Project: Redcap - User contributions [en]

Theban Tribunal

2014-07-13T16:34:20Z

Mithriel: /* Theban Sagas */

The '''Theban Tribunal''' (also called the Tribunal of Thebes or the Thebes Tribunal) is the [[regional Tribunal]] that includes the Greek peninsula and Asia Minor. In 1220, all of the Theban Tribunal is part of the mundane Byzantine Empire. The Theban Tribunal is unusual in that Greek, rather than Latin, is the language magi use for their Hermetic business and magical writings ([[tSE]] page 29).

The Theban Tribunal is a borderland of the Order; it is bordered on the north and west by the [[Transylvanian Tribunal]] but the territory to the east and southeast belongs to the Seljuk Turks and is considered to be outside the [[Order of Hermes]] altogether. The Theban Tribunal communicates by sea with the [[Levant Tribunal]] and could be considered its nearest neighbor. See the [http://www.atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/europemap.pdf Map of Mythic Europe].

== Current Edition Resources ==
The Fifth Edition sourcebook, ''[[The Sundered Eagle: the Theban Tribunal]]'' describes the Theban Tribunal in detail. A Theban Tribunal timeline by [[CJ Romer]] is available on the Atlas Games site: [http://www.atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/ThebesTimeline.pdf Theban Tribunal Timeline].

''[[The Cradle and the Crescent]]'' is a sourcebook for the neighboring lands of the Middle East. [[Against the Dark]] deals with the [[House Tremere]] dominated tribunal to the north, historically part of the Theban Tribunal 865-964.

=== Distinguishing Features ===
The Tribunal of Thebes is presented as vis rich. Magi operate in an environment where vis is less like a currency -- because it is so plentiful -- and more like food. That is, vis is necessary to the Tribunal's continued operation, but not especially valuable or worth fighting over. Generosity with vis is customary; magi who are stingy or who hoard vis earn poor reputations.

Classical Greek has replaced Latin as the language of magic in Thebes. Tribunal meetings are conducted in Greek, spells are cast in Greek, and books written by Theban magi are written in Greek. This creates tension with traditional Houses like Tremere, and impedes communication and cooperation with non-Theban magi.

A system of merits and demerits, known as [[Tokens]] and [[Shards]] respectively, has replaced vis as the currency of Theban magi. Magi earn tokens for performing work beneficial to the polity (the community of magi as a whole) and earn shards for antisocial or harmful activities. For example, bringing a legal case against another magi earns a Token if it results in conviction -- since the rooting out of criminals and diabolists benefits the community -- but a Shard if the trial results in acquittal, since the accusation wasted the time and energy of all involved.

Finally, the idea of the polity has widespread ramifications which include the fact that offices of the tribunal are elected by vote or by lot rather than by seniority, that apprentices choose their master rather than the other way around, that a free Longevity potion is awarded once a year to a deserving magus, and many other examples of cooperation and amity not seen in other tribunals. The roles include the [[Archai]], magistrates elected by lot, the [[Polemarch]] tasked with conducting [[Wizard's March|Wizards' Marches]] and capturing and securing prisoners for trial, and the [[Logothete]] who leads Thebes complex [[Redcap]] hierarchy.

===Contradicting Material===
The 2006 [[Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults]] indicates that the [[House Verditius|Verditius]] [[Inner Mystery]] [[Verditius_Magic#Bind_Magical_Creatures|Bind Magical Creatures]] developed in the Theban Tribunal because vis is rare there and magical animals plentiful. However, the 2010 source book for the tribunal, [[The Sundered Eagle: the Theban Tribunal]] indicates that the tribunal is "blessed with a relatively plentiful supplies of vis" in a sidebar describing a tribunal custom of gifting vis. Errata do not address the issue, but it may be that the reference in HHMC was meant to reference the [[Rome Tribunal]], which in previous editions was described as being vis poor because of the great extent of mundane presence and development throughout that tribunal.

