The Champion's Portion

"The Champion's Portion" puts the player characters in the middle of two conflicts, one Hermetic and the other mundane. Transported to a distant location, steeped in legend and embroiled in imminent violence, they must decipher the motivations of the various parties before determining how they will interact with them, either aiding, ignoring, or hindering their various schemes. They will meet a potentially lethal Hermetic opponent and be introduced to a new tradition of Ex Miscellanea wizards.

a suitable challenge.

A fair bit of combat is involved, so martial grogs and companions are necessary. Even with the many ways that skilled magi can avoid combat, the probability for a fight or two is high. Players should be encouraged to bring along some covenant muscle, to fully enjoy the events included in this scenario. Academic and artistic characters will be less useful, although a smart player will still find ways to include such a character in the scenario.

Because of the magical means of traveling to Ulster, it is not necessary to change the location other than anchoring the beginning to the characters' covenant. As written, the scenario provides an oak tree as the beginning connection, but it is an easy matter to change this. If there is an appropriate source of annual vis already controlled by the covenant, a storyguide could drop the oak tree and have the regio boundary begin from this site instead. The only qualifying conditions are that the site is in a regio and provides a believable connection to the Herbam bound-

ary. Boundaries to the Magic Realm are undetectable with current Hermetic magic, so it is not unreasonable that such a boundary has existed in a nearby regio for some time.

Nor does Aedh need to show up on the PCs' doorstep. He could arrive somewhere else, which would mean relocating the oak, after which an NPC with a connection to the characters asks them for help. Don't position this location too distantly from the covenant, since the boundary to the Herbam Province will close in four days. Several Story Flaws could incorporate this idea. A Magical Animal Companion could find Aedh lying in the woods and take its friend PC to the Irishman. A Difficult Underling could be shirking his duties and find Aedh while loafing in the woods. Someone who a PC owes Favors to could ask the PC for help returning Aedh. Visions could show a character a scene at Dún Rudraige, where the character is awarded a prize. Or perhaps a character's Mentor is a friend of Eustace or Muirgen. On hearing of Aedh's arrival, he is suddenly concerned about his friend, knowing that he (or she) was headed for Ulster.

This scenario is designed for two or three magi characters, each approximately five to 10 years out of apprenticeship, and their small staff of retainers. Less-skilled characters could still succeed, if they prefer parley over melee, but might find themselves more of witnesses to the action than participants. More-skilled magi would easily overcome the magical antagonists, meaning that the storyguide will have to increase the NPCs' powers to provide

"The Champion's Portion" is a mix of high fantasy and gritty mundane history. From anywhere in Europe, the player characters travel through the Magic Realm to arrive in Ulster, in northern Ireland. This scenario should take place between the years of 1223 and 1227. If your troupe is not concerned with adhering closely to European history, it could take place anytime after 1220 (the canonical starting date of a saga) and before 1240.

As the magi prepare for their annual Mid-Summer's Eve activities, one of the covenfolk discovers a naked foreigner wandering the covenant grounds. He claims to be an Irish prince, named Aedh mac Cathal Ua Conchobair (anglicized to Aedh O'Connor), who was abducted from his home by a witch. He did not come by land or by sea, he says, but via a magical highway that led him through mystic vistas, so that in a single night he strode from his home in Ireland to just outside the characters' covenant. Aedh is desperate to get home. He is more aware of the customs of the Order than the characters may be used to, and offers them vis to assist him.

Aedh reveals his story to the magi, honestly telling them all he knows. He is an Irish prince participating in the violent struggle between Irish and English forces in Ulster. While planning an attack on a local garrison, his captains rebelled, calling him a coward and a weakling and other slanderous terms. Aedh learned that a local witch, whom he had been fairly friendly with, had used her poison-tongue to turn his captains against him. Aedh also knows that she and another wizard are scrambling to get the champion's portion, which is the largest or best cut of meat awarded to the king's champion. This prize is offered by a faerie, Aedh believes (wrongly), and is enchanted as to allow the holder to control men as a king could.

The situation in Ulster is tense. The English occupiers of conquered Ulster are preparing for an invasion. Not against the indigenous Irish, but against Hugh de Lacy, another English lord returning to reclaim the earldom of Ulster. Aedh's father, Cathal Ua Conchobair (anglicized Cathal O'Connor), plans to ally with de Lacy. Aedh planned to lead a group of warriors against the English garrison of Dundrum. The castle is being renovated and is particularly vulnerable. He had a force gathered, but the witch caused them to turn against Aedh. He gathered another, smaller force, but on the eve of the attack the same witch visited him and led him away. Thinking she was offering some type of recompense or bargain, he followed, only to arrive at the covenant. If he can return as quickly as he left, he can still attack Dundrum while it is being renovated, and asks the characters for their help.

The prince leads the assembled characters to a place previously unnoticed by the covenant — a giant tree that acts as a portal to a peripheral area of the Magic Realm. The group travels a path through two magical boundaries into the Twilight Void, and eventually into the province of Ulster on the eastern shore of Northern Ireland.

This story has no "bad guy". Players may be frustrated to find that each individual NPC, while exploiting the situation to his own ends, is acting within the moral and quasi-legal code of his station. Several characters might bend the rules of their society's contract, but none are outright lawbreakers. Rather than being villains, or victims for that matter, each NPC is striving for power and personal advantage. The Ex Miscellanea Muirgen desires to keep Dún Rudraige for herself. Eustace desires the source of the legally unclaimed vis site. Aedh wants to defeat de Maginnis to claim personal honor, while his father wants to wait for the returning de Lacy. The conflict is not black and white, and players will have to decide who to help based on their own interpretations. Like the NPCs, they may very well follow the course of action that best suits their interests.

Some troupes might not like this moral ambiguity, enjoying a more specified antagonist rather than this miasma of personal desires. If so, the storyguide will have to alter one or more of the NPCs to make them more vicious. This is not hard. Aedh could be a treacherous son looking to ally with his father's enemies. Muirgen could be a rogue maga, expelled from the Loch Leglean Tribunal. Eustace might be furtively siding with de Maginnis, helping him defend Dundrum in exchange for finding the Dún Rudraige's entrance stones.

Once in Ulster, characters discover a tangled plot of mundane and Hermetic politics, each party moving against the others and each desiring the player characters' aid once their presence is known. Aedh is friends with the witch Muirgen, who is an Ex Miscellanea maga from the Nemthenga tradition. She is trying to prevent Eustace, a French Flambeau magus, from entering a specific regio called Dún Rudraige, home to the legendary magical creature Bricriu. Castle Dundrum stands atop of the existing regio of Dún Rudraige, and the magical stones that once stood as a portal entrance to Dún Rudraige have been taken and used as building material for the new gatehouse. Once a year, Bricriu holds a feast in which guests compete for a prize, or champion's portion. Muirgen usually attends and receives a few pawns of vis for her involvement as a judge. Eustace desires to kill Bricriu and take his tongue as a trophy. Needless to say, their interests conflict. However, as the feast of Bricriu approaches, the regio is closed because of the missing stones.

Eustace freely admits that he magically impersonated Muirgen to lead Prince Aedh away. He wishes to delay the prince's attack until he can find the missing portal stones. Muirgen is also looking for the stones. Her tactics of threatening the various Irish captains failed, and she now promises to help the prince if the stones are found. The characters become involved in the frantic rush to enter Dún Rudraige before the Normans lay siege to Dundrum.

The stones are not that difficult to find, and the characters eventually enter the regio, with or without Muirgen and/or Eustace. Inside is a massive wooden fort, home to Bricriu, a magical human from traditional Ulster legends. His feasting hall is full of "heroes" — other magical humans who exist in the regio solely to compete at the feast. A series of challenges is laid for the heroes, and the winner receives the champion's portion of the feast. The characters can assist Muirgen and act as judges, side with Eustace and slay Bricriu, or enter into the challenges and compete for the prize themselves.

Ulster is a province on the northeastern coast of Ireland. Prior to the English invasion in 1167, it was home to several dynastic families who often fought among themselves. In a sense, the English invasion and the bloodshed it brought was nothing new. Setting out from captured Dublin, John de Courcy led three hundred soldiers along the coast and captured southern Ulster in a series of monumental battles. In typical Norman fashion, he dotted the conquered territory with motte and bailey castles. He built two larger fortifications, the castles of Dundrum and Carrickfergus.

De Courcy's fortunes turned when the fickle and favorite-playing King John took the throne, and he was replaced by Hugh de Lacy. The new earl of Ulster didn't last long, and in 1210 King John invaded de Lacy's Ulster holdings. Norman fought Norman, each side employing Irish mercenaries, and John proved victorious. De Lacy fled to southern France. John kept Dundrum and Carrickfergus, making them crown lands and not bequeathing them to any of his vassals; each castle's constable was loyal to John without owning the property.

John's successor, the young King Henry, sought de Lacy's loyalty, and pardoned his actions against King John. The new king did not return his land, to de Lacy's vexation. Leaving the fight against the Cathars, de Lacy de-

This short guide should help players unfamiliar with Irish Gaelic (which is most of us) in pronouncing the names of some of the main NPCs of the adventure. Stressed syllables are in bold-face.

Aedh ay (rhymes with "day")

Bricriu brik-ru Cathal kath-al Conán kon-in

Muirgen mur-gen (g in "girl", not "gem")

Ua Conchobair o kon-chov-ar

clared that he would regain his lands and title by force, and started mustering soldiers for an invasion. The Justiciar of Ireland, William Marshal — son of the William Marshal of chivalric fame — ordered Ulster to prepare their defenses. Marshal began raising troops in southern Ireland to head north and meet de Lacy. In 1220, the stage is set for this violent confrontation.

Historically, de Lacy returned to Ulster in 1223. He allied with Aedh O Neill, king of a large tribe in northern Ulster and a former vassal of King Henry. Turmoil raged for four years as de Lacy fought William Marshal's combined Norman and Irish forces. Through fierce campaigning and his indomitable will, De Lacy regained his lands and title in 1227.

This section lists the NPCs most important to the scenario, including information that ties the major NPCs together. Game statistics are provided in the section when they are most likely to appear in the story.

Aedh is a son of Cathal O'Connor, the reigning king of Connaught, which is a province to the west of Ulster. He is not the eldest son, but is the mightiest. Ten years ago, he formed his own fian, a group of warriors, and began raiding Connaught's eastern border. Aedh does not distinguish between Gael or English, happily stealing the cattle of anyone his band happens upon. His victories outnumber his defeats, and he has made a name for himself in both provinces.

Five years ago, he encountered Muirgen fleeing from a band of English pursuers. Liberating her from that predicament, the pair formed a shaky alliance, which has strengthened over time. Through her, Aedh has learned a few things about the Order of Hermes. He knows that there are several tribes (Houses) scattered among many kingdoms (tribunals). They occasionally fight among themselves, often over magical trinkets of the most gruesome form (vis). Aedh has encountered these gewgaws before in his travels, recognizing them through his Supernatural Virtue: Magic Sensitivity. After meeting Muirgen he started collecting them, knowing that he can sometimes use them to buy Muirgen's services.

As tensions mount in Ulster, Aedh decided to attack Dundrum, hoping to take the small garrison while they are refurbishing the castle. He gathered several Irish captains to him for his attack. At the same time, Muirgen discovered that the portal stones to Dún Rudraige were missing. She sought out several of the Irish fian leaders, Aedh's captains, and suspecting them of stealing the stones, threatened them with her poison-tongue power if they did not return the stones. When they did not, because they didn't have them, Muirgen acted on her threat and turned them against Aedh. Deterred but not defeated, Aedh gathered a much smaller force to attack Dundrum.

On the eve of the attack, during his nightly swim, Muirgen came to him and asked him to follow her. Not even waiting to dress, Aedh followed her along a mind-boggling path of river and wood, unlike any he'd seen in Ireland before. At its climax, she ordered him to jump down from a tree. She did not follow, and when Aedh turned to look at her, she was gone. He found himself in a strange land, naked and alone.

Aedh doesn't know this, but it was actually Eustace in disguise, rather than Muirgen, who led him to the players' covenant. He did notice the fox leading Eustace, but thought little of it.

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

+2, Dex +1, Qik +2

Size: 0 Age: 29 (29)

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Knight; Death Prophesy, Magic Sensitivity; Driven (to rule Connaught); Heir, Reckless

Personality Traits: Reckless +3 Reputations: Fian Leader 3 (Ulster)

Combat:

Dodge: Init +2, Attack n/a, Defense +6, Damage n/a Dagger: Init +2, Attack +8, Defense +7, Damage +5 Javelin: Init +2, Attack +9, Defense +8, Damage +7 Short bow: Init +1, Attack +6, Defense +4, Damage +8 Axe: Init +3, Attack +11, Defense +8, Damage +8 Soak: +2

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Area Lore: Ulster 3 (geography), Animal Handling 2 (horses), Athletics 2 (jumping), Awareness 2 (ambushes), Brawl 4 (dagger), Bows 1 (short bow), Carouse 3 (drinking games), Charm 1 (subordinates), English 1 (peasants), French 3 (nobles), Irish 5 (military terminology), Latin 3 (grammar), Leadership 4 (his fian), Magic Sensitivity 3 (vis), Organization Lore: Order of Hermes Lore 1 (Ex Miscellanea), Ride 2 (speed), Single Weapon 5 (axe), Swim 2 (ocean), Thrown Weapon 4 (javelin)

Equipment: Once properly attired, Aedh wears an embroidered tunic and a heavy red cloak trimmed with boar fur. He carries his weapons and wears no armor.

