Supressed Magic Auras: Saga Startup & Covenant Creation

Hello there. I need some help/inspiration on how to implement an idea for my new saga, while still keeping close to the canon.

story overview: Covenant creation: The troupe has been sent by their paters/maters to start a new covenant on the site of an old mercurian temple/ruin. According to the background history I have created, the Magic Aura of said place has weakened, due to neglect (not much magic performed there in many centuries) but more profoundly due to diabolism on the site, the last 60 years. My idea is that the magic aura is tethered underneath the ruin in a cavesystem that has been used by magi and wizards for many thousand years. But as the players arrive at the site, the magic aura is weak +1 around the centre of the ruin, just above the entrance to the cave, and this weak aura is surrounded by an infernal aura, due to the use of the site for diabolic rituals for the last 60 years. What I would like to happen was, that the early stories of the saga would focus on two things:

1 The building of the mundance covenant from scratch. This is doable and poses only few problems rule wise, e.g. that the covenants book really doesnt deal with building a covenant from scratch (any ideas?)

  1. The exploration of the ruins and reestablishment of the powerful magic aura that has been suppressed by neglect and encroaching infernalism.

Now pt. 2. is where I would really like some input from you guys. According to RoP:M its possible to design the area, so that a strong magic aura is tethered underneath a central place, and every year, the aura could then slowly regain strength based on use and the weakning of the infernal aura, since the troupe will have stopped the diabolist rituals. Do you think that this slow regaining of the aura is doable both in relation to the rules and in relation to gameplay? The troupe is arriving on a site where there are no labs, let alone living quarters, and only a small area with a magic aura to begin with. Also: how do I design this using the covenants source book? what hooks and boons should i use? I was thinking about placing the cave under the ruin in a regio, since RoP:M discusses how a strong aura can be split into regios if it comes under pressure. Then slowly, as the magic aura regains strength, the regio could collapse and become "visible" again.

any comments and inspiration is greatly appreciated. the troupe have already played three sessions, and have just arrived at the new covenant grounds, so building the stats of the covenant is the next step for us.

Yes.

Just take something like "unknown hook" or "hidden ressources" with the additionnal aura.

Or don't bother with it, just design the covenant as it is from the start, with its +1 aura, and some diabolists or devil-related hooks.

hum... Rules-wise, you could have the additionnal aura as being regio level that were suppressed and will appear again. Sure, the players will like this :wink: