The Stonehenge Tribunal in the Saga of Spiritus Draconis

The Saga actually started before the Stonehenge Tribunal sourcebook, Heirs to Merlin, was published. Our Saga's portrayal of the Tribunal includes some covenants from that sourcebook (sometimes in modified form) and others of original design. A source of inspiration from which I borrowed ideas was the Saga of the Broken Crown.

Maps

I meant to do quite a bit more with maps in the Saga, but really only ended up making a rough large-scale map showing major cities and covenants.

• Map of my version of the Stonehenge Tribunal
• Somewhat better, Blank map of England and Wales
• Blank map as a ZIPped CC2 File (526 KB) for use in Campaign Cartographer 2 by Profantasy Software.

Covenants

House Ex Miscellania is headquartered in the Stonehenge Tribunal and it comprises the largest segment of magi. Since the acceptance of the Stonehenge Tribunal into the Order, there has been a gradual settlement of Continental magi in the British Isles. While the Ex Miscellania magicians tend to be solitary, the magi of Latin traditions tend to congregate in covenants. This has led to the situation where almost all of the covenants in the Tribunal are Latin, but almost half the magi are not. A casual visitor to the Stonehenge Tribunal will come away with a very distorted impression of the region’s demographics.

The Saga of Spritus Draconis predates the publication of the Ars Magica sourcebook, Heirs to Merlin. Several covenants had been introduced before the sourcebook was published, but several more remained to be designed. The composition of the Tribunal in this Saga, therfore, is a mixture of ideas from the sourcebook combined with original material.

There are nine covenants in the Stonehenge Tribunal that are known to the Order. They are:

Aquae Sulis

Date Founded: 1141

Season: Summer

House Affiliation: Mixed

Location:

Roman ruins outside the town of Bath, in the county of Avon, south central England.

Physical Appearance:

The covenant is located in the ruin of the Roman temple outside of town, which appears above ground to be little more than a pile of rubble. The hidden cellars, including the bath-house, have been restored to a semblance of their classical grandeur by the nostalgic magi. The entrance to the covenant is magically concealed: visitors are always blindfolded before they are led inside.

Magi:

The magi of Aquae Sulis all belong to Roman traditions of magic, and all have intellectual tendencies.

• Evodius of House Quaesitor
• Archmage Sextus Aurelius of House Bonisagus
• Georges de Mornay of House Jerbiton

History:

The covenant of Aquae Sulis is built in the ruins of a Roman temple and bath house. The name Aquae Sulis was the Roman name for the town of Bath. Sul was an indigenous Celtic goddess associated with the natural hot springs; Roman settlers accepted her as an avatar of Minerva. When the Romans withdrew around A.D. 410, the Saxons sacked the town. Bath was subsequently rebuilt some time in the Dark Ages and is currently the site of an important church. In spite of the relatively strong Dominion aura nearby, magi are able to thrive among the pagan ruins.

Notes:

The magical hot springs inside the covenant have powerful healing properties. They provide the covenant with its (fairly weak) magical aura and their water is prized as an ingredient in longevity potions. They also provide a large amount of Corpus vis, which the magi of Aquae Sulis trade for other Arts. Not surprisingly, the Archmage Aurelius is a master of Corpus magic. The Quaesitor Evodius unsuccessfully prosecuted Augustin Colaire of Spiritus Draconis at the Stonehenge Tribunal of 1221 for slaying the magus Cyrnweg of Bjornaer.

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Blackthorn

Date Founded: 818

Season: Autumn

House Affiliation: Merinita

Location:

A cavern complex in the Black Mountains of southern Wales.

Physical Appearance:

Blackthorn consists of miles of catacombs and tunnels. Visitors are permitted only within a small public area near the surface, which contains extensive guest quarters and a large hall where the Stonehenge Tribunal convenes. Magi dwell deep within the caves, far from the public area and from each other. The tunnels in the public area have been smoothed and widened, but much of the covenant undoubtedly consists of rough, natural caverns.

Magi:

All the magi of Blackthorn belong to House Merinita. It is no secret that all of the current Blackthorn magi are strongly aligned with the dark, or Unseelie, fae.

• Archmage Cravis of House Merinita
• Haterius of House Merinita
• Morydic, filius Heterius
• Kehydius of House Merinita
• Rowena of House Merinita
• Quaesitor Peregrinus of House Merinita

History:

Blackthorn has a long and illustrious history. It has not always been exclusively a House Merinita covenant, but its last non-Merinita member left some time in the tenth century. It was originally sited in a strongly-built castle near Cardiff in southern Wales, but in 1062 Blackthorn attacked the covenant of Tagelyn and siezed Tagelyn's prime location as its own. Since then, the magi of Blackthorn have grown in power and wickedness, though their numbers have dwindled somewhat. Blackthorn has been politically dominant in the Stonehenge Tribunal for over a century, challenged only by Voluntas and, recently, Spiritus Draconis.

