Faith and Flame
 | |
| Product Information | |
|---|---|
| Rules Edition: | Fifth Edition |
| Abbreviation: | FaF |
| Product Type: | Tribunal Sourcebook |
| Author(s): | Erik Dahl, Mark Faulkner, Lachie Hayes, Ben McFarland, Christian Jensen Romer |
| Publisher: | Atlas Games |
| Product Number: | AG0308 |
| ISBN: | 1-58978-149-X |
| Release date: | June, 2014 |
| Format: | Hardcover, 144 pages |
| Availability: | Hardcover |
Faith and Flame: The Provençal Tribunal is a supplement for Fifth Edition, released in June 2014. (See also the official product page.)
Subject and Contents
This Fifth Edition sourcebook is the first full treatment of the Provençal Tribunal. Provençal was the default setting in ArM2.[1] but until 2014 had not been detailed in a book of its own. In fact, Provençal was the final Regional Tribunal to receive its own sourcebook.[2]
The product page contains the summary of the book's contents that is available before its release.
The Cathar Heresy and the Crusade against the heretics are a central and defining conflict of the region throughout the canonical Ars Magica period. These are described in detail in Chapter II.
Chapter II: History & Culture
This chapter presents both the Hermetic and mundane history of the region, which in this Tribunal are intertwined.
Descriptions of fifteen lost covenants destroyed by the conflicts of the Tribunal -- the Schism War and the Albigensian Crusade -- appear on pages 10-11.
The Cathar heresy is described on pages 13-15. This is a defining conflict of the region during the early thirteenth century. Compared to Second Edition supplements, this book takes a more balanced view of the religious strife in the region. It explains the differences of religious doctrine between the Cathars and the Catholic Church, as well as the zealotry and violence on both sides. Both Catholics and Cathars had allies among the nobility, so the political dimension of the conflict is apparent. The Order of Hermes has divided opinion on relations with the heretics (p. 15).
The major events of the Albigensian Crusade are laid out on pages 15-19. By 1220, a second crusade has begun. ArM5 canon only describes history up to 1220. For a summary of later (real-world) events, see wikipedia.
Chapter III: Hermetic Culture
The Provençal Tribunal is a relatively easy place to found a new covenant, as explained on page 21.
"The Provençal Tribunal has three main power centers. In the west, the Mercurian magi of Aedes Mercurii and the Mithraian magi of Castra Solis dispute the true legacy of Val-Negra and House Flambeau. In the east, the chapterhouses that compose the multi-site Coenobium attempt to prevent new covenants form forming.[3]
Other prominent Hermetic factions in the Tribunal are the Mystery Cults of the Legion of Mithras, the Cult of Mercury, and the Knights of the Green Stone.
The Gorgiastic Cathars, an Ex Miscellanea tradition of mystical magi practicing the Cathar religion, is described on pages 30-31. As an Ex Miscellanea tradition, the Gorgiastic Cathars are Hermetic magicians with a customized package of Virtues and Flaws, not hedge wizards.
Chapter IV: The County of Toulouse
Chapter V: Gascony
Chapter VI: The Pyrenees and the Hispanic March
Chapter VII: Narbonnais
Chapter VIII: Arelat
Chapter IX: The Lost Covenant of Val-Negra
An entire chapter is devoted to the Lost Covenant of Val-Negra.
Covenants
Another covenant of note is Mistridge, mentioned in Chapter Two ("History and Culture").
While the Covenant of Doissetep does not exist canonicaly in Fifth Edition, it was located in the Provençal Tribunal as well.
Reviews and Commentary
Please add your reviews and impressions here. Criticism is encouraged as long as it doesn't cross the line into abuse.
References
- ↑ Ars Magica Revised Edition, pp. 132-145, "The Setting: Mistridge Saga"
- ↑ David Chart, forum post, 1 March 2014
- ↑ Faith & Flame: the Provençal Tribunal, p. 22, "The Covenants of the Tribunal."