Insula Sancta

(Holy Island)

Covenant Members

Magi

Cerialis

88 years out of apprenticeship, 111 years old, filius of Metella. Ex Miscellanea, of the Mercurian lineage. Trained 1116 to 1131. Effective leader of Insula Sacra. He remembers the battle against the demon, and fought some of its minions himself in his first years as a magus. He is obsessed with restoring Insula Sancta to life and vitality, and is pleased with the progress that he has made. His only real friend is Keelim. Like his parens, he is an elementalist, with particular strength in Creo.

He is tall and clean-shaven, with short brown hair. His normal demeanour is cheerful, and his wizardly robes are embroidered with elemental symbols.

Justina

47 years out of apprenticeship, 78 years old, filia of Cerialis. Ex Miscellanea, of the Mercurian lineage. Trained 1157 to 1172. Trained Malleus, and completed his training 12 years ago, but he chose to leave the Tribunal due to the decline of magic, much to Justina's disappointment. She is currently training Dafydd, and has spent nine years so far. She has a great deal of respect for her parens, but is more interested in the preservation of her lineage than in the covenant. She would prefer to concentrate the lineage here, which is why Malleus's decision to depart wounded her. Dafydd was born on Anglesey, and she is building his ties to the place as much as possible during apprenticeship. She is a generalist, because she wants to fully appreciate her tradition. While she can study from books, she avoids those not written by Mercurians, in order to avoid contaminating her magic.

Keelim

76 years out of apprenticeship, 107 years old. Filius of Porra (f), follower of Bjornaer. Heart-beast dolphin. Keelim was trained in the Hibernian Tribunal, but left immediately on finishing his apprenticeship and travelled round Europe, visiting all the tribunals of Hermes. In 1162 he was back in Stonehenge, and met Cerialis. They got on very well, and Cerialis offered him membership in Insula Sancta. He wasn't sure that he was ready to settle down, but after another four years of wandering he found that he wanted the opportunity to study, so he returned and asked Cerialis if the offer was still open. It was, and Keelim has been a member of Insula Sancta ever since. He still has a tendency to go off wandering, but this has declined recently, and he has become gradually more attached to the covenant. Strong in IntŽllego, Corpus, and Aquam, Keelim has made longevity potions for other members of the covenant, including Pennis and Megan.

Metella

120 years out of apprenticeship, 149 years old, filia of Lupercus. Ex Miscellanea, of the Mercurian lineage. Nominal head of Insula Sacra. Her mind is slipping as a result of the magic that Lupercus cast on her to make her forget about the Mercurian rituals: she occasionally behaves as if Lupercus were still alive, and the demon were still a threat. Most of the time, however, she is fully capable of pursuing her studies. She is an elementalist.

Pennis

45 years out of apprenticeship, 60 years old, unGifted Mercere. Filia of Ala (f). She trained an apprentice, Volata (f), but she was killed five years ago, and Pennis does not have the heart to train another. This will be the end of a very long line of redcaps. The killers of Volata have not been found.

Polinaces

90 years out of apprenticeship, 120 years old, filius of Lampasca, at Silbury, follower of Guernicus. He is a Traditionalist, like his parens, and is at Insula Sacra in order to find out more about the Mercurian priesthood, and thus bolster the Guernicus knowledge of the history of the Order. He wouldn't be averse to discovering some Mercurian knowledge, and wants the missing books back very badly. He would also like to investigate the statue and altar of Mercury, but so far the other members will not let him. Strong in IntŽllego and Vim.

Thenaru

58 years out of apprenticeship, 85 years old. Filius of Lillea-Nemu (f) (at Scopulus Ungularum), follower of Merinita. He is on good terms with the Red Dragon, and moved to Insula Sancta because it was the covenant nearest to his lands that would accept him. He has fought with the Red Dragon against Wight on many occasions. Strong in Perdo.

Trefoil

21 years out of apprenticeship, 53 years old. Trained 1183 to 1198. Filius of Keelim, follower of Bjornaer. Heart-beast albatross. A member of Insula Sancta since the end of his apprenticeship, Trefoil does have a tendency to wander. He has spent seven years away from the covenant, travelling to Hibernia, the Hebrides, and most of the Western coast of Britain. He frequently wishes to fly out over the ocean, to see what is beyond the horizon. Strong in Auram, Anim‡l, and Rego.

