Inchmore Covenant - General Information

Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Isle of Wrath
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Founded by Irish traditionalists in response to the fall of Praesis, the covenant of Inchmore is located on the island that shares its name. Inchmore is the largest island in Loch Ree, at roughly 132 acres. The covenant also lays claim the smaller island of Inchturk (roughly 50 acres) just to the north, in addition to maintaining a few scattered farms on the east bank of the loch.

The village of Annaghmore can be found to the west and Agharanagh to the east, allowing the covenant to trade for the essentials with relative ease. Of course for anything more specialized than the basic necessities, one must turn to Athlone, a major trading hub on the south bank of the loch. Agriculture and fishing are the primary sources of income for the islanders, though a bit of logging is often used to supplement things during lean years.

The center of the covenant is a newly constructed manor house on the southern side of the island, which in typical fashion is surrounded by a smattering of other stone structures. It is here where most of the daily life of the covenant occurs. The manor house is built atop the ancient ruins of a Danish ringfort from when a viking earl held the island several centuries ago. The earthworks and palisade of the ringfort have been restored and surround the manor house and most of its outbuildings. The manor house covers the entrance to an ancient cave system with signs of having formerly been occupied by some manner of alien wizards during the norse era. The grounds of the ringfort and manor itself lay within a relatively small yet potent magical aura (Rating +4) that doesn't extend much further than the earthworks and ditch that surround the palisade. This aura is more pronounced and powerful (Rating +6) inside the cave system beneath the manor house. The cave system, and the much stronger aura that it contains, was not discovered until the ruins of the fort were being reconstructed. The find was unexpected, the caves long lost to antiquity, yet quite welcome. The cave system has been carefully artificially expanded during the founding of the Inchmore Covenant to provide several sizable chambers of private space for each Magus and it is here that the Sanctums, laboratories, and private chambers of the Magi were originally located. Sanctums erected on the surface and connected to the caves have rapidly, perhaps even disturbingly rapidly, seen the more powerful aura expand to encompass them.

The only other stone building on the island is the small featureless church, on the north end of the island. The church is a priory of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, the most widespread religious order in Ireland. The small priory has a rather eclectic collection of monks who aren't particularly known for their piety. In fact, it isn't unknown for some of the brothers to leave small bowls of cream out to appease the local faeries. Many seem far more interested in maintaining their small apiaries and brewing mead than the practice of religion. During the day the Priory and the immediately surrounding grounds containing the apiaries of the monks are covered in a mild Divine aura (Rating +2) the is just powerful enough to overweigh the sway of Faerie. At night however this weakens and retreats into only covering the physical structure of the Priory itself (Rating +1). The northern shore of the island is home to a small village of wooden crannog style houses constructed on thick wooden piles above the water with walkways leading to the shore. Most are somewhat large and seem to be intended to hold more than a single family. The original villager population of the islands prior to the construction of the ringfort and the Covenant resides here. They are not fully integrated into the society of the Covenant yet have put up no resistance. Indeed they don't seem to resent the presence of the Covenant. The lake, river, and all islands are generally saturated with the power of Faerie anywhere where these auras do not expressly describe otherwise. (Faerie Rating +1)

Inchturk is even less populated than Inchmore, with only a handful of souls who live on the small island. This is likely due to the rather strong faerie aura than envelops large swathes of the island in a number of places. The island appears nondescript yet for some reason seems unusually close to Faerie. (Faerie Rating +3)

Lough Ree

Lough Ree is a lake in the midlands of Ireland, the second of the three major lakes (and the second largest) on the River Shannon. The other two major lakes are Lough Allen to the north, and Lough Derg to the south, there are also several minor lakes along the length of the river. The lake serves as a border between the provinces of Meath and Connacht.

The island of Inchcleraun in the northern part of the lake is the site of a monastery founded in the early Christian era and contains the remains of several ancient churches. In Irish legends, it was on this island that Queen Maeve was killed. The Viking Turgesius controlled a ringfort on the shores until his death by drowning in Lough Owel.

