Normandy Sagas

This chapter presents a number of ideas for sagas set in the Normandy Tribunal. A diverse range of sagas can be set in the Tribunal, and Tribunal politics are strongly influenced by the interaction between the Order of Hermes and mundane authorities. Of course, not all sagas set in the Tribunal need to be political in this way. The Tribunal is populated with plenty of faerie, magical, and Hermetic characters to tell other stories with.

The saga seeds described in this chapter are only ideas to get your troupe started. You will need to add some flesh to these ideas to suit the particular style and interests of your troupe, and you may want to take a plot in a completely different direction to that suggested here. On the other hand, you shouldn't feel that you need to spend hours deciding the minute details of how a particular plot will play out before beginning the first session, as the actions of the player characters may strongly influence how events unfold. You probably only want to pick a few of the saga seeds described here to be "active" during your saga at any one time, otherwise Normandy will be a very busy place.

If you are not a storyguide for your troupe, you should check with them before reading the rest of this chapter.

In Hermetic law, a Tribunal must consist of twelve or more magi from at least four different covenants. A political movement started in the Rhine Tribunal is working towards instituting a new Tribunal, taking the north and west territories of the Rhine and the adjacent portions of Normandy to reform the Lotharingian Tribunal (see Chapter 3, Hermetic Culture: Hermetic History). Four covenants of the Rhine have pledged their partial or total support for the scheme, along with three covenants of Normandy. The consortium intends to propose their objective at the next Grand Tribunal in 1228, but do not plan to actually establish the Tribunal until later on, for they suspect that the Grand Tribunal will resist the concept. The founding principle of the movement, as conceived by the covenants of Florum and Triamore, is to establish a tribunal in which magi are no longer forced into hiding from the mundane world, but can be open about their abilities and arts. This they intend to do gradually, with the help of ecclesiastical allies in the cities of the Rhine. They dream of using their knowledge for the betterment of mankind, while remaining true to the Hermetic Oath of not interfering with the affairs of mundanes. They believe they hold sufficient power as a consortium of covenants to prevent the nobility from forcing them to interfere in political and martial situations. By being able to write their own Peripheral Code, they can determine precisely what is deemed to be interference with mundanes, and grant themselves more permission than the Rhine does, but more restrictions than Normandy.

The issue of the formation of a new Tribunal could form the backdrop for a whole saga. Rather than individual story seeds, this section offers story elements that can be integrated into such a saga. A covenant located in Flanders, Picardy, or Champagne (or alternatively, in Upper or Lower Lorraine in the Rhine Tribunal) should play great attention to the developments regarding the Lotharingian Tribunal, for it is these regions that will partly or wholly compose the territory of the new Tribunal. It is also important to consider where the liege, if any, of the player covenant is situated. If they are a vassal of Florum, one of the architects of the new Tribunal, they will be expected to follow their liege into the new Tribunal. However, a player vassal covenant that has one of the other lieges must decide whether they support or repudiate the plan to secede from Normandy, and how this will affect their relationship with their liege. Further, covenants may possess leases to legacies within the disputed territory, even if they are not there themselves, and may find that they no longer own those sources under the Lotharingian Peripheral Code.

The establishment of a new tribunal is not unheard of; the most recent was the Novgorod Tribunal in 1008. However, the Lotharingian Tribunal would be carved from lands that have belonged to the Rhine and Normandy for many centuries rather than from virgin territory, and the tradition-minded members of the Order — including most of the Rhine Tribunal — are horrified at the suggestion. The opposition might seem overwhelming, but both of the Tribunals set to lose territory have detractors who wish to see them fail, and the more-distant Tribunals do not care. The supporters of the new Tribunal are marshaling resources and arguments they can use to win over the leaders of the Houses. The Provençal Tribunal may welcome the new tribunal and attempt to combine with it, or else become worried that its own territory in Arelat and Provence (which was also part of the original Lotharingian Tribunal) will be poached. With all eyes focused on Lotharingia, Normandy Tytali might decide to recapture territory lost to the Provençal Flambeau. The whole political map of the Western Order of Hermes could be affected by these plans.

Characters might be sent into the region on speculative missions: to discover the quality of certain vis sources, the properties of mystical places, or the availability of certain other resources that can be used as bargaining chips.

The Covenant of Florum is the most prominent of Normandy's covenants that support the Lotharingian movement. Their dissatisfaction with Normandy regarding mundane interference and raiding are made clear at every Tribunal meeting, and Florum sees the new tribunal as an opportunity to start again from scratch. Spider's Palace is also an enthusiastic proponent of the movement, in support of their liege.

Florum expects that Requies Aeterna, as its vassal, will join it in the new Tribunal. While the members of this covenant have little interest in politics, they are likely to acquiesce to the wishes of Florum. They suspect that the Rhine magi who join the new Tribunal will reject the concept of vassalage, and that they will have their oath of fealty to Florum annulled by the new Peripheral Code of the Tribunal. They do not chafe under this oath; they merely see their independence from their feudal duty as a bonus.

The Rhine Tribunal is known for its ancient traditions and stagnating politics that stifle any attempt at innovation or reform (see Guardians of the Forests: The Rhine Tribunal for more information on the Hermetic landscape in the Rhinelands, including the covenants mentioned in this section). It is perhaps not surprising therefore that there are some who seek to escape from its yoke.

Triamore is a covenant on the edge of the Ardennes in Lower Lorraine, and is the principle Rhine instigator of the new Tribunal. Daria la Gris of House Tremere seeks to move her covenant from a rather minor role in the Rhine Tribunal to a major role in the Lotharingian Tribunal, and grant greater license to their existing mundane relationships.

Fengheld is a huge covenant in the center of the Rhine Tribunal, and about half of its 23 members are supportive of the new Tribunal, at least in theory. They are too distant geographically to join the Tribunal as a whole, but they already have a chapter house in Cologne, and plan to establish more. These outposts are intended to mature into full covenants if the new Tribunal thrives.

Waddenzee is a martial covenant sited on the Frisian island of Terschelling. Their piracy in the North Sea is viewed with suspicion and/or hostility by the Rhine Tribunal, but would not be out of place in Normandy. Given their location, they cannot in all honesty not be part of the new Tribunal if it forms, so by coming aboard early they hope that they will be able to manipulate the new Peripheral Code to permit their current lifestyle.

Oculus Septentrionalis is another covenant that is likely to be too distant to become part of the new Tribunal. However, they support its goals despite their feud with Waddenzee, which has targeted them specifically in the past. They want the Order in the new Tribunal to have an open relationship with mundanes, particularly with respect to trade. Like Fengheld, they may establish a covenant in the region that will seek to counter whatever Waddenzee proposes.

This Tytalan cabal (see Schemes of House Tytalus) works to ensure the success of the Lotharingian Tribunal. Some members of the cabal have a genuine interest in the new Tribunal, seeing it as an opportunity to set up a utopian society for magi — specifically Tytalus magi. They relish the opportunity to be free from the historical weight of the Peripheral Code of their respective Tribunals, and while they may not actually be members of a covenant that is proposing to formally join, they intend to establish a new covenant in the territory.

The motives of other members of the cabal are not so simple. Augustina of Confluensis is a surprising member of the cabal, but she supports its goals on a theoretic level. She cares not one wit for the actual Lotharingian Tribunal, secretly believing it is doomed to fail, but appreciates that it should be possible for dissatisfied magi to become independent from one of the established Tribunals. Augustina is interested in the Order's reaction to such an assault in the heartland of its power. Prima Buliste is a member of the cabal purely because it distracts her rival from concentrating on her other schemes. At least one member of the Cabal of Frankish Gold is a saboteur, seeking to hinder rather than help the new Tribunal's supporters. A covenant interested in the Lotharingian Tribunal might discover that someone is actively working to sour relationships between them and the other covenants in the region.

In 1220 one of the major cultural influences in the Normandy Tribunal is the body of literature known as the romances. Recited by poets, minstrels, and trouvères, and increasingly the subject of books, the romances are a driving force behind the celebration of knightly culture, chivalry, and romantic love. The romances tell tales of ancient heroes, mysterious magics, and faeries and devils. Almost everyone, from plowboy to the greatest noble, knows the stories and thrills to hear them recited. They are not just history or drama, but an inspiration to heroism, and in fact are a form of secular literature vying with the hagiographies (lives of the saints) in popular appeal and in providing role models for life.

The best-known tellers in Normandy are the trouvères, known as troubadors in the south of France and minnesingers in Germany. Of noble birth, these knight-poets sing the praises of war, chivalry, and courtly love, and compile their poems in books called chansonniers. The lower-born equivalents were minstrels known as jongleurs. The jongleurs might lack the Free Expression so vital to their aristocratic counterparts, but are skilled storytellers and musicians who relate the great romances, the chansons de geste. Many undoubtedly do engage in elaboration and creativity rather than just repeating the traditional tales, as proved by the many variants of those legends in circulation.

In the last century, the subjects of the songs, which are usually accompanied by a fiddle, have diversified from knights, heroism, and warfare to include the new themes of courtly romance, brave Saracen opponents, and increasingly magic, wizards, faeries, and the supernatural. Court wizards appear, and characters call upon the faeries for help, ride faerie horses, or are tricked by devils. These themes reflect the reality of Mythic Europe, though they are often distorted and exaggerated just as the tales told of Charlemagne and other historical figures are doubtless inaccurate. (Charlemagne and his knights are always described in terms of the contemporary world, not the historical reality of their period.)

While the trouvères and jongleurs know the tales they spin are often fictional or embellishments on real events, they often contain much material of interest to magi. The chansons de geste include references to real monsters, magics, regiones, and treasures, and it is said that many can be an invaluable guide for those with arcane knowledge, leading to vis sources and magical places, or faerie locations. The tellers do not realize that they are imparting such lore, but they find avid listeners at many covenants. Interestingly, many of the tales mention old books from which the stories they tell apparently derive, and some may actually be based upon lost Hermetic works that are now only extant in the form of the romances based upon them. Some trouvères are very aware of the Order of Hermes, and even tell stories based upon the adventures of magi to please their Hermetic patrons.

There are two main cycles in the chansons de geste, the Arthurian Cycle (or Matter of Britain) and the stories of Charlemagne and his twelve paladins (the Matter of France).

Story Seed: The Grail in Iberia

A knight associated with the covenant returns from a tournament with copy of Parsifal, a German version of Chrétien's Perceval by the knight-poet Wolfram von Eschenbach. There are rumors that Wolfram's Parsifal was actually written by the Rhine magus Gunnar Von Falster, but in the margins of this volume Wolfram claims that his story is a translation of a book originally written by "Flegetanis the heathen" (who is alleged to have known the "mysteries of the heavens") and found by a "Meister Kyot" in Toledo. The story also describes the Grail's resting place as the castle of Munsalvaesche (in Latin, mons salvationis). Next to this passage is scrawled the word "Montserrat." Could Montserrat, the jagged mountain above Barcelona that was once home to a now-disappeared covenant, be the resting place of the Grail?

The late 12th and early 13th centuries have seen a blossoming of Arthurian literature. Inspired by numerous sources, French writers have transformed the Matter of Britain from its Celtic origins into a recognizably French form: the Arthurian romance. Chrétien de Troyes, the master of these types of stories, took the foundation that Geoffrey of Monmouth had established in his History of the Kings of Britain and used it to tell fantastic tales about the adventures of Arthur's knights. These stories, written not in Latin but in the vernacular, are romances instead of histories. The works of Chrétien and his followers are poems that celebrate great feats of chivalry and question the nature of courtly love.

The Arthurian romances have proved exceedingly popular, especially among the nobility. Two of the continuations of Chrétien's unfinished Perceval were commissioned by Joan of Flanders, in part to demonstrate the legitimacy of her claim as Philip of Flanders' rightful heir. This should come as no great surprise, as the romances celebrate chivalrous virtues. Knights are expected to serve their God and their king, to practice justice, to champion their ladies, and to help people in need. The romantic knight is at once a military paragon, a virtuous Christian, and a social adept. The stories created the ideals to which the knightly class aspires. Yet, even in the romances, these ideals are unrealized. In Chrétien's stories, the drama arises from the discrepancies between the theory and practice of chivalry. It is from those moments in which the characters fail in their chivalrous duties that the stories derive their power. The romances create an ideal that not even their heroes can live up to, but it is one that the nobility of France continue to pursue.

The Arthur stories provide several jumping-off points for players interested in a romance-centered saga. Magi may also be interested in tracking down the "lost books" cited by so many of the authors of the romances, as they almost certainly contain more magical secrets than the mundane writers passed on. Geoffrey of Monmouth claimed to have based his work on a "very ancient book" found in Brittany, while the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach said that his story came from a book discovered by "Meister Kyot" in Toledo. The search for missing tomes such as these consumes the attention of more than one Seeker.

Arthurian literature in Mythic Europe is recognizably similar to the stories players may be familiar with, but several key elements are missing. Notably, Galahad is absent, the fall of Camelot is not caused by Lancelot and Guinevere's adulterous affair, and many of the romances feature Arthur only as a minor figure. The stories were about knights, and Arthur was used only as a reason to have them go out and adventure. Because of these differences, storyguides wishing to incorporate Arthurian themes into their sagas are strongly encouraged to read the original romances, particularly Chrétien's works. For more on the most important period stories, see The Grail Library in Chapter 9: Champagne: Cunfin.

Story Seed: The Unbreakable Blade

Some of the covenant's grogs embark upon the great pilgrimage to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Iberia. Upon their return, they present the magi with a strange souvenir: a tiny fragment of metal that radiates residues of powerful magic. The grogs explain that it was sold to them in a village near the Roncevaux Pass, in the Pyrenees. The man who sold it to them claimed it was a fragment of Durendal, the legendary sword of Roland, whose hilt contained relics of St. Peter, St. Basil, St. Denis, and the Virgin Mary. As Roland lay dying, he attempted to break the blade rather than let it fall into the hands of his enemies. He failed to break it, and instead the sword cut a huge gap in a mountain, now called La Breche de Roland. Could this be a chip from the great sword? Where does the sword now lie? Is it in fact in the church of Notre Dame in the village of Rocamadour, as the locals claim, or is it somewhere else?

Story Seed: The Strange Fate of Chrétien de Troyes

The magi of Cunfin receive a shock when Celeres is found unconscious in the covenant library, slumped over a book. Having merely fainted from shock, he recovers quickly and shows the magi what caused him such a fright: the book he has just received from one of the covenant's Redcaps. The book appears to be a journal that once belonged to Chrétien de Troyes. In it, he lays out his plans for a trip to Brittany to investigate some of the Arthurian sites there so that he can finish his poem Perceval. He expresses concern, however, as he believes that he is being shadowed by a group of knights, and he is worried that they mean him harm. Celeres explains that Chrétien's description of these knights exactly matches Wolfram von Eschenbach's description of the Grail Templars. The journal ends abruptly just as Chrétien is ready to set out on his trip.

Did Chrétien ever visit Brittany? Was he being followed by knights who served the Grail? Was he killed because he knew too much, or did he disappear into a faerie regio like Merlin did? (In reality, the date and exact nature of Chrétien's death is unknown; we know only that he was at the court of his patron Philip of Flanders in 1182.)

Salvirius

Age: Unknown (apparently 50)
Personality Traits: Reclusive +3, Manipulative +2

Salvirius has a frighteningly large scar in his chest — almost as if he had been mortally wounded by a spear — but the scar is usually covered and he dresses as if he were a hunter or woodsman. Salvirius advises the Boar King, but travels independently of the main court and usually he only makes an appearance when the court is encamped. Even then Salvirius partakes in few of the courtly feasts and entertainments.

Salvirius can grant Virtues to other characters, through a process whereby he assigns to the character a mystical quest that requires a sacrifice (acquisition of a Flaw). The Virtues he can grant include Strong Faerie Blood, Shapeshifter, Animal Ken, Faerie Blood, Second Sight, and Wilderness Sense. In your saga, you may also wish to allow Salvirius to grant some Hermetic Virtues. Salvirius might be a faerie, a magus who has become a faerie, or a magus living in the faerie court; he may even be a Diedne refugee from the Schism War.

The Matter of France is the story of the great King Charlemagne, who despite what the Germans might say, in the romances was King of France and had his capital at Paris. The stories tell of his great campaigns, most notably against the Saracen foe in Spain, though he conquered much of Mythic Europe. He had twelve heroic companions, the paladins, though the names of these worthies vary from account to account. Generally featured are the wise Duke Naymes, the brave Archbishop Turpin, chivalrous Roland, Oliver, Ogier the Dane, and the villainous Ganilon whose treachery leads to tragedy in the Pass of Roncevaux where Roland is killed. Some of the older stories depict the Basques as the aggressors there, but in the tale as told in 1220 it is generally the Saracen who is the foe. The Saracen enemy, however, is often depicted as clever and honorable, and many fights involve discussions of the Trinity alongside the expected swordplay. Nonetheless, the romances glorify Charlemagne as a great Christian king, and while conversion of the heathen is a central theme in some of the romances, usually they are just enemies to be slain.

Roland is possibly the greatest hero of the romances. Charlemagne's nephew by his sister, Roland suffered the exile of his parents in his childhood, but his childhood bravery brings about reconciliation and his mother's return from disgrace. As a child he fights and defeats a formidable giant, and by his valor soon gains Charlemagne's favor so that eventually he is adopted as if a son. (Charlemagne's own son appears in many of the romances as a villain of the darkest hue). The tale ends tragically but heroically, with Roland falling while fighting a rearguard action in the Pass of Roncevaux, blowing his magic horn to bring back the army who arrive too late to do anything but exact vengeance on his killers. The tragedy is one of the bestknown stories in all France, and one of the great themes of the romances. The Matter of France includes many other stories, however, and some are little-known to modern audiences. Because of the rich mythic and supernatural elements, and the prevalence of wizards, faeries, and magic in them, they are an excellent resource for the storyguide to mine for inspiration, as the song of a trouvère has inspired many a group of magi to seek out some ancient magical secret.

Most magi regard these stories as pure fantasy, but not all view them this way. Some see them as containing kernels of truth — pieces of old legends that have been recast into a new form. These magi read the romances not as guides to behavior, but as clues to lost magics. They are particularly interested in the lost books that so many of writers of romance based their tales upon.

There are also magi who believe the romances tell the true story of the Grail, and that unlocking their secrets will reveal the resting places of a great artifact. Few of these magi agree on the precise nature of that artifact or how to decode the cryptic references in the stories, but they are undeterred. The Knights of the Green Stone are one such group (see The Mysteries Revised Edition, page 131), but there are undoubtedly others.

Finally, there are a few magi who do believe in the chivalric ideals espoused by the romances, and who strive to live their lives according to this code. Celeres of Bonisagus, who now lives at Cunfin, is one such magus, though more than one member of the Order questions his sanity.

Story Seed: The Secret Master

The subtle courtier, Salvirius, offers to teach a Major Hermetic Virtue to the Boar King's magus ally. This is something he has not offered before, and he claims that it is the last of his knowledge, although he will not reveal precisely what he offers. In return he asks the magus to deliver a message on a specific day at a specific time, to the Hill of Martyrs in Paris.

The message is sealed in red wax with an imprint of a snake swallowing its tail and, if it is opened, it is blank. If the magus does deliver the message, he finds that the recipient is a drunkard and a dullard, who merely throws the message into the Seine. In fact, the magus is scryed upon as he walks down the road to the Hill of Martyrs. It is the vellum the message is printed on that is targeted by the effect (Intellego Animal, magnitude 3 effect with a Penetration of 50), via an Arcane Connection. Of course, the magus will not be aware that he is being scryed upon, unless the effect cannot overcome his Parma Magica or he is able to detect scrying in some way. The magus is the real message; Salvirius is identifying him to a third party who periodically scrys the road leading to the Hill of Martyrs.

If the magus delivers the message and returns to Salvirius, he is taught the Major Hermetic Virtue Diedne Magic (see ArM5, page 41); this takes one season and means that the magus acquires the Major Story Flaw Dark Secret. This Flaw is part of the Virtue and doesn't count for balancing Virtues; thus, in addition the magus acquires a Major Hermetic Flaw.