Encumbrance: 0 (2)

Appearance: Aedh is slightly taller than average, with long black hair, a thick beard, and soft blue eyes. His brawny arms and hands are laced with scars.

Aedh can lead a gang of fénneda that fight as a trained group. The maximum size is 5, counting his specialty in Leadership. The maximum combat advantage is +15.

Aedh has a stash of vis hidden in the forest to use as bribes. He has collected 8 deer antlers each worth a pawn of Animal vis, and 6 hand-sized rocks each worth a pawn of Terram vis.

Aedh's ultimate motivation is to take Dundrum castle with magical assistance. Muirgen refused him this request. As soon as the PCs are in Ulster, he plans to ask them for military assistance.

Aedh's Death Prophesy is that he will be killed by a carpenter. The Normans employ many carpenters in their ambitious castle-building program, and Aedh is sure that several are busy rebuilding Dundrum. This drives him to find magical help to defeat the garrison.

Muirgen is a Scottish maga, hailing from the Loch Leglean Tribunal. She is a Nemthenga, an Ex Miscellanea tradition that has a long history in the Celtic lands (see the appendix to this chapter). Within the Order of Hermes she

Her parens discovered Dún Rudraige just before the Normans began building Dundrum castle. Knowing that the regio would be safe if he removed the portal stones, he asked a friendly fian to assist him, taking the stones away and hiding them until needed. This worked for many years. With his eventual decline into Final Twilight, Muirgen continued the practice of hiding the stones. Recently, the stones disappeared, stolen from their hiding place. Her threats to the various fian leaders failed, even after she cursed a few with her Embitterment power. Soon after, Eustace appeared on the scene. At first he was polite, asking questions about Muirgen and Dún Rudraige, but soon revealed his true intentions. Muirgen vowed to bar his entrance, and searches for the stones in earnest to find them before the Flambeau.

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

Size: –2 Age: 39 (39) Decrepitude: 0 (3) Warping Score: 2 (11) Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Embitterment; Affinity with Corpus, Affinity with Muto, Free Study, Improved Characteristics, Puissant Embitterment, Puissant Muto, Subtle Magic; Deficient Rego, Dwarf, Study Requirement

Personality Traits: Flighty +3, Entitled +2, Shy +2 Combat:

Dodge: Init +0, Attack n/a, Defense +4, Damage n/a

Soak: -2

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–3), –3 (4–6), –5 (7–9), Incapacitated (10–12), Dead (13+)

Abilities: Area Lore: Scotland 2 (geography), Area Lore: Ulster 2 (vis sites), Artes Liberales 1 (ritual magic), Awareness 2 (searching), Brawl 3 (dodge), Concentration 1 (spell concentration), Embitterment 6+2, Faerie Lore 2 (faerie forests), Finesse 3 (targeting), Folk Ken 2 (peasants), Hunt 3 (covering tracks), Latin 4 (Hermetic usage), Magic Lore 2 (creatures), Magic Theory 4 (Muto), Parma Magica 3 (Mentem), Penetration 1 (Terram), Scottish 5 (peasants), Stealth 2 (sneak), Swim 2 (speed)

Arts: Cr 2**, In** 8**, Mu** 13+3 (12), Pe 5**, Re** 0**; An** 5**, Aq** 1**, Au** 1**, Co** 8 (2), He 7**, Ig** 0**, Im** 0**, Me** 1**, Te** 4**, Vi** 6

Twilight Scars: Muirgen's pupils fill her entire eyes, like an animal, leaving no white showing. Her fingernails are scaly, like a fish, and her voice is raspy like a crow's.

Equipment: Muirgen carries some gear necessary for surviving in the forest, and items required for her spells: a black shawl and a piece of chainmail.

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Spells Known:

Beast of Outlandish Size (MuAn 15/+24)

Growth of the Creeping Things (MuAn 15/+24)

Eyes of the Cat (MuCo(An) 5/+24)

Preternatural Growth and Shrinking (MuCo 15/+27)

Shape of the Leafy Herbivore (MuCo(An) 20/+24) R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind. A spell that changes the target into a deer.

Gift of the Bear's Fortitude (MuCo 25/+27)

Cloak of the Black Feathers (MuCo(An) 30/+24)

Coat of the Slippery Warrior (MuCo(An) 30/+24). R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind. Similar to Cloak of the Black Feathers, this spell changes the target into a fish. The caster drapes a small piece of chainmail over her head during the transformation, which ends the spell when removed.

Intuition of the Forest (InHe 10/+18)

Shriek of the Impending Shafts (InHe 15/+18)

The Weightless Menhir (MuTe 20/+23) R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind. This spell makes a stone as light as a feather. Muirgen created this spell to easily move the portal stones. (Base 4, +1 Touch, +1 stone, +2 day — the base size is big enough without adding magnitudes for size).

Pit of the Gaping Earth (PeTe 15/+12), Mastery 1, Fast Cast. Vis: Muirgen has a sack with 6 pawns of Muto vis (six mummified tadpole bodies).

Appearance: Muirgen is a diminutive, dirty, ragged-looking woman, reminiscent of a feral child. She usually shouts when she speaks, making her seem almost imposing.

Muirgen's Scottish is linguistically close enough to Irish to allow her to communicate with Aedh and his fellows. Treat her score as 2 points less when she converses with the Irish natives.

Muirgen typically changes her shape with her spells when she travels, casting Shriek of the Impending Shafts prior to her transformation to protect her from hunters. If threatened in human form, she casts Pit of the Gaping Earth at the aggressor and then flees.

The fian that assisted Muirgen in moving the portal stones is gone, having left Ulster six months ago. She does not think the portal stones are with them, and had thought the stones were safe in their hiding place. Their absence has made her frantic and she is desperately searching for them. Other fianna are frightened of her and will not offer help. She has turned several of them against Aedh. She and Aedh are friendly, after a fashion, but Aedh wants Muirgen's help in defeating the Dundrum garrison before he will offer to help find the stones. Muirgen resists this offer, but as the time to enter Bricriu's regio draws closer, she may change her mind.

Living alone, Muirgen does not trust her Hermetic brethren, nor does she count on Hermetic justice from a legal court or tribunal. She refused to enter certamen with Eustace when he first suggested it, having never participated in one since apprenticeship. Nor does she think she is breaking the Code of Hermes by embittering several of the local Irish leaders. She is not interfering in their affairs, she says, they are interfering in hers and she is merely rebuking them.

She has not yet performed a longevity ritual, a drawback of not having a permanent laboratory. She will be interested if anyone wants to offer her one, and be willing to trade vis and information.

Eustace is a Flambeau magus, born and trained in the Normandy Tribunal. He loves his House and fully embraces its ideology and knightly trappings. Born in a noble family, Eustace continues his infatuation with hunting in his Hermetic career, and has become a hunter of House Flambeau. He follows the School of Apromor for his fighting style (Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 27).

Eustace met and befriended Vafer soon after his gauntlet. Vafer is a magical fox who wanders the border provinces of the Magic Realm looking for prey, his primary incentive. Although the magical creature does not need to eat, he enjoys it. When his hunting skills fail him, he lies unmoving, feigning death, waiting for a curious bird or animal to approach, at which point he gobbles the curious onlooker up. This trick failed him when Eustace happened upon him. Before Vafer could escape, Eustace grabbed him by the neck, intending to slay him for his overly long tail. The wily Vafer worked a bargain, however, promising to lead Eustace to magical regiones and the various magical beasts they contained. The magus agreed and has spent the last twenty years following the fox through the mysterious byways of the regiones and boundaries of the Magic Realm, always terminating in a magical regio in which he can hunt.

Five years ago, Eustace visited the covenant of Cunfin and met Celeres, follower of Bonisagus (see The Lily and the Lion: The Normandy Tribunal, pages 106-111). His imagination was instantly ignited by Celeres' tales of Arthurian knights and the quests they undertook. Sharing these tales with other Flambeau hunters, he and a few of his fellows began

a contest to see who could acquire the best trophy. Calling themselves the Young Squires, a reference to Gawain and his cousins, the group of hunters try to out do each other in their quests for magical beasts. Eustace has fallen behind in the competition.

Eustace of Flambeau

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

Size: 0 Age: 43 (38) Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 3 (6) Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Flexible Formulaic Magic; Affinity with Corpus, Affinity with Perdo, Improved Characteristics, Puissant Perdo, Second Sight, Skilled Parens; Ambitious, Blatant Gift; Deficient Form: Aquam, Magical Animal Companion

Personality Traits: Vain +3, Determined +2

Combat:

Dodge: Init +2, Attack n/a, Defense +5, Damage n/a Long sword: Init +4, Attack +12, Defense +9, Damage +8 Soak: +7

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Artes Liberales 1 (astronomy), Athletics 2 (grace), Awareness 2 (searching), Brawl 2 (dodge), Code of Hermes 2 (mundane relations), Etiquette 1 (Hermetic events), Finesse 1 (Corpus), French 5 (chivalric terminology), Hunt 3 (tracking), Latin 4 (Hermetic usage), Magic Theory 4 (Perdo), Parma Magica 4 (Ignem), Penetration 3 (Corpus), Second Sight 3 (regiones), Single Weapon 5 (long sword)

Arts: Cr 6**, In** 5**, Mu** 6**, Pe** 15+3(1), Re 5**; An** 8**, Aq** 5**, Au** 5**, Co** 13**, He** 5**, Ig** 6**, Im** 5**, Me** 5**, Te** 5**, Vi** 7

Twilight Scars: Eustace leaves black smudges on things he touches, as if his hands were permanently stained by soot.

Equipment: Partial chainmail and long sword.

Encumbrance: 0 (2) Spells Known:

Image of the Beast (InAn 5/+15)

Tire the Bounding Stag (PeAn 10/+28) R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Ind. This spell causes an animal of up to Size +1 to lose one Fatigue level (base 4, +2 Voice).

Tire the Strident Destrier (PeAn 20/+28) R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Ind. This spell causes an animal of up to Size +6 to lose one Fatigue level (base 4, +2 Voice, +2 Size).

Cripple the Howling Wolf (PeAn 25/+28)

Eyes of the Cat (MuCo 5/+18)

Disguise of the New Visage (MuCo 15/+18)

Preternatural Growth and Shrinking (MuCo 15/+21)

The Wound that Weeps (PeCo15/+33)

Invocation of Weariness (PeCo 20/+33), Mastery 1, multiple casting.

Bane of the Decrepit Body (PeCo 25/+33)

Invocation of the Giant's Weariness (PeCo 25/+33) R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Ind. This spell causes a target of up to Size +2 to lose one Fatigue level. Mastery 2, multiple casting, penetration.

Grip of the Choking Hand (PeCo 25/+33)

The Wound that Wails (PeCo 25/+33) R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Ind. This spell causes a Heavy Wound in a target (base 15, +2 Voice).

Endurance of the Berserker (ReCo 15/+20) Pilum of Fire (CrIg 20/+14)

Dragon's Eternal Oblivion (PeVi 5/+27) This spell is a variant of Demon's Eternal Oblivion that affects magical creatures. Mastery 3, fast casting, multiple casting, penetration

Dreadful Bane of the Fae (PeVi 5/+27) This spell is a variant of Demon's Eternal Oblivion that affects faerie creatures.

Vis: Eustace carries a pouch containing ten pawns of Perdo vis (black cap mushrooms).

Appearance: Eustace is a foreboding figure, dressed in black, partial chainmail, and a black cloak. He has a long, drooping black mustache that he caresses while he speaks, and his eyes dart around under his dark brow like a fox's.

Eustace's appearance is deceiving, since he is not the "black knight" he styles himself as. He is very aware of the boundary between associating with and interfering with mundane society, and while he might push the limit, he will not readily break it. Nor will he easily break his Hermetic Oath.

Eustace is a trophy hunter rather than a vis collector. He'd rather kill a magical creature outright and then transfer any residual vis to another vessel. But if the beast proves too powerful, he will destroy the creature's Might and be content with the remaining trophy. He is vain, overtaken with romantic of ideas of sword-wielding knights battling monsters. In combat, he first casts spells to make his opponent tired, then enters the fray under the protection of his Endurance of the Berserkers spell. He will exert for four rounds and hope his opponent is dead by then. Eustace has fought giants before. He will use his Flexible Formulaic Magic Virtue to boost his Corpus spells by one magnitude to affect creatures of larger size.

Eustace thinks the stones are still hidden and does not know that they are missing. He did discover Aedh's plot to attack Dundrum, and led the prince away to delay the attack, using his spells Preternatural Growth and Shrinking and Disguise of the New Visage.

His longevity ritual Lab Total is 25 (boosted by using extra vis), for an aging modifier of +5.

