Contents

Credits

Contents

Introduction
Planning for Long Sagas
 Saga Speed
  To the Future
 Saga Style
 Future Events

The Fourth Estate
 The Four Estates
 The State of the World
Transformation
 The End State
  The Moral Authority
  Rights of the Fourth Estate
  Obligations & Responsibilities
 Why the Order Would Want to Change
 The World on Hermetic Terms
 What Prevents the Order from Bettering the World?
How to Bring About Change
 The Process of Change
 Leveraging Hooks, Boons, & Story Flaws
  Covenant Hooks and Boons
  Character Story Flaws
 A Growing Awareness
 The Tribunal
  Building Support Before the Tribunal
  Supporting Test Cases
  Clarifying the Peripheral Code
  Mundane Testimony
  Local Customs
  Foreign Tribunals
  House Politics
 The Grand Tribunal
  In Favor of Change
  Against the Change
  Undecided
How Politics Affects Change
 Mundane Allies & Enemies
  Kings and Nobles
  The Church
  Gaining the Support of the Pope
  Using Guilds as a Model
  A New Breed of Craftsman
 The Supernatural Realms
  Service, Tribute, & Fosterage
 Rivals Outside the Order
The Tools of Politics
 Writing and Responding to Polemic
  Polemic
  Diatribe
  Apologia
  The Prevailing Wisdom
  Winning the Argument
  Circulating the Text
  The Argument Total
  Responding with Diatribe
  Responding with Apologia
  Taking the Debate to Tribunal
 Charters
  Optional Rule: Charter Strength
  Grants of Land
  Charters of Rights & Obligations
  Examples of Charters
Using Magic for Political Leverage
 Health and Pestilence
  The Care of the Sick
  Living Conditions
  Longevity Effects
 Harvests and Livestock
  Protecting Livestock From Predators
 Castles and Cathedrals
  Aegis of the Hearth
 Peace and Governance
  Truth and Justice
  Binding Agreements
  Inheritance
 Protection from Invasion
Stories of the Fourth Estate
 Interest From Other Magical Traditions
  Hostility
  Cessation of Hostility
 The World of Academia
 Mundane Engagement
  Responsibilities
 The Old Guard
 A New Kind of Politics
Similar Kinds of Change
 Spread Understanding of the Supernatural World
 Work Within the Church
 Use Gifted Proxies
 The World Changes
 Around the Order
 Taking the Lonely Stand
Opposing Integration
 A Change for the Worse
 Running Stories on the Verge of Change
  The Example of the Normandy Tribunal
Conclusion

The Island of the Magicians
Construction: Earth Jacketed in Stone
 Outer Wall Shapes
  Open Ended Cylinder
  Tall Empty Cylinder
  Open Ended Rectangular Prism
  Solid Stone Cylinder
  Ablative Slope
 Ornamentation
  Fortified Wall
  Sea Gates and Docks
  Statuary
 Wall Materials Other Than Stone
  Base Metals
  Noble Metals
  Unnatural Stones
  Biological Substances
 Backfilling the Enclosed Space
  Stealing a Rock
  Dirt, With a Layer of Topsoil
  Clay
  Stone
  Cisterns
  Rooms and Utility Spaces
 Surface Structures
  Road Works
  Creating Houses & Other Buildings
  Water Works
 Surface Life
  Creating Fields and Forests
 How Many Peasants Are Needed?
  Animal Life
Mystical Features
 Auras
  Natural Beauty
  Ancient Structures
  The Residue of Great Magic
  The Lair of Great Magical Creatures
 Lack Of Vis
  Trade
  The Surrounding Seas
  The Deeps
  First Faeries
 Ritual Wards and Other Boundary Spells
  Other Boundary Spells
Location: The North Sea
 Comparatively Shallow
  Story Ideas for the Shallow Sea
 Surrounded by Turbulent Kingdoms
 Picking a Nobleman as King
  Frederick II, The Holy Roman Emperor
  Isabella II, Queen of Jerusalem
  Philip Augustus of France
  Richard, Duke of Cornwall
  Valdemar II of Denmark
  William Longespée (Longsword), Earl of Salisbury
  Patrick, Count of Dunbar
  Jon Haraldsson, Moramor of Caithness and Earl of Orkney
 Does it Need to be a King?
 Hermetic Borderland
 Theological Matters
  A New And Strange Saint?
 The Eye of Hell
 Three Demons & their Retinues
  Rumael, The False Neptune
  Neqael, The Lady of the Purple Bower, Corrupter of Lyonesse
  The Red Knight of Ys: Bringer of Requested Inundations
 Other Faiths
 A Boom in People and Trade
Alternative Locations
 The Atlantic Ocean
 The Baltic Sea
 The Black Sea
 The Mediterranean
 A Floating Island

