Themes for Grog Stories

This section describes some themes that illustrate why you might want to run some all-grog stories rather than more standard stories for Ars Magica Fifth Edition involving magi and companions. These stories can be woven into a normal saga, or played out as part of a grog-only saga.

Grog stories are perfect opportunities to introduce guest storyguides, or give a beta storyguide a turn in the chair (ArM5, page 220). Since grog adventures by their very nature do not involve magi, they cannot usually interfere with the alpha storyguide's plots or make major alterations to the covenant. In the case of a beta storyguide, grog stories could form a series of interconnected stories running parallel to the alpha storyguide's schemes.

Grog stories are an excellent way to introduce features of medieval life to a troupe. When magi are involved, they often concentrate on where the action is. They are important people, after all, and have little time to get involved in the minutiae of peasant life. In any case, there are many de-

A grog is accused of a crime by a freeman. He could be innocent but framed, or he could be inadvertently guilty — while soldiers might not think twice about killing those who molest their masters, this is still a crime. The grog is ordered to attend court to answer for his crimes, and should probably consult a lawyer. He must then cope with the intricacies of Mythic Europe's legal system, which is often less about proving guilt or innocence, and more about testing the justice of a law. Depending on the saga's location and the nature of the crime, trial by ordeal might be ordered.

A noble friend of the magi invites them on a hunt, and they bring their grogs along for the event. Hunting in Mythic Europe is a popular past time filled with ritual and tradition. Hunts are organized by the nobility, but the common man takes part, as trackers, huntsmen, and so forth. Of course, when the hounds pick up the scent of the Great White Stag, the hunt can become a lot more interesting …

mands on the time of the magus: he must prepare a case for the next tribunal; attend a meeting of the covenant's council, where the business of the count will be debated; review the work that the illuminator did on his new summa; and that fool apprentice cannot be relied upon to keep the contents of the copper cauldron on a rolling boil …

In grog-only adventures, the story can be taken at a more leisurely pace. A grog might actually be interested in judging the prize cow at the county fair, acting as a juror (or witness) at a local trial, or attending the May Day celebrations at his home village. When a storyguide has been doing some research into a facet of the dayto-day life of the Middle Ages and wants to share it with the troupe, a grog adventure is a great way of doing this.

Many standard stories in Ars Magica Fifth Edition involve the magi discovering a new vis source, making alliances with supernatural entities, and so forth. However, once the initial adventure has been had, the process of harvesting the vis source, or exchanging favors with the dragon, or whatever, tends to fade into the mundane routine of the covenant. It falls to the grogs to fulfill these duties. Occasionally it is worth reminding the players what is involved in such "routine duties" by staging a grog adventure. Naturally, the object of the story is the duty itself, but this time out the mission does not go smoothly, and the grogs are forced to adapt to the changing circumstances.

Related to the previous two concepts, a grog story is a good way to feed information to the players in a subtle manner. Rather than tell them that they hear rumors of a bandit group in the region, the storyguide can have the grogs encounter them on the way back from a routine duty. The leader of these bandits may prove to be significant in a later story, but the grogs already have a past history with some of the bandits, which enriches the experience for all.

In addition to using grogs to set up a future story, they can also be used to advance a current plot. If the magi need some research done, they need not do it themselves — send out the grogs to canvass the town for rumors, or search the library for clues. Any

The grogs sent to gather vis are confronted by a horde of angry peasants. It seems that the last couple of times that the grogs have passed this way, sheep have gone missing immediately after; this time the villagers have been expecting the strangers, and have lain in wait for them. It seems that, on each visit to the vis source, the grogs disturb some sort of supernatural creature, which goes on a rampage right after they have left the region.

The grogs have traveled a great distance to gather the vis from a distant source, only to discover that it has already been harvested. There are signs that the perpetrators of the theft might still be in the area, so the loyal grogs are tempted to investigate rather than return empty handed.

preciation of what is needed to gain

After several sessions of intense action, a grog adventure that bears no relation to the current story can provide valuable light relief for a troupe. In such stories, the players need not usually worry about the politics of the Order, the correct magical approach, or even (in some cases) the consequences of their actions.

Light relief stories need not be comical, but comedy can play an important role in a saga. Those players who don't want to trivialize their magus or companion can have great fun using their grog in a humorous encounter with Freddie the Fart Faerie. Be aware that this might not be to everyone's tastes, however! The important feature of a light relief story is not cheap laughs, but a lack

The magi have been plagued by a major foe, such as a dragon, and after several incidents decide to do something about it. They need to know where the dragon lives, which might occasion an (Area) Lore roll from one of the grogs who grew up in the region. Instead of simply telling the players that information, the storyguide instead runs a short "flashback" story to a time before the grog joined the covenant. He was exploring the woods with some of his boyhood friends (some of the other grogs) when one of them fell into a sinkhole. It becomes clear over the course of this story that this was the entrance to the dragon's lair, although the grogs saw no evidence of the beast at the time. Not only do the magi get the information they need, but they can also plan their approach using the grogs' personal experience of the region. The grogs may have even accidentally discovered the dragon's weakness, although they didn't recognize it as such at the time.