The romances can provide a template for a saga structure. A group of heroic magi may undertake quests not unlike those of the knights in the stories. In a high fantasy-style saga, the magi would be continually falling into faerie regiones where the chivalrous behaviors of the romances are the norm and faerie knights stand at every crossroads to challenge all who would seek to pass them.

Sagas inspired by the romances may well include a quest for the Grail, which was first introduced into the literature in Chretien's Perceval but which quickly came to dominate the story cycle. If the players wish to explore this path, the troupe should decide on the nature of the quest. In the early romances, the Grail is a physical object that may be recovered, while in the later stories it is more a symbol of spiritual perfection rather than something that can be obtained. Both types of stories are worth telling, but it is best if the troupe decides on which of two they want to pursue.

The boar was the fierce symbol of the kings who ruled Gaul more than one thousand years ago, and the dragon was a powerful symbol of the Viking raiders who for a time, more than three hundred years ago, dominated the region. Today, boar and dragon are both eclipsed by the lion and the ascendant lily, but anachronistic remnants of those courts jealously remember their apogee and plot their revival. The Boar King and the Children of Odin are each possible antagonists for a hoplite saga (or any other sort of saga) set in Normandy. Alternatively, the characters could become members of the court of the Boar King, or join the Children of Odin.

In a particular saga, one, both, or none of these groups may exist — this is left for the troupe to decide.

The Boar King is a faerie once worshiped by the Gauls. He lives in a wooden fortress in a regio with a Faerie aura of 7, which can be accessed from several dark, dank forest groves, where the sun barely penetrates the fetid air. The Boar King claims to own the forests of the Normandy Tribunal — although as other supernatural creatures also make this claim, the situation is clearly complex. At any rate, he hunts boar in the autumn, and hunters who take too much from the forest find themselves hunted by the Boar King and his court.

From his forest fortress, the Boar King has brooded on the encroachment of men and especially the Divine into his forest, and he has slowly concluded that merely hunting down the odd greedy hunter has done nothing to slow the advance of men. Several centuries ago he had good relationships with the local members of House Diedne, who helped him patrol his forest estates. The Boar King is aware that House fell during the Schism War, and has recently decided to seek replacements for his fallen Diedne allies, probably among Merinita and Bjornaer magi, who he hopes will help prevent (and reverse) the destruction of his forest.

Story Seed: The Hidden Enemy

A Tribunal Quaesitor visits the covenant. The Quaesitor is gathering hoplites to investigate, forcefully, rumors that a Diedne magus thought to have died in the Schism War has been seen in the forest in the company of the Boar King. The Boar King meets the hoplites outside his regio, ordering them to leave, and he will not allow the magi to enter his regio.

If a magus of the covenant is allied with the Boar King, then he may be called upon to help defend the Boar King's realm from the Quaesitor. This might throw him into opposition with his covenant sodales.

Story Seed: Desecrated Temple

Several pagan temples dedicated to the Boar King were destroyed by Christian missionaries, but a newly revived cult of the Boar King is attempting to re-consecrate one. If members of the covenant are allied with the Boar King, they are approached by the cultists seeking assistance in a brewing confrontation with the church — maybe covenant members even lead the cult. Alternatively, local church officials who have learned of the revival might approach the covenant seeking allies to suppress the cult, and to also confirm that the covenant is not involved.

The Boar King

Faerie Might: 40 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int –1, Per +1, Pre +2, Com –2, Str +4, Sta +5, Dex +2, Qik 0

Size: +1

Age: n/a (30)

Confidence Score: 2 (6)

Virtues and Flaws: None

Personality Traits: Reckless +3, Proud +2, Wrathful +1

Reputations: King of the Forest 3 (local), Ally of House Diedne 2 (Hermetic)

Combat:

Boar Spear (foot): Init +3, Attack +13, Defense +9, Damage +11

Boar Spear (mounted): Init +3, Attack +16, Defense +12, Damage +11

Tusks (gore): Init +0, Attack +12, Defense +10, Damage +7

Soak: +10

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

Abilities: Animal Handling 5 (boar), Area Lore: Normandy Tribunal 5 (forest), Athletics 5 (running), Awareness 3 (trespassers), Brawl 9 (gore), Carouse 3 (lament), Dead Language: Latin 3 (hunting terms), Dead Language: Gaulish 5 (druidic terms), Etiquette 1 (courtly), Faerie Lore 5 (worship), Folk Ken 3 (hunters), Great Weapon 7 (boar spear), Hunt 10 (hunters), Leadership 5 (faeries), Living Language: Breton 3 (hunting terms), Organization Lore: Order of Hermes 2 (House Diedne), Ride 5 (hunting), Stealth 7 (forest), Survival 10 (forest), Swim 3 (swamp)

Powers:

Voice of the Woods, 0 points, constant, Animal (Herbam or Mentem): The Boar King can converse with any woodland creature or plant. They will also obey any order he issues to the best of their abilities.

Sylvan Sanctity, 1 point, Init 0, Mentem: When he uses this power, the Boar King is aware of the approximate location and number of all human intruders in his forest. Normally, this is quite a large number of people and there is too much information for the Boar King to fully understand. However, he can easily identify when trespassers enter areas that are normally empty of people. This power needs to penetrate to be successful, but groups of magi (for example) often travel with grogs and companions who have no Magic Resistance. As it takes several days to penetrate into the heart of the forest, and he uses this power daily, the Boar King can be well prepared for visitors.

Ancient Rage, 5 points, Init –10, Animal: The Boar King enters a frothing fury; he has +3 to all his Attack and Soak scores, and a –3 penalty to his Defense. He also ignores all Wound Penalties except Incapacitated when enraged. His rage lasts for a day, and during this time he attacks anyone at the slightest provocation, and he may neither retreat nor give quarter.

Impaled by the Thorn, 5 points, Init –5, Corpus and Mentem: The Boar King may hurl a boar spear at any human target within Sight Range. No roll is required to hit the target, and if this attack penetrates she is paralyzed and cannot move, speak, see, smell, or otherwise act or think (including casting a spell). The character does not age either. Wrenching the spear from her body ends the effect, but inflicts a Heavy Wound — although magic may be able to overcome this difficulty.

Call of the Hunter, 10 points, Init 0, Herbam: Using this power, the Boar King can appear at any location in his forest.

Equipment: The Boar King carries a number of boar spears, but his court can furnish him with anything he desires, although some items may be glamour, not real.

Vis: 4 pawns of Animal in each tusk.

Appearance: The Boar King is a large man with the head of a boar. His speech is oddly accented due to two large tusks that protrude from his jaw. His arms and naked torso are adorned with abstract tattoos and bronze bracelets, and he normally wears animal-hide trousers and a cloak. He often rides a wild horse bareback, accompanied by a group of faerie knights. He is also travels with a number of other courtiers.

Story Seed: Master of the Hunt

If a Merinita or Bjornaer magus passes through the forest, the Boar King, accompanied by a more-subtle member of his court, approaches him, preferably when he is alone. The courtier, named Salvirius, will try to gently establish the magus' attitudes to the wilderness, and if he appears suitable will offer him a part of the forest's power in return for a sacrifice and completion of a quest — perhaps destroying a newly established settlement in the forest. By mimicking the Forest Paths (see Guardians of the Forests, page 35), the Boar King hopes to entice the magus into becoming a forest guardian. Whether the Boar King's path is a true Forest Path is debatable, but his court can certainly provide many resources to a magus ally, so it might not effectively matter. Salvirius, in particular, can teach a number of Virtues.

The Children of Odin is a Mystery Cult whose members view themselves as the heirs to the magic of ninth-century Viking raiders. Despite this purportedly ancient pedigree, the cult itself is new: its Hierophant, Queen Skuld, only began to initiate her followers a decade or so ago. The cult is secretive, small, and yet to be exposed to the wider Order.

The philosophy of Queen Skuld is purely a philosophy of power. She believes that the duchy of Normandy rightfully belongs to the Normans, and that she is herself the true descendant of the Viking earl Rollo who captured Normandy in 911 (see Chapter 2, History of Mythic France). For the Children of Odin, the annexation of Normandy by King Philip II of France is an abomination that must be reversed via the installation of Skuld as the maga-Queen of Normandy. Of course, the megalomaniacal pursuit of mundane power holds little interest for most magi, and such a scheme offers no obvious mystical benefits to the other cult members. However, Skuld has managed to learn many secrets of Viking magic — or so she says — during her exploration as a young maga of Viking wrecks and ruins. These secrets have lured other magi to join Skuld's cult.

Cult Members

Exactly which magi in the Tribunal are in the cult is a matter left to the discretion of the troupe. There are unlikely to be more than half a dozen current members, and all members should have a relatively good Ignem Art score, which may favor Flambeau, so that they could survive the first Quest to the burning ships (see below). Members of Montverte who can claim descendant from the covenant's Scandinavian founders might be particularly interested in the cult.

Mystery Scripts

The cult currently has Initiation Scripts that grant the following Virtues:

Minor Hermetic Virtue, Life Boost: see ArM5, page 44.

Minor Hermetic Virtue, Minor Magical Focus (Shape-shifting): see ArM5, page 46.

Major Hermetic Virtue, Life-Linked Spontaneous Magic: see ArM5, page 44. Ordeals endured during the cult's Initiations may include gaining the Flaws:

Minor Hermetic Flaw, Blood Haze: The maga is crazed by bloodshed, and if she is directly involved in a combat situation she has a –10 penalty to Formulaic magic and has a –3 penalty to her Concentration Ability Score. The character is considered in a combat situation if she is close enough to smell blood that has been shed through violence (about a dozen paces).

Minor Hermetic Flaw, Flawed Parma Magica (Vim): see ArM5, page 54.

Major Hermetic Flaw, Deficient Technique (Creo): see ArM5, page 53.

The Ships of Flame

These three perpetually burning Viking longships, mortuaries to dead Viking warlords, are each located in a different small Magical regio of aura 6 on the river Seine. Each regio can only be entered by drifting down the Seine in a boat aflame on a particular day — the date corresponding to the death of the Viking warlord. It is a simple matter, however, to leave the regiones by merely swimming to the banks of the Seine.