Eustace has the necessary Art scores to train an apprentice. He has desired an apprentice for several years, but has not taken the time to find one. He is interested in any Gifted child the PCs may know.

Vafer the Magical Fox

Magic Might: 12 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int +1, Per 0, Pre –2, Com –5, Str –5, Sta

–1, Dex +2, Qik +5

Size: –2

Season: Summer

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Magical Animal; Perfect Balance; Nocturnal

(Animal) Qualities: Ambush Predator, Crafty, Good Jumper, Keen Sense of Smell

Qualities and Inferiorities: Greater Power; Gift of Speech, Lesser Power (x2)

Personality Traits: Sly +3

Combat:

Dodge: Init +5, Attack n/a, Defense +8, Damage n/a Bite: Init +5, Attack +9, Defense +10, Damage -4

Soak: -1

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–3), –3 (4–6), –5 (7–9), Incapacitated (10–12), Dead (13+)

Abilities: Athletics 4 (running), Awareness 3 (food), Brawl 3 (bite), French 4 (poetry), Hunt 4 (prey), Stealth 4 (stalking prey), Survival 4 (meadows)

Powers:

Tread the Paths of the Magic Realm, 2 points, Init +4, Variable. Vafer can see connections between regiones and the Twilight Void, and pass through them. The entrance stays open after his passing, typically for a number of days equal to the boundary's level, allowing others to follow him.

Skirt the Territories of the Twilight Void, 2 points, Init +4, Variable. Vafer can find and pass through mystical portals that connect the various provinces of the Twilight Void. The passageway stays open after Vafer passes.

The Impatient Hunter, 4 points, Init +3, Vim. Vafer can decrease the time it takes him to travel through the Twilight Void. A journey that regularly takes a year can be traveled in half a day (Sun Duration). If you are using the rules regarding Magical Travel in The Realms of Power: The Magic Realm (Chapter Three), this power increases Vafer's travel by three Speed Levels. This power includes any group that is traveling with Vafer.

Vis: 2 pawns of Animal in tail.

Appearance: Vafer is a red fox, with an immaculate red coat and a bushy tail that is twice as long as it should be.

Vafer's speed along a Twilight Void path is determined by his Perception + Hunt score. On average, it takes him a year to travel from one point to another, but he can quicken his pace using The Impatient Hunter power (see earlier).

Vafer likes traveling through the Twilight Void and doesn't mind dragging Eustace along. Vafer would prefer to travel through the Void more, but Eustace is reluctant to make frequent forays through the mysterious realm. Vafer might consider abandoning Eustace if he could find a maga more willing to travel the Twilight Void than the Flambeau.

Bricriu is one of several characters made famous in the Ulster Cycle of tales, a collection of poems and stories about the area's heroes. Cúchulainn is probably the most famous, followed by King Conchobair and the druid Cathbad. Whether Bricriu was once a hero made into a magical creature or a magical creature all along is immaterial to this scenario. Bricriu is a Magic Human (see Realms of Power: The Magic Realm), a creature of the Magic Realm. The Heroes and the Followers are also Magic Humans.

Bricriu is huge, as are the Heroes of Ulster who inhabit Dún Rudraige. Just like their legends, which are larger than life, so too are the Heroes. The more important and powerful the character, the taller he actually stands. This fact is known among the learned Irish clergy, one of whom mentions it in the thirteenth century book Acallam na Senórach ("Tales of the Elders of Ireland"). For reference, Bricriu is Size +3, the Heroes are Size +2, and the Followers are Size +1. A player may make an Intelligence + Magic Lore + a simple die against an Ease Factor of 12 to allow his character to know that these are not giants or giant-kin, but legendary Irish heroes.

Bricriu the Magic Human

Magic Might: 30 (Corpus)

Season: Autumn

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre -3, Com +6, Str +9, Sta

+3, Dex 0, Qik –2

Size: +3

Confidence Score: 2 (5)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Human; Great Communication (x2), Increased Characteristics, Self-Confident; Bound to Magic; Infamous

Qualities and Inferiorities: Gigantic (x2), Greater Power

(x2), Improved Communication

Personality Traits: Troublemaker +6, Jovial +3

Reputations: Malcontent 4 (Ulster)

Combat:

Dodge: Init -2, Attack n/a, Defense +4, Damage n/a

Short spear and round shield: Init +0, Attack +8, Defense +10, Damage +14

Soak: +3

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–8), –3 (9–16), –5 (17–24), Inca-

pacitated (25–32), Dead (33+)

Abilities: Area Lore: Dún Rudraige regio 4 (monster lairs), Brawl 3 (grappling), Carouse 5 (staying sober), Etiquette 5 (hosting), Guile 4 (lying to magi), Leadership 6 (intimidation), Irish 5 (poetry), Magic Lore 3 (Ulster monsters), Music 3 (drums), Single Weapon 5 (short spear), Stealth 6 (spying)

Powers:

Extolling the Champion, 0 points, Init +0, Mentem. This power causes a target to become obsessed with the desire to win the champion's portion, or any prize in any competition. The target can not refuse to compete.

Greater Power: Base 4, +2 Voice, +2 Sun. 30 remaining spell levels covert to 6 mastery points, which decrease Might cost to 0 and raise Initiative by four.

A Brother's Vengeance, 0 points, Init +0, Mentem. This power causes a target to turn against a former ally, no matter how strong his allegiance, and attempt to defeat him. Bricriu can decide how the target must defeat his new enemy, from a simple off-hand remark made in public to murder.

Greater Power: Base 4, +2 Voice, +2 Sun. 30 remaining spell levels covert to 6 mastery points, which decrease Might cost to 0 and raise Initiative by four.

Equipment: Expensive clothes with gold embroidery, a solid gold torc, gold rings, a short spear, and a round shield.

Vis: 6 pawns of Mentem in tongue.

Appearance: Bricriu is wild eyed and crazy looking, with an uncombed mane of hair and a bushy red beard. One eye is larger than another, and his teeth are the size of window shutters. His size makes him imposing but his lunatic manner is offset by his continuous mirth.

Bricriu cannot leave the regio of Dún Rudraige. This does not displease him, as he is content to run his challenges and watch the competitors.

Hero of Ulster

Magic Might: 15 (Corpus)

Characteristics: Int –2, Per –2, Pre –2, Com –2, Str +8, Sta

+4, Dex +3, Qik –1

Size: +2

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Human; Focus Power*, Gigantic*; Tough; Monstrous Appearance, Proud

Personality Traits: Brave +3, Proud +3, Disobedient +2

Combat:

Dodge: Init –1, Attack n/a, Defense +5, Damage n/a

Fist: Init –1, Attack +10, Defense +6, Damage +8 Spear and Round Shield: Init +1, Attack +16, Defense +12,

Damage +13

Soak: +7

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

To help individualize the Heroes and Followers, the storyguide needs to give them names. Simply pick two names from the list provided below and separate the first from the second with "mac" (son of).

Alchad, Bran, Brian, Caeilte, Ciardan, Conall, Conan, Donn, Eachann, Faughnan, Fingar, Garbhán, Incha, Laoghaire, Lonán, Machar, Mogue, Nevan, Ógán, Oscar, Ros, Sanctan, Seachnall, Treon, Ultán

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–7), –3 (8–14), –5 (15–21), Incapacitated (22–28), Dead (29+)

Abilities: Animal Handling 3 (cattle), Athletics 6 (leaping), Brawl 6 (fist), Carouse 5 (excessive drinking), Etiquette 4 (feasting), Hunt 5 (deer), Irish 5 (poetry), Leadership 3 (Followers), Music 4 (singing), Ride 2 (tricks), Survival 3 (in the regio), Single Weapon 10 (spear)

Powers:

Perfect Form of the Contender, 5 points, Init -4, Corpus. This power gives the recipient a +3 on any physical challenge he undergoes, including combat. Like spontaneous magic, it can affect a variety of the target's physical resources: arms, legs, breathing, singing, etc.

(Base special, Range: Per, Duration: Sun, Target Ind., +2 Size adjustment)

Equipment: Archaic clothing, wooden shield, spear, and assorted jewelry.

Vis: 3 pawns Corpus in head.

Appearance: A Hero appears as a large, monstrous-looking Irish warrior, with tangled hair, a wild beard, red eyes, embroidered clothing, and weapons. His features are asymmetric, and his muscles bulge and contort in an abnormal fashion.

Follower of Ulster

Magic Might: 5 (Corpus)

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

Size: +1

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Human; Tough, Large; Monstrous Appearance

Personality Traits: Brave +2, Rowdy +2, Loyal +1 Combat:

Dodge: Init +2, Attack n/a, Defense +2, Damage n/a Fist: Init +2, Attack +5, Defense +5, Damage +2

Spear and Round Shield: Init +3, Attack +11, Defense +11, Damage +7

Soak: +7

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–12), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24), Dead (25+)

Abilities: Animal Handling 2 (chariot horses), Athletics 2 (running), Awareness 4 (guarding), Brawl 2 (fist), Carouse 3 (excessive drinking), Etiquette 2 (carving), Hunt 2 (tracking), Irish 5 (poetry), Music 2 (harp), Survival 1 (in the regio), Single Weapon 6 (spear)

Equipment: Archaic clothing, wooden shield, spear, and assorted jewelry.

Vis: 1 pawn Corpus in head.

Appearance: A Follower appears as a smaller version of a Hero of Ulster.

Followers are the generic supporters and assistants of the Heroes of Ulster. Although they are magic humans, they have no innate magical powers. If lead by a Hero, Followers can fight in a trained group. The maximum size of the group is 4, including the Hero, and the combat advantage is +12.

"The Champion's Portion" unfolds in three parts: getting the PCs to Ulster through the boundaries of the Magic Realm, interacting with the various Ulster factions, and entering Bricriu's regio. The initial part is purposely linear, but the second and third segments offer more choices for the players.

Many covenants are busy on Mid-Summer's Eve, most of them collecting vis from the various sites around their home. It is an especially magical time of the year, a good time for ritual spells or celebrations. During the bustle of preparations for whatever will occur, one of the covenfolk encounters Aedh, sitting naked by an oak tree, and brings him to the attention of the magi. Observant covenfolk notice his gold torq — a thick, U-shaped necklace — and several gold armbands worn around his biceps. He walks with a near regal bearing and his arms and hands are laced with battle scars. A Perception + Folk Ken roll against an Ease Factor of 9 will indicate that he is likely a noble, de-

spite his lack of clothing.

Aedh willingly meets the wizards. Although disconcerted by their Gift, he is not afraid of them. Once met, he asks the magi for help returning home. He explains his situation, as he understands it; on the eve of his attack against the English, a witch from the "Ex Miscellanea tribe" led him on a journey along paths he'd never seen before. At the journey's end, the witch, a notorious poison-tongue, left him.

If the magi respond immediately to his plea, all is well. But most won't be interested in such mundane affairs. If aid is not forthcoming, Aedh will promise to pay the magi with vis, which he calls "small objects of magic stuff." He has used vis to gain Muirgen's services in the past, and knows its value as currency. He doesn't have any with him — he doesn't have anything but gold jewelry with him — but promises to make good on his promise of payment.

If asked about Muirgen, Aedh will tell the PCs that she is a Scottish maga that he has known for a few years. She has the power to turn her enemy's allies against him, sowing discontent with her "poison tongue." Her primary interest is visiting Bricriu, an ancient hero who lives in the Otherworld. Any character with Magic or Faerie Lore knows that the Otherworld is a colloquial term mundane folk use for the Magic or Faerie Realms, or regiones in general. Characters with Magic Lore may check to see if they have heard of Bricriu and the Nemthenga (poison-tongue) tradition. If an Intelligence + Magic Lore + simple die beats an Ease Factor of 12, the storyguide may provided a little more information, culled from the sections below. Aedh also knows that Muirgen is currently flustered because another magus from another tribe has entered the area.

The champion's portion is a great prize, he says, awarded to the king's champion and signifying his importance. If he had it, Aedh claims he could command hundreds, and would not be limited to his small band of warriors. Ennobled with this prize, he could order bishops to abdicate, dukes to resign, even wizards to return to the Gates of Hell. Naturally, he's exaggerating, but the PCs won't know this, and he believes these tales to be true.

If the PCs are still unwilling to help, Aedh will fume a bit and reluctantly accept their decision. He'll ask to spend the night before leaving in the morning. During the night, he'll steal something and leave. His motivation is to grab something magical, hoping to bribe either Muirgen or Eustace with the item. Fumbling along, he will be able to return to Ulster through the regio boundaries. Alternatively, Aedh might convince one or more of the covenant's martial grogs to join him, extolling the virtues of combat and its glories. If any of the covenant grogs are easily swayed – and if their sudden departure might force the PCs to follow them – some grogs follow Aedh to Ulster.

At least one of the hint of mystery, the fabulous prize, the outright bribe, the retrieval of stolen goods or soldiers, or even the desire for combat, should be enough for the PCs to go to Ulster.

