HBO: Ars Magica (Season Two)

The Hibernian Tribunal of 1221 has ended with a couple of surprises. When he rose to defend the hedge wizards of Connacht, one of the PCs was blessed with Wizard's War from one Igneous Drake of Flambeau. Also, a Quaesitorial investigation has been launched into the activities of Lambaird covenant.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... son-2/1221

Very nice story. Looking forward to see how the Wizard's war will unfold.

One of our Beta Storyguides took over and ran a session that took some of the magi and custos to Scotland.

"What Good is the Warmth of Summer...": sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... TOC-Summer

This session co-starred some of our old characters from a 5-episode Scotland saga using only mundane characters, no magi.

"The Lion and the Mouse": sites.google.com/site/lochleglean/

It's now autumn of 1221 and the magi are preparing to travel to Lambaird covenant, where the local Quaesitor is supposed to perform an investigation into charges of breaking the Code and defying the Tribunal's commands.

The campaign has had two sessions since my last update here, taking the covenant through the end of its second year on the Hill of Uisneach in Hibernia.

In autumn of 1221, the Quaesitor Alfeva led an expedition to the covenant of Lambaird, where she was charged with investigating charges of mundane interference. Meanwhile, the machinations of magi from Horsingas begin to be noticed by the PCs.

In winter of 1221, I ran the "Birth Right" story from HOOKS. There were minimal changes to the story, but I did double Old Nan's Might (to 20) and make her a Magic creature instead of Faerie, in order to tie her in to the mysterious giant arachnids already known to the PCs. "Birth Right" ran very well and it was a very good session. My thanks to the writer of that adventure.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... son-2/1221

On summer's eve 1222, the magi of Cor Draconis gathered to investigate the so-called "Haunted Covenant," the ruins of a (presumed) covenant which vanished centuries ago but re-appears for one night every year. Twilight was experienced, a brave Grog perished at the hands of the walking dead, and many bizarre treasures were recovered.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... son-2/1222

In the first weeks of summer 1222, Sir Blane led a half dozen folk of Cor Draconis to the Autumn Court, where he intended to break his engagement to Princess Kelda. Alas, things didn't quite work out (Christian faeries! Demonic priests! False memories of marriage!).

Join us for HBO Ars Magica, episode 2.11, "But the Summer of His Heart..."

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... -HEART...-

This last session, I ran "Salvation" from the book HOOKS. In my case, it was a slightly abbreviated version, because rather than investigating the region and questioning the locals, the PCs took shelter from a storm in the ruins of the church. Three of the players were using Companions, and three were playing "guest stars," new characters introduced for this session. I used Father Giles from HOOKS as a ringer, making up a fake character sheet for everyone to see that hid his true allegiances and made him appear to be just a dour demon-hunter. The Cloven-Hoofed Monk greviously hurt one of the PCs with Ball of Abyssal Flame before the French nobleman caught him with a couple of guards. The Monk tried to discorporate into spirit form, but that takes a round and the PCs with swords were able to incapacitate him before that completed.

Thanks to whoever wrote that adventure. It was lots of fun.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... Salvation-

That'd be Richard Love I think.

Wow! Some thrust, to decapitate a man :wink:

HBO Ars Magica has had its mid-season cliffhanger. We've actually had 2 sessions since I last posted here.

Episode 2.13, "Dead Mage Walking," told the story of the end of the life of Fedelmid of the Younger House, princeps of the Peruchia of Nerius. Having tricked several of the magi into coming to Greater Saltee, ostensibly to visit the covenant, Fedelmid instead revealed his need for an escort as he traveled to the Hermetic Cemetery of Qui Sonant Pro Quieto. Relucantly, the PCs provided this escort. Along the way, they dodged a Jerbiton maga and her Templar guards, intent on ending Fedelmid before he could be safely interred, faced two faerie guardians, and learned what they must do to find and rescue Valoran filius Nerius.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... e-Walking-

Episode 2.14, "Night of the Primrose," began with one PC (Samson filius Hugh of Flambeau) asking another (Polumeta filia Balbina of Verditius) to become his wife. It ended with a near-massacre of the magi when Igneous of Flambeau, an 88 year old master of Ignem magics, arrived to prosecute his Wizard's War with Cernunnos Ex Miscellanea.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... son-2/1223

The game will now take a brief hiatus while one of the Beta Storyguides runs the story of Sander of Bonisagus's expedition to Vinland, in search of a surviving Rune Mage. Almost two years will pass in game, before the campaign picks back up in spring of 1225 in February.

Season 2 of HBO ARS MAGICA has resumed with episode 2.15 "The Last de la Croix."

This episode features the Beast-masters of Hibernia; readers of Sub Rosa will recognize Fogartach the Hairy. Several other beast-master characters have been written up and were used as PCs for the night.

The plot focused on Clan Mac Tire, introduced in THROUGH THE AEGIS. The Mac Tire detected a Gifted child in a remote cave in Connacht and took it, slaying some of its defenders. But this infant is the half-brother of a Hermetic magus and his defender was a Beast-master. I wrote up the wolf Bjornaer of Clan Mac Tire, taking inspiration from other Bjornaer in published books, so if you need a sept of Bjornaer wolf-wizards, you may find them useful.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... son-2/1225

Excellent!
Now I just need to find the time to read it! :slight_smile:

Episode 2.16, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci," is in Summer 1225.