Each Viking longship burns fiercely and inflicts fire damage (+20 each round) on anyone standing upon the deck. This is a magical attack with a Penetration of 30, which may be resisted as normal. The fire does not require fuel and does not consume the Viking longship, but foreign material brought into the regio is consumed unless protected by magic. A high-magnitude Perdo Ignem effect might be devised to extinguish the fire, but this will probably also destroy the regio.

Cult Initiates must (as their first Quest) find their way, unaided, onto the deck of one of the longships and recover an axe from a fallen Viking warrior, but Queen Skuld is the only long-term resident in the regiones. She has constructed her Laboratory on the deck of one longship. Other cult members sometimes travel to her burning ship, but the difficulty of timing visits means that Skuld usually communicates via Haunt of the Living Ghost.

Queen Skuld

Age: 77 (Apparent age 37)
Personality Traits: Driven +3, Proud +2, Secretive +2

Queen Skuld is the Hierophant of the Children of Odin, and given the small size of the cult she has acted as Mystagogue at all initiations completed thus far. She was once merely Skuld, an unremarkable Tytalus maga resident at Atramentum. She left House Tytalus for House Ex Miscellanea in the year 1178, and disappeared a few years later; Skuld was last seen heading through the English Channel in a small boat towards Scandinavia. She now resides in a regio on the River Seine (see below). Apart from her initiates, other magi are unaware of her return to the Tribunal in 1205.

Given her long absence, it is possible that Queen Skuld is not really the Skuld who left for Scandinavia at all, but an impostor. She might be some kind of faerie or magic creature, or a powerful hedge wizard (maybe even an actual member of the Order of Odin). She may even really be a refugee from the Schism War.

Mystery Cults

Mystery Cults are Hermetic traditions that incorporate secret modifications to Hermetic theory that are revealed only to members. Full rules that describe how Mystery Cults reveal their knowledge (Initiation) are given in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults and The Mysteries: Revised Edition. If the troupe does not have access to these titles, then Initiation can be approximated by a superior cult member (the Mystagogue) assigning the Initiate a Quest that should take about a year to complete. During the Quest, the Initiate undergoes an Ordeal (gains a Flaw) and comes to a higher understanding of the Mystery (gains a Virtue). The instructions for an Initiation are contained in a special Laboratory Text called an Initiation Script.

Story Seed: Attack Ships

A group of monasteries on the Normandy coast are raided by Vikings, and as the covenant is nearby the magi are asked to perform (or assist in) an investigation. There are also a number of merchant ships missing in the area. As it is more than two hundred years since the age of the Viking raids, it will be obvious to the characters that there must be some kind of trick or magical explanation behind such an anachronistic assault. Investigation might reveal that Hermetic magic has contributed to the raids, but any Hermetic sigils appear to be shrouded (see ArM5, page 159). In fact, the assault is the work of the Children of Odin, and the spell Nordic Triumph has been used to produce the effect. Mounting these attacks was a Mystery Initiation Quest, and the investigators may discover the responsible cult member. Alternatively, if a player character magus is a Child of Odin, he may in fact be the responsible cult member.

Nordic Triumph

MuMe(He)(Te) Level 65
R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Structure, Ritual

This ritual is cast while on board a ship, which the spell transforms into a dragonprowed longship, and the crew are transformed into fierce Viking warriors who view the caster as their chieftain. The spell does not give the crew any Abilities they did not already have, but it makes them think and act as if they are Viking warriors, including acting as a trained group in combat.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +3 Moon, +4 Structure, +2 Requisites)

The Order of Odin

The Children of Odin Mystery Cult is not the Order of Odin. It is a Mystery Cult that claims to have discovered the secrets of some of the magic of the Order of Odin. However, the cult may be wrong in this claim. If, in your saga, the cult is in fact an authentic heir to the Order of Odin, then you might like to add to the cult's repertoire some of the rune magic powers described in Ancient Magic (page 133). Alternatively, during the course of your saga, a researcher in the cult may manage to integrate rune magic with Hermetic theory. Either option could increase the power of the cult considerably. On the other hand, if the Mystery Cult is not authentic it is possible that Queen Skuld is aware of this fact; that is, for some reason she is lying to the other cult members about the true nature of the cult’s magic.

Philip II, called Augustus, sits on the throne of France. He rules with absolute authority under a divine mandate to protect the church and to rule his subjects with justice. His position seems very strong and secure, but there are many questions in the background that have stirred up a number of schemes.

This story arc draws on the historical background in Chapter 2: The Mythic History of France. It depends upon the player characters having some link with mundane nobility. The nobility themselves are linked by blood, marriage, and feudal oaths, and it is through this network that the characters are most likely to learn of the plots. Others will emerge through contacts in the Order of Hermes.

Several plots are targeting the oil of anointing and/or the throne of France. For details of the holy oil, see Chapter 2: The Mythic History of France, The Holy Oil of Consecration. The player characters should come across each plot in turn, and have the opportunity to learn something about them. Fully resolving some of them should, if possible, be saved to the end, when several plots are about to come to fruition at the same time.

It seems unlikely that the power and authority of the king lies in his family background, or else how could the Carolingians and Capetians rule? Perhaps it resides in the holy oil, and could be acquired by anyone bold enough to take and use this. Perhaps it resides in the oil but requires the ceremony and blessing of the church to activate it. Maybe it lies in the crown or the throne? It may lie in the blood of Merovech, a notion supported by the continuing tradition among the Frankish kings to have themselves depicted with the long hair and beard traditional for the Merovingians, even if they do not favor the same style in reality. A magus who unraveled the mystery of kingship and learned its secrets might make use of the knowledge to assume power within the Order.

Story Seed: A Norman Conquest

A covenant magus with a strong Norman pedigree is approached by a relative seeking support for an Anglo-Norman invasion of the French mainland. In fact, the relative is under the control of a Child of Odin and is merely sounding out the character's attitudes to the French occupation of Normandy. If the character appears enthusiastic about the prospect of an invasion, he will be formally approached by the Mystery Cult, which claims to have a more-realistic plan for Normandy. If the character joins the cult, the troupe can tell a number of stories about his Initiation through the degrees of the Mystery Cult.

Story Seed: The Tapestry

If a character is a member of the Mystery Cult, he is sent to retrieve the Bayeux Tapestry from the town of Bayeux (see Chapter 5: Normandy). Queen Skuld wishes to use the tapestry to aid her Penetration on a spell cast on the French king (who is the current "Duke" of Normandy).

Alternatively, a group of Viking warriors appear at the gates of Bayeux and proceed to hack their way through into the cathedral to steal the tapestry. Either the covenant is approached by the church post facto to recover the Bayeux Tapestry or covenant members are present in the town during the assault. In either case, the raid should be suspiciously anachronistic to the characters.

Story Seed: Does Kingship Depend on the Holy Oil?

A powerful magus, who has probably experienced one bad Twilight too many, has decided to take the holy oil and intends to apply it to himself, convinced it will help him become Primus of his House. He is working on enchantments using the spells he thinks he will need to walk into Reims Cathedral and take it. He might visit the player characters' covenant to consult a book on mundane history or talk with a senior magus. Alternatively, he might be met at Tribunal and let slip a clue to his plans. Can the characters expose his plot before it brings the wrath of the mundane authorities down on the Order, but without being themselves accused of spying on a magus? Before the Quaesitores, would they stand a chance of being believed? If it came to a Tribunal vote, could they muster sufficient support against a senior magus, one who would make a very powerful and dangerous enemy?

A small group of German nobles plans to steal the holy oil so they can stop Philip II anointing his son. They think this will break the Capetian succession and give them the chance to put a Carolingian back on the throne. Their candidate is from the East Frankish line and can trace his ancestry to Charlemagne. They know of the ruling of Pope Stephen II, and erroneously believe the "seven generations" reprieve is about to expire. It is quite likely that this plot only comes to the attention of the player characters when they are in Reims, either going for the oil themselves or guarding it.

There are numerous saints closely linked to the Frankish king. One may answer a supplicant's prayer and guide characters to information about the mysteries surrounding the kingship.

• St. Clotilde: Wife of Clovis I, the first Christian Merovingian king. Patron of the lame; invoked against sudden death and iniquitous husbands.
• St. Martin of Tours: Fourth-century soldier turned monk then bishop. Noted for giving half his cloak to a naked beggar. Played an important role in stamping out paganism in Gaul.
• St. Remi: Bishop of Reims, known as Apostle of the Franks. Baptised Clovis I, his family, and 3,000 followers.
• St. Riquier: Seventh-century pagan from northern France. Converted by Irish missionaries and became a priest, then bishop, but ended life as a hermit.
• St. Valery: Sixth-century shepherd from the Auvergne who became a monk and later lived as a hermit near Amiens.
• St. Vedast: Bishop of Arras who prepared Clovis I for baptism. Usually depicted with a wolf, often carrying a live goose.
• St. Louis: If your saga follows history, Louis IX (currently 5 years old) ascends to the throne of France in 1226. His reign is notable for his piety, and he is canonized as St. Louis in 1297. Factions within Mythic Europe, especially those with access to divination powers, might try to encourage or hinder this outcome.

Story Seed: Does it Depend on the Man?

A small group of French nobles feel that the king is not behaving in the correct kingly manner. They think they can manipulate his young son and turn him into the sort of leader that a king should be, so they are plotting to remove Philip, probably by means of a "hunting accident." The player characters' closest contact among the mundane nobility comes across the plot and asks the characters for help.

An educated young man with high Presence arrives at the covenant with an unusual request: he is seeking someone capable of giving him a permanent, nonscarring tattoo of a red cross. He is part of another plot involving several of the French nobility to replace Philip's line entirely.

Philip's own ascension clearly met with divine approval, but has he retained divine favor? If not, characters will find it easier to challenge his position. His reluctance to join the crusade in southern France suggests that he has not.

Through their contacts in the nobility, the characters are asked to aid investigation of the suspicion that King Philip is being badly advised. The growing army of clerks at court is not entirely to the king's liking. Some of his advisers and bureaucrats are covertly recruiting their own friends and relations to swell the bureaucracy at the king's expense. Some are over-protective, keeping him from the crusade for fear he will be injured, and others are exploiting him to further their own interests, so do all they can to keep him close at hand and misinformed. Behind it all is a truly evil man on the king's staff, prompted by a demon.