Standing somewhere outside the PCs' covenant is an oak tree, one of many or perhaps standing alone, it doesn't matter. This tree is large, but not unnaturally so. It grows straight for several yards before splitting in two and continuing up to its leafy crown. It is slightly magical, but not enough to actually have an aura or produce vis, so it has escaped the magi's notice. Vafer the fox has the power to travel through the Magic Realm and its provinces, and his journey was able to force open a regio portal that normally is too small to notice. Because of Vafer's intrusion, the oak now has a Magic aura of 1 and connects to a Magic regio. This condition will only last a few days before it returns to its normal state.

The Magic regio has a Magic aura of 4. A Perception + Appropriate Ability (Second Sight or Magic Sensitivity) + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 11 will allow a character to see the regio from the underlying magic aura. An Intellego Vim spell will also point out the regio. Inside the regio, the oak becomes massive. Huge and hoary with age, its bark is scarred and pock-marked and its enormous limbs tower over the characters, reaching almost one hundred feet in height. The oak's trunk is nearly 10 yards in circumference and four paces up from its base before it splits in two directions, forming a crotch just like the tree on the mundane level. Nothing surrounds the tree except grass, and at a hundred paces a cloudy mist forms an amorphous circle around the entire regio. If a character enters the mist, she will walk for a few paces unable to see at all through the mist, before reentering the regio at the opposite side of the circle from which she departed.

There is nothing in the regio besides the oak. Whatever creature or thing that once lived here is long gone. The tree does not produce vis, even in the regio. To exit the regio, characters must climb up the north side of the tree and slide through the crotch. They will be suddenly transported to the mundane level, the tree instantly changing as they pass through. However, if the characters climb the southern side of the tree and go through the crotch from that direction, they are in for a surprise.

The oak actually stands as a boundary marker between the Magic regio and the Twilight Void, an intermediate mystical area that continues on to the Magic Realm. More information about the Twilight Void can be found in Realms of Power: The Magic Realm. The Void is flavored with a specific Art, one of the ten of Hermetic magic. This path travels through the Herbam Province of the Void. The boundary has a level of 4, which is added to all magical activities. To see this boundary, a character needs to make a stress die + Perception + appropriate Ability (Magic Sensitivity or Second Sight) + Herbam Form bonus against an Ease Factor of. 18. Add +15 to the player's roll because this boundary acts as an Arcane Connection to its destination, a specific location. This makes it easier to cross than other boundaries, as explained in Realms of Power: The Magic Realm. Remember the value of this roll, because it will determine the group's travel time once in the Twilight Void. Hermetic spells cannot reveal the boundary to the Twilight Void. Such a spell would require a Minor Magical Breakthrough.

If told where to look, Aedh will feel the boundary with his Magic Sensitivity Ability. He will be able to lead characters into the Herbam Province of the Twilight Void.

Once through the tree's crotch, characters find themselves in a tangled forest, populated by gigantic trees of a size and girth unseen in the mundane realm. The branches and trunks grow chaotically, in a tangled explosion of untamed growth. Sunlight filters down through the leafy canopy, like a perpetual spring day at noon, and the forest is awash with vibrantly colored green leaves and rich brown and russet limbs, interspaced with brilliantly budding flowers of white, blue, and red. It is difficult to see more than a few yards through the verdant flora. A twisting path weaves through the woody jumble, across branches and up boles, like a forester's nightmare labyrinth. The path is wide enough for only a single person at a time, who must walk, climb, and shuffle through the tree tops. This territory of the Herbam Province adds +14 to magical effects, +4 for the boundary level and +10 because it is part of the Magic Realm. Herbam effects gain double the boundary level bonus, because it is a Herbam Province, for a +18 benefit.

Any active magical effect, including Parma Magica, is cancelled as soon as the character enters the Twilight Void. Items and talismans remain potent, but active spells cease. Characters re-casting spells notice the higher aura of the Twilight Void.

The Paths Through Twilight

Once on the path in the Twilight Void, the group needs a leader to guide them. If Aedh or another PC with Second Sight or Magic Sensitivity led the group through the boundary, use the value of that roll to determine how fast they move through the Twilight Void. Because the boundary is an Arcane Connection to a specific destination, adding +15 to the initial roll, travel should be rapid. Use the following table to calculate the group's speed.

Ease Factor L	ength of Journey
9	One Season
12	Moon
15	Entire Day
18	Sun
21	Two Hours

The leader intuitively knows how long the journey will take. If she decides that her speed is too slow, someone else can lead by concentrating on the path and guiding the group. In this case, the new leader makes a stress die + Stamina + Concentration + Herbam Form bonus + 15 (specific location bonus). Since time does not pass in the Twilight Void, meaning that travelers do not age, need to eat, or require sleep, the new leader can maintain concentration of the length of the journey.

Walking off the path is very similar to entering Temporary Twilight, and is explained in Realms of Power: The Magic Realm. Travel should be rapid enough that players won't desire to wander off the path, especially when the storyguide describes it as eerie, nerve-rattling, and frightening. If a PC persists, have her undergo an immediate Temporary Twilight, using the rules in ArM5, page 88.

As they move along the path, have each PC besides the leader make a Stamina + Concentration + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 15. Tell the first player who fails the roll that her character's attention has wandered. The character notices a rapidly growing vine and lags behind the group to watch it. Tendrils swirl and swoop as the vine grows higher, and it suddenly lashes out at the PC to entwine it. The PC can avoid the vine with a Quickness – Encumbrance + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 12. Characters who botched the initial Stamina + Concentration roll do not get a chance to avoid the vine and are instantly caught. The vine continues to grow, pushing shoots through the character's skin in an effort to sap his vigor. A trapped character loses a Fatigue Level per round unless he succeeds with a Stamina + stress die roll against

an Ease Factor of 12. Once a character falls unconscious, the vine will take root in the PC. Each round thereafter it does +5 damage to the character. The PC is allowed a Soak + stress die roll against the damage, ignoring armor benefits. A character may break free with a Strength + stress die roll of 15. Other PCs can help the trapped character by cutting him loose. Consider all such attacks successful. Roll a PC's Damage + stress die against the vine's Soak of 5 + a stress die. The vine is Size 0. Once it has accumulated enough damage to render it Incapacitated (just like a regular Size 0 creature), the vine is cut apart and the trapped character is freed.

To the left of the path through the Herbam Province is a multi-colored smear that seems to hang in the very air. The changing hues of blue and purple stand in contrast to the Herbam Province's greens, yellows, and browns, and its scintillations are reminiscent of a rippling stream or trickling brook. The air bristles with energy as the PCs draw near. The shimmering is a crossing point between the Herbam and Aquam Provinces, which Vafer led Eustace and Aedh through. Normally more difficult to discover, the crossing remains open because of Vafer's lingering magic. It will allow anyone who finds it to walk from the Herbam Province to the Aquam Province.

When the PCs reach the Crossing, they can step through it, from the Herbam Province and into the Aquam Province. This change does not affect the length of the journey. The Crossing is a favorite hunting ground for a sea-cat, who lies in wait for those walking through, lurking nearly submerged in the crashing waves. Its motivation is simple; it is a predator and anything small than it is prey. This sudden violence sets the tone for the scenario.

A PC must make a Perception + Awareness + stress die against an Ease Factor of 18 to see the sea-cat before it pounces. Those who notice the cat can act accordingly. Those who fail are surprised by the beast. The sea-cat will exert itself on its first round of combat, and may use Ferocity points as Confidence points in the fight. A surprised defender may not exert on her Defense roll during the first round. To leap back through the hole and escape, use the Disengagement rules (ArM5, page 173). The Crossing is only wide enough to allow one character at a time to pass through, but does not impede them otherwise. The other PCs may jump into the Aquam Province to save their fellow. The sea-cat will not follow a character through the Crossing.

Magic Might: 11 (Aquam)

Characteristics: Cun 0, Per 0, Pre –2, Com –5, Str 0, Sta

+7, Dex –1, Qik –1

Size: +1

Season: Summer Ferocity: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Animal; Ferocity, Lightning Re-

flexes, Tough; Nocturnal

(Animal) Qualities: Ambush Predator, Hardy, Think Fur Qualities and Inferiorities: Gigantic; Improved Attack (claws) (x2), Improved Soak (x3), Lesser Power, Ulster Regio Network

Personality Traits: Aggressive +3

Combat:

Claws: Init -2, Attack +15, Defense +12, Damage +2 Bite: Init -1, Attack +11, Defense +9, Damage +1

Soak: +9

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–12), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24), Dead (25+)

Abilities: Athletics 7 (climbing), Awareness 6 (prey), Brawl 9 (claws), Stealth 7 (stalking), Hunt 6 (tracking)

Powers:

Stench of Putridity, 1 point, Init +2, Auram. At will, the seacat can exude a noxious stench that mimics the effects of Wreaths of Foul Smoke (ArM5, page 125). The sea-cat is itself immune to the malodorous vapors.

(Base 3, +2 Sun, excess mastery points increase Init.)

Vis: 2 pawn Aquam in its eyes

Appearance: The sea-cat looks like a monstrous lynx, with unkempt gray fur and red prickly eyes. It exudes a putrid aroma, reminiscent of fish guts and dead seaweed at low tide.

The sea-cat is a magical creature native to Ireland. It has the ability to travel from regio to regio within the province of Ulster, favoring the costal areas, and may occasionally wander the Twilight Void paths connecting Ulster to the Magic Realm.

The sea-cat's preferred attack is its claws. Because of its Quality: Ambush Predator, it gets a +3 on the first round of a surprise attack. Exerting at the same time gives the seacat an Attack of +28. This could be quite lethal, and the storyguide should take care who the sea-cat ambushes. It won't be much fun for the players if a magus is killed before stepping foot in Ulster. A grog is the ideal candidate, and slaying a grog at this point in the adventure would indicate how deadly the upcoming tale will be.

This territory of the Aquam Province looks like an ocean coast during a storm. Brackish gray waves crash against the surf, dark clouds obscure the sky and seem to touch the sea, and thick raindrops pelt everything. The path through this Province runs parallel with the rocky coastline, and travelers must wade through the tumultuous tide. The crossing from the Herbam Province opens from the face of the jagged cliffs that line one side of the path. The cliffs are slategray and slick with sea spray and rain, their tops lost in the ominous clouds above. This path has a +14 Magic Aura, just like the path through the Herbam Province. Aquam effects receive double the boundary level: +18 (10 + (2 times 4)).

The easiest way up the waterfall is to swim it, although this is not obvious and such a feat defies the natural laws of the mundane realm. Perceptive characters may notice shadowy fish swimming up the waterfall (Perception + Awareness + stress die against an Ease Factor of 12), which will hopefully hint at the possibility of the PCs swimming the falls. Swimming the falls can be done with a single successful Strength + Swim – Encumbrance + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 9. Failing this roll means the PC is swept down the falls, loses a Fatigue Level, and must start again. Botching this roll means the PC has swallowed a significant enough amount of water to receive a Light Wound. Besides climbing and swimming, the group may have other means of ascending the waterfall, including flying and Rego Corpus transportation spells. These methods work as easily as imagined, and are in fact boosted by the Aquam Province's

The path through the Aquam Province leads through the brackish waves. The going is rough, and any character who fails a Stamina + Athletics + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 12 suffers the loss of one Long Term Fatigue Level. Eventually, the group reaches the end of the beach and the waterfalls. If Aedh is with the group, he will tell them that he simply jumped down from the top on his way to the covenant. The nearby cliff face is sheer and slippery, and nearly impossible to climb. Any intelligent character looking at the cliffs can accurately determine the insurmountable difficulty of climbing them. Still, some players may remain undaunted. It takes three Dexterity + Climb + stress die rolls to reach the cliff's summit, each with an increasingly difficult Ease Factor: 15, then 18, then 21. Falling deals damage to the PC equal to a stress die + the Ease Factor.

Magic aura (+14).

Once atop the waterfall, the path changes into a forest river, which the PCs must continue to wade through. The path terminates in the Pool of Wisdom, where a temporary boundary exists between the Magic regio of the pool and the Aquam Province. To spot this boundary, the PCs need the same Perception + Appropriate Ability roll they needed to get into the Herbam Province. The actual boundary is a swirling eddy near the edge of the pool, which characters must dive under and then resurface to cross the boundary.

Fringed with watercress and lilies, the Pool of Wisdom's surface shimmers with sparkles of light. The regio has a Magic aura of 4, and is home to Fintan, a magic salmon that is nearly the size of a man. Fintan lazily swims in the pool,

and is immediately obvious to anyone who looks. Fintan can speak, and will respond kindly if hailed. He can tell the PCs that he watched a small woman and a fox lead Aedh through his pool and the boundary that borders the Aquam Province. A day later, Fintan saw the fox and a man in black chainmail return.

The regio pool sits atop a mundane pool, one of many formed from a small stream that runs down Mount Sandel, twisting and turning through the forest until it terminates in Dundrum Bay. Outside the regio, the pool is half the size of the magic pool. Although it is not as splendid as the magic pool, the mundane pool is pleasant, tranquil, and beautiful. It is so lovely that those who know of it come here for solitude and quiet contemplation.