=== Current Edition Covenants ===
According to the peripheral code of Thebes, all covenants within the tribunal must have a "specific role or purpose" and a patron (a being with magic, divine, or faerie might) which willingly cooperates with the covenant. ''Sundered Eagle'' describes the following covenants:

* [[Aegea]], dominated by Merinita and Bjornaer and located on the ocean floor. Their patron is Triton and they claim that the covenant itself is built in the palace of the god Poseidon.
* [[Alexandria]], the headquarters for House Mercere in the Tribunal. Alexandria has a very high aura and is a retirement home for aging and warped [[Redcap|redcaps]]. Their patron is Fides, a spirit of emotion associated with Alexander the Great.
* [[Epidauros]], dedicated to healing and the creation of Longevity potions for Tribunal magi. Their patron is Asklepios, Greek god of healing and medicine.
* [[Erebos]], first mentioned in ''[[Ancient Magic]]''<ref>"Erebos," ''[[Ancient Magic]]'' page 52</ref>, containing several Perdo specialists and located near an ancient sanctuary of the [[Cult of Hecate]] in the Cambunian Mountains. They are in conflict with the [[Daughters of Erichto]]. It is a large House Covenant of Ex Miscellanea; their patron is the ghost of their founder, Cyra Ex Miscellanea.
* [[Favonius]] is a covenant made up of four magical round ships and many smaller vessels which sail constantly. Their patron is Dryops, formerly a spirit of a grove of oak trees whose wood now makes up the enchanted ships.
* [[Gigas]], a Tremere House Covenant in Bulgaria. Out of protest, they use the familiar of the Covenant's leader as patron. Presumably Gigas is the large [[Tremere]] covenant of the Theban tribunal alluded to in [[Houses of Hermes: True Lineages]]<ref>"Coeris" (inset), ''[[Houses of Hermes: True Lineages]]'' page 115</ref>.
* [[Hedyosmos]], made up of Guernicus and Tytalus magi and located in an underground shrine to the dead. Their patron is Minthe, the first lover of Hades.
* [[Ingasia]], a Verditius House Covenant and home to its current primus. Its patron spirit is Mosychlos, genius loci to the volcano of the same name, where the covenant is located.
* [[Oikos tou Eleous]], a covenant of four holy magae based in the city of Thessaloniki. Their patron is Saint Demetrius.
* [[Michaels Tabula|Michael's Tabula]], founded in the wake of the Fall of Constantinople by survivors of that battle. It opposes the Crusaders and is located in an underground mithraeum within the city. Its patron is Fylakas, apparently an elemental earth spirit.
* [[Moeros Garden|Moero's Garden]], inhabited by Jerbiton refugees from the Sack of Constantinople and based in Nicea. Their current patron is the ghost of Hipparchus, in whose home the covenant is now established.
* [[Polyagios]], a covenant of fighting magi located on an island in the Cyclades. Their patron is a faerie giant named Varazes.
* [[Xylinites]], formerly a robust Jerbiton covenant in Constantinople but now, since the Sack, transformed into a Clutch of Criamon following the Path of the Body. Their patron is St. Loukian of Berytus, a magical spirit trapped within an icon.

= Past Edition Resources =
The Theban Tribunal received less attention than most other Tribunals until [[Sundered Eagle]] was published; therefore there are few resources for Fourth Edition and earlier.

''[[Order of Hermes Book|Order of Hermes]]'' mentioned there were eight covenants in the Tribunal<ref>"Tribunal of Thebes", ''[[Order of Hermes Book|Order of Hermes]]'' page 51</ref> (though this information is outdated in Fifth Edition [[canon]]) but did not name any of them. Most of its brief text on the Tribunal is devoted to the grandeur and importance of Constantinople. It does mention that the Thebes Tribunal is a magnet for [[Seeker]]s and for magi of Houses [[House Jerbiton|Jerbiton]] and [[House Bjornaer|Bjornaer]].

''The [[Sorcerer's Slave]]'' is an [[ArM2]] scenario that takes characters to Constantinople and the Black Sea.

== Non-Canon Resources ==
A thorough examination of the Hermetic population in the Theban Tribunal can be found in [http://www.subrosamagazine.org/ Sub Rosa] #7 pages 6-7. Written by Yan Prado, it includes a spreadsheet listing every magus in the Tribunal and noting House, age, citizenship, covenant, and League membership.

[http://www.subrosamagazine.org/ Sub Rosa] #4 (pages 22-26) details the covenant of Seuthopolis, built in the ruins of a Roman town located in Mythic Bulgaria on the border of the Byzantine empire, within the boundaries of the Tribunal. Author [[Ben McFarland]] includes maps of the site and pictorial reference. Since publication [[Against the Dark]] has placed Seuthopolis in the [[Transylvanian Tribunal]] and that book places a House Tremere [[oppida]] in that location.

== Theban Sagas ==
The following [[Saga|saga]] websites are set in, or otherwise related to, the Thebes Tribunal. Feel free to [[Contributing|add]] your own site to the list; please insert it in alphabetical order.

