The Covenant of Tugurium

This topic is used to track the description, resources and details of the covenant. No discussion should be done here - that should be done in the Covenant Discussions (OOC) topic.

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Covenant Description

About 30 miles southwest of Basel, along the Brise river and nestled in the Jura mountains, is the town of Laimunt. South of Laimunt is the village of Chastellion; southe of Chastellion is a little valley where several small streams merge to form a larger one that flows through Chastelion and into the Birse.

Leonardus of Jerbiton, when he first discovered the valley, initiated the construction of a manor house at the spot where the aura was strongest, adjacent to a small waterfall. Construction continued over the years, expanding the manor house with additional structures for the mundanes who lived there permanently, but also room for additional magi for a future covenant.

But, before construction was finished, Leonardus apparently suffered from an experience that affected his mind permanently (perhaps Twilight). It made him confused about the overall plan. He had the workers stop some of the work, add differents wings that sometimes made little sense, tear down parts of the structure and add some independent buildings with no apparent purpose, as well as create decorative elements that clashed with each other.

The result is a fairly chaotic collection of buildings centered around a manor house that sprawls out in erratic ways, with a confusing floor plan. Corridors that circle around a room to reach its door, a flight of stairs that lead nowhere, a half-finished square tower, columns, terraces and gardens (that are either bare or growing unchecked) are all elements of the structure. With so few mundanes present, an ever-changing focus to their work and the absence of full-time occupants, certain parts of the covenant have fallen into disrepair.

There is a magical oak tree of huge proportions growing in the valley, lumpy and twisted. The magical aura is strong there, but strangely enough this is not where it is strongest. That occurs about sixty paces away, near the waterfall. A narrow opening in the cliff face lead to a large cave (the opening is now inside the manor house). There are a few tunnels leading to secondary caves, but one does not notice them immediately.

For on the jumbled rocks to one side of the cave is a something completely incongruous - a Roman galley, broken in half. Wrapped around it is a petrified sea serpent, its body as thick as a man is tall and its head raised in a soundless roar.

Covenant Boons and Hooks

External Relations

  • Tribunal Border (major hook) - The covenant is located at the collective border of three Tribunals (Rhine, Normandy and Greater Alps), with all having some claims to that territory and its vis sources.
  • Local Ally (minor boon) - The old magus had made a deal with the Telsberg family, providing some magic (perhaps even a minor longevity ritual) in exchange for their assistance and rights to build the covenant where it is. The family remains an ally of the Heir (and thus the covenant), though they might expect some occasional magical help.
  • Favors (minor hook) - If we want the three filii of the old magus to have a minor role to play in the saga we could pick this hook.

Site:

  • Aura (minor boon) x2 - I think an aura of +5 makes sense, considering the remote location of the covenant and the plentiful vis sources.
  • Poorly Defensible (minor hook) - The chaotic buildings and the fact that the covenant is at the foot of a cliff make it difficult to defend the covenant against mundane attacks.

Fortifications:

  • Manor House (free) - The main building.
  • Important Buildings (minor boon) - To represent the additional wings, the towers, etc.
  • Crumbling/Outbuildings (minor hook) - Several parts of the covenant are in poor condition. Plus, the covenfolk live in their own houses near the covenant buildings, adding to the confusing state. I don't think those issues warrant seperate hooks, so I would suggest combining them into a single hook.

Resources:

  • Vis Grant (minor boon) - This is how the Heir recruited the magi of the covenant, by promising them a share of the raw vis harvested by the covenant.
  • Right (minor boon) - Our main source of income is recognized by mundane authorities and secure.
  • Contested Resource (minor hook) - At least one of the vis sources is known to magi of the nearby Tribunals and they try harvesting it before we do. This could be taken multiple times.

Residents:

  • Peasants (free) - The villagers of Chastellion can be called on to defend the covenant.
  • Veteran Fighters (minor boon) - A small cadre of experienced grogs is the core of the covenant's defenders.