Time is of the Essence

Vafer's power to walk the boundaries of the Magic Realm leaves open the portals that he used, which has allowed the PCs to follow him. Both the Herbam and Aquam Provinces boundaries will remain open for four days before closing. If things went well, the PCs have three days before the Aquam Province boundary closes, shutting off the easy access back to their home. Nothing the PCs can do will reopen the boundary portals, although Vafer can do it any time he pleases.

Players won't know this, of course, although characters with Magic Lore might. An Intelligence + Magic Lore + simple die against an Ease Factor of 6 will indicate the odd nature of this occurrence, although this should be obvious. If the total is 9 or more the character will feel assured that the boundary portal is temporary, and it could again become impassable at any time.

Fintan the Magic Salmon

Magic Might: 5 (Aquam)

Characteristics: Int 0, Per –2, Pre –6, Com –6, Str –4, Sta

+4, Dex 0, Qik 0

Size: -1

Season: Summer

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Animal; Improved Characteris-

tics (x2), Intuition; Compassionate (Animal) Qualities: Aquatic, Slippery

Qualities and Inferiorities: Gift of Speech, Ritual Power (x2); Large, Unaffected by Gift; Bound to Magic, Re-

duced Presence

Personality Traits: Compassionate +6

Combat:

Dodge: Init 0, Attack n/a, Defense +8, Damage n/a

Soak: +4

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

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

Abilities: Awareness 5 (spying), Brawl 7 (dodge), Irish 3 (songs), Music 3 (singing), Stealth 3 (hiding), Survival 3 (home pool), Swim 5 (endurance)

Powers:

The Gift of Wisdom, 4 points, Init –14, Mentem. This power is exactly like the Hermetic spell, Gift of Reason (ArM5, page 148). Using it permanently drains 4 points from Fintan's Might score.

Vis: 1 pawn Aquam in right eye

Appearance: Fintan is a large, silver-scaled salmon, with large, lazy eyes and long drooping whiskers.

Fintan is content to live in his pool, lazily swimming at the bottom and watching any who come to partake of the pool's solitude. He will approach if beckoned, especially by a song, and chat with those interested. If presented with a problem, he will do his best to think out the best solution. Fintan is wise, although not especially smart. He'll urge the questioner to think back over all preceding events to help answer his question. This provides a tool for the storyguide to assist players who seem confused as to what they are supposed to do next.

Fintan pities those less intelligent than him, and will offer to increase a character's Intelligence if it is below 0. Since this power drains his Might Score, he will ask the intended recipient for 4 pawns of vis to replenish his Might. The vis can be of any type. Once it is eaten, Fintan will regain his lost Might in a week.

The characters arrive in Ulster in the middle of a forest that lies to the west of Dundrum Bay and the east coast of Ireland. Aedh knows this forest well. His fian should be nearby, and he knows of other fianna in the area. He proceeds through the woods looking for his fian.

If the PCs are following Aedh and not traveling with him, they must wander the forest on their own. Tracking him is difficult, as he moves through his home territory with ease, but a successful Perception + Hunt + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 15 locates him. If confronted with his theft, he explains his desperation and returns the stolen item, apologizing for the inconvenience he has caused the party. As an act of hospitality and remuneration, he invites the PCs to stay with him and his fian while they are in Ulster.

With or without Aedh's company, the first group the PCs happen upon are another fian, led by Conán mac Morna. Conán and his band of twenty warriors are stalking a group of fifteen Flemish soldiers through the woods. The soldiers are reinforcements from Dublin, heading to bolster the garrison at Dundrum. Conán has been embittered against Aedh by Muirgen, and while he won't become violent, he disparages his former friend in front of the PCs. He won't answer questions about why he is angry with Aedh, but his men know that "the wood witch" cursed him. Conán talks with the PCs to determine if they are friends or foes. If this interaction is positive, he asks the PCs for their help in ambushing the Flemish soldiers. Conán will not accept Aedh's aid. Aedh will sigh and defer to the PCs' decision. If they want to help Conán, he'll wait for them. If not, he'll lead them onwards.

Having the fian fight the soldiers is not crucial at this point in the scenario, but would give players a chance to use the skirmish rules. If the PCs help Conán defeat the Flemish, Aedh will guide them to Muirgen, hoping that she can explain why she has turned his captains against him.

The forest is home to several hundred Irish families, living in simple huts and separated from each other. Dundrum village, by the bay, houses the English families imported from England: farmers, craftsmen, and a few merchants. Somewhere in the area Muirgen is lurking, looking for the stones. She is watching the resident fianna, in one of her animal disguises, hoping to see one of them with the stones. The group that used to assist her does not know where the stones are, only that they disappeared from their hiding place. Eustace is also wandering the area, looking for Muirgen and the stones. He will be easier to find than Muirgen.

To give the players the most choice in the scenario, the PCs should eventually meet everyone. This could take a couple of days, and Aedh is willing to let them sleep with his fian at their campsite. He also offers to assist them if they search for the two NPC magi, by granting them a small entourage of fénneda. He's willing to give them up to half of his forty-man-strong band.

If the storyguide would like a more-random pattern to who the PCs meet, she can roll a simple die and consult the following table. She should roll twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Simple Die E	ncounter
1	Muirgen transformed into a deer.
2–3	18 kerns (a warband of 3 groups of 6
	men) looking for Aedh's father.
4	A fian of 20 fénneda (a warband of 4
	groups of 5 men, led by a rígfénnid).
5–6	Nothing.

7	A band of 18 Flemish soldiers (a warband
	of 9 groups of 3 men) foraging .
8–9	24 Welsh bowmen reinforcements (a
	warband of 4 groups of 6 men) traveling
	to Dundrum.
10	Eustace.

Meeting Warriors

Several bands of warriors are on the move through the forest, anxious as de Lacy's invasion draws nearer. Although many have previous allegiances, the English-against-English invasion makes those allegiances questionable. Thus, groups parley before coming to blows, trying to determine who is allied to whom. Often it will boil down to who appears strongest, and if a group thinks they have the military advantage they attack.

Gifted individuals make warriors nervous. The Irish have tales of wizards, and reason to be afraid of them. Kerns most likely flee from a group containing a magus. A fian hesitates and hopes to escape without offending the wizard. The Ulster fianna are familiar with Muirgen and her power to make them fight each other, and assume any wizard has that power. If a wizard is not immediately obvious, meaning the PCs have taken pains to hide the Gifted within their group, a fian judges them according to strength. If the fian thinks it can beat the PCs, they walk away feigning indifference, then creep back and ambush the group.

The English deem any sorcerer a threat and react violently. The Irish are spreading tales that their armies are assisted by wizards, so the English shoot first and ask questions later. The exception is the garrison, who might talk with the PCs depending on their approach to the castle. The Gift makes de Maginnis edgy, and he refuses to admit anyone who so flusters him. He is very nervous, awaiting the Justiciar's reinforcements and hoping they arrive before de Lacy's army. If the PCs are persistent, he meets them outside the castle. Unless Eustace has agreed to help him, de Maginnis asks the PCs to side with him in the upcoming conflict. He is willing to make any sort of deal for their aid, including letting them search the stone piles and the new foundation for the gatehouse.

Running Skirmishes

"The Champion's Portion" has the potential for several large-scale combats, called "skirmishes" to differentiate them from fully pitched battles involving hundreds of men. Typically, a skirmish includes 20 to 40 warriors battling a like-sized force. Detailed mass combat rules

The Gaels are the Irish, a derivative of "Gaelic." It is not used derisively, and the Irish refer to themselves as Gaels in their chronicles. A standard Gael warrior fights unarmored, preferring to remain unencumbered. He considers wearing armor a sign of weakness, a notion that proved faulty when the iron-clad Normans stormed his shores. Even in the 1220's the Gaels do not take armor as spoils of war, leaving it to rust on the battlefield. Gaels prefer to fight in the forest, among the thick brambles and close-growing trees, where their fleetness serves them best. They are expert ambushers, and more than one Norman posse has given up the chase when the fleeing Gaels entered the woods.

A Gael fights with a short bow, light spear, and an axe, which was originally a Viking weapon but was adopted due to its effectiveness. He uses a horse but rides bareback, making him too weak to meet the Norman cavalry, who use stirrups and fight from horseback. Horses are used to move troops swiftly, and as a vantage point to view the field of battle, during those instances when the Gaels meet the English in open fields.

There are two types of Gael warrior, the "kern" and the fénnid. A kern is simply a member of the peasant levy, a semi-professional warrior who earns his living from another trade. Kerns are called up in times of strife by their chieftain, and serve for a few weeks until the trouble has ended. A fénnid (plural: fénneda) is a member of a fian (plural: fianna), a group of young warriors, many nobles, who haven't inherited land yet. They roam the countryside raiding and plundering to make a name for themselves. They, too, can be summoned by their king and combined to form the king's army. The fianna have a much greater sense of self-identity, and many are more loyal to their personal leader, called the rígfénnid (king-fénnid), than their rightful king.

Irish Kern

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

Size: 0 Age: 25 (25)

Virtues and Flaws: Peasant; Warrior; Dutybound

Personality Traits: Loyal –1

Combat:

Dodge: Init +1, Attack n/a, Defense +5, Damage n/a Short spear: Init +3, Attack +7, Defense +5, Damage +7 Short spear thrown: Init: +1, Attack +7, Defense +5, Damage +7

Soak: +2

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Area Lore**:** Ulster 4 (pastures), Bargain 1 (cattle prices), Brawl 4 (fist), Carouse 2 (weddings), English 2 (cattle terminology), Folk Ken 2 (peasants), Hunt 3 (cows), Irish 5 (Ulster dialect), Leadership 3 (resisting authority), Music 2 (singing), Profession: Farmer 5 (cattle), Single Weapon 3 (short spear), Stealth 3 (ambushes), Survival 2 (forests), Thrown Weapon 3 (short spear), Swim 1 (rivers)

Equipment: Short spear Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Appearance: The typical kern looks like a dirty, tunicwearing peasant holding a short spear or two.

Kerns can't fight in trained groups, although they will form an untrained group for combat. The maximum size of each group is six. They aren't especially loyal, nor determined when facing superior numbers or better-armed opponents.

Fénnid

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

Size: 0 Age: 25 (25)

Virtues and Flaws: Outlaw; Puissant Single Weapon,

Tough, Warrior

Personality Traits: Wrathful +2, Loyal +1

Combat:

Dodge: Init +1, Attack n/a, Defense +4, Damage n/a Axe: Init +2, Attack +14, Defense +9, Damage +8 Javelin: Init +1, Attack +8, Defense +5, Damage +7 Short bow: Init 0, Attack +9, Defense +5, Damage +8

Soak: +5

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Inca-

pacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Area Lore: Ulster 3 (local kings), Athletics 2 (leaping), Brawl 3 (fist), Bows 3 (short bow), Carouse 2 (extended drinking sessions), English 3 (directions), Folk Ken 2 (fianna), French 3 (property terminology),

Hunt 3 (deer), Irish 5 (nobility), Leadership 4 (intimidating), Ride 4 (speed), Single Weapon 5+2 (axe), Stealth 1 (ambushing), Swim 1 (rivers), Thrown Weapon 3 (javelin)

Equipment: Besides the typical loose-fitting tunic, a fénnid carries his weapons: a javelin, an axe, and a short bow and arrows.

Encumbrance: 0 (2)

Appearance: The typical fénnid dresses simply, in an undyed tunic. He wears his hair long and has a bushy beard.

Fénneda can fight as trained groups; their maximum size is four members and the maximum combat advantage is +12. The Outlaw Flaw mirrors the idea of the fian, but without the resulting bad Reputation.

Rígfénnid

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

Size: 0 Age: 28 (28)

Virtues and Flaws: Outlaw Leader; Improved Characteristics, Puissant Single Weapon, Warrior; Disfigured

(scars and battle wounds), Reckless Personality Traits: Reckless +3, Loyal -1

Combat:

Dodge: Init +1, Attack n/a, Defense +5, Damage n/a Axe: Init +2, Attack +15, Defense +10, Damage +8 Javelin: Init +1, Attack +10, Defense +7, Damage +7 Short bow: Init 0, Attack +10, Defense +6, Damage +8 Soak: +2

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Area Lore: Ulster 3 (local kings), Athletics 2 (leaping), Brawl 3 (fist), Bows 3 (short bow), Carouse 2 (extended drinking sessions), English 3 (directions), Folk Ken 2 (fianna), French 3 (property terminology), Hunt 3 (deer), Irish 5 (nobility), Leadership 4 (his fian), Music 1 (singing), Ride 2 (speed), Single Weapon 5+2 (axe), Stealth 3 (ambushing), Swim 1 (rivers), Thrown Weapon 4 (javelin)

Equipment: Besides the typical loose-fitting tunic, a rígfénnid carries his weapons: a javelin, an axe, and a short bow and arrows.

Encumbrance: 0 (2)

Appearance: A rígfénnid dresses better than his followers, wearing a dyed tunic or embroidered shirt. Depending on his fortunes, he may have a silver or gold armband or torq.

A rígfénnid can lead a trained group, acting as leader and vanguard. Its maximum size is five members and the maximum combat advantage is +15.

