Bear Island

Within the Propontis there stands a beetling island, just offshore from the fertile Phrygian domain, sloping down to the sea, with sea-washed isthmus, and sheer on the landward side. Its shores possess double promontories. It lies north of the Aidepos River, and dwellers round about call it Bear Mountain."

— Apollonios Rhodios, The Argonautika, lines 936–941

Bear Island is one of several locations the Greek hero Jason visited during his quest for the Golden Fleece. According to the epic poem Argonautica, Jason and his 54 Argonauts set sail in the Argo, a magical ship built for his voyage. They set out from Thessaly, and the Fleece waited in distant Colchis, on the far eastern shores of the Black Sea. Early in the voyage the Argonauts sailed to Bear Island to replenish their supplies. Landing at the city of Artakia's harbor, Fair Haven, Jason built a stone shrine to Athena to thank her for their safe voyage. King Kyzikos, the ruler of Bear Island, arrived and greeted the heroes before inviting them to a royal feast at his capital city, also named Kyzikos. Mooring in Kyzikos' City Harbor, the crew constructed a second shrine to Apollo of Landings, an aspect of the god revered by sailors, before enjoying the king's feast.

In the morning Jason led a group to Mount Dindymon, the island's tallest mountain, intending to view the eastern sea ahead of them. The rest of the crew sailed from City Harbor to Chytus Harbor, on the island's northeast shore. Protected by the Argonaut Herakles and a small crew, the Argo waited for the overland explorers. Before Jason could reach the summit, a tribe of savage, six-armed giants attacked the Argo. Called "Gegenees," the giants burst from the forest's edge and charged across the beach toward the ship. Herakles fought back as Jason hurried down the mountain to assist. The Gegenees tried to trap the Argo by clogging the harbor's exit with thrown boulders. The Argonauts fought the Gegenees with spear, bow, and sword, until all the Gegenees lay dead, their corpses littering the shore like felled trees.

Having regrouping at the ship, the Argonauts left the island. During the night fierce winds drove the Argo back to shore. As they landed in the dark, King Kyzikos thought the Argonauts were pirates and attacked them with the city guard. At the melee's climax, Jason ran a spear through King Kyzikos' chest. As dawn illuminated the beach, the men realized their error. The crew helped raise a mound to bury the king where he had fallen. After three days of mourning the Argonauts tried to leave, but the continuing tempest prevented their departure.

On the third night a halcyon, a mythical Greek bird, landed near the steersman and whispered the means of escape. The news was quickly reported to Jason. The Argonauts must climb Mount Dindymon and offer a sacrifice to appease the goddess Dindyméné, "mother of all the blessed gods." In the morning the crew climbed the mountain's forested slopes, ever watchful for more Gegenees. They found the mother goddess' sacred glen at the summit. Shipwright and carver Argos, builder of the Argo, sculpted a bust of the goddess from a massive vine stump, while the others built a stone shrine and decorated it with oak-leaf garlands. The crew danced and sang praises to Dindyméné, causing the goddess's assistants to appear. Called the Idaian Daktyls, renowned for their magic-craft, healing, and fantastical metalworking skills, the assistants accepted the bust and disappeared. The winds abated, Jason and his men returned to the Argo, and the crew rowed away from Bear Island.

As part of Jason's legend, Bear Island is fixed in the Sea of Marmara and the Theban Tribunal. Since this might not work for every troupe, an alternative location is provided. Inserting Bear Island in another medieval legend is difficult but not impossible, managed by extra doses of inventiveness and out-right fiction.

In the early sixth century the Irish monk Brendan the Navigator set sail heading west of Ireland for the fabled Isle of the Blessed, also known as the Promised Land of the Saints. Accompanied by fourteen monastic brothers, Brendan spent seven years at sea, visiting one fantastic island after another. Rechristened with an appropriate name — "the Isle of the Sleeping Fomóir" — Bear Island is easily relocated west of Ireland and in the Hibernian Tribunal.

In this fictitious addition to the legend of St. Brendan, the monk and his party mistakenly landed on the Isle of the Sleeping Fomóir, where they visited a community of monks. Warmly received, Brendan then scaled the island's mountain to view the western sea, but his trip was interrupted by vicious giants, their unnaturally large mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth, who chased him and his fellows from the island. Blown back to the island in the night, his vessel was mistaken for a pirate ship. The island's monks resisted its landing and the abbot was accidentally killed in the scuffle. After the funeral, a magic dove told Brendan that he needed to baptize the Fomóir, a magic creature roused from his slumbers at the mountain's summit. Carving a baptismal font, Brendan met with the Fomóir's underlings, an enslaved band of Tuatha Dé Danann faeries, and asked if he could meet the Fomóir. They agreed and Brendan baptized the entire group. The Fomóir went back to sleep and Brendan sailed away.

Story Seed: Ghost Stories

Ancient Greek, Doliónian, and Alexandrian ghosts haunt the ruins of Kyzikos. The particular ghost encountered depends on the situation and the troupes' needs. For example, a Doliónian ghost hampers the magi exploring the ruins, or the ghost of an Alexandrian engineer demands that the magi help him finish the bridge to the mainland. A ghost can act as the initial draw to get the players to the island. An elder magus asks the characters to travel to ruined Kyzikos to capture Thales of Miletus' ghost, one of the seven great sages of Greece, who died while vacationing there.

The Greeks call the island Arktonnessos (Bear Island) and Oros Arkton (Bear Mountain), using both terms interchangeably. Bear Island is a misnomer — it is a peninsula instead of an island — but its actually physical nature does not stop people from calling it an island. Sitting on the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara, Bear Island is in the Cappadocian area known as the Troad. 17 miles long from east to west, and nine miles wide, the island has a variety of terrains, including mountains, forests, coastal shores, plains, and a marsh. The interior is densely wooded mountains, uninhabited by men. Most of the island's citizens live in the coastal city of Artakia, although a hundred or so fishermen and their families live around the island's shores. Harbors line the coast. The majority of the harbors are small, with room for one or two small fishing vessels, while the few larger harbors can hold many ships.

Bear Island has a small population of natives, descendents of the original inhabitants, the Doliónes. Once a proud Greek city-state, the island was eventually conquered by Alexander the Great. He built two bridges to the mainland, hoping to increase the island's accessibility and importance, but this initiative was lost after Alexander's death. In the intervening years Kyzikos stayed unimportant and its population declined. In 1220, the city of Kyzikos is a ruin, its citizens having left and joined their neighbors in the city of Artakia. At one time fishing villages could be found around the island's coasts, tucked in the many natural harbors, but by 1220 they have dwindled to small groups of single family dwellings.

The Greek citizens are currently ruled by Latin conquerors, victors of the siege of Constantinople. The Latin presence is weak because Bear Island is a minor jewel in the commercial crown of the formerly Byzantine-controlled Mediterranean Sea. It is light duty for the oppressors, and dayto-day Greek life continues with little Latin interruption.

What the Magi Know

Though the Quest for the Golden Fleece is a well-known legend, the events of Bear Island are missing from most western renditions. Players may make an Intelligence + Area Lore: Anatolia or Area Lore: Theban Tribunal Lore roll. The legend is more popular in the east than the west, and an eastern magus receives a +3 bonus.

A player may also make an Intelligence + Artes Liberales roll, because Jason's legend is repeated in books of classical poetry. This roll is penalized by –6, because the Legend of the Golden Fleece is not popular or readily accessible.

It is possible for a character to receive both the bonus (as an eastern magus) and the penalty (for using Artes Liberales instead of an Area Lore).

