Seeking Heron's Legacy

The easiest way to recover Heron's legacy is through recovering surviving written works and devices. Examination of mechanica reveals clues as who fabricated the device and where. Libraries with corrupted copies of Heron's works may know about the original copies. Armed with these hints, a determined magus can begin his quest for Heron's lost magic.

Many of Heron's writings survived into the 13th century, although the scholars attribute many to Euclid or Ptolemy. The examples below provide suggested Levels for Summae, but Qualities depend on a given book's condition. All uncorrupted versions of these texts are in Greek. Texts translated into Arabic and their latterday Latin translations are uniformly corrupt.

Automata (Moving Itself) describes the construction of miracles (thau-

A magus must learn the special Hermetic Virtue Craft Mutable Device before he can create items with the property Mutable Device" described above. This Virtue can be Initiated as part of a Mystery, or taught to apprentices during training. A second breakthrough, also requiring 45 breakthrough points, removes the need for the Virtue, as noted in the Introduction.

If the researcher has not already discovered Mutable Device, this discovery requires a Major Breakthrough. If the researcher has already discovered Mutable Device, she builds upon existing work and the discovery becomes a Minor Breakthrough requiring 30 points.

To Integrate Awakened Device into Hermetic Theory: Suggested accumulated breakthrough points > 45

To Integrate Awakened Device if Mutable Device Already Integrated: Suggested accumulated breakthrough points > 30

mata) for temples, such as rotating statues, thunderous noises, artificial voices, and doors which open of their own accord. Mechanica of Heron Summa Level 4

Automaton Theatre describes an automated puppet theatre. Replicating this device was a favorite project of Heron's students, but Heron's origi-

This Virtue confers the ability to awaken imbued devices.

Through the use of logical principles developed by Heron, a magus can awaken the spirit slumbering within a simulacrum. Magi should take great care in what they choose to awaken, as the resulting personality derives from its form and material. When awakened, the resultant being has one or more Personality Traits based on the material and simulacra of the body, as noted above. When designing simulacra, a magus may add a number of points to the Magic Might up to his Magical Theory score.

Awakened Device's Magic Might: Material Base Points + Magic Theory

Magic Might determines the Awakened Device Level needed to construct it, and the limit of pawns of vis that may be used to instilled spell-like effects in it. Since this is a magical creation, Magic Might is also the Awakened Device's Magic Resistance. The device requires sufficient Vim vis to open the enchantment as per making an enchanted device (see ArM5, page 96–100) plus one pawn of Creo or Form-specific vis per point of Magic Might. In addition, constructing the simulacra costs a number of Mythic Pounds equal to its Material Base Points.

The Lab Total for awakening a device is Creo + Form + Intelligence + Magic Theory + aura modifier, and any points exceeding the Awakened Device Level can be accumulated over several uninterrupted seasons of work as when constructing an enchanted device (see ArM5, page 96). The material used to construct the simulacrum's body dictates the Form used, such as Terram for a copper fox.

Awakened Device Lab Total: Creo + Form + Intelligence + Magic Theory + Aura

Awakened Device Level: Awakened Device's Magical Might + (Size x 5)

In addition, the device must be further enchanted to provide it with means of locomotion, communication, or other abilities as per the rules for enchanting items. Once awakened, the device can use any instilled effects it contains as will. Additional powers may be added later if the Material and Size Table (ArM5, page 97) permits. Powers may be drawn from those used by automata in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, page 130. These Powers may be instilled any time before or after the anima is awakened. An Awakened Device can learn Abilities, including languages, as per the rules for training and instruction (ArM5, page 163–166).

Awakened Devices can be made into familiars but this requires the magus to awaken the device himself.

Awaken Device is not initially compatible with the Automata Mystery used by House Verditius, but further research may allow this Breakthrough.

nal possesses unique properties (see below). Mechanica of Heron Tractatus Quality 9

Catoptrica concerns the geometrical propagation of light, reflection, and the use of mirrors. In it, Heron states that vision results from light rays emitted by the eyes. He believes that these rays travel with infinite velocity. Most scholars attribute this book to Ptolemy. Philosophiae Tractatus Quality 8

Dioptra (named for a surveyor's device) is a vast collection of geometric constructions useful for surveying. Included are engineering principles for tunnel construction as well as methods for transporting and measuring water. A chapter on astronomy gives a method to find the distance between Alexandria and Rome by observations of a lunar eclipse. Artes Liberales Summa Level 4