The English are knights and townsfolk from England, either the invaders themselves or simple country peasants imported to Ireland to cultivate its soil. Racially, they come from many backgrounds, and only the peasants are actually English people.

The knights are Norman, kin of the knights who originally conquered England with William the Conqueror in 1066. The knights who came to Ireland in 1169 hailed from Wales, and historians mark them as Norman-Welsh to distinguish them from the Normans who conquered Sicily and Jerusalem. The soldiers are predominately Flemish mercenaries and Welsh bowmen.

Their different backgrounds are evident; the knights' native language is French, the bowmen's Welsh, and the soldiers' Flemish. Only the transported farmers speak English. Despite this heterogeneous heritage, the Irish universally call the invaders "the English."

Both knights and soldiers are better armed than their Irish counterparts. The knights are clad head to toe in chainmail and often fight from their horses. A typical soldier's armor covers his neck, torso, and upper arms, and he carries a pike and short sword. Even the bowmen are lightly armored in partial leather armor. All prefer to fight in open fields, where they can use their horses and military formations to their advantage.

William de Maginnis is the constable of Dundrum castle. Statistically, treat him as an English Knight.

English Knight

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

Size: 0 Age: 26 (26)

Virtues and Flaws: Knight; Affinity with Single Weapon, Improved Characteristics; Avaricious

Personality Traits: Avaricious +3

Combat:

Dodge: Init +0, Attack n/a, Defense +5, Damage n/a Lance and shield (mounted): Init +2, Attack +17, Defense +14, Damage +8

Long sword and shield (mounted): Init +2, Attack +16, Defense +14, Damage +9

Lance (dismounted): Init +3, Attack +8, Defense +4, Damage +10

Long sword and shield (dismounted): Init +2, Attack +13, Defense +11, Damage +9

Soak: +11

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Athletics 4 (armored), Area Lore: Ulster 2 (castles), Brawl 4 (Dodge), English 2 (commanding peasants), Etiquette 2 (court), Flemish 1 (military commands), French 5 (courtly conversation), Great Weapon 2 (lance, dismounted), Hunt 3 (boar), Intrigue 2 (alliances), Irish 1 (insults), Leadership 2 (Flemish soldiers), Ride 3 (battle), Single Weapon 7 (lance), Welsh 1 (military commands)

Equipment: War horse, full chainmail, lance, long sword, heater shield

Encumbrance: 1 (4)

Appearance: A typical armored knight.

English knights form trained groups. The maximum size is two and the maximum combat advantage is +6.

Flemish Soldier

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

Size: 0 Age: 21 (21)

Virtues and Flaws: Wanderer; Warrior; Simple-Minded

Personality Traits: Distracted +2, Loyal +1 Combat:

Dodge: Init +0, Attack n/a, Defense +4, Damage n/a Pole arm: Init +2, Attack +11, Defense +7, Damage +9 Short sword: Init +0, Attack +8, Defense +5, Damage +6

Soak: +4

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Area Lore: Flanders 4 (the coast), Area Lore: Ulster 1 (forests), Athletics 2 (long marches), Awareness 2 (guarding), Bargain 1 (food), Brawl 3 (dodge), Carouse 3 (excessive drinking), English 2 (farming terminology), Flemish 5 (slang), French 3 (military orders), Great Weapon 5 (pole arm), Irish 1 (insults), Leadership 2 (Flemish soldiers), Single Weapon 3 (short sword), Survival 2 (sea coasts)

Equipment: Partial metal reinforced armor, pole arm, short sword

Encumbrance: 1 (2)

Appearance: The typical Flemish soldier lives in his armor. He is dirty, far from home, and often bored.

Flemish soldiers can fight as a trained group. The group's maximum size is 3 (counting their specialty) and the maximum combat advantage is +9.

Welsh Bowman

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

Size: 0 Age: 21 (21)

Virtues and Flaws: Wanderer; Affinity with Bows, War-

rior; Compulsion (gambling), Infamous Personality Traits: Rambunctious +2, Loyal +1

Reputations: Invaders 4 (Irish natives)

Combat:

Dodge: Init +0, Attack n/a, Defense +3, Damage n/a Dagger: Init +0, Attack +8, Defense +4, Damage +5 Long bow: Init -2, Attack +14, Defense +8, Damage +10

Soak: +2

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Area Lore: Wales 3 (mountains), Area Lore: Ulster 1 (Norman lords), Athletics 1 (jumping), Awareness 2 (keeping watch), Bows 7 (long bow), Brawl 3 (dagger), Carouse 2 (games of chance), Craft: Bow-making 2 (superior quality), Craft: Fletching 2 (superior quality), Folk Ken 2 (prostitutes), English 3 (slang), French 2 (military orders), Flemish 2 (gambling jargon), Stealth 3 (ambushes), Welsh 5 (storytelling)

Equipment: Heavy leather armor, dagger, plus long bow and arrows

Encumbrance: 0 (2)

Appearance: A Welsh bowman dresses similarly to an Irish kern, except he'll wear partial leather armor over his tunic. He goes barefoot, always has his bow, and seems to enjoy his time in Ulster more than his fellow Flemish mercenaries.

Welsh bowmen do not fight in trained groups, but usually form up as an untrained group. Their maximum size is six.

for Ars Magica will appear in a future supplement. In the interim, the following guidelines will help players conduct skirmishes.

First split the skirmishers into groups, using the rules provided on page 172 of ArM5. To facilitate play, the groups must all be the same type of generic soldier. Thus, a knight won't form with a group of bowmen, nor a fénnid with a group of kerns. For convenience, the leader should also be the vanguard (ArM5, page 175). The maximum size of each group is equal to the Leadership score of the leader, so you will have to split a force into several groups. A force of 22 fénneda, for example, can be split into 5 groups of 4 (the leader's Leadership score) and 1 group of 2. Untrained groups are limited in size to 6.

Men combine to form groups, either trained or untrained, and groups combine to form a warband. A warband is led by a captain, who can command as many groups as his Presence + Leadership score. The group that the leader leads counts as one of the groups. Aedh, for example, can lead a warband of 6 groups of his own fian, with each group consisting of 4 men. This warband of twenty four men acts as a single opponent in skirmish combat, making one Attack roll and one Defense roll for the entire assemblage. The same rules for a group of men apply to a warband of groups. Warbands can be either trained or untrained. A trained warband adds the sum of its combat abilities as a bonus to the leader's Combat Totals. The maximum bonus is equal to the leader's Presence + Leadership total. Group damage is split as evenly as possible.

Combat should include some strategy, so a few rough rules are included to encourage the players to plan successful skirmishes. A warband can gain a minor advantage or a major advantage against another group depending on the situation. A minor advantage adds + 3 to the warband's Attack and Defense rolls, and a major advantage adds +6. The storyguide should determine if an advantage exists, and whether it is minor or major. Some examples: The Irish are better in the woods, giving them a minor advantage against the English if fighting in a forest. The English receive a minor advantage if meeting an Irish force in an open field. Castle defenders have a major advantage over besiegers. Two to one odds grant a minor advantage, and superior numbers — more than five to one — grant a major advantage to the attacker, although castle walls would nullify this advantage.

Minor Advantage: +3 Major Advantage: +6

If a skirmish occurs, the storyguide should only run one side of the battle, handing the other side to a player who has the least to do to make the die rolls for that force. There is nothing more boring than watching a storyguide run both sides of a combat, so beware! Give the player the force that they are allied with, or at least most strongly attached to, and let him make the die rolls and decisions for that group.

Skirmish combat is kill or be killed, so other combat options (non-lethal combat) are prohibited. In large scale skirmishes, groups should not use the exertion rules, as that will add more computations to the combat formulas and slow down play. Giving one warband a minor or major advantage over another should suffice.

Meeting Muirgen

Muirgen roams the forest, using her spells to change into animal form, canvassing the local fianna looking for her stones. If she sees the PCs, she follows them, naturally assuming that they are somehow culpable. Her transformations are Muto spells, not Imaginem, so they cannot be seen through by someone with Second Sight. PCs might notice a diminutive animal shadowing them as they move through the woods. If hailed, Muirgen ends her transformation and speaks with the PCs.

While Muirgen definitely wants the champion's portion for its vis, she is ultimately concerned with maintaining the sustainability of the Magical regio. She believes it is a wonderful source of vis that must be maintained, both for its annual yield and for the continuous benefit to the Magic Realm, the Order of Hermes, and the overall balance of the magical universe. The PCs might be familiar with such concerns, as many magi of the Order want to restrict the expansion of the mundane population as it eats away at the hidden pockets of Magic regiones and auras. Muirgen doesn't object to Eustace's desire for the champion's portion, but she is mortified that the Flambeau wants to take Bricriu's tongue as a trophy, since such an act would almost certainly terminate the nature of the regio.

Muirgen is not a very dramatic speaker, despite her shouting, and her arguments would never sway someone who opposes her thoughts. She is passionate, however, and those who already believe as she does will accept her arguments as intrinsically logical and sound. Fence-sitters doubtless remain undecided, although they might be swayed by her speech if they can somehow emotionally identify with her. Listeners discern that she is steadfast in her beliefs, and might be somewhat worried about what actions she will take to maintain the regio's present status.

Meeting Eustace

Eustace is a much calmer character than Muirgen. He openly admits to his part in leading Aedh astray, saying that he wanted to prevent Aedh's attack against the garrison until after the stones are found. If the PCs say that he is involving himself in mundane affairs, he asks who he has hurt, and what magi have his involvement threatened. Though powerful, Eustace is not the brightest brand in the fire.

Eustace presents the other side of the Magic regio sustainability argument. He says that the spoils of such regiones are the rightful booty of those capable enough to take them. Eustace is unconcerned with the notion that regiones are disappearing, and claims that many exist, even in his mundane-saturated native soil of Normandy. Magic is a part of God's Creation, purposefully invented for magi to use to the best of their ability. He doubts Bricriu's regio will vanish with the death of its namesake, a conviction that will intensify once he enters the large regio and sees the plethora of magical humans and creatures that exist within it. If the PCs help him, he says, he will let them drain off the vis from Bricriu's tongue, keeping if for themselves while he keeps the actual trophy.

Despite his Blatant Gift, Eustace has had a few conversations with Dundrum's constable, de Maginnis. Fearing de Lacy more than the magus, de Maginnis asked Eustace for help. Knowing that this would violate the Code of Hermes, Eustace refused. As his efforts to find the stones continue to fail, the magus keeps rethinking his decision. If he learns that Muirgen does not have the portal stones, he will quickly deduce that the stone pile resting outside Dundrum may contain the stones. He then accepts de Maginnis' proposal, provided that the knight lets him search through the pile.

Eustace asks the PCs how they came so quickly to Ulster. If they explain their route, he will be mildly surprised. He knows that Vafer's passages into the Twilight Void linger for a while, but has never asked the fox how long they remain open. Eustace asks the PCs how they intend to get back to their home. If asked, Vafer will say that the passages stay open for a day or two before slowly closing. After a week, they are closed, but during that time they can be forced open if a large concentration of vis is used, acting as a magical lever to pry them open. The vis has to be contained in a single thing, and has to have at least five pawns of potency to actively open one of his diminishing passages. The only viable items in this scenario are the champion's portion and Bricriu's tongue. The PCs should suddenly be more interested in the regio, as it is probably the only way for them to go home as quickly as they came.

At some point, the PCs may wish to see the English stronghold. Dundrum castle sits atop a hill on the northwest side of Dundrum Bay, which opens on its east side to the Irish Sea. The hill is a shoulder of Mount Sandel, a rocky, forested highland to the rear of the castle. A small track leads down the hill, along the west side of the bay, to a small port village. It is situated to protect the southern roads leading from Ireland into Ulster.

The castle itself is a circular wall containing an area approximately 40 yards in diameter. The walls are only four feet thick and comparatively short, running only fifteen feet high. Atop the wall is a roofed, wooden walkway that protects the garrison from rain and missile fire. Two wooden halls sit inside the wall, one used as a stable and the other as housing for the garrison. A three-story tower stands in the middle of the courtyard, the last defense of Dundrum and home to the castle's constable and knights. (See the map at the beginning of this chapter.)

The main gate faces south, towards the village. Formerly a pair of iron-reinforced doors, it is now a gaping hole, surrounded by the beginnings of a gate house. The projected structure will stand two stories high, with a drawbridge and portcullis, but is currently little more than a foundation. Piles of stone lie to the side, which the villagers will use to build the gatehouse. As the masons toil, more stone is constantly sought.

Dundrum castle is commanded by the constable William de Maginnis and his militia. Dundrum's garrison includes: 9 knights, 16 soldiers, 5 bowmen, 1 chaplain, and 8 non-combatants.

Dundrum castle has a Dominion aura of 2, which equals the site's level 2 Magic aura. Since the power of the Divine is stronger than that of Magic, the Dominion aura wins out over the Magic aura. Auras fluctuate, depending on the time of year and other situations. At specified times, the Magic aura increases and overpowers the Dominion aura. Without the portal stones, the regio is accessible only four times a year: during the Celtic pagan holidays of Samhain (1 November), Imbolc (1 February), Beltaine (1 May), and Lughnasadh (1 August). During each of these holidays, the regio is accessible for three days, which is the traditional length of the holiday feast. If properly placed, the portal stones will always open the regio.