Known by All

Easterners know that Bear Island sits on the south shore of the Sea of Marmara, one of a small cluster of islands that used to be prosperous but are now incidental.

Westerners probably don't know Bear Island; it is not a popular trade spot or regularly used by sea vessels for provisioning.

The island is currently ruled by the Latins, but as the Nicaea Empire pushes north many believe it will soon return to Byzantine hands.

Widely Known

Jason and his Argonauts visited Bear Island.

A tribe of savage giants used to live on Bear Island, a past it shares with several Mediterranean islands. Most firmly claim that Jason and Herakles killed them all, but others assert that members of the tribe remain.

The fabled halcyon has been spotted in the area, making its nest on the ocean waves.

Uncommon Knowledge

Argos, the builder of the enchanted Argo, carved a statue of the mother-goddess and gave it to her. Some suspect that the statue is imbued with magic powers.

There are several shrines to the pagan gods on Bear Island, including shrines to Athena and Apollo near the shore, and a shrine to the mother-goddess Dindyméné atop one of the island's mountains.

The easiest way to the top of Mt. Dindymon is along the Jasonian Way, the path Jason used when traveling from Kyzikos City to the summit.

Gold coins occasionally surface. These coins, called staters of Kyzikos, were a standard currency during the time of Alexander the Great, and treasure hunters still find secret caches of coins hidden on the island.

Lost Secrets

The titaness Dindyméné is bound beneath Mount Dindymon, trapped by Zeus and his siblings at the end of the Titanomachy, the War of the Titans in which the Faerie beings overthrew their Magic predecessors.

The Idaian Daktyls are ten mystical figures, metal-workers and healers who serve Dindyméné. In past times Greek wizards sought the Daktyls for magical secrets.

Artakia

The only inhabited town on the island, Artakia is a ghost of its former glory, having fared poorly since Jason's visit. The southern edge of town is protected by a high stone wall, which once circumvallated the entire town but has since been demolished elsewhere for other building needs. A large but ugly cathedral sits in the city center, home to the relics of St. Tryphaena of Kyzikos. A fortified stone tower stands nearby, home to the occupying force of Latin soldiers. Their leaders live in more luxurious nearby private residences. Artakia has a Dominion aura of 2.

Man-sized stones haphazardly dot the mouth of the bay that leads to Artakia's harbor, remains of a past attack by wandering Gegenees. Called Fair Haven, the harbor sees some commercial traffic as the city exports olives from the surrounding groves. Artakia's merchants have contacts throughout the Sea of Marmara, and their commercial ventures bring a variety of goods to the island. Most of the bridge built by Alexander the Great has collapsed, although columns that once served as the substructure run for a short distance offshore. The handful of moderately successful merchants live in guarded villas just outside town.

Kyzikos

Once an important commercial seaport, Kyzikos is in ruins in the 13th century. Proud and prosperous, the city once minted its own distinctive currency, a gold coin called a "stater." Now Kyzikos is tumbled columns, fallen walls, and broken marble arches. Kyzikos has changed hands many times in her tumultuous history, from independent city-state to Athenian and Spartan subsidiary; she was later held by Persians before being reclaimed by Alexander the Great. A shining jewel in the Roman-controlled Mediterranean, she fell to Arab invaders in the seventh century. Byzantine soldiers wrestled her back into the Byzantine Empire, but the basileus' rule was short-lived.

These significant political upheavals pale in comparison to the more literal upheaval of the earth. Several major earthquakes have struck Kyzikos, the most recent in 1063, and the citizens have never been able to repair the damage. They stopped trying with the Latin invasion of Constantinople and Anatolia, and the meager population migrated to Artakia.

Explorers can discern the general plan of the city, and amid the stony debris can find remnants of forums, columned walks, arcades, temples, and an amphitheater. Eerily, one of the better preserved buildings is the necropolis that sits to the south of the city. The harbor, called City Harbor, is serviceable in an emergency, although careless pilots run afoul of submerged rocks and ruins. Alexander the Great's second bridge begins here and runs a few hundred feet out to sea before ending.

Harbors

Besides the several dozen natural coves and anchor points along Bear Island, there are three main ports. City Harbor in Kyzikos was the first and most famous, but is now ignored and unused. Fair Haven in Artakia sees all the island's trade, serving as the sole point of commercial access. The infrequently used Chytus Harbor sits on the island's eastern tip and is large enough to hold several ships at once.

Most landings go unnoticed. Only at Fair Haven are incoming ships seen by the harbormaster. Bear Island's many unwatched harbors maker the island a favorite hiding spot for pirates and other clandestine activities.

Past the beaches of white sand, the island's interior is rough and rugged. A thick forest mantle cloaks the mountain range that runs west to east. Mount Klapsi sits in the west, followed by the double-peaked Mount Dindymon, with Bear Mountain to the east. The interior is dangerous wilderness. Mount Klapsi and Bear Mountain are tall, rising nearly as high in elevation as Mount Dindymon. Wooded and steeply sloped, both are home to wild boars, bears, and the occasional lion. Travelers are rare, and even the island's inhabitants refuse to enter the dense, deep forests. Mt. Dindymon is home to the titaness, is described in detail later.

The Isthmus

Bridging the short gap to the mainland is a low-lying, swampy isthmus. Travel along it is difficult, and avoided. At one point in time a channel was cut through the isthmus to allow maritime passage, but it was blocked and filled in a thousand years ago. Since then the isthmus as served as a natural defense for the islanders.

Bear Island has all four types of supernatural auras. A large Dominion aura is centered on the cathedral dedicated to St. Tryphaena, set in the middle of Artakia. A powerful Infernal aura surrounds the Leimonian Plain's burial mound. Faerie auras are numerous and include most of the sites Jason visited. Magic auras can be found at the peak of Mt. Dindymon and at the source of the Spring of Artakia.

The Cathedral of St. Tryphaena

Found in the center of Artakia, the Cathedral of St. Tryphaena is large, squat, and ugly. It is the largest building on Bear Island, since earthquakes have reduced the larger, older buildings in Kyzikos City to rubble. Built on the traditional cross-pattern plan of most cathedrals, the altar stands in the east and the porch in the west. The relics of St. Tryphaena are located in several gold reliquaries along the nave. The cathedral has a Dominion aura of 5.

Tryphaena was a married woman who lived in Kyzikos City during the first century. Devoted to Christ, she refused to worship the Roman gods and was sentenced to death. Divine miracles repeatedly saved Tryphaena, first from an oven, then from impalement on Roman spears, and later from drowning. Finally, the Roman soldiers threw her in the arena, where she was torn apart by an angry bull. The Church quickly canonized the martyr, and St. Tryphaena is the patron saint of Kyzikos and Bear Island. St. Tryphaena is a local saint, as described in Realms of Power: The Divine Revised Edition, pages 85–89. She is active in her worshipers' lives and is frequently called upon to aid those in need. Her most common miracles cure the sick and allow mothers who cannot produce milk to breast-feed their children.

Story Seed: The Initiation of Mithras

The Legion of Mithras is one of the Order of Hermes' more popular Mystery Cults (Mystery Cults Revised Edition, page 118). Several of the cults' Initiation Scripts require initiates to visit sites made famous by ancient heroes. The locations of Herakles' adventures are often exploited for these scripts. One script in particular requires an Initiate to travel to Chytus Harbor and slay a giant while there. A Flambeau magus asks the magi for help getting to the island, although they can't help him fight the sole giant he expects to meet. Of course, as a tribe of Gegenees inhabits the nearby wood, the magus will need assistance.

