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Covenant Background Prospectus Locus is a covenant located in Eastern Spain, along the Ebro River. It has traditionally sided with the Moors but recent events have caused it to take a more neutral stance. In 1213, as the campaign begins, the covenant's membership has been nearly destroyed, and the covenant has begun to seek out new members. Note: All covenant stats are from mid-1213, at the campaign's inception. CHARACTERISTICS
HISTORY A LEGEND, A DREAM, AND A LIE The Flambeau of the early twelfth century believed in a dream rooted in a legend wrapped in a lie. This belief had great impact on the entire Order, but nowhere was it as central as in the Iberian Tribunal. The legend told of how Flambeau single-handedly forged an empire in Iberia in the name of the Order. It described his early battles against the hedge wizards of that peninsula; lauded his creation of Val-negra; listed the many apprentices he trained; and sorrowed over his eventual death. But, though Flambeau passed from the world, the Iberian Tribunal was inherited by his children, and they ruled over it wisely for many years. Then, in 1096, the Flambeau were betrayed. At the Grand Tribunal of that year House Jerbiton conspired to redefine the political boundaries of the Order, and suddenly Val-negra, the gem of Iberia, became part of Provencal. Iberia was lost to the Flambeau and Val-negra began its long fall to Winter. The dream suggested that Flambeau magi might reclaim the Iberian Tribunal for themselves. In the decade after 1096 it was just a wistful thought but as a new generation of magi came to power, one who had not drunk the bitter dregs of 1096, that wistful thought became a true dream, and like all dreams it had power. The lie was one of self-delusion, a truth that the Flambeau of the early 12th century refused to recognize. The truth they could not accept was as simple as this: The World Had Changed. Flambeau lived in a vast, empty world. Magi of Hermes were few, and so he could put his stamp upon an entire Tribunal, and it could truly be his. But in the three centuries that had followed the world had grown smaller. The carefully calculated movement of Val-negra was an effect, not a cause; Iberia had already been lost to the Flambeau, filled by a new and vibrant life. THREE DREAMERS, A SHATTERED DREAM Calefacto de Aquitaine and Isabel completed their apprenticeship at Doissetep in Provencal in 1139. There was no place for them in their home covenant so, like many Flambeau of their generation, they decided to follow The Dream to Iberia. In Iberia Calefacto and Isabel sought out a young magus named Rasus. He had visited Doissestep some five years previous, speaking of his plans to retake Iberia. Though young he had been charismatic, his words bespeaking the driving emotions that whirled within him. Even surrounded by the splendors of Doissestep, Calefacto and Isabel had been moved by his words. They found Rasus in Jaferiya, a covenant in Leon. He had already gained great power in that covenant, and had gathered around him half-a-dozen young Flambeau. When Rasus saw the two young magi from Doissetep he greeted them by name, despite the brevity of their previous meeting and the time elapsed since. Calefacto and Isabel were won over once more by Rasus, and with his support they joined the covenant of Jaferiya. But, Calefacto and Isabel were not solely two Flambeau seeking to burn their mark into the world, they were also two young lovers, and so they saw the world differently than some of their fellows. When Rasus spoke of burning away the Moorish pestilence that had fallen over Iberia, razing their buildings, and blasting the ground until it was as if they had never been, Calefacto and Isabel remembered the beauty, the wisdom, and the knowledge that they had seen on the southern plateau. For a full year they were divided between loyalty to house Flambeau and to their own humanity. In the end their goodness won out; they left Jaferiya during the night without a word. THREE FRIENDS, DREAMS BORN ANEW For months Calefacto and Isabel wandered Iberia aimlessly. Word of their betrayal had spread, and so they were shunned by the Flambeau of the Tribunal. It was not until they came one day to the Delta del Ebro that a new dream was born. Calefacto and Isabel had come to the delta seeking magic, following word of a Mercurian Temple that was situated upon an old Celtic cranog in the area. They had found the cranog, easily distinguished by an ancient tower that rose from its center, but the only ruins there were those of a crude Visigothic fortress. If a Mercurian Temple had once stood on the island in the Delta del Ebro it was buried deep. However, the trip was not wasted, for Calefacto and Isabel both fell in love with the beauty of the area. When Calefacto discovered that the island had a minor magic aura the die was cast: they would form a covenant here. But, Calefacto and Isabel knew that they could not accomplish this task alone. Calefacto called upon his brother, Aubrin of Merinita. Their familial ties had always been strong. In 1141 Aubrin arrived in Iberia. He