Finding the Stones

The missing portal stones are not difficult to find, and are sitting in front of the PCs' faces. They were found early on in the rebuilding of Dundrum, and moved to the construction site. Muirgen and Eustace don't know that the stones have been broken up and resized. In their original form, each measured six feet high by two feet wide and deep, weighing nearly two tons, and was carved with a sweeping, continuous circle. Whenever Muirgen needed to move them, she changed their weight with a Muto Terram formulaic spell, so that her fian helpers could easily carry them to their hiding spot near the bay.

The stones were hauled away by the builders and cut into smaller sizes. Some of these are already in place in the foundation, and other smaller fragments lay in the pile of stones waiting to be used. Muirgen knows the stones are gone, and that the castle is being rebuilt, but she cannot put the two together because she has no idea how mundane society operates. She knows that people make things and that they don't use magic, but doesn't understanding any of the connecting principles. Eustace thinks Muirgen still has the stones hidden somewhere.

The stones are not magical, although they bear traces of magic similar to an arcane connection. An Intellego Vim spell must have a base of 10 to be useful. Looking through the pile of rocks is time consuming, but yields pieces of the stones. A Perception + Awareness + stress die against an Ease Factor of 15 yields a single piece, with the search taking an hour. Successful characters notice remnants of the circular carving on the found pieces. Pieces of the stones already incorporated into the gatehouse are harder to find, and a searching character needs to succeed against an Ease Factor of 18. Only two pieces of stone are necessary to access the regio; the size of either stone is immaterial. But the soldiers standing guard do not let characters sift through the pile or inspect the finished part of the gatehouse, and will chase them off immediately.

Both the portal and the rest of the construction stones are sandstone. The portal stones, however, are not made from the local sandstone, and an Intellego Terram spell can differentiate between the two types of stones. Visually, they are too similar to tell apart, although a skilled mason can determine the difference.

Enough pieces of the stones are available that all interested parties – Muirgen, Eustace, and the PCs – can find a pair each.

The Players' Decision

Once the PCs have met everyone, they must decide what they are going to do. If negotiations with all the NPCs went well, everyone wants the PCs' help. However, nothing compels the players to assist anyone. Muirgen and

Eustace will not be bothered by the PCs' lack of assistance, and continue their search. But the Irish and the English do not accept their decision to remain bystanders so casually. If the PCs are not allies, they must be enemies. After being refused aid, both the Irish and English warriors will attack the PCs the next time they see them.

It is important that the players understand that the only way to get home as quickly as they came is for them to finish their business quickly, whatever they decide that business is. They have three days after arriving in Ulster before the Aquam Province boundary closes, a little more if they can get a large chunk of vis.

If the players are still not moved to intervene somehow, the storyguide should press the issue by having one of the NPC magi find the stones. This should be the magus who the PCs are least disposed to help. The losing wizard then rushes to them for aid, claiming that if they refuse to help something terrible will happen. Muirgen plans to lead a group of the Heroes of Ulster out of the regio and destroy Dundrum, after which she will destroy the stones and seal off Dún Rudraige forever. Eustace, having seen the number of magical humans inside the regio, plans to lead a troop of English knights inside to destroy everyone. Both of these plans are extreme, but Muirgen and Eustace are willing to carry them out.

Headstrong players may decline everyone's offers and search for the stones themselves. If they enter the regio alone, and enter into Bricriu's competitions, use Muirgen and Eustace to heighten the tension of the story, entering at a later time to muddy the players' well-laid plans.

If the PCs have found two portal stones, they must properly place them to gain entrance to the regio. They must be set on the regio's border, which can be made visible with Intellego Vim magic, and be spaced widely enough for a cart to pass through them. They must be reverently placed, meaning that nothing else can be stacked near them, and a small patch of the vegetation must be cleared. The stones themselves can be any size. Once these steps are followed, a glowing archway appears in the air.

Walking through the portal stones' archway, the PCs arrive inside the Dún Rudraige regio directly in front of the ring fort's outer gates. Dún Rudraige (Rory's Fort) rests in the middle of a magic regio that sits on the hill overlooking Dundrum bay, and is superimposed over Dundrum castle in the mundane realm. The regio runs along the crown ridge of the hill. It is completely hidden and inaccessible when

The champion's portion is the best cut of meat from the bull: a section of the hindquarters and the tail. It is worth 5 pawns of Animal vis. It also has a magical property that the wearer will be able to invoke if the tail is draped around the waist or shoulders and prominently displayed. Three times a day the wearer can cast an enhanced version of Aura of Ennobled Presence (ArM5, page 145), which has a Range of Voice and a Target of Group, augmented to include 100 individuals. While not as powerful as Aedh claims, the champion's portion does grant its owner the capability to lead 100 men. The champion's portion loses this power if its vis is drained off.

the hill's Dominion aura is stronger than the Magic aura, though. During times when the Magic aura is stronger, the regio boundary can be seen as a shimmering blue veil that surrounds the hill.

The regio is large, perhaps five square miles, in the center of which sits the fort. The landscape is hilly, covered with stunted trees and thickly growing brambles, the entire area filled with wispy mist that flows sporadically. A multitude of hidden ravines and toothy crags cover the landscape, which is overall a broken, rough place.

The fort is built of wood. A tall palisade rings the fort, each pole intricately carved with pictures of dragons, monsters, and battling warriors. Glossy black crows sit perched on the palisade, giving it a foreboding appearance. The fort has one gate — a large pair of decorated wooden doors. There are six concentric rings inside the fort, each marked off by a smaller wooden palisade breeched by another gate. In each of these circular courtyards is a feasting hall — a large, roofed, semi-circular structure that holds one hundred men. Other wooden buildings dot the courtyards: breweries, kitchens, servants' quarters, kennels, stables, and latrines.

Past the seven gates, in the center of the ring fort, are two large buildings: Bricriu's feasting hall and the heroes' feasting hall. Both are large, airy buildings, with skylights and balconies, filled with cushions and pillows for the guests. They are adjacent, so that Bricriu can gaze into the heroes' feasting hall from one of his balconies. (See the nearby map.)

The regio has a Magic aura of 6. Entering the regio is not difficult, although without the portal stone, it is impossible to find the ring fort. Characters can enter the regio as normal, using Second Sight or Hermetic spells, but if they do not have the stones then they enter the regio somewhere in the broken, rough landscape, and Dún Rudraige will not be in sight. Wandering characters have no chance of finding the fort, since this is a magical property of the regio. If the characters have placed the stones on the regio's boundary, entering between them will lead to Dún Rudraige's first gate.

Time runs differently in the regio than in the mundane

world. During the course of the feast, several days may seem to pass in the regio. These are important to the various challenges happening during the feast. PCs discover that ten days spent in the regio equal one day in the mundane world, though; Muirgen and Vafer can both tell the characters this, if they are friendly.

The regio is home to an incredible assortment of magical Irish monsters, some of which are detailed during Bricriu's challenges (see below). These monsters have homes somewhere in the regio, which the storyguide can detail if her players wish to explore the regio. Their lairs are not important to this scenario.

As the PCs approach the fort, sounds can be heard inside: music, laughter, and the clinking of drinking horns. As soon as they enter, the PCs see several Ulster Followers moving towards the center of the fort. They are jovial, and welcome the PCs, even offering to walk with them to the heroes' feasting hall. More Followers join them, until all are assembled in the center hall.

Ten Heroes and one hundred Followers sit about, drinking, laughing, and waiting for the feast to begin. They are a bellicose bunch, but their spirits are light and happy, as they enjoy their host's mead. In the center of the hall is a huge roasting pit, on which a steer is skewered on a spit. It is easily the largest bull the PCs have ever seen, and the savory aroma of its simmering meat smells delicious. Bricriu stands in a corner of the room, waiting for all to assemble. He immediately notices the PCs and introduces himself, welcoming them to his home. He asks if they will compete for the champion's portion. Bricriu encourages them. Personally, he has seen the ten Heroes compete many times, and while it is enjoyable, the PCs offer fresh entertainment.

Bricriu then visits each of the ten Heroes. Eavesdroppers hear him flatter the Heroes in turn, extolling each one's victories and merit, and stating that he is easily the most qualified to receive the champion's portion. Servant

Followers start carving the bull, with the rump and tail set aside as the champion's portion. Bricriu leaves the hall and walk to his balcony, which overlooks the assembly.

"That champion's portion, as it is, is not the portion of a fool's house," he will cry, pointing at the tail. "Give it to the Ulster Hero you prefer for valor." To further incite the crowd, he will use his Greater Powers to make a Hero or NPC desire the portion. Bricriu's Extol the Champion power has enough Penetration to affect both Muirgen and Eustace. The gathering usually has three Heroes competing, and once three have shouted out their claim, the rest will gladly judge. Ideally, one of the PCs should be in the running, but this decision should be left to the individual players. Bricriu will not use his powers to ensure that any PC enters the competition. Each Hero takes at least one Follower with him, for assistance, so a challenging PC can enlist the aid of his companions.

Once the champions are selected, they turn to the other Heroes and Followers to judge them. The challenge is made up of a series of contests. Judging these contests includes picking a specific task for the contestants to perform, then judging who performs the task the best. If none of the PCs nominated themselves as a champion, they are asked to be judges, probably one after another. The other Followers and Heroes will offer suggestions for contests if asked.

Ideally, the champions undertake a contest and a winner is decided and awarded the prize. The problem is that the two losing Heroes most likely do not accept the judge's decision, and demand another contest from another judge. Once a contest is finished, the losing Heroes must make a Proud Personality Trait + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 9. If this roll is successful, the Hero's pride rises up and he demands another contest. Only one of the two losing Heroes needs to succeed to force another contest.

Bricriu anticipates that many challenges will happen before the champion's portion is awarded. He gives a gold or silver armband to the winner of every contest, removing one from his muscular arm and awarding it to the winner. The Heroes already have many armbands, and sometimes give them to the judge of the event they just won. The first six of these contain a pawn of raw Terram vis. Over the course of a year, the regio produces six pawns in this form. These armbands are the annual vis that Muirgen has collected in the past, using her Embitterment power to threatened holders into giving them to her. Bricriu recognizes that her power is close to his own, and does not allow his Heroes to hurt the maga.

Multiple contests will eventually dishearten even the most proud Hero. The Ease Factor for the Personality Trait roll is increased by one for every contest the loser has lost. Thus, if a Hero has lost three contests, the Personality Trait roll's Ease Factor is 12 after the fourth contest. Player characters do not have to make this roll, and can keep denying the judges' victories indefinitely.

If at any time the challengers are tied with an equal number of victories, a fight erupts in the hall, as their supporters leap up brandishing swords to violently exclaim their approval of their champion. This is a wild melee, with everyone fighting someone else. Run individual combats, not group combat, with each PC facing a single opponent. The fight ends when someone shouts loudly enough for all to hear and come to their senses. For a PC to stop the fight the player must make a Communication + Leadership + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 15. If this roll fails, the player can try again the next round. Botching this roll means that the fight continues for 1d10 more rounds before stopping, regardless of who shouts out for peace next. If the fight continues for ten rounds, without a PC stopping it, one of the Heroes will succeed in calming the assembly. Bricriu watches from his balcony, loving every blow.

The Contests

Many of the contests are simple feats of running, jumping, leaping, singing, and drinking. Most of these can be handled with contested Characteristic + Ability + stress die rolls, the highest total indicating the winner. The judge that selected the contest is the final arbiter, however, and may decide not to award the competition to the actual winner, preferring one of the other contestants over him. The Heroes and Followers have known each other for centuries, having made friends and enemies over the course of their existence. None of these existing relationships are severe enough to cause great strife, but although slight, they are enough to change a judge's decision. At the end of a close match, one in which the winner did not beat the other two by a margin of 3, the storyguide should roll a simple die. On a 1 the judge deems the second place winner the winner, and on a 10 he chooses the third place winner as the overall winner. This only applies to NPC judges; PCs can award a competition's victory to whoever they desire. While this will raise cries of protest in the crowd, it is an accepted practice, and none will interfere or naysay the judge.

The storyguide should use some poetic license in selecting the individual contests. For example, Heroes should not have to jump over tables, but over houses. Some sample contests and their required rolls are:

Contest: Being the first in the feasting hall in the morning. Roll: Dexterity + Etiquette (it would be rude to just run)

Contest: Leaping over the palisade.

Roll: Dexterity + Athletics

Contest: Drinking a barrel of mead.

Roll: Stamina + Carouse

Contest: Being the best dressed attendant.

Roll: Presence + Etiquette

Contest: Throwing a rock at a crow. Roll: Dexterity + Thrown Weapon

Contest: Recounting personal lineage.

Roll: Communication + Living Language (Irish)

Contest: Racing a chariot around the fort. Roll: Dexterity + Animal Handling

Contest: Leaping a horse over the palisade.

Roll: Dexterity + Ride

Contest: Finding a hazel tree in the regio.

Roll: Perception + Awareness

Contest: Spending the night in the regio, outside the fort.