Notes:

The membership of Blackthorn is completely different from the description in Heirs to Merlin, but the location, description, and general history of the covenant are the same. The Quaesitor Peregrinus belongs to House Merinita. He was awarded his office by House Quaesitor in 1138 and is the senior Quaesitor in the Tribunal. Archmage Cravis is the current Praeco.

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Cad Gadu

Date Founded: 814; rebuilt 1065

Season: Winter

House Affiliation: Ex Miscellania

Location:

A regio in a lake in the mountains of Snowdonia, north Wales.

Physical Appearance:

Since Cad Gadu is located inside a magical regio, its true appearance is not obvious or well-known. The mundane level of its regio is an island in a scenic mountain lake, with a small jetty, guard tower, and a couple of cottages. All the stone structures appear to be falling into ruin. Cad Gadu does not encourage visitors.

Magi:

All the magi of Cad Gadu belong to House Ex Miscellania. The covenant is dominated by a magical tradition of Welsh bards, claiming descent from the legendary Merlin and Math ap Mathonwy.

• Primus Lleison the Crooked
• Quaesitor Madoc ap Gryffyd Ex Miscellania
• Rhodri ap Madoc Ex Miscellania
• Saereid Ex Miscellania
• Catrin Ex Miscellania, formerly of Spiritus Draconis

History:

Cad Gadu is a Welsh phrase meaning "the Abandoned Army." This is a deliberate slight to the European Order of Hermes for its lack of support during the war against Dav'nalleous in the ninth century. It was originally built by magic in a single day, according to legend, as a rallying point for the magicians of Britain against Dav'nalleous. Cad Gadu has suffered great tribulations in its past and was even sacked by a Welsh army in 1060, though it was later rebuilt in the regio on the same site.

Notes:

Cad Gadu is the domus magna of House Ex Miscellania. Immanola has passed into Final Twilight and the Robes of the Dusty Dawn, symbol of authority of the Primus Ex Miscellania, have passed to Lleison the Crooked. Quaesitor Madoc ap Gryffyd is a noted expert on the Stonehenge Tribunal's Peripheral Code, which he can recite from memory. He is the only magus Ex Miscellania currently holding the office of Quaesitor.

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Cercle Cassée

Date Founded: 1193

Season: Spring

House Affiliation: Tremere

Location:

Wiltshire, south central England

Physical Appearance:

A stone manor house, complete with a village of serfs.

Magi:

• Plautis of House Tremere
• Brutus, filis Plautis
• Remus, filius Plautis
• Regulus, filius Brutus

History:

"Cercle Cassée" is French for "Broken Ring." The covenant was founded by a combative Tremere magus from the Normandy Tribunal, who brought his filius and apprentice to wage war against a powerful and persistent circle of diabolists. With support from Blackthorn and the Sherriff of Wiltshire, the Tremere magi prevailed after a bitter struggle. They named their covenant in honor of their triumph.

Notes:

Cercle Casseé maintains close relations with the Sherriff, but its alliance with Blackthorn has shielded it from political repercussions within the Tribunal. The covenant has had a prolonged Spring season because it was founded with few magical resources; now that its foothold is secure, it is entering a period of aggressive expansion. All of its members currently have apprentices and the covenant could double in size within two decades.

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Rune Hill

Date Founded: 1212

Season: Spring

House Affiliation: Mixed

Location:

Avebury, southwest England, among the barrows

Physical Appearance:

A large barrow mound marked by standing stones at its cardinal points; each stone is engraved with ancient, indecipherable runes. The covenant occupies the interior of the mound, which is a bit cramped for five magi.

Magi:

Rune Hill was founded by a group of young, idealistic magi, who have managed to hold their covenant together for several years in spite of the opposition from Blackthorn and Cercle Cassée

• Garelon of House Bjornaer
• Zythara of House Criamon
• William of Avebury, magus Ex Miscellania
• Lydia of House Mercere
• Celestia of House Tytalus

History:

Rune Hill is too young to have much of a history. Its founding was sanctioned by the Stonehenge Tribunal of 1214. Voluntas and Spiritus Draconis approved its founding over the opposition of Blackthorn.