In the Normandy Tribunal the harsh realities of living in close contact with mundane society have led some covenants into very close relationships with the nobility. Some have come to embrace a companion as nominal holder of their lands, thereby hoping to evade the problems of land ownership in the feudal system. It can be very difficult to hold a castle or manor in the Tribunal without some apparent relationship with a liege lord — yet magi are forbidden by the Oath to enter into such relationships, so a companion is often required to fulfill that role.

This relationship with the landholding knight can drive many stories, and indeed the whole saga. It is particularly suited to a slow saga (see ArM5 page 218) where the companions and grogs can play a central role. It is not possible just to appoint somebody and then let them get on with representing your interests, as knighthood makes its own demands and can frequently impact the whole covenant. Making the covenant nominally held by a companion draws those characters into focus, and grogs and companions can gain new life as they are seen in the natural context of the mundane community, becoming valuable intermediaries between the mundane world and the magi. When designing your companions, it is important to think about how they fit into the local political, clerical, and mercantile environment, and they will frequently inspire stories that have repercussions upon the magi. Montverte is a good example of a covenant that has entered into such an arrangement, which has an obvious appeal in the Normandy Tribunal.

A castle or manor with a "tame" knight is not the only option. Cunfin has managed to survive by being associated with a Cistercian monastery, and a monastic establishment is an option even though it is subject to the attention of the Church. Another popular method is to establish a covenant in the manor or castle of an heiress or widow, but this lays one open to romantic or opportunistic suitors. Even a mercantile establishment such as Florum faces the problem of the guild's scrutiny. If armed and armored grogs are required, a castle or manor may be an obvious choice for a covenant, in a Tribunal notably devoid of wastes and wilderness for magi to hide within.

Just because the magi do not owe fealty to a lord, that does not mean the companion who is holder of their estate does not. Each knight owes military service to his liege forty days every year — and he is expected to turn up suitably armed and equipped. This and the customary attendance at the liege's court, often at important events like Pentecost, Easter, or Christmas, can be considered to be part of the seasons spent working by the knight. Wealthy companion knights may consider paying Écuage, a payment made in lieu of the military service so as to increase their free time to study or train. Écuage is very common, and the French army consists largely of mercenaries and paid serjeants, as well as knights seeking glory in battle and the resulting spoils of war.

Another duty of the knightly class is to enforce law and justice. In the Normandy Tribunal the legal system is based on Frankish Tribal Law, and is best represented by the ability Common Law, though it is not the same as the Common Law of England. (The Provençal Tribunal in the south uses Civil Law based upon the Roman model, and this is one of the great differences between the langue d'oc- and langue d'oeil-speaking regions of France.)

Most capital crimes are tried by the higher nobility or royal court. Trial by combat is still a right occasionally invoked, and even witnesses can be challenged, though champions are often used. A loss, however, results in very severe penalties, so it is often a method used by the strong to avoid justice. Knights may well be called upon to act as champions of the poor and the oppressed, including those who feel themselves ill-treated by a magus.

Along with the duties inherent in knightly status there come many privileges. Knights can use their rank to demand respect and obedience from commoners, and enjoy better food and drink. They are much given to the pleasure of the hunt, and many knights indulge in poetry or music. Some become trouveres, as the romantic troubadours are known in the Normandy Tribunal, and sing the tales of Charlemagne and Arthur at the courts of the nobles, who are great enthusiasts for these performances.

The other great sport of the knight is the tournament, which is often frowned upon by the church and sometimes by the king, as it provides an opportunity for his vassals to meet and plot rebellion. Stakes in the tournament are often a ransom equal to the knight's equipment. Successful tournament knights can and could become wealthy, but at the risk of grave injury or accidental death. Still, so popular are tournaments that they have come, like much of the knightly culture, to be reflected in the Hermetic culture of the Tribunal. Rumors of magical assistance given to tournament knights by their covenants frequently emerge, and are treated very seriously by the Quaesitores as potentially leading the Order into conflict with mundanes.

Young knights often choose to become knights errant, a description rather than a title or social class. Like the heroes of the romances, the knight errant rides out in search of adventure, which can take many forms. Slaying monsters, dealing with faeries, fighting in wars, and wooing a lady in courtly romance all form part of this experience, and what knight can resist the allure of the rumors of the tower of magicians in the haunted forest? Many a companion has first come to the Order's covenants while seeking adventure.

Errantry is, however, a passing phase, usually associated with the younger knight. At some point he is expected to have amassed enough wealth and respect to be granted more lands and a comfortable manor house, and hang up his sword as much as possible to concentrate on his wife (hopefully a rich heiress), his estates, and the hunt and pleasures of court life. His chief aims are always to produce an heir and to further his family's reputation and wealth by enlarging their estates and fortune. Companions may expect to be supported by the magi they associate with in these ambitions, which can cause conflict with the Code.

Story Seed: Does it Depend on the Bloodline?

A maga of House Jerbiton has found a boy descended from Merovech in whom the heritage is strongly expressed. He displays some of his illustrious ancestor's special powers: he always wins brawls even though he may be much slighter than his opponent, can often understand what an animal's call means, he has some ability at divination, and he has the Purifying Touch. He wears his hair uncut, which marks him out as strange to mundane eyes. The maga has taken the boy as her apprentice even though he is unGifted. She intends to get her protégé as close to the throne as possible, believing that he will use his mundane power and influence to the benefit of the Order, with her working behind the scenes to ensure this is so. She believes she can do this without being seen to breach the Code.

She spends plenty of time in the laboratory with him, studying his Virtues and making sure he learns Latin and the Liberal Arts. While the boy is getting a good education, she is starting to cultivate suitable mundane contacts so that when she believes he is ready, she can introduce him to noble society at the highest possible level. The characters may have to investigate suspicions about her motives in building close relationships with powerful nobles, without bringing down upon themselves a charge of scrying.

Scattered across Europe in both noble and less-exalted families, there are descendants of the Merovingian Dynasty. One of these may manifest the supernatural legacy of the Quinotaur strongly enough to have The Gift. A magus who decided to claim his birthright would be a significant challenge to the political stability of the realm, and a problem for the Quaesitores. A lone maga (a Peregrinator, see Guardians of the Forests: The Rhine Tribunal page 20) of House Ex Miscellanea living in the Rhine Tribunal has discovered that she is descended from Merovech and plots to claim the throne of the Western Franks for herself. She mistakenly believes her goal will benefit the Order so much that the Quaesitores will approve. Her investigations have led her to believe that she must somehow secure for herself the correct coronation ceremony. Should a female claimant make herself known, she would face hostility from the Church, the nobility, and most of the rest of the world. It is likely that only a sign from Heaven could convince the world of her claimed right. The player characters may discover her plans and can be called upon to thwart her before any obvious harm is done.

The relationship between the magi and the knight companion can be problematic. In 865 the Grand Tribunal made a ruling that was to have serious repercussions on those who live with a mundane lord. Magi are bound by this ruling not to work as "court wizards," yet they have a natural desire to support the titular owner of their home, magically or mundanely. If they live in a covenant that is situated in a manor or castle, they will wish to use magic to improve living conditions and further their own interests against potential mundane threats. To what extent does this run the risk of breaching the Code?

The vital aspect is that even if one lives within the actual home of a mundane noble, no vassal relationship exists. Court wizards are generally defined as "employees," but employee here is not a function of economic support, but rather a relationship of subordination enforced by vows (usually of vassalage). This distinction was first made by Iola of Guernicus in 1047. The claim was made by enemies of the covenant of Montverte that they were acting as court wizards by residing within the home of a mundane lord. They argued in their defense that they held no oath of vassalage, and that they left him to get on with running mundane matters. While their interference in the latter was clearly proven, the precedent was set based on Iola's distinction under pressure from Verditius magi who argued that if an economic relationship was deemed inadmissible, all sales of magical items would become suspect. (In fact, the Grand Tribunal ruling of 1061 was to limit sales of magic items to mundanes). It was agreed that magi had a right to defend themselves and their covenant, and its physical location was irrelevant. The Tribunal ruled that, in accordance with the "not bringing ruin upon my sodales" clause, providing no danger to the Order was brought about by their actions, the situation of a covenant within a castle or manor was legal. Magical support may be offered to the companion lord as a consors — that is, as an acknowledged asset of the covenant.

However, in 1088 a ruling was made against Florum, who by their actions were said to be upsetting the local economy. They argued that limiting their mercantile actions was depriving them of magical power, but this was found to be a spurious argument. This precedent has limited the extent to which covenants can interfere in the mundane realm. An aggressive campaign of expanding a companion's estates or magical wealth generation which impacts on the local economy would clearly be a cause for a case at Tribunal, so covenants must maintain a delicate balance between maintaining their interests and protecting their homes. As mundane resources are not protected under the infamous 1116 ruling, rebellion and mundane raiding is technically legal in the Tribunal, providing that the laboratories and libraries of the magi themselves are not damaged. The latter are clearly protected, as demonstrated in the ruling of 1130 when the covenant of Infelicitas had been damaged by a raid that destroyed two laboratories, and was declared an illegal action.

Despite these rulings, it is clear that one must be careful at all times when intervening in mundane affairs. In 1179 Pernix of Merinita healed a young nobleman of life-threatening injuries after he fell from his horse, but as covert magic was used, and those with knowledge of the event were limited to friends of the covenant, the earlier precedent clearly applied. No ruin had been brought upon the Order, so Pernix was acquitted. The Normandy Tribunal is understandably reasonable about the necessities and accommodations of life in such a settled and civilized land, but it is all too easy to accidentally bring calumny upon ones sodales by interfering in mundane matters, and such assistance should always be circumspect and covert if possible.

It is worth noting that most nobles are aware of the existence of the Order of Hermes (see ArM5 page 15) and if faced with an aggressive foe who appears to be using magic against them are likely to quickly appeal to the Church, king, or other magicians for assistance. Blatant magical aid could easily result in "ruin" and serious charges being brought against careless magi.

