Just PM me with a rough description, and I'll go from that--or I can figure it out once Viola has explored the place(s) in question.
Scott
I would opt for the city because I think it's mostly another interesting thing to have around.
As for the other things, I like Unnatural Law and Cavalry, both also for their potential story value that doesn't really have to actualize if not needed.
I'm fine with the health, and don't really have a preference with respect to the money source.
I tried thinking about other boons and even read all of them in the covenant book, but couldn't really come up with anything good. I've never designed a covenant, so this is all a bit beyond me.
Kipchuk cavalry sound good (although given the previous information about the destroyers of the last covenant apparently being Kipchuk raiders, and having insider help, may have a slightly bumpy start).
Hidden resources are always nice.
Unnatural law I'm less keen on - I'd prefer not to have our basic covenant become too fantastic (yes, I know, we're a group of magi living in haunted roman ruins, but un-natural law seems to me to be taking a step further beyond that).
I think I'd prefer the covenant to at least grow to be self-supporting. Given where we are, trade (probably via Azov), fishing and possibly tolls if we dredge the river seem to be options, although the latter could cause us mundane problems. Also farming, of course. I haven't really got a preference between multiple income sources and a single big source. I'll note that Gregorius isn't going to want to spend massive amounts of time managing money-making projects, which as he's the only gently-gifted member of the covenant may be relevant.
I'd prefer just running the adventure and letting someone else handle the description.
Also, not a big fan of being too close to cities, generally, but with so many gently gifted it's probably a good choice.
I think it's actually just Gregorius (and Flavius, although he's not a full member of the covenant) who are gently gifted. Tasia was in an earlier statting, but isn't any more.
I've now acquired and read a copy of the Sundered Eagle. It's definitely different from "standard" tribunals, but overall I quite like it. How closely are we going to be following the tribunal definition for this game? I know MTKnife said he was considering making vis still have value, but what about other things like the political structure, decreased quaesitorial responsibility, shards and tokens, covenant patrons etc.?
I just got the book for my birthday, along with two others, and haven't had a chance to look at it. I'll try to at least skim it this week.
Scott
Just realised that the version of the Covenant Charter in the Covenant thread isn't the latest one (which I think is on page 7 of this thread). Scott, could you update it when you have time? Also, if you're happy with the library, put that up and make the changes to the build point allocations? (Vis overcounted by 5, swap out Gregorius' minor virtue for a size + 1 lab.)
I might not have time tonight, but I'll do it tomorrow. The lab points, BTW, were only approximate--I think I left extra points for enhancements.
What's the difference in the covenant charter, though?
Scott
It doesn't include the stuff about wizards' wars, or leadership of the covenant.
OK, fixed, and deleted Aetos as well.
Scott
Collected bits from the Journey To Nowhere thread, and rephrased them into a description of the covenant grounds as I understand them. Is this right?
The site is surrounded by fields--pastures, actually, where the Kipchak graze their animals--and to the east, west, and south, these pasture are cut in places by ravines and gulleys. To the south lies the small branch of the Don you came in up, and further south the rest of the Don delta, including several other branches. To the north, there's a small forest. The nearest village is 6-7 miles west, along the banks of the Black Sea.
The open area is a rough square perhaps 200 paces wide, with a large ditch, apparently man-made, on its western edge. If you had to guess, you'd say you're now about 20 paces above the level of the river. Before you lie ruins of both ancient and modern vintage: the ancient ones are mostly stone foundations one ancient stone tower, a two-story structure overlooking the southwest corner, looks like it may have been inhabited recently; the modern buildings must have been those erected by the defunct covenant, and most are in disrepair, but three near the central fountain seem to have been rebuilt.
The [url=http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-house.html]two-story building[/url] where you found Theodoric included the Council Hall, as well as some living quarters and storage. It is a two-story building with a dozen or so large rooms. He's also repaired the kitchen building, which should be handy, though it is not all that big.
(The third building near the central fountain which Theodric built is as yet unspecfied.)
The tower is off by itself in the southwest corner--it probably doesn't have much defensive use these days. The tower is well-built (one reason it's the only thing still standing from the original city), and two stories high. From the second floor Gregorius gets a decent view of the entire clearing--up here, he can really see how the ground slopes gradually towards the river.
The cave entrance is just inside the eastern edge of the ring of covenant buildings--it was actually inside a small building of its own, though that structure now lies in ruins..
The temple to Posiedon (Neptune?) is located on the southeast edge of the clearing, nearly a dry creek bed that is nearly overgrown. This creek bed seemed to once feed into the temple, and was possibly man-made in ancient days. Like all of the other ruins, everything above ground level, and a bit below, has been deconstructed--dressed stone, after all, is useful for building--but the perimeter of the building is marked, not only by its foundations, but by the edge of a faerie aura of strength 4. From the temple courtyard (within the faerie aura), with its sacrificial altar and handful of crumbling benches, one originally entered the temple through a pair of bronze doors which also serve as the entrance to a regio. The doors are in bad shape, missing many of the gems once mounted in them, and seemingly immovable. The previous covenant had excavated the the temple interior, revealing a tile mosaic that made up its floor; this mosaic, three feet below the current ground level, is covered in a shallow pool of still but exceedingly clear water. From scattered evidence, it seems that rainfall which collects in the pool generates Rego vis, and there is currently 2 pawns waiting to be collected.
The Magic aura in the entire clearing, save the temple to Neptune and its courtyard, is 4. As for the buildings, Theodoric has only two of them in livable shape at the moment. Yes, it's enough for everyone to squeeze into, but it's hardly comfortable.
There are former labs above ground--they have to be restored, like the ones below, though they require structural work as well as new equipment.
I'm still not entirely clear on the plateau aspect of the geography. It is just the clearing, or is the dense ring of trees at the top of the plateau as well? There was also some references to other cave entrances -- are those in the cliff face edges of the plateau?
(Edit: shifted temple closer to the river-that-was, and corrected some spelling errors.)
Right. I had intended to put that all in one place, and yes, I still need to draw a map of the above-ground.
It's really a plateau--rather, there's a gentle slope up from the stream to the city site--all of the intervening terrain was once the bed of the main channel of the Don, which explains the gentle slope. If you want to take a look at the physical terrain, you can get at least some idea by searching for "Tanais" on Google Earth, and taking advantage of the sideways view angle (I can't remember what it's called).
Scott
Okay, so there is a plateau, but where, and how big? What's on top of it? Are you talking about the squarish area on Google Maps, or some larger range of territory?
I meant, it's really not a plateau. Sorry about that. And I'll have to look again later, but yes, I think it shows up as a squarish area in the satellite photos, and you can see gray areas that are the ruins.
Scott
If you sketch a rough diagram of it, I can overlay it onto the google earth image for a nicer shot.
I'll try to draw a map some time in the next week. However, my wife is being induced to labor early Sunday morning, and we have four grandparents in town, which means that I'm going to be usually busy the next few days. 
Scott
Oh! I just realized you meant today! Today is a really good day to have birthdays on! I should know, cuz it's my birthday too!
Congratulations!
Happy birthday!
The induction didn't work, though, and so we'll have to wait a bit more.
Scott
Thank you! If the induction didn't work, maybe you should try reductive reasoning? ~duck~