Mythic Christianity

There came an aged lady in glistening raiment, having a book in her hands, and she sat down alone, and she saluted me, "Good morrow, Hermas." Then I grieved and weeping, said, "Good morrow, lady."

And she said to me "Why so gloomy, Hermas, thou that art patient and good-tempered and art always smiling? Why so downcast in thy looks, and far from cheerful?" And I said to her, "Because of an excellent lady's saying that I had sinned against her."

Now, brethren, a revelation was made unto me in my sleep by a youth of exceeding fair form, who said to me, "Whom thinkest thou the aged woman to be?" I say, "The Sibyl." "Thou art wrong," saith he, "she is not." "Who then is she?" I say. "The Church," saith he. I said unto him, "Wherefore then is she aged?" "Because," saith he, "she was created before all things; therefore is she aged; and for her sake the world was made."

- Shepherd of Hermas (c. 140 A.D.), 2:2-3; 8:1

No institution has had a greater effect on the shape of the world of Ars Magica than the Holy Church, and no other religion has ever captured the hearts and minds of the people who live there so thoroughly. Christianity affects every aspect of mundane society in the Middle Ages, from the pious who work God's lands to the blessed rulers God has set above all. The Dominion oversees every part of human civilization; art and culture flourish, evil is punished, and holy truth guides the steps of every passionate believer. This is Mythic Europe in 1220 A.D.: it is God's earth, and while those who follow Him will come to paradise, those who do not will be left behind or trampled underfoot.

The sections that follow describe how Christianity may be used to enhance your Ars Magica saga. History attempts to give shape to the events that have brought the world to the height of Christian supremacy. Beliefs outlines very generally the doctrines embraced by the Christians, including variations on orthodox Christianity, and Practices describes the structure of the Church and its political involvement with the rest of Europe. The holy men and women who have ascended to Heaven and watch over the living are addressed in Saints, and Characters explores the Christian people and powers that you might use or adapt for your game. Finally, the Christian rituals of wisdom and learning handed down from King Solomon may be found in Ars Notoria. You will also find story hooks, examples, and ideas for bringing Christianity into the game as asides throughout the chapter.

"Here also evils come forth in the Christian people. Faith perishes, religion is deformed, liberty is confounded, justice is trampled underfoot, heretics burgeon, schismatics grow insolent, the perfidious rage, the Agarenes prevail. Yet regarding the eternal crossing over Our Lord said, "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching. Amen, I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and passing will minister unto them."

— Pope Innocent III, from the opening sermon at the Fourth Lateran Council, 1215 A.D.

It is difficult to separate the history of Christianity from the history of Mythic Europe, since the Church is influenced by the political, social, and economic forces of the times as much as it influences them. The summary of important events in medieval Christianity that follows serves to give insight into what brought the Church to her lofty station, not account for the entire shape of the world as it exists in 1220. Yet it is interesting to compare these events with other historical accounts of Mythic Europe, such as the disintegration of the Cult of Mercury and the founding of the Order of Hermes. Many ideas for stories, characters, and covenants can be drawn from the parallels that follow — for example, see Blessed by God, Holy Magic for a group of magi with their roots in historical Christianity.

The Church began in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, approximately 30 years after the birth of Christ. Twelve apostles spread the story of Jesus Christ to their countrymen, that He was humanity's savior sent by God and crucified as a criminal, resurrected and ascended into heaven, and will come again to judge the quick and the dead. To gain His favor, the Jews and Gentiles who converted to the new religion were asked to repent their old ways and be newly baptized in Christ's name. Soon others took up the gospel, spreading the religion to communities all over the Mediterranean.

The elders of this new Church gathered together four written accounts of the life and death of Jesus, along with many letters describing Christian practice and doctrine written by St. Paul, stories of the miraculous acts of the apostles, and other writings that included St. John's apocalyptic revelations of Christ's eventual return and the end of the world. They called this collection of writings the New Testament, and combined it with the Jewish holy books, which they called the Old Testament. The finished work became known among Christians as the Scriptures, or The Bible (from biblia, "books"), and served as a guide "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."

As the number of Christians increased, they began to distance themselves from the Jews and other faiths of the time. The secrecy with which they surrounded their holy rites made people fear the worst — stories made them out to be cannibals or practicing incest in their private ceremonies — and Christians were persecuted for their faith by their mostly pagan neighbors throughout the three centuries that followed the crucifixion. Many of the first saints were martyrs, executed for their refusal to follow the state religion, and thousands of early Christians fell to the Roman sword for their beliefs.

Church Calendar

Christian holy days generally correspond to events from the life of Christ, or the feast days of great saints. The most important holy day to the Christian faith is Easter, the day on which the Church celebrates Christ's resurrection. While every Christian is expected to attend Mass each Sunday as a commemoration of this event, they are obliged to receive Communion once per year, and typically do so at Easter covenfolk, companions, and even Christian magi are most likely to participate on that day. It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. Since this varies in timing from year to year, the holiday has no set date. The preceding Sunday is called Palm Sunday, recognizing the day that Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, and the intervening Friday is Good Friday, a day of mourning as it commemorates Christ's death on the cross.

For forty days before Easter, Christians observe the season of Lent, wherein they often fast in memory of Christ's suffering on earth. It is sometimes thought of as a spiritual tithe, being the tenth part of the year in which Christians should do without wealth and indulgence, and Christians are encouraged to give up some vice or luxury to demonstrate their piety. Fifty days after Easter is the celebration of Pentecost, the day that the Holy Ghost appeared to the apostles, often called Whitsunday for the white robes worn by those baptized during that time. In the spring, then, Christians are usually occupied with celebrating these two concepts — the death or the return of Christ — and so it is a very holy time of year.

Most popular saints have a day set aside for them, where Christians venerate them and hold a feast to give special recognition to their holiness. However, many saints were martyred on the same day, or venerated on different days in different regions, and there are too many saints for every one to have a unique holiday. So, the Church celebrates All Saints' Day, or All Hallows' Day, on the first of November; this is the day when all the saints are remembered. The Dominion tends to lower significantly on the eve preceding a major holiday, and so many churches hold vigils whereby the pious remain to say prayers all night. All Hallows' Eve has a reputation as particularly evil, as spirits and demons are said to tempt and harass those who do not remain indoors.

Christmas, the feast of Christ's nativity, is celebrated on December 25. This begins a holy season that continues for twelve days, ending on January 6, the day of Epiphany and the Apparition of the Magi. This day is given special importance in the East, to recognize the three wise men who followed a star to adore the baby Jesus. During this time, candles and Yule logs are lit and kept burning, and people celebrate with foolish and amusing festivals. On Holy Innocents Day (December 28), children are sometimes allowed to run the Church, and the Feast of Fools is often celebrated on January 1 by reversing traditional roles such as bishop and jester, and everything gives way to buffoonery. During this period the boundaries between the supernatural realms are blurred — storyguides may wish to allow appropriate Faerie and Magical powers to ignore penalties from the Dominion during these days.

In 312, Emperor Constantine brought order to the struggling Empire by defeating his rivals in a civil war. He held that he had seen a glowing cross in the sky bearing the words "In this sign you will conquer," and converted to Christianity. During his reign, he passed an edict of religious tolerance, stating that men and women were free to worship as they wished.

Christianity gained special favor during this era, and it was often called the "Church of Constantine." The State intervened in the affairs of the Church and expected ideological support from it, smoothing over conflicts of doctrine and convening councils. In turn, the Church gained material and legal advantages from the state, relying on the emperor to fight against heresy and paganism, and issue prohibitions against practices such as magic and divination.

Christians began to accept the sacred nature of the emperor, whom many considered the head of the Christian people. A religious and pure Christian lifestyle became accepted and admired by society, leading to the rise of pilgrimage and monasticism. Yet as Church doctrine became determined through practice and law, disputes arose concerning the specifics. Heated arguments erupted within the East regarding the divinity of the Christ and the Holy Spirit. To resolve these issues, the bishops met repeatedly in councils to settle this and other questions, and to organize the hierarchy of the Church.

Holy War

Christian scripture does not contain regulations for religiously sanctioned wars; indeed, Christ's teaching and actions seem to preclude the possibility of warfare. However, in history it soon became apparent that Christian kings needed to be able to conduct warfare without imperiling their souls. St Augustine (d. 430) enunciated a theory of just war, stating that war could be waged against non-Christians and heretics provided that it was proclaimed by a legitimate member of the clergy or political authorities, the cause was just, and no other method remained by which the issue could be resolved. By the 9th century, spiritual benefits, including absolution of sins for those who fought for the pope, became associated with just war, and in the 11th century Pope Gregory VII (d. 1085) enunciated a holy war theory that formed the basis for Urban II's preaching of the Crusade at Clermont in 1095. In the 1200s, papal sanction is also being given to wars waged against non-Christians and heretics within Europe, as well as against the Muslims in Spain and the Middle East. By 1220, Christian holy war doctrines have become sophisticated, including regulations concerning how the war is to be conducted and who may take part.

The fall of Rome to Germanic invaders in the fifth century signified the end of the world for many, as it was not believed the Church could weather the collapse of the empire intact. Then the Muslims took the Holy Land and also began to invade Spain, and many Christians despaired of it even surviving. In these chaotic times, monks kept the spark of Christianity alive, evangelizing and founding monasteries throughout Europe, and the Eastern Church continued the tradition of Roman patriarchate in Constantinople.

In the eighth century, a renaissance in the West began with an alliance between Pope Zacharias and Pepin the Short, who restored the pope to power over what became the Papal States. His son Charlemagne carried on this policy, strengthening the unity of Western Europe, expanding his territory to the east, and pushing back the Arabs into northern Spain. In 800, the pope crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor, demonstrating that Western Christianity was still alive and Rome the center of Christ's Church.

Charlemagne was resented in the East, as an imperial title outside of Byzantium further widened the breach between the Latin and Greek Churches. Yet Constantinople flourished, and the Frankish empire lost its unity in 843, when the treaty of Verdun divided the empire. New invasions caused complete disorganization in the West, as Vikings, Hungarians, and Saracens attacked Europe from every direction.

By the eleventh century, stability finally began to emerge again. In the majority of cases, the birth of a new nation coincided with the baptism of its leader, and the Church became inextricably intertwined with the feudal system. However, because of their many political, cultural, and dogmatic differences, the schism between the Latin and Greek Churches became complete by about 1054.

In 1220, Christendom is a temporal and spiritual reality, a society totally founded in Christ and His Church, and it has grown strong enough to fight the enemies of the faith who challenge its structure. Outside, there are the Muslims; within, there are the heretics. Christendom has begun to arm itself against these threats.

Since the First Crusade in 1095, there has been a concentrated effort on the part of the Church to regain the holy land and Jerusalem from the infidels, but mistakes like the sacking of Constantinople plague the holy wars. Four crusades have struck against the rock of Muslim dominance of the Holy Land, and only the first can be considered successful to any degree. The new emperor, Frederick II, has promised to lead another crusade from Germany, but for many years he will show no sign of stirring.

Fear of subversion within the Church has led to harsh sanctions against doctrines contrary to Roman Christianity, which has become the Albigensian crusade in Southern France and soon leads to the founding of the Inquisition. Because of doubts among the faithful and to support these courses of action, many preach a return to the tenets of Christ in the Gospels, and new forms of religious life are developing, such as the Franciscan and Dominican friars. Some of the greatest pieces of medieval literature will be written later this century, including St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae and Dante's Divine Comedy.

The coming years hold great promise for the followers of Christ, and promise great suffering for those who oppose them. The Holy Church ascends to the highest pinnacle of temporal authority, and her holy light is waxing, causing dramatic changes throughout all of Mythic Europe.

Excommunication

Excommunication means "out of communication," and essentially declares that the sinner has left the Church. This may be invoked by any bishop against those over whom he has spiritual authority, or may automatically occur when a Christian acts in a way that is forbidden or fails to perform some important action. Many papal commands (called "bulls") come with the threat of excommunication if they are not obeyed. For example, in 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council ruled that every Christian must take the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist at least once a year or be excommunicated.

When a character is excommunicated from the Church, he immediately loses all of the benefits of the sacraments, and is thenceforth treated as if he had never been baptized. Any increase of Confidence or Faith Points the character has received are immediately lost. If the character repents and returns to the Church, the sacrament of penance serves to lift the curse and restore the character's connection to the body of the faithful. If an excommunicate dies, he is buried outside church grounds, unless he miraculously repents upon his deathbed.

The Sacraments

The sacraments can be considered holy ceremonies that have a special supernatural effect. These are like the miraculous effects of holy powers (see Instruments of God, Holy Powers), though they do not require additional Virtues or Supernatural Abilities to perform, so long as the character is ordained and has the materials and facilities. Priests, for example, can perform baptisms, penance, the Mass, and extreme unction. Bishops can perform confirmation, ordination, and marriage. Note that while anyone can perform a theologically sound baptism in an emergency, only an ordained priest's ceremony has the additional effects described below.

Sacraments only affect willing participants, and for this reason they do not have effect levels. It is possible for a character to be possessed or otherwise prevented from receiving a sacrament, but if a priest performs it anyway and the character accepts it, no supernatural power can possibly resist it.

Many of the sacraments impart Faith Points. As described in Blessed By God, True Faith, these may be used as if the character had True Faith: they may be spent like Confidence, they may be used in certain rituals that invoke holy powers, and they can increase the chances that God will answer prayers for a miracle. They do not give the character a Faith Score, and thus do not impart Magic Resistance. A character may have no more than one Faith Point from a given sacrament, so a character who gains a Faith Point by taking Communion cannot gain another from that source until he has spent the first.

BAPTISM

Baptism cleanses original sin, and cleanses the subject of other evil influences in preparation for joining the Christian faith. It might involve immersion in a grand ceremony, but sprinkling holy water over the child tends to be the day-to-day practice. This ceremony drives away any possessing spirits from the baptized character, and cancels any nonpermanent supernatural effects on the subject that are not associated with the Divine realm. This sacrament only has this special effect if the character has never been baptized before. The name given to a person in baptism cannot be used as a True Name for magical purposes, as it is protected by the Divine.

All of the other sacraments that follow require that the character has been baptized. If the character breaks with the Church, he loses all of these effects, though it may be possible to renew them if he truly repents his actions. Baptism also creates a holy connection between the subject and his or her godparents (or the priest, if there are none), which some holy powers can affect.

CONFIRMATION

Confirmation is the sacrament in which the Christian receives the Holy Spirit, uniting him with Christ and confirming his place in the Church. After being blessed by the bishop, he gains a Faith Point as described above. This benefit is lost if the character is excommunicated or leaves the Church, and should only apply to characters who play out their confirmation in the game; those (the majority) who start play after confirmation are assumed to have already used their Faith Point. Like baptism, confirmation is a unique event in a character's life, and has no effect if somehow taken more than once.

MARRIAGE

The sacrament of marriage joins two people against temptation, strengthening their loyalty to one another and protecting them against evil, primarily for the purpose of having children. Both subjects receive a Faith Point that they may use to strengthen their resolve in the face of temptation or adversity, though this benefit is lost if the marriage is declared null or they sin against their spouse. Characters who begin play married are assumed to have already used this Faith Point.

The marriage blessing is also believed to ensure easy childbirth and healthy offspring if it lasts until a baby is born, and binds the husband and wife together with a holy connection as described in Baptism, above.

PENANCE

This is the act of confession, whereby the Christian repents of her sins, confesses them to the priest, receives a penance to perform that is appropriate to the severity of the sins, and is absolved. The character may feel as if a great burden has been lifted from her shoulders, and the assignment fills her with spiritual resolve, granting her a Confidence Point to aid her in this task. Until the penance is completed, there is a holy connection between the character and her confessor, though this bond is broken if the priest should ever reveal the substance of the confession to anyone.

THE EUCHARIST

The Eucharist is the most sacred and holy of the sacraments, sometimes called Holy Communion or the Mass. In a ceremony that is kept hidden from the congregation, the priest changes the properties of bread and wine into those of the body and blood of Christ. The people then eat and drink this, as Christ instructed the apostles to remember Him, and through this process the faithful are joined with Christ and made one.

When a Christian consumes this miraculous gift, she gains a Faith Point to represent her Communion with God. The character must be in a state of grace — meaning without mortal sin — to receive this blessing.

ORDINATION

Ordination is the name given to the set of ceremonies by which a person joins the holy orders, and is considered a sacrament for becoming a deacon, priest, or bishop. Like Confirmation, above, the ordained character receives a Faith Point. Characters who begin play in holy orders are assumed to have already used this Faith Point.