Story Seed: A Romantic Interlude

The essence of courtly love is the pursuit of an unobtainable woman, often one whom the lover has only glimpsed, or has hardly spoken to. When a maga learns she is the subject of a number of love poems and ballads, some so enchanting they have become popular ditties sung even by the covenfolk, she may be baffled, concerned, or irate. When the lover turns up to press his suit, completely unaware that she is a maga, not a noblewoman, the whole covenant may be less amused and more concerned, especially as he starts to compose songs and poems about her home and "court." The trouvere is an important noble and landowner in his own right, so direct action would be disastrous. If he learns his love has no husband, the genuinely smitten trouvere may actually go as far as to propose marriage. This situation will require very delicate diplomacy, or some clever ruse. The fact that the trouvere is carrying a minor relic in his ring does not make things any easier, as it grants him some Magic Resistance.

Story Seed: The Knight Errant

Young questing knights looking for wealth and fame who turn up at the covenant are nothing unusual, and the stories they bring of monsters, faeries, and hidden treasures are sometimes worth listening to. One young knight, however, provokes a flurry of interest in the covenfolk when they mistake him for one of the magi about the same age. He is almost identical. The magus (or maga) was taken from his home at an early age, and has no recollection of who he was. Nor did his parens, who is currently lost in temporary Twilight, think it wise to inform him. If the two meet, however, the story may come out and the missing past will be dredged up. More worryingly, the twin brother, if such he is, forms an Arcane Connection to the magus, and the covenant may well not be the only people to see the family resemblance. The magus risks having his true name, date of birth, and many other details perhaps best not known exposed, but the young knight will be delighted to find his long lost sibling. How will the magi cope?

Not all magi who decide to have a close relationship with a mundane lord will actually live within his home.

Manors

No matter where you go in the Tribunal, you will not be too far from the residence of a local knight. The knightly class resides largely in manor houses (manoir, in French), many of which are fortified as a result of the warfare of the last few decades. Often surmounting a low motte, or mound, the manor is enclosed by a wooden or stone wall. The manor itself is usually stone and timbered for support, with a thatched roof.

A typical manor consists of a large twostory hall, with the upper story being a duplicate of the ground floor. A doorway leads in from one end, with a large door for livestock to be driven in on one wall, and a smaller door opposite. Inside the space is a single room (occasionally divided by movable screens) with an archway at the far end leading into a kitchen or service area. On the upper story, reached by internal spiral stairs built into the wall, or by wooden stairs inside, the family and more-important servants live and sleep, the room above the kitchen being the family's private chamber. The upper story is elaborately decorated with bright murals and stone carvings to display wealth, but both floors usually have a proper fireplace and often a chimney. This arrangement, with most folk sleeping in one of the two halls — the salle inferior (ground floor) or salle superior (upper story) — gives vivid physical expression to social class distinctions. Both stories have many windows, with square windows and window seats increasingly common. There is usually a barn, wooden outbuildings, and sometimes a small chapel within the enclosure.

Castles

Throughout the Tribunal are castles of all sizes, dating from successive generations of warring landholders. They are especially common on the border between Normandy and Brittany, and on other provincial boundaries. Brittany, for example, has over six hundred mottes, and forty major castles. The wars and revolts have resulted in many vassals having their castles slighted (demolished) by angry overlords, so ruined castles are also quite a common feature of the landscape.

While a ruined castle may manage to evade detection if the magi use magic or are suitably discrete, usually possession of a castle ties one immediately into the web of vassal relationships, and will require that the landowning knight be a companion. Each castle is supported by a network of manors, and mundane relations are therefore vital. Castles are so obvious and party to problems that they are defined as a major hook (Covenants, page 12), and the possession of a castle will therefore result in stories and problems for the inhabitants.

Story Seed: The Miller's Son

The magi are approached by a loyal member of their covenfolk who has served the covenant well for many years, perhaps having performed an exceptional service such as saving a magus' life. He has come to ask a boon of the magi. His son has always been good with horses, and has worked for many years in the covenant as a stable hand, but now he is approaching maturity. He has a secret ambition — to become a knight. While his low birth, coarse manners, and lack of adequate equipment prevent this dream from being realized, the miller asks if the magi could help in this matter. The miller is popular in the area, as is his son, and a rude refusal might offend many of the covenfolk, but to train the boy as a knight and then find a way of introducing him to a noble court where he can be knighted will require all the magi's wits if they consent to assist.

Story Seed: The Warring Vassals

The covenant enjoys good relations with at least two landowners, both of whom are knights and also possibly companions. They are firm friends, yet owe fealty to two different lieges who have suddenly fallen into a deadly dispute that is leading towards a war. Both will clearly call upon their vassals to support them, probably by raiding and attacking their friends' lands, as well as by providing military service. The resulting deaths and injuries may well result in tragedy, and the fighting might even destroy covenant vis sources. Backing either side would result in a clear breach of the Code of Hermes, so can the magi find a way to resolve the conflict before their friends are drawn into the bloodshed?

Story Seed: Cheating at Tournament

A well-respected but older knight who is a great friend of the covenant has suffered a run of appalling bad luck. Poor harvests and the need to pay a heavy tax toward his liege's daughter's dowry, and then a fine after losing a court case over land, has led him into near-destitution. He plans, however, to ride to a great tournament nearby, and despite his advanced years hopes to make money from ransoms and his winnings. Sadly, he realistically stands little chance of success against the younger men, and far more of being accidentally maimed or slain. A proud man, he would refuse any assistance, financial or magical. But it is possible the magi may be able to covertly help him win at the tournament. The only complication is the presence of another magus, who is there as a spectator, and who must be distracted or fooled if magic is to be used.

These story seeds all presume a close relationship between the magi and a landholder, and are designed to draw the magi into the mundane world, which they might be keen to avoid.

This saga seed suggests stories that may develop if the spread of mundane settlements exacerbates the pressures on the covenants of the Normandy Tribunal. This may serve as a central arc for a saga that the characters struggle to resolve, or may act as a background theme providing occasional stories.

The need to feed and employ the residents of Europe's towns, which are rapidly increasing in number and size, places relentless strain on Hermetic covenants. Each city transforms the land around itself for a distance of twenty miles, gradually converting wild spaces into farmland. Farmland is usually covered by the Dominion, which impairs magical practice and corrodes vis-harvesting sites. This story seed does not examine the rise of the cities in detail, only the effect this has on magi in the Normandy Tribunal. Players desiring further information may find City and Guild useful.

Story Seed: A Mysterious Child

On a dark winter night, a snowstorm rages. The darkness is broken by torches, and the liege lord arrives in some discomfort, having braved an arduous midnight trek. He bears a small bundle — a warmly wrapped child, who, he insists, is of great importance, but must be kept hidden for now. He charges his vassal with protecting the child, and raising it as his or her own. What is the secret of the child? What intrigues have the characters been drawn into?

Story Seed: War!

After many years of peace, the covenant is suddenly faced with raids from neighboring lords, rebellion by vassals, and constant warfare as crops are burned, villages sacked, and castles besieged. Why has this come about? Suspicion must fall upon the covenant's Hermetic rivals, seeking to use mundane forces to destroy them without infringing the Peripheral Code, as only mundane resources are being attacked. Can the covenant identify their foes and somehow manage to turn their enemies away, or are they doomed to fall?

Paris is a city swelled to enormous proportions, with a population rivaling some kingdoms. It houses people from everywhere in Europe, and draws in all who lack anywhere else to go. It is a center of culture, and a den of vice. Angels and demons struggle for the souls of tens of thousands of humans, in battles of persuasion hidden just beneath the surface of a million daily transactions. Faeries find new shapes, and hide in the alleyways and alehouses. For magi, Paris is a fiery diamond that they long to seize, but cannot grasp.

Anything that harms Paris harms many of the magi in this Tribunal, who depend on it for exotic supplies. The covenant of Eboris, deeply versed as its members are in the undercurrents of Parisian life, may be able to send up a cry for help if something monstrous threatens the city. How can magi, hindered as they are by the Dominion, defend it? There are many potential foes that might harm Paris.

Threats to Paris

A story or arc of stories might focus on attempts to save the city from any of the following:

• A religious leader, who wishes to reduce the city's culture to a joyless, repetitious round of prayer.
• A conspiracy of diabolists among the city's ruling class, royal court, city guard, or clerics.
• A plague of unknown origin.
• Famine.
• Invasion, either by a rebellious duke or by the king of another country.
• Civil unrest between the rising mercantile class and the nobility, or between the French and immigrants.

The Royal Court

The largest of the cities, Paris, has housed the court of the King of France for the last few decades. Prior to this the court wandered the royal demesnes, but the French king is so rich and powerful that he can have his retainers supplied with food and luxuries all year round, without needing to visit the Crown lands where much of his wealth is produced. The great nobles of France, and some from as far away as Italy and Germany, have settled in the capital. This provides them with unusually close access to the wealth and power of the king, which threatens magi who oppose them.

Magi far from Paris, however, may find this situation favorable. When a great noble lives for most of the year in Paris, his lands are left in the stewardship of his retainers. These are often more easily suborned by Hermetic magi than their masters. Nobles of the next-lower level of influence, those unable to maintain permanent lodging at the court, have greater autonomy while their lords are away. Magi living in this political environment find that their activities arouse less notice than usual, but that reprisal, if provoked, is far stiffer than ordinary.

These tendencies toward looser control and sterner enforcement become stronger as the court continues to centralize power. The favor of the king, lavished on those who stay close to him, is too significant for the great lords to ignore. The vassals of the great lords become increasingly independent, and are bought back into line with progressively blunter methods by their absentee rulers. Characters might support either side in such a war, or simply suffer by living near the site of conflict.

Moral Hazard

The court of France is a moral hazard for magi, because it is a place where those mundanes powerful enough to tempt magi to break the Code congregate. Most of the senior nobility of France know that the Order exists. Some, particularly those with relatives who are members of House Jerbiton, have a rough idea of the extent of action permitted under the Code. As mundane incursion continues, covenants will become more desperate, while noblemen will become more powerful. The Quaesitores fear that some of their more-interventionist sodales may be tempted into active alliance with the French crown, or with a rebellious vassal.

During the war between Henry II and Philip II, both sides offered the magi of the Order substantial concessions in exchange for assistance. Some doubtlessly faltered, and many covenants have Dark Secrets from that period. Oleron, for example, was formally censured by the chief Quaesitor of the Stonehenge Tribunal for attempting to rescue Eleanor of Aquitaine from captivity. There would have been serious consequences if that Tribunal had been quorate at the time. Incidents like this will increase in frequency and flagrancy as the covenants of the Tribunal weaken.