praised the beauty of the delta, and agreed to help his brother form his covenant. The three friends had three years to prepare, before they made their claim at the tribunal of 1144. Calefacto and Isabel had made many enemies when they abandoned Jaferiya, but much to their surprise they had made friends as well. For three years Isabel used threats, Calefacto used guile, and Aubrin used political wiles to insure that a majority of Iberian magi would vote to accept the covenant. During this period Aubrin also managed to secure legal title to the covenant's land, taking advantage of unrest within the Aragon nobility to plant a forged land grant. Since then the covenant has paid the crown of Aragon 25 pounds of silver every year, and no ruler has questioned the grant supposedly made by one of his ancestors. Finally, 1144 arrived, and all of the trio's preparation was put to the test. The new covenant, now officially named Prospectus Locus, was accepted--barely. IDLE YEARS For a time after that the covenants of Iberia courted Prospectus Locus. The Roman covenants thought that Prospectus Locus would join them immediately; they were surprised to be rebuffed. The Reconquista covenants had little hope of changing the ways of Prospectus Locus, but they tried anyway; as they expected they failed. The neutral covenants naturally thought they had won Prospectus Locus to their side; they were told the three magi just wanted to be left alone. This is not to say Prospectus Locus did not take a side in the battles between Moors and Christians. They did, often helping the Moors in a defensive capacity, working to save their arts, their books, and their other treasures. Between 1144 and 1194 the magi of Prospectus Locus were engaged in at least 50 skirmishes, always on the side of the Moors, but they refused to enter into the political bickerings of the Tribunal. Prospectus Locus grew in those years, but only slowly. Its emphasis on Moorish culture instead of Hermetic magic--as well as the poor labs and library that this resulted in--discouraged many a potential candidate for membership. Still, the covenant's membership grew slowly. The covenant's fourth member, Simon Ex Miscellanea, proved to be a spy for Interritus, the most powerful Flambeau covenant of the time. He joined in 1142 and was asked to leave in 1148. The covenant's fifth member fared no better. Cuneus of Bonisagus joined in 1152 and left in 1158, disgusted by the covenant's facilities. It was not until 1155 that Prospectus Locus' fortunes began to look up. In that year Tarratus of Tytalus joined. Drake of Bjornaer and Iuxta Ex Miscellanea followed ten years later, then Lignatora of Merinita in 1173. Addictus of Tytalus, Tarratus' first apprentice, was made a full magus in 1174, and he decided to remain at the covenant, the first and only member of the covenant's second generation. 1175 brought tragedy with the death of Lignatora in a minor skirmish against the Christians, but the covenant continued on. Ignisa Lamina of Flambeau joined in 1188, then there was another death. Iuxta Ex Miscellanea passed on mysteriously in 1192. In 1194, at the covenant's fiftieth anniversary, Prospectus Locus had seven members. The future looked bright. YEARS OF BATTLE By the start of 1195 several of the Flambeau and Tytalus of Prospectus Locus--Calefacto, Isabel, Tarratus, and Ignisa Lamina--had grown increasingly militant. They were tired of watching the Moors fight a losing battle, and were ready to take a much more proactive role in the conflict. Isabel declared that they must draw a line, and she choose to draw it at Alarcos, south of Toledo. That summer the Christian army moved south on Alarcos, as everyone had known they would. Six magi of Prospectus Locus, all but Drake, moved north with the Moorish army to oppose them. They were surprised to find many magi of Jaferiya marching alongside their enemies, Rasus at their lead. "This was inevitable from the night we fled Jaferiya," Isabel declared, and the battle was begun. In blatant disregard for the Hermetic code powerful magics blazed on both sides. The battle lasted long hours, through the day and into the night. By the time it was done the battlefield was barren. The Christians were badly hurt, but the Moors were in full retreat. It was Aubrin who discovered how much the battle had cost them, when he turned over a woman's blackened body and discovered it was Isabel. For twelve years after that Calefacto battled the Christian Crusaders with a maniacal, almost insane, zeal. He pressed them as he never had before, uncaring of the consequences. Several times Quaesitors came to investigate him, but they always pronounced a verdict of not guilty and left fearing for their lives. And, the covenant continued to grow. Forticulus of Flambeau joined in 1200, and Shlachten of Flambeau joined in 1205, both inspired by the stories of Calefacto's valor. Then, in 1207, there came an event that shook the entire Tribunal. The magi of Jaferiya, friends of priests and crusaders alike, were revealed to be the darkest diabolists. With flames, smoke, and destructive magic the magi of Jaferiya managed to escape their just