The Cursed Reliquary Spring of 1233 - Adventure 42
While the rest of the Magi are away, Hyperides Hylas travels with Ivan and Theoclymenus to a small Greek village to retrieve another of the hermetic enchanted items that look like reliquaries, which is also in the hands of mundanes. Once there, they discover that the object is damaged, and the demon that was trapped inside has escaped, causing trouble in the area. With the object recovered, they decide to ignore the demon and return home, considering the mission successful.
Participants:
Hyperides Hylas
Ivan Volkov
Theoclymenus
Note: One of the player couldn't make it for one session, so we did a quick one-shot with the characters that were left behind in Constantinople, sort of a "meanwhile..." adventure. Funny enough, the paid no mind to the fact they left behind a demon on the loose, even if that was not their fault.
After reaching an agreement with the Covenant of Mikaelos Pinakion, who control the criminal activity in the Platea area, Theoclymenus manages to unite all the criminal gangs of Constantinople into the new Thieves Guild, except for the gang running the Galata. Meanwhile, Eric d'Ancelin uses his magic to quickly go back to Provençe, where he gets in touch with his sister and brother, and avenges his father's death. After contacting Abraham ben Ravi, the magi manage to get the gang operating in the Galata to join the guild, albeit with some special conditions. The covenant receives an unexpected visit from Tamat ibn Qurah, who proposes an alliance to thwart Salima's plans about Pharaoh Tamen-Set by travelling to his long lost pyramid tomb.
Participants:
Eric d'Ancelin
Hyperides Hylas
Theoclymenus
Notes: The Covenant of Mikaelos Pinakion is Michael's Tabula from The Sundered Eagle. I have made extensive use of the article on the Theban Tribunal in Sub Rosa issue 7, including the alternative Greek names of some of the covenants.
The Quest of the Montlhéry Winter of 1234 - Adventure 44
Enrico Mauroceni asks the magi to help him find a missing Lombard girl of noble birth, called Constance de Montlhéry. He wants to find her in order to ingratiate himself with her uncle and his son, who are searching for her. As the girl is one of the future apprentices under the covenant's care, they arrange a meeting with the knights. During the meeting, Thubayta Al-Shafiyya uses her Solomonic magic to convince them that the girl fled north with a Bulgarian mercenary. They also learn that there is another one of the false Hermetic reliquaries located in the monastery of Aristion.
Participants:
Charis
Hyperides Hylas
Eric d'Ancelin
Thubayta Al-Shafiyya
Note: As per the tradition of the Theban Tribunal, all apprentice candidates are kept in the covenant of one of the apodektai (see The Sundered Eagle, pages 28 and 32). Both Thubayta and Hyperides got selected as archai in the last Tribunal, and ended up in the Treasury Council. Being from the same covenant, they were both charged by the tamias with taking care of any Gifted children found until the next Tribunal, as tutors. Each year, I give them a list of apprentices sent to them that year, with a brief description of their circumstances. This has generated a few very short adventures, such as this one. Also, note that this adventure was at the beginning of year 1234, not at the end. In our saga, we consider the year's seasons to be winter, spring, summer and autumn, since most of winter is actually in the beginning of the year instead of at the end.
Pherenike on the Run Spring of 1234 - Adventure 45
Another one of the covenants's future apprentices goes missing, a girl named Pherenike. The magi quickly find her with a goup of travelling bandits, and bring her back to the covenant. She tells them that she has run away to get her twin sister back, and they rescue her from the group of vagabonds and highwaymen she is with. However, it seems that the leaders of the group are diabolists, and the girl turns out to be possessed. They manage to expel the demon that is possessing her, not without facing some difficulty.
Participants:
Charis
Hyperides Hylas
Eric d'Ancelin
Theoclymenus
Note: This is another adventure with the future apprentices they are keeping for the Tribunal.