Notes:

Rune Hill is poor in books and mundane wealth, but rich in vis. It is the primary supplier of Mentem vis to the Tribunal, which it trades for other Arts. Rune Hill and Spiritus Draconis started on good terms but they had a bit of a falling-out at the Tribunal of 1221, where Rune Hill voted in favor of the prosecution at Augustin Colaire's trial.

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Schola Pythagoranis

Date Founded: 1182

Season: Summer

House Affiliation: Jerbiton

Location:

Inside the city of Cambridge

Physical Appearance:

Schola Pythagoranis does not have a centralized compound, but its distributed among several buildings across the city of Cambridge. Its headquarters is in a large school building operated by the covenant.

Magi:

The members of Schola Pythagoranis are all scholars, and the covenant is also a place of learning for mundanes.

• Edward of Milton, follower of Jerbiton
• Astrolabe of House Jerbiton
• Lumen of House Jerbiton
• Fredegisa of House Quaesitor

History:

Schola Pythagoranis has kept a low profile throughout its relatively brief history. It was founded during a period when the Stonehenge Tribunal did not meet regularly, so its existence has never been officially sanctioned; this is not likely to become an issue unless it tries to send delegates to a Tribunal meeting.

Notes:

Schola Pythagoranis tries, with considerable success, to stay out of Hermetic politics. Its members appear more interested in mundane scholarship than they are in magic.

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Spiritus Draconis

Date Founded: 1202

Season: Summer

House Affiliation: Mixed

Location:

On a ridge overlooking the east bank of the river Clwyd, in northeastern Wales near the village of St. Asaph.

Physical Appearance:

Spiritus Draconis is a timber compound with a defensive ditch and pallisade, but no imposing defensive structures. It more resembles a rural monastery than a castle. The covenant is located high on a wooded ridge and is frequently hidden by a dense, low-lying mist.

Magi:

• Augustin Colaire of House Jerbiton
• Eirian Willowwood of House Merinita
• Cygnar ap Glyndwr of House Ex Miscellania
• Clementis of House Verditius
• Rydderch Ferrarius, filius Clementis
• Rhiannon of House Ex Miscellania

History:

Spritus Draconis was founded by an unlikely parternship from the Normandy Tribunal: the bold and adventuresome Augustin Colaire, called "the Lion of Toulouse," and the calm and mild-mannered Clementis. They searched across much of Europe for a site for their new covenant, and finally agreed on their current location in northern Wales. Two solitary Hermetic magi nearby were successfully recruited to join the new covenant, resulting in an unlikely mixture of Roman and Celtic traditions. Spiritus Draconis was officially sanctioned in 1201 at the first quorate meeting of the Stonehenge Tribunal in several decades; Voluntas sponsored the covenant in the hopes of obtaining an ally against Blackthorn. Voluntas and Spritus Draconis have remained on friendly terms ever since.

Notes:

This is the player characters' covenant in the saga.

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Voluntas

Date Founded: 1083

Season: Autumn

House Affiliation: Mixed

Location:

Yorkshire, northeast England

Physical Appearance:

Voluntas is a stone manor house. The entire manor, including the village of Wilton, is part of the covenant.

Magi:

• Corvus of House Bjornaer
• Kirist of House Flambeau
• Julia of House Jerbiton
• Phessalia of House Merinita
• Desiderius of House Verditius

History:

Voluntas was founded by Norman magi shortly after the Conquest. From the beginning, it has been a political rival to Blackthorn. Now that Spiritus Draconis is establishing a politcal presence in the Tribunal, the two covenants have frequently made common cause against Blackthorn and its allies.

Notes:

Voluntas is one of the more politically-active covenants in the Tribunal and it is the primary rival to Blackthorn. It has the best library in the Tribunal and it allows magi to study there for a nominal fee. Copying from this library is another matter- Voluntas jealously guards the books as its most valuable resource.

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Windermere

Date Founded: 984

Season: Winter

House Affiliation: Mixed

Location:

Lake Windermere, Lake District, northwest England

Physical Appearance:

Windermere covenant is an imposing stone tower with a commanding view of the lake. It is visible for miles. All the local mundanes know it is the home of wizards, but since the magi keep to themselves, the mundanes simply avoid it and there is no friction.

Magi:

All the magi of Windermere are of Saxon ancestry and magical heritage. They generally dislike Norman mundanes and Latin magi.