Metrica is a collection of volumes discussing geometry and logic. Methods for calculating the volumes of spheres and determining cube roots are interspersed with notes for their use in creating mechanica. These mathematical techniques are generally lost to Mythic Europe and the formulae are essential for the understanding of Mechanica. Artes Liberales Tractatus Level 7, Mechanica of Heron Tractatus Quality 10

Pneumatica is a magnificent collection of over a hundred mechanical devices and machines popular in the first century. Among the devices detailed are the infamous Aeolipile (see below), trick jars that give out wine or water, singing birds and mechanical voices, puppets that move when a fire is lit on an altar, animals that drink when they are offered water, or mechanical fountains that dispense holy water after coins are inserted. All function through the use of air, steam, or hydraulic mechanisms augmented by the principles of mechanica. Readers with the Supernatural Virtue Mechanica of Heron may use the volume as a Lab Text when recreating any of the devices described — such a text gives a bonus on the Lab Total equal to its Quality when researching an

equivalent Hermetic item. Mechanica of Heron Tractatus Quality 7

Belopoeica, Heron's rarest work, is a collection of war machines with notes on their proper construction and employment in siegecraft. Philosophiae Tractatus Quality 7

Mechanica is a series of three volumes written for architects, ostensibly concerned with moving heavy objects through the construction of simple and complex lifting machines or cranes. It also serves as a text instructing in Mechanica of Heron. Philosophiae Tractatus Quality 8, Mechanica of Heron Summa Level 3

Over centuries, Heron and his disciples constructed hundreds of mechanica, but the majority have disappeared. A few remain in the hands of collectors who seldom know their true value. Others await discovery. Examples of the more useful mechanica include the following.

This large fire pump uses hydraulic pressure and Heron's techniques to extinguish even magical flames. Mechanicians built many of these devices. The vigiles of ancient Rome and Alexandria used them to protect the cities from fire.

Quench the Flames

PeIg 19

Pen 0, 12/day

R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Group

The bulky cart makes this difficult to deploy, requiring two mules or cart horses to move.

So long as the water tank is full, the pump can extinguish any flames its water jet is directed upon. It quenches an area five paces across with a Perdo Ignem Level 20 effect. Even magical flames are affected.

(Effect: Base 3, +2 Voice, +2 Group; Modifications: 12/day +4) (Level: 7)

Aeolipile

The Aeolipile is the first known device to transform steam into rotary motion. It consists of a hollow sphere mounted so that it can turn on a pair of hollow tubes that provide steam to the sphere from a cauldron. The steam escapes from the sphere from one or more bent tubes projecting from its equator, causing the sphere to revolve.

When properly constructed, it has a mesmerizing effect upon any observers, allowing scholars to focus the attention of students and demagogues to gather mobs. The effects end when the water boils away or the user loses control of the device.

Beguile the Gathering

CrMe 33

Pen 6, 3/day

R: Voice, D: Conc, T: Group

The Aeolipile requires an extensive set up. Bringing the properly prepared water in the cauldron to a boil and bringing the whirling device up to speed takes about 15 minutes. Once started, the Aeolipile functions until the water boils dry or the user's concentration is broken.

Those entering the area of effect become curious and stay to watch for the duration of the effect. A stress roll against an Ease Factor of 9 using an appropriate Personality Trait (like Impatient) can break the hold.

(Effect: Base 4, +2 Voice, +1 Conc, +2 Group; Modifications: +3 Pen, 3/day +5)

(Level: 13)

Thunder Maker

Heron designed many of his devices for use in temples and theater. The thunder maker was used in both to accompany the exit and entrance of gods during plays. Other versions sounded like brazen trumpets, and blared when doors opened, heralding the arrival of priests, magistrates, and imperators.

Bellows filled a chamber that discharged a thunderous rumble. In the close confines of a temple or theater, the effect was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Theurge's Trumpet

CrAu 19

Pen 0, 12/day

R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Room

The device requires at least 15 minutes to recharge after each use.

At its maximum effect, the targets must make a Stamina stress roll against an Ease Factor of 9 or be unable to act in the next round. A target who fails may make additional Stamina simple rolls each round thereafter against the same Ease Factor, and recovers if successful. If the first roll botches, the sound knocks the victim unconscious.