Characters can participate in this ceremony more than once, moving up in status within the Church, but doing so does not impart additional Faith Points. The sacrament also gives the character spiritual authority over an aura, allowing him to exert his holy influence upon the inhabitants and temper the Dominion, and creates a holy connection between the ordained character and the bishop performing the ceremony.

EXTREME UNCTION

Sometimes called the Last Rites, Extreme Unction is performed when a person is about to die, or sometimes just after. It absolves him of all mortal sins, like penance does, and once cleansed it gives him a Faith Point, as with the Eucharist.

The sacrament speeds the person's soul and spirit on the journey to the afterlife. Thus, after death, a person for whom Extreme Unction has been said cannot be affected by other supernatural powers for three days, which is usually enough time to see the body buried in consecrated ground. The spirit of a person given a Christian burial can never be affected by any kind of necromancy or magic, though the body can be if it is physically removed from the churchyard.

The Church teaches that every human person is destined for eternal life after death, and that earthly existence prepares you for this eternal life by teaching you to serve God and accept the means of your salvation. Should you fall from grace by your own free will, you can expect punishment: a temporary state called Purgatory if you are penitent, or a permanent place in Hell if you reject God completely.

The Church has two potent weapons it can bring to bear against those who defy it. Anathema, or excommunication, severs an individual from the Church, effectively removing him from society. No pious Christian may have anything further to do with an excommunicate. A burial service is read for him as though he is dead, his wife may leave him, his children and vassals may disobey him, and he is refused justice by the courts. These extraordinary measures are intended to convince the transgressors of their terrible wrongdoing and cause them to seek the Church's pardon, thereby being restored to grace. The consequences of not doing so are dire, for without absolution, the excommunicant will surely suffer eternal punishment for his mortal sins when he dies.

If this does not bring repentance, more-drastic measures are called for: the interdict excludes Christians from participation in the sacraments, as a community or even as an entire nation. Churches are closed, crosses reversed, marriages and burials refused, bells are silent, and Sunday sermons are conducted outside the doors of the church. Children are baptized in their homes. Interdiction punishes not only the excommunicate, but also his friends, followers, fellow men and women, and those who owe him fealty, in hopes that they will prevail upon him to make peace with God.

STORY HOOK:

A magus has greatly upset members of the Church by speaking out in public against the Crusades, and the local bishop excommunicates him. Because of this, other magi bring charges against him at Tribunal, alleging that his meddling in mundane affairs endangers the Order, and a Christian maga who opposes him suggests that since he has been excommunicated they are no longer bound by his oaths, and so registers her claim to his apprentice.

Interdiction

Interdict is a kind of excommunication in which an entire area is punished for crimes against God, usually because a Christian ruler has refused to respect the dictates of the Church. This is a terrible curse, as England discovered in 1208 when Pope Innocent III placed an interdict on the country, forbidding them the sacraments until King John repented his crimes against the Church. John's rebellion lasted several years, during which time the Dominion waned and the people suffered under the weight of their sins, many of them denied proper marriages and burials as a result of the king's actions. Infernal activity also increased, and several diabolical plots developed unchecked and were hatched upon the populace while the arrogant monarch flouted the Church.

An interdiction reduces the level of the Dominion throughout the realm by 1 each year until it is lifted. The aura surrounding cities and villages recedes as the bells go silent, and church auras may decrease to almost nothing for as long as they remain empty.

We believe in One God, the Father, Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, Only-begotten, that is, from the substance of the Father; God from God, Light from Light, Very God from Very God, begotten not made, Consubstantial with the Father, by Whom all things were made, both things in heaven and things in earth; Who for us men and for our salvation came down and was incarnate, was made man, suffered, and rose again the third day, ascended into heaven, and is coming to judge living and dead.

And in the Holy Spirit. And those who say "There was when he was not," and "Before his generation he was not," and "He came to be from nothing," or those who pretend that the Son of God is "Of other hypostasis or substance," or "created" or "alterable" or "mutable," the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes.

— an early version of the Nicene Creed (325 A.D.)

Medieval Christianity embraces inhabitants in virtually every part of Mythic Europe; in fact, it could be said that for the most part, Mythic Europe is Christendom. The common people are generally defined by their faith, and as a result there is a clear and inseparable association of religious and everyday thought. The Christian Church is pervasive, and influences all aspects of medieval society.

Its primary purpose is the solemn public worship of God, of giving due respect that people owe their Creator. This is seen as wise and appropriate to medieval folk; God is the ultimate authority and their true sovereign, and it is the humble duty of peasant and king alike to bend their knee to their highest Lord. This is why monks renounce the world for a life of prayer, and why the Church administers the ceremonial services of Christian worship. Simply put, God requires the people to worship Him.

The Church's secondary objective is the sanctification of individual souls, the process whereby Christians can grow spiritually, developing their piety just as exercise develops their bodies. Medieval theologians who established the terminology of Christianity spoke of man's "supernatural life, the life of the soul above the life of the body." To that end, there are specific ceremonies called the sacraments that make this possible. By 1220, the accepted number was seven: baptism, the Eucharist, penance, confirmation, holy orders, marriage, and extreme unction.

An important point of medieval doctrine is the fact that the sacraments do not require that the celebrant (the person performing the ceremony) be himself without sin. That is, a sacrament is still holy, even when performed by the most evil, vile, or sinful person alive. It is the act of a Christian accepting the sacrament that powers the blessing, though the priest facilitates this by helping him decide to seek it out. To tempt Christians to sin, one must encourage them to avoid the sacraments, or (worse) teach them that they do not have any effect. A Christian who receives the sacraments but does not accept them is doomed in the hereafter.

Every Christian remains a sinner, even in a state of grace. In fact, they believe people are born sinful because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, which is called original sin. This is why infants should be baptized soon after birth, and stillborn babies are sometimes taken to sanctuaries where they miraculously return to life long enough for baptism. Most Christians commit venial sin daily: sins that are light in their matter, or which are done without full consent or full knowledge of their sinfulness. These essentially add to the time a soul must spend in Purgatory. Examples might include having a jealous thought, lying to a friend, or inadvertently taking God's name in vain. However, mortal sin removes a person from the state of grace. Mortal sins require penance and absolution to avoid damnation. Examples include murder, theft, adultery, and idolatry. The "seven deadly sins" are good examples of the kinds of behavior that lead to mortal sins.

Seven Deadly Sins

These seven evil appetites or desires (Pride, Wrath, Envy, Sloth, Lust, Gluttony, and Avarice) are thought by medieval philosophers to lead to mortal sin, but are not mortal sins in and of themselves. Thus, the term "deadly sin" is perhaps a misnomer. Rather, they are thought to be immoral facets of one's personality. They certainly inspire venial sins, in that thinking too much about them is sinful, but they are only "deadly" in that if you encourage these thoughts or act upon them you will probably commit mortally sinful acts. St. Gregory referred to them as the "capital vices" (capital meaning important) and that perhaps describes them more accurately in that they are extremely serious examples of dubious behavior.

There are also seven capital virtues, which offset the vices but do not really correspond to them directly. They consist of four "cardinal" virtues (Wisdom, Temperance, Courage, and Justice) and three "theological" virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity). The theological virtues come from the Bible, where St. Paul uses them to describe how Christians should do God's work on earth, while the cardinal virtues come from the philosophy of the ancient world, where Plato uses them to describe how an ideal society lives a good life. Together, they form seven habits that broadly describe how to avoid or atone for sin. Just as the vices are not sins, they do not describe virtuous actions, so much as virtuous traits that when nurtured will lead to virtuous behavior.

When a person confesses his sins, he is assigned penance by the priest. This is to help him atone for his evil impulses, and the punishment serves to remind him, should he be tempted again in the future. Acts of penance generally involve fasting, which usually means that the person eats only one meal a day and abstains from meat and wine. For most spiritual crimes, the punishment is forty days of fasting. Greater sins entail longer fasts, some on only bread and water, and prescriptions are generally more severe for churchmen. Repeated offenses also require harsher measures, and a confessor might need to get creative with the acts of penance he assigns, in order to make the sinner's punishment fit his crimes. Some appropriate acts might include a pilgrimage, wearing a hair-shirt (animal skins worn inside-out to make the sinner itchy and uncomfortable), or giving to charity. Making restitution to those the sinner has wronged is also an important part of penance.

Homicide: Killing another human being, or attempting to kill another human being, is punished with seven to twelve years of fasting, three on bread and water.

Fornication and Adultery: Sexual perversions and adulterous acts are punished seven to twelve years, up to five on bread and water. Sex with people of the Church is considered adultery.

Perjury: Perjury, unknowingly or knowingly, is prescribed three to twelve years of fasting.

Theft: Stealing is punished with as little as forty days if the sinner returns what he stole or makes restitution, or as much as twelve years if a bishop should break into a house or steal an animal.

Church Vows: Clergy must not shed the blood of another (forty days to a year), hunt (one to three years), or neglect their duties to the Church (seven years, three on bread and water).

Other Sins: Usury, abortion, slavery, and arson are typically punished for three years, one on bread and water. Those who eat certain animals such as dogs, foxes, or hawks, or meat from an animal that another animal has eaten, or food that has been polluted by death or sin, should fast from four days to six weeks.

Prescriptions Against Magic

The Church has no unified opinion of the Order of Hermes or Hermetic magi; most churchmen are not aware of their existence, and those who do discover them disagree on how to deal with them. Some within the Church believe that magic is beneficial — a kind of natural philosophy that is only evil if used for evil purposes. Others consider magic diabolic or heretical — a form of idolatry or sacrilege.

Whether or not practicing magic is a sin is also unclear. May of the sins described in the penitentials (reference books for confessors listing appropriate penances for sinful acts) concern magic and the supernatural; Hermetic magi and their servants must perform many of these acts daily.

These prescriptions from Halitgar's Roman Penitential concern magic generally.

31. If one by his magic causes the death of anyone, he shall do penance for seven years, three years on bread and water.
32. If anyone acts as a magician for the sake of love but does not cause anybody's death, if he is a layman he shall do penance for half a year; if a cleric, he shall do penance for a year on bread and water; if a deacon, for three years, one year on bread and water. But if by this means anyone deceives a woman with respect to the birth of a child, each one shall add to the above six forty-day periods, lest he be accused of homicide.
33. If anyone is a conjurer-up of storms he shall do penance for seven years, three years on bread and water.

Magic used for sacrilege is more severely punished, and these acts are commonly practiced by magi. Amulets, for example, might refer to any sort of enchanted device, and there are prescriptions against eating and drinking in magic or faerie auras, or taking a vow anywhere except in a church.

34. If anyone commits sacrilege (that is, those who are called augurs, who pay respect to omens), if he has taken auguries or [does it] by any evil device, he shall do penance for three years on bread and water.
35. If anyone is a soothsayer (those whom they call diviners) and makes divinations of any kind, since this is a demonic thing he shall do penance for five years, three years on bread and water.
36. If on the Kalends of January [the day of a pagan festival], anyone does as many do [dresses as a stag and dances], calling it "in a stag," or goes about in [the guise of] a calf, he shall do penance for three years.
37. If anyone has the oracles which against reason they call "Sortes Sanctorum," or any other "sortes," or with evil device draws lots from anything else, or practices divination he shall do penance for three years, one year on bread and water.
38. If anyone makes, or releases from, a vow beside trees or springs or by a lattice, or anywhere except in a church, he shall do penance for three years on bread and water, since this is sacrilege or a demonic thing. Whoever eats or drinks in such a place, shall do penance for one year on bread and water.
39. If anyone is a wizard, that is, if he takes away the mind of a man by the invocation of demons, he shall do penance for five years, one year on bread and water.
40. If anyone makes amulets, which is a detestable thing, he shall do penance for three years, one year on bread and water.
41. It is ordered that persons who both eat of a feast in the abominable places of the pagans and carry food back [to their homes] and eat it subject themselves to a penance of two years, and so undertake what they must carry out; and [it is ordered] to try the spirit after each oblation [the bread and wine of the Eucharist] and to examine the life of everyone.
42. If anyone eats or drinks beside a [pagan] sacred place, if it is through ignorance, he shall thereupon promise that he will never repeat it, and he shall do penance for forty days on bread and water. But if he does this through contempt, that is, after the priest has warned him that it is sacrilege, he has communicated at the table of demons, if he did this only through the vice of gluttony, he shall do penance for the three forty-day periods on bread and water. If he did this really for the worship of demons and in honor of an image, he shall do penance for three years.
43. If anyone has sacrificed under compulsion [in pagan worship] a second or third time, he shall be in subjection for three years, and for two years he shall partake of the communion without the oblation, in the third year he shall be received to full [communion].

These restrictions may make it very difficult for a character to live as a Hermetic magus and remain free from sin, and though Christian magi may have True Faith, it is a singular challenge for them to belong to the Order of Hermes and practice magic without having their faith constantly tested.

Only the most saintly of Christians ever ascends immediately to heaven upon his death, as it requires great faith and sacrifice to atone for all of his transgressions in life. Most Christians expect to go to Purgatory when they die. By behaving virtuously, however, Christians can "pay off" the time they would otherwise spend there. Giving to charity, praying, tithing, and teaching others are ways to invest in one's spiritual future.

The Realm of Purgatory

There are stories of Christians traveling to Purgatory before death, through gateways that lead beyond the mortal world. Such places are strange and frightening, often filled with visions of people enduring great suffering for their sins, overseen by devils and angels alike. These torments are just, usually associated with the actions that the sinner committed in life; the proud carry heavy weights, the slothful must run to exhaustion, and the gluttonous are starved and left exposed to the elements.

Most theologians in Mythic Europe would probably associate Purgatory with the Divine Realm, for though it is very like Hell, it is said to border the gates of Heaven. Purgatory helps sinners earn a place with God, and even if it seems an unholy place, it has a holy purpose. Then again, the same could be said of the Infernal Realm, and so perhaps Purgatory is only a lesser circle of Hell after all.

Christians can also pay the Church to behave virtuously on their behalf. It doesn't matter who does the good deeds, so long as they are done in someone's name. To speed their journey into paradise, Christians often bequeath their land to the Church, build chapels or shrines, or establish benefices in their own memory. Churches might also perform the Mass in the name of someone who has given a sizable donation. In this way, the Church provides a valuable commodity that is in great demand during the Middle Ages.

Thus it may be seen that Christianity is more interested in individual souls than social reform; it seeks to improve each Christian for his or her own sake, not to affect the structure of society as a whole. Charity is for the giver, not the recipient, and a person's spiritual value is measured by the extent to which he is dedicated to God, not his position or spiritual authority in the world. Characters seeking to become good Christians should perform good works and openly worship God; judging or rebuking others is not necessarily pious behavior.

This is not to say that the Church is entirely removed from mundane affairs. It does seek to reform the most heinous forms of misconduct among the people and within the Church, and often persecutes outsiders, heretics, and infidels, not because they do not conform to Christian doctrine, but because they can confuse and mislead other Christians. Since the Church is concerned with saving individuals and assisting them with their Christian duty to God, those who do not follow the Church might as well not exist, but those who teach that the Church is wrong or ineffective, or who otherwise sow doubt among the people, are considered not merely misguided, but dangerous. This is why it might not discourage isolating and mistreating Jews, forgives crusaders for killing the infidel in advance, and authorizes the secular authorities to punish heretics for their crimes against the Church.

Trial by Ordeal

Christians believe that God protects the good and punishes the wicked, and one way that this may be demonstrated is by a defendant in a court trial undergoing an ordeal to prove his innocence. This was common in cases where guilt and execution seemed certain, for it gave the accused a chance to call upon God's intervention. In the last two centuries the popes have begun to oppose ordeals, perhaps because they are so susceptible to supernatural powers, and in 1215 it was decreed that no churchmen should participate in them.

Yet many lords and judges still sanction these acts, and trust God to see that justice is served. Their confidence could bring about a Just temper before the trial, perhaps giving this belief additional validity, as this would improve the chances of the innocent succeeding in the tests, while hindering the dishonest and guilty. Inspirational and influential characters can invoke such a temper without the Church's sanction, so it is not impossible for these conditions to be in effect.

There are many types of ordeal accepted in Mythic Europe, and several of them are described below. Each ceremony requires that the accused perform a ritual act in full view of the assembled court, and the effects of this act are examined. The rituals assume that God will intervene to save the innocent, and so guilt is assumed and execution carried out if He does not.

Test of the Cold Water: In this, the most common ordeal, the accused is tied up and thrown into a body of water. If he is innocent, he will float. If he is guilty, he will drown.

Judgment of the Glowing Iron: The accused must carry a red-hot piece of iron a specified distance. His hands are then bandaged. If his wounds have not become infected after three days, he is freed.

