Wiki of Player Notes

Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica: Wake of the Schism
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Edit as you please. Curating old posts is recommended.

NPCs

Order

  • Benedict the Redcap - Former PC. Redcap. Can transform into a bear.
  • Caelha ex Tremere - Apprentice of Tacitus ex Tremere. Ungulus.
  • Mildred ex Merinita - Last known mage of Castruum Antiquum. Also known as The Old Wizard, The Geezer. Often disguised as a male. Parens of Thom Myddleton ex Merinita.
  • Obstetrix ex Bjornaer - Former PC. Horse Heartbeast, midwife.
  • Chronos the Redcap - Was chronicler for Tacitus ex Tremere, based in Ungulus. We saved him in the giant regio above the beanstalk.

Diedne

  • Diana of Diedne - initially found in twilight on battlefield. Home at cave?
  • Fenna of Diedne - wife of Cumhall. Active in the Wicker hill area. Missing since the battle there. Unclear whether she's alive.

Magi - Missing

  • Frederic ex Flambeau - Marched from Ungulus for the campaign arround Wicker Hills. Estimated 40-75 past gauntlet. Allegedly was slain at the battle of Wicker Hills / Wicker Village and buried either by Lord Fergus or his men. Cath'rinne could not locate his body in the mass tomb, but realistically didn't have enough time to investigate every body part. He is presumed dead for now.
  • Natasha ex Tremere - Fought on Hermetic Battlefield 1. Fate unclear. Lieutenant of Vladimus ex Tremere.
  • Tessa ex Tytalus - Marched from Ungulus for the campaign arround Wicker Hills. Estimated 40-75 past gauntlet. Fate unknown. Allegedly survived the battle of Wicker Hills, and so may still be alive.

Deceased Magi

  • Amadeus ex Tytalus - Fought on Hermetic Battlefield 1. Presumed dead and eaten by giants.
  • Luciu ex Guernicus - Deceased at Ungulus. Mercurian. Former PC.
  • Pontius Arbiter of Guernicus - Deceased on the Battlefield. Previous Presiding Quaesitor of Stonehenge Tribunal. Body found at Battlefield. Buried in the deserted hamlet - mercurian rites. Annoyingly uncooperative when interrogated post-death.
  • Unknown name - Dragon riding Diedne. Dead on Hermetic Battlefield 1.
  • Unknown Verditius from Castellum Veridian - killed in his regio.
  • Vladimus ex Tremere - Dead on Hermetic Battlefield 1.
  • Tacitus ex Tremere - Marched from Ungulus for the campaign arround Wicker Hills. Found dead and burried in Dunwald with his staff under a a gigantic cross. Parens of Caelha ex Tremere. Estimated 40-75 past gauntlet. Author of "Diedne Lore: Know thy enemy by Tacitus of Tremere Q8, dated Blackthorn 1010". Should have a will in the care of the Exarch of Blackthorn. Now buried under the Diedne raven spy, which should confuse anyone digging his tomb up again. Yay!?
  • Cumhall - husband of Fenna. Active in the area of Wicker Hill. Stuck on a spike at Wicker Hill. Lord Fergus described him as a leader of men and giants.
  • Maine the Redcap - Based in Ungulus. Eaten by giants. See creatures with Might.

Creatures with Might

  • Bog Boar. Magical Animal. Anticipated Might 15-20. Lives in a cave regio and comes out to feed occasionally. Vis source nearby?
  • Magical Salmon. Anticipated might < 25. Swims in a bend of the River - see the map.
  • Nyliyu - Faerie. Birch Dryad. Betula's "mother". Lives in regio in Birch Grove south of Arden's Well which is near Nottingham.
  • Magical(?) Black Cat - lives around Castellum Veridian. Friendly to Betula who scratched it warned of dangers in Verditius' cave regio sanctum. Possibly the Verditius' familiar.
  • Maine the Redcap - Eaten by giants. A creature with might, possibly a faerie or a ghost, tried impersonating him but disappeared as it was interrogated.

Druids

  • Alric the Wise - Gifted Druid
  • Ingrid - Turold's fifth cousin. Her tribe is based in the Pennines area, north of Turold's tribe.
  • Mordred - young druid. About ten years' old. Malhad's son. Saved from the watch by the party in the marketplace of Nottinghamshire.
  • Malhad - Mordred's father. Rescued from the jail of Nottinghamshire by Cath'rinne clever spell. Turold's mentor. In his thirties.
  • Fridswed - a druid from Malhad's tribe
  • Gareth - a druid from Malhad's tribe
  • Gwyennayed - a seer from Malhad's tribe. Caught. Unclear if he was executed.