Charis goes on a visit to her former covenant of Erebos, accompanied by Eric d'Ancelin and escorted by Theoclymenus. She performs the beginnings of the initiation ritual into the Witches of Thessaly, but is ultimately unwilling to pay the necessary price, and ends up refusing the initiation. Destasia tells her that she has a year to change her mind, if she decides to come back and finish the ritual. Meanwhile, Eric investigates, on behalf of Hydatius, the possibility that another maga from Erebos called Rhene might be an infernalist. After soem digging, he comes to the conclusion that she is not. They also ask the Seirennes what their missing sorores of Oikos tou Eleous thought about the Paulici, as the Ladies of Thessaloniki were very critical of them. They reply that it was actually the two Jerbiton magae who were the most radical, and that Nonna had a good opinion of a Paulici from Constantinople named Atticus. Back in the city, Eric speaks with him and becomes convinced that the Paulici are not infernalists.
The thread is on pause because we have reached what we have played so far. So the briefings will now be in real-time. Meaning that, as each adventure usually takes from one to four sessions, and we play every four weeks, I'll probably have a new adventure to post every 2 or 3 months.
The Verditius Contest Summer of 1234 - Adventure 47
Hyperides Hylas attends the Verditius Contest held in his original covenant of Ingasia. This Contest is also held in the covenant of Verdi in the Roman Tribunal, due to the anomalous situation of House Verditius having two magi who claim to be Primus of the House, and is especially important because it will force the members of the House to take sides with one or the other. Hyperides shares with Primus Stouritus his intention to try to change the Peripheral Code so that apprentices are not legally treated as property but as magi, and the Primus replies that he's in favor of this change. Thirty-five Verditius magi attend the Contest, including an Archmage from the Rhine Tribunal. During the Contest, Primus Stouritus enters Twilight as a result of the hidden effect of an enchanted item presented by magus Tiberius of the Normandy Tribunal. The attack seems to have been orchestrated by Ferramentum of Verdi, frater of the other Primus, Retistius of Verdi. However, upon investigation, they discover that the item that triggered Twilight is not the one that Tiberius had presented and Ferramentum created. They believe that their intention was for Tiberius to win the Contest and not claim any item from Verdi, thus avoiding confrontation between the two Domus Magnae. The real culprit turns out to be a mundane member of the alliance, the Keeper of the Arcana Eusebius, an infernalist who believed he was acting under the orders of the head of the covenant of Alexandria, the Mercere Proximios. They go to Alexandria with Hydatius and other magi to confront him, where they discover that the real infernalist is Andreas Merceristes, who dies in the confrontation while trying to arrest him.
Participants:
Hyperides Hylas
Charis
Eric d'Ancelin
Thubayta Al-Shafiyya
Note: This was an important adventure, for several reasons. First, it showcased the current schism in House Verditius, providing Hyperides a glimpse of the problems they will face in the future, as well as where some key players stand on this. Secondly, it made them aware of the infernalist infiltration in Alexandria, albeit the problem was apparently solved. Nonetheless, they also realized that Andreas had been providing unknowing magi with infernally tainted vis. Thirdly, it was the first actual step in Hyperides' ongoing quest to improve the legal standing of apprentices in the Order.
A stranger in the kingdom of peace Winter of 1234-1235 - Adventure 48
Father Simon takes up residence in the monastery of Saint Cyprian in the Rodhope Mountains of Bulgaria, to meditate and learn from one of the monks how to improve his ability to Sense Holiness and Unholiness. During his stay, Wilrich of Flambeau takes refuge in the monastery, severely wounded by mercenaries while trying to cross the mountains in search of the Divine Imperial Battle Standard, and accompanied by a shepherd named Ioannes, who acts as his guide. The monks take in the magus, and are subsequently besieged by the mercenaries who pursue him. Their captain, the ruthless Grigori, threatens to kill the inhabitants of the nearby village if they do not hand him over. With the help of Prior Manuel of Aporias, Father Simon tries to save the magus, eventually confronting Captain Grigor. Ioannes then reveals himself as an angel, causing the mercenary to repent, abandon the path of war and decide to take the habit as penance for his life of bloodshed.
Participants:
Simon Ristopoullos
Note: This was a solo adventure for Father Simon, played with just two players. One of them was obviously the player for Father Simon, and the other one played with one of the monks. It was a very short, one-session adventure that was a lot of fun.