The grogs are tasked with finding someone in the local town who can make gold jewelry. While they search for such an individual, they come across an old woman who is worried because her grandson has gone missing. This event is entirely tangential to finding a goldsmith, but the grandson is an important seed for a later story; by introducing him to the characters now, they are more likely to get involved in the later story.

of consequences. Light relief should not be part of a continuing story, or deliver important information to the characters, but instead should be self-contained.

A faerie decides to play a trick on a village, and everyone wakes up one morning looking like Simon the Basket-Weaver. While they struggle with the confusion this brings, several enterprising villagers decide to perform petty acts of mischief and revenge on one another, since this is a day without consequence — no one can be sure who did what. The grogs might be passing through and be affected by the curse, or they might be left to try to disentangle who is responsible for stealing their goods.

The grogs attend a May Day celebration at the local village, which involves a great deal of food and drink. When they wake up, they are stranded far from the village, and someone has stolen their clothes. They must find their way back to the covenant, and avoid being seen by the village priest who is calling everyone to church.

Bound as they are by the Code of Hermes, magi remain passive observers to most events of mundane history. However, such events need not go unremarked in a saga. Grog adventures can provide a historical backdrop, and allow players to experience history directly. Perhaps grogs are concerned about rescuing their families from the path of an advancing army. Maybe they are in a city on a routine mission when a food riot starts. For a more hands-on approach, grogs could make — or even alter — history. Many historical figures die in mishaps, riots, or mysterious circumstances, and an inventive storyguide can find a way to involve the grogs. Still more notables escape death through the deft work of a physician, through sheer luck, or through the beneficence of strangers; once again, grogs could play a role here without implicating the covenant

through their actions.

If you permit your players close proximity with real history, you must be prepared for things to not go the way you anticipate. You should come to a decision whether you want the player characters to be able to make major changes to history, and whether the significant events of Mythic Europe need to match those of the real world. Some troupes are comfortable with the fact that, while the history of Mythic Europe has paralleled that of historical Europe at least as far as the 13th century, it may not necessarily continue in that vein. Other troupes prefer to retain history as a backdrop rather than a story element. Make sure you know where your players' opinions lay before messing with the river of time. In any case, allowing grog

In the early 13th century, there is much to be had in the way of epic battles. In addition to the Fifth Crusade, there is the Livonian Crusade against the Baltic states, and the Albigensian Crusade against the Provençal barons. The reconquista is ongoing on the Spanish peninsula, and there is still an Arabic state in Sicily. As well as these large-scale wars, there are numerous smaller conflicts between kings and their vassals.

stories to intersect with history will probably result in less disruption than stories involving magi, so grog-only stories may be the safest kind.

The Order of Hermes is specifically forbidden from interfering with the affairs of mundanes. Nevertheless, a covenant can easily find itself caught up in local politics; Mythic Europe in the 13th century is a time of political upheaval, and military clashes between neighboring powers are frequent (if not actually common). Furthermore, most covenants have a force of fighting men, which has probably come to the notice of the local nobility, who prefer to maintain a monopoly over professional soldiers.

Even if a covenant avoids being caught up in wars among mundanes, they may still find themselves involved in mass warfare, with themselves as either the victim or the aggressor. Once the magi have prepared the ground, using their magic to fortify their men, spy on the enemy, and snipe at the opposing forces, most of the hard work is still done with sword and shield. Magi can have a quite limited role to play once battle is joined, and the larger the force, the less impact they have.

A grog story revolving around the covenant's actions in a battle is a good way of summarizing the course of the war as a whole. The role of grogs in these stories should be limited to small-scale vignettes that highlight the specifics of the battle, and perhaps can change its course; Lords of Men devotes a chapter to the involvement of player characters in mass warfare, by focusing on the actions of small squads of men as microcosms of the day's fighting.

In 1223, King Louis VIII is crowned King of France. He had formerly been crowned King of England after he invaded on the death of King John; after eighteen months of fighting he was driven out, and the Treaty of Lambeth forced him to agree that he was never a legitimate king of England. Understandably, Louis VIII was unpopular in English circles, and throughout his reign he harassed Angevin territories in France, fought with the Count of Champagne, arranged the excommunication of the Count of Toulouse and declared a crusade against the southern barons. He dies in 1226, apparently of dysentery. There is a lot of potential to get grogs bound up in the short reign of this king. If the covenant is pro-French then they might receive word of plots against the crown. An anti-French covenant might be conspirators in (or instigators of) these plots. All this could occur without the knowledge of the magi.

The Fifth Crusade is in full swing in 1220. As an opening to a saga, this Crusade presents a dramatic backdrop to life as a grog. The two-year siege of Damietta has just ended, and the crusaders are now fighting over secular and religious authority in the port. Francis of Assisi arrived late last year, and has been preaching to the sultan; it is thought that he is now visiting Palestine but his whereabouts are unknown. The Crusade is about to march on Cairo. The players could begin with grog characters who are men-at-arms in the crusading force. They could meet up with the magi after a few battles; perhaps they are trying to smuggle ancient artifacts from the Egyptian tombs before the crusaders arrive, or maybe the magi are providing support to the crusaders.

Last but not least, grog stories can feature the achievement of an individual's or group's personal goals. This can be as prosaic as detailing a grog's courtship of his true love, or as melodramatic as a quest by a blood brotherhood to exact revenge on the monster that slew their beloved leader. Personal stories occasionally result in changes to the character, in the form of transformation (see Chapter 5), but this should always be the focus of the story, rather than incidental.