fate. The covenant of Jaferiya was disbanded, but its inhabitants had become the Shadow Flambeau. Ignisa Lamina died during the Tribunal of 1207, trying to prevent the Shadow Flambeau's escape. For the last five years of his life Calefacto had a new purpose: the lawful destruction of the Shadow Flambeau who had caused the death of his only love. He led the militant magi of Prospectus Locus in this task: Tarratus of Tytalus, Addictus of Tytalus, Forticulus of Flambeau, and Shlacthen of Flambeau. Only Aubrin and Drake remained aloof, both weary of the years of violence. The five warriors of Prospectus Locus joined the Archmage Karandos and helped bring two Shadow Flambeau to justice in the cataclysmic battle of 1208 on the plains east of Toledo. Shortly therafter one final magus joined the covnenant. Centerin of Tremere was eager to help hunt for the Shadow Flambeau. In 1212 Calefacto learned that Rasus was leading an army of Christians south at Las Navas de Tolosa. After gathering a huge store of vis, Calefacto brought his five allies to support the Moorish army south of Toledo and prepared to face his great enemies one last time. Rasus' diabolic powers had grown vaster than anyone had suspected, and he was able to cast a cloak of fog over the Christian army, allowing them to attack by surprise. The battle was horrendous. Rasus and the four remaining Shadow Flambeau did all they could to insure that none escaped to tell the tale of the battle. Somehow Forticulus of Tytalus survived and escaped. He had seen both Calefacto and Taratus struck down with his own eyes, and had little hope that the others--Addictus, Shlacthen, and Centerin--had survived. He searched the battlefield for three long days but found no bodies. Finally he returned to Prospectus Locus with his tale of woe. AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE Though greatly saddened Aubrin and Drake were not surprised by Forticulus' tale. It had only been a matter of time. Instead of dwelling on the past they began to look toward the future. The covenant of Prospectus Locus faced two dangers. The lesser of the two was, surprisingly, the Shadow Flambeau. These rogues had killed nearly 50 magi and destroyed two small covenants, but Aubrin did not fear them. They had shown little interest in the east coast and were unlikely to assault Prospectus Locus unless provoked--an increasingly unlikely prospect. The greater danger came from old political enemies in the Tribunal, chief among them Interritus, one of the covenant's oldest foes, substantially decreased in power since the rise of Barcelona, but still a threat. Unchecked at the Tribunal of 1214 Interritus might force the dissolution of Prospectus Locus, and there were a mere three sigils to protect it. In 1213 Aubrin put out a unique call for magi, offering the full benefits of membership in Prospectus Locus with but one demand: that sigils be offered without question for use in the Tribunal of 1214. Many magi were eager to take advantage of the offer. SITE Prospectus Locus is located on an island in the Delta del Ebro, where the Ebro River widens to form a lake. It lies near the east side of the river; a man can wade to the shore on that side with the water never rising higher than waist-deep. There is deep water to the other sides of the island, and the covenant maintains a stone boat deck to the west. In the summer the water level of the river drops and a ridge of land rises up west of the island, forming a lake about the island. At the same time a causeway rises to the east, running from the island to the shore. These conditions last for one to two month's time. The covenant lies near two major trade-routes, the one down the river Ebro, and the other along the old Roman road between Barcelona and Valencia. The covenant grows much of its food within the covenant: primarily rice and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Additional goods come from several villages within a half day's journey; Sarragossa, which lies a day's travel up the Ebro; and the two cities of Barcelona and Valencia, each about two days away. One of the nearby villages is just across the delta from the covenant, no more than an hour's walk. It has many stone buildings and the remains of a Roman ampitheater. In summer there is a fair in the village, and many of our craftsfolk attend to sell their surplus wares. ACCESS
20% of goods within half a day's journey 20% of goods within a day's journey 20% of goods within two day's journey SECLUSION
ENVIRONMENT
BUILDINGS The most impressive building at Prospectus Locus is the old tower, which predates the covenant. It is now five stories high, though it once was higher. The bottom floor is for storage, the second floor is for the officers of the grogs, and the top three floors contains the labs of the surviving magi: Aubrin (5), Drake (4), and Forticulus (3). Six additional labs stand within the walls of the covenant. The old lab that Calefacto once used, marked by dark, blackened ground, lies just outside the covenant walls. Also within the walls are a number of a structures that would make most magi of the Order weep with envy, including a reconstructed Roman bathouse and a great feasting hall. The furnace room of the bath house has been broken open, to also supply the kitchen with heat. A gossiping fire elemntal lives within, though it must be constantly fed with logs just like any other fire. There is room for 20 specialists and 100 grogs within the covenant. All accomidations, for magi and mundanes alike, are of excellent quality, featuring plumbing, good drainage, internal bathrooms, and a little stained glass. An escape tunnel also lies within the covenant walls, leading out to the stone dock where the covenant's boat is typically docked. SIZE
