dangerous information. These mystics can prove dangerous should the magi provoke them with displays of devilish powers, or harm innocents while in Alexandria. Aside from their impressive martial skills, the Brotherhood wields great influence throughout all levels of the city.

The Sufi view magicians as prideful deniers of the will of God, but if approached humbly they might tell what little they know. For more information on the Sufi sect of Islam, see Realms of Power: The Divine, page 112.

The Dominion aura surrounding the madrasa has an impressive strength of 8, as its mosque contains the tombs of the Brotherhood's founder and several other holy mystics.

Successfully integrating Heron's teachings into Hermetic theory results in some dramatic effects. The most important is a significant loss in wealth and status for House Verditius. With the advent of Mutable Devices, magi have less need for numerous magical devices. As a result, fewer magi purchase such devices from the House. The Order as a whole benefits as individual magi gain power and flexibility. The smaller covenants particularly benefit from this change, given their poorer resources. House Verditius may try to suppress or destroy knowledge of the Mutable Device technique or try to make it a House monopoly through legal means. House Verditius has considerable political capital and this may be enough of an occasion for them to use it.

While the techniques for Awakened Devices remain incompatible with the techniques for creating automata, Awakened Devices make excellent familiars and minions for those able to pay for their construction. Only the richest covenants and groups can afford them. If subsequent research integrates Awakened Devices with the existing automaton-crafting techniques, then the Verditius gain the ability to craft tremendously powerful magical servitors.

The heroic magus able to integrate the Mechanicians' ability to create magical devices without the use of vis would change the face of the Order completely, but doing so would require a Hermetic Breakthrough — assuming it were even possible.