• John the Hunter of House Bjornaer
• Arnulf Orrickson of House Ex Miscellania
• Harold of Windermere, magus Ex Miscellania
• Osric Wyrmslayer of House Ex Miscellania

History:

Windermere covenant was originally founded as a secluded and peaceful place of scholarship, a Hermetic parallel to the great Saxon monasteries. Windermere was swept up in the violence of the Schism War shortly after its founding, and its members learned to fight fiercely to survive that bitter conflict. The Windermere magi were sorely disillusioned by such strife within the Order, and they have been isolated, backward, and hostile ever since. Windermere covenant never accepts members from outside: the only way to join is through apprenticeship. Redcaps do not visit Windermere: the only contact it has had with the Order has been its long rivalry with Voluntas.

Notes:

Windermere is an ally of Horsingas in the Loch Leglean Tribunal. The only covenant they despise more than Blackthorn is the Norman covenant of Voluntas.

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Deleted Covenants

The following covenants are described in Heirs to Merlin, but are not present in this Saga: at least, not as far as the player-characters know.

• Burnham - Since it wasn't influential, Burnham was deleted to make room for Aquae Sulis.
• Libellus - Rune Hill is the youngest covenant in the Tribunal.
• Nigrasaxa - Spiritus Draconis fulfils Nigrasaxa's role as the rival to Blackthorn.
• Semitae - I didn't find it particularly interesting, so I deleted it to make room for Cercle Cassée.
• Ungulus - Replaced by Windermere because I wanted more Saxon magi in the Tribunal.

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Forgotten Covenants

There are two covenants that have been out of communication for some time. They might still be operating, or they might have fallen. Perhaps they have been destroyed by the officers of the King, or perhaps they are deep in hiding.

Llyn Ffawd

The name of this covenant is Welsh, meaning "Lake of Fate." The existence of this covenant is a secret to most of the Order. Only the Redcap Larcius the Younger, and the covenant of Spiritus Draconis, know of its existence. Llyn Ffawd is located completely underwater and uses powerful magic to sustain life. There are only two magi left and they are both old and approaching Final Twilight. The covenant was probably founded by magi from Castrum Antiquum, a failed covenant which is mentioned in Heirs to Merlin but which I moved a hundred years later in the timeline to better fit the Saga.

London Covenant

Tribunal records show that a convenant was founded in the city of London in 1096. [The date has been changed from Heirs to Merlin - AG] The covenant struggled for several years and was forced to change its location repeatedly. Redcaps eventually were unable to find it and by 1142 the London covenant was persumed disbanded. However, in 1152, magi visiting the London area encountered magi claiming to be from a covenant they called "Londinium." The London covenant has not been heard from since. By now, it is largely forgotten.

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Political Timeline

This timeline is abstracted from Heirs to Merlin and other offical Ars Magica sourcebooks, with significant alterations to suit the Saga of Spritus Draconis.