Test of the Boiling Water: The accused must remove a stone from a boiling cauldron. Again, his burns are examined after three days, and if they are clean, he is innocent.

Ordeal of the Bier: Used in cases of suspected murder, the accused must stand beside or touch the body of the victim. If he is guilty, blood will begin to flow from the fatal wound. This fact is commonly known, and so a murderer might be reluctant to approach the body of his victim.

Trial by Combat: The two opposing parties fight, accused and accuser, and God is believed to assist the right side to victory. If the loser survives, he is charged with a false claim. Because wealthy men can hire champions to fight on their behalf, monarchs often place strict limitations on when and how this ordeal may be used; in 1220 it is rarely used, only ever seen in special circumstances in lands with Saxon heritage.

Ordeal of the Cross: Both parties, accused and accuser, stand before the cross with their arms outstretched. The one who first let his arms drop is defeated. This test originated as a means of resolving disputes between churchmen, and eventually replaced trial by combat.

Characters who have been falsely accused of a crime and who cannot make their case otherwise might agree to one of these ordeals to exonerate them, and pray to God for their innocence to be miraculously demonstrated.

Christian Relics

FINGER BONES AND FRAGMENTS OF THE TRUE CROSS

Possibly the most common of relics, numerous finger bones of saints and fragments of the True Cross may be found throughout Europe. These relics are the ones most commonly conferred by the Minor General Virtue Relic. They each contain 1 Faith point, giving them a Divine Might of 10, and possess the other powers common to all relics (see Relics: The Powers of Relics).

THE BONES OF ST MARTIN

Many Christian relics have miraculous healing powers. One example of such relics is the bones of St Martin, kept in the Church of St Martin at Tours in France. Many people travel to this church to pray for healing, some staying there for years until their prayers are answered.

The bones of St Martin have a Faith score of 4, giving them 4 Faith Points and a Divine Might of 40. A truly pious character (storyguide's decision) who prays for healing at the church of St Martin will receive the benefits of one or more of the Saint Powers Cure Blindness, Straighten the Crippled, and The Faithful Made Whole, depending on the character's afflictions. Once the Might of the relics is exhausted, no more healing miracles will take place until the following dawn, regardless of the piety of those who pray for them.

THE MANTLE OF NERIUS

It is said that the Hermetic magus, Nerius, reconciled his power with God and sought to persuade others to do the same. His mission led him to travel far and wide, and in his wanderings he was aided by a mantle given to him by his amicus, a Verditius magus named Ceylan. The mantle gave him the stamina to walk for days without eating. After Nerius' death the mantle passed to Nerius' disciple, Valoran, but both he and the mantle disappeared soon after. Its current location is unknown.

Through its use by the divinely favored Nerius, the mantle has acquired divine power, and it now has a Faith score of 3, giving it 3 Faith points and a Divine Might of 30. It also enables the wearer to survive without food for as long as he or she wears it, a power that costs 4 Might points to activate.

THE HOLY LANCE

Before Christ's body was removed from the cross, a Roman soldier named Longinus pierced his side with a spear. The spear was subsequently lost, but was found again by the forces of the First Crusade in 1098. The crusaders continued to carry the Lance (actually a Roman pilum, or short spear) into battle until it was lost in Asia Minor in 1101.

The Lance is a powerful relic in the hands of a Christian. Not only does it have a Faith score of 7, giving it 7 Faith points and a Divine Might of 70, but it also has protective powers. The Lance may be used to invoke the Saint Power Celestial Immunity upon the nearest 10 people, at an increased cost of 15 Might.

The Holy Lance

Now it was the day of getting ready for the Passover, and so that the bodies might not be on the cross on the Sabbath (because the day of that Sabbath was a great day), the Jews made a request to Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the men of the army came, and the legs of the first were broken and then of the other who was put to death on the cross with Jesus: But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was dead by this time, and so his legs were not broken; But one of the men made a wound in his side with a spear, and straight away there came out blood and water. And he who saw it has given witness (and his witness is true; he is certain that what he says is true) so that you may have belief. These things came about so that the Writings might be true, "No bone of his body will be broken." And again another verse says, "They will see him who was wounded by their spears." - John 19: 31-37

VARIATIONS ON CHRISTIANITY

Throughout the years, many great thinkers and pious believers have developed alternative ideas concerning different aspects of Christianity. When this conflicts with established teachings of the Church, it is discouraged whenever possible to prevent confusion among the followers of the faith. Generally the error is corrected gently, then more forcefully, and if the heretic continues to believe and act otherwise — or worse, teaches his mistake to others — the Church must take more drastic measures. The goal is to bring them back into the fold, but those who resist or who continue their heresy after recanting could be burned at the stake.

Heresy was very common in the early days of Christianity, when there were many points of theology that the Church fathers had never considered, but by 1220 most of these points have already been settled and codified into official doctrine. While doubters occasionally surface to question this dogma, they usually remain isolated in their beliefs; such educated disputes serve to help the Church grow and develop, rather than threaten its authority. However, there have been two major heresies in the last hundred years that attracted significant numbers of followers — enough that the Church was forced to act against them.

The Waldensians were made up of the followers of Peter Waldo, a wealthy merchant from Lyon who experienced a religious epiphany in the late 1100s. He gave away all his earthly possessions and began ministering to the poor and needy, gathering a number of devoted followers, many of them women. In 1179 he and his brethren traveled to Rome and petitioned the pope for the right to preach in public. Permission was reluctantly granted to them on the condition that the clergy invite them to speak, but they were soon declared heretics in 1184 for teaching that the sacraments were not valid when performed by unworthy priests (this is an ancient heresy called Donatism). They also discouraged the veneration of saints and relics and objected to all forms of killing, either in war or as criminal punishment.

Despite sanctions, the movement spread into southern France and parts of Italy and Spain. In 1192, the Bishop of Toul ordered all Waldensians to be placed in chains and tried by the Episcopal tribunal. In 1194 the King of Aragon banished all of them from his lands, forbidding his subjects to from giving them food or shelter, and later authorized death by burning for the heretics. Seven Waldensians suffered the death penalty in Maurillac in 1214.

Southern France was also the center of another popular heresy, Catharism. Cathars (or Albigensians) appeared in Western Europe in the twelfth century, probably originating in the Balkans. They came to be localized in the Languedoc region, though they also developed a strong following in Piedmont and other parts of the world, and grew to be such a terrible threat to the Latin Church that Pope Innocent III declared a Crusade against them in 1209.

Catharist beliefs resemble an older heresy called Manichaeism. They teach that there are two spiritual powers in the world, good and evil, and that all matter is part of the evil power's realm, while goodness is entirely spiritual. The Cathars distinguish their ranks between the perfecti —men and women who strove to overcome their physical bodies and become perfect spiritual beings — and mere followers, who are held to lesser standards. Because they regard the material world as evil, they shun material possessions, consider sex and marriage to be unsuitable for perfecti, and do not eat meat. Cathars reject many of the sacraments, including baptism and the Eucharist, and substitute a ritual laying on of hands called the consolamentum for these rites. They also teach that Christ did not have a genuine human body, because that would have been evil, and so he only seemed to suffer as a lesson for those who follow him. Cathars recite the Pater noster and accept the New Testament, though they interpret the latter as critical of the ecclesiastical hierarchy.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

— The Pater Noster ("Our Father"), later called the Lord's Prayer

In the rest of Europe, most medieval Christians believe in the doctrines of Christianity, and those without holy powers desperately desire to experience for themselves the great events they hear about in the liturgy. Crusaders want to see the places where Christ and the apostles lived. Pilgrims travel to the sites of famous relics in hope that a saint will bless them with a vision or a miracle. Parishioners attend Mass to witness the spectacle of mysterious and supernatural ceremonies that bring them closer to heaven. Christians want to touch the divine, they want to see with their own eyes the glory of God and feel the power of the Dominion, and the Church in all its forms makes these pious dreams come true.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoev-

- Matthew 16:18-19

And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

- Luke 22:38

In many ways the Christian Church resembles the earthly Christ incarnate, in that the same body has two separate and distinct natures, at the same time representing both Man and God. Christ was fully human, but also fully God. Likewise, the medieval Church occupies positions on both sides of many contemporary issues that divide religious thought in medieval Europe.

One of the greatest differences among members of the Church is the separation between the secular clergy and the regular clergy, divided into orders. The former administers to human society from within human society, while the latter adopts a lifestyle that is holy because it is more removed and bound by a set of regulations (hence "regular"). Both organizations conform to a similar structure, though their daily lives are very different.

The Church originally developed out of primitive communities in the days of the apostles, where the first disciples shared communal lives of complete Christian devotion. Every community was subject to a leader who would see to its spiritual needs, as Christ's representative on earth. As these communities grew, these leaders gained more influence, and as Christianity spread, more leaders were created to oversee them. Today, this is the role of the bishop — a clergyman with spiritual authority over a wide area, which is called his diocese. A bishop's principal church, the cathedral, supports an administrative staff, called canons, who elect a new bishop whenever the position becomes vacant. At his consecration a bishop receives the symbols of office: the pastoral staff (which resembles a shepherd's crook), the ring, and the mitre (a bishop's headdress). Bishops of very important cities are called archbishops, and oversee all the other bishops in their region.

In order to effectively supervise all of the churches and monasteries within his diocese, a bishop is required to visit each establishment for which he is responsible once every three years. He is also obliged to make periodic trips to Rome to report on his stewardship. The rest of the time bishops baptize, preach, hear confessions, aid the poor, act as mediators in feudal disputes, attend Church councils, engage in correspondence, advise monarchs, and occasionally write holy treatises. Many of them hold land and must also perform feudal services like collecting taxes and leading their knights into battle.

Story Hook: The bishop of a city near the player characters' covenant also has feudal rank, and interprets his military obligation in a literal manner, though to defer to the canonical rule that forbids any cleric to shed blood, he wields a heavy mace, just like the Bishop of Bayeux at the Battle of Hastings. He has become very popular within his see, and is perceived as a heroic figure comparable to Archbishop Turpin in The Song of Roland. He is also quite outspoken against the infidel, and as he has little tolerance for sorcery, he takes an unpleasant interest in the magi.

By the thirteenth century, the primacy of the bishop of Rome, the pope, is nearly indisputable. The basis for this claim is Christ's declaration that Peter was the rock upon which His church would be built, and since Peter is considered to have been the first bishop of Rome, the assumption is that he passed on this authority to his successors. Thus, the pope is the final voice on matters of dogma and discipline. To rebel against him is tantamount to rebellion against God, for he has spiritual authority over all of Christendom. His advisers are called cardinals, and are appointed by him, elect his successor, and make up the papal court. He also sends personal representatives, legates, throughout Europe to oversee the affairs of the Church, and stations papal ambassadors in the courts of leading monarchs.

The smallest unit of a bishop's diocese is called a parish. This is often about the same size as a manor, and is overseen by a parish priest, who is often locally born. He administers to the people of the parish and is authorized by his bishop to perform the necessary sacraments that affect their daily life. His church is typically a small building, surrounded by consecrated ground, upon which acts of violence are forbidden. Inside, there are no chairs or benches; people sit on straw in the winter and on fresh grass in the summer, and stand for the liturgy. It serves as a social center for the community: people meet and discuss business, dances are held in the churchyard, children play inside and out, and during wartime people take refuge within, sometimes with their furniture and cattle. Parish people are very familiar with God, and often consider His house a kind of second home.

Beneath the priest in the Church hierarchy are the deacons — the clerics who look after Church funds, care for the poor and elderly, and assist the priest in the celebration of the Eucharist. The office serves a preparatory role for those who intend to become priests, but also allows for married men to serve. In large churches the deacon is sometimes assisted by a subdeacon, who sees to the implements of the Mass. Then there are the minor orders, who are the clerks who see to other duties about the church: the porters (door-guards), lectors (readers), exorcists, and acolytes. This last is responsible for the candles and the altar, and assists the subdeacon. Since they are not involved with the holy sacrament, they need not be ordained by the bishop.

Exorcism

Possession by devils was known to occur in Mythic Europe, and the Church has established prayers and rituals to help the victims to escape their evil control. While the Adjuration effects of the holy traditions achieve more immediate results, the Christian exorcism ceremony is also effective in that it can help the person break free from infernal influence on his own. Mechanically, the rite does one of two things: either it allows the possessed character to make a roll to shake off the demonic power, if it is an effect that can be resisted in some way, or else it is a prayer for a miracle on the afflicted character's behalf.

The rite costs the exorcist a Confidence (or Faith) point to perform properly. According to the Roman Ritual instructions, the exorcist must make sure the person is truly possessed, not simply sick, and should himself be absolved of all sin before beginning. The rite should be performed in the church or some other sacred place, with witnesses if possible. All questioning of the demon is to be avoided, and the prayers should be uttered with great faith, humility, and fervor. Holy water and crucifix may be employed, and if used for these purposes each gives a +1 to the possessed character's total. Any additional Faith points the exorcist spends during the rite also count toward the subject's roll.

MONASTERIES

Like parishes, monasteries began as organizations run by a holy man nominally under the authority of a bishop, as it was when Benedict established the Rule that governed how his followers would live and worship. Until approximately 1100, Europe was primarily a society composed of distinct cells in which the estate, village, and manor were individual units. The monastery was an ecclesiastical expression of this decentralization; each one contained everything necessary for the maintenance of life: fields, cattle, barns, craftsmen's workshops, winepresses, dormitories, library, refectory, infirmary, and herb garden, and, dominating the complex, the abbey church.

The monks' day was spent performing three main duties. The opus Dei ("work of God") was foremost; this involved worship in the church seven times throughout the day, for a total of three and a half hours, receiving the Eucharist daily. Four and a half hours of the lectio divina ("spiritual reading") were directed toward the spiritual growth of the monks, and later developed into celebrated intellectual pursuits. Finally, Benedict required about six and a half hours of opus manuum ("manual labor"), as hard work was believed to be a virtue.

Story Hook: The characters stay overnight in an aging Benedictine monastery, but are troubled by frightening dreams and visions during the night. They are awakened by the Matins bell, but it sounds very wrong to them, and when they make their way to the church they find that the monks are not there. They have slept through the night office, and because of their laxity the Dominion has been reduced to almost nothing, while an Infernal aura has settled upon the grounds. Outside, they are confronted by three demonic spirits dressed in monks' habits: Decadence, a fat, golden demon with heavy chains and a giant mouth; Sodomy, a wiry, clawed fiend that is part human and part wolf; and Apathy, a cold and insubstantial shadow with no face.

Because so many monks and churchmen have titles, lands, and wealth, it is often difficult to separate them from the nobility. The situations where powerful bishops and the leaders of the kingdom come into conflict can make for interesting events in the political landscape of Mythic Europe. Yet greater still than the conflict between Church and State is the rift between Western and Eastern Christendom. This tear in the fabric of the Holy Church has divided Mythic Europe since the earliest days of Christianity, and many fear this damage can never be mended.

The Offices

The monks' schedule varied according to the season, since it was regulated by the sun and influenced by fast days and the Church year. They had only one meal in winter, and longer services. In summer, they ate twice a day and had more work and reading. A typical monastic day might look something like this:

2:00 rise for Matins

2:15 spiritual reading

5:00 Lauds, followed by a short nap

5:30 Prime ("first hour"), followed by chapter

6:00 spiritual reading

8:00 Terce ("third hour") and Mass

9:30 manual labor

11:30 Sext ("sixth hour"), followed by High Mass

12:00 dinner (in summer), followed by a nap (in summer)

14:00 Nones ("ninth hour"), followed by dinner (in winter)

14:30 manual labor

17:00 Vespers

18:00 supper (in summer)

18:30 Compline, followed by retirement

The Rule required every monk to take a two-fold vow: that of stabilitas loci ("stability"), meaning permanent residence at the monastery of his entrance to the order, and conversatio morum ("conversion of life"). In addition, it was understood that he would follow the three "evangelical counsels" of poverty, celibacy, and obedience to the abbot. The chapter of monks (all the monks gathered for official business) elected the abbot for life, who was then solely responsible for the welfare of his house. He in turn chose a prior to be his chief assistant, in addition to a cellarer who was in charge of the temporal affairs of the house, and deans, each of whom was in charge of ten monks.

At first the chapter had a negative function; it could veto a suggestion by the abbot, but it could not initiate actions that the abbot opposed. By the twelfth century this had changed, however, and most chapters possessed considerable powers of legislation. One reason for this was that very few abbots lived in the monastic cloister any more; instead they had their own house within the compound. The bishops can usually interfere in these elections and decisions, however, and many monasteries have petitioned the head of the Church for special dispensation, and are granted a sort of autonomy whereby they answer only to the pope himself. Thus, abbots are often considered to have social status similar to bishops, and there is disagreement in the Church whether bishops have control over their houses.