(Effect: Base 3, +2 Voice, +2 Room; Modifications: 12/day +4) (Level: 9)

Investigation reveals that the last known Mechanicians lived in Constantinople during the sixth century. Stories hint that Emperor Justinian had Mechanicians in his employ, if he did not practice Heron's Art himself. Among the mechanical marvels of his court were pillar-thrones that rose and fell on command, clockwork sundials, and a glorious nightingale that sang of

its own accord. Even the Hagia Sophia with its innovative architecture bears the mark of Heron's dead hand.

Constantinople: The Ruined Metropolis

Once the greatest city in the world, Constantinople has fallen upon hard times. Entire districts stand abandoned or destroyed. Everywhere the traveler looks, the effects of the Fourth Crusade are plain to see. Crusader nobles and Italian merchants have seized ancient homes and villas for their own. These foreigners might be persuaded to sell their "old Roman junk," such as broken mechanica or unread books, to magi. With luck, magi may find themselves obtaining treasures of ancient literature for a pittance of what they might pay in the book-poor West.

Finding Justinian's artifacts is more difficult. The magi must deal with charlatans, thieves, and overly curious Churchmen. The sad truth is that Justinian and his court are 800 years dead, and little survives from that time.

The Churchman

The only uncorrupted text readily available in Constantinople is a remarkably well-preserved copy of Heron's Automata (Mechanica of Heron Summa Level 4, Quality 7), in the original Greek. It lies in the hands of Monsignor Bertrando de Pepoli, an official attached to the Papal legate. Bertrando is willing to sell the book but his price is unreasonably high. He wants a prince's ransom in silver, citing its "blasphemous" contents. After all, anyone interested in such a "dangerous" work is clearly suspect. Negotiations are delicate, for Bertrando has no compunctions about using the legate's power for his own ends. Should he become aware of the magi's true nature, he changes his tune and quickly trades it for a trifling magical favor —a "bargain" which may come back to haunt the magi.

Written in the book's margins is an eyewitness account of Hypatia of Alexandria's burial; how she was laid to rest next to her father, Theon of Alexandria, in one of that city's many Temples of Serapis, along with many codices and scrolls salvaged from the Library of Alexandria. The account contains enough information to locate the temple.

A Beggar's Treasure

News of the magi's investigations makes its way to the ears of Basil the Leprous, the uncrowned king of Constantinople's innumerable beggars. Basil sets a trap for the magi, sending one of his followers to approach the magi. He claims to know about one of the "jeweled toys" they seek and can even describe Justinian's Nightingale accurately.

The beggar leads those following him into a ruined district where a large group of bandits lie in ambush. The beggar does not know about the ambush and the bandits consider him expendable. Accompanying the bandits is the beggar king and his prize possession, Justinian's Nightingale. Basil is convinced that these scholars can change base metals into gold and he intends to take them prisoner until they make him rich! The Nightingale has convinced the outlaw that his ragged followers are more than a match for some "harmless alchemists."

The Nightingale hangs back during the ambush but switches sides should the magi display any magical powers. It had been intending to simply flee and seek out the company of scholars and philosophers, but the magi's appearance piques its curiosity. If any of the magi can knowledgeably discourse on philosophy or natural history, they may have a friend for life.

Alexandria

The Fifth Crusade raged across Egypt and Crusader armies captured Damietta in 1219. They remain there until their defeat in 1221. Crusaders do not return to Egypt until 1249 and the Seventh Crusade.

Alexandria may shock magi coming from the small cities and isolated covenants of Mythic Europe. Alexandria sprawls over several square miles of mud brick and stone. Like Constantinople, however, its population has diminished from its heyday to a "mere" 50,000. A vast fortress, the Citadel, built on the site of the Ptolemaic palace (and the Library of Alexandria), overlooks the city, and numerous madrasas (religious colleges) have made the city one of the great centers of Islamic teaching.

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria still guides visitors arriving by ship to the harbor. The markets are a babble of unfamiliar languages. Goods arrive from as far away as India making pepper, silk and other rarities in Mythic Europe comparatively common. On a darker note, many of the unfortunates from the Children's Crusade of 1212 were sold here as slaves and still labor in the city.

Numerous difficulties beset those searching for Hypatia's tomb. Those without knowledge of the local languages (Arabic and Coptic), or of the city itself, must hire translators and guides. Without disguises, magi risk

The Library of Alexandria was actually several libraries and museums in the city of Alexandria. By the 1220s, it had achieved a mythic stature through the recovered works of ancient writers. The apocryphal burning of the Library during Julius Caesar's invasion was described as the greatest calamity of the ancient world. In reality, the Library and its scholarly community continued to flourish after the Romans took control. However, the Library suffered from the vicissitudes that beset the Roman Empire, and from Alexandria's endemic mob violence. Slowly, the Library

declined in importance, especially after Theodosius I had its most important complex, the Serapeum, razed as a pagan temple in the fourth century.