The French church has become enormously wealthy in recent times. The conversion of forest into cropland, a duty of some monks, provides harvests. The need for skilled clerks to assist in the administration of the lands, homes, and courts of great nobles provides influence. Royal patronage and the increasing popularity of pilgrimages and trade have also swelled the treasuries of the church. This wealth has bought power not only in France, but also within the Church.

To small covenants in France, the rise of the Church is a terrible thing. Unlike noblemen, who are expected to spend their wealth on displays of status, the Church's members spend wealth on good works. The Church is the greatest source of industrial research in France, and servants of the Church are avid seekers of ways to make money by exploiting untapped resources. These good works extend the influence of the Church, spreading the Dominion and hastening the decline of Magic.

To the larger covenants of the Normandy Tribunal, and to covenants in other Tribunals, the rise of the French Church is an excellent opportunity. Under the cover of the larger struggle for control of the French Church between the king and pope, magi can settle their own scores with senior churchmen. The Church is not formally split along national lines, but the wealth of, and prestige demanded by, the French Church is a fracture that magi can exploit. As the French Church becomes more wealthy and powerful, its demand for a greater say in the management of the Church as a whole will become increasingly strident, and its opposition to centralist popes more severe. This favors magi, because a weak pope cannot muster the might of Christendom against the Order, but it does mean that the Order needs to keep the peace with dozens of local Church magnates.

Masks

Each of the subsections below mentions the use of disposable agents, called "masks," by magi. These are mundane agents who act on behalf of a covenant. If the magi wish to keep their involvement in a plan secret, they need only hide or kill this middleman. Agents are usually motivated by money, ideology, coercion, or the desire for excitement. The agents presented here can be used in the complex system given in Houses of Hermes: Societates, but Troupes preferring a simpler system should instead allow characters to use Intrigue rolls to demonstrate the effectiveness of the agents a character can control. For further information on the use of masks, see Chapter 3: Hermetic Culture.

Masks for Parisian Stories

Many covenants find it useful to have agents of influence within Paris. These can come from many backgrounds, because the immigrant community of Paris is so large that virtually any fictional background is supportable. The oldest covenants have French masks with legitimate ties to Parisian society. As a rough guide, the following covenants have extensive influence in the listed areas of Parisian society:

Confluensis: The covenant has a great deal of influence among the shipping companies that carry goods along the Seine. This includes much of the food supply for Paris, so these companies have political influence within the city. Some members of the law faculty of the University of Paris are also in communication with the covenant, and may help its members if asked to, although they are not formal agents.

Fudarus: The Dyer's Guild is infiltrated by agents of Fudarus. Easily recognized by their stained hands and arms, this guild is small but prosperous due to the magically enhanced dyes it can produce. Securing the loyalty of the Parisian Dyer's Guild was a major coup for Fudarus against Florum, and there is noted rivalry between the agents of these two covenants in the city.

The guildmaster, Jon Baudin, is an excellent spy due to his apparent guilelessness but keen intellect. He once answered to Daniel, a magus of House Tytalus, but Daniel died six years ago. Jon has continued to receive instructions from a mundane servant of each Fudarus faction using illusions to impersonate Daniel. Jon knows that Daniel is dead, and has deduced that he is answering to two different impersonators. He occasionally uses this to his advantage by reminding one Daniel of agreements he claims to have already made. The Daniel he is speaking to, assuming the agreement was made with the other Daniel and not wanting to break his role, often pretends to remember the agreement.

Fudarus also maintains a number of other independent agents in Paris, who are not aware of each other's alliance. Two are even partners in the same merchant business, who scheme against each other on behalf of their magical patrons, unaware that the patron is the same individual.

Eboris: The Ivory Carvers have a great deal of financial influence in the district where the covenant is placed. They are able to seek the assistance of many seedy people from that district; either those who perform crime directly, or those who profit from it. They provide patronage for many artists, some of whom have useful social connections. Byzantine émigrés see the covenant as part of their community, and occasionally pass on useful information.

Montverte: The covenant has several contacts in the Hanse Parisienne, the principal merchants' league of Paris, who profit from supplying these rich magi with many types of luxury goods. They also have sketchy contact with the eremite magus Anacron, who has in the past collaborated with them on furtive raids on the urban storehouses of some of the other covenants.

Oleron: Oleron is self-sufficient enough to not desire a presence in Paris. But on the few occasions its members have desired to cause trouble, they have been able to recruit roaming gangs of sailors, many of whom are native to the island of Oleron, to do so.

The masks of warring covenants have often clashed. Proxy battles using masks are convenient for magi. They have little immediate expense, and may distract rivals from more-significant avenues of attack. Traditionally this has meant that, in a way that seems almost random to mundane observers, sections of Parisian society would attack each other. The presence of the royal court in Paris has made such battles a risky proposition for all magi within the Order, as punishment may fall on them indiscriminately.

These disruptions, usually provoked by Tytalus magi, are now illegal because Eboris is the senex of Paris. This grants its members the right to pursue the sponsors of masks if those sponsors can be determined. Masks defend sponsors from charges of meddling with the mundanes, not of charges of depriving magi of their resources and power. Similar proxy battles still occur in other major cities and less-overt conflict in Paris remains common.

Masks for Observing and Controlling Nobles

A covenant's agent requires proximity either to the noble's person, or to the noble's activities.

Masks that are physically close to the person, like servants or family members, are able to report on the movements of the noble, who they meet, and elements of what they discuss. Some use emotional bonds to sway the nobleman on the covenant's behalf, while others use familiarity with the noble's business to seed his retinue with other masks. The sedentary court of France, fixed as it is in Paris, makes its noblemen far easier to influence with casual contacts than members of processional courts are.

Common types of masks include:

Administrators: Most great French lords are absent from their demesnes for extended periods, and the administrators they leave to maintain their interests are ripe for corruption by Hermetic magi. Many of these are churchmen.

Family Members: Most noble families have younger sons or daughters who lack real opportunities for advancement and dislike being under the lifelong control of a father or older brother. Covenants can provide them with excitement and money in exchange for petty treasons against the head of their family.

Household Servants: These include servants of all sorts, but particularly those who wait immediately upon the noble.

Mercenary Leaders: It is risky to provide direct military support to a nobleman, because if the sponsorship of the mercenary company by a covenant is discovered, then that is a definite breach of the Code. Sponsorship of mercenary companies is, however, very lucrative because the coinrich nobility of Paris need a source of manpower to be used against rebellious administrators in the provinces.

Periodic Visitors: Visitors to the noble's household like priests, tradesmen, and merchants of luxury goods. In Paris, particularly, the court's competitive opulence brings most nobles into contact with a scant handful of merchants who provide fineries, and these are excellent masks. The merchants who provide the most fashionable clothes in Paris, for example, are servants of the Covenant of Fudarus.

Procurers: Those who provide the means of vice for the noble. These include mistresses, but any noble with a Weakness flaw can be easily exploited.

Masks Within the Church

Members of the Order find masks within the Church particularly useful, because for most people the Church acts as the mediator of the one realm to which Hermetic magic is clearly inferior. House Jerbiton currently has many agents in the Church, but comparatively few in France. The House has usually focused its attention on the Greek east and the papal court in Italy, so the rapid and recent rise of the French Church has created many powerful churchmen and women who are suitable as masks or allies, but are not controlled by any House.

It is difficult for covenants to secure as masks those French churchmen who have influence in the papal court. These are few, and in recent years they have tended to be pious, or puppets of the French king. Most covenants instead allow the French king to continue weakening the papacy through his bishops, while they themselves influence the regional leaders of the Church. They are influenced by masks similar to those that are used to manipulate nobles.

Hermetic culture, particularly as practiced in Normandy, favors the strong over the weak. As the pressure on covenants increases, the weaker will become the prey of the stronger. Young covenants that falter will become the vassals of older, more-secure covenants. The cost of being a vassal will likewise increase. Ways of diminishing the pressure will appeal to many magi, and will find support at Tribunal meetings.

Vassalage

Vassalage is a system in which the weak pay the strong for protection, either from a known aggressor or from those paid the fees of vassalage. This sort of protection racket becomes even more significant when the mundane environment is increasingly hostile. As the Dominion spreads, covenants who are able to fulfill the protective function of lieges will be able to charge more for their services. Other lieges will fail, leaving their vassals at the mercy of the mundanes or in the difficult position of needing to seek a new liege. Covenants may even seek lieges from outside the Tribunal, splitting it apart.

Colonialism

Normandy's magical areas are under assault, but its most powerful covenants are still wealthy, effective, and bellicose. A coalition could form, dedicated to colonizing an area with fewer mundanes and covenants. Denmark or West Africa might lure a colonial party, but it is possible that vis-rich Tribunals might also be targeted.

Cracking of Old Wards

As magic fails across Normandy, ancient wards will fade away. These might have been placed during the Schism War to hold back the magical allies of the druids, or during the Corruption of House Tytalus to deprive them of demonic assistance. Sites that have contained powerful, subdued magical creatures for centuries are likely to have weak auras and be prime sites for colonization by spring covenants. Wards may fail individually as the Dominion rises in an affected area, or could crack in clusters as regional events cause the Dominion to spike upward briefly, then fade back to its usual level. The martyrdom of saints often has this effect, for example.

Story Seed: The Demon of Vendé

A demon is trapped in a cave, well below sea level in the cleft at the far end of one of the rocky promontories at Vendée. As the waves break and the sea surges up the cleft, his frustrated wailing can be heard and, at high tide when the wind blows strongly, he bellows loudly and shows his anger by sending great explosions of spray up over the cliffs. This demon, maddened by the seawater, is held by a ward that magi discover is Magical, rather than Divine. As the Dominion spreads to this area it will harm the demon, certainly, but not as quickly as it will corrode the ward that contains him.