Companions

Megan

Megan is the autocrat, responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the covenant. She is 56, and beginning to tire. In her youth, she was enthusiastic, organising and leading the clearance of the ruins, setting up the sheep farming that stopped the covenant going bankrupt, and generally getting things up to an acceptable subsistence level. But now, after all her efforts, they still live among ruins, a couple of bad years could finish them, and the magi do not seem to be terribly concerned with the affairs of the covenfolk. She still goes through the motions, and the current state will be maintained, but nothing new will be done.

Boudicca

Boudicca is the leader of the turb. She is in her mid thirties, although her exact age is unknown. She does not believe that she is the queen of the Iceni, but she does see the Welsh as the only remaining heirs of Rome, who should rise up, throwing the Anglo-Normans out of Wales, and then out of Britain altogether. The temple and the antiquity of the covenant brought her here, and her talent for leadership in battle got her her position. She is only an indifferent fighter herself, but she can inspire her followers, and use them very effectively.

Grogs

There are ten servants and twenty grogs at the covenant. Boudicca trains with the grogs all the time that she can, and Megan has now given up the battle get them to help clear the covenant. The grogs are loyal to Boudicca rather than the covenant, and are ill-equipped, a couple of them having only cudgels as weapons.

Covenant Site

On Holyhead mountain, page 48, B2. This counts as a hilltop for game purposes. The magical aura is 5, and the nearest village is some distance away.

Covenant Buildings

There are a lot of buildings scattered about the hilltop, going back to the first century AD, but most of them are at least partially ruined. The covenant, including all areas, is very large, with enough space for two dozen magi, the same number of consortes, and about 200 other staff. About one third of this space is still usable.

At the centre of the site, and completely undamaged, is the Fanum Mercurii, a temple of Mercury that dates from the earliest days of the covenant, in the first century. It is a rectangular marble building, with a columned porch reached up a flight of seven steps. Inside, the floor is decorated with mosaics depicting scenes from Mercurian legend, and the walls are painted with ritual scenes. At the far end is a bronze statue of Mercury, standing behind a marble altar. Both of these items are highly magical, and fixed in place. The interior of the temple is magically lit, and this is attributed to the statue or altar. It is used as the council chamber.

The site is dominated by the remains of the old Keep, crumbling and fire blackened ruins that stand near the fanum. The keep was finally destroyed in the last assault by the minions of the demon: the magi decoyed them into expending their energy on the building, leaving the magi fresh enough to destroy the weakened forces.

Constitution

Insula Sancta's constitution is entirely democratic, with each magus getting one vote. Even unGifted magi, such as redcaps, get a vote in the covenant council. There are the normal requirements of loyalty, and a magus who obtains vis on an expedition is required to surrender half of it for covenant use, although he may keep the other half for his own purposes. Access to the library is free to all members, and, in the case of a dispute for a particular book, priority is by seniority within the covenant. All Gifted magi, at present, receive two pawns of vis per year, with an additional three pawns for the magus who spends a season extracting the Vim vis for the Aegis. If a magus brings a bonus of vis to the covenant, it is divided into a number of portions equal to two greater than the number of Gifted magi. The size of the portions is rounded down, and each magus is given one portion, with the remainder being placed in the covenant stores. The stores are used as determined by a vote of the council.

Mystical Attributes

Library

The arcane library is poor, partly due to damage to the books during the winter of the covenant, and the assaults of the demon. However, a lot of the loss is due to books going missing. Among the books that have simply disappeared are a number of codices dating back to the Mercurian period. These were, in fact, mostly removed and hidden by Lupercus (see below, under Magical Artifacts), although some were stolen by Domus Doctrinae during the covenant's Winter. During the demon's final assaults, the library was split up and put in vaults for safe keeping. Of the six vaults, one was damaged, and opened immediately after the assault. This is the source of most of the older books in the library. Another was infiltrated by the demon's agents and totally burnt: Cerialis found this vault in 1164. A third was robbed by a covenant servant in 1140, and found standing open. A fourth was found and emptied by magi from Domus Doctrinae, although the magi of Insula Sancta don't know that: Cerialis merely found an empty vault. The fifth and sixth vaults are still sealed, and lost somewhere within the covenant. Due to Justina's influence, the books in the library are separated into two sections: those written by Mercurians, and those written by others.

