Sorcery, Treason, and Plot

The characters prevent a magical murder attempt made on the King of Georgia, and they are charged to bring the perpetrator to justice. It is clear that magic was involved in the attempt (perhaps a character saved the king from a bolt of magical lightning), which makes the need to find the person behind it all the more urgent. If a Hermetic magus was responsible, then he is guilty of breaking the Code's prohibition on mundane interference, although a tribunal must determine whether he has brought ruin on his sodales and thus liable for censure. On the other hand, if it was not a Hermetic magus, then it was clearly someone with power that might be a threat to the Order of Hermes, in which case the investigation is all the more necessary.

Greater Armenia offers an attractive location for an Hermetic covenant, with its numerous isolated sites that have resisted mundane encroachment and may preserve high-level Magical auras. In addition, the chaotic politics of the region makes it easy to establish an independent presence, provided that the characters do not become so powerful as to pose a threat to neighboring political leaders.

On the other hand, setting up a covenant in the area is not without its challenges. The severe climate makes a covenant difficult to supply and support. In addition, as the current tribunals reach their limits in terms of how many Hermetic magi they can support, other magi may also be looking to set up covenants in the region and may challenge characters for the best sites.

mountains, high plains and valley basins. Its climate is very severe, with winters often lasting for over eight months. The country was conquered by the Muslims in the seventh century but managed to become an independent, tributary state in the mid-ninth century. However, soon it was torn by wars between the Muslims and the Byzantines, and in the tenth Century many Armenians migrated to Lesser (Cilician) Armenia in Asia Minor. Greater Armenia fell to the Turks in the 11th century and remains a contested area, for the Ayyubids have annexed some of its southern territories; the Byzantine Comneni retain part of it under the control of their empire at Trebizond, to the northwest; and the rest lies in the hands of local dynasties.

The population of Greater Armenia is mixed, consisting mainly of Greek and Armenian Christians and Turkish Muslims. They grow cereal crops, fish in the rivers, and mine various metals and minerals, including silver and salt. The area is also known for its weaving, dyeing, and embroidery.