Mundanes

  • Wulfric - Witchhunter. Has ear of Alderman of Mercia. Rumored to be unkillable. Survived Janus's Ball of Abysmal Flame and escaped.
  • Lord Fergus. At war with Warlocks (according to Gwaine, is unaware of a distinction between the Diedne and the Order). From Mansfield.
  • TBD - Earl of the county North of Wicker Hill
  • Malcolm Greyhood - A ranger who would have betrayed the magi to the Diedne arround Dumfries
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Covenants

  • Castellum Veridian - Defunct. In Sherwood Forest. Betula and Janus's covenant of apprenticeship. There is a cave with a small regio that can be explored, a Verditius' sanctum. protected by an automaton Lion. A black cat that may have been someone's familiar resides here.
  • Wicker Hill - "In Galloway. It was frequently visited by other Diedne for their secret rituals that not even the most trusted grogs were allowed to witness." Companion: Hamish MacDuff (Bartomeus) - #6 by loke
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Possible Covenant Site Notes

Strong choices

  1. Blackpool. Located between Nottingham and the Peak District / Lux Draconis towers, the site has a Magic Aura of 5 that extends roughly to that of a standard boundary, 100 paces away from the pond, which is 100-200 paces in diameter. The aura is centered on a small lake / large pond, and surrounded by deep woods which are hard to walk into. The water is completely black, making it look extraordinarily deep. There are currently no signs of a magic regio, however it's not impossible there might be one in the small lake, and Cath'rinne has heard a tale that the depths of the lake may be filled with numerous ancient ghosts that come out when the moon is up (unclear if tied to a phase of the moon, this wasn't played out). The place is somewhat defensible, its main features being hard to locate since the woods are very deep arround it. The site is linked to the Nottinghamshire druids, and we would likely need their agreement to settle down there, however if we did, they might be inclined to join us if we could protect them as well. The closest civilization is a day's walk away - the site is west of Northampton. No road access. The town is protected by a Motte and Bailey castle, which includes a fairground. The fairground includes craftsmen, agricultural products, but also wise ones peddling charms and potions. However, Northampton is part of Eadric's power base. The site includes a source of Aquam vis which was claimed by Cath'rinne, and a source of Corpus vis which is claimed by the druids.
  2. Midsummer Cospe: This is 200 paces away from Cauldron's Fall. Cauldron's Fall doesn't have a faerie aura, but there is a regio beyond the falls which was not assessed. It is also inhabited by large faerie otters, possibly shapechangers, in the service of a "King of the White Foam" faerie who is presumably hostile to human presence in the river. We did not dare venture in the King's regio, which is beyond the fall's curtain, due to uncertainty surrounding the rules of behavior and possible drowning attempts if we break the rules. The possible covenant area is a near perfect circle of about 50 paces accross which is bounded by ancient oak trees which has a powerful magical aura of 7. This is one of the sites supposedly visited by the Spirit Votary, possibly known as Lise. The place looked as if the grass has been mowed, even though animals are told not to venture there. Could the grass be a vis source of the Spirit Votary? Apparently, Lise tends to the magical aura in some way. Betula spotted an airy spirit of the Air on site, and some other Airy Spirits were found by Turold in glowing green oak acorns. It's possible the acorns become interesting as they mature with an airy spirit inside. There is a possible Terram vis source of some mushrooms growing on a pine root in the forest nearby. 3 Terram pawns were collected by Betula. There appears to be an entrance to something called The Spirit Void that Lise uses to travel between other sites. Lise is interested in us working to enlarge the area of the aura. The swamp arround the grove is 150-200 yards in width, and so could not be included in a standard boundary ritual.
  3. Former Castellum Veridian: The site has a magic aura 4 in Sherwood Forest. There lies a ruined covenant. It is also linked to a faerie aura, which may or may not be linked to specific dates, since Cath'rinne and Betula and their companions spent a night feasting with Faerie Janus and Faerie Edwin. The site has a genii locii that seems to have some power over ghosts interred in the soil. There is a regio nearby in a cave, which hosts the former laboratory of a Verditius, still guarded by some sort of lion-snake construct. The lab is mostly ruined, by the construct is active. The living quarters of the Verditius had a magic aura of 2+, and the lab is believed to be in a higher level magical regio, however the aura was not tested as the party had to escape. Turold has found a source of Auram vis, and globally would be very interested in the zone of Sherwood Forest, if asked. Cath'rinne is not sure whether she's excited or scared of the genii loci. She's at the moment cautious and is unlikely to want to settle there until she knows more of the genii loci and can decide whether it's a boon or a flaw for her.
  4. St. Alban's Wells / Roman Baths. According to a spirit found in Sherwood Forest (named Aquavita), the place was ruined by St. Alban, and all that remains is a well within a small town in the forest. The town doesn't have a church, but has the well, where a regio with water glimmering in silver and gold can be seen. Local folks pray as they get the water. The water from the well refreshes the energy of those drinking directly - and my constitute vis, but we didn't confirm that. The shadow of a roman town with temples and baths can be seen from the mundane world, behind the regio wall. The key to entering the place is a prayer for hospitality and protection of Mercurian origins. The prayer was said by a statue of Mercury which is found on the regio side, just in front of the woodworker's shop - which may make it ackward to enter or leave during daytime unless we buy back the building or something along those lines. Two other statues on each side of Mercury on the regio side represent Vesta and Suli. The magic aura is of 4. On entering the regio, we found a flame in Vesta's hand which is Ignem vis, three marble pebbles of Vim Vis, and water in Suli's hand which is Aquam vis - making a total of four vis sources associated with the place, plus the nearby forest. The place seems to have high comfort potential however the party uncovered a number of hostile elementals which may need to be cleared prior to a formal takeover, or after, to unlock part of the existing structures. There is a layout of the regio area here. We met a spirit called Indulgence inside, and there would be another spirit called Decadence as well, as well as both fire and water elementals. Aquavita was connnected to the place, but left after St. Alban did whatever it is he did.