THE SHRINE OF JASONIAN ATHENA AND THE ALTAR OF APOLLO OF LANDINGS

Jason built two shrines on Bear Island. The first, at Artakia's Fair Haven harbor, was dedicated to Athena, and the second, built at Kyzikos' City Harbor, was dedicated to Apollo of Landings, a particular traveling aspect of the god. Both shrines are waist-high piles of stacked stones, and at both Jason offered thanks and libations to his pagan protectors. The sites have been maintained over the years, and while no one worships at the sites, they serve as notable reminders of the island's past.

Anchors to Jason's story, just as they were once anchors to the Argo, both shrines have a Faerie aura of 1, which extends several paces in diameter from the shrines. The altar of Apollo of Landings at City Harbor marks one of the termini of the Jasonian Way (see later).

CHYTUS HARBOR

Also called Mole Harbor and Bar Harbor, this man-made harbor lies on the island's eastern-most shore. Here, several thousand years ago, Herakles made a stand against the attacking Gegenees, protecting the Argo until Jason's relief force arrived. One of the more violent episodes of Jason's voyage, Chytus Harbor has gained notoriety among those familiar with the legend.

The harbor is a focal point for the Gegenees's glamor and has a Faerie aura of 3.

Chytus Harbor is littered with large boulders, many visible along the shoreline and many more laying just below the surf. The remnants of the battle against the Argonauts, several of the boulders contain the external vis of the Gegenees, as do other boulders scattered around the island. There are a thousand boulders in Chytus Harbor, many of them hidden underwater. How many of these hold vis depends on how many Gegenees you need for your saga: 50 for a low powered saga, 200 for a medium powered saga, and 1,000 or more for a high powered saga.

The Gegenees are linked to the boulders, and instantly know if the rocks are moved or threatened, physically or magically. Molesting the vessels of their external vis produces an all-out assault as the forest erupts with howling, rancorous giants.

THE SPRING OF ARTAKIA AND THE FUGITIVE STONE

The Spring of Artakia lies northwest of Artakia city, on a promontory that overlooks both coast and town. A small stream flows from the spring, through the city, and enters the sea at Fair Haven Harbor. The spring is beautiful, crystal clear, and perfectly tucked beneath a stony cleft that highlights its visual appeal. The natural perfection has generated a Magic aura of 2 around the spring and the immediate pool of water. Two pawns of Aquam vis can be harvested from the spring on each equinox and solstice.

On the coast, where the stream empties into the sea, is the large rock that the Argonauts used as a mooring stone when first landing. Since their departure, this rock has roamed, rolling itself along the coast to new locations. The Doliónes routinely retrieved the stone, wanting to keep it in place as a memento of Jason's visit. Tiring of this activity, they eventually affixed it to a lead chain attached to Artakia's city hall.

The stone, which is called the Fugitive or Wandering Stone, is a Magic Might 10 creature, whose sole power is the ability to move. The knee-high, round boulder's only Ability is Area Lore: Bear Island 3, and characters who can talk to stone can ask questions about the island. When loose, it rolls as fast as a quick walk. The stone is looking for Jason, longing to again anchor his magic ship.

THE LEIMONIAN PLAIN

Also called the Meadow, the Leimonian Plain is a large, grassy area between Kyzikos and the Thracian Harbor. A frequent battle-ground between the Doliónes and their enemies, its most famous battle was between the Doliónes and the Argonauts. The Doliónes erected a tumulus for their king and the Argonauts participated in the accompanying funeral feasts. During the second evening of the three-day feast the king's wife, Kleité, hanged herself from a makeshift pole stuck in the tumulus. Her suicide compounded the Doliónes' grief and ultimately intensified the Infernal aura created by the two deaths.

The tumulus rests near the center of the plain. King Kyzikos' burial mound is approximately 8 feet high with a diameter of 20–25 feet. The top is covered in grass and the sides show exposed stones, stacked and seamed with hard-packed dirt. The mound has an Infernal aura of 4, which extends 5 yards past the mound's circumference. Twice a year the stones seep black blood, on the anniversary of King Kyzikos's death (29 May) and the anniversary of Kleité's suicide (1 June). This blood can be collect and used as infernally-tainted Perdo vis. Each effluence generates four pawns of vis sordida (Reams of Power: Infernal, page 18).

THE THRACIAN HARBOR

One of the small, natural harbors found on Bear Island, the Thracian Harbor is where the Argo was blown back to shore after leaving, following the battle with the Gegenees. Located on the eastern side of the isthmus, the Thracian Harbor was a favorite landing point for the island's enemies. It is a short journey from the harbor, across the Leimonian Plain, to Kyzikos City.

Dindyméné calmed the winds for Jason and allowed the Argonauts to leave, but a lingering aftereffect in the Thracian Harbor is a stiff breeze that always blows. Consequently it is easy to sail into the harbor and impossible to sail out. All exiting traffic must row until it leaves the harbor. Over the centuries the constant, circling magic wind has generated a Magic aura of 2 in the harbor.

Story Seed: Like a Rolling Stone

While the magi are otherwise occupied, the city magistrate asks the grogs for assistance. The Fugitive Stone has broken its chain and left, and the magistrate would rather ask the player characters than his Latin overseers. The trail is easy follow. The Fugitive Stone has rolled into a small cove where a pirate ship has landed. The pirates are relaxing on the beach when the grogs arrive. Can the grogs defeat the pirates and return the Fugitive Stone before the Latin overlords notice its absence?

Story Seed: In Through the Backdoor

The faerie forest regio is large and uncharted, and could easily connect to any other faerie regio in the troupe's saga. Characters might accidentally wander onto the Jasonian Way while lost in another faerie forest. Since the faerie otherworld ignores mundane geography, characters from anywhere in Mythic Europe could find themselves lost on Bear Island.

Mount Dindymon and the Temenos of Dindyméné

Mount Dindymon is a two-peaked mountain, with peaks at the north and south and a small wooded hollow between. The highest point on Bear Island, both summits offer a commanding view. On a clear day a viewer can see the Hellespont to the west, across the sea to Thrace and the city of Rodosto, and east to the Bosporus Straights and Constantinople. Mount Dindymon's steep slopes are covered in a dense forest of oak and pine trees. The forest's closed canopy hides the rough terrain in shadows, making the rocky climb difficult and time consuming. Trails are nonexistent — except for the supernatural Jasonian Way — and explorers must forge their own arduous path up the mountain.

The Temenos of Dindyméné sits in the center of the hollow formed by the two summits. Temenos (plural temene) is a Greek word that means a piece of land reserved for a royal or religious purpose, like a sacred grove or holy sanctuary. Fifteen ancient oak and chestnut trees stand around a gravel circle, with a mound of small stacked stones in the center. The temenos has both a Magic aura of 3 and a Faerie aura of 3. The temenos' Magic aura is older and suppresses the Faerie aura most of the time.

The temenos is also the doorway to a Magic regio and a Faerie regio. Because the Magic aura overrides the Faerie aura, it is usually easier to enter the Magic regio than the Faerie regio. At certain times of the year, however, the Faerie aura increases to 4 and suppresses the Magic aura. These times of the year are the anniversary of the Argo's landing (27 May), the summer and winter solstices, and the dates of various ancient festivals to the pagan gods. These last dates are not specified, to facilitate ease of play, and the happy coincidence that the characters arrive on the eve of a forgotten festival, which would make it easier to enter the Faerie regio rather than the Magic regio.