During the early fifth century, the city of Alexandria fell under the control of Cyril, the Patriarch of Alexandria. At his instigation, the Alexandrian mob burned most of the surviving Library and murdered Hypatia, its last librarian. This marked the end of Alexandria as a major center of ancient learning. Alexandria fell to Arab conquerors in 686, but by then even the Library's ruins had disappeared.

discovery as "Frankish spies." Blatant displays of magic bring them to the attention of Muslim scholars or sorcerers who may desire the contents of the temple for themselves. As befitting a major center of Islamic teaching, the Dominion is strong throughout the city, with an average aura of four. It is far higher around the numerous mosques, schools, and mausoleums.

Hypatia of Alexandria

Hypatia was born in 370 AD, daughter of Theon, who was one of the last librarians at the Royal Library and Museum of Alexandria and a man widely considered one of the most educated in Alexandria. He trained Hypatia in the philosophical arts as well as in Heron's magical technique and she soon surpassed him in wisdom. As she grew older, Hypatia became a well-known lecturer at the Library of Alexandria and wrote several important treatises on astronomy, astrology, and mathematics. Some credit her with the invention of the astrolabe.

Hypatia's scholarly prominence accented the fact that she was both female and pagan in an increasingly Christian patriarchal society. Shortly before her death, Saint Cyril became the Patriarch of Alexandria, and soon overthrew the Imperial government in the city. In the spring of 415 AD, a mob seized Hypatia on the street, beat her, skinned her with oyster shells, and dragged her body through the city in triumph.

After her death, her followers laid her to rest next to her father in the Temple of Serapis where they had lived and studied. The surviving Mechanicians had used the temple as a repository for what they could salvage from the wreckage of the Library. They then fled Alexandria before the mob could seize them, leaving behind a treasure trove of ancient lore. Over the years, the Dominion in Alexandria grew more powerful until it subsumed the temple's weakened magical aura. However, instead of being snuffed out, the temple's aura formed a regio that can only be accessed while the Dominion is weak.

Hints and clues lead investigators to the supposed location of the tomb. The ancient Temple of Serapis where Hypatia and Theon lived is long since gone. Mud brick houses cover the temple grounds completely. Mixed into the brickwork are chunks of pillar and stonework taken from the destroyed temple. Questioning those living nearby brings forth a ghastly litany of hauntings and disappearances. Many describe a hideous, skinless apparition who howls curses in an unknown tongue (which turns out to be Ancient Greek). The local holy men have been able to do nothing.

Investigation of the area with Intellego spells determines that a regio might have existed here, but the local Dominion overwhelms any lingering magical aura. Weakening

Hypatia, one of the last Librarians of Alexandria, created the Nightingale from gold, silver, and jewels. Designed as a companion and entertainer, the awakened mechanica's beautiful voice enthralled all who listened to its jewel-like tones. The nightingale watched over Theon and his household, waking them with a clarion voice when fire or robber threatened.

After Hypatia's murder, the bird came to the attention of Emperor Justinian and became a toy used to entertain the Imperial court. Centuries went by as the bird passed from hand to hand, until it was lost during the sack of Constantinople.

The nightingale can tell much of Heron's lore, but it lacks The Gift and the proper understanding of magical theory necessary for it to be able to pass on the secrets of mechanica. It has seen much during its centuries of existence and knows much about the truths behind Byzantine history. The Nightingale loves philosophical debate and can discourse for hours upon Plato and Aristotle.

After centuries of being treated as little more than a pet, the Nightingale has grown very lonely for the kind of scholastic discourse it enjoyed with its creator and his family. The beggar king's rather foolish scheme is the result of the Nightingale's manipulation.

Justinian's Nightingale can relate the tale of Hypatia's burial, including an accurate location of the old temple. It also knows that Heron's Theatre was hidden there, along with numerous mechanica salvaged from the Library of Alexandria. It has no idea that the temple is haunted and will be horrified by its creator's current plight (see below).