;[http://www.nocturne.org/games/saga/amos/ A Measure of Sand]
:

;[http://porphyris.wikidot.com/ The Crippled Man]
: A current tabletop game played by four to seven players set on a island of the Nicaean coast.

;[http://darmont.free.fr/arm/?page=arm-cnossos&lang=eng Knossos]
: A current tabletop game set in Crete and played with a simplified version of ArM5.

;[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/online-saga/ Purification Through Fire]
: A completed Saga that was played online through Yahoo! Groups.

== References ==
<references />

== External Links ==
;[http://www.arkeo3d.com/byzantium1200/index.html Byzantium 1200]
:A non-profit historical project to create computer models of the monuments of medieval Constantinople; includes maps and [[real history]]

== Legacy Page ==
The history of this page before February 20, 2012 can be found at [[Legacy:thebes_tribunal]].
----
''Based on material © Copyright David Chart 1997-2000. Used with permission.''

[[Category:Mythic Europe]]
[[Category:Fan-created]]
[[Category:Tribunal]]
[[Category:Theban Tribunal]]

Internet site index

2013-04-12T15:23:44Z

Mithriel: /* Individual Pages */

One of the main goals of Project: Redcap is to bring together links to as many Ars Magica resources as possible, regardless of their age or perceived quality. Please help by [[contributing]] links to your own Ars Magica Web site(s) or any sites you come across.

The sub-topics below lead to individual pages devoted to those sub-topics. Most of the links are on the sub-pages. You may also find it useful to browse by [[Special:Categories|category]].

== Saga Pages ==
Many fan sites relate to individual [[Saga]]s, which we categorize by [[Regional Tribunal | Tribunal]].

[[Greater Alps Tribunal|Greater Alps]] | [[Hibernian Tribunal|Hibernia]] | [[Iberian Tribunal|Iberia]] | [[Levant Tribunal|Levant]] | [[Loch Leglean Tribunal|Loch Leglean]] | [[Normandy Tribunal|Normandy]] | [[Novgorod Tribunal|Novgorod]] | [[Provençal Tribunal|Provençal]] | [[Rhine Tribunal|Rhine]] | [[Roman Tribunal|Rome]] | [[Stonehenge Tribunal|Stonehenge]] | [[Thebes Tribunal|Thebes]] | [[Transylvanian Tribunal|Transylvania]] | [[Alternate Settings]]

== Official Web Sites ==
There are only a few official Ars Magica sites, maintained by the game's publisher (currently [[Atlas Games]]).

;[http://www.atlas-games.com/arm5/ Ars Magica Fifth Edition]
:The current edition of the game. This site includes links to all Fifth-Edition related products, errata, and many free supplements such as character sheets, adventures, and play aids.
;[http://www.atlas-games.com/arsmagica/ Ars Magica Fourth Edition]
:Also hosted by [[Atlas Games]], the Fourth Edition page includes many extras, including a link to a free [[PDF]] of the [[Ars Magica Fourth Edition]] rule book! It also has links to all the Fourth Edition products, as well as some earlier products.
;[http://forum.atlas-games.com/index.php the Official Atlas Games Forums]
:The forums include both the Ars Magica discussion board and a play-by-forum board for online games.

== Fan-Created Material ==
{{Main|:Category:Fan-created}} ''See also our [[fan community]] page.''

The following pages have something to do with Ars Magica, but aren't closely associated with any single [[Regional Tribunal]] or [[Alternate Settings]].

;[[Blogs]]
:We are building an index of blogs related to Ars Magica. Please help us expand this list!
;[[Fanzine]]s
:Professional-quality magazines about Ars Magica, written by the fans, for the fans

== Individual Pages ==
;[http://arsmagica.andrewgronosky.us/ Andrew Gronosky's Ars Magica Site]: Andrew Gronosky's Fifth Edtion Ars Magica pages. Includes notes on two Sagas, useful links, [[House Rule]]s, and sundry apocrypha.

;[http://personales.ya.com/anyone/ ArsPitxu]: Character creation and PDF character sheet creation software.

;[http://www.ii.uib.no/~georg/alt/rpg/ars/ Ars Magica Bergensis]:

;[http://rpg.ekkaia.org/ampcc/ Ars Magica Point Cost Calculator]: The Ars Magica Point Costs Calculator is supposed to help you to calculate point costs while creating your Ars Magica 5th Edition character. With your computer being responsible for the number crunching, character creation is simplified a lot!