The town of Athlone is situated at the southern end of the lake, and has a harbor for boats going out on the lake.

The River Shannon

The river Shannon is the longest river in Mythic Ireland, traveling almost 250 miles from its source in the Dartry Mountains to its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean. A natural barrier between east and west, the River Shannon forms most of the border between Connacht and Ulster. The river is named after the goddess Sionainn. Originally a mortal woman, she found a faerie well that granted the drinker knowledge. Removing the well’s capstone, the rushing water overwhelmed her, drowning her and forming the River Shannon. Transformed through the process, faerie Sionainn travels the river in a small, hide-covered boat, overseeing the river’s comings and goings. The entire river has a Faerie aura of 1. In remote areas along the river the aura increases, and some pools and secret eddies contain Faerie Regiones. Faeries are more dangerous to the west of the Shannon. Malevolent solitary faeries are common, and many of the ravages blamed on kings are actually the depradations of trooping faeries.

Athlone

Ten miles to south east of Roscommon, just south of Lough Ree, the English control a large stone bridge that spans the River Sionainne and joins Leinster and Meath to Connacht, providing a valuable foothold in Connacht. Athlone stands on the site of an ancient ford. To the south, the river is impassable to Clonmacnoise, and from early times Athlone was of great strategic importance. Tairrdelbach Uí Conchobhair built a bridge and protective ring fort here a century ago. This was replaced by a stone castle ten years ago by John de Gray, the Bishop of Norwich and Justiciar of Ireland from 1209 to 1212, but has become a possession of Walter de Lacy, who has stationed a small garrison. Athlone is prosperous under English rule, and the marketplace provides finished goods hard to acquire in the region. The Sionainne and the Great Highway mean trade from across Ireland flows through here. There is always conflict to be had at Athlone. While the castle protects Meath from Connachta invasion, it does nothing to prevent small bands of men crossing the Sionainne to test their mettle against the English.

At night Athlone residents are prone to hear the terrible cry of the banshee, for many local families have the death omen. Once the banshee is heard, many fall to weeping and mourning, but it is said that if you are quick witted enough and can discover which of your clan is about to die, you can sometimes avert the catastrophe.

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Covenant & Tribunal History

Inchmore was founded by multiple Covenants of the Hibernian Tribunal as a political and strategic gambit in the ongoing conflicts of the Tribunal. The core backing of this endeavor consisted of the Covenants of Circulus Ruber, Vigil, and Lombaird. This hermetic coalition drew together in response to the fall of Praesis to “foreign” Magi in 1214. The Hibernian Magi deliberated heatedly for nearly two years on how best to respond. Intense activity during this time was requested, and rewarded, on the part of Redcaps in passing correspondence in addition to several gatherings to discuss matters being held at Circulus Ruber and Vigil to discuss matters. The strategy eventually winning over the backing of the majority of Hibernian Traditionalists was the denial and slow bleeding of resources, most especially vis, from Foreign Magi. A stratagem was proposed by Master Visioturpis of Circulus Ruber though it was slow to win support from the more bellicose Hibernians. Yet Master Visioturpis is a Magus of no small reputation or prowess. Nor did his standing as the oldest Quaesitor of Hibernia mean little. His words won at first consideration and then a significant following growing with each renewed debate. This strategy is based on the knowledge that most every new Foreign Covenant established or conquered either one in Hibernia carries significant debt in the form of vis loans. Loans incurred in the various home Tribunals of their membership that were incurred to fund their invasion and occupation of Hibernia. The strategy then is to strangle the resources of these occupying Covenants until they are unable to meet the obligations on their loans. It is believed that if this occurs the broader, multi-Tribunal in origin, coalition of foreign Magi that currently solidly backs the Hibernian Occupation will fracture and turn against itself in conflict over the servicing and repayment of the debts. Many backers of the Occupation are, it is believed, far less motivated by the Peripheral Code of Hibernia than they are about perceived opportunities for gain. It should be remembered that Hibernia is very vis-rich compared to many other Tribunals and that even prior to the current movement to “reform” the Tribunal by colonization it was hardly unknown for foreign Magi to raid Ireland for vis. The Hibernian Strategy therefore is to attempt to deprive the Occupation coalition of any profits relating to their aggression and keep them burdened with debts that hopefully only continue to grow. This includes both in all transactions within the Tribunal, attempting to deny them access to vis economically and to gauge all prices when they seek to spend it, but also via more aggressive means. Enter Inchmore.