Magic as Technology
Scrying as a Means of Correspondence
 Remote Writing
 Example Device: Quills of Arcane Correspondence
  Description
  Twinning the Quill
 Example Device: The Unsubtle Knife
  Description
  The Writing on the Wall
 Clairvoyance & Clairaudience
 Example Device: Earring of Whispering Voices
  Description
  A Signal of Intent
  The Ear for a Distant Voice
 Example Device: The Hermetic Speculum
  Description
  Summoning the Image of the Distant
  The Scrier Spied
 Example Device: The Effigy of the Errant Image
  Description
  The Wandering Eidolon
 “I Will Not Use Magic to Scry...”
 Why it May Not Work: Lack of Penetration
 Societal Impacts
  Saga Seed: A Scrying Society
The Copying of a Book
 Limitations of Hermetic Theory
  There is No Art that Covers Knowledge
  Magic Can Neither Read Nor Understand
 Copying a Single Page
  The First Furrow Guides the Second
  The Copyist’s Puissant Quill
 Copying an Entire Book
  Resonances
  Binding
 Example Device: The Superb Scrinium
  Description
  The First Furrow Guides the Second
  The Lector’s Deft Hand
  The Copyist’s Puissant Quill
  Stack the Decorated Page
  Binding the Mundane Codex
 Copying Laboratory Texts
 The Order’s Response
  Detractors
  Neutral Parties
  Proponents
 Why it May Not Work: The Cow and Calf Oath
 An Erudite Society
  A Guild of Scribes
  Increased Knowledge
Travel in the Blink of an Eye
 New Spells for Instant Travel
  Bring the Herd to Market
  A Bridge Without Wood
  The Messenger’s Shortcut
  The Mobile Infantry
  The Instant Harvest
  Rapacious Hand of the Highwayman
  Portage of the Eagles
  Impede the Impertinent Interloper
 Example Device: The Gate of Countless Vistas
  Description
  The Longest Step Made Short
 Example Device: Phylactery of the Cautious Maga
  Description
  Acquire the Connection
  Flee to Safe Refuge
  Summoning the Distant Image
 New Spells for Very Fast Travel
  Mercury’s Winged Sandals
  Woolen Steed of Araby
  Vessel of the Clouds
  The Chariot of Zeus
  Form of the Zephyr
 Warping Gained from Instant Transportation
 Why it May Not Work: A Prohibitive Cost
 Societal Impacts of Magical Transportation
  Transport of Goods
  Transport of People
  Saga Seed: Public Portals and Medieval Tourists
Creating Wealth With Magic
 A Cashless Economy
  Flooding the Market
 Example Device: Potent Salts
  Description
  Alchemical Separation of Brine
 Example Device: The Garland of Prosperous Harvests
  Description
  A Harvest of Figs
  Nourish the Displaced Vines
 Reducing Covenant Costs
  Fill the Capacious Silo
  Work of a Hundred Querns
  The Elfin Baker
  Storage and Life of Magically-Created Grain
  Consequences of Relying on Magic to Meet One’s Costs
 Societal Impacts of the Creation of Wealth
  Saga Seed: Hermes Mercatorius & Hermes Furis
 Why it May Not Work: The Silver Consensus
  The Principles of the Silver Consensus
  Enforcing the Silver Consensus
Other Examples of Magical Technology
 Mechanical Power
  The Impact of Magical Power Generation
 Warfare and Weapons
 Medicine
 Further Ideas for Magical Technology
Technology’s Transformative Nature
 Medieval Concepts of Technology
The Magus as Inventor
 Why Should a Magus Pursue Invention?
  Wealth
  Fame
  Influence
  Social Change
 Manufacturing
  Charged Items
  A Hermetic Workforce
 The Sale of Enchantments
 Why Hasn’t This Happened Already?
  No-One Thought of it Before
  It Didn’t Catch On
  Insufficient Supply
  The Order Lacks a Single Voice
Magic as an Agent of Social Change
 Social Consequences
  I Want One
  The Devil Makes Work for Idle Hands
  Economic Effects
  Disenfranchisement
 Non-Hermetic Inventors
  Crafters of Wondrous Items
  The Rusticani
  Learned Magicians
  Alchemists
  The Augustan Brotherhood
  Mechanicians
The Process of Transforming Mythic Europe
 Prerequisites for Change
  Vis
  Magical Engineers
  Breakthroughs in Magic Theory
 Early Adoption
 Acceptance and Spread
 Widespread Integration
 Saga Seed: A Transformed Mythic Europe
  Armatura & Lanificaria: Manufacture
  Navigatio & Theatrica: Transport and Communication
  Agricultura, Venatoria & Medicina: Environmental Technology
  A New World Order of Hermes
  The Enemy