Jason's visit left indelible marks on the supernatural landscape, and almost every magical physical feature is connected to the Argonaut's adventure on Bear Island.

The Jasonian Way

The Jasonian Way is a faerie regio that runs from the Altar of Apollo of Landings at City Harbor to Mount Dindymon. Formed from Jason's initial inland foray, is the easiest and fastest way to reach the summit. Other, mundane, routes take longer and are more dangerous. Most citizens know that the easiest path to the summit is the path Jason took, although his path is not easily found. Sometimes it is there and sometimes it isn't. The storyguide should drop hints that a regio pathway exists at City Harbor.

The regio's entrances are at its termini, either the end at the harbor or the point near the summit. Both lie in a Faerie aura, which offers travelers the chance to find the regio. The majority of the path exists solely in the regio, with no related path in the mundane realm. Because the Jasonian Way is so strongly attached to Faerie, without a mundane counterpart, the regio has a Faerie aura of 7. Entering the Jasonian Way is more difficult at City Harbor (Faerie aura 1) than the summit's Faerie regio (Faerie aura 6), because the harbor has a weaker Faerie aura than the temenos. Exiting the trail is easy and a traveler can always see the shimmering boundary that separates the regio from the Faerie aura.

The regio trail looks similar to other hunting paths on the island. When travelers set out, the trail's lighting and temperature resemble dawn. It takes four hours to travel the trail, no matter what the characters do to expedite this process. Midway through the journey the air grows hot and the sun stands overhead in the noon position. As the journey ends, the lighting fades like the setting sun and the air cools. Mundane means up the mountain take three or four times longer and are fraught with chance encounters with bears, lions, and Gegenees.

The only danger on the Jasonian Way is leaving the path and entering a vast faerie forest. Off the path the woods are dark and mysterious. Little light penetrates the dense foliage, and thick creepers and tangled undergrowth hinders movement. Hundreds of Gegenees live in the faerie forest, offering a never-ending supply of antagonists. The Gegenees cannot enter the Jasonian Way and must travel between the faerie forest and the island's mundane forest using their own faerie powers.

Entering the Temenos of Dindyméné's Regiones

Both the Faerie and Magic regiones can be entered from the temenos, which has a predominant Magic aura of 3. A permanent path leads from the temenos to the Faerie regio, regardless of the temenos' current aura. One of the chestnuts surrounding the temenos is rotten, with a hole in its trunk that passes through the tree. The hole is at the base of the tree and about 3 feet in diameter. A character who circles the grove ten times, walking counterclockwise outside the ring of trees, and then crawls on his hands and knees through the hole in the chestnut enters the Faerie regio. Some of Artakia's citizens know this secret, notably the more rambunctious youths, who learned it from their grandparents. There is no a similar procedure to enter the Magic regio, as far as any of the locals know.

Explores can also find the regio entrances with Hermetic spells, Second Sight, and Magic Sensitivity. The spell Pierce the Faerie Veil detects the Faerie regio, and its variant, Pierce the Magic Veil, highlights the Magic regio. To see either boundary, have the player make a Regio Sight Roll (ArM5, page 189). Under the Temenos of Dindyméné's Magic aura, the Ease Factor to see the Magic regio is 11 and to see the Faerie regio is 23. When the temenos has a Faerie aura of 4, the Ease Factor to see the Magic regio is 25 and to see the Faerie regio is 9.

THE FAERIE REGIO OF DINDYMÉNÉ

The temenos atop Mount Dindymon leads to two regiones, one Faerie and one Magic. The Faerie regio, home to the Idaian Daktyls, resembles the temenos, although the area penned in by the trees is much greater. More than a hundred trees circle an area containing ten huts, each built from large boulders or logs, cleverly constructed from the unrefined building material. The stone huts house the five male Daktyls and the log huts are the females' homes. Sounds and odors emanate from within, hissing and clanging and acidic coal smoke from the stone huts, and gurgling, pungent, potion-brewing byproducts from the log huts.

The Faerie regio has a Faerie aura of 6. It sits in a unique position, stacked with a Magic aura and Magic regio, reflecting how the Idaian Daktyls have positioned themselves as intercessors between the magical goddess and her human worshipers. The Daktyls are hostile toward intruders, although invited visitors receive a cautious welcome.

THE MAGIC REGIO OF DINDYMÉNÉ

With a Magic aura of 6, the Magic regio is an enlarged copy of the Temenos of Dindyméné. Visitors initially suspect that they have shrunk; everything around them is huge. Fifteen immense oak and chestnut trees surround an area large enough for a village. The corresponding altar of stacked stones is as large as a tower. The bucolic sense of peace and serenity found in the mundane realm is also intensified. Entering characters gain a new Personality Trait, Calm +2, unless they have supernatural abilities derived from the Magic realm, which includes the Gift.

The Magic regio is uninhabited. Seven pawns of Herbam vis grow annually in the trees surrounding the grove, manifesting in the seven largest acorns produced in the year. The stacked stone alter produces five pawns of Terram vis each year, vis collecting in five of the hundreds of crushed stones that rest against the alter.

THE XOANON OF DINDYMÉNÉ

A xoanon is a wooden or marble effigy carved to resemble a particular god or goddess. Argos, the legendary craftsman who built Jason's ship, carved the Xoanon of Dindyméné from a stump of ivy and enchanted it with special powers. Standing 3 feet high and weighing approximately 40 pounds, the xoanon looks like a plump woman with an emphasis on her maternal breasts and hips, sitting on a throne, hands resting on the heads of a pair of crouching lions.

Anyone holding the xoanon can trigger its powers — which are aligned to the Magic realm — as long as the holder knows the proper command phrase. The first power creates a bear or lion, the type of beast chosen by the summoner. The second power forces a beast to follow the summoner's commands for a day. The final power causes a powerful thunder and lightning storm to manifest overhead. Each of the xoanon's powers can be activated once per day. The xoanon can be studied in a Hermetic laboratory as per the rules found in ArM5, page 100. The equivalent Hermetic Lab Total for the first power is 35 (Creo Animal base 15, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 size adjustment), for the second power is 40 (Rego Animal base 15, +2 Voice, +2 Sun, +1 size adjustment), and for the final power 25 (as the Hermetic spell Clouds of Rain and Thunder, ArM5 page 126).

The Xoanon of Dindyméné is an essential part of the ceremonies that wake the titaness and put her back to sleep. Because of its importance the Daktyls keep it hidden in one of their huts.

Bear Island has a range of supernatural inhabitants.

There are several ways to bring characters to the island. Small and fairly accessible, the island holds treasure, ancient lore, unclaimed vis sites, faeries, and a sleeping titaness. Characters hearing of the island's legends might want to investigate for themselves. Other magi, especially storyguide characters, might ask the player characters to investigate for them.

It is relatively easy to learn about Bear Island, especially if a magus lives in or has friends in the Thebes Tribunal. While not as popular as the Trojan War or Aeneas' travels, the legend of the Golden Fleece is available in certain circles. Copies of Apollonios Rhodios' poem Argonautika exist in some of the libraries of the Thebes and Levant Tribunals. Both Apollodorus' Library and Hyginus' Fabulae contain a summary of the legend, and while the slaying of Kyzikos is mentioned, the sacrifice to Dindyméné is not. Western magi, particularly those in the Iberian and Roman Tribunals, can more easily find the plagiarist Valerius Flaccus' Argonautika, a dull but accurate rendition of Apollonios' work. Both texts are tractati of Faerie Lore, Quality 6.