Inchmore then has been founded expressly with the patronage of Circulus Ruber, Vigil, and Lombaird as part of this Tribunal spanning strategy. This was why Inchmore had been founded when and where it is, so very close to Praesis as to place any two Covenants in direct conflict with one another over resources. In normal times this unhealthy proximity would be considered imprudent and a cause for unnecessary strife even between those otherwise without cause for disagreement. In the case of Inchmore however was a matter of explicit purpose. Inchmore, far from it being an undesired side effect, is founded in full expectation of competing with Praesis as intensely as possible as much as possible. The new membership of Praesis, observing the very public backing of Inchmore by a multi-Covenant coaltion, has most reluctantly abandoned their newly conquered home. Instead they have taken their spoils and retreated to take refuge at Ashenrise. It is uncertain if they intend to stay there as guests, join Ashenrise itself, or are biding their time to attempt to return to Praesis. As of yet there is no direct conflict yet the situation is understandably tense and there is some concern about the very real possibility that the war in Hibernia will cease being cold.

The Hibernians spent two years deliberating, two years recruiting the initial cadre of Magi to join, and then a year constructing and defending Inchmore through the initial founding period. Several powerful elder Magi from Circulus Rubur, Vigil, and Lombaird gathered and collectively assisted with taking control of the island, guarding the endeavor from Praesis and Mundanes alike, and constructing the new Covenant site.

The Spring of 1220 marks both the beginning of the formal life of Inchmore as an independent Covenant and their first steps on their own without the direct protection and guidance of far older Magi.

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Inchmore, Covenant & Immediate Environment

Founded by Irish traditionalists in response to the fall of Praesis the Covenant of Inchmore is located on the island that shares its name. Inchmore is the largest island in Loch Ree, at roughly 132 acres. The Covenant also lays claim to the smaller island of Inchturk, roughly 50 acres, just to the north in addition to maintaining very small shoreside village and group of farms on the east bank of the loch.

The village of Annaghmore can be found to the west in Connacht and Agharanagh to the East in Meath, allowing the Covenant to trade for the essentials with relative ease. Of course for anything more specialized than the basic necessities one must turn to Athlone a major trading hub and market city situated nearly at the very center of Ireland and strategically on both the south bank of the loch astride the north to south flow of the river and a stone bridge across the river where the east to west flow of land trade also travels. Athlone is one of the more significant trade hubs for trade internal to the island to be found on Ireland.

Agriculture and fishing are the primary sources of income for the islanders though a bit of logging is often used to supplement things during lean years.

Lough Ree

Lough Ree is a lake in the midlands of Ireland, the second of three major lakes (and the second largest) on the River Shannon. The other two major lakes are Lough Allen to the North and Lough Derg to the south. There are also several minor lakes along the length of the river. The lake serves as a border between the provinces of Meath and Connacht. The entire body of the lake and all islands (including Inchmore) unless otherwise described have a Faerie Aura of 1.

The island of Inchcleraun in the northern part of the lake is the site of a monastery founded in the early Christian Era and contains the remains of several ancient churches. In Irish legend it was on this island that Queene Maeve was killed. The Viking Turgesius controlled a ringfort on the shores until his death by drowning in Lough Owel.

The town of Athlone is situated at the southern end of the lake and has a harbor for boats and other light craft travelling the lake and river.

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Inchmore Manor, Ringfort, & Outbuildings

In the rebuilt remnants of an ancient ringfort the manor house of Inchmore Covenant now resides. Built of dark stone the imposing two story structure broods behind a fifteen foot palisade of treated hazel logs at the isle’s southern end. The heart of the Covenant and its daily life is here, in the Manor and its outbuildings.