Benedictine houses exist for both men and women; a convent follows the same Rule as a monastery, and is overseen by an abbess. The male and female orders are kept separate and distinct, to avoid temptation between the sexes (though there were cases of abbeys with both monks and nuns living under one roof with different wings, and these unusual houses were usually led by women), but since women may not be ordained in the Church, nuns are not completely isolated as they depend upon priests to administer the sacraments and give spiritual guidance.

Two of the most significant developments in Benedictine monasticism were the establishment of Cluny in 910 and Citeaux in 1098. Cluny sought to emphasize worship to the virtual exclusion of reading and labor, organize monasteries into a coherent system, and free the Church from the control of the nobility. During the tenth and eleventh centuries the Cluniac Order represented everything that was vital and progressive in Christianity. Then, in the twelfth century, the Cistercian Order came into being as a reaction to the secularization of the Church and widespread corruption among monks. The Cistercians sought to return to the simplicity of Benedict's Rule and the ideals of poverty and isolation. (The Cistercian Order is discussed in more detail in The Broken Covenant of Calebais.)

Christian worship in the East is very ceremonial, conducted in churches decorated with beautiful mosaics and frescoes representing Christ and the saints. The celebrants carry the bread and wine around the church while the choirs sing, and the consecration of the Eucharist is hidden from the worshipers by a screen, making it more mysterious and miraculous. It is sometimes called the Orthodox faith, denoting those who perform the same liturgy as that practiced by the Eastern patriarch, to distinguish it from the Western or Latin Church.

Eastern theologians tend to look upon dogma as a fixed body of teaching that is passed on, but not subject to change or progress. St. John of Damascus (670s - 760s), the greatest Eastern theologian to date, clearly outlined Orthodox Christianity with special reference to the two natures of Christ and refutation of heresy, and advocated Aristotelian philosophy. He taught the divine maternity of Mary, her exemption from original sin, and her bodily assumption into heaven. He also emphasized the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, almost to the exclusion of the bread and wine.

In line with this theology, Orthodox Christians tend to distrust the everyday aspects of religion, and their liturgy and art is designed to transport the believer out of the material world and into the Divine. Inherent in their worship are the mysteries surrounding Christ's two natures, man and God, with an emphasis on his divinity. Because Christ is viewed more as God than man, the Byzantines need intermediaries to bridge this gap between them and Him. The Virgin Mary functions most prominently in this role, as do the saints.

A violent religious and political quarrel called the Iconoclastic Controversy erupted in the early 700s in Byzantium and continued into the ninth century. Images (called "icons" in the east) of Christ, the Virgin Mary, other saints and angels used as devotional aids had become quite common in the East, but some began to protest against excesses in the veneration of these images, even going so far as to denounce it as idolatry. The monks fiercely defended the practice, and were persecuted and punished. Many thousands of priceless works of religious art were destroyed when the monasteries were seized.

Story Hook: A player character inherits a strange object from his parens — a large wooden screen with a door in the center, surrounded by two-dimensional paintings depicting three men with golden circles behind their heads. It is supposedly very old, more than six hundred years, but it does not seem to have aged at all. His cursory experiments have revealed that it is protected by some sort of magical resistance, and he suspects it is a holy relic. He does not know what to do with it, and has decided to ask his sodales if they have any interest.

Otherwise, monasticism has always been extremely popular in the East, and attracts many to its ranks. The ascetic life in a religious community is generally considered to be superior to everyday Christianity, isolated for the most part from the institutional Church. Ecclesiastics are almost always drawn from the ranks of monks, as most parish priests are married and celibacy is required of bishops. The Byzantine monasteries never divided into orders, but remain unified under the single Rule of St. Basil of Caesarea, and are governed in much the same way as their Western counterparts.

The structure of the secular clergy also remains fairly consistent in Byzantium, though for large parts of medieval history the East and West have considered themselves entirely separate Churches. The most dramatic split occurred in 1054, when the Eastern patriarch published accusations against the West, citing four theological errors that included using unleavened bread in the Eucharist and fasting on Saturdays, the enforcement of celibacy on the priesthood, and their practice of adding "and the Son" ("filioque") to the Nicene Creed, suggesting that the Holy Spirit proceeds from Christ in addition to the Father. The emperor closed the Western churches in Constantinople and ordered the Latin monasteries to conform to the Eastern practices. The pope protested that the Roman Church allowed the Greeks their strange ways only by sufferance, and sent three legates to argue the matter, who were insolently received. They excommunicated the emperor, and in turn the patriarch excommunicated the legates. After this final volley, the theological dust settled and the separation of the two Churches seemed complete.

Two Churches

Both the Eastern patriarch and the pope have had spiritual authority over Byzantium in the past, which means that if both of them exerted their holy influence over the same aura and tempered it (most likely by delegating spiritual authority to an intermediary in the case of the pope; see Blessed by God, Holy Influence), the Dominion would become conflicted and great confusion would reign in the East. Perhaps this the source of much of the conflict in the East between the two Churches.

The divide between Eastern and Western Churches is also evident in the different feel of the Dominion; characters familiar with one will recognize that something has changed when they experience the other. The Eastern Divine is slightly more traditional, more mystical, and the services feel like a strange dream or holy vision. To Easterners, the West seems more real, vibrant, and awe-inspiring; it is definite, modern, and authoritative.

Militant Orders Call to Crusade

The Church encouraged the knights and soldiers of Europe to join the fight against the Muslims through holy crusades, and several organizations of warrior monks were established to aid these efforts. They followed a version of the Rule in which they swore vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience, but unlike other monks they were allowed and even encouraged to bear arms and fight for the Church. In 1220, there are four major crusading orders established in Mythic Europe.

The Hospitallers, or more properly The Knights Hospitaller of St. John in Jerusalem, arose to serve the hospital provided for Christian pilgrims, and first achieved the status of a religious order in the aftermath of the conquest of Jerusalem. They follow the Rule of St. Augustine, and were approved in 1113. Exactly when they developed military capabilities is uncertain, but they were certainly well established as warriors of the Church by the 1180s. They wear a cross with forked edges as their symbol.

The Templars, the Order of Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon, was founded in Jerusalem in about 1119, and received its Rule at the Council of Troyes in 1128. In addition to their crusading activities, the Knights Templar acted as bankers for many important personages, including popes and the kings of France and England, and had a reputation for great wealth. It is also said that they learned strange powers in the Holy Land, and practice secret mysteries that are only taught to initiates of the order. Their symbol is the red flared cross.

The Order of Santiago was founded in 1170 by Ferdinand II of Leon in Iberia as a confraternity of knights. The following year they were named "vassals and knights" of St. James the Apostle, and their rule was formally approved by the pope in 1175. The knights are heavily involved in the Reconquista — the re-conquering of the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim invaders — which has succeeded in taking back half of the land so far, and many believe this is a sign that God is on their side.

The Teutonic Knights (the Order of the Hospital of Saint Mary of the Teutons of Jerusalem) were founded in 1190 as a Hospitaller order serving near Acre. In 1198, however, they became a military order under the influence of German crusaders in the Holy Land, approved by the pope in 1199, and in 1230 they are invited back to the north to fight against the pagan Prussians, in return for lordship over the subjugated region. They wear a simple black cross as the symbol of their order.

CRUSADERS

Then, in 1055, Baghdad was occupied by the militant Seljuk Turks, who were determined to conquer as much of the west as they could. They routed the Byzantine army at Manzikert in 1071 and seized Jerusalem. The Emperor humbly appealed for aid from the pope, who was too busy with political matters at home to provide assistance. Over the next quarter century the Turks pushed through to Nicea, threatening the very gates of Constantinople, and again the East sent a plea to the West for help. Pope Urban II responded with his famous call for the First Crusade.

Call to Crusade

You must carry succor to your brethren dwelling in the East, and needing your aid, which they have so often demanded. For the Turks, a Persian people, have attacked them as many of you know ... and occupying more and more the lands of those Christians, have already seven times conquered them in battle, have killed and captured many, have destroyed the churches and devastated the kingdom of God ... Wherefore I pray and exhort you to hasten to exterminate this vile race from the lands of our brethren and to bear timely aid to the worshipers of Christ ... Moreover, the sins of those who set out thither, if they lose their lives on the journey, by land or sea, or in fighting against the heathen, shall be remitted in that hour. - Pope Urban II, Council of Clermont, 1095

STORY HOOK:

A troupe of traveling jongleurs recreates the pope's passionate speech in an emotionally-charged play about the Crusades. The performance is so powerful that it inspires Righteous Personality traits in all the audience, who start a riot in the surrounding community. The mob eventually marches against any prominent heretics or infidels in the area, which might include the player characters' covenant.

The response was enthusiastic and instantaneous, and 50,000 peasants charged off without waiting for the campaign to organize. Many tore the shape of the cross in their clothing — the badge of the crusader — and they proceeded through Germany, inquiring at each town whether it might be Jerusalem, ravaging the countryside, and massacring thousands of Jews in misguided zeal against the infidel. They were mercilessly attacked in Bulgaria, and those who survived were exterminated by the Turks. Then the van arrived in Constantinople under the leadership of several French princes, recaptured Nicea, and pushed on towards Antioch. They eventually conquered the city, and there they discovered the holy lance that had pierced Christ's side. This great relic gave them the courage to press on to Jerusalem, and they took the great city amid massive carnage and destruction. On Christmas Day 1100, the new Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem came into being.

Once the crusaders had settled down in the East, the inevitable process of cultural assimilation began. They were attracted to the more leisurely life of the "infidels," adopting their flowing silk robes, steam baths, turbans, and taking wives. When Edessa fell in 1144, Europe was again galvanized into a Crusade, and the new arrivals were shocked by the indifference the earlier campaigners displayed toward the Turk. More often than once, the first-generation warriors sided with the Muslims against their zealous cousins. The Second Crusade accomplished nothing except the capture of Lisbon in Portugal by some German sailors who seized the opportunity to fight infidels closer to home.

A powerful Saracen leader (Saladin) recaptured Jerusalem in 1187, and Europe's three strongest monarchs were moved to lead the Third Crusade in counterstrike. Frederick Barbarossa drowned en route to the Holy Land, Philip II of France became ill and returned home, and Richard I of England managed to negotiate a truce that allowed pilgrims to visit the holy city unmolested. Yet neither these nor later crusades ever equaled the popular support or results achieved by the First Crusade, and Byzantium itself gained little from them except for a brief respite from Turkish attack. The behavior of the Westerners in Asia Minor led many Byzantines to wonder whether the Turks might not be better neighbors, and the crusaders also began to complain of the duplicity of the people in the East.

In 1204, another army gathered in Europe for a Fourth Crusade to recapture the holy places of Palestine, but the Venetians upon whose ships they sailed convinced the Latins to divert their course to Constantinople, which the misguided army attacked and pillaged for three terrible days. The treasures of the city, the books and works of art preserved from distant centuries, were all dispersed and most of them destroyed. This heinous act utterly and irrevocably sealed the division between East and West, although it also brought about an artificial reunion of sorts: the crusading army forced the Byzantines to accept a Western patriarch and observe the Latin rites, bringing them back under the spiritual authority of the pope. This is only a temporary measure, as the city will eventually drive out the invaders and return to its own practices, but for now Byzantium is reluctantly a part of a single Holy Church of Christendom.

Wherever it is based and whatever its practices, Christianity has always carried with it the ideal of reform, and in the thirteenth century, two great movements have created another powerful dichotomy in Church practice. These are the growth of universities and the spread of the friars, both of which are bringing all of Christendom into a new age of enlightenment and religious thought.

Learning depends upon students and teachers, and the rapidly increasing number of these in Mythic Europe has led to the development of institutions called studia generalia, or universities. These grew out of existing schools in larger towns, usually church schools. In effect, a university is an organization made up of masters and students, organized like a trade guild. Studies are often divided into four faculties, each under the jurisdiction of a dean: theology, law, medicine, and arts. Instructors teach through lecture on a text, commentary on the text, and finally discussion among those present. The students' progress is followed closely by a master, and a college of students often provides room and board. The bachelor's degree entitles a student to teach without abandoning his own studies, while the master's degree grants him the authority to open his own school.

Prominent universities in 1220 include Paris, which is well known for theology and the liberal arts, and Bologna in northern Italy, known for its emphasis on the law and just beginning to be recognized for achievements in medicine. Oxford, in England, is also gaining notoriety for mathematics, and is starting to compete with Paris for scholastic authority in other subjects. Other universities are forming throughout Italy and France, and a new university has just been established in Salamanca, Spain. These places of learning have decisively replaced monasteries as centers of intellectual growth in Europe.

Yet with all the eagerness and excitement that surrounds the universities' efforts, scholars and teachers suffer from many uncertainties. Students have to look to their friends and family to support them while they study, and the masters in turn have to rely on the students for their livelihood. Both parties accumulate debt while they seek a career, usually as a clerk to a wealthy patron if they are lucky enough to find a position. Unfortunately, part of the nature of universities is that they tend to attract more people than they can employ, and it is in these circumstances that the friars, with their call to poverty in service to the Church, can flourish.

FRIARS

The two founding orders of friars, the Dominican and the Franciscan, grew up almost together. Dominic founded his order to combat heresy, and believed that to convert common people the Church must eschew the pomp of ecclesiastical dignitaries and adopt a simpler life like that of the apostles. His order was small but extremely well organized, and they quickly spread to the centers of academic learning, so that by 1220 he has chapters established at Paris, Bologna, Rome, and other great cities. Meanwhile, Francis, the affluent son of an Italian cloth merchant, gave up everything he had to serve God, and petitioned the pope in 1210 for permission to start a new order dedicated to reforming the decadence of the Church. He called for Christians to give up every form of worldly glory, wealth, and comfort to live according to the holy Gospels and follow the example set by Christ. Francis was a reluctant leader, but the movement was so popular that hundreds of Franciscans soon spread across the continent, especially to the great cities of Europe.

Unlike the cloistered orders, Franciscans preach poverty more than obedience. They truly live by the charity of others. A community of beggars cannot survive in the wilderness, so they tend to gravitate to towns. However, the poverty that is so essential to the Franciscans is merely a channel of communication for Dominicans. Over the course of the next century their ranks are swelled by other idealists, churchmen, and even university students and masters who abandon the search for a benefice and instead devote their lives to teaching in poverty.

Throughout the history of the Church and throughout the middle ages, there is a startling sense of duality — of two religious essences that co-exist in one being. Perhaps this is because the Holy Spirit of Christendom is the manifestation of both the Father and the Son, and their two distinct natures are evident to all who feel it. In Mythic Europe, anyone associated with the Church must recognize that he represents only one part of a great organization, and that the organization is constantly changing while maintaining its great sense of tradition and history. To be a Christian, one must focus upon God, but also have a care for humanity, for it is ultimately the people who make up the faith.

A Christian Library

All Christian texts are in Latin (or Greek in the East), and are easily found in most cathedral schools, universities, and monasteries.

THE BIBLE

Summa, Theology (Level 10, Quality 3); Summa, Church Lore (Level 3, Quality 3)

Author: The New Testament is a collection of books by different authors, including the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the writings of St. Paul.

Description: The Bible has two parts, the first being a translation of the Jewish Torah and other holy writings, called the Old Testament. The second part, the New Testament, tells of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ through the four Gospels, and describes the spread of his worship throughout the ancient world. It ends with the Revelation of John, a prophetic vision of the end of the world when Christ comes again to judge the living and the dead.

Since the Bible contains the true Word of God, it has a much higher Level than should be possible to write. Yet it has a low Quality, not because it is badly written, but because it is not designed as a textbook. It is inspirational more than educational, though it may be studied throughout a Christian's lifetime, and will always yield new insights.

SENTENCES (QUATUOR LIBRI SENTENTIARUM)

Book I is a summa on Divine Lore, Level 4, Quality 9; Books II through IV are a single summa on Theology, Level 5, Quality 9

Author: Peter the Lombard (approximately 1100-1160)

Description: The Sentences is a collection of the opinions of Church fathers, primarily intended for study. It is four books in one; the first deals with God and the concept of God, the second addresses the creation and sin, the third describes redemption and the incarnation, and the fourth tells of the sacraments, death and judgment. It is immensely popular as the textbook for theology of the day, and has inspired hundreds of commentaries.

