Spring of Hubris Covenant

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Basic Stats

Covenant Name: the Covenant of Gimont
Tribunal: Provencal
Year Founded: 1220 Current Year: 1220
Aura Type: Magic Aura Level: 5
Living Conditions modifier (Magi): Living Conditions modifier (Mundanes):
Season: Spring
Aegis of the Hearth:
Reputations: None

Description

About 15 miles East of the city of Auch is Gascony sits the small village of Gimont. For decades now the villagers have told passing pilgrims rumors of a magic spring to the south, with reputed healing properties. While the occasional brave traveler dared to strike into the widlerness to bathe in it, most were deterred by fear of the magical beasts (and, it is rumored, worse things) known to haunt these woods. Sensing opportunity, a small group of magi have established a Covenant there.

The spring is indeed real, and indeed has healing properties (Healthy Feature Boon x2). It is also greatly magical, with an powerful aura that covers the surrounding area (Aura Minor Boon x2) - an ideal spot for a covenant. Well placed to take advantage of passing pilgrims by offering hospitality and monetizing the healing waters of the spring, the covenant is off to a good start.

The road between Auch and Gimont is a piece of the Via Tolonosa or Way of Arles, itself a part of the Camino de Santiago - the Way of St James, one of the most major pilgrimage routes in Europe. In fact, the Via Tolonosa attracts pilgrims going in both directions, for while the western end of it joins up with the Way of Saint James to terminate in the Santiago de Compostela in Northwestern Spain, the eastern path leads to the center of the church - Rome. The Via Tolonosa thus sits between the two most important pilgrimage sites in all of Christendom, save only Jerusalem itself. Where there are pilgrims, of course, there are also those who prey on them. Faeries love to challenge pilgrims, while Demons do worse. Gascony is mostly wilderness, in which dwell both bandits and beasts. Of course, where there are pilgrims there are also those who protect them - a number of knightly orders maintain a significant presence in the region, including both the Templars and the Hospitallers. (All of this amounts to the Road Major Hook)

Auch is the major City in this area. It is a paréage - a city divided between two rulers with equal authority. In the case of Auch these rulers are the Count of Armagnac, the feudal lord of the region, and the Archbiship of Auch. The division is literally carved into the city, with markings on gates and pillars delineating different parts as belonging to one lord or the other. The magi have struck a favorable relationship with the Count, who has granted them land and vineyards under a metayage contract - meaning they pay him part of the produce as rent rather than money (Secondary Income and Right Boons). While the relationship brings advantages, being overly close to mundane lords can attract the attention of Quaesitores, and the magi risk being drawn into the complicated politics of the divided city (City Minor Hook).

Gascony, and thus Armagnac, is part of the Duchy of Aquitane, and the current Duke of Aquitane is Henry III, the boy king of England. Gascony has thus been spared the chaos that has engulfed most of Southern France - only a couple of dozen miles to the south, the Albigensian Crusade ravages the land. Villages are burned and thousands killed in the name of cleansing heresy (and bringing the often rebellious lords of Toulouse to heel). While Gascony has not been touched by the crusade, refugees and deserters flee the war-torn lands of Toulouse, while soldiers of fortune seek opportunity in the chaos (folded into Road Major Hook). Mindful of the risk that the nearby war represents, the Covenant have hired a group of veteran soldiers to safeguard their covenant (Veteran Fighters Boon).

Gascony is not without its own dangers, however. In 1208, Pope Innocent III placed all of England under interdict to encourage then-excommunicated King John to reconcile with the church. For six full years, the churches in Gascony refused to celebrate mass, weakening the Dominion Aura in already sparsely populated Gascony. Where the Divine is weak, the Infernal is not hard to find - and Gascony is now infested with demons. Some seek to corrupt the pilgrims walking the Way of St James, while others gleefully encourage the worst excesses of crusaders to the south. And, of course, a group of young magi offers a great temptation that no demon would refuse (Demonic Interest Major Hook).

The Autumn Covenant of Castra Solis sponsored the founding of the Covenant. They expect a return on their investment in due time (Favors Minor Hook), but for the most part the young magi have been left to control their own destines.

Summary of Hooks and Boons

Boons: Aura (minor) x2, Healthy Feature (minor) x2, Secondary Income (minor), Right (minor), Veteran Fighters (minor)
Free Choices: Peasants, Democracy (Magi), Autocracy (Covenfolk)
Hooks: Road (major), Daemonic Interest (major), City (minor), Favours (minor)

Resources

Magic Items and other possessions of note

The covenant owns no magic items, nor any other possessions of great note.

Vis Sources

The volcanic hot springs of Southern France were well-beloved by the Romans for their healing properties - this one is a particularly extraordinary example. Anyone suffering from disease who spends at least an hour each day in these waters during the recovery period gets a +3 to the Recovery roll. A piece of cloth may be hung over the pool to shade the bathers and collect the rising steam. At the end of each season, if the cloth is washed and the collected water is evaporated, Corpus vis may be harvested from the residue, amounting to 2 pawns of Vis per year. (Based on an example in Covenants)

Rego Vis, 2 pawns per year (Details to come)

Library

Rules for defining books in play: When someone wants a specific something, roll a stress die. If it succeeds, add the text to the library and subtract the required number of levels from the remaining available. If the roll fails, the book is not in the library and must be obtained through other means.

Spell from core book: 3+
Spell from non-core book: 6+
Spell you made up: 6+ - 9+ (depending on the weirdness of the spell)
Spell based on a mystery cult or virtue requirement: 12+ or higher, or maybe simply unavailable
Spell of over level 50: 9+ or higher, or maybe simply unavailable

Tractatus on an art, arcane ability or academic ability: 3+
Tractatus on a supernatural ability: 9+ or higher
tractatus on any other ability: 6+

Lab Texts

Aegis of the Hearth ReVi 20

Undefined Lab Texts (240 levels remaining)

Mundane Books

Magic Theory Level 5, Quality 11

Stocks

Money:

Vis:

Inhabitants

Magi:
Companions:
Specialists:
Grogs:
Dependants:
Servants
Teamsters (At least one of these is effectively the surcharge Eulàlia charges for her merchandise, but counts as an inhabitant for cost purposes)

Total: points of inhabitants (from people)

Loyalty

Base Loyalty Points (due to the Gift):
Familiarity: 0
Living Conditions Modifier:
Wages Modifier: 0
Equipment Modifier: 0
Specialists:

Current Loyalty Points:
Prevailing Loyalty Score:

=== Potential Trouble ===.

Finances

Expenditure

Category of Expenditure	Amount	Cost Saving Limit	Cost Saving	Total
Buildings	0	(50% per craft)	0	0
Consumables		(2 per craft)	0
Inflation	0			0
Laboratories	0	(20% per craft)		0
Provisions		(16 by Laborers + 6 per craft)	0
Wages
Weapons and Armor		(0.5 per craft)	0
Writing Materials		(3 per craft)	0
Sundry	0			0
Total			0

Sundry Expenses so far: None