The original ringfort, built by raiding Norsemen as a staging ground for exploits up and down the River Shannon, was only large enough for a pagan greathall and accompanying barracks. From here a Viking Earl held the island and much of the river under their sway several centuries ago. The new Manor House spans the footprint of the original ring necessitating significant expansion of the original area enclosured by the palisade and earthworks. The palisade itself beyond its respectable full fifteen feet in height is double layered with an inner and outer enclosure of wood consistently a foot apart firmly packed with earth and stone rubble to provide additional protection and structural integrity.

Constructed of hazel logs native to the island the wall encompasses the entirety of the Manor House, near the center of the enclosure, and the majority of the outbuildings belonging to the Covenant. Between the Manor House and the outbuildings most of the Covenfolk normally also reside within the wall, but not all. While the Manor was constructed of stone the wall was left as timber to avoid close scrutiny from curious English lords.

At the south-eastern end of the palisade a stone paved walkway leads a short way to a stone-walled quay. Built high enough to stay above the dark waves even when Lough Ree’s waters rise, it provides a safe harbor for the Manor’s fishing boats and a dock suitable for the heaviest of visiting trade barges. A three-story Gatehouse, constructed of the same dark stone as the Manor House, bars entrance to the shore. A covered lookout crowns the gatehouse giving an excellent view of the entirety of Inchmore Isle as well as the surrounding waters. Three additional towers, likewise three stories, are positioned around the circumference of the palisade. These defensive strongpoints likewise bear covered lookout positions and arrowslits yet are constructed of the same wooden logs and earthworks as the palisade.

The Aegis of Inchmore Covenant currently covers the entirety of the ringfort, gatehouse, defensive towers, the palisade structures, and the structures within.

The entirety of the space within the Ringfort and stretching out to inconsistently reach into the area covered by the earthworks and ditch is covered by a Magic Aura of Rating +4. Beyond this point on the island Faerie generally holds sway.

Inchmore Covenant, Manor House

Wide and lodge-shaped the dark stone building of the Manor is a fortified great house such as one might expect to find on a wealthy estate many times the size of Inchmore Island. The presence of such a structure alone, much less surrounded by such fortifications, speaks to disproportionate seeming power and wealth being wielded by those who now lay claim to the isle. The manor is two full stories tall along the entire main body of the lodge structure with no windows beyond a few strategically placed arrow slits on the first floor. A third story is limited and present only in the form of a central and final defense tower rising above the center of the house. This along with heavy reinforced doors with visible bands of iron, and visible heavy shutters for the upper story windows proclaim and anchor the intended permanent nature of the Inchmore Covenant presence. The shutters are reinforced to deter entry yet are more conventionally in place to provide shelter against inclement weather along with a quality gray slate roof.

The central space of the first floor of the Manor is dominated by a large great room that functions most commonly as a mess and multi-purpose common room for the Covenant. A large stone hearth dominates the center of the room providing heat and light but not used for cooking or food preparation. This is performed instead in a communal kitchen outbuilding that serves food for the whole population and sends food in for the Manor. Other significant rooms in the Manor largely encircle the great hall on either floor with a vaulted ceiling and two stairways giving access to the upper floors there. Notably on the first floor these include the Council Chamber, Library, and the rooms set aside for use by the Rector, Autocrat, and Turb Captain. On the second floor walkways surround the open space of the great hall and provide access to other rooms and hallways largely consisting of rooms for individual habitation and/or storage. The windows of these chambers all have excellent views of the island and lake from their respective vantage points.

Quay Gatehouse

A three story structure of the same dark stone as the Manor House the Gatehouse very strategically straddles the entrance to the Ringfort, the most accessible shoreline and harbor of the island, and the pier of the stone jetty that provides a quay harbor for small boats and a dock for larger trading barges that visit the island. The Gatehouse guards all of these things equally readily yet most visibly it is prepared to repel attempts to use the quay to stage an assault on the island. It is a solid fortification with thick stone walls, a heavy and reinforced door, defensible guard positions, and a second palisade ten feet in height running the length of the near shore. This prevents ready access along the most accessible shoreline of the island without attempting a landing at the quay.

