Précis

The pope and the Holy Roman Emperor have been enemies for years. Regardless of who the actual pope or emperor is, the political positions are inevitably at odds as both parties wrestle for control of the northern Italian cities, collectively assembled in the Lombard League. Disputes are usually waged with papal bulls and imperial edicts, but recent incidents have escalated to bloodshed. The emperor, once nearly unbeatable on the grassy field of battle, has done poorly in recent years, and more and more Italian communes shake their spears in revolt. Focusing on one of the League's most important leaders, the emperor surrounded Rome and prepared his siege. As the pope and his general, Matteo Rossi Orsini, readied their defenses, tragedy struck: the pope died from natural causes.

The emperor stopped the siege, claiming that his battle is against the current pope and not the papacy, and withdrew most of his army to Apulia. The College of Cardinals was summoned to elect a new pope. Hoping to control the election, the emperor has captured three cardinals who were trying to enter Rome. The captured cardinals have Guelph sympathies, and the emperor has refused to release them. A new pope must be selected from the eleven cardinals already living in Rome. Orsini, eager for a pope who will continue the struggle against the emperor, ordered his men to herd the cardinals into the Septizodium and keep them there until

A recently surfaced group of magi calling themselves the Soterists (Greek for "saviors") openly support a harmonization between the Order of Hermes and the mundane, and more importantly, the Church. They do not claim to have any solutions to the detrimental effects of the Dominion on magic. However, many speculate that they must have a trick or two up their sleeves. They also work secretly to force situations where the Order must evolve and harmonize, rather than simply accepting the decline of magic.

The Soterists help create a village in a wilderness area, ruining some significant vis sources of the covenant's and threatening others. At first, the village looks like a small lumber camp, then later just a few cottages. But the community thrives and grows rapidly. The sudden appearance of a church really kicks the hornets' nest.

Investigating these events is rather easy; the Soterists are obviously involved. However, it is hard to find evidence linking the events to specific magi. When some things don't quite add up, another group is discovered to be involved as well. But these magi – the Wächter (German for "guardians") – help the village out in less discreet ways than the Soterists. Their aim seems to be to provoke an open conflict to end all the harmonization nonsense. Again, pinpointing individual magi responsible as well as proving their misdeeds is difficult.

So the player magi are about to get caught in a conflict between two powerful groups, each using tricks and tools that have a significant impact on the local area. They need to make some hard choices regarding how best to weather the storm.

With the Order growing in size, and magical resources apparently limited, conquest is seen as a viable way for some magi to get what they need. In this case, a band of magi have formed a covenant under the persuasive and seductive maga Lucia, with the intention of claiming magical auras, sources of income, and vis sources by force of arms.

Lucia first attempts to elevate a local noble beyond his station, a situation into which the player covenant is drawn. Then, declaring Wizard's War on Lucia's former covenant, now inhabited only by her aged parens, Lucia's covenant kills its target and takes his resources.

As the refugees from the assault begin arriving at the player covenant, Lucia's intentions become clear. Now threatened as the next target, the player covenant faces the choice of either defending their covenant from both magical and mundane assault, or breaking the Oath themselves by allying with a nearby city for mutual defense against the young noble's army.