The central wisdom of House Tytalus is that there is a constant struggle between one's nature and the constraints of society; the most laudable goal possible is the pursuit of that which serves self-interest. They believe that conflict is the means by which improvement is sought, and that anything that is easily won is, by necessity, of low value. With its domus magna a key player in the Hermetic landscape of the Normandy Tribunal, it is not surprising that House Tytalus forms a prominent part of the Order's membership in this Tribunal. Many naïvely assume that Fudarus is at the center of numerous convoluted plots that affect every aspect of politics in Normandy. The problem with this assumption is that it fails to take into account the fact that Tytali magi are proud, independent, and competitive; and its Primi are too busy pursuing their own feuds to coordinate any grander plots.

This is not to say that this intrigue-loving House is devoid of interest in Normandy; it is just that each individual member of the House is nurturing her own schemes, and Tytali are not good team players. Nevertheless, they occasionally find the need to work toward common goals that promote mutual self-improvement, and to do so they form clandestine organizations called cabals. The membership of a cabal is anonymous by agreement; its members meet in disguise or else not at all, employing mundane or magical correspondence instead. They may include both local and distant Tytali; it is not usual for two or more Tribunals to be represented in a cabal's membership. Cabals are formed for the tactical resolution of a specific goal, but the motive for pursuing that goal may be different for every member of the cabal. This section discusses two of the most-important cabals currently active in the Normandy Tribunal, and a third is described in the section on the Lotharingian Tribunal, above. In addition, this section details the wider ramifications of the rivalry between House Tytalus's two Primi. More information about the philosophy and culture of intrigue (including cabals) within the House can be found in Houses of Hermes: Societates, House Tytalus.

Story Seeds: Burdens of the Cart

The cabal captures a spirit of the night, but it proves to not be the Death they sought. A character who is a member of the cabal might be asked to release the spirit well away from Brittany (perhaps in another Tribunal), so it cannot exact revenge on its captors. Characters who are not members of the cabal might be in the way of this spirit once it is released.

A Tytalus maga obsessed with preventing death is the sole surviving member of her covenant; the others have succumbed to the insidious effects of her experimentation. She requests admittance to the characters' covenant, offering her old covenant's library, vis stores, and enchantments as inducement. Unfortunately, she also brings Death.

The cabal's research has surmised that the prophesied Death, when it comes, will come from the East. A long-standing opponent has fled east, and the characters "coincidentally" end up in the foreseen origin of the catastrophe. They will be questioned by the cabal upon their return.

Twelve years ago, Kybella of Tytalus (see Chapter 4: Brittany, Exspectatio) experienced a vivid vision precipitated by an episode of Wizard's Twilight in which she saw Death reaping the souls of Europe, showing no mercy to kings, bishops, commoners, and magi alike. Convinced of the truth of her vision, she instituted this cabal with an ambitious goal: to entrap Death and hold it ransom. She meant this goal quite literally, although some of those who joined her to find this cabal see the goal more metaphorically, and seek ways in which to prevent death due to diseases or the ravages of time. The other members of the cabal assume that Kybella is a member, but they never know which one she is when they gather.

Kybella and another Tytalan of her theurgist lineage have become obsessed with the Ankeu, the spirit of Death that haunts Brittany (see Chapter 4: Brittany, Ankeu). Anyone who reports hearing the creaking of Ankeu's cart can expect a visit from a member of this cabal, for they are eager to confront it and have seeded the region with agents listening for stories of the terrible spirit. They believe that by imprisoning Ankeu they can either prevent the realization of Kybella's vision, or else learn from it how to stop the visitation of another Death in the future.

Needless to say, if this cabal is actually successful in its goal, Death won't take too kindly to being tamed.

This is the most recently formed of the cabals active in the Normandy Tribunal, although most of its members are from the Stonehenge Tribunal. The goal of the cabal is to hinder the promulgation of the chivalric ideal, both in England and in France. The Welsh magus who instigated this cabal did so out of spite against William Marshal, a prominent English nobleman renowned at tourney, who led many attacks against the Welsh. The cabal holds as its central tenet that the romantic image of the knight is unhealthy to the social development of the people. Honor and justice are crutches for the morally inept. Like all cabals, they work covertly, but since this group skirts so close to contravening the Code of Hermes, they are especially cautious. Those members who are involved in mundane politics (such as "Pellinore," below) do so without magic and without revealing the existence of the Order. This might not be a valid defense if their actions are brought to Tribunal, but so far no one has raised a case against them.

The reasons for membership in this cabal vary considerably, and the methods they employ are similarly diverse. Each member of the cabal takes a pseudonym from the Arthurian cycles of stories that reflects his chosen role in the cabal. Its membership includes:

"Lancelot" is specifically opposed to the rise of the milites within House Flambeau (see Houses of Hermes: Societates. House Flambeau), a society of honor-bound knight-magi. He works against them by becoming their closest friend and most ardent supporter, seeking to outdo them in honor. He then betrays his new friend in the worse manner possible, shaking his former friend's resolve in the code of chivalry to which he has sworn himself.

"Vivian" detests faeries. She is concerned specifically that the popularity of the legends of King Arthur and his court are strengthening the fae, who thrive on such fantasies. She therefore targets the troubadours who spread

these songs, seducing them and, when their defenses are down, doing horrible things to their bodies and minds.

"Pellinore" believes himself to be descended from the real King Arthur, a tribal chieftain and magician of the Welsh, not some fanciful creation of the minstrels. He campaigns in the ecclesiastic arena, seeking to manipulate high-ranking churchmen to condemn the licentious stories and the bloodthirsty tournaments that masquerade as upholding the notion of chivalry.

Story Seeds: Challenges of the Viper

A knight who is a close friend of the covenant (perhaps even a companion) is targeted by this cabal. He faces a number of challenges that force him to choose between practical necessity and the high-minded notions of honor and justice. Only after several such encounters will the magus at the root of all these stories be uncovered.

A new minstrel arrives in the region, taking up the popular theme of King Arthur. However, the stories he sings depict the king as a buffoon and make a laughing stock of the stuffed shirts who make up his court. The heroes of his tales are the tax-paying peasants and the hard-working clergy who live good, honest lives without obeying a code of honor. The magus' disguise works a little too well, however, and he unwittingly finds himself at the head of a commoner's uprising against the local lord.

Members of the cabal who are player characters might seek to end the Hermetic Tourney. It is a parody of the chivalric ideal and for all its supposed fairness, merely ensures that the powerful stay powerful and that the weak remain in their place.

House Tytalus is currently experiencing a situation hitherto unknown in the Order; two Primi claim the right to lead the House. Any other Hermetic House in a similar situation would have undoubtedly dealt with the problem swiftly and decisively, but that is not the way of Tytalus. The condition of Primus-hood for House Tytalus is that one magus must force the others to accept his right to lead. Since neither Harpax or Buliste has achieved a decisive victory over the other, and no other contender has come forth, the House is waiting for the two Primi to sort things out between them. In the opinion of the House, both Primi have an equally valid legal right to the position, since both have defeated all challengers to earn the title. Since both candidates have rejected arbitration from outsiders, the Order is forced to sit back and watch how the situation will resolve itself, as it has no power to force a settlement outside of the Grand Tribunal.

The House has polarized into two camps: those who call themselves Decimi, who wear the tenth Primus' sigil; and the Fideli, who are loyal to Buliste's purple banner. But this choice is based on personal preference rather than on the perceived merits of the candidates. Tytali of opposing camps, when they meet, will declaim loudly the merits of their champion with unusual vehemence. Magi from other Houses who try to mediate between the parties are often left with the impression that they have been the victims of an elaborate joke.

The rivalry between Harpax and Buliste themselves is definitely not a joke, however. They pursue their two-decade-old fed with an intensity that only Tytalan siblings can achieve. Both are powerful magi trained by the same master, and have similar magical strengths and interests. Buliste, as the oldest, has the most raw power, but several unfortunate Twilight episodes (including the one that resulted in Harpax's claim) have placed constraints on her magic. The more-careful Harpax is diverse in his interests; he might lack the focus in Arts of his elder sister, but he has a wider grimoire of spells and enchantments at his disposal.

Politically, Primus Harpax is the most influential of the two when it comes to local matters within the Normandy Tribunal. He controls all the resources of Fudarus: its vis sources, its money, and most of its enchantments, as well as the physical building itself through the Rod of the Primus (see Chapter 4: Brittany, Fudarus). He has used these resources to buy the loyalty of many magi, and the Decimi are more prevalent in the Normandy Tribunal than their rivals. Prima Buliste, on the other hand, has the most influence outside of the Tribunal. House Tytalus has always derived much of its strength from networks of spies and informants, as well as mercenaries and suppliers of unusual services or goods. By controlling this network, Buliste remains at the center of Fudarus' web of power.

There are only three possible solutions to the feud between the two Primi. The first is that one of them acknowledges the superiority of the other, and withdraws his or her claim to the title. As already discussed, the two magi are at an impasse and it would require a major change in the current situation to procure a victory in this manner.

The second solution occurs following the death or disappearance of one (or both) of the Primi. The "rules of engagement" for a Tytalan feud preclude deliberate and overt acts of this nature; regardless of the underhanded tactics used by the Primi, both are members of the Order of Hermes and will not entertain any tactic that constitutes a High Crime. That is not to say that one will not place his rival in a life-threatening situation, but the contest is about superiority; it is not a Wizard's War and is unlikely to escalate into one.

The third solution occurs in the unlikely event that a third challenger succeeds in defeating both Harpax and Buliste, and claims the title of Primus for himself. This will not end the rivalry between the siblings, but it will at least place the House on a more-stable political footing, and restore the power of Fudarus in the Normandy Tribunal. There are without doubt members of the House who are more powerful than both competitors; but they seem reluctant to interfere with the feud, for these rivalries are almost a sacred institution in House Tytalus. The one thing guaranteed to cause Harpax and Buliste to set aside their feud, at least temporarily, would be the appearance of a third challenger. As strange as it seems to other Houses, they would actually work together to neutralize such a threat, jealously preserving the right to be each other's sole opponent.

There is an immediate and practical crisis point in the current feud: in a scant few years there will be a Grand Tribunal, and there is only room for one Primus of House Tytalus in the Forum of Hermes at Durenmar. Tytali can expect the feud to escalate over the next eight years as the two Primi hasten to bring their quarrel to a conclusion. Without a doubt, the magus who occupies the seat of House Tytalus at the Grand Tribunal will be demonstrating his clear superiority over his competitor.