Inchmore, Ancillary Ringfort Outbuildings

Barracks
Kitchens
Stores
Steward’s Residence
Wellhouse

Inchmore, External Outbuildings, Outside of Ringfort

Residences
Carpenter
Smithy (Stocked but without a smith!)
Archery Range
Croplands & Gardens

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Inchmore Caves & Magic Aura

The Ringfort hosts a mild Magic Aura of Rating +4, covering the entirety of the grounds enclosed and the Manor itself yet does not extend much further than the earthworks and ditch that surround the Ringfort. This makes itself mundanely known in the picturesque and beautiful landscape surrounding the Manor. Everything around it is in a heightened state of ideal form yet only to an extent that still might go unnoticed as anything unusual to the untrained eye. When Inchmore was first being constructed this Aura was weak and inconsistent within a much smaller area in the vicinity of the preceding norse Ringfort. As the Covenant has taken shape, and magic has begun to be practiced there, and the grounds have been protected by an Aegis, this level of the Aura has grown to current size.

Beneath the Manor House however is the entrance to an ancient cave system. The aura is more pronounced and powerful, rising to Rating +6, inside the cave system. The cave system, and the much stronger aura it contains, was not rediscovered until the ruins of the fort were being reconstructed. The find was unexpected, the caves long lost to antiquity, yet quite welcome.

The original cave system is centered on a single long jagged underground chasm stretching north to south. This reaches from underneath the Manor to underneath the Gatehouse in a jagged line and both structures now have concealed entrances constructed in their foundations to access the caves. The body of the chasm is closed and is well below the surface. Many additional natural chambers branch off from the chasm at various points along its length in different directions. The cave system has also been carefully artificially expanded in the vicinity of the Manor House during the founding of the Inchmore Covenant to provide sizable and secure chambers of private space for each Magus. It is here that the Sanctums, laboratories, and other personal chambers of the Magi are intended to be located.

There are signs of the caves having formerly been occupied by those who practice magic of various types perhaps many times back into antiquity. There is certainly evidence of alien wizards during the norse era. Runic script is incised into the stone walls of the caves in several places, making that self evident. Additionally however crude and eerie paintings depicting red hands, unknown but immense animals and fantastic beasts in various colors, and other creatures of unknown type or origin all grace the caves in various carvings and murals of very differing degrees of quality. It is clear magic has been done here long before the Order even and perhaps Christendom existed.

Despite the porous nature of the stone the caves are derived from little water leaks into the caverns even during the spring and winter seasons when the water level in the Lough is particularly high. Whether this is a natural feature, a property of the Aura, or in some way by design is not currently clear.

The entrance to the caverns in both the Manor House and the Gatehouse is concealed on both sides. The Manor passage provides a transit from a cold locker & wine cellar space of the Manor into a stairwell which emerges into a central chamber of the chasm from which most of the finished chambers branch off. There is a smooth paved and marked path to the entrance beneath the Gatehouse, with thick rope through rings mounted into the walls providing a ready path for those who might not know the way. A guard post has been erected both in the central chamber beneath the Manor and in the chamber beneath the Gatehouse, though only picked men serve in these posts and the men only come and go from these shifts by the entrance within the Manor. The passage in the Gatehouse ascends a similar concealed stairwell and then emerges into a storeroom that is kept stocked with supplies (such as arrows, weapons, etc.) against any potential siege.

There are extensive further passages leading from main chasm deeper underground that have not been meaningfully explored. Some of these remain blocked with rubble while a few have been reopened during the excavation and the construction of Inchmore.