Creo

On Generation, by Justina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 0, teaching bonus +4)

The Beginning of Things, by Lucretius, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 3)

IntŽllego

Understanding, by Justina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 0, teaching bonus +4)

Piercing Veils, by Gordian, follower of Bonisagus. (target 12, teaching bonus +2)

Muto

Passage of Form, by Justina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 0, teaching bonus +4)

Perdo

Decay and Decomposition, by Justina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 0, teaching bonus +3)

Ending the Scourge, by Thenaru, follower of Merinita. (target 8)

Rego

The Beginning of Mastery, by Justina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 0, teaching bonus +3)

Anim&accute;l

Beasts of the Field, by Tomas, follower of Jerbiton. (target 3, teaching bonus +1)

Aquam

The Drop in the Ocean, by Justina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 0, teaching bonus +3)

Currents of Destiny, by Usint, follower of Tytalus. (target 4)

The Maelstrom of Deep Waters, by Curialis. Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 12)

Auram

Breath and Breeze, by Justina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 0, teaching bonus +3)

Words Written in Wind, by Kakharan, follower of Criamon. (target 6)

Jupiter's Thunderbolt, by Curialis, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 10)

Corpus

The Featherless Biped, by Keelim, follower of Bjornaer. (target 8)

Microcosmos, by Agrippina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea (target 13, -5 due to near-insanity on the part of the author)

Ignem

The Vital Spark, by Justina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 0, teaching bonus +3)

Cleansing Flame, by Philerus, follower of Flambeau. (target 8, -3 due to damage)

The Subtlest Particles, by Maecenas, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 15)

Imáginem

Dancing Lights, by Delaro, follower of Merinita. (target 6)

Mentem

Revelation of Secrets, by Iuridus, follower of Guernicus. (target 4, -1 due to obscure writing)

Terram

Foundation Stone, by Justina, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 0, teaching bonus +2)

The Pillars of the Sky, by Africanus, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 8)

Clay, Sand, Gravel, by Fendus, follower of Tremere. (target 10, badly transcribed so -1)

Terra's Bones, Clothed in Splendour, by Philoctetes, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 20, teaching bonus +5, fine script and illumination for a further +2) This book was written during the tenth century, and is the great treasure of the library. Cerialis found it carefully hidden away in the old keep, in 1154. The cover is badly scuffed, making it look rather tatty until opened.

Vim

Substance of the World, by Pisanus, follower of Bonisagus. (target 5)

Flows of the Stars, by Justinian, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (target 7)

Spells

The spells in the library are in two volumes, written in one hand, presumably that of the author.

Volume One

Mighty Torrent of Water (CrAq 20), by Tullius, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (Sigil: White horses' heads are visible in the water.)

Enchantment of the Scrying Pool (InAq 30), by Tullius, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (Sigil: When the image changes, the reflection of a horse crosses the pool, as if one were riding over it.)

Blasting Wind, Blinding Mist (MuAu 10), by Tullius, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (Sigil: A shrill horse's whinny accompanies the phenomenon's appearance.)

Volume Two

Jupiter's Resounding Blow (ReAu 10), by Tullius, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (Sigil: Anyone deafened hears hoofbeats in their ears for the duration of deafness.)

Pilum of Fire (CrIg 20), by Tullius, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (Sigil: The pilum looks like a galloping horse.)

Tooth of the Staff (CrTe 10) by Tullius, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (Sigil: The flint has a horse carved on the side.)

Earth that Breaks no More (MuTe 20) by Tullius, Mercurian of Ex Miscellanea. (Sigil: The transformed stone has the image of a galloping horse carved into one side.)

Laboratories

There are enough laboratories to go around, but the equipment is old, wearing out, and dangerous, or new, cheap, and cobbled together, so that overall there is a -3 modifier to lab totals, and an extra botch die.

Vis Supplies

Protected

8 pawns of Ignem vis per year, from the stone circle on Holy Island. If a crystal is held to catch the sun's rays at sunrise and sunset on the solstices and equinoctes, then the crystal acquires one pawn of Ignem vis. The catcher must be Gifted and standing at the centre of the circle, but there need be nothing special about the crystal.

6 pawns of Aquam vis in the form of shells. These are found buried in Maltraeth Sands after the highest tide of the year, and IntŽllego Vim is necessary to find them in any reasonable period of time.

2 pawns of Terram vis, in the form of two egg-shaped stones that grow in the central chamber of the burial mound near Llyn Llywenan.

Contested

7 pawns of Auram vis, in wind-gnarled branches from a tree on the peak of Carnedd Llewelyn. Contested with Cad Gadu, by cert‡men. Insula Sancta usually wins.