THE CITY OF GOD

Tractatus, Church Lore (Quality 12)

Author: St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

Description: This is considered the greatest work of one of Christianity's most brilliant writers. It is a book of inspirational and philosophical history, primarily addressing the fall of Rome and answering the pagans who attributed this to the abolition of their worship.

CONSOLATIONS OF PHILOSOPHY

Tractatus, Philosophiae (Quality 9)

Author: Boethius (480-525), written while imprisoned and awaiting execution for disloyalty to the king

Description: This is a dialogue between Philosophy and Boethius that emphasizes the superiority of the sciences over the transitory nature of worldly glory. It is highly regarded by the Church, but it is also an unusual example of Christian literature in that Boethius does not ever refer to his faith, and does not seek comfort in God.

THE CELESTIAL HIERARCHY (CAELESTIS HIERARCHIA)

Summa, Dominion Lore (Level 4, Quality 6)

Author: believed to be Dionysius the Areopagite, a Greek converted by St Paul, though there is some question. Some churchmen theorize that it was written by an angel, and the followers of Deus Sol Invictus (see Holy Magic in the Blessed By God, chapter) privately hold that the author belonged to their cult.

**Description:**This is a guide to the highly organized structure of the Divine, describing the nine angelic choirs, their powers and hierarchy, and God's purpose in establishing them. Itis an importantwork cited by famous authors throughout the Middle Ages, though it only began to receive wide circulation in the 800s, when it was translated into Latin.

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

1 Corinthians 6:1-2

Saints are holy men and women who have died and been accepted into God's kingdom in heaven. Theologically, there are four types of saints: saints of the Old Testament, saints of the New Testament, martyrs who died for their religion, and confessors who lived exemplary Christian lives and died of natural causes. Because

these saints were once mortal, the medieval laity feels more connected to them than God and His Son, who are seen as removed from life and its daily toil. People have developed a special relationship with the saints, offering them respect and love in exchange for spiritual protection and intercession with God. Saints intermediate between God and His flock.

This phenomenon of people adoring the holy dead is called the cult of saints, from the Latin "cultus" meaning "worship, reverence, splendor". Popular veneration of the saints is widespread and common, and is enthusiastically supported by literature, parades, pilgrimages, and celebratory feasts. Saints' tombs draw large crowds, feast days are great celebrations, and saints' miracles are collected into literary compilations that occupy a significant place in popular vernacular literature. Saints' individual remains are separated and disseminated throughout Mythic Europe (see Relics). All of this heightens the intensity of devotion the laity have for saints, whom they have made patrons of countries, towns, particular enterprises, guilds of merchants, chivalric orders of men, religious groups, and even individuals. Magi are not exceptions and have made St Nerius their patron saint.

There is a theological distinction between the veneration of saints and the worship of God. Only God is worshiped, His saints are venerated — adored and praised. Saints may not forgive anyone their sins. Saints by themselves cannot grant miracles, but do so through the holy power invested in them by God. They are conduits between God and man, intermediaries who petition God for the sake of their beloved followers. Saints are not "minor gods" or "demigods", and by themselves they have no power whatsoever. They are part of God's celestial host.

"Canonization" is the process by which the Church declares that a person has been accepted by God as a saint. In antiquity, local bishops and their flocks decided who was considered a saint, often raising local men and women to this holy rank. The canonization process is being formalized in the thirteenth century, and now the decision is almost always made by the pope.

The authoritative text in the Middle Ages for saints' lives, Jacobus de Voragine's The Golden Legend, does not yet exist in 1220. Written around 1260, this book can still serve players and storyguides as an excellent resource for their saga. All of the legends and stories in Jacobus's compilation would be historically accurate for a saga set in the beginning of the thirteenth century.

Saints serve as intercessors for those who venerate them and they are often called upon by their devoted followers to perform miracles. Saints are also commonly invoked for intercession on behalf of the dead. In the most general terms, however, saints aid the living by curing the sick, raising the dead, protecting the laity from invasion and natural disasters, protecting the poor from oppression, warding off temptation, and driving off demons. Miracles aren't always grandiose, and many followers ask their saint for the smallest of favors, including finding lost property, healing a sick family member, and protecting a child. Miracles in Mythic Europe are relatively common, and nearly everyone has seen a miracle or knows someone who has.

Once a day you may ask a saint for aid, hoping the saint will respond with a miracle. This invocation is not an exact ritual or ceremony, but is merely a heartfelt request for supernatural succor. Everyone has a saint that is most familiar to them, and it is usually to this saint that the petition is addressed. This is a person's patron saint. During the Middle Ages, people, organization, towns, cities, occupations, and even kingdoms all had patron saints — special protectors and intercessors for the individual, group, or area. Individuals are commonly given the name of their patron saint at their baptism. While many people in Mythic Europe have patron saints, it is not universal. Many magi, for example, never adopt a patron saint.

You are not summoning a saint. In the medieval viewpoint, the saints hover invisibly over their tombs and their faithful. Invoking a saint is asking an already present divine spirit for specific assistance. Characters typically invoke their patron saint or the patron saint of the area they are in. If your request is sincere enough for the saint, he will respond with a miracle. Every Christian person can petition a saint for aid; there is no required Ability or special Virtue. The miracles of the saints are available to the entire Christian community.

To invoke a saint you make a Communication + Charm + modifiers + a simple die roll against an Ease Factor of 15 + a simple die. The simple die added to the Ease Factor represents the ineffable mind of God and the inability of humanity to understand God's Divine Plan. It is added to retain the wonder and mystery of medieval saints. The storyguide should roll this die in secret, keeping the result hidden from the players.

INVOKING A SAINT: Communication + Charm + modifiers + a simple die vs. 15 + a simple die

If the roll is successful the saint will use one of his divine powers to aid you. Characters are generally familiar with the powers of their patron saints and will ask for and receive the specific aid requested. If the roll fails, you receive no aid, but may petition the saint again the next day. You may also threaten a saint who has failed to aid you (see below), but this is a drastic measure with potentially dire consequences.

Invocation Modifiers

SITUATION	MODIFIER
At saint's tomb	+1
In a Divine Aura	+ Divine Aura
During the saint's feast day	+3
Pilgrimage in honor of the saint within a year	+2
Touching saint's relic	+1
Making a monetary donation	+1 to +3
Imminent peril	+2
True Faith	+1 per point of Faith Score
Unchristian act in the last month	–1 to –3
No donation within a year	–3
Received a miracle within a month	–20
Invoking a saint other than a patron saint	–15

Saints can seem temperamental and reluctant to grant a petitioner's wishes, even in the most troublesome of circumstances. During the Middle Ages it was quite common for a saint to be threatened into compliance, often by the very monks who were charged with overseeing the saint's relics and tomb. This practice was referred to as "the humiliation of a saint." This could have severe consequences, and several legends relate how a saint punished a threatening petitioner. In the direst instances, a saint has actually struck down a petitioner, killing him with a curse or other malediction.

To threaten a saint you must have first failed at invoking him. If you wish to press the saint after he has denied your invocation, you may threaten him, forcing him to grant you a specific miracle. You make a Presence + Leadership + modifiers + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 9 + one fifth of the saint's Divine Might. You may use Confidence points on this roll, but not Faith Points.

THREATENING A SAINT: Presence + Leadership + modifiers + stress die vs. 9 + Saint's Divine Might/5

Threat Modifiers

SITUATION	MODIFIER
Exposing the saint's bones	+1
Whipping or defiling the saint's relics	+2
Berating the saint in front of others	+1
Barring others from venerating the saint	+3
Imminent peril	+1
Received a miracle within the past month	–20
Threatening an unfamiliar saint	–15

If you succeed with your roll the saint immediately grants you the miracle you seek. The miracle must be within the saint's repertoire of powers.

If you fail the saint is annoyed with you. He will not respond to any of your petitions for a month. If your roll is ten or more points beneath the Ease Factor the saint punishes you by inflicting a minor curse, typically one that only costs the saint 1 point of its Might to use, and refuses to grant you any aid for a whole season. If you botch your roll the saint inflicts his curse upon you.

Miracles are the supernatural deeds that the saints can perform for their followers. The power necessary for these miracles comes from God, who has allowed the saints to perform these miracles at their discretion, channeling His power through them to the laity. Miracles can be amazing events with spectacular displays, including blinding light, sweet music, and aromatic smells, or they can be apparently mundane events that just happen to fulfill the petitioner's request.

Saints' miracles are expressed in the game as powers. Many of the saints have similar powers, and the following list, culled from the saints' lives, contains many appropriate powers. Greater saints have most of the powers, area saints have many of the powers, and lesser saints have only the lowest-costing powers.

POWERS

Acknowledgment of Evil, 1 point, Init +10, Vim. This power forces any demon within voice range of the petitioner to declare his Infernal nature, loudly stating that he is a demon. The Penetration of this miracle (Divine Might – (5 x Might Point cost of power)) must equal or exceed the demon's Infernal Might to be effective.

Apparition, 0 points, Init +20, Imaginem. This power allows the saint to create a physical manifestation of himself. He is still immune from physical harm; weapons and items will pass through the saint without effect.

Celestial Immunity, 5 points, Init +15, Corpus. This power makes the recipient completely immune to physical damage, whether from torture, combat, the elements, or natural injury. The protection lasts as long as the threat persists, but dissipates once the imminent danger has passed.

Cure Blindness, 2 points, Init +3, Corpus. Permanently restores sight, regardless of the cause of the affliction. This power can restore sight lost due to aging. It does not prevent future damage.

Expel Demons, 1 point, Init +15, Vim. By using this power the saint can expel a demon from a person or area, forcing the fiend to return to Hell. This power works the same way as does the Hermetic spell, Demon's Eternal Oblivion. The storyguide compares the saint's Might + a stress die (no botch) against the demon's Might.

Grant of Serenity, 1 point, Init –10, Mentem. This power calms an agitated or worried petitioner, soothing her fears and calming her anxiety, and is very similar to the Hermetic spell Enchantment of Detachment. Unlike the spell, this power will also nullify any malign Mentem spell currently affecting the target.

Mass Healing, 5 points, Init +0, Corpus. This power heals a crowd of people from all their diseases. It will heal blindness, lameness, deafness, any affliction caused by age or disease, and all wounds an individual might have. It will not remove Decrepitude points or repair Characteristics lowered by aging.

Raise the Dead, 7 points, Init +0, Corpus. This power restores life to a corpse, provided that the soul hasn't been accepted into heaven. It can raise those who souls are in Purgatory, or even Hell.

Resist Temptation, 1 point, Init +5, Mentem. This power bestows Magic Resistance equal to the Divine Might of the saint to the petitioner to help resist the Infernal powers of demonic temptation.

Sanctuary of Virginity, 4 points, Init +10, Corpus. With this power the saint can protect the virginity of one of her followers in some miraculous fashion. Good examples are momentarily blinding the assailant, growing the recipient's hair to cover her body in an impenetrable mass, or making the assailant believe a collection of kitchen pots is his intended victim.

Scourging of Snakes, 4 points, Init +13, Animal. This power expels all snakes and crawling reptiles from an island up to the size of Ireland. Furthermore, once this miracle has been performed, natural snakes will not return to the island, and magical snakes must beat the saint's Magic Resistance to be created.

Straighten the Crippled, 3 points, Init +10, Corpus. This power heals the lame and physically deformed. This will repair physical damage received from spells, but will not remove Decrepitude or Warping Points.

The Dutiful Shepherd, 4 points, Init +10, Imaginem. This power causes an image of the saint to appear before a lost petitioner and lead them to safety. While under the protection of the saint, the petitioner receives a +10 soak against damage and a Magic Resistance of 10 (which does not stack with other forms of Magic Resistance).

The Faithful Made Whole, 4 points, Init +15, Corpus. This power cures the recipient of all disease and heals all physical wounds.

The Incombustible Shroud, 3 points, Init +20, Ignem. This powers renders the target immune to damage from fire, regardless of its size and potency.

The Laborer's Boon, 1 point, Init +10, Terram. This power allows the saint to mend a broken tool or instantly replace a lost one. Sieves, hoes, and axes are common examples of tools broken during use and repaired by a saint.

The Leap of the Faithful, 5 points, Init +5, Corpus. This potent power instantly transports a single person from one location to another, regardless of distance, condition, or situation. This is often used by a saint to retrieve a petitioner's loved one from distant imprisonment.

Tomorrow's Bounty, 2 points, Init +0, Herbam. This power allows the saint to instantly create food enough to feed a large crowd — often sacks of grain or baked loaves of bread.

CURSES

As well as miraculous powers, saints also have the capability to curse those who threaten their followers. These curses range in scale from minor annoyances to fatal maledictions. Most saints have some form of curse and many share similar curses.

Blindness, 1 point, Init +8, Corpus. This curse blinds the target, removing her power of sight. This is permanent unless repaired by magic or miracle.

Blisters of Humility, 1 point, Init +12, Corpus. This curse covers the target with boils and sores that last for a week. The target suffers a –6 penalty on all physical actions.

Dysenteric Infliction, 5 points, Init +9, Corpus. This curse destroys the target in the most wretched way, by giving him such a severe attack of dysentery that all his intestines spill out.

Flabbergast the Impertinent, 2 points, Init +3, Mentem. This curse causes the target to fall into a deep sleep, lasting the night, and accompanied by loud snores. The sleeper will wake in the morning exhausted from his snoring, down two long-term Fatigue levels. No magic can prematurely wake the sleeper.

Humility of Caesar, 1 point, Init +12, Animal or Corpus. This subtle curse causes a rider's horse to throw him to the ground. If the target is already afoot, he ignobly falls flat on his face.

Ignis Domini, 4 points, Init +18, Ignem. "The Fire of God" is a pillar of fire that falls from heaven and engulfs the target, doing +30 points of damage.

Rebuke the Unfaithful, 4 points, Init +13, Mentem. This curse attempts to return the fallen to the fold by threatening him with death unless he mend his ways. The saint appears in a vision and tells the target that he will die within thirty days unless he ceases performing some specific unchristian behavior. If the target does not amend her ways, she will die.

Smiting of the Lord, 4 points, Init +13, Auram. A lightning bolt flashes from the saint's hands and inflicts +35 points of damage to the target, which is usually indicated by the petitioner in her invocation.

Swallowed Alive and Sent to Hell, 5 points, Init +3, Terram. This self-explanatory curse forces a chasm to open up underneath the target's feet, creating a direct chute to Hell in which the target falls. The chasm instantly reseals itself afterwards.

Terrify the Unbeliever, 2 points, Init +18, Mentem. This curse causes fear in the target, making her terrified of the saint and his power and forcing her to flee to the nearest place of safety. A Brave or other appropriate Personality Trait roll of 12+ is need to overcome this terror, which lasts until the next dawn.

The Earth's Riches, 3 points, Init +10, Terram. This power permanently changes sticks and stones into gold and precious stones, with an overall value similar to the Hermetic spell Touch of Midas. Typically a saint uses this power to threaten a follower into a more righteous lifestyle, reminding him that he is sacrificing his heavenly reward for riches in the here and now.

The Feast of Worms, 3 points, Init +5, Corpus. This curse causes the target's body to become invested with maggots, doing +10 damage initially. The target must make a Stamina stress roll against an Ease Factor of 12 or permanently lose a point of Presence.

The list of saints venerated by the medieval Church is huge. So many holy men and women have been honored with sainthood that the Church has declared 1 November as All Saint's Day, a feast day commemorating the hundreds of local saints that populate Mythic Europe. Since it is impossible to list even just the important saints in a book this size, this section will detail rules useful for creating a saint.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ, is the most venerated saint of all. She is the most powerful saint and has a Divine Might of 100. Beneath her in power are three categories of saints: greater saints, area saints, and local saints. Greater saints have a Divine Might score of 75 and are typically apostles, Old Testament saints, or very influential Church fathers. Greater saints are venerated throughout Mythic Europe. Area saints have a Divine Might of approximately 50 and are venerated in large areas: England, the Holy Roman Empire, and continental European kingdoms. Local saints are venerated by the population of a town or two and have a Divine Might of 25. Several towns or villages may venerate the same local saint.

GREATER SAINT: Divine Might 75

AREA SAINT: Divine Might 50

LOCAL SAINT: Divine Might 25

Saints in the same category frequently have similar powers. Often the only distinctions between saints are the details of their lives and legends, not the miracles they performed. The easiest way for a storyguide to create a saint is to simply change the name of one of the supplied sample saints, making it appropriate for the location of the saga.

Saints are Divine creatures, as detailed in the Realms chapter of Ars Magica 5th Edition. Saints do not have corporeal forms and can not be harmed by physical means. They have many of the same Characteristics and stats, differing only in powers and Divine Might. Generally, a saint should be given powers whose total point cost to use is less than or equal to one fifth of their Divine Might. However, this is just a rule of thumb, and storyguides are encouraged to give saints whatever powers they deem appropriate.