Covenant Charter

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Library

Hermetic Books

Subject Type (L/Q) Language Notes Source
Creo Summa (L5Q15) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Intellego Summa (L18Q12) Latin Tugurium’s original collection
Muto Summa (L5Q15) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Rego Summa (L6Q18) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Animal Summa (L6Q20) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Corpus Summa (L5Q15) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Herbam Summa (L5Q15) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Ignem Summa (L15Q15) Latin Tugurium’s original collection
Imaginem Summa (L5Q15) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Mentem Summa (L5Q15) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Terram Summa (L5Q15) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Vim Summa (L5Q15) Latin Root of Art Tugurium’s original collection
Magic Theory Summa (L5Q15) Latin Tugurium’s original collection

General Books

Book Subject L/Q Language Notes Source
Contra Haereticos Divine Lore L3Q10
Infernal Lore TQ8
Latin Written by Hugh of Amiens was the archbishop of Rouen from 1130 to 1174. Written in 1144, this book is compiled with a Infernal Lore tractatus. The original copy is stored in the Rouen Cathedral together with several other works. This copy was gifted to the covenant by Regulus of Guernicus in 1204. tL&tL p.53
The Analects of Tytalus House Tytalus Lore L4Q11
Order of Hermes Lore Q8
Philosophiae L3Q11
Latin Collated by Hariste, filia Tytalus the Founder. The book supposedly retains the wisdom of the founder. Virtually every member of House Tytalus owns a copy. Regulus comissioned this copy from a Tytalus he knew from his years as an apprentice in Normandy, and gifted it to Tugurium upon joining the covenant in 1204. HoH:S p.74
The Book of Instruction - Latin A text written by Tytalus himself which lays down explicit rules as to the correct behavior of an apprentice, and the punishments applied to infractions of these rules. Regulus comissioned this copy from a Tytalus he knew from his years as an apprentice in Normandy, and gifted it to Tugurium upon joining the covenant in 1204. HoH:S p.82
Physics Philosophiae (Natural Philosophy)
L6Q12
Classical Greek Written by Aristotle, comprised of 8 books. This copy was gifted to the covenant by Regulus of Guernicus in 1204. A&A p.136
Metaphysics Philosophiae T2Q14
Pagan Theology TQ12
Classical Greek Written by Aristotle, three books. The first and the third are tractatus on Philosophiae. The second is a tractatus on Pagan Theology. These copies were gifted to the covenant by Regulus of Guernicus in 1204. A&A p.136
Elementa Artes Liberales L4Q9 Classical Greek 13 books that act as a summa on Artes Liberales. These copies was gifted to the covenant by Regulus of Guernicus in 1204. A&A p.136
The Odyssey Aegean Sea Lore L5Q10
Faerie Lore TQ10
Magic Lore TQ10
Leadership TQ10
Intrigue TQ10
(Area Lore 1) TQ10
(Area Lore 2) TQ 10
Classical Greek Homer. Aegean Sea Lore L5Q10. It may also be read (by focusing on particular volumes and chapters) as a Quality 10 tractatus in Faerie Lore, Magic Lore, Leadership, Intrigue, or several different (Area) Lores. This copy was gifted to the covenant by Regulus of Guernicus in 1204. Based on The Alexiad, TSE p.39

Lab Texts for Spells

Corpus: Gentle Caress of Aesclepius (CrCo 30), The Inexorable Search (InCo 20),Sight of the Molting Magus (InCo 25,G, HoH:TL p.72)
Mentem: Loss of But a Moment’s Memory (PeMe 15. To be returned to the Normandy Tribunal in 1207), Sight of the Transparent Motive (InMe 10,G),Perception of the Conflicting Motives (InMe15,G)
Terram: Sense the Feet that Thread the Earth (InTe 30,G), Tracks of the Faerie Glow (InTe 25,G), Eyes of the Treacherous Terrain (InTe 15,G)
Vim: Scales of the Magical Weight (InVi 5), Sense the Nature of Vis (InVi 5), Piercing the Magical Veil (InVi 20), Wizard’s Communion (MuVi gen/15), Wind of Mundane Silence (PeVi gen/20), Aegis of the Large Hearth (ReVi gen/25, includes a +1 Size magnitude), Maintaining the Demanding Spell (ReVi gen/20), Gather the Essence of the Beast (ReVi 15)

  • Note: spells marked with a "G" after the level are written in Classical Greek.