Roll: Intelligence + Survival

Contest: Catching a fish barehanded.

Roll: Dexterity + Brawl

Contest: Uprooting one of the posts that holds up the hall.

Roll: Strength + Athletics

Contest: Finding a wild bull living in the regio.

Roll: Perception + Hunt

Contest: Bringing back a wild bull from the regio.

Roll: Dexterity + Animal Handling or Strength + Brawl

Bricriu has some contests of his own, and periodically interrupts the proceedings with them. Pick one or two of the following contests that you think your players will most enjoy.

Defense of the Hall: One contest is to defend the hall during the night. The other Heroes and Followers leave, returning to their dwellings, and the three competitors wait in the feasting hall. In the middle of the night, three magical cats from the Cave of Cruachan enter the hall. They attack anyone they meet. Use the statistics for the sea-cat, but do not let these creatures use their Ferocity as Confidence points or allow them to exert on attacks. The cats fight as an untrained group, attacking one contestant after another. The Heroes honor this scheme, letting the cats attack one contestant at a time. The Cats of Cruachan do not fight to the death, and flee after receiving a Medium Wound.

Survival in the Wilds: Another contest has the contestants sleep outside, making separate camps at a specific spot in the regio. During the night, a heavy mist overtakes the contestants. One by one, the giant Scáth visits each camp and tries to steal their gear. The giant's strategy is simple; strike first and pick up the goods after. The winner is he who returns to the fort unwounded. If all three contestants are wounded, the winner is the one with blood on his sword (the one who wounded the giant).

Test of Bravery: Bricriu's final contest is to send the three competitors to visit Uath mac Imomain, a magic human living in the regio. Uath offers to let a hero cut off his head, after which he will cut off the hero's head. If a hero accepts, Uath will hand over his axe and bare his neck. Once beheaded, an easy feat, Uath picks up his head and walks off, disappearing into a lake. He will return the next morning to strike off the hero's head. A contestant needs a Brave + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 18 to offer his neck, refusing or flinching if the Ease Factor is not met. Player character magi and companions do not need to make this roll, although grog characters should. If a PC offers his neck, Uath reverses the axe on the down-stroke, so that the blunted end of the axe strikes the character, not the blade. Since a player magus or companion does not need to make the Brave check, a PC ought to win this contest.

Scáth: an Irish Giant

Magic Might: 20 (Corpus)

Characteristics: Int –3, Per +2, Pre 0, Com –2, Str +10, Sta

+5, Dex +1, Qik –5

Size: +5

Season: Summer

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Human; Great Stamina (x2),

Tough; Enemies (Heroes of Ulster)

Qualities and Inferiorities: Gigantic (x4); Increased Might

(x5), Improved Fist Attack (x3)

Personality Traits: Stubborn +6, Proud +3

Combat:

Dodge: Init –5, Attack n/a, Defense +0, Damage n/a Fist: Init –5, Attack +13, Defense +1, Damage +10

Cudgel: Init –4, Attack +12, Defense +3, Damage +17 Thrown stone: Init –5, Attack +8, Defense +1, Damage +12 Soak: +8

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–10), –3 (11–20), –5 (21–30), Incapacitated (31–40), Dead (41+)

Abilities: Brawl 5 (fist), Irish 4 (insults), Great Weapon 6 (cudgel), Survival 4 (Ulster), Thrown Weapon 5 (stone), Swim 1 (lakes)

Equipment: A cudgel as thick as a mill's wheel-shaft.

Vis: 4 pawns Corpus in hair.

Appearance: Scáth is twenty feet tall and weights 5 tons. He is hideous looking, with an ugly, wrinkled face, bushy eyebrows, and a shorn patch of black hair atop his head. His arms and legs are fat and puffy, and he wears a dun-colored tunic that barely covers his ample rump.

This scenario most likely culminates during Bricriu's feast. The events are entertaining in their own fashion, but they merely set the stage for the final scene. Unless extreme measures have been taken to enter the regio clandestinely, both Muirgen and Eustace enter the regio after the PCs. Muirgen hopes to protect Bricriu, and cares more about where Eustace may be than what the PCs are doing. Unless, that is, they are aiding him. Eustace stands agape once he realizes that the regio is full of magic humans. Taken as either trophies or vis, he covets the head of every magic human inside Dún Rudraige. He realizes that he needs assistance, though. If the PCs will not aid him, he leaves the regio and recruits English knights and soldiers to help him raid Dún Rudraige. If Muirgen gets wind of this, she does the same and recruits either the PCs or a fian to defend

Scáth's favorite attack is to grab an individual and hurl him at another opponent. To grab an individual, Scáth must succeed with a fist attack, meaning he has to have an Attack Advantage over his opponent (see grappling, ArM5, page 174). This attack will not do damage to the grabbed individual. The next round, Scáth throws him, making a thrown stone attack against a second opponent. If the thrown individual hits the second target, apply the Damage generated by the attack to both thrown and struck individuals. If the attack misses, the thrown individual still takes +12 damage.

A grabbed character will be dropped if Scáth takes a Medium Wound while holding him. The grabbed character may make an attack, but at a penalty equal to the Attack Advantage of the attack that grabbed him.

Dún Rudraige. A very dramatic conclusion would be to have both NPC magi storm Dún Rudraige with soldiers, while the PCs are already occupied with one of Bricriu's more-dangerous contests.

Driven by blind ambition, Eustace might try to kill any magi who oppose him. Muirgen will do likewise, although her offensive spell power is much weaker than the Flambeau's. She will only break her Oath in response to Eustace's (or the PCs') actions.

The scenario could also end outside the walls of Dundrum, at a point after the player characters have run through Bricriu's challenges. Aedh has finally amassed enough warriors to attack Dundrum, and leads the charge just as the PCs leave the regio. This is a bit mean, because the PCs are instantly thrust between a charging army and the stone

wall of the defenders, but it is very dramatic. Depending on their interactions with the NPC magi before entering Dún Rudraige, the PCs could find Eustace supporting the defenders and Muirgen aiding the attackers.

A flamboyant end is not required, however, and the PCs might be able to ease the various tensions and not provoke a violent conclusion. Both Muirgen and Eustace have other interests that might sway them from their current determinations. Muirgen wants a longevity ritual, and Eustace desires an apprentice, for example.

PC who actually won the champion's portion. Confidence Points should be awarded after each session, not just the final session. Because this adventure is potentially lethal, each PC who can use Confidence Points (not grogs) should receive 3 per session. If they accomplished a specific goal for the session, increase the Confidence Point award to 4. The likely session goals are: travel the Twilight Void to Ulster, meet and interact with both NPC magi, find the portal stones, and compete in Bricriu's challenges.

The most tangible reward of this scenario is vis. Winning challenges can net characters Terram vis, and the champion's portion is worth 5 pawns. Any slain magical creatures had vis that can be taken. The possibility for many pawns exists, depending on the bellicose nature of the PCs. If the PCs kill every magical inhabitant of Dún Rudraige, a gruesome ending indeed, they will collect over 150 pawns of vis, a truly staggering victory.

There could be legal consequences for the player characters, depending on what they do in Ulster. Details of the Hibernian Tribunal have deliberately been excluded from this scenario. If players want to take up legal action for any of Muirgen's or Eustace's actions, the storyguide will have to develop the Hibernian Tribunal herself. Keep in mind that neither NPC magus is a member of the Hibernian Tribunal, nor has any magus claimed the Dún Rudraige vis site. Muirgen is not interested in taking any long-term legal actions against the PCs, although Eustace might. Such a response would happen later, in the PC's home tribunal. Naturally, Eustace has to survive to make any claim against the characters.

Eustace is a frequent traveler through the Twilight Void, and he could be a recurring NPC for the troupe, depending on their interactions, acting as a friend or an enemy. He will continue his program of trophy hunting, and might rope the PCs into another adventure in the future. If he has become the PC's enemy, he'll ask his companion Flambeau magi, the Young Squires, to make life difficult for them.

The aura around the oak, back near the covenant, will ebb. While it is still slightly magical, it is not powerful enough to form a permanent aura. This prevents further attempts to enter the regio and the Herbam Province.

If everything goes well, this should be a violent, dangerous story that takes three to four playing sessions. Player characters should be rewarded 8 experience points for participating, 9 for entering Dún Rudraige, and 10 for the

The Nemthengacha (singular: Nemthenga) are a sect of Ex Miscellanea magi who have the ability to create animosity and dissent in their listeners. Their origins are clouded. Some claim the Irish poet/demigod Bricriu mac Carbada is the primogeniture of the line, while others say that the Welsh hero Efnisien is the first of the breed. Asserting an even more grandiose foundation, some Ex Miscellanea say that their tradition descends from Loki, the multifaceted and often malevolent Norse god. It is true that this tradition is only found in Celtic and Scandinavian sorcerers.

Nemthengacha, also known as "poison-tongues," "bittertongues," or "deceivers," were more prevalent before the advent of Christianity. In pre-Christian society, Nemthengacha held a devastating reputation. In a society where loyalty and family bonds are everything, a Nemthenga's ability to turn one man against his ally was devastating. People avoided Nemthengacha, but since many of them lived among the tribe, they could not be entirely ignored and were placated as best as the tribe could manage. While no more anti-clerical than any other Ex Miscellanea tradition, they suffered severely from interactions with Christian missionaries, perhaps due to their overt presence. The unGifted Nemthengacha did not need to hide from their tribesmen, and several held prominent social positions as shamans, wise men, and king's champions. Their tradition ebbed, and practitioners retreated to remote parts of their lands.

In the thirteenth century, Gifted Nemthengacha have been systematically accepted into the Order of Hermes, although some unGifted Nemthengacha still remain, living in the far hinterlands of Mythic Europe. Though stretched, they never severed their connections to their clans, so that many are still related to members of a local tribe or kin group. Nor have they abandoned their connection to royal society, with many Nemthengacha still serving their local king.

Like every Ex Miscellanea character, a magus of the Nemthengacha tradition receives a free Major non-Hermetic Virtue, a compulsory Major Flaw, and a free Minor Hermetic Virtue. The Major non-Hermetic Virtue is Embitterment, a new Major Supernatural Ability. Embitterment is similar to Entrancement (ArM5, page 65), but the effects are more specific and potent. Due to this focus, Nemthengacha find it difficult to control other emotions in a target's mind, which spills over into other aspects of Hermetic magic. Each has the Major Hermetic Flaw: Deficient Technique Rego. Since Embitterment depends solely on the Nemthenga's voice, his magic is less dependent on gestures than other Hermetic magi. He receives the Minor Hermetic Virtue: Subtle Magic at no cost.

Embitterment is a Major Supernatural Ability that allows the speaker to make a listener hostile to a target of the speaker's choice. This hostility can range from simple antagonism to murder. Through simple conversation, the speaker makes the listener dislike, resent, or hate a person formerly considered a friend. The conversation does not have to be long; a round is time enough for this effect to take place.

To embitter a target, the player states the exact specifications of how the target will act against the intended victim. He then rolls the character's Communication + Embitterment + a stress die and compares it to a variable Ease Factor, which depends on the level of aggression he wishes to instill, and the level of loyalty possessed between the target and the former ally. Since this is a Supernatural Ability, the roll always uses a stress die. The Embitterment power of the Nemthengacha is a Magic power for purposes of determining its interaction with the other realms of power; it seems likely that an Infernal version also exists.

Embitterment Roll: Communication + Embitterment + stress die

Consult the following chart to determine the Ease Factor for this roll.

Ease Factor	Desired Effect
6	Turn a man against his neighbor,
	business partner, or co-worker.
9	Turn a man against his wife, friend,
	or cousin (distant kin).
12	Turn a man against his kin (father,
	brother, and nuclear family).
15	Turn a man against his lord.
18	Turn a man against his king.

The base effect makes the victim dislike the target, leading to slander, resentment, and a refusal to cooperate with him. Increasing this animosity to hatred adds +3 to the Ease Factor. Victims made to hate the indicated target desire to do some kind of harm to him, but stop short of killing the person. Such a person would destroy someone's fields, ruin a business opportunity, wreck their marriage, or perhaps wound them in a duel. Increasing hatred to loathing adds another +3 to the Ease Factor (+6 in total), and makes the victim try to slay the intended target. For example, the Ease Factor is 18 to embitter a man to commit patricide (base 12 + 6), and 24 to commit regicide (base 18 + 6).

The Range of embitterment is Voice and the Target is always Individual. The Duration is Sun, although this can be increased to Moon by increasing Ease Factor by +3. Because embitterment acts through conversation, the caster must speak a language that the target comprehends.

A character so embittered cannot disobey the command. He is not allowed a Loyalty roll to see if he can ignore the emotional summons, or other quibbling based on the character's Personality Traits. Hermetic magic can cancel the embitterment with a Perdo Vim spell. Rego Mentem magic can replace the feelings of animosity with feelings of loyalty or compassion, Creo Mentem can create feelings of loyalty that supersede the effect, and Perdo Mentem could erase the feelings of animosity. To determine how powerful a Hermetic spell needs to be, consider the effective level of the embitterment to be equal to the Nemthenga's score in Embitterment times 5.