Sample Saint

Divine Might: variable, see below

Characteristics: Int +5, Per +5, Pre +5, Com +5, Str n/a, Stm n/a, Dex n/a, Qik n/a

Size: 0

Age: n/a

Confidence Score: 2 (10)

Virtues and Flaws: None

Personality Traits: Pious +3, Attentive +2, Benevolent +2

Reputations: Saint (variable dependent on type of saint)

Combat: n/a

Soak: n/a

Fatigue Levels: n/a

Wound Penalties: n/a

Abilities: None

Powers: variable

Equipment: white robes or other religious vestments

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Vis: None

Appearance: Saints appear as immaculately dressed men and women, bathed in brilliant light and surrounded by sweet perfumes.

This template serves as a basic foundation for the specific saints on the following pages.

Blessed Virgin Mary

Patron saint of the laity in general, also, clothworkers, cooks, fishermen, nuns, protection against epidemics and natural disasters, silversmiths, Teutonic knights, virgins, and women

Divine Might: 100

Area of Veneration: Throughout Mythic Europe

Powers: Apparition, Celestial Immunity, Cure Blindness, Grant of Serenity, Incombustible Shroud, Leap of the Faithful, Rebuke the Unfaithful, Resist Temptation, Straighten the Crippled, The Dutiful Shepherd

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ. She is the most powerful saint in Mythic Europe, enjoying a higher form of adoration than other saints receive, and her cult is the most popular of all the saints. She receives many petitions for aid because she is seen as being more compassionate and merciful than Christ, since she can use her motherly influence to help soften His judgments.

Her birth was preordained to her parents by angels, as was her role as the mother of the Son of God. She spent the first fourteen years of her life secluded in the Lord's Temple, before being bequeathed to St Joseph, an elder man and widower. The angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that she was blessed and would conceive the Son of God. Mary left her hometown of Nazareth with her husband and went to Bethlehem, where she delivered Jesus in a secluded grotto. To escape the persecution of Herod, Mary and her family fled to Egypt. She was not directly involved with Christ's ministry, but was present at the Passion. St Ambrose writes that Mary was the first to see the Lord's Resurrection. Leaving Jerusalem, Mary moved to Ephesus, living there until the end of her life, when she was raised by angels to heaven. The Blessed Virgin Mary's tomb is in Ephesus, as is the house she spent her final days living in.

Saint Peter, Apostle

Patron saint of the Church, popes, and fisherman

Divine Might: 75

Area of Veneration: Rome, throughout Mythic Europe

Powers: Acknowledgment of Evil, Apparition, Celestial Immunity, Cure Blindness, Expel Demons, Mass Healing, Raise the Dead, Sanctuary of Virginity, Terrify the Unbeliever, The Laborer's Boon, Tomorrow's Bounty

St Peter was the chief of the apostles, revered by Christ for his religious conviction and witness to most of Christ's miracles. Peter was the first apostle chosen by Christ, performed countless miracles himself, and received from Christ's hand the keys to Heaven, the rock on which the Church was to be built. Peter preached in many cities and converted thousands of pagans to the Christian faith. In Rome Peter defended the faith against Simon Magus, a sorcerer in Emperor Nero's employ. Peter repeatedly dispelled the demons the sorcerer used to work his magic, which turned fatal when the demons giving the sorcerer the power of flight were expelled. Nero remained unconvinced and crucified Peter, who asked his cross to be placed upside down in a final act of humility. He was buried in Rome.

Saint Martin of Tours

Patron saint of soldiers, horses, horse riders, and beggars

Divine Might: 50

Area of Veneration: Poitiers, Tours, Paris, Normandy, other areas of France and Italy

Powers: Acknowledgment of Evil, Apparition, Celestial Immunity, Expel Demons, Grant of Serenity, Terrify the Unbeliever, The Labor's Boon

St Martin was a professional soldier, born in Hungary and trained in Italy. Entering the city of Amiens, Martin gave his cloak to a beggar and was rewarded that night with a vision of Christ wearing the same cloak. Martin left his military career and became a soldier of God, traveling Europe to preach the Word of God, combat the Arian heresy, and convert pagans. As the bishop of Tours, he continued performing miracles and resisting the temptations of Satan. Martin was a simple and pious man, who made many pilgrimages to Rome and other holy sites. He died in 800 at Candes, at the age of 81. His body was moved to Tours and entombed in a stone sarcophagus, above which a basilica was built. St Martin is one of France's greatest saints.

Saint Guinefort

Patron saint of protecting local children

Divine Might: 25

Area of Veneration: a diocese In Lyon

Powers: Blisters of Humility, Grant of Serenity, Resist Temptation, Straighten the Crippled, The Faithful Made Whole

St Guinefort was not man, but rather a greyhound. The local lord and lady had left the dog in charge of their newborn baby. During their absence, a snake entered the nursery. In the process of slaying the snake, the dog overturned the baby's crib and inadvertently splattered snake's blood on the baby. Returning to the castle, the lord saw his unmoving child covered in blood and, thinking the dog had attacked the baby, killed the dog. When his mistake was made clear, he felt great sadness for his rash action. He buried his beloved greyhound in a well and had it covered with stones. The local population, hearing of the dog's noble deed, began venerating it as if it were a martyr. The people's devotion was so great that God took pity on them and allowed the dog to be accepted into the ranks of the holy, allowing St Guinefort to grant miracles similar to a regular local saint.

Saint Nerius

Patron saint of Christian magi

Divine Might: 50

Areas of Veneration: Individual covenants within the Order of Hermes

Powers: Apparition, Celestial Immunity, Ignis Domini, The Incombustible Shroud, The Leap of the Faithful

Tales of St Nerius circulate throughout the Order, especially among Christian magi who hope to promote his cult. The most common tale is that St Nerius was a Criamon magus born in the Provencal Tribunal and active throughout Mythic Europe. A seeker of the Enigma, St Nerius discovered it in a secret well hidden in an Alpine ravine. Instead of succumbing to the mesmerizing vision in the well, St Nerius resisted by asking the angel Michael for assistance. Bathed in the powerful Light of the Lord, St Nerius's prayer was answered, and he emerged from the mountains a newly made saint and miracle-worker.

The various stories of his travels are miraculous and many magi find them hard to completely believe. It is told that through the Divine gifts he received from God, St Nerius was able to surpass many of the limits of Hermetic magic. He could cure the sick without vis, travel instantaneously from location to location, and change the essential nature of things. He never lost a Certamen match, nor could his Divine protection be pierced by spells. Some tales say that St Nerius is one of the protectors of Arcadia, and other legends tell of his incredible adventures in Purgatory.

The usual story of St Nerius's martyrdom is that other magi were envious of his powers, especially a group from House Tremere, who eventually succeeded in declaring a Wizard's March against St Nerius. During the Normandy Tribunal of 1039, St Nerius was martyred at Fudarus, Domus Magnus of House Tytalus, by a collection of Tremere, Tytalus, and Flambeau wizards. His Divine protection having withstood every attack, St Nerius proclaimed God's Will stronger than the petty cravings of his fellow magi, then stepped from the circle of Celestial Immunity and died. However, the records of Tribunal meetings at Fudarus never mention this event. However his life ended, St Nerius was accepted by God to be venerated as a saint.

An autobiographical account of some of St Nerius's travels does exist; this collection of twelve scrolls is in the Great Library in Durenmar.

More Saints

Here is an incomplete list of saints popular in the Middle Ages.

GREATER SAINTS
St Paul, apostle, patron saint of Greece
St Andrew, apostle, patron saint of Scotland, fishermen, and sailors
St James the Great of Compostela, apostle, patron saint of Spain, pilgrims, and laborers
St John the Evangelist, apostle, patron saint of Asia Minor, friendship, and writers
St Matthew, apostle, patron saint of tax collectors, bookkeepers and bankers
St Thomas, apostle, patron saint of India, architects, and surveyors
St Jude, apostle, patron saint of lost causes St Ambrose, patron saint of bishops, learning, and bees
St Jerome, patron saint of scholars

AREA SAINTS
St Edward the Confessor, patron saint of England
St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
St Benedict of Nursia, patron saint of Europe, monks, and farm workers
St Thomas a Becket, patron saint of Canterbury
St Denis, patron saint of Paris
St Boniface, patron saint of Germany, brewers, and tailors
St Wenceslaus, patron saint of Bohemia

LOCAL SAINTS:
St Finnbarr, patron saint of Cork
St Gilbert, patron saint of Sempringham
St Godric, patron saint of Durham and Finchale
St David of Thessalonike, patron saint of Thessalonike
St Kevin, patron saint of Dublin
St Eulogius, patron saint of Cordoba
St Irene, patron saint of Thessalonica
St Gotthard, patron saint of Hildesheim
St Adalbert, patron saint of Prague

The house of God is thought to be one, but it is divided into three: some pray, some fight and others toil. These three parts which co-exist do not suffer from being disjunct: the services rendered by the one are the condition of the work of the two others: each in turn is charged with providing relief for the whole. Thus, this threefold assembly is no less one; and so it is that the law has been able to triumph and the world to enjoy peace.

— Adalbero, Bishop of Laon, Poem to King Robert, c. 1025 A.D.

Most of the characters in Ars Magica are probably Christians, or at least were baptized Christian. However, you may wish to play characters who are more directly involved with the Church and Christian faith, and the different types of characters these might include are described below. The character templates that follow may help make this easier, or inspire your own ideas, as they can be modified as appropriate.

There are several new Virtues and Flaws presented below, and players should be able to adapt many existing Flaws to the material in this chapter. For example, heretics (or suspected heretics) might take Enemies, Infamous, or Dark Secret, and magi who wish to live a Christian life might have a Vow not to use magic sinfully.

New Christian Virtues

MAJOR, HERMETIC

Ars Notoria

MAJOR, SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES

Ars Notoria

MAJOR, SUPERNATURAL METHOD

Holy Music

MAJOR, SOCIAL STATUS

Senior Clergy

MINOR, SOCIAL STATUS

Brother Chaplain
Brother Knight
Brother Sergeant
Eastern Priest

New Christian Flaws

MAJOR, HERMETIC

Monastic Vows (Hermetic)

MAJOR, STORY

Excommunicate
Pagan
Unbaptised

MAJOR, SUPERNATURAL

Pagan

MINOR, SOCIAL STATUS

Failed Monk

New Christian Abilities

ACADEMIC

Ars Notoria*

ARCANE

Ars Notoria*

SUPERNATURAL

Ars Notoria*
Holy Music*

ARS NOTORIA

Major, Hermetic, Supernatural Ability

By studying one of the copies of the Book of Solomon, you have learned the Notory Art and may recite the different orations possible through those secrets, called the Rings of Solomon. You gain the Supernatural Ability Ars Notoria 1. You must have a score of 4 in Artes Liberales, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Chaldean, and if you are taking this Virtue during character creation, you must have The Gift and be a Hermetic magus or have the Social Status of Magister in Artibus, Clerk, or Priest. You receive 50 experience points to help you achieve the language requirements, reflecting various teachers' help you received during your apprenticeship or student days.

See Ars Notoria, later in this chapter, for more information about this ancient art.

BROTHER CHAPLAIN

Minor, Social Status

You are a priest of a crusading order, which is like other priests except that your required Vow should include obedience and poverty, in addition to chastity. Outside of your order you are answerable only to the pope. You may purchase Academic Abilities during character generation. You wear the distinctive symbol of your order on your surcoat, which is usually colored green.

BROTHER KNIGHT

Minor, Social Status

You are a knight in a holy crusading order, and it is your duty to be ready to fight the infidel at any time. You have sworn a lifelong vow of obedience, poverty, and chastity, and are answerable only to your superiors and the pope. Unless you are Poor, you may have high-quality weapons and armor, and two horses. You may take Academic and Martial Abilities during character generation. You wear the symbol of your order on your distinctive surcoat, which is usually pure white (Templars, Hospitallers) or golden (Teutonic knights).

BROTHER SERGEANT

Minor, Social Status

You are a member of a crusading order, but not a knight or a nobleman. You have sworn a lifelong vow of obedience, poverty, and chastity, but this may not be enforced as strictly for you as it would be for a brother knight. You are answerable only to your superiors in the order and the pope. Unless you are Poor, you may have high-quality weapons and armor, and two horses. You may also take Martial Abilities during character generation. You wear the distinctive symbol of your order on your surcoat, which is usually colored black or gray.

EASTERN PRIEST

Minor, Status

This Virtue is the same as Priest in Ars Magica 5th Edition, except that the Vow of celibacy is not necessarily required. Eastern priests are not supposed to marry after they have been ordained, but those who are already married may still oversee the sacraments.

HOLY MUSIC

Major, Supernatural Method

This Virtue gives you Holy Music 1, a Supernatural Ability that works like Meditation, allowing you to gain divine insight through music. You must perform a song using your Presence + Music, and then use your Perception to interpret the feelings you experience. This Ability is primarily taught by the Cantores (see Instruments of God, Holy Methods and Traditions).

SENIOR CLERGY

Major, Social Status

You are the presbyter, archpriest, or bishop of a diocese, or the abbot of a monastery. You have considerable prestige, as well as a great deal of spiritual authority.

Because of your influence, you are a vital figure in the local community, with both direct authority over the priests in the diocese or monastery, and sway over secular figures such as powerful aristocrats or wealthy merchants.

As bishop, you can ordain priests, consecrate altars and churches, excommunicate those who break with the Church, and pronounce interdict within your see.

You have a Reputation, good or bad, of level 4 in the community and within the church. You also have access to considerable resources, servants, and assistance, although no extra time, unless you also purchase the Wealthy Major Virtue (in which case, you are among the wealthiest people in Mythic Europe). You likely have a network of followers and supporters, although you must purchase separate Virtues or Flaws to represent this. Combined with Temporal Influence, this virtue means you control a particularly influential diocese or abbey, such as a major city.

You must take the Priest Minor Virtue or Monastic Vows Major Flaw before taking the Senior Clergy Virtue.

EXCOMMUNICATE

Major, Story

For your crimes against God and the Church, you have been cast out your faith, undoing your baptism and driving you from your religious community. You have a bad reputation at level 3 within the Church, and cannot benefit from the sacraments.

FAILED MONK

Minor, Status

You were once a member of a cloistered order, but were cast out for some great sin or gross incompetence, or perhaps you ran away and your abbot might allow you to come back after a suitable punishment. Because of this, you have a poor reputation at level 2 in the local area and within the Church. You no longer need to observe your monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, though you may still practice them as they might be ingrained in your nature. You may take Academic Abilities during character creation.

Female characters may take this Flaw as Failed Nun.

MONASTIC VOWS (HERMETIC)

Major, Hermetic

You have taken vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to a religious superior, which means that you cannot own vis and must only possess functional magic devices. You cannot marry, and many magi might interpret that as prohibiting binding a familiar. You must do what your master commands in service of your order, though in return you can expect aid and assistance when needed.

PAGAN

Major, Supernatural, Story

You do not follow the teachings of the Church, and have never been baptized. This tends to upset those in authority in Mythic Europe and frighten common people who learn of it. You do not observe Christian holidays, and you try to avoid churchmen and the Dominion. For whatever reason, you cannot pretend to go along with society — you might suffer grave supernatural consequences if you take Communion or appear to worship Christ. You may begin with either Magic or Faerie Lore, depending on the specifics of your faith.

UNBAPTIZED

Major, Story

You are a Christian who has never been baptized for whatever reason, perhaps because you have some kind of supernatural background that might be undone by the ceremony — many magi believe that baptism impairs The Gift. Your faith is important enough to you that you still strive to be virtuous and attend Mass, though you do not benefit from the sacraments. Most common people who discover this fear and avoid you.

ARS NOTORIA*

You have memorized divine orations and rituals handed down from King Solomon that allow you to perform a kind of divine magic.

Specialties: during a particular season, a specific ring. (Academic, Arcane, Supernatural)

HOLY MUSIC\

This Ability is associated with the Holy Method of Meditation, and allows you to achieve a supernatural state of mind by giving praises to God in music. You must sing a devotional song, rolling your Presence + Music vs. an ease factor based on the circumstances. If you succeed, use your Presence to determine the effect. If you are distracted during the ritual, you must make a Concentration roll to keep your focus.

Specialties: with a certain effect, singing for an audience, affecting a specific person. (Holy Method)

HOLY TRADITION: THE CANTORES

Favored Abilities: Blessing, Enchanting Music, Holy Music, Intervention

One of the most moving and spiritual aspects of Christian ceremonies is the music. On High Holy Days, the church is filled with voices raised in devotion to God, and the event becomes a spectacle of sound. Prayer through hymns is one practice that is widespread throughout every part of the faith in Europe, especially in abbeys and cathedrals where the residents sing the offices every few hours, and many Christians contemplate the beauty and grace of God in song in private, through gentle and pious melodies that lull the listener into a blessed state.

The Cantores are a primarily Christian tradition dedicated to worshiping God through music, and through music spreading his mercy and love to others. It is said that a true Cantor's songs are captivating, similar to Enchanting Music in power. Like all good Christians, they strive to practice faith, hope, and charity at all times, and to embody the cardinal virtues as a pious example to others. They tend to gather in large cities or within great abbeys and are inseparably involved with the Church.

Because music is such a holy thing for them, Cantores are generally opposed to the bawdy and raucous songs sung by the common people and entertainers of the day. They believe it is wrong to use God's gifts in such a way; music should be sacred, giving thanks to God and praising His goodness, not encouraging wickedness, deceit, and mockery. As their holy music causes miraculous divine effects, they fear that base music would invoke the powers of the Devil. Thus, Cantores often avoid singers from outside their tradition, and do not usually perform spontaneously without good cause.

HOLY SOCIETAS: THE PRIORY OF SAINT NERIUS

Favored Abilities: Holy Magic, Intervention, Premonitions, Purity

Nerius was a French magus of House Criamon who many believe became a saint upon his death, and although he has not been canonized, he is often considered the "patron saint" of the Order of Hermes. There are many tales and myths of his deeds in Hermetic lore: of his reputation as a stormcrow who could predict where trouble would strike, or his rebellious attitude towards the Church and unorthodox opinions of the liturgy, or his magical mantle that allowed him to walk for days without need for food. His memoirs are still circulated among magi who question the morality of magic and consider embarking upon the journey to God, and there are several magical items throughout Europe that seem to be his relics.

The followers of the Priory of Saint Nerius (the Neriusians, for short) seek to convince the Latin Church to recognize their namesake's sainthood, while keeping their membership in the Order of Hermes secret and avoiding persecution for their unusual beliefs. These include religious tolerance for magical beasts and faeries, which they maintain have rational souls, and that the Garden of Eden is Arcadia, where all humanity was created. They are a monastic order, following a modified version of the Benedictine Rule that allows time for study and lab work, and have recently begun adapting to the Franciscan movement, which allows them to travel and live among other magi. All Nerusians take the Monastic Vows (Hermetic) Flaw.

The Neriusians retain copies of several holy spells that their patron invented or discovered, and they teach these spells to other members of their tradition. Many of these spells have roots in early Christianity, and one of them, The Neriusian Portal, is believed to have been taught to Nerius by the angel Samuil. The Priory keeps the book containing the original copy of this singular ritual in their central house, somewhere in the mountains of northern Italy, and it is said to be a potent relic.

THE NERIUSIAN PORTAL (CRVI65)

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Circle, Ritual

This holy rite creates a minor level 1 single-layer terrestrial regio around the holy character who performs it, effectively hiding him from the mundane world. It "lifts" the area inscribed by a circle out of the mundane realm for the duration of the spell. The area within the circle can only be accessed using the rules for regiones (Ars Magica 5th Edition, p.189-190), although the character who uses this power may enter or leave at will. In the mundane realm, only the inscribed circle

is visible, but it otherwise appears empty. This spell uses Purity and Intervention for ceremonial casting. Legends tell of the effect being used during the Diocletian persecutions in the third century to hide Christians from Roman soldiers, and it is said that Nerius developed a greater variation on this spell that allowed him to travel through his regio into the Empyreal realm and return to earth in a different place.

(Base 50, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

The Perfecti and their followers, the Cathars, are a group of holy men and women that developed in Southern France in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. They consider themselves Christians, but profess dualist doctrine that is contrary to Roman practices. They believe the physical world and the body are wicked and evil, while the immaterial, spiritual world of God and the soul is good and holy. They deny the incarnation of Christ and condemn marriage, maintaining their physical purity by extinguishing all of their sexual desires and subsisting on a primarily vegetarian diet.

Required Virtues and Flaws: Perfecti must begin with Enemies (the Church) as a Major Story Flaw. They also begin with the following Virtues:

Perfectus (Mythic Companion Virtue)

Purity Second Sight

Transcendence

This leaves them with seven points of Flaws remaining, which may be spent to allow a total of fourteen more points of Virtues.

Minimum Ability Scores: Perfecti characters must spend 50 of their starting experience points to achieve these scores in the following Abilities:

Church Lore 1
Concentration 1
Dominion Lore 1
Purity 2
Theology 2
Transcendence 2

While these include Arcane and Academic Abilities, the character must buy appropriate Virtues to take other Abilities of these types. The character's remaining experience points may be spent as the player sees fit.

Christian grogs probably attend church services regularly, as often as is permitted by their Hermetic masters. This is perhaps because they were born in a religious parish and have family who expect them to come home, or because they are pious and care for their immortal souls. Fighting for magi may be a difficult vocation to explain to their confessors, and this may be a source of interesting stories should the covenant come into conflict with the Church.

CHURCH DEACON

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

Size: 0

Age: 30 (30)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Clerk; Student of Dominion; Proud, Higher Purpose

Personality Traits: Loyal +3, Proud +3, Pious +1

Reputations: None

Combat:

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

Fist: Init +1, Attack +2, Defense +3, Damage 0

Kick: Init 0, Attack +2, Defense +2, Damage +3

Soak: 0 (Stamina)

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

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

Abilities: [Area] Lore 4 (people), Artes Liberales 2 (rhetoric), Awareness 2 (noticing disorder), Brawl 2 (dodging), Charm 3 (make friends), Church Lore 3 (famous churches), Concentration 3 (prayer), Dominion Lore 2+2* (miracles), Etiquette 3 (Church officials), Folk Ken 3 (laypersons), Latin 3 (reading), Leadership 4 (large groups), Music 4 (singing), Native Language 5 (reading aloud), Profession: Scribe 3 (inspirational texts), Theology 3 (the gospels)

* Bonus for Student of Dominion Virtue

Equipment: None

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Notes: The church deacon assists the parish priest by preparing the altar, seeing that the congregation is orderly, and bringing him the necessary implements for the sacraments. He reads aloud from the Bible when instructed, and if the priest is ill he takes over the sermon by reading a homily by one of the Church fathers. He holds a position of special favor within the congregation, and as a result he has become rather conceited.

CURIOUS NUN

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

Size: 0

Age: 30 (30)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Failed Monk (Nun); Magic Sensitivity; Arcane Lore, Intu-

ition; Busybody; Incomprehensible

Personality Traits: Curious +3, Willful +1, Hard-working +1

Reputations: Lost 2 (convent)

Combat:

Dodge: Init 0, Atk n/a, Def 0, Dam n/a

Soak: +1 (Stamina)

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

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

Abilities: [Area] Lore 5 (villages), Artes Liberales 1 (logic), Athletics 3 (hiking), Awareness 3 (searching), Chirurgy 2 (broken bones), Church Lore 3 (the Rule), Etiquette 1 (nuns), Folk Ken 4 (women), Guile 2 (quick explanations), Infernal Lore 2 (evil places), Latin 3 (Church terms), Magic Lore 3 (plants), Magic Sensitivity 4 (auras), Medicine 3 (herbs), Native Language 5 (conversation), Profession: Gardener 2 (drying herbs), Ride 1 (mules), Survival 4 (locating herbs)

Equipment: None

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Notes: The Curious Nun once belonged to a local convent, but was often given permission by the abbess to travel the surrounding lands in search of herbs and to care for the sick and injured. She has an uncanny knack for finding plants of particular virtue, and steering clear of foul things. She also cannot resist investigating the strange and arcane. The wonders of a Hermetic covenant have forever charmed her away from the Church, and she has broken her vows of obedience and will never return. She helps the magi by practicing her craft and meddling in the affairs of the other grogs.

PIOUS WARRIOR

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

Size: 0

Age: 25 (25)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Relic, Warrior; Dutybound, Pious

Personality Traits: Brave +2, Loyal +3, Charitable +1

Reputations: None

Combat:

Mace & Heater Shield: Init 0, Attack +11, Defense +11, Damage +9

Fist: Init –1, Attack +7, Defense +7, Damage +1

Short Bow: Init –2, Atk +10, Dfn +7, Dam +7

Pole Axe: Init 0, Atk +12, Dfn +7, Dam +12

Soak: +5 (partial metal scale armor, Sta)

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

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

Abilities: [Area] Lore 3 (churches), Athletics 3 (running), Awareness 3 (in combat), Bows 4 (short bow), Brawl 4 (punching), Concentration 3 (praying), Church Lore 2 (people), Etiquette 2 (magi), Great Weapon 4 (pole axe), Guile 2 (careful confessions), Music 1 (singing), Native Language 5 (Biblical passages), Single Weapon 5 (mace and heater shield)

Equipment: Mace, Heater Shield, Full metal scale armor, pack containing gear to care for weapons and armor and establish camps when traveling, holy relic in necklace.

Encumbrance: 3 (5)

Notes: The pious warrior fights when ordered to do so, but his sense of duty prevents him from behaving without honor on the battlefield, and because he prefers not to shed blood he fights with a mace. He wears a cross-shaped necklace, which is a saintly relic that protects him from harm. He attends church at least once a year, more often if he is allowed, and he may try to convince the other grogs to correct their sinful ways.

Companion characters might live at the covenant, but are more likely outsiders with strong connections to the magi. Thus characters associated in some way with the Church have two masters, for they often deal with the Order, but they are also tied to their Church institution. Maintaining this balance between their piety and their society is probably their most difficult challenge.

BYZANTINE PRIEST

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

Size: 0

Age: 31 (31)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Eastern Priest; Intervention, Purity, Student of the Divine; Favors, Generous (Major); Fear (fire), No Sense of Direction

Personality Traits: Generous +3, Helpful +2, Pessimistic +1

Reputations: None

Combat:

Dodge: Init 0, Atk n/a, Def 0, Dam n/a

Soak: +2 (Stamina)

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

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

Abilities: [Area] Lore 5 (people), Artes Liberales 2 (rhetoric), Charm 2 (faithful), Concentration 2 (ignoring pain), Dominion Lore 2+2* (Eastern saints), Etiquette 3 (Church), Folk Ken 4 (people he knows very well), Greek 5 (preaching), Intervention 4 (healing burns), Latin 3 (correspondence), Leadership 3 (preaching), Orthodox Church Lore 3 (practices), Purity 5 (vigils), Theology 2 (heresy)

* Bonus for Student of the Divine

Equipment:* Eastern priest's clothes.

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Notes: The Byzantine Priest can take two more points of Virtues and Flaws. He was born in Constantinople, and found his calling in the Church at a very early age. At 15 he had begun studying for the priesthood when the city was invaded. He was barely able to flee the flames and looting. Today he is ordained and married, as the Eastern Church allows married men to become priests, but he owes many favors to those who have seen him through the intervening years, particularly his wife's family.

KNIGHT TEMPLAR

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

Size: 0

Age: 25 (25)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Brother Knight; Ceremony; Improved Characteristics, Puissant Single Weapon, Student of the Divine; Black Sheep, Greedy; Disfigured

Personality Traits: Brave +3, Indulgent +3, Proud –2

Reputations: None.

Combat:

Lance and shield (mounted): Init +2, Atk +12, Def +8, Dam +6

Long sword and shield (mounted): Init +2, Atk +15, Def +15, Dam +7

Long sword and shield (on foot): Init +2, Atk +12, Def +12, Dam +7

Lance (on foot): Init +3, Atk +8, Def +4, Dam +8

Fist: Init +0, Atk +5, Def +5, Dam +1

Soak: +10 (chain mail, Stamina)

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

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

Abilities: Arabic 2 (formal), Animal Handling 2 (horses), Athletics 2 (running), Awareness 3 (battle), Brawl 2 (punching), Chirurgy 1 (sword wounds), Church Lore 2 (military orders), Dominion Lore 1+2* (holy places), Etiquette (Muslims) 2, Great Weapon 3 (lance and shield), Greek 2 (trade), Holy Land Lore 4 (crusaders), Leadership 4 (soldiers), Music 1 (singing), Native Language 5 (giving orders), Ride 5 (in combat), Single Weapon 5+2 (sword and heater shield), Survival 2 (desert)

* Bonus for Student of the Divine

Equipment: Full chain mail, long sword, heater shield, great sword

Encumbrance: 2 (3)

Notes: The Templar Knight has sworn to have no property of his own. He has a frightening scar running down the side of his face, the result of an unfortunate skirmish in the Holy Land. He has returned to help look after the order's European interests instead, though he estranged himself from his family by joining the Church. He loves to fight and engages in battle whenever he has the opportunity. He also cannot resist fine living, and he encourages his wealthy neighbors to support his vice by supporting their endeavors with his skill at arms. He has room for three more Virtues and Flaws.

FRANCISCAN TEACHER

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

Age: 25 (25)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Mendicant Friar, Magister in Artibus; Puissant Teaching, Good Teacher, Inspirational; Ambitious, Monastic Vows; Higher Purpose

Personality Traits: Ambitious +3, Dedicated +2, Tolerant +2

Reputations: Zealous 2 (university)

Combat: Dodge: Init 0, Atk n/a, Def 0, Dam n/a

Soak: +1 (Stamina)

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

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

Abilities: Artes Liberales 5 (rhetoric), Charm 3 (begging), Church Lore 1 (friars), Civil and Canon Law 3 (mendicant orders), Folk Ken 2 (city folk), Greek 3 (religious writings), Leadership 4 (preaching), Local Area Lore 3 (the wealthy), Latin 5 (lectures), Native Language 5 (preaching), Philosophiae 3 (moral philosophy), Survival 2 (cities), Teaching 5+2 (Artes Liberales), Theology 5 (St. Paul's writings), University Lore 4 (students)

Equipment: Franciscan robes

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Notes: The Franciscan Teacher attended university and graduated as a Magister in Artibus, but he was very poor and during that time he accumulated more debt than he could ever possibly pay off. Thus, he joined the Franciscan order, swearing to live a life of obedience, celibacy, and especially poverty. This allows him to continue teaching, though he has greater plans: he has heard rumors of men and women in Mythic Europe who still practice ancient pagan rituals. He believes he can convert anyone to Christianity if he can spend enough time with them. Once he discovers the Order of Hermes, his true purpose will be realized and he will do his best to show them the error of their ways.

God answered Solomon, "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may rule my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you …"

2 Chronicles 1:11-12

Long before Bonisagus, King Solomon was the most powerful magician of ancient times. To augment the magic already at his disposal, Solomon asked God for knowledge and wisdom, rather than requesting magic bolts of lighting or the power to unleash swarms of vermin upon his enemies. God answered Solomon's prayers and sent the angel Michael to grant Solomon instantaneous knowledge and Divine wisdom.

Apollonius, Solomon's most ardent student, recorded the exact procedures that grant this divine knowledge — a combination of arcane figures and magical prayers, called Ars Notoria or the Notory Art. It combines magical recitations and complex geometric figures with devotional prayers. Individual formulas are called notae (notes) and the prayers are called orations. Combined, they form rings, or levels of wisdom. Reciting these orations bestows expertise in academic skills and divinely granted virtues.

Copies of Apollonius's text exist. Gifted readers who master the complex rings can achieve Divine wisdom. Ars Notoria has its detractors, especially clerics who claim it is no more than witchcraft. But the Notory Art is a more elevated art, concerned with more than the mere expulsion of household vermin or summoning jets of wind to sail the enchanter through the air. Because of its lofty aim, the Church views Ars Notoria as operating within God's will, unlike the Hermetic Arts whose status is debated by theologians. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, Ars Notoria is deemed holy and not in violation of the Church's understanding of magic.

Ars Notoria is part of a mystical Christian tradition and is only available for Christian believers. While both Judaism and Islam honor Solomon, Apollonius firmly linked the Notary Art with Christian beliefs, and specifically asks the God of the Christians for these magical boons.

The Ars Notoria is written in books titled The Book of Solomon and The Keys of Solomon. While copies exist, they are rare. Copies are suspected to exist in the University of Paris, the Jewish ghetto of Jerusalem, and in the bishop of Armagh's library in Ireland — a bastion of Christianity since the fifth century. no one knows how many total copies of the texts there are. The first step in learning the Notory Art is finding one of the copies.