Lab Texts for Items

  • 2x The Enchanted Porter (Covenants, p. 52)

Casting Tablets:

Vim: Aegis of the Large Hearth (ReVi gen/25, includes a +1 Size magnitude), Wizard’s Vigil (MuVi gen/20)

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Vis Sources

Sources that do not require much effort nor risk

The Oak of Binding Promises (Herbam and Rego)

The peasants who live in the villages nearby know about the oak at the entrance of the valley. They say it was the druids that planted it a long time ago. They say the oak tree witnesses promises and rewards those who keep them. This makes it a popular spot for young lovers and for outdoor marriage vows exchanged between peasants. It is said that if you come back years after a vow you have kept, the tree rewards you with a golden acorn. This only works for vows that mean something, not for silly little promises.

Every year the villagers of Chastellion hold a festival under the oak, at the summer solstice. This festival is a popular time to make promises and oath under the boughts of the Oak. When he was present, Leonardus encouraged the practice and sometimes attended the festival, gifting the villagers with small items from his travels -- such as sweets for the children, nice fabric for the women, or cegs of ale for the men. The villagers are hopeful that the Heir and his coterie of strange people will continue this tradition, much to the dismay of Father Luc, the local priest.

The raw vis comes in the form of acorns. Each person who makes a promise during the festival takes one home and keeps it until the next festival. If they kept their promise, the acorn turns golden and contains a pawn of Rego vis, which the covenant buy from the villagers. If the promise isn't kept, the acorn dries out and turns brown.

At the winter solstice, the covenant also collects a few acorns from the oak that clings to the bare branches, for they contain Herbam vis.

Yield per year: 5 pawns of Herbam (winter solstice), 1 to 5 pawns of Rego (summer solstice)

The Petrified Serpent (Muto)

Under the disorganized buildings of the covenant there is an extensive and not fully explored network of caves, that can be reached through a narrow tunnel under the mountain side, hidden behind a thick wooden door reinforced with bands of black iron. The narrow passage gives way to a larger and smoother tunnel, where the walls are damp and the air is cold, large enough for two man to easily walk side by side. The tunnel twists and branches, leading to several caves, natural and artificial.

The main cave of the complex seems to be the origin of the magical aura in the Laimunt Valley. There lies a Roman galley, broken in half. Wrapped around it, a petrified sea serpent, its body as thick as a man is tall and its head raised in a soundless roar.

While to mundane and magic examination it appears inanimate, the serpent sheds it's scales, each almost as large as a human hand, resembling large flakes of mica. Collected through the year this amounts to a sensible amount of Muto vis.

Yield per year: 8 pawns of Muto (2 pawns per season)

Sources that involve a little effort or risk

The Healing Waters of Underswyler (Creo)

There is a fountain inside a cave, about 10 miles west of the covenant, near the village of Underswyler, to which the locals attribute many miraculous healings. The water flows as a trickle from a stalagmite into a shallow pool. On the Assumption of Mary, 15th August, it's possible to harvest 2 or 3 pawns of Creo vis from the water.

In the last years the cave has become a pilgrimage site, and the people from Underswyler have been going there for Mass, under the direction of their priest.

Yield per year: 2 to 3 pawns of Creo (Summer)

Vis Reserves


Vis Reserves
Creo 3 Animal Ignem
Intellego Aquam Imaginem
Muto 7 Auram Mentem
Perdo Corpus 3 Terram
Rego 3 Herbam 3 Vim 1


Recent Transactions:



Notes:
Needs to add pawns from our other sources for year 1205 and remove the amount due to the heirs of Leonardus for the same year.

