The Covenant of Tugurium

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)