Investigating Trattato

Ritual magic has been used to raise a tower within the Casalmaggiore estate, next to the original lodge used by the Trattato, and it has been outfitted with two standard laboratories. A wall has been built encircling the lodge and the tower out to the size of a standard Hermetic Boundary. The site is defended with a level 30 Aegis of the Hearth, which has been cast through a Wizards Communion and has a Penetration of 45. The site has not yet acquired a Magical aura and has no realm alignment. The wooded area beyond the lodge is also defended by a swarm of small faeries, summoned by Patronus through ritual magic, who harry any who approach the tower while not wearing a red sash tied around their middle.

The tower has three rooms of interest. The first is the library, sparsely populated with no dedicated librarian. It seems little more than somewhere to store vis, books, devices, and other materials. After the sacking of Selvaggio in act two, this room is filled with the spoils of war. The second is the council chamber, which is dominated by a large mosaic map of the Tribunal inlaid into the floor. The position of every known covenant and independent magus is marked upon the map and the walls play host to smaller maps of discrete regions. The final room is a dedicated ceremonial magic space (as described in Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 59). Dominated by a large marble altar within concentric circles of silver inlaid into the marble floor, the props within this room provide a bonus of +5 to ceremonial spell-casting. This dedicate space reduces the time it takes to cast ceremonial magic to one minute per magnitude.

Access to the council chamber reveals two targets, Castello del Selvaggio and the players' own covenant. The evidence comes in the form of crude maps of the covenant areas and even intelligence as to the regular movements of magi and their staff.

The tower is attended by a dozen or so servants and has a permanent guard of 12 soldiers. When at the tower, the magi normally eat, sleep, and conduct business in the adjoining houses, which are also within the bounds of the Aegis.

While not on operations, Avedutus, Patronus, and Al-'Aqrab are likely to be found at the covenant buildings. Lucia is more likely to be found with the Casalmaggiore nobility.

Characters may already know a little about the magi of the Trattato. They may make Intelligence + Order of Hermes Lore simple rolls to gain the following information. Any character who studies Order of of Hermes Lore for a season to learn what she can gains all of the information here in addition to the usual experience points.

• 3+ Lucia and Avedutus are known to be native to the Roman Tribunal All of the Trattato magi are over fifty years of age
• 6+ Avedutus is known to operate as a champion in the Normandy Tribunal and has taken part in a number of the grand Hermetic tournaments held there
  • Al-'Aqrab is an Ex Miscellanea from North Africa
  • Avedutus has an apprentice, now living outside the Tribunal
• 9+ Lucia has been linked with a number of covenants in the past, both in Rome and elsewhere, and has left a trail of bitterness and resentment behind her Mutationis had formerly been resident at a Provencal covenant where two of its magi died through Wizard War Lucia and her parens are now on poor terms and they have not spoken in some time