6

Inchmore, Priory

The only other stone building on the island is the small featureless church on the north end of the island. The church is a priory of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, the most widespread religious order in Ireland. The small priory has a rather eclectic collection of monks who aren’t particularly known for their piety. In fact it isn’t unknown for some of the brothers to leave small bowls of cream out to appease the local faeries. Many seem far more interested in maintaining their small apiaries and brewing mead than the practice of religion. During the day the Priory and the immediately surrounding grounds containing the apiaries of the monks are covered in a mild Divine Aura (Rating +2) that is just powerful enough to overweigh the sway of Faerie. At night however this weakens and retreats to into only covering the physical structure of the Priory itself (Rating +1).

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Inchmore, Crannog Village

The northern shore of the island is home to a small village of approximately fifteen wooden crannog style houses constructed on thick wooden piles above the water with sturdy walkways frequently reinforced with earthworks leading to the shore. Some of the larger kin groups have several crannogs near one another with interconnected walkways. The bridges and walkways to the island mostly converge and meet at or near a central village communal space on the island itself. Here there are what larger structures and artisan space as the village both requires and possesses. Of particular note is a large ritual space, called the Moot Hill, in the center of this land portion of the village. It is here that any Clan meetings occur and that their many Faerie visitors are received. And perhaps more? All of the crannog dwellings are somewhat large and seem to be intended to hold more than a single family. The original villager population of the islands prior to the construction of the ringfort and Covenant resides here. They are not fully integrated into the society of the Covenant yet have put up no resistance. Indeed they don’t seem to resent the presence of the Covenant. The crannog fishermen have begun using the quay of the manor, and sharing a portion of their catch for the privilege, to shelter their boats but by and large confine themselves to their village rather than consort with those that dwell or work within the manor.
The current clan chief is named Ferguson. He is pleasant, handsome, large, and has orange-red hair that grows quickly and in all directions. He has an equally fiery and boisterous disposition. His wife is named Kenzie. She is stunningly beautiful, well-spoken, quick-witted, and tall. Kenzie spends more time in the Covenant than anyone else in the clan, accompanied at times by some of the young women of the village.

Inchmore, Crannog Village, History & Faerie Entanglements

There are no known members of the Crannog Village of Inchmore that do not have Faerie Blood. Multiple generations in the past an offshoot of a local Clan broke away and settled on Inchmore, taking the name of the Island as their own name (an Inchmore). The water provided natural protection from others and the lake provided an excellent source of fish. The soul was fertile and the island life kept them mostly separated from the many conflicts of Ireland. Being on the lake and river meant traders could, and did, access them giving them plenty of opportunity to trade for such a small village. Life was unusually good.
The villagers however have long had close and continual, even dare say intimate, contact with Faeries of all stripes. This has come to be accepted as part of the nature of living on the Isle and has become deeply ingrained into the very unique culture of the village/Clan. Those alone or away from the village for nearly any reason or duration frequently encounter Faeries. The encounters are not entirely benign and the villagers have a deep oral knowledge of Faeries and how to resist those that are hostile. They also seem naturally adept in dealing with Faerie socially.

The Crannog-men give hospitality freely and openly to friendly Faeries that come to visit their village, something that occurs frequently. Encounters of a sexual nature with various types of Faeries are extremely common among both sexes. The villagers have so much Faerie Blood that many are visibly different, and the village has a distinct reputation for “Otherness” in the nearby countryside.

The villagers seem to have a more Faerie than Mundane/Mortal set of attitudes and cultural norms concerning sex and children. Monogamy is virtually unknown and yet children are considered a blessing and to be raised under the care and authority of the patriarch of the household that the mother resides in (whether husband or father or something else). Intermarriage of the Inchmore Clan with outsiders has started becoming rare and at times contentious for this reason. There are a few failed marriages and associated grudges on both sides in the near past associated with this. Some of the brides from Inchmore have returned home and likewise some brides from outside have departed Inchmore in similar haste.