An interested player should ask her storyguide to create an adventure centering around a search for a copy of the text. The suspected locations are a good place to start. The text is difficult to copy and you will have to deal with the current owners to view their copy. None of the owners are interested in relinquishing ownership of this valuable tome, and this conflict would make an excellent story.

Less entertainingly, you may devote a single season in search of a copy of Ars Notoria. You may make a Intelligence + Divine Lore + a stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 21. If you succeed you find a copy of the book. If you botch you travel to a distant location and discover a different book, whose subject matter is up to your storyguide. Perhaps it is a lesser religious manuscript that will further a current religious heresy, or maybe an insidious demonic ruse hidden within a seemingly benign manuscript.

FINDING A COPY OF ARS NOTORIA: Intelligence + Divine Lore + stress die vs. an Ease Factor of 21

Book in hand, the study of Ars Notoria is complicated because it is written in four languages — Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Chaldean, an ancient Aramaic language. The reader needs a 4 in each Language to accurately read the book. Furthermore, each language uses a different alphabet, so the reader must also have an Artes Liberales score of at least 4. Speaking these four languages is vital; translating the orations and notae into a single language will alter the tome's nature and destroy its magic.

To the unGifted, the book contains magical prayers and strange geometric figures consisting of Roman numerals, weird animal heads, distorted images of men, representations of the Tree of Life, and several patterns of interlocking circles and knots. The various passages praise God, Solomon, the different faculties of an educated mind, and the liberal and the mechanical arts. It appears to be an odd breviary, slightly unorthodox but hardly heretical.

Gifted readers grasp the true intent of the book by realizing that the various formulas can be memorized and recited. The orations of Ars Notoria are much more structured than regular Hermetic rituals and must be recited at specific times of the year. The Divine benefits of Ars Notoria are available for both Hermetic and non-Hermetic Gifted people. The Ars Notoria text is treated as a tractatus with a Quality of 20. This high Quality score is due to Apollonius's authorial talents and God's Divine inspiration. To an unGifted reader, the subject of the text is Divine Lore. A Gifted reader, however, may read it for what it is — the secrets of Solomon — and they may attempt to learn the Supernatural Ability of Ars Notoria, following the regular rules for learning a Supernatural Ability (Ars Magica 5th Edition, page 166). If successful, the reader gains the supernatural Virtue, Ars Notoria, and an Ars Notoria score of 1. If The Gifted reader's study total is too small to learn Ars Notoria, she has failed at her attempt and wasted her season.

The only way to initially learn Ars Notoria is from a copy of this text. This makes it difficult for advanced Hermetic magi to learn Ars Notoria. Magi wishing to learn the Notory Art often make that decision early in their career. Some few are lucky enough to study the text during their apprenticeship, although this is rare. In most sagas, the most typical practitioner of Ars Notoria will be a Gifted academic or cleric who has somehow achieved his career despite the social problems of his Gift.

Players wishing their characters to start the game with Ars Notoria must take it as a Major Supernatural Virtue. The character must be Gifted, and only magi, academics, and clerics are eligible to begin the game with this Virtue (see Virtues and Flaws, above).

FUTURE STUDY

Ars Notoria is an Ability and may be increased through study as normal. Glosses of the basic text exist, both summa and tractatus, written by practitioners for use by their fellows. Generally, these texts do not contain new rings of Solomon, but are personal observations and commentaries on the existing rituals. While these glosses are useful in increasing the understanding of the Notory Art, they are inadequate for learning the Ability initially.

The Notory Art combines orations and notae into rings. Orations must be recited in their original combination of languages and at specific times of the year. The anticipating practitioner must fast and live devoutly, following every Christian practice, prior to reciting any of the rings. The Notory Art has seven overall rings of wisdom, ranked in levels from 1 to 7.

Rings are based on a person's recitation score:

RECITATION SCORE: Intelligence + Ars Notoria + Modifier

Your recitation score is modified by several factors. Living chastely and devoutly and trusting in God increases your recitation score, while distrusting in God and behaving selfishly decreases your recitation score. Modifiers are based on your behavior during the season prior to beginning your orations for the desired ring. You receive bonuses or penalties associated with your Personality Traits dependent upon if you acted accordingly to them. Your Storyguide will be the final arbitrator in deciding which bonuses and penalties apply.

When reciting a ring, success is determined by a person's recitation total, which is a person's recitation score plus a stress die. The Ease Factor necessary for success depends on the level of the ring and the desired length of its benefit. If your recitation total equals or exceeds the Ease Factor, your recitations have been successful and you receive the effects of the ring. If you fail, you may make an attempt next season. If you botch, you have been deemed unworthy. The storyguide is allowed great latitude in assigning the consequences of an Ars Notoria botch, which may include the loss of experience points in the Ars Notoria Ability equal to the targeted Ease Factor, a Minor Flaw that must be atoned for before it disappears, loss of existing Ars Notoria benefits, or a period of time during which you are unable to perform further orations.

The Ease Factor necessary for success varies according to the oration and its desired length, and previous successes. It is more difficult to recite an oration for the first time than successive recitations of the same oration. Once you have successfully recited a ring, you have fully comprehended the mystical notae and orations involved, and have learned how to recite that ring. This makes subsequent recitations of that ring easier and less time consuming to perform.

FIRST RECITATION OF AN ARS NOTORIA RING: Ease Factor = 6 + 3 times level of ring + 1 per season of desired duration

SUBSEQUENT RECITATIONS OF A KNOWN ARS NOTORIA RING: Ease Factor = 3 + 3 times level of ring + 1 per season of desired duration

Ars Notoria Modifiers

Fasting	+1/season
Chastity	+1
Honorable Minor Personality Flaw	+1
Honorable Major Personality Flaw	+3
Dishonorable Minor Personality Flaw	–1
Dishonorable Major Virtue or Flaw	–3
Performing a Venial Sin	–3
Performing a Mortal Sin	–9
Supernatural Ability	– score in ability
True Faith+Faith Score	Variable(–3 to +3)

EXPLANATIONS:

Fasting is maintaining a strict diet of bread and water. Characters wishing to fast for a season must make a Stamina + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 6 to succeed. For each consecutive season of the fast, the Ease Factor increases by 1. Failing this roll ends the fast, as the character can no longer maintain this rigorous diet. Botching this roll means the character permanently damaged his constitution. He gains enough Aging Points to drop his Stamina by one point.

Chastity means refraining from any sexual acts or behaviors, and is relatively easy to do in game. A character may need to make appropriate Personality rolls to remain chaste depending upon his Personality.

An Honorable Personality Flaw is one that the storyguide decides contributes to the God's benevolence. Examples are: compassionate, optimistic, and pious.

A Dishonorable Personality Flaw is one that the storyguide decides is counter to God's benevolence. Examples are: ambitious, envious, lecherous, and wraithful.

Divine Supernatural Abilities, like Sense Holiness and Unholiness, are an exception and their score is not subtracted from the recitation total.

Storyguides may reward or penalize petitioners depending upon specific instances. Ars Notoria is a form of Holy magic, so actions done in the name of the Divine may increase the modifier.

It takes an entire season to complete the first recitation of a group of orations that comprise a ring of Solomon, which includes the necessary meditative requirements and the days of rest required after such a demanding endeavor. Some of the recitations must be performed during specific seasons, while others may be performed at any season. Future recitations of a known ring do not take as long; it takes 10 days minus your Ars Notoria score to perform an oration you have previously recited. Regardless of your Ars Notoria score, it takes at least a full day to recite an oration.

The rings of Solomon must be learned in consecutive order. You must recite the first ring before reciting the second, continuing in order until you have recited successfully all of the orations. However, it is very likely that the benefits of a lesser level ring will dissipate before you learn the next higher level. This is all right and progression in the Ars Notoria may continue. Thus, to recite the third ring of Solomon for the first time you must have already learned the first and second rings, but their benefits no longer need to be in effect.

Once you have learned a ring, you may perform the accompanying orations again to receive the ring's benefit anytime you wish. After the initial consecutive order of learning, the rings can be recited in any order you like. For example, if you have learned up to the sixth ring in order, you may recite any of the lesser rings' in any order and for any length duration you wish. You may not "stack" benefits; if a ring that grants 100 experience points is in effect, a second season spent reciting it will only lengthen the duration of the ring, not double the experience point gain.

In play, many of the benefits of the Ars Notoria are experience points gained in Academic Abilities. Since these experience point benefits are not permanent, your score will grow and shrink. You will need to keep a diligent record on your character sheet of the number of experience points gained through this method.

For example, you may already have 15 experience points in the Ability Philosophiae (score of 2). Successfully reciting the first oration of Ars Notoria will award you 100 experience points, raising your Philosophiae Ability to 6 (115 experience points). You may later gain 25 experience points through study and raise your Philosophiae to 7 (140 experience points). When you lose the benefit of your orations you lose 100 experience points, leaving you 40 experience points and a Philosophiae score of 3.

THE FIRST RING OF SOLOMON

This is the first level of the Ars Notoria. This oration must be performed during the Spring or Autumn season. The first ring grants the recipient complete knowledge of the philosophical art, making him an expert in the Aristotelian sciences. It also grants a marvelous boon of eloquence and rhetoric, which is necessary for the sharing of the recipient's new knowledge.

Successfully reciting this oration gives you 100 experience points in the Academic Ability: Philosophiae. It also increases your Communication Characteristic by 3 points, to a maximum total of +5. These 3 points are added directly to your Communication, as per Creo Mentem spells, and are not used like points spent to buy initial Characteristics (Ars Magica 5th Edition, page 30).

THE SECOND RING OF SOLOMON

The next set of orations are the second level of Ars Notoria and signify a greater step toward divine knowledge. A successful recitation bestows theological knowledge as well as the acumen to understand God's work on earth.

With a successful recitation of the second ring, you gain 100 experience points in the Academic Ability: Theology. Your Intelligence characteristic also increases by 3 points, to a maximum total of +5.

This second level of Ars Notoria must be recited during the Winter season.

THE THIRD RING OF SOLOMON

The third level of Ars Notoria grants a person mastery of the so-called "Physical Arts," the curing of illness and disease. A person gains 100 experience points in the Academic Ability: Medicine, and also receives for free the Supernatural Major Virtue: Greater Purifying Touch. These orations may be recited during any season.

Like the regular major general virtue, you must select a specific disease that you can cure when you receive this boon. The disease may be mundane in nature or caused by disease spirits or minor demons. Ars Magica 5th Edition lists some example diseases. Others example diseases are: dysentery, ergotism, leprosy, plague, and smallpox.

The chosen disease stays the same throughout the duration of this ring. You may choose a different disease the next time you recite the third ring.

THE FOURTH RING OF SOLOMON

Ars Notoria's fourth ring prepares the recipient for the greater mysteries that will be revealed by introducing his angelic guide. The archangel Michael originally conveyed the secrets of God's divine art to Solomon. Reciting this ring summons a lesser angel as guide and confidante.

Successfully reciting the fourth ring grants you the Major General Virtue: Patron Angel. This angel has all the powers of a Guardian Angel (Ars Magica 5th Edition, page 43). It also is an excellent teacher with the following statistics: Communication +3, Artes Liberales 7, Civil and Canon Law 7, Medicine 7, Philosophiae 7, Teach 7, and Theology 7. The angel is willing to teach you the academic abilities it knows. It will not teach anyone else. Depending on the length of this ring's duration, you could have an excellent teacher available for some time.

The angel summoned is your personal angel. Once summoned, it is forever spiritually linked to you, even after it leaves you when the ring's duration ends. Each time this ring is invoked the same angel appears. It knows you, and your past and actions. If it ever thinks you are acting impiously or deliberately against God's will, it will vanish, prematurely ending the length of the fourth ring. It can also cancel any of the effects of the other rings of the Notory Art, and will do so to guide you back to the path of righteousness.

THE FIFTH RING OF SOLOMON

The fifth level of Ars Notoria offers knowledge of the nature of beings and the realm with which they are associated. This ring allows you to use your Ars Notoria Ability to sense the realm that a particular being or creature may be affiliated to, acting very much like the supernatural Virtue: Sense Holiness and Unholiness. Unlike Sense Holiness and Unholiness, which allows you to feel the presence of good and evil only, this ring allows you to exactly determine a being's affiliated realm.

This power works on beings or creatures that both belong to a realm or are aligned with a realm. To determine to which realm a creature is attached, you must exceed its Magic Resistance with a Perception + Ars Notoria + a stress die roll. You do not need to penetrate a target's Magic Resistance and only need to beat it by 1 point to successfully determine its nature.

SENSE REALM AFFILIATION: Perception + Ars Notoria vs. 6 + Target's Magic Resistance/5

If you roll is five or more above the target's Magic Resistance (not the Ease Factor calculated above), you may also glean insight about that creature's otherworldly powers. The storyguide will tell you the creature's weakest power. For each additional five points above the target's Magic Resistance, you may learn another of its powers. If you botch this roll, you receive incorrect information about the creature.

The fifth ring's orations must be recited during the Summer season.

Demons are unable to hide their true nature if this roll is successful.

THE SIXTH RING OF SOLOMON

This sixth level of Ars Notoria must be recited during the Spring season. Successfully reciting this ring allows you to foresee the future through holy divination, bestowing the ability to peer at God's Divine plan. Unlike the variety of other divinatory methods used in the Middle Ages, the divinations achieved through Ars Notoria mostly concern people's actions and their alignment with God's Will. You may successfully predict tomorrow's weather, but you may more importantly see if an immediate action is appropriate in God's eyes. Whether your actions adhere to this vision or not is up to you.

Before asking a question, you must meditate and fast for a day, quietly contemplating your understanding of the Divine Will. You then make a stress roll adding Perception and Ars Notoria; the result must equal the level of difficulty for the action in question.

DIVINATION: Perception + Ars Notoria vs. variable Ease Factor

Examples of sample inquiries with their levels of difficulty are listed below.

Roll	Nature of Question
9+	Determine tomorrow's weather
9+	Answer one question about the short-term results of an immediate personal action
12+	Answer one question about the long-term results of an immediate personal action
12+	Determine an auspicious time for performing a magical ritual or formulaic casting*
12+	Answer one question about the short-term results of another's actions
15+	Answer one question about the long-term results of another's actions
18+	Determine some important piece of information about the possible future of an individual

* If successful, you may add your Ars Notoria score to your casting total.

THE SEVENTH RING OF SOLOMON

The acme of the Notory Art is complete comprehension of the knowledge you have received thus far. Rather than installing new knowledge, the seventh ring grants perfect understanding of everything you know. Your understanding of God and your place in His divine plan gives you a flawless understanding of your learned abilities. You know the things you know perfectly; you have achieved a perfect union between your understanding of God and yourself.

Because of your perfect knowledge you lose the chance to spectacularly fail at any endeavor while still retaining the capacity to succeed brilliantly. This includes both intellectual skills and nonverbal, physical activities. In game terms, you replace all your simple die rolls with stress die rolls. Furthermore, you can not botch your stress die rolls. You are immune from many of the dire consequences of botching, including Twilight points and disastrous combat results.

Bear in mind that the greatest Christian sin is Pride, and recipients of the seventh ring's boon must avoid this sin at all costs. Your patron angel will keep a careful watch on your actions, whether the fourth ring is in effect or not. If it ever feels that you are abusing your perfect knowledge, it will end the effects of the seventh ring.

BENEFICIAL SIDE-EFFECTS

There are other benefits of Ars Notoria besides the direct blessings available through the rings. Learning the Notory Art means that you are attempting to understand and operate within the Divine realm. The more you learn, the closer your magic allies with the Divine realm, and the fewer penalties you incur when practicing magic in a Divine aura.

You may deduct your Ars Notoria score from the penalty imposed on casting other types of magic in a Divine realm. For each point of Ars Notoria you have, you may reduce the Divine penalty received from the Realm Interaction Chart by 3. A Hermetic magus skilled in the Notory Art could conceivable erase the penalty for casting Hermetic spells in a Divine Aura.

The actual powers of Ars Notoria are considered Divine for determining how they interact with the other realms.

If you have an active ring in operation, you receive no Warping Points from a Divine aura.

WRITING BOOKS

It is fairly common for practitioners of the Notory Art to increase their Academic Abilities and Characteristics in order to write books. Often this is the primary goal of a practitioner. Nothing stops them from this activity, bearing in mind a few caveats. The beneficial effects of the particular ring must be in operation during the seasons spent writing. An author may not stop writing to recite a ring to extend its length, so the initial desired length of the ring's effect must cover the period spent writing. Remember too that no author may learn from his own texts. If an author writes a truly stupendous book while under the effects of a ring, he many not then study that book once the ring has ceased operating.