Other options

  1. Magical hilltop. It is a plain hill overlooking the river Tees, looking down the valley towards the Southeast. Several villages flank the river, the closest probably an hour away on foot. It is high enough to make a serious obstacle for assaulting armies, but not high enough to make everyday travel arduous. You recognise the bright colours and sharp features commonly associated with magic auras. It is about a hundre paces diameter and not impressively strong, you think, but many covenants have auras like this. Magic Aura 3. There always airy spirits around, in flowers, rocks, and whatnot, but neither Thom nor Betula can see anyone of any significance. They typically have a Might of 5 and attention span probably a little longer than that of a goldfish but not much. Betula stopped to plant trees on this otherwise barren hill. We met a fox of virtue here, which Betula fed with vis.
  2. Midwinter Copse: The area is a magic aura of level 3, 400-500 paces across. The circle of pine trees is a plausible tether, but it has no other apparent magical properties. We couldn't see any regione. The pine trees are ancient, maybe a thousand years. A stone sticks out of the ground exactly in the middle of the circle. It reaches about two feet above ground, with a sharp point at the top. Spirits are plentiful within the aura; airy spirits of Earth and of Plants more than anything else; it takes a second sight roll 9+ to see these and 12+ to see other spirits. It is a mile away from the nearest church, and the lands arround the copse are mostly agricultural lands, with several villages nearby. This is allegedly the site of Cassandra's Final Transmission, much sought after by Betula. A sort of spirit called Confidence addressed us with this challenge: "There is little for you to learn here. You need to test yourselves, not only with a walk in the park, but to your limits, to the edge of survival. Only when you, like Cassandra, have knocked on death's door and return scarred and with mortal wounds will you be open to the insight of this site. Don't worry. I will be here on your return." Note: Wound penalty of -6, or a Heavy/Incapacitating Wound required. No limit on max confidence gained.

Unclear whether available

  1. Ungulus. Might be a site with a valuable library and an aura of 6 (the highest found so far) and existing labs, economy and covenfolk, if all the former magi are dead and only Caelha remains. The only way to ascertain this is finding out what happened. Has a mystic tower, several outbuildings, 50-100 paces away used by sheep and shepherds. The sick room, full of beds, occupies most of the first floor, leaving just a small storeroom for the chirurgeon, a conference room, and a hallway. 2nd Floor: "kitchen and a common room where the covenfolk usually eat." 3rd Floor: "turb barracks and two small sanctums for the redcaps who are not currently present." 4th Floor: "a library, council room, and a cramped haphazard lab" Remaining Three Floors: "sanctums for the Gifted, also absent, magi". Basement (TBD): "There is probably a basement underneath, but its entrance is not ovious."
  2. Wicker Hill. There supposedly was a massacre, and the site may be deserted, according to a captured Diedne grog. There is a place nearby called the "Wicker Village", made of rounded stone buildings which was the actual covenant site, while the Hill was a ritual area. The villagers and the roughly dozen soldiers there are loyal to Lord Fergus. The Hill has a magical aura of 4.

Unexplored

  1. Carpathian Gate
  2. Salmon Peninsula
  3. Farne Island Regios
  4. Boar Bog Regio

Probably no

  1. Lux Draconis. This is the former covenant site of the Chief Quaesitor of the Tribunal. One tower lies in ruins, another one is standing but believed to be magically trapped. There is an infernal ghost on site, and the site is currently unattractive since we have found an infernal aura rather than a magical one. However, as we have no explored the entire area, a magic aura underground to the towers, or a regio accessible through them is not ruled out by Cath'rinne. There may be resources worth looting, either way. It is in the Peak District, not too far from Black Pool.
  2. Rosalba - unlocated, but we have a veto.
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