;[http://www.radix.net/~erewhon/arsma/ Castle Anthrax]: Includes ''[[the Travels of Fedoso]]''.

;[http://xavier.edd.bertou.online.fr/Ars-Mag/ Coeris]:

;[http://mariojpcsimon.blogspot.com/ La Crisma de Simón el Mago] (Español)

;[http://wiki.erik.jordan.name/index.php?title=Ars_Magica_for_d20 D20 Ars Magica]:

;[http://www.davidchart.com/ArM/index.html David Chart's Ars Magica Pages]: Latin translations, rules expansions, and a complete Saga.

;[http://darmont.free.fr/arm/?lang=eng Jerome Darmont's Ars Magica Site]: Covenants (6), Gaming aids and scenarios, Reviews and more! (Also [http://darmont.free.fr/arm/ in French])

;[http://www.durenmar.de/ Durenmar]
:Durenmar is an archive of high-quality articles for Ars Magica, much like an online [[fanzine]]. It is currently inactive (last updated 2005) but still online.

;[http://www.tht.net/~ericpomm/rules/ Eric Pommer's House Rules]: This site contains alternate Combat and Study systems, Ablative Parma mechanics, essays on Mythic Europe, and more.

;[http://guernicus.com/arm/main.html Helen Steele's Ars Magica Page]:

;[http://www.fantasylibrary.com/lounge/ars.htm Fantasy Library Ars Magica Site]:

;[http://ironboundtome.wordpress.com/ars-magica/ Ironbound Tome's Ars Magica Resources]:

;[http://www.dyasdesigns.com/roleplay/ArsMagica/ Lance Dyas's Ars Magica Site]:

;[http://members.tripod.com/~ArchMachiavel/index.html Machiavelli Games]: A site for freeform games based on the ArM system.

;[http://www.mad-irishman.net/pub_ars.html Mad Irishman's Ars Magica Page]: Home to many roleplaying aids in PDF format, this particular page features character sheets, maps, and stories useful to many Ars Magica players.

;[http://www.mist77.demon.co.uk/ArsMagica/ Mark Steedman's Ars Magica pages]:

;[http://www.alteregosoftware.com/ Metacreator]: The commercial software [[Metacreator]], available from [[Alter Ego Software]], is a character creation and management tool. User feedback has been generally very positive.

;[http://spellswiki.wikidot.com/ The Net Wizard's Grimoire]
:A collection of hundreds of fan-created spells where you can submit your own.

;[http://www.editors-wastebasket.org/nexx/ Nexx's Ars Magica Page]:

;[http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/~okoskimi/ArM/ArM.html Oskari Koskimies' Archive]: Giant Pricelist, Earthsea and Ars Magica, and Ars Magica music. Story archive is in Finnish.

;[http://www.ars-magica.net/index.php?id=29&L=1 Projekt: Ars-Magica.net]
:A bilingual (English/German) community site

;[http://home.earthlink.net/~rhophigamma/ Rho Phi Gamma]: Contains several useful files, a small collection of links, but its main claim to infamy are rules for converting AD&D settings for use with Ars Magica.

;[http://shrenewed.wetpaint.com/ Sanctum Hermeticum Renewed]
:An online [[fanzine]]-like archive, currently active, maintained by [[Angus MacDonald]].

;[http://www.granta.demon.co.uk/arsm/jg/index.html Secretum Secretorum]
:Unofficial Ars Magica background material by author [[Jeremiah Genest]]

;[http://www.erzo.org/shannon/ars-magica/ Shannon Appel's Ars Magica Pages]: Logs for four campaigns, rules reference sheets, and character sheets.

;Tempora Heroica: A MUD using Ars Magica magic and concepts. There is a web site at http://www.ibiblio.org/TH/, and the MUD itself can be reached at telnet://titan.ibiblio.org:2895.

;[http://www.waynesbooks.com/ArsMagica.html Wayne's Books Ars Magica Page]:

;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ars_Magica Wikipedia's Ars Magica entry]:

;[http://webpages.charter.net/woodelph/Gaming/writing.html#ars Woodelf's Archive]:

;[http://webpages.charter.net/woodelph/Gaming/AD&DXARSM/ars_fantasia.pdf Woodelf's Ars Fantasia (PDF)]:

;[http://www.imasy.or.jp/%7Emiyamoto/rpg/AM/Tools.html#XML_Charsheet XML ArM5 Character Sheet]:

[[Category:Fan-created]]