List of Inserts

Assumptions about Mythic Europe
Using Antagonists with this Chapter
Optional Guideline: The Cost of Breaking Convention
The Provision of Laboratory Texts
The Process in Brief
A Life’s Work
Story Seed: Charges in a Foreign Court
Story Seed: The King’s Favorite
Story Seed: The Proctor of Hermes
Like Father, Like Son
Prevailing Wisdom Table
Correspondences and Other Texts
Example Polemical Texts
Story Seed: Works of Sedition
Winning the Argument Outline
Example Polemic, Diatribe, and Apologia
Austerius Trianomae, the Opponent of Change
Story Seed: The Missing Letters
Story Seed: Interception
Protinus Velox of Verditius, Supporter of Change
Story Seed: Oath or Contract
Military Service and Wizard War
Realm Aligned Spells and Other Techniques
Warping While Under Constant Magical Effects
Longevity Story Seeds
Can Magi Really Heal Lepers?
Story Seed: Who Will Rid Me of this Troublesome Magus?
Story Seed: The Disagreement of Kings
Story Seed: The Gifted Student
Simple Spells to Create Permanent Walls
A Note on the Columbae
Maximum Magnitudes Due to Complexity
Story Seed: Attack of the Giant Magical Snails
A Basic Quote
Story Seeds: Acquiring Ancient Structures
Story Seeds: Stolen Things of Natural Beauty
Story Seeds for the Residue of Great Magic
Dexithea: a Telechine
An Aspect of Phorcys
Story Seed: A Spare Farthing
Story Seeds: Faerie Kings
Manannan Mac Lir
Manannan Mac Lir cont.
Treasures of Manannan
Tursus
Auvekoejaks
Strategies For Players Feeling Swamped By Choice
Story Seed: Faerie Tribes
Elemental Spirit of the Waves
Story Seeds For Turbulent Kingdoms
Story Seed: The Coronation
Story Seeds for the Hermetic Borderland
Story Seeds for Theological Matters
A Note on The Powers of Demons
A Note on Tainted Vis
The Wicked Boys of the Third Square
The Mavens of Etiquette in the Court of the Purple Bower
Story Seeds: Has Someone Else Done This Before?
Saga Seed: Tartessos Emerges
Story Seed: Earlier Floating Islands
Story Seed: Inappropriate Use
I’m Sorry, Your Call Could Not Be Arcanely Connected
A Desire for Privacy
Story Seed: Peeping Tom
Rego Craft Magic
Quality Remaining After Copying
Discovering Mistakes
Optional Rule: Hazardous Laboratory Texts
Optional Rule: No Magical Copying of Laboratory Texts
Rules for a Large Library
Optional Rule: Limits on Instant Transportation
New Guidelines for Instant Transportation
What About The Hermes’ Portal?
Plaustrum Pertinax
Direct Creation of Wealth
Story Seeds: Precious Goods
Technological Cost Saving
Enchantments are Arcane Connections
Story Seed: Foreshadowing
Luddites and Saboteurs
Inanis
The Other Houses