Inchturk Island

Inchturk is even less populated than Inchmore with only a handful of souls who live on the small island. This is likely due to the rather strong Faerie Aura that envelops large swathes of the island in a number of places. The island appears nondescript yet for some reason seem unusually close to Faerie and doubtless has secrets yet unknown. (Faerie Aura Rating +3)

8

The Cathach of Inchmore: The Oath Stone

An immense rune carved stone of obvious Norse origin. The runes are in Old Norse and thus not easily translatable even to those who may speak, and read, contemporary Norse. The inscriptions have been translated and read roughly as "Binding Truth" with no present declaration of the creator.

The Oath Stone was found in the cave systems beneath Inchmore and is one of the more conclusive pieces of evidence that Norse magic user of some sort inhabited the island during the Norse possession of it in a prior era. The stone itself is a small menhir approximately nine feet tall and six feet to a side.

  • Characters who freely swear a formal Oath or Agreement to one another while before the stone are imbued with a Lesser Essential Virtue imparting a permanent Personality Trait of +3 into both for keeping to the bargain.

  • Characters who formally touch the stone when swearing such an Oath, willingly and knowingly facilitating the effect, amplify the imbued Essential Virtue to a Greater, and thus the Personality Trait to +6.

  • For Oaths or Agreements being sworn to by multiple parties the effects of the stone only take effect if all parties likewise are freely swearing and submit to the effects of the stone. Thus it is impossible to swear a false oath before the stone, taking effect on only some of the intended parties.

  • Note that all such Personality Traits, as belonging to an Essential Virtue, become part of the Essential Nature of the recipient and thus can not be permanently modified or destroyed by Hermetic Magic.

  • The effects of the stone have Penetration of Zero.

11

Inchmore, Immediate Surroundings

A small but growing village, and an inn

To the east of Inchmore, on the eastern shore of Lough Ree, one will find an yet unnamed hamlet. The small village came to be due to the constant needs of Inchmore, and today most of the goods provided to the covenant go through hamlet, be it food or craft.

The crafters of the hamlet mostly deal with wood or weaving. High-quality items come from Athlone, as well as metal items and other rarer products. The one notable exception is bone-carving: there is an exceptional artisan who makes outstanding objects out of bone and horn, (generally flutes, combs and jewelry).

The shipment of goods to the covenant is overseen by Eamon O’Reilly, a seasoned fisherman with weathered hands and a keen understanding of the lake's ebb and flow. He is the unnoficial liason between the hamlet and the covenant, and has some kind of deep connection and understanding with the lake itself, but the nature of this connection is not clear.

At the heart of the hamlet, despite it's small size, there is a sizeable inn, Cloch na Tinte (Hearthstone). All roads in the hamlet come and go from the inn, and on the early hours in the morning a bustling market comes into life. The inn is always full, and guests of Inchmore are advised to seek respite in there for a couple of hours until granted authorization (and passage on a boat) to board the island.

Hearthstone's innkeeper is a jovial woman named Mauve. Possessing an uncanny beauty, Mauve captivates all who watch her occasional dance around the fire, and the magi of Inchmore have already confirmed that she has the power to affect peoples emotions. She also leads the dance on the local festivals and ceremonies, in particular on the celebrations of Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh. One day, about eleven years ago, Mauve came to be pregnant with twins, Aisling and Eamon. She has never spoken about the children's father.
(Note: Mauve has the virtues Enchanting Dance (variant of Enchanting Music, HoH:MC p.86) and Folk Dancer, HoH:TL p.142.)

Portlick Castle and Alistair Walls

In the nearby vicinity of the village, a figure of authority and nobility emerges in the form of Lord Alistair Walls, who marked his presence by the construction of a sturdy motte castle, situated barely one mile away from the lakeside settlement. The castle, surrounded by a protective wooden palisade, overlooks the surrounding lands and provides a strategic vantage point, serving both as the administrative and defensive center of the region. This construction appeared to be in response to all of the activity on Inchmore Isle and correspondingly on the shore of the lake. It is clear these affairs have drawn his attention in some way though what precisely his attitude about things is remains to be seen.

It could be noted by a keen observer that relations between Magi and mundane Lords are considerably different in Stonehenge than in Hibernia and there may be some "culture clash" at play here.