Magic Might: 29 (Auram)

Characteristics: Int +1, Per –1, Pre +1, Com +3, Str –3, Sta +1, Dex +2, Qik +2

Size: –6

Age: 800+ (n/a)

Virtues and Flaws: Enchanting Music; Second Sight

Personality Traits: Talkative +3, Loyal +2, Helpful +1

Reputations: Beautiful Voice 3 (Constantinople)

Combat:

Dodge: Init 2, Attack n/a, Defense 8, Damage n/a

Soak: +4

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

Abilities: Artes Liberales 4 (rhetoric), Awareness 3 (alertness), Brawl 1 (dodge), Coptic 4 (crafters), Greek 6 (courtly), Area Lore Eastern Empire 2 (Byzantine Centers), Enchanting Music 6 (awaken), Folk Ken 4 (nobles), History 3 (personal experiences), Latin 5 (listening), Leadership 3 (intimidation), Magic Lore 3 (constructs), Philosophiae 5 (Aristotle), Second Sight 3 (intruders), Sing 6 (joyous)

Powers:

Flying, 0 points, constant, Auram: The Nightingale can fly like an ordinary bird, though its movements

chime-like sound.

Greet the Dawn, 2 points Auram, Init 10: The Nightingale issues a clarion call, awakening everyone within Voice Range.

Voice of Chiming Gold, 0 points, constant, Auram: The Nightingale can speak as well as sing using a tiny voice box and bellows, though only in languages it knows.

Equipment: None

Vis: None

Appearance: The nightingale is made of gleaming gold and silver clockwork with jeweled feathers. Its eyes are twin rubies and its voice is a sweet song.

the Dominion might make the magical regio reappear. Characters comparing the dates when the specter materializes realize these occur on the most inauspicious days of the Muslim calendar. On those days, they may reason, the local Dominion must drop below the aura of the regio.

Failing this realization, spells to detect ghosts or magical beings may reveal when the haunt reappears. Although such spells do not help unless the Temple of Serapis is accessible, at those times the spells readily lead to the gate of the old temple.

Serapis was a hybrid god whose worship unified the cults of several Egyptian and Hellenistic deities. Ptolemy I introduced him at the beginning of the Ptolemaic Period in Egypt, though Serapis's legacy lasted well into the Roman period. He became the Egyptians' supreme god, embodying the principles of divine authority and the sun, with power over fertility, the afterlife, and healing. Serapis formed a bridge between Greek and Egyptian religions so that both peoples could find common ground in their worship. Through the Ptolemaic Pharaohs and their Roman successors, Serapis was patron and protector of the Royal Library and Museum and many of its buildings were temples sacred to him.

While Serapis is a being of faerie, his temples are often magical sites due to the practices of the Mechanicians and other scholars who dwelt there. The temple where Hypatia and her father lived is one such location.

Entering the Temple

The entrance to the lost temple is a shadow of its former glory. Built into the wall of a rickety tenement is the lintel of the destroyed temple. The pale granite slab is inlaid with worn Greek and Egyptian carvings praising Serapis and promising dire penalties to those who profane what lies under his protection. Examination by anyone with Magic Lore, Magic Theory, or Mechanica of Heron might discover (Ease Factor of 6) that the stone was once part of a much larger mechanica.

When the Dominion aura dips below 4, the doorway to the Temple of Serapis appears as a ghostly archway of shadows beneath the lintel. Characters can enter the regio automatically if they carry a mechanica or bear signs of the Cult of Serapis. Alternatively, characters can enter the regio as described by the rules on page 189 of ArM5. The Dominion aura strength stays below 4 for only a few hours and then returns to normal, trapping anyone inside until the next ill-omened night, which may not be for weeks or months.

The Lost Temple of Serapis

The temple exists in a small level 4 Magic regio, which contains only the temple's interior. The temple's layout is classically simple. Four eternal braziers, one in each corner, fill the central room, or cella, with a flickering red light. As is common with Roman-style temples, the cella stands upon a masonry podium with two rows of pillars inside. Looming over the altar at the far end of the temple is a ten-foot-tall statue of Serapis. The statue gleams in the light from the gold covering its muscular frame, and his bearded face glares down at these intruders.

Behind the statue hangs a velvet curtain leading to the sacred chamber, the adyton, where the priests performed secret rituals. Scattered around the cella are numerous books and scrolls, pulled from the innumerable pigeonholes and racks lining the walls. Several rooms lie beneath the cella, entered through a narrow staircase.

With a hiss of hydraulics, the great temple doors slam shut behind characters who enter, and the ghost of Hypatia manifests, dripping blood and cackling. Exiting the regio before the Dominion rises once more may prove impossible while Hypatia exists.