Magical Artifacts

The bronze statue and altar of Mercury in the fanum are magical, although none of the current members of the covenant know what they do, or how to use them. The altar has two functions. The first is almost useless now. If pure water is poured into the depression on its surface, and the secret name of another Mercurian temple is spoken, the altar notifies the scrying device at that temple, and allows communication once it is acknowledged. The altar can also be activated by other Mercurian scrying devices.

The second function is bound up with the statue: the statue can serve as an oracle. If a person is killed on the altar so that his blood pools in the surface, while the appropriate ritual is performed, then his spirit is captured by the statue, which gains all his knowledge, and will answer all questions put to it completely and truthfully, saying if it does not know. This knowledge is retained for a hundred and one years, and can be accessed by performing another ritual and asking the questions. The altar was last used in this way by Lupercus in 1132, in order to gain the information he needed to banish the demon. He sacrificed a diabolist who had worshipped the demon, and thus was able to learn its True Name. He hid the books detailing the ritual immediately after, so that no-one would be tempted to diabolism by the information available. He also used magic to remove Metella's memories of the events, and this magic is now having a bad effect on her. The ritual allowing questioning has a duration of Sun, and can be repeated at sunrise every day in order to use the spirit in the statue as a teacher. Anyone so used can teach up to half their knowledge, and has no effective teaching ability, since the statue cannot take the intiative. The questioning ritual does not require any hard-to-get components.

The only other magical artifact owned by the covenant rather than an individual member is Necator, a Roman-style short sword made by Lupercus during the battle with the demon. The sword can be used by anyone, and is enchanted with a PeCo 15 effect, with unlimited uses. Every time that it strikes someone, it does an additional Body Level of damage, which cannot be Soaked. Necator is currently held by Boudicca.

Other Notes

Renara's laboratory is now a magical regio. The accessible level is an absolutely bare room, the stone walls polished to mirror-smoothness. On this level, the atmosphere is frequently filled with dancing lights, and strange sounds on the edge of hearing. The regio level is at a magical aura of 8, and there is a standard penalty of -12 to all die rolls to see into it, although characters may add their Enigmatic Wisdom score. As a result, no-one has entered the regio since Renara created it.

The regio level contains Renara's laboratory, and Renara herself. She foresaw a great threat to the Tribunal, and managed, using her understanding of the Enigma, to create a regio within which time passed so slowly that she would barely pass a day before the disaster. Just before it is due to happen, the regio will return to the normal world, with Renara ready to fight.

Mundane Resources

Income and Reserves

Insula Sancta farms sheep on Holy Island, but otherwise has no source of income. They have enough income to live, but not to do anything new and expensive. Their cash reserves come to about £4.

Mundane Library

There was a mundane library, and it is probably still scattered about in the rubble of the room in which it was kept. Cerialis had little interest in digging it out, and his indifference has been matched by the other members of the covenant.

Equipment

Basic equipment is available, but nothing fancy.

Treasure

None known, but Polinaces and Cerialis both suspect that the ruins of the covenant hide some of the wealth that it held in its prime. They are wrong: one of the demon's assaults led to the autocrat betraying the covenant, and absconding with the treasure, before committing suicide from despair at what she had done.

Other Notes

The covenant has no riding animals or sea transport. If magi wish to get grogs or companions across to Anglesey or the mainland, they have to borrow a boat from local fishermen. Since this is not easy, the covenfolk rarely leave the island.

Relations

Hermetic

Stonehenge Tribunal

General Interaction

Cerialis represents his covenant at Tribunal, and has done since the 1165 Tribunal, so that he is a well-known figure at Silbury. All the other members are, at present, happy to entrust their sigils to him, so that he normally has seven votes. As he is trying to rebuild the covenant, he is positively looking to make friends. Thus, he will be keen to assist new covenants, in return for nothing more than their goodwill.

Reputation

Insula Sancta is generally respected, for its age and for its role in the fight against the demon. Since the only covenant immediately threatened by its bid for renewed power is Cad Gadu, itself old and on the verge of collapse, it has yet to alienate the Tribunal.

Redcaps

Apart from Pennis, Redcaps will only visit Insula Sancta when they have to, because the accomodation and food is not up to much. Thus, it doesn't hear much about the rest of the Tribunal, which conversely hears little about it.

Quaesitores

The Quaesitores are neutral about Insula Sancta. It has bought itself immunity from accusations of diabolism by its stand against the demon, so evidence would have to be very strong in that quarter. On the whole, though, it seems to be an average covenant, to be watched, but not too closely.