The Walls' rights over the area where the castle was built were granted by Hugh De Lacy, who in turn was granted large part of Westmeath by the Crown after the military campaign against Lord Strongbow. However, rumor has it that the relationship between William de Lacy and Alistair Wall has strained since Alistair aligned politically with the late King John (who temporarily deprived the de Lacy's of their lands from 1210 to 1215). Alistair has shown no inclination toward the Irish king so far.

While the villagers acknowledge the mundane lord's authority, they are economically tied to the Covenant, and there is a delicate dance between Alistair and the Covenant for now. Alistair views the magi with a mixture of curiosity, caution, and, at times, skepticism. Being grounded in practical matters of governance and military strategy, he finds it challenging to fully comprehend the mystical forces at play. The village also does not generate a considerable amount potential taxes at current yet that could easily change if it continues to grow over time. There could be conflict brewing here, or a relationship for the future to build either one.

Brian Ó Conchobair, ruler of Athleague

A distant descendent of Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, last High King of Ireland, Brian wants nothing to do with politics. Better known by his poetry than his swordmanship, nonetheless he has a (very limited) chance of becoming King of Connacht.

Brian lives in Athleague, about 8km south of Roscommon, and spends most of his days concerned with his own affairs, trying to stay out of trouble.

While having no magical powers of his own, seven years ago he married Ava Dillon, a Gifted Hedge Witch. From their union, a son and three daughters have been born so far. His influence, status, and wealth were considered quite a coup of achievement as strategic marriage by the Dillons. What long term plans the witches and lord might have together remain to be seen yet it is generally rumored that neither entered into their marriage alliance without goals of their own.

Whinning Forest, Whining House

Sailing to the south of Inchmore one will find himself reaching the Whinning Peninsula, upon which grows the Millennium Forest. In the midst of the forest there is a small manor, locally know as Whining House due to the cries one hears coming from there at night. No one is quite sure of who or what lives there, and no one is keen to find out.

Inchcleraun

To the north of Inchmore, the island of Inchcleraun has a deep history. Over the course of the years the island and it's several churches were plundered, burned and razed. Despite this, the churches persist. It's unclear which force is trying to drive the Dominion out of the island, and for what purpose. It might be related to Queen Medb, for one legend says that the island was the place of her death, killed by a stone thrown by her nephew from the Elfeet castle, on the shore of the lake. It might be something else entirely.

Currently the island houses an Augustinian monastery. Ambrose of Inchcleraun, the abbot, has sent an envoy to make sure of the magi intentions. Politically the monks lean towards the English side, if nothing else due to the sheer amount of times the island was plundered by men from Munster and Connacht. They are, however, members of the Irish Church (in opposition to the Anglo-Irish church), and had sufficiently neutral relations with Praesis. So far, everything seems to indicate that as long as Inchmore has no intent on raiding Inchcleraum, the monks will pose no trouble.

There are six temples built on the island: the three most important are described below.

Teampall Diarmada
Teampall Diarmada is the oldest and smallest church in Inchcleraun, built around the year 540 (either by Saint Diarmaid the Just or in his honor, the accountings are unclear), a stone building with a stone roof measuring not more than 7ft by 8ft. It might very well be the oldest church in Ireland. Saint Diarmaid was the teacher of Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, one of the twelve apostles of Ireland.

Teampall Mór
Recently built, standing barely four meters to the north of Teampall Diarmada, this Augustinian priory church is constructed in an “L” shape. It is the largest building on the island, consisting of a church, sacristy and living accommodation. It has a more modern appearance than any of the others.

Teampall Clogas
Built together with Teampall Mór, Teampall Clogas stands alone at the highest point of the island. It has a square bell tower attached to the main building, being distinct from most other churches of this era (which have round towers, separate from the main building). It is located on the northern part of the island and is visible from the shoreline. The church is rectangular, 35 ft by 17 ft. It's bell is a blessed bell (TCE p. 132), whose sound covers the whole island.