The Theban Redcaps are the most likely source of information on Bear Island. Among their recorded journals and tallies of deeds kept at their covenant, Alexandria, are directions to and descriptions of the island. Specifics are limited. The Temenos of Dindyméné is mentioned, and the suspicion that magi might be able to interact with her. A few hasty entries say that past magi searched unsuccessfully for the xoanon.

The Sea of Marmara is busy. Her waves carry merchants, warriors, pilgrims, and pirates. Just north of the Holy Land and near the western end of the Silk Road, all sorts of vessels could accidentally end up beached on Bear Island's shores. As in the original myth, characters are blown to the island and trapped, as high winds continue to keep their ship bound to the coast. Other vessels are also trapped, and if the shipowners know that the player characters are magi they might ask them for help. To escape with their ship, the characters need to propitiate Dindyméné, just as Jason did. They do not necessarily have to build a xoanon, but must somehow convince the Daktyls to quell Dindyméné's imprisoning winds.

Few magi are interested in monetary loot, but companions and grogs can be. Sailors say that chests full of lost Kyzikos staters are buried on the island. Depending on the proximity to the covenant, the group's companion or grog characters might mount a quick expedition to Bear Island, and quickly find that they need the help of the magi.

Dindyméné's xoanon is a powerful, pre-Hermetic artifact. Magi interested in ancient magical treasures might search for the xoanon, as might original researchers, collectors, and those in need of its reputed powers. Such a search leads to Bear Island and the summit of Mt. Dindymon. The Daktyls need the xoanon in case they want to wake Dindyméné, and do not allow it to be taken. If their Faerie regio is threatened, they carry the xoanon down the Jasonian Way, and at some point along its length veer off the path into the vast faerie forest, hiding it somewhere in the woods.

The halcyon is a legendary bird, especially among the sailors of the Thebes Tribunal. Legendary creatures make good familiars, and a magus hearing of the bird might want it. A magus searching for the halcyon is certain to run into the island's supernatural inhabitants, especially since the bird eats the Magic regio's vis. On nights of the full moon she visits the Magic regio to eat Herbam or Terram vis, depending on her gastronomic mood. When not in the Magic regio or making her nest at sea, the bird lives in the branches of the faerie forest, and the only way to find her is to wander off the Jasonian Way.

The Idaian Daktyls are well versed in ancient Mystery Cults, especially those once used by supplicants to commission faerie aid. Their insight into arcane mysteries can transfer to other cults. Inquisitive cult members may use this knowledge to invent new Initiation Scripts for their Mystery Cult. Their secrets could create Mystery Initiation scripts or improve Hermetic magic. Houses Verditius (crafting) and Tytalus (leper healers) might be most interested, but Hermetic researchers (Bonisagus) would also enjoy meeting the Daktyls.

Inventing a new mystery cult script takes at least a season (see Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults and The Mysteries Revised Edition). Gruff and belligerent, the Daktyls must be convinced to participate. They can be bribed with magic items, trade instruction for services, or form other types of faerie bargains. They might hold a contest to see who is the better crafter or physician, they or the inquisitive magus.

Many of the islands of the Thebes Tribunal contain monsters. The horrendous Scylla lives in a large rock off the coast of Italy, cyclopes inhabit the island of Hypereia, and sea nymphs slip from the sea's silvery depths to sun themselves on island beaches. The sixarmed Gegenees are part of the tribunal's collection of bloodcurdling fiends. Flambeau trophy-hunters would be happy to hang a few Gegenes heads from their doorway.

In the Jason myth, the heroes killed hundreds of Gegenees. In accordance with that role, a faerie Gegenes leaves his former body behind once slain, and his essence returns to the underwater rock that hold his external vis. The faerie then crafts a new body out of faerie glamor, a process that takes an indeterminate amount of time. Although this is still the same faerie, it is possible for the new body to view the old, if it so desires. The corpse left behind does not contain any vis, and is solid for several years before dispersing into faerie nothingness. In the short-term, a trophy hunter can find an unlimited supply of Gegenees to hunt.

The unique feature of Bear Island, beyond her treasures, lore and interesting faeries, is Dindyméné, the sleeping titaness. Hearing that a titaness is bound beneath Mount Dindymon, either through interactions with the island's population or from Hermetic information networks, a magus might want to purposefully wake Dindyméné. Several motivations exist. A magus might want to control the titaness as a soldier in his personal retinue, another might want to learn from the titaness, while perhaps a third simply wants to set her free and see what happens. Imprisoned by Zeus and his siblings long ago, Dindyméné can only be awoken or bound by a specific faerie ritual.

The Daktyls can wake Dindyméné by using an ancient ceremony, which all ten must perform in the Magic regio atop Mt. Dindymon. A similar ritual puts the titaness to sleep. Circling around the xoanon of Dindyméné, the ten dance and chant. This is part of the Daktyls' role, and they can do it automatically. Other characters may try, if they have the xoanon. The player whose character is leading the dance must make a Faerie Lore + Communication + stress die against an Ease Factor of 18. Watching the Daktyls perform the ceremony prior to an attempt grants a +3 bonus to the roll. Including a Daktyl in the ceremony grants a +1 per included Daktyl to the roll.

Wake Dindyméné: Faerie Lore + Communication + stress die vs. 18

If successful, Dindyméné either wakes or falls asleep, depending on the character's intent. On a failure, nothing happens, but a botch could have varied results. A sleeping Dindyméné might not wake for 100 years, remaining unaffected by future ritual attempts during that time. An awake and calm Dindyméné might attack the dancers. The xoanon might crack and need to be repaired by a magical craftsman before it can be used again.

Use the same formula if characters try to put Dindyméné to sleep, but increase the Ease Factor to 21. As before, the Daktyls can automatically succeed at the ceremony that returns the titaness to slumber.

If roused from her slumber, the Daimon titaness sends an Aspect of herself to Bear Island. She is initially hostile, recalling her defeat and long imprisonment. She becomes congenial after slaking her initial wrath, although that could take some time and Bear Island is bound to suffer under her rage. Forcing Dindyméné to sleep instantly cancels the Daimon's Aspect on Bear Island. The Daimon cannot send another Aspect until woken again.

Magi have various ways of binding and controlling magic spirits, and any of these could work. Dindyméné is powerful and any such attempts will need to penetrate her 75 Magic Resistance. Rules for interacting with Daimons are found in Realms of Power: Magic, page 102.

Gegenes

A Gegenes (pl: Gegenees) is a sixarmed aboriginal living on the forested slopes of the mountains of Bear Island. The Gegenees roam the woods in packs, ever eager to find and destroy intruders. While not purposefully protecting the Temenos of Dindyméné, their savage nature keeps visitors away. There are no females or children, only fierce male Gegenees warriors.

Faerie Might: 20 (Terram)

Characteristics: Int –3, Per +1, Pre –2, Com –3, Str +9, Sta +3, Dex +3, Qik –1

Size: +3

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Monstrous Appearance; External Vis, Huge; Improved Damage (stones), Improved Soak, Personal Power; Narrowly Cognizant; Traditional Ward (holy symbols of Poseidon: trident, horses, and sea shells)

Personality Traits: Violent +3, Persistent +2

Combat:

Club (individual): Init 0, Attack +13, Defense +8, Damage +12

Club (group): Init 0, Attack +19, Defense +8, Damage +12

Dodge: Init –1, Attack n/a, Defense +4, Damage n/a

Thrown Stone (individual): Init –1, Attack +11, Defense +6, Damage +16

Thrown Stone (group): Init –1, Attack +17, Defense +6, Damage +16

Soak: +5

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–8), –3 (9–16), –5 (17–24), Incapacitated (25–32), Dead (33+)

Pretenses: Area Lore: Bear Island 1 (Chytus Harbor), Athletics 2 (running), Awareness 2 (intruders), Brawl 4 (dodging), Hunt 1 (tracking), Greek 1 (cursing), Leadership 1 (combining personal attacks), Single Weapon 7 (club), Thrown Weapon 6 (stone)

Powers:

Enter the Faerie Forest, 3 points, Init –4, Terram: This power allows the Gegenes to enter and leave the faerie forest regio on Bear Island at will. After invoking this power the Gegenes sinks into the ground in one realm, either faerie forest or mundane forest, and rises in the other. This power only works on Bear Island, and does not allow traveling Gegenes to enter other faerie forest regiones.