QUALITY
REPAIR
DEFENSES Lying on an island the covenant is well protected. The only easy approach is across the shallow channel to the east. A solid wall surrounds the covenant, warded by a sturdy gatehouse, facing south. SITE
EXTENT
REPAIR
STORES The covenant is in debt due to Calefacto borrowing heavily for that final battle in 1212. Vis is owed to both Roman covenants, several neutral covenants, and also a scattering of covenants in the Provencal tribunal. At least 10 pawns of vis must be paid every year or additional debts will accrue. Calefacto's maniacal actions between 1195 and 1207 earned the entire covenant a bad reputation within the order. It is said to be made up of troublemakers and suspected code-breakers as well. The covenant has always had poor relations with the church, who sees it as a leftover from pagan days. Rumors that members of the covenant have helped Moors has only made this worse. The local lord simply believes the covenant to be composed of commoners who rose above their station. Conversely the moors of Southern Iberia remember Prospectus Locus fondly for the help that Calefacto offered them. VIS STOCKS
SUPPLIES
REPUTATION
RELATIONS The covnenant's oldest ally is Anna, the faerie in the lake. She gifted the magi with a magic trellis when they first settled on the island, and has been a good friend since. She will help when asked, though she is wary of the grogs with their iron weapons. Rumors says that Anna has a sister named Natasha, but she is rarely seen. Unfortunately the covenant has many enemies. Interritus is the worst. It is a Flambeau-dominated covenant nestled at the foot of the Pyrenees. At one time it was the most powerful covenant in the tribunal, the home of the Praeco of the Tribunal. With the death of that Praeco and the rise of Barcelona, it has descended in power greatly, though Tribunals are still held there. Its hatred of Prospectus Locus is due to the old betrayal of Jaferiya by Calefacto and Isabel. Depsite the fact the Calefacto and Isabel are dead, Jaferiya has been disbanded, and its remaining magi are all cast out from the order, Interritus' old vendetta goes on. Abbot Costello is a new enemy. He is the head of a monastery founded upon the site of the martyrdom of Saint Odo. The monastery is currently in its final stages of construction, and Costello has not yet expressed ill will toward the covenant, but that will soon change. Finally, Prospectus Locus has also made enemies of a lone wolf Flambeau by the name of Intentio. He once loved Ignisa Lamina and blames the covenant for her death. Prospectus Locus' contacts are all bad. Unknown to anyone at the covenant, one of the coven folk is a spy, reporting information to Interritus. Fortunately this coven folk has no access to councils or other private meetings. Prospectus Locus has had its own spy, Raul, a knight among the Christian armies. Unfortunately, he is incompetent, and his information has typically gotten the magi of the covenant into trouble; however, the knight has gotten lucky enough to provide the occasional snippet of good information, hiding his total ineptitude. Raul also owns a small herd of sheep, and some land, and occasionally peddles wool. ALLIES
ENEMIES
CONTACTS
IMPROVEMENT Aubrin's skilled management, the yearly fair, and the availability of natural resources has caused Prospectus Locus to prosper financially; it shows a 50 pound silver surplus every year. Despite the generally weak magic of the area Prospectus Locus has managed to gather 20 pawns of renewable vis resources over the years. A full 11 pawns of vis come from the covenant's garden. A FAERIE TRELLIS that presently has roses growing on it is the center piece of the garden. The Magi can harvest 2 pawns per season from the roses: 2 Terram in winter, 2 Intellego in spring, 2 Herbam in summer, and 2 Vim in autumn. The trellis was a gift to the covenant from the faerie in the lake when she first befriended the Magi. It's made of a very hard and resilient faerie wood. Its resilience was discovered in 1148, when it came a little too close to a conflict between Calefacto and Simon. It withstood a pilum of flame, but the plants growing in it did not, and that was how the covenant learned that the trellis, not the plant, was the actual source of vis. Each new plant, however, does change the type of vis. As a result, at times when the covenant stores became too rich in one flavor, they ripped up the plants and grew something different. The restrictions are: a total of 8 pawns a year, and the