Ars Magica

The Observance of the Peace

England in 1220

In 1220 AD England is nominally ruled by the thirteen year old King Henry III. In practice, of course, it is ruled by assorted barons, magnates chruchmen and other, stranger powers. King Henry is the only son of the King John and Isabel of Angouleme (John's second wife, as it happens, his earlier marriage to the daughter of the Earl of Gloucester being dissolved when she proved incapable of bearing children) and so enjoys the precarious position of being the underage son of an unpopular king. All of England, much of Wales and nominally all of Ireland is under his rule, while Wales is the domain of various princes, and Scotland the property of King Alexander II (also earl of Cambridge, Northampton and Huntingdon). Throw the machinations of the Order of Hermes into the mix, and you have a nation which could well tear its self apart at any moment.

Notables

Stephen Langton Cardinal-Archbishop of Canterbury. A powerful and dangerous man but one recknonned to have the interests of the Kingdom very much at heart.
Gilbert de Clare Earl of Gloucester, stauch royalist despite the dissolution of his daughter's marriage to the former King. He is known amongst the Order for his hatred of Magi, considering them to be responsible for his daughter's difficulties. Being so close to Salisbury doesn't help either
William Longspee/William Ex Jerbiton One of the few Magi to hold noble title William Ex Jerbiton is Earl of Salisbury - which is extremely handy for gatherings of the Stonehenge Tribunal. His oaths as a member of the Order forbid him from particpating in most baronial squabbles, but that doesn't stop his rivals of suspecting him of all manner of malfeasence.
Hubert de Burgh Justicar and along with Langton, the chief influence on the young King Henry
Peter des Roches Bishop of Winchester and tutor to King Henry.
Llywelyn ab Iorwerth The so called "Prince of North Wales" who has united the welsh princes as never before. He is a charming and canny politician, and a charismatic leader. His wife (Joan) is the sister of King Henry (illegitimate, but a sister none the less) giving him far more access to the English court than most welsh princes enjoy
Pavo Ex Merinita A dapper magus who has been known to act as adviser to Llywelyn at times, particularly on matters arcane and faerie, which are often pertinent in Wales
Alexander II, King of Scotland On good terms with England, having as he does far bigger problems to contend with at home.
Malcom, Earl of Angus An absolute giant of a man - quite literally according to many of the rumours. A warrior and a man of considerable ambition.
Duncan, Earl of Carrick Squarely anglicised and just as ambitious as Malcom in his own way Duncan is an inveterate schemer with plans for Scotland...
Alwyn Ex Bjornaer Pictish shapeshifter with a Stag heartbeast. Greatly respected amongst the clans of the Highlands.
Ranulf de Blundeville A powerful earl and something of a romantic. Served loyally under King John and now on Crusade. Known to be sympathetic to the Order of Hermes.

The Stonehenge Tribunal

Home to Domus Magna Ex Miscellenia, the Stonehenge tribunal is disparate to say the least. Home to some fifty Magi but to a mere six covenants, with nearly half its members itinerant or cloistered alone in their towers or, indeed, acting as advisers to mundane lords (or in the case of many Ex Miscellenia, as village witches). The Stonehenge monument its self is generlaly accepted to be the doing of Merlin (or of one of some wizard with claim to have been the root of the myth). It doesn't actually seem to have any noticable significance, and there is a school of thought which suggests that he was probably just showing off. Still there's a decent magical aura, and it makes for a good place to meet.

The Covenants of Stonehenge

Cad Gadu Domus Magna Ex Miscellenia is a weird collection of wooden buildings in the middle of a marsh in marcher Wales. It's home to a mere five magi, but to a large number of hedge magicians who act as assistants to the Magi.
Trinity College Oxford A bit of an oddity, this joing Bonisagus/Mercere project is a dedicated teaching covenant. Founded a mere thirty years ago it none the less enjoys a certain amount of prestige, its library is unrivalled by any spring covenant, and since it trains many redcaps it is always kept abreast of the news.
The Fastness Built on an old Roman fort in Colchester, the Fastness is the stronghold for houses Flambeau and Guernicus. Distinctly military in its outlook it has occasonally caused friction between the Order and the local Lords, who wonder why the Order needs a military presence at all.
The Vale A largely Merinita covenant of beauties and mysteries. It is located somewhere in Wales, but its precise location is difficult to divine, or indeed even to define. It is protected by many subtle spells.
The Broken Tower In the Scots marches, not that far from Durham, is the only full on Winter Covenant in the Stonehenge tribunal. The Broken Tower is home to three magi, all powerful and all perilous close to final twilight and to their apprentices. The peasantry fear to go near the place, for it is a dark and foreboding spire, and strange things happen there. It is also, of course, home to the PCs
The Tir Originally it was almost certainly Tir... something but now it is spoken of only as The Tir, when it is spoken of at all. This blasted pit in north wales was, 200 years ago, home to a dozen magi and over a hundred ungifted Druids. It was guarded by two dragons and paid visitation by the greatest lords of the Fey. These days the former Domus Magna Diedene is broken and battered beyond all recognition, a nest of vipers and serpents and only the foolhardy venture there.