(Level 25, no Hermetic equivalent)

Equipment: Large club and possibly a boulder.

Vis: Four pawns of Terram vis in one of the boulders that lie scattered around Chytus Harbor.

Appearance: Dull-witted and monstrous, a Gegenes stands 12 feet tall and weighs almost a ton. Two arms come from either shoulder, with two more sets of arms attached beneath the first at the ribcage. His only equipment are his weapons: a large branch rent from a tree and a large boulder suitable for launching.

A Gegenes has three attacks, which he can deliver against separate targets within reach or a single target. If he decides to attack a single target, the three attacks count as one group attack, and in this situation the storyguide makes a single attack and defense roll using the stats listed under the "weapon (group)." This attack is treated as a trained group, since a single mind coordinates all three attacks, and receives a bonus. This attack also delivers group damage, inflicting 3 wounds if the attack is successful. A Gegenes's attacks are natural and do not need to Penetrate Magic Resistance.

Gegenees can also form groups in combat. Up to six Gegenees can combine in an untrained group; Gegenees are too wild to practice together and form trained groups. When joined in a melee group, use the "weapon (group)" stats and make a single attack and defense roll. If any wounds result from an attack, multiply the number of wounds delivered by three (for each faerie's combined personal attacks) and the number of Gegenees in the group.

The Gegenees live in the forested hills of Bear Mountain, and constantly watch Chytus Harbor, which both serves the legendary role they play and safeguards their external vis. Savage to the core, they attack any who land.

Dindyméné, the Mother-Goddess

The titaness Dindyméné is called many names throughout the Thebes Tribunal: Kybélé in Phrygia, Kubaba in Anatolia, and Rhea on mainland Greece. Daughter of Uranus and Gaia, the primordial sky and earth gods, Dindyméné is the mother of Zeus and his siblings. Besides being the gods' mother, she embodies fertility, mountains, nature, and wild beasts.

Dindyméné is a kosmokrator, one of the primal spirits of the Magic Realm. Like all kosmokrators, she is a Daimon. As a permanent resident of the Magic Realm, Dindyméné can only appear in the material world as an Aspect of herself, a physical representation of the titaness. Once created, the Aspect is separate from the Diamon, and whatever happens to it does not affect the actual titaness. The Aspect cannot refresh its Magic Might pool, but if Dindyméné is awake — which she has to be for the Aspect to appear — she can cancel the old Aspect and create a new Aspect at will. The new Aspect has a refreshed Magic Might pool and does not have any wounds or injuries that the old Aspect might have. Due to the conditions of her imprisonment, Dindyméné's Aspect can only appear on the summit of Mt. Dindymon.

Magic Might: 75 (Vim)

Characteristics: Int +2, Per –3, Pre +1, Com +1, Str +12, Sta +3, Dex 0, Qik –6

Size: +5

Confidence Score: 6 (13)

Season: Winter

Virtues and Flaws: Daimon; Magical Master: Summon Animals*, Animal Ken, Inoffensive to Animals, Voice of Bear Island**; Wrathful; Anchored to Bear Island**, Hatred (to those who imprisoned her), 4 x Slow Power***, Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 105.

** Realms of Power: Magic, page 47

*** All of Dindyméné's Terram powers are Slow Powers (Realms of Power: Magic, page 50), and take an additional round to invoke.

Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: 8 x Greater Power, No Fatigue, 3 x Ritual Power; Improved Abilities, 10 x Improved Attack (cudgel), 5 x Improved Confidence, 5 x Improved Damage (cudgel), Improved Recovery, 7 x Improved Soak, 10 x Improved Defense (cudgel)

Personality Traits: Wrathful +3, Fertile +2, Hates Jailors +2

Combat:

Dodge: Init –6, Attack n/a, Defense +1, Damage n/a

Bludgeon: Init –6, Attack +10, Defense +2, Damage +13

Cudgel: Init –5, Attack +31, Defense +22, Damage +27

Soak: +17

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–10), –3 (11–20), –5 (21–30), Incapacitated (31–40), Dead (50+)

Abilities: Animal Ken 5 (lions), Area Lore: Anatolia 5 (animals), Area Lore: Bear Island 5 (animals), Area Lore: Greece 5 (worship sites), Athletics 1 (running), Awareness 6 (lions), Brawl 7 (bludgeon), Concentration 4 (Terram powers), Faerie Lore 3 (Daktyls), Folk Ken 4 (pregnant women), Great Weapon 6 (cudgel), Greek 5 (homemaker terms), Magic Lore 6 (history of the titans), Penetration 5 (Auram), Summon Animals 9 (lions)

Powers:

Breath of the Angry Goddess, 5 points, Init –11, Auram: Strong winds circle the island, preventing anyone from sailing away. Even rowing is difficult, and ships' crews must make a Strength + Athletics stress roll against an Ease Factor of 15 to succeed. Failure costs a long-term Fatigue level and botching capsizes the vessel.

(Base 5, +3 Sight, +2 Sun, +3 Size, +1 unnatural)

Crest of the Earth Wave, 1 point, Init –4, Terram: Similar to the Hermetic spell, Dindyméné's version is at Range: Sight, (ArM5 page 156). Rather than beginning at the goddess' feet, the effect begins at the Sacred Grove.

Foul Weather made Fair, 5 points, Init —11, Auram: This power cancels Dindyméné's Breathe of the Angry Goddess power. It can also be used to stop a natural storm.

(Base 5, +3 Sight, +2 Sun, +3 Size, +1 unnatural)

Heed the Mistress' Command, 1 point, Init –8, Animal: This power forces an animal to follow Dindyméné's commands for a day.

(Base 15, +2 Voice, +2 Sun)

Teeth of the Earth Mother, 2 points, Init –10, Terram: This signature power is similar to the Hermetic version of the same name, but at Range: Sight, (ArM5 page 154).

The Animal's Tongue, 5 points, Init –16, Vim: Dindyméné can grant the Minor Supernatural Virtue: Animal Ken to a deserving recipient. The effect can be temporary or permanent, as described in Realms of Power: Magic, page 39.

(No Hermetic equivalent: Ritual Power)

The Earth Split Asunder, 1 point, Init –7, Terram: Like the Hermetic spell but at Range: Sight, (ArM5 page 156).

The Goddess's Companion, 5 points, Init –16, Animal: This ritual power creates a mundane bear, which is not automatically friendly to Dindyméné.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +1 Size, Ritual)

The Goddess's Protector, 5 points, Init –16, Animal: This ritual power creates a mundane lion, which is not automatically friendly to Dindyméné.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +1 Size, Ritual)

The Incantation of Lightning, 2 points, Init –10, Auram: Similar to the Hermetic spell but at Range: Sight (ArM5 page 126).