Finances

The covenant derives its incomes from the village of Chastellion, mostly in the form of foodstuff and goods produced there, although the watermill and the village smith provide a bit of coin as well. At the very least, the covenant runs little risk of starving even with its booming population.

However, the maintenance of the buildings is quite uneven, due to a lack of both funds and workers. The covenant has a quarry and a resident stonemason (with her family), as well as a carpenter, but this is far from enough to take care of the multitude of structures which compose the main coumpound. To make things worse, the magical nature of the site makes improvements more difficult to coordinate, as the layout inside the buildings seem to change on its own. So a leaking roof that is repaired can end up in a different part of the covenant after a few seasons.

The lack of hard income is bound to become worse as the magi start using their labs, with all of the expensive ingredients that they use.

Inhabitants

Magi

Companions

Grogs and Important Covenfolk

  • Eustache, an older grog from Confluensis who followed Clusius when the young magus left that covenant
  • Louis, a youth rescued by Clusius who is training to become his shield grog
  • Adeline, a young scribe
  • Vincent, an unlucky shield grog assigned to Perion's protection
  • Edwardo the shield grog A cheerful lug of a shield grog
  • Henricus Mons Achatae A former crusader who became Eikona's shield grog after the sack of Constantinople.
  • Klaus, one of the long-time grogs of the Tugurium, a son from one of the original grogs that Leonardus recruited several decades ago.
  • Benetto: A long serving retainer of Vorsutus. Benetto stands out due to his immediately obvious goblin-blood. A former professional criminal in the service of Rellantali in Venice.
  • Halfdan: A nordic soldier and skald/bard, formerly of Constantinople, who has joined the retinue of Vorsutus.

Miscellaneous Covenfolk

  • Peter, the cook
  • Mathias, a servant who looks to be in his fifties and whom no one has ever heard speak.
  • Jutte, a serving woman who looks like an wrinkled old woman but is in fact much younger.
  • Franscesca, a stone mason and her family, who run the covenant's quarry on the southwestern part of the valley.
  • Herbert, a carpenter

People the Covenant Know

  • Father Luc, the priest from Chastellion
  • Father Samuel, the priest from Undervelier who holds Mass in the Cave of Mary. Permanently blinded by Wolfgang’s “angelic holy light”
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Maps and Drawings

Covenant Valley Map
Laimunt Valley Map

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Labs and Other Locations Within the Covenant

  • Clusius' sanctum: Clusius uses the set of appartments where Leonardus lived and worked when he came to Tugurium. The set of rooms in the main wing of the covenant includes a fairly large lab space and comfortable living quarters. The lab was fairly specialized and included some refinements that Clusius is unable to use because of his low Magic Theory. Some of the items within the lab have also spoiled during the long years since Leonardus was present, but most of these have been cleaned out and resplenished since Clusius first arrived. (stats to be detailed)
  • Regulus' sanctum: Regulus, desiring a good view of the valley, has claimed for himself the two top floors of the covenant's highest habitable tower. He uses half of the second highest floor as his living quarters and the other half to house his personal servants. The top floor houses his laboratory, which he is still in the process of outfitting for Intellego work. The tower is a bit cold, particularly in the winter.
  • Alba's sanctum: A room above the main hall. The room is fairly large (Size +2, Spacious minor virtue) but because it right right above a fairly busy place it get get noisy at times and a bit drafty (Poorly Insulated minor flaw). By the end of Summer 1205, Julius will have it set up as a Basic lab (-3 General Quality), but because of the large anmount of unused space it also has the Empty free flaw.
  • Celeste's sanctum: Celeste has claimed a small tower, putting her lab at the top floor, and her living quarters at the bottom. Her mother's ghost has taken up residence in the Lab itself, making it more suitable for Mentem, which is fine by Celeste.