Notable Magi of the Order of Hermes

Omineri Ex Flambeau Archmagus of the Fastness, more subtle than most of his house, but no more deadly. His challenge, for those who would choose to meet it, is a cmplex and deadly chesslike game at which he has never been bested.
Quies Ex Flambeau Perdo specialist and assassin of the Fastness. Softly spoken and terribly, terribly dangerous.
Nanus Ex Flambeau Another Fastness Perdo specialist. He's a dwarf and a thoroughly nasty piece of work.
Reynaldo of the Steel A Flambeau terram specialist. A smith and a swordsman. Responsible for arming the guards of the Fastness.
Cruciatus ex Guernicus One of the only two non-flambeau at the Fastness he is an essentially cruel man, a torturer and an inquisitor.
Oriens ex Verditius The other non-flambeau at Fastness, he is an alchemist and a fireworker and has travelled extensively in the Levant.

Roderick the Mad, House Jerbiton One of the great Magi of the Broken Tower. Reknowned for, periodically, walking out into his covenant's central courtyard, declaring himself king of the Welsh Marches, and then transforming himself into a tree and not coming out for years at a time.
Reddere Ex Criamon Second of the Magi of the Broken Tower, seeking the Enigma in, amongst other things, mirrors and bargains.
Simon the Blue A Tytalus Mentem speicalist. Widely believed to have gone mad as the result of prying into the mind of something far too ancient and powerful for him. He is the third and last magus of the Broken Tower

Gwynneth Ex Miscellenia Primus Ex Miscellenia, and mistress of Cad Gadu
Proditor Ex Miscellenia The "Last Diedene", resident at Cad Gadu. His master's master's master was an apprentice Diedene who jumped ship when the Schism War went down. The line is small and mistrusted, but is permitted to survive since they keep alive secrets which nobody else knows and the Order is loath to let knowledge die.

John Gilbert, Ex Bonisagus Master of Trinity, a dedicated teacher and as such a rarity in the Order. He is firmly of the opinion that the Order will collapse if it continues to cling to its knowledge merely to keep it out of the hands of others.
William Ex Mercere Something of a maverick even amongst the staff at Trinity, William is a redcap and a Gifted Mercere who is dedicated to translating the great Hermetic texts into the vernacular. So far the Tribunal has stopped short of ordering him to stop, but he has been roundly condemned by pretty much everbody who has heard of his endeavour.

Indagator Ex Merinita Seeker and seer and something of a merlin-wannabe. Resident in the Vale.
Venatrix Ex Merinita Yer standard loony huntress. She shapeshifts, she runs around in the woods and all that jazz.
Pertubare Ex Merinita An enchantress with a yen for confusion. She si largely responsible for keeping the Vale shrouded.
Internutia Ex Merinita A goblin-blood who acts as intermediary between the Vale and the underground realms.
Jack Craven Goblin blooded Ex Miscellenia. Generally regarded as a bit of an annoying shit.

Richard the Grey An isolationist Bonisagus scholar, living in a high tower in Cornwall. Generally considered to be incredibly wise, but terribly stand-offish.
Jaime Ex Miscellenia Living in the New Forest, Jaime Ex Miscellenia is a nature magician of some power, rarely seen and seldom stirred to action
Alice the Messenger A Bjornaer with a Storm-Petrel heart beast. She is a gossip and a bringer of tidings from far places.
David Ex Jerbiton Knight Errant, would-be dragonslayer, all round top fellow.
Ortus Ex Tremere Politically motivated magician living in Durham. Many speculate that he has plans for the nearby Broken Tower, but nobody is entirely sure what they are

**General Historical notage. A deal of this is based on actual historical fact, a deal isn't, I've tried to avoid any glaring anachronisms, but theres a couple of things that are a few decades out of whack, a couple of people who should actually be their fathers or their sons, and things are, as you might expect, a good deal more OTT than they were in the real 13th century.

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