The Wrath of the Earth Mother, 3 points, Init –10, Terram: This effect causes a severe earthquake to shake the island. The shaking begins slowly and increases in successive rounds. The earthquake reaches its full potential in five rounds, toppling buildings and causing +15 Damage to the inhabitants. Those who succeed at a Dexterity stress roll against an Ease Factor of 9 avoid the worst of the earthquake and take only +5 Damage.

(Base 3, +2 Voice, +1 Conc, +4 Boundary, +3 Size)

Vis: 15 pawns of Vim vis coalesce in 15 beads woven into Dindyméné's corporeal form's hair.

Appearance: Dindyméné's Aspect looks like a plump woman, with round thighs, heavy breasts, and brown skin. Her long, curly hair is bound atop her head in a stylistic pyramid of cords and hung beads. She wears a linen peplos (inner tunic).

Imprisoned by Zeus and his siblings, the titaness has not woken in thousands of years. She has limited, dreamlike consciousness of her island and occasionally invokes her weather powers to harass its inhabitants. However, the islanders' actions are unconnected to the foul weather. Dreaming Dindyméné lashes out against her memories, the torturous nightmares of Zeus's rebellion and her imprisonment in the earth, rather than anything the villages do.

Covenant Boons and Looks

If the Magic temenos is used as a covenant site, the location has preexisting Boons and Hooks. Adjust these Boons and Hooks in accordance with developments in your saga. If the players have killed Dindyméné, for example, the Hook: Monster no longer applies.

Boons: Major Site: Regio (Magic regio), Minor Site: Seclusion, Minor External Relations: Ungoverned, Free Fortification: Island

Hooks: Major Site: Monster (sleeping Dindyméné), Minor Site: Regio (Faerie regio), Minor Surroundings: Legendary Site.

Story Seed: A Conflict in the Choir

The Daktyls do not always get along. Several Daktyls decide to parade the xoanon through the streets of Artakia to remind the people of Dindyméné. Thinking that this is a bad idea, two other Daktyls take the xoanon and hide it. The remaining eight use Dindyméné's powers to shake the island, hoping the two recalcitrant Daktyls will return the xoanon. They don't. The magi are asked to help.

Bear Island is more than a simple setting for a single adventure. Magi might return of their own volition, or consequences of their first visit might draw them back to the island. Having successfully survived the island and learned its secrets, magi might want to make it their home.

halcyon, Magic Bird

The mythical halcyon is a small sea bird, about the size of a cuckoo or dove. Building a floating nest, the bird lays eggs during the winter solstice. It magically calms the winds a week before the solstice and a week after, guaranteeing two weeks of smooth sailing for those in the area. It is also known to circle around anchored ships before suddenly disappearing. Both Pliny and Aristotle comment on the bird's benevolent behavior. Seeing a halcyon is considered an auspicious event.

Magic Might: 15 (Auram)

Characteristics: Int -1, Per +2, Pre 0, Com 0, Str -12, Sta -2, Dex +3, Qik +8

Size: -5

Season: Summer

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Animal; Magical Champion; Homing Instinct, Inspirational, Personal Vis Source, Second Sight, Unaffected by the Gift; Servant of the Island, Hunger for Herbam Magic.

Mundane Qualities: Accomplished Flyer, Imposing Appearance, Mimicry

Magical Qualities and Inferiorities: Greater Power (x2); Improved Might (x5)

Combat

Dodge: Init +8 Attack n/a, Defense +13, Damage n/a

Soak: -2

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

Wound Penalties: -1 (1), -3 (2), -5 (3), Incapacitated (4), Dead (5+)

Abilities: Area Lore: Bear Island 3 (Mount Dindymon), Area Lore: Sea of Marmara 4 (hidden coves), Athletics 3 (flying), Awareness 4 (food), Brawl 4 (dodging), Greek 3 (nautical terminology), Second Sight 3 (regio boundaries), Survival 3 (home terrain)

Powers:

Haleyon's Idyllic Day, 5 points, Init +3, Auram: This power diffuses active storms and prevents new storms from forming. While in effect the targeted body of water remains calm and peaceful.

(Base 5, +2 Day, +3 Sight, +2 Group, +2 Size)

The Impossible Retreat, 1 point, Init +4, Animal: Similar to The Leap of Homecoming (ArM5, page 135), this power instantly transports the halcyon any place to which it has an Arcane Connection. Because the halcyon does not have hands, the Arcane Connection is typically soil or twigs from a nest or hiding spot.

(Base 35, copying the Rego Corpus effect) Vis: Three pawns of Rego vis in three of its primary flight feathers.

Appearance: Often identified as a kingfisher, the halcyon is a compact bird with a short tail, large head, and long pointed beak. Primarily blue and white, its head is gray and its beak bright orange.

(The Halcyon was first designed as a mundane animal, using the rules in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, pages 38–43, and then as a companion-level magic animal using the rules in Realms of Power: Magic, Chapter Four.)

Centuries ago, Dindyméné saved the halycon's life, and since then the bird has served the titaness. When not building, and laying eggs in, her floating nest, the halcyon lives in Dindyméné's Magic regio. During its long stay it has become dependent upon eating the regio's Herbam vis. Were it to relocate, it would need a regular diet of Herbam vis, at least one pawn per season.

The Personal Vis Source mentioned in the halycon's Virtues and Flaws is not located on Bear Island, but in one of the many hidden coves along the Sea of Marmara's southern shore.

Although they have lived on Bear Island for centuries, the Daktyls are not bound to the island. Several of the faeries head for the mainland, their curiosity piqued by the player character magi's recent visit. Two remain, a male named Titias and a female named Kyllénos, who are unable to control sleeping Dindyméné's moods. After several windstorms and an earthquake, the villagers decide to destroy the sacred glen, thinking that burning the scar of paganism from the land will bring God's favor and end the inclement weather. Titias and Kyllénos seek out the magi and ask for assistance. Can the magi stop the villagers and find the eight wandering Daktyls?

Bear Island's inhabitants exist in a network of stable relationships. The Greek citizens grow their crops, fish the ocean, and stay out of the forest. The Gegenees enforce the border between coastal civilization and the wild interior. The Daktyls play false intercessors for the few inquisitive village youths brave enough to ignore their elders' warnings and venture up Mt. Dindymon. The halcyon builds its nest, infrequently inspects moored ships, and feasts on the island's Herbam vis. Dindyméné shifts in uneasy slumber.

The members of the relationship network react to the player characters' intrusions. If any component is threatened, the other elements move to correct the imbalance. Slaughtering Gegenees, for example, threatens the Daktyls, who respond to protect their guards. Hunting and collecting the boulders that contain the Gegenees' external vis also counts as a dire threat to the island's inhabitants. Dindyméné sleeps more soundly to the gentle flap of the halycon's wings, and the Daktyls prevent bird hunters.

If the characters make massive changes to the island's inhabitants on their first visit, the islanders over-react as a result. For example, a massive assault against the Gegenees makes the survivors invade Artakia. The attack sends ripples through the mundane component of the Theban Tribunal, which eventually impacts the Tribunal's magi. A Greek magus accuses the player character magi of molesting the island's faeries, and demands that they be punished. A Hermetic lawyer suggests that the magi act proactively and assuage the raiding Gegenees, before the case comes to trial.