• 814- The Order of Hermes sends Pralix of House Tytlaus to the British Isles to destroy the mighty diabolist Dav'nalleous. Pralix raises an army of indigenous, non-Hermetic magi and founds the fortress-covenant of Cad Gadu, originally called Caer Dewiniad. They advance across England and into the Scottish Highlands.
• 816- Dav'nalleous routs Pralix and her army of hedge magicians back to Caer Dewiniad. Her call for reinforcements from Europe goes unanswered. Dav'nalleous makes a final counter-offensive but is slain and his forces defeated at the walls of Caer Dewiniad. Pralix's forces rename their fortress Cad Gadu and delcare themselves the Ordo Miscellanea, a direct rival to the Order of Hermes.
• 817- Trianoma, one of the architects of the Order of Hermes, frantically negotiates to prevent a feud with the Ordo Miscellanea over their outrage at being abandoned. After intensive negotiations, Trianoma persuades Pralix and her army to re-join the Order of Hermes as the thirteenth House, Ex Miscellanea.
• 817- The Nameless Covenant is proclaimed from a pre-existing fraternity of Celtic magicians. It establishes ties with the Renounced House. The Nameless Covenant is later destroyed in the Schism War and its name and history expunged from Hermetic records.
• 818- Blackthorn covenant is founded by magi of Houses Tremere and Merinita as the first settlement of Latin magi in the new Stonehenge Tribunal.
• 915- Lux Draconis covenant is founded in the Pennines.
• 984- Windermere covenant founded in the Lake District.
• 997- Last time the Stonehenge Tribunal convenes before its meetings are disrupted by war.
• 1003-1012- The Schism War. An Entire House is Renounced from the Order and a Wizard's March is declared against it. Several covenants in the Stonehenge Tribunal, belonging to both sides, are destroyed.
• 1014- Blackthorn sponsors the founding of Tagelyn covenant in a nearby cavern complex.
• 1016- Cnut, a prince of Denmark, successfully invades England.
• 1025-1053- The Stonehenge Tribunal manages to hold four consecutive meetings after being interrupted by mundane and Hermetic war. Everything seems back to normal for this brief period.
• 1058- Gruffyd ap Llewelyn of Wales invades England. En route, his army encounters the covenant of Blackthorn and attacks, beginning a three-year siege.
• 1060- Gruffyd ap Llewelyn's army stumbles across the once-mighty covenant of Cad Gadu and summarily sacks it.
• 1061- King Harold of England attacks Gruffyd ap Llewelyn's forces and lifts the siege of Blackthorn.
• 1062- Blackthorn, perhaps with assistance from elements from King Harold's army, launches an unprovoked attack against Tagelyn covenant. The magi of Tagelyn flee to Ireland and Blackthorn siezes Tagelyn's prime location.
• 1065- Cad Gadu is rebuilt in a regio on its original site.
• 1066-1081 Duke William of Normandy invades and conquers England.
• 1067- The Stonehenge Tribunal is unable to meet at Cad Gadu because that covenant is under reconstruction. The meeting is relocated at the last minute to Lux Draconis in the Pennines, but the Norman invasion prevents most magi from attending. The meeting is inquorate; Blackthorn is denounced for its attack on Tagelyn but no legal action is taken.
• 1074- The Stonehenge Tribunal meets at Cad Gadu, but fails to achieve a quorum of four covenants.
• 1081- The Stonehenge Tribunal achieves a quorum, but the meeting is dominated by Blackthorn. A motion to report Blackthorn's attack to the Grand Tribunal is defeated.
• 1083- Voluntas covenant is founded by magi from Normandy Tribunal
• 1096- London covenant is founded. Its ultimate fate is unknown but it is presumed to have peacefully disbanded.
• 1101- The covenant of Lux Draconis fails and Blackthorn siezes its assets without opposition.
• 1130- The Stonehenge Tribunal, still dominated by Blackthorn, holds its last quorate meeting for seventy years. Its only accomplishment is to officially recognize the existence of several de facto covenants, including Voluntas.
• 1139-1147- English Civil War begins over succession to the throne and sparks a protracted series of rebellions. Destruction and anarchy reign throughout the land.
• 1142- The covenant of Castrum Antiquum, in Northumbria, vanishes completely: not even ruins of its structures remain. Its disappearance is still a mystery.
• 1152- Last reported contact with London covenant.
• 1193- Covenant of Cercle Cassée founded in Wiltshire to destroy a ring of diabolists.
• 1199- Cercle Cassée destroys the last of the diabolists and decides to settle permanently in Stonehenge.
• 1200- Julia of Voluntas manages to convince the Tribunal to hold the first quorate meeting in several decades. The meeting is held at Cad Gadu. Cercle Cassée, having already been present in the Tribunal for seven years, petitions for recognition as an official covenant. Because its alliance with Blackthorn is not clear, Voluntas supports the vote and Cercle Cassée easily wins recognition. Note: Heirs to Merlin states that the meetings of the Stonehenge Tribunal resumed in 1201. This timeline supersedes the sourcebook. -AG
• 1202- Spiritus Draconis is founded.
• 1207- Following what it mistakes for recent precedent, Spiritus Draconis also petitions the Tribunal for recognition. This time, the vote is opposed by Blackthorn. Cercle Casseée abstains; and Voluntas, Cad Gadu, and Aquae Sulis support Spiritus Draconis's membership and the motion carries.
• 1214- The Tribunal convenes again at Cad Gadu. Rune Hill is recognized as a covenant; Spiritus Draconis, Cad Gadu, and Voluntas accept it over the opposition of Blackthorn and Cercle Cassée. The following season, Aeswitha of York, maga Ex Miscellanea and second oldest magus in the Tribnual, dies suddenly. Archmage Cravis of Blackthorn is now the second oldest magus in the Tribunal.
• 1218- Immanola, Prima Ex Miscellanea and Praeco of the Stonehenge Tribunal, passes into Final Twilight. Lleison the Crooked Ex Miscellanea becomes Primus; Archmage Cravis of Blackthorn becomes Praeco.
• 1221- The Stonehenge Tribunal convenes at Blackthorn for the first time. Seven covenants are represented: the best attendance in two centuries. Blackthorn attempts to regain primacy. Political alliances among Blackthorn's rivals show signs of strain. Augustin Colaire stands trial for slaying Cyrnweg the Black, but is acquitted.

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