Change to an unknown locale. Suddenly, all the magi wake up someplace. Nobody knows were we are, nobody speaks the local language. Is it a random magic weirdness, or a masterminded plan? By whom? And where are we? And where is Mythic Europe? Are we on an island, on a continent. Are those animals dangerous? Are there natives?
This might require that we start out without human grogs - but we've got birds and dogs. We 'd have to build from scratch and no worries about old labs, copying books etc. From scratchy scratch.
That's one I chose not to list, as again this goes against the initial concept of the saga, which is a base camp for exploration. If we don't know where we are and have to contact back to the Order of Hermes, then we can't have magi showing up and leaving frequently. Having a portal leading to an unknown place is as far as I was willing to go, and even that is stretching it, IMHO.
Ok, I've been thinking some more about the covenant location. We can keep suggesting different places where it could be for days and weeks, and each suggestion will have pros and cons. How will we finally settle on a specific place? There will be a lot of efforts lost searching for locations, documenting what is good or bad about each, etc.
I'm proposing the following. Let's build a list of characteristics that are required for the covenant, and then we can find a locale that fits. One of us documents a place that will meet them and prepare a description of the place. Then we add whatever is appropriate regarding the covenant that used to be there. I am willing to do that job, and act as Beta SG regarding that aspect of the saga.
This would cover the physical setting of the covenant, including the nature of the aura (regiones and such), and the immediate surroundings (a village, for example). It would specifically excludes the new covenant characteristics, and the reason why the previous covenant was destroyed.
Here's a starting point. Let me know what needs to be added. If you'd prefer someone else to do this, you can also let me know. Scott has the final word, as Alpha SG.
From my understanding of the saga's concept, the covenant needs the following:
Easy access for Hermetic visitors: Since it is to serve as a base camp for explorers, the covenant must be fairly easy to access. A remote and inaccessible place will not allow this.
Reasonably secure: If we are completely vulnerable, explorers won't have a base camp anymore. There are many ways to attains this, although it may be a trade-off between security and access.
Fairly spacious: Because we are expected to host visitors (including their grogs and companions), we should have enough space to welcome them.
Reasonable aura: Well, obviously, this is a covenant and the staff needs to be able to live and prosper there. A low aura makes it hard to properly support the visitors, while a high one makes is dangerous. I think a level 3 aura is a minimum, and a level 7 the maximum. This can include variations within the aura, either through geography, time, or regio.
Limited or positive mundane interaction: The covenant will have frequent visitors. So either they have a way of avoiding the attention of locals, or the locals must be cooperative. Constantly having to fend off questions from the locals nobility and/or Church is a good way to doom the covenant.
What say ye all? Objections? Suggestions? I think we need to move forward on the covenant's location and decide one soon, because it has an impact on so many different things.
So tell us what the covenant needs, and what it must avoid. Tell me also what would be a deal-breaker for your main character. What would prefer him/her from settling there?
I think that magically maintaining most of the labs is pretty much unavoidable, since Flawless Equipment and Tools for the six staff labs alone (at Upkeep +3 each) would be prohibitive, and that's before we even get to Superior Equipment and Tools for the visitor labs.
Magically maintaining equipment will drastically reduce Upkeep, even over normal labs, which might indeed make Priceless Ingredients feasible, but first we have to figure out what our income will be. Also, our sources of income might not all start at peak production.
The Mongols didn't actually invade the Caucasus until 1236 (10 years after our start date), and indeed the Georgians apparently weren't even aware who had attacked them in 1220-1223 (yay, Wikipedia). It took seven years to subdue Georgia. After that, things apparently got hairy, with lots of revolts, but also Georgia troops fighting as part of Mongol armies--so things could get chaotic, sure, but that might just make things interesting. Having everything overturned in that part of the world, however, might uncover some secrets that had heretofore been buried.
It's also worth mentioning the that Mongol conquests reopened the Silk Road, which is something Hermetic explorers would find very useful, though apparently the first Europeans didn't arrive in Kublai Khan's court until 1261.
I would be delighted if you'd do that. Remember though that I did promise that anyone whose magus is a member of the staff can design her or her own section of the covenant, particularly a lab or two (though none of these labs should start out improved).
Not a problem. As I wrote, I am detailing the new covenant at all, just describing the site of the destroyed covenant and its surroundings. From there, how the new covenant will be installed is up to the troupe.
Any deal-breakers for Viola? You previously stated that too close to her previous covenant would be difficult to integrate, but hos close is too close?
Good idea, and I agree with all of your points above. It probably goes without saying that we also need good access to terrain worth exploring in some way, but I thought I'd throw it in there anyway.
Honestly, don't worry too much about that: I hate to drag the whole saga around because I pulled in a character from an old saga. if I have to, I'll say that covenant was abandoned. I think being on the northeast coast of the Black Sea or the delta of the Dniepr, though, would work just fine.
Sorry guys, I've been without internet access for the last 2 days.
I like the above, and have a theory to propose:
Without tampering with the base camp idea, could the covenant be funded and resourced by its guests, much like modern African Safari Lodges, and run as an Hermetic business?
There would, of course be initial set up costs, which could be represented by hooks, and they could be repaid from the payments in cash and vis from the paying visitors.