Brogan the Blind, Lucien Caduceus, Maedoc the Monstrous, the factor Colin and Coleman the Bard travel the Black Sheep Crossing on an errand for House Mercere. They find old friends, old enemies, and demons.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... mmer-1225-

Episode 2.17, "The Calling Bell", was run by one of my Beta-Storyguides. It continued the story of Sir Blane, Knight of the Summer Country. Blane and his paramour, the song-maga Nualla, traveled to Scotland to investigate the state of his lands, while Alfeva, Polumeta, Lucien, Maedoc and the grogs went to the Isle of Man. Apparently, a treaty exists allowing Stonehenge, Loch Legan, and Hibernia to harvest the vis from the Isle of Man once every ten years. Cor Draconis was selected to perform the task.

Much use has been made of the Hermes Portal issues on the Isle, which proved so inspirational that my Beta-SG is considering a spinoff series on the Isle.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... tumn-1225-

Episode 2.19, "Devil's Night," saw Samson's first mission as a Hoplite, investigating reports of the restless O'Brien dead on the border of Munster and Connacht. Meanwhile, Coleman is charged with a deadly mission by the diabolist Caterina. It all ends with the death of a much-beloved NPC.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... son-2/1226

Episode 2.20, "Good for the Gander" turned into a two-parter.

The premise of the episode is an attempt by a group of newly-Gauntleted Stonehenge magi to found a new covenant at the stone circle of Ballynoe. Various Irish magi team up to force them out of the tribunal, and various English magi show up to help them defend. The PCs are on both sides of this conflict.

This led to a couple of Certamen duels, including one between PCs, and a cattle raid. Multiple magi on both sides of the raid made it a chaotic mess; no magus was injured, but a companion was nearly killed and some grogs died.

Most of the PCs promptly ejected from the entire story, but one remained behind, even after the cathach of the new covenant killed four apprentices who tried to steal it, then co-opted their dead bodies into being its new defenders.

Read it all here: sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... son-2/1226

Really good!

Definitely enjoying these recaps, looks like a great saga in which to play.

With so much going on, does anybody get time to study? :smiley:

That's an interesting question. A little studying is going on, but not a lot -- except for players who miss games. Cernunnos, for instance, missed a year of play and so will come back with several new spells and higher Arts than he had. A lot of time has been spent on familiars and laboratories. Everyone typically does one season of service to the covenant every year, so you're getting a lot of lesser enchanted items. Samson studies a lot, but he gets a new focus every season. It was Certamen for a while, and then spells to raise his baby brother.

This is a game which discourages characters focused on a specific long-term goal. That sort of character is easier in other sagas, and especially when designing a magus and advancing him through his life just to play that mini-game. But in HBO, things happen, and characters have multiple priorities at once. My players are not (with the notable exception of Cernunnos's player) optimizers; none of them have a second thought about spending a year exploring Vinland and coming back with nothing but Living Language: Algonquin and Area Lore: Vinland for their trouble.

As a GM, I'm fine with this, because the PCs from Season 1 had a ton more XP than newly-Gauntleted magi normally have. So if the PCs aren't learning as fast as they might, most of them had a huge head start and are still way ahead. It's the new people -- Lucien, Nuala, and Sander -- who are a bit behind the curve.

Five episodes have gone by since I last posted here. The events of 1227 can be found here:

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... son-2/1227

After the failed attempt to found the covenant of Mournemount, the magi went to the Regional Tribunal of 1227 and were at the center of an effort by Ashenrise and their allies to form a new Tribunal of the Pale inside Hibernia. Without Mournemount, Ashenrise needed Cor Draconis to be the fourth covenant in the new tribunal, but a majority of the magi refused and the effort failed. The fallout from this was unexpected and severe, resulting in the departure of one of the council!

Meanwhile, Innocentius's corruption into the Infernal risked his life and immortal soul. His ultimate fate was also unexpected, leading to some departures and permanent additions to the covenant.

As a result of Tribunal, Brian of Flambeau, of the covenant of Lambaird, was Marched. The players were conscripted into this, but managed to find a way to save Brian's life. A much beloved supporting cast member was slain in battle with Sir Erwan, who returned to the show after a 20 episode absence.

Sir Blane and Nuala Ex Miscellanea celebrated their pagan wedding and, a few months later, Samson and Polumeta also wed. This last had a strange visitor, however: Gideon, one of the Shadow Magi with whom the Alpine Apprentices had struggled for many years. Before his death by plague, Gideon warned of the coming of his child, an agent of Lucifer himself sent to destroy the Order of Hermes: Cosimo, the Anti-Founder.

Last night I and my troupe wrapped the second season of HBO Ars Magica. Counting our 5-season miniseries in Scotland and 3 episodes in the New World, this was our 50th episode.

William Marshall the Younger, Earl of Pembroke and Justiciar of Ireland, led an army against the covenant. In an attempt to prevent this catastrophe, Sir Blane and his new bride Nuala Ex Miscellanea led a desperate mission into Bective Abbey, where they hoped to abduct Walter de Lacy, wanted by Marshall for rebellion. If they could succeed, Blane would offer de Lacy and his own vassalage, in exchange for rulership over the Castle of Wizards. By this method, the castle would be brought under English feudalism, with Blane acting as an intermediary between Marshall and the magi.

Events did not play out completely as expected, and some beloved characters will not be returning for Season 3.

sites.google.com/site/hboarsmag ... son-2/1227