Big Spoiler for Mainz
So back in a thread (Vis Source Location Suggestions), I suggested the forested valley of the Schwalbach as a location for two vis sources. Since I liked the location and it is close to my players' covenant I decided to include it and expand it. This is my take on a mini–Mythic Location which I'd like to share with the community.
Location:
Bad Schwalbach, near Mainz, Germany
The Vis Sources:
The amount to be collected should be adjusted to the saga power level, in my saga the location yields up to 4 pawns per year, with the two arts being the favoured arts of two of the magi in my party (the Flambeau is Ig & Co focused and the ex Misc is He & Te)
1 - Te Vis to be collected from the water. The natural springs are slightly warm but more importantly very metal rich.
Several water sources spring within walking distance of each other, along the side of a hill deep in the forest of the Taunus. The water has a strong smell of iron that some fearies might find off-putting, the water has a weaker iron taste but stings the tongue in a most abnormal way.
Drinking the water daily gives a +1 to recovery rolls from combat wounds.
Filling a cauldrons with equal amounts of these waters and boiling them repeatedly to dryness will lead to a production of 2 pawns of Terram vis per year in the form of a rust coloured cake. Alternatively, a single casting of gather the essence of Vis on the Schwalbach source itself will yield 1 pawns of Te vis shortly after each solstice, but will rob the water of its healing power for the next two seasons.
2 - Co Vis to be collected from the bog.
Slightly further up the hill, south-east from the Schwalbach water sources, one can find a peat bog. Daily bathing into the peat bog provides the bather with an usual benefit: treating results of "apparent age increases by one year" as "no effect" when rolling on the aging table for that year. There is no obvious way of collecting the vis from this source (1 pawn available starting from shortly after each solstice), aside from "Gather the essence of the Beast ". Doing so will remove the benefit of the peatbog until the next solstice or equinox, as the bog's magic is depleted. The peat from the bog maintains its properties within the whole of the Schwalbach's magical aura, but looses it once taken outside.
Inhabitants:
- The rusty brown bear
The peat bog is inhabited by a brown bear who bathes in it. Having absorbed so much vis both from the Co aligned bog but also by eating animals tainted with Te-Vis, the brown bear has become a magical creature. From the Te vis he has developed a rusty pelt (+3 soak), from the bog's Co vis he has developed the ability to turn into a human. He did not however gain the gift of speech, when not inclined to fight humans, he might simply change into the form of an aged man with abundant body hair, an unkept beard and hair all in various shades of rusty ginger to metallic grey. Locals assume that it is a weird hermit or wild man and simply give him space as he yells and roars incoherently at visitors.
Stats: as a standard bear (RoP:M,p 141), but with +3 Soak and the MuCoAn power to turn into a human (and back) for Sun duration, MM15 (2 pawns of Te in his pelt, 1 pawn of Co in his heart)
- The Rust-Red deers
The local herd of deers has, over the years, continuously drank the water of the Schwalbach despite the risk posed by the local bear, this has made them more powerful though. They have developed metallic pelts which lends their natural red a rusty metalic consistency (+3 Soak), the males of this herd also grow iron antlers (+3 damage).
Stats:
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for the main stag use the deer of Virtue (RoP:M,p 63-64 ) but with the additional ability Leadership 2 (deers), +3 Soak and +3 Damage to the Antler and Hooves attack, and without the healing power and lower might. (1 Te in each antler as well as 1 further pawn in the pelt), MM12
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Younger males and cornered adult females use the same stat line, but without the antlers, with the brawl one lower and the specialisation (hooves) though their pelts and hooves are iron/rusty and also benefit from the +3 damage/soak, and only MM 5 (1 TE in the pelt)
The deer can lead younger males to fight as a trained group of up to 3 deers, gaining either +9 attack or defence
- The Snakes of Schlangenbad & Warmbach
The local stream is a thermal one which the snakes find very pleasant (this could be a vis source, though given the large number of thermal springs in the region it can become a risky precedent).
Geography
The town of Bad Schwalbach does not exist yet , instead the valley is still forested. The easiest way to reach the area is to walk up along the Wallufbach from the Rhine for about 3 hours until the Wambacher Mill and then heading uphill North-Northwest until one hits the various streams that flow northwards into the Nesselbach/Schwalbach, a further hour or so uphill and then downhill again.
The villages of Bärstatt/Berstatt (bear town) and Schlangenbad (Snakes' bath) belong to Mainz while everything else north of the Wambacher (warm stream) mill belongs to the Graf of Katzenelbogen (and therefore to the Bishop of Wurzburg).
Rumours
Travellers can get the geographical information easily from anyone in the area, since it is no secret.
Local farmers or the miller can share rumours:
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of deers who cannot be poached (not that anyone would ever try, wink wink, nudge nudge),
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of an elusive Bear inhabiting the area of interest
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that an old hermit also lives there, but seems to be left alone by the animals
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of an unusual snake presence north west of the mill, not that the snakes are dangerous though
Consequences & Complications
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Hunting the Rust Red Deers will be tempting for players, as they contain Vis, however no roll is needed to know that this is poaching (a hangable offence) and that taking the stag would be egregious lese-majeste, since such a beast would be a prized hunting trophy for the local nobles. A mage with Enemies or similar flaws might have the enemy reveal his involvement to the local nobles even if they had taken great care to hide it: spying demons or faeries might relay the information, as would gossiping villagers to their priest and then up the heirachy... This could well sour the relationship with the Graf of Katzenelbogen or the Archbishop of Mainz, or both. While the Graf Dieter of Katzenelbogen might be placated with magical items or help as restitution, what can the magi offer an already powerful Archbishop Siegfried of Eppstein?
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The snake population is kept in check by the magical Rust Red Deers, though should the party over hunt the deers this could lead to a snake population boom and in turn lead into something akin to the Antagonists' plot-line of the Waime (Antagonists, p133+). Even if that full plot-line is not followed, a snake could migrate from Schlangenbad to the now free to use sources and peat bogs and gradually develop into iron scaled, human-limbed Lindwurm.
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Discord within the Covenant: depending on the location and how the players secured their Covenant, they could very well end up recruiting both former Wolf hunters from the count of Nassau and former poachers turned tax-collectors who worked for Robert. While the two sets of grogs have the right skill-set for poaching, they might have differing views on the course to take which could lead to dissention between grogs and with the magi.
Note:
I have not run this location yet but have been preparing it for my party.