There could be a location to which guests travel, with relative ease (somewhere like Kiev?), and a hermes portal to a remote location for some serious hunting. The jump off point need only be a way station, with the ability to defend itself, and long term accommodation for one mage and some grogs. The isolated base camp could then be in a very remote place, with little or no mundane population close at hand. The resident magi provide specialist services to visiting magi, including, but not limited to: guides with specialist local knowledge, skilled hunters (hermetic or otherwise), access to a laboratory near to any hunt site.
Problematic magi (blatantly gifted etc.) could be met at some distance from the meet and greet location, and guided to it in the early hours of the morning.
Having an outlet in a large city would be useful.
Being surrounded by loads of pristine, monster-filled landscape at the base camp would certainly be a selling point to visitors.
Any resident Maga doing time at the meet and greet location should have access to a pretty good lab (not specialised), as well as their own lab at the covenant proper.
Isolation would keep us relatively secure from mundanes, and a decent Aegis of the Hearth could make life safe from the commoner sorts of supernatural trouble.
We could build a trade in selling tamed/bred magical animals.
Does this appeal?
Ivan
I don't think this breaks the tradition of Hermetic hospitality, as what is offered in the way of support is far beyond the general expectation
Sorry about the delay in replying to this. I'm not quite sure whether you mean IC or OOC, so I'll try to come up with both.
OOC: OOC, my reasoning is that it's an obvious thing to attact the Order's attention (as I get the impression they're relatively rare) and that it would also be a reason for there to be lots of other interesting things around the covenant. Having a bigger area of friendly aura to cast in doesn't hurt either, of course, particularly if it also covers the local settlement.
IC, I'm not sure what would have caused it (a "really big area of outstanding natural beauty" is probably pushing it a bit). I'm tempted to suggested "we don't know, but it wasn't there before that last covenant got destroyed...", but that probably doesn't fit in with your plans for it.
I was also thinking about the "tribunal sponsoring the covenant as a base camp" and thought it could be modified to be either Houses, specific covenants, or some other private interest instead.
It doesn't need to be a single entity. Sort of like a joint venture, with each partner/sponsor having different interests. (Ex: House Verditius wants raw vis, House Bonisagus wants access to magical texts and items for study, etc.)
A few things here. First -- IMHO, the covenant should always be at the safe point.
Second -- From the quick researches I did, Kiev is not someplace you can travel to with relative ease at that time. I looked at the distances and travel routes whhen I was getting my character there. It's 500 km from the coast in a direct line. By land, you have numerous rivers to cross and roads will twist and turn, more than doubling the distance. If you use the Diepner river, well, it's not navigable all the way through at that time, at least not for sizeable vessels. (Google maps shows it as wider than it was, because they built a dam for hydroelectricity at Cherson.) There are rapids and swamps along the way. We're talking about a month of travel to get there from the Black Sea.
Third -- Establishing Hermes Portals is a major undertaking, and you don't want to put one where it can be overtaken, because it could potentially bring enemies right at your doorstep.
These are all good ideas, but no, it does not really appeal to me. Nor would it for my primary magus.
I like the idea of a base of operation to explore the area. Novgorod Tribunal is still pretty much unexplored at that time for the Order of Hermes. Yes, there are some scattered covenant there, but with large tracts of the tribunal still filled with unknown creatures, magic, sites and relics from the past. My impression's that this was what this is about -- exploring the world to improve the magi's magical knowledge. More a ground for Seekers that for trigger-happy Flambeaus looking for impressive trophies. I'm not judging your take on things nor trying to put down your ideas, just explaining what I understood the saga to be about. Scott has the final say, however, since he is the instigator and Alpha SG. Maybe he can enlighten us?
This is a troupe-style game, and I'd like to see what everyone's opinion on this is before weighing in (yeah, if no one cares, I'll just make a decision, but I'm not cutting off discussion early if people do have strong opinions).
BTW, one more thing about Kiev is it's kind of far west, though maybe that's not so important.
Far west as in not-that-far-towards the east? It seems to be about the center of the Tribunal's area, when I look at the map on page 200. Or far west as in gunslinger-and-wild-wild-west far west?
Ok, I just checked The Dragon and the Bear (I had forgotten it even existed, let alone that I have it) and it says there are 6 covenants in Novgorod. Only 4 are described. There used to be a covenant in Kiev, but it was abandoned in 1009 and survivors fled to Pripet Maior (in the Pripet marshes, about 100 km north of Kiev). There are no covenants described that are further south than that in this tribunal book. All the others described are in the north (Poland, Estonia, etc.)
The Dragon and the Bear has almost nothing in it regarding the southern part of the tribunal. It would be easy to state that the area between Kiev and the Black Sea is mostly unexplored.
Will we be using some of the material from this book? Volkhv, Slavic Faeries, Mongols and Shamans? It's all 4th edition, and I seem to remember that some people had trouble regarding some of the content when it came out.
The actual covenants in the book are located within the area of Rus civilization, as I recall. Yes, the map goes all the way down to the Black Sea, but I've never thought it made much sense, since the Black Sea rim has Greek culture, and little to no contact with the Rus. Mind you, we could end up exploring both zones.
I'm not sure what material I'll use, but 4th Ed. stuff would have to be heavily modified to use stuff similar to Hedge Magic.
I'd still like a Crimean villa rustica best (as described earlier, complete with Ovid's ghost). Most river/delta/inland sites are likely to be unhealthy swamps. Or other Black Sea coast if Crimean is a problem. A base camp must be easy to reach and that means coastal.
My character would like a place eagles would like.