Idaian Daktyl

Assistants to the titaness, the Idaian Daktyls were intermediaries between Dindyméné and her human worshipers. This once important role has faded to almost nothing. Visitors are few. None come to worship, and only the younger men and women come to investigate, curious about their grandparents' tales of the "forest people." Some understand that Dindyméné is an ancient goddess, but the majority think it just another word for the island. The Daktyls don't care if the mortals understand the exact arrangement, as long as they are sought out as intermediaries between the villagers and something. Five of the Daktyls are male, and five female. The males are renowned metal-workers and aligned with Terram, while the females are famous healers and aligned with Corpus.

Faerie Might: 30 (40 in their Faerie regio) (Terram or Corpus)

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

Size: –1

Virtues and Flaws: Positive Folktales; 2 x Focus Power (males) or 2 x Ritual Power (females), Spiritual Pact; Faerie Sight, Faerie Speech, Humanoid Faerie, Personal Power, Place of Power (Bear Island Faerie Regio); Sovereign Ward (Christian religious symbols); Small Frame

Personality Traits: Haughty +3, Protective +2, Elusive +1

Combat:

Dodge: Init –1, Attack n/a, Defense +3, Damage n/a

Mace (males): Init +0, Attack +6, Defense +3, Damage +10

Short Sword (females): Init +0, Attack +6, Defense +3, Damage +7

Soak: +2

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–4), –3 (5–8), –5 (9–12), Incapacitated (13–16), Dead (17+)

Pretenses: Area Lore: Bear Island 3 (faerie elements), Awareness 2 (storms), Bargain 4 (trading favors), Brawl 3 (dodge), Carouse 3 (sacrifices), Etiquette 1 (faeries), Faerie Lore 5 (Theban faeries), Folk Ken 2 (old women), Guile 2 (false information), Leadership 3 (intimidation), Magic Lore 4 (titans), Single Weapon 3 (mace or short sword)

Male Daktyl's Powers:

Enter the Sylvan Glen, 1 point, Init –3, Vim: This power allows the target to enter any Faerie regio, instantly sensing the boundary and an existing entrance.

(Base 3, Conc +1, Vision +4)

Smithying, 1 point per magnitude, Init –11, Terram: Duplicates any Creo, Muto, or Rego Terram spell, at the cost of 1 Might point per magnitude of spell. Effects must be non-Ritual effects, but can incorporate the Duration: Until, providing long-lasting effects as long as the condition they were constructed under isn't broken. The maximum effect level is 50.

Female Daktyl's Powers:

Enter the Sylvan Glen, 1 point, Init –3, Vim. Physicianing, 1 point per magnitude, Init –1 – (magnitude x 2), Corpus: Duplicates any Creo, Muto, or Rego Corpus spell, at the cost of 1 Might point per magnitude of spell. Ritual effects are possible and require the Daktyl to permanently reduce its Magic Might by the cost of the effect. Effects can also be temporary, which does not permanently reduce the Dakytl's Magic Might. The maximum effect level is 50.

Equipment: Leather apron and tools necessary for the trade, either metal-crafting tools (hammer and anvil) or surgical tools and medicine (scalpel and powdered herbs). The male Daktyls carry a mace among their gear and the female Daktyls a short sword.

Vis: Six pawns of Terram or Corpus vis located in the various tools and equipment each carries.

Appearance: The Daktyls are weird little humans, with wiry hair, exaggerated facial features, and misshapen limbs. Each wears a white linen tunic and a heavier wool cloak.

The Daktyls are more powerful in the Faerie regio, where their Faerie Might increases from 30 to 40. They are also more belligerent in their home, and are quick to foment disagreements among themselves.

The Daktyls can channel Dindyméné's powers through the Supernatural Virtue: Spiritual Pact, (see Realms of Power: Magic, page 88, and Chapter 11, The Wolf's Court). Normally this Virtue is bestowed by a Magic spirit upon a human votary or worshiper. In this rare instance, Dindyméné has bequeathed this power to the Daktyls, her faerie votaries, giving the faeries access to powers associated with the Magic realm. This alone might be enough to fascinate Hermetic researchers.

To access Dindyméné's powers, a Daktyl spends an hour dancing, meditating, and winding himself up into a state of ritual ecstasy. He then receives a Magic Might pool equal to his Presence + Magic Lore + a stress die (3 + stress die). He can spend these points to invoke Dindyméné's magic powers. The Magic Might pool does not provide additional Magic Resistance, nor can the Daktyl spend Magic Might points to invoke his own faerie powers. Penetration for the Magic powers is calculated using the Daktyl's Faerie Might score, not Dindyméné's Magic Might score.

Bear Island is a good location for a covenant, being isolated, with a healthy crop of annual vis, and several supernatural auras and regiones. Mundane society is accessible but removed, an ideal situation for most magi. The supernatural inhabitants will prove challenging, but determined magi should be able to placate the neighboring Daktyls and Gegenees.

Magi have a choice of three Magic auras for a covenant: the spring of Artakia with a Magic aura of 2, the Temenos of Dindyméné and its Magic aura of 3, and the Magic regio with a Magic aura of 6. The Magic regio offers seclusion and enhanced protection. Of the three, the spring is the easiest site at which to found a covenant. The Daktyls and Gegenees don't pester squatters at the spring, although it might be too close to Artakia and curious mundanes for the magi. The Temenos of Dindyméné is a better location, but placing a covenant there rouses the Daktyls into action. If the magi can convince them that supplicants can still enter the Faerie regio to ask Dindyméné's favor, they may allow the magi to build. The Daktyls will certainly not want the magi to deface the Temenos of Dindyméné.

With its Magic aura of 6, the Magic regio is a much more powerful location. Fearful that Hermetic activities will rouse the mother-goddess, the Daktyls protest and do their utmost to prevent the magi from building a covenant. If the magi succeed the Daktyls continue to harry the property. Using their Spiritual Pact Virtue they use the mothergoddess's powers against the covenant. If all else fails they will raise Dindyméné and aim her at the waiting magi.

In the Theban Tribunal, each covenant needs to bind a patron spirit. Any single Daktyl could serve as a patron spirit, although this will rouse jealousy and envy in the other faeries. Impetuous magi might try to bind Dindyméné as a patron spirit. They must first wake her and survive her wrath before negotiating the binding pact.

If you have renamed Bear Island as the Island of the Sleeping Fomóir, and moved it from the Theban Tribunal to the Hibernia Tribunal, you will need to adjust the island's inhabitants. Most of these changes are merely a matter of replacing a name with a more appropriate one.

Dindyméné becomes Conaing (pronounced KU-nung), a Fomóir leader thought to be slain but rather magically put to sleep by Lugh, a famous Irish hero.

The Idaian Daktyls become Tuatha Dé Danann, powerful faeries enslaved by Conaing and still forced to do service, despite the Fomóir's slumber.

The halcyon should be a talking dove, a famous symbol of Divine help in Irish myth, and become a Divine instead of a Magic creature. Its powers remain the same.

Replace Argos's xoanon with the baptismal font of St. Brendan, which has the same powers.

Artakia becomes a monastic community, much smaller in size and containing only monks. Several of the Infernal auras should be removed, although the tumulus remains, holding the remains of the slain abbot instead of a dead king.

The Jasonian Way becomes Brendan's Way, and a Gegenes become a Fathach (pronounced FAH-hach), an ugly, saw-toothed giant. Reduce its six arms to two, remove its multiple attacks, and increase its Soak +10.

Hibernian covenants do not need a patron spirit, but do need a cathach to serve as the covenant's trophy (see The Contested Isle). The baptismal font of St. Brendan makes an ideal cathach, as do the heads of any of the Tuatha Dé. The head of a Fathach might serve as a cathach, but it depends on the Praeco's decision.