Other Covenants

Cad Gadu

Relations between Insula Sancta and Cad Gadu are strained, and have been since Cerialis started challenging for the Auram vis. Insula Sancta sees Cad Gadu as a decrepit covenant that should be swept out of the way, giving them access to more vis supplies. Cerialis has even toyed with the idea of making Insula Sancta the Domus Magna of Ex Miscellanea.

Caligo Fulgens Crepusculi

Domus Doctrinae

Peregrinatores Glandis

Rosa Aurea

Schola Pythagoranis

Scopulus Ungularum

Silbury

In the early days of the Order, Silbury was full of magi who rigorously enforced the pogrom on exotic magi. Some members of Insula Sancta, and their friends, fell to these assaults, and the resentment has never quite died, despite Silbury's much quieter conduct in recent years.

Spina Nigra

Turris Papilionum

Other Tribunals

Keelim and Trefoil have contacts in Hibernia, at Vigil covenant, and Malleus has travelled to the Roman Tribunal, joining the covenant of Postetas. Otherwise, the covenant is largely unknown outside Stonehenge.

Non-Hermetic

Diedne

The Diedne hold a grudge against Insula Sancta that goes back over a thousand years. The covenant was founded after the defeat of the druids, and the Diedne regard the covenant with a particular repugnance. If they ever return, Insula Sancta will be high on their hit-list.

Local Mundanes

The peasants on Holy Island know about the covenant, and are somewhat afraid of it, although not afraid enough to call for burnings. They see it as a good place to send younger sons. The local Welsh lords are vaguely aware of it, but think that it is a monastery or clas church of some description.

History

Insula Sacra was founded by the cult of Mercury after the defeat of the Druids on Anglesey in the first century. The covenant dates its foundation as 89AD, although there is an element of just picking a reasonable date. The covenant/temple did well during the Roman Empire, but began to decline with Christianisation. Fortunately for them, Britain never took that strongly to Christianity, and the magi held on, falling into a slow Winter which lasted for two centuries. The coming of Hermetic Magic in the ninth century provided the necessary kiss of life. Magi from the covenant joined Pralix in the battle against Damhan-allaidh, and then joined the Ordo Miscellanea, becoming part of House Ex Miscellanea when it was created in turn, in 817. This marked the begining of the second cycle of seasons.

In the aftermath of the Norman invasion, the covenant was very active in fighting the demon, and Lupercus, the head of the covenant, was responsible for finally banishing the fiend. The covenant did not survive unscathed, however, and passed into Winter around 1130. After the death of Lupercus in banishing the demon, Insula Sacra was a shattered husk. There were four magi in a covenant built for six times the number: Cerialis, Metella, Africanus (Lupercus's parens), and Renara of Criamon. Africanus passed into Final Twilight in 1153, and Renara disappeared, leaving her laboratory in its current state, in 1158. By that time, Cerialis had begun his attempt to revitalise the covenant. He had convinced Polinaces to join, in 1154, and began training Justina in 1157. In 1162 he met Keelim for the first time, and in 1166 the Bjornaer joined the covenant. In 1170 he began contesting with Cad Gadu for the Auram vis, and he won for the first time in 1183. (Victories in 1183, 1189, 1194, 1195, 1203, 1205, 1207, 1208, 1210, 1211, 1212, 1214, 1215, 1217, 1218, 1219.)

The Mercurian Lineage

The Mercurian Lineage of Ex Miscellanea is represented only by the three magi of this covenant and Malleus, although Justina is determined to increase its numbers and standing. It can trace a direct line of masters and apprentices back to the priests of Mercury in the first century, and is proud of this fact. They have a tendency to think of themselves as more Roman than the other members of the Order, and will point out that their part of the Roman Empire has never fallen to barbarian invasions.

The following description only gives common virtues and flaws: not all members of the lineage have all of them. Since the covenant was founded after the defeat of the druids, the members of this lineage refused to have anything to do with Druidic magic, and thus they never learnt to cast spontaneous spells. They have retained some relics of their Mercurian past, however, and they do not need Wizards' Communion to cast spells together. Further, a Mercurian magus is considered to always have an Arcane Connection to his home, for the purposes of his own spells only. In addition, the way that they are taught formulaic magic means that they automatically master all spells, as Flawless Magic. However, the Mercurian techniques are still rather closer to ritual than is normal in the Order, so that the magi of this lineage have the flaw Slow Caster as well. Finally, their training concentrates on the elements, giving them an aptitude with elements, as the +4 virtue.