type of vis is unpredictable beforehand; it has to be a climbing plant; and if something new is planted it requires a full year before it can begin to produce vis. The trellis is six feet wide and is in an arch twenty feet long and twelve feet high. The Magi have a garden table set under it, where Aubrin and Drake like to have their morning meal. SEVERAL SUNFLOWERS also grow in the garden. At the end of the growing season (Fall), they can be harvested for a total of 1 pawn of Ignem, 1 of Auram, and 1 of Creo. Originally they were brought to the Covenant by Lignatora of Merinita, and with her death they became Covenant property. The flowers are a distinct breed, and increasing the number grown doesn't increase the vis. If only one flower is grown, it will still yield three pawns. The greater the number of flowers, the more the vis will be spread out amoung the crop, but they still only produce three pawns. The covenant keeps a small garden of the subflowers growing, enough to supply an ample amount of seed for next year, and enough to ensure if a flower or two dies they won't lose vis. The Covenant is very protective of its sunflowers, because Lignatora once had a vision that one day her sunflowers would cover all of Iberia, so that no one would ever again be able to collect enough to obtain even one pawn of vis. The remaining 9 pawns comes from nearby lands. THE RUINS OF A SMALL HOUSE lie in a wood just upstream of the delta. It is not much more than four stones on top of each other at any one place. This was once the home of a Moorish hedge wizard, killed by Flambeau long ago. As the story goes, he went out with a bang, some say in a violent final strike, others say in a terrible botch. The end result is that the place now has an eeriness about it, that serves to frighten away mundanes. After the founding of the Covenant, Isabel was fascinated with this place and spent much time studying it. After three years she realized that if she built a fire in the ruins on Samhain she could harvest vis from the fire itself. Later experimentation showed olivewood produce the best results, namely, 2 pawns of Ignem, 2 pawns of Rego. FOURTEEN MILES OUT TO SEA is a spot the convent has recorded on its nautical maps. It was first discovered by Drake, who came to know the ocean floor near the Covenant as thoroughly as his fellow Magi knew the surrounding lands. This is how he came to find what the Covenant came to call the "Sunken Vim", a ship in pieces on the ocean floor. Every year on the Ides of March, the bits and pieces of the ship come together, the crew seems to reappear, and they become involved in some great sea battle, all the while remaining at the bottom of the sea. Every year the Magi of the Covenant gather down current to watch and to gather vis from the water. They watch the ghostly crew fight, they see the ship roll as if on the surface, they see the ship split as if rammed, they see the crew drown yet again, and they gather 1 pawn of Perdo, 2 pawns of Aquam, and 2 pawns of Imagonem. The covenant is currently rather empty, because of the number of magi and grogs that died in 1212. They are currently 3 magi--Aubrin, Drake, and Forticulus--and 12 fighting men. INCOME
VIS SUPPLY
INHABITANTS
LIBRARY Prospectus Locus has a mediocre library of hermetic books (given its age), but has quite a respectable collection of mundane books. HERMETIC BOOKS: ARTS Summae = 350 points
Libri Quaestinonum = 52 points In 06 (q7); written by Cuneus of Bonisagus Ig 03 (q7); written by Calefacto of Flambeau Tractatus = 48 points Co (q2) - Eyes of the Cat; written by Tarratus of Tytalus HERMETIC BOOKS: SPELLS ReAq20 - Break the Oncoming Wave; written by Aubrin of Merinita CrAu20 - Jupiter's Resounding Blow; written by Ignisa Lamina MuCo10 - Eyes of the Cat; written by Tarratus of Tytalus CrHe40 - Wall of Thorns; found by covenant CrIg30 - Flash of the Scarlet Flames; written by Isabel of Flambeau ReIm20 - Wizard's Sidestep; purchased by covenant MuMe30 - Emotion of Reversed Intent; written by Addictus of Tytalus MuTe20 - Object of Increased Size; written by Tarratus of Tytalus InVi10 - Sense the Nature of Vis; written by Cuneus of Bonisagus MUNDANE BOOKS Church Lore (summa, Latin, L3, q5), "The Old and New Testaments" SPELLS
HERMETIC BOOKS
MUNDANE BOOKS
MYSTICAL ATTRIBUTES The covenant's mystical attributes are fairly poor. Past covenant members have had other priorities. The aura is a meager second rank, as it was when the covenant was founded. All labs are slightly substandard (-1), though the three in the tower have a nice view. The only magic items at the covenant were discovered during past expeditions. Sitting just outside the tower is a statue of Ebro, the river goddess. It is enchanted to prevent the island from ever flooding the island (ReAq40 +5 for constant use). The statue has been on the island longer than the covenant. Hanging from the inside roof of the council room is an oddly-shaped green stone which was discovered in a faerie cave decades ago. It always glows as Lamp Without Flame (CrIg20 +5 for constant use). AURA
MAGICAL ITEMS
LABORATORIES
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