Hermetic Projects Chapter Two: The Burning City: Difference between revisions
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Why might magi want to build a covenant inside a volcano? For some magi, merely the challenge and the fact that it can be done is enough of a reason. However, some other reasons for colonizing a volcano include: | Why might magi want to build a covenant inside a volcano? For some magi, merely the challenge and the fact that it can be done is enough of a reason. However, some other reasons for colonizing a volcano include: | ||
* Living inside a volcano could be a part of a Mystery Cult initiation. | * Living inside a volcano could be a part of a [[Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults Chapter One: The Mechanics of Initiation|Mystery Cult initiation]]. | ||
* | * The heart of the volcano could have a very high magic [[Ars_Magica_5E_Standard_Edition,_Chapter_Twelve:_Realms#Realm_Auras|Aura]], which makes the effort of building a laboratory in the volcano worthwhile. | ||
* Laboratories built inside a volcano can be designed to take advantage of the volcano’s natural features for a bonus to appropriate laboratory work (some examples are given later in this chapter). | * [[Covenants_Chapter_Nine:_Laboratories|Laboratories]] built inside a volcano can be designed to take advantage of the volcano’s natural features for a bonus to appropriate laboratory work (some examples are given later in this chapter). | ||
* A magus whose magic suffers from a particularly harsh Necessary Condition or Restriction Flaw (see ArM5, pages 56 and 58) may only be able to use his magic within volcanic regions. | * A magus whose magic suffers from a particularly harsh [[Ars_Magica_5E_Standard_Edition,_Chapter_Four:_Virtues_and_Flaws#Necessary_Condition|Necessary Condition]] or [[Ars_Magica_5E_Standard_Edition,_Chapter_Four:_Virtues_and_Flaws#Restriction|Restriction]] Flaw (see ArM5, pages 56 and 58) may only be able to use his magic within volcanic regions. | ||
* A magus with a Study Bonus Virtue or a Study Requirement Flaw (see ArM5, pages 49 and 59) who already has an Ignem Art Score in excess of 35 can only take advantage of his Virtue when he improves his Art (or improve his Art at all, if he has the Flaw) if he studies in an extreme location, such as a volcano’s heart. | * A magus with a [[Ars_Magica_5E_Standard_Edition,_Chapter_Four:_Virtues_and_Flaws#Study_Bonus|Study Bonus]] Virtue or a [[Ars_Magica_5E_Standard_Edition,_Chapter_Four:_Virtues_and_Flaws#Study_Requirement|Study Requirement]] Flaw (see ArM5, pages 49 and 59) who already has an [[Ars_Magica_5E_Standard_Edition,_Chapter_Seven:_Hermetic_Magic#Ignem_(Ig)_“Fire”|Ignem]] Art Score in excess of 35 can only take advantage of his Virtue when he improves his Art (or improve his Art at all, if he has the Flaw) if he studies in an extreme location, such as a volcano’s heart. | ||
* The volcanic heart could contain vis sources that the covenant wants to ensure do not fall into the hands of other magi, or other forces beyond the Order of Hermes. | * The volcanic heart could contain [[Ars_Magica_5E_Standard_Edition,_Chapter_Twelve:_Realms#Vis_Sources|vis sources]] that the covenant wants to ensure do not fall into the hands of other magi, or other forces beyond the [[Ars_Magica_5E_Standard_Edition,_Chapter_Two:_The_Order_of_Hermes|Order of Hermes]]. | ||
* The volcano’s heart could contain an entrance to the Magic Realm, the Infernal Realm, or the Faerie Realm, which the magi want to monitor, control, destroy, or explore. | * The volcano’s heart could contain an entrance to the [[Realms_of_Power:_Magic_Chapter_Three:_The_Magic_Realm|Magic Realm]], the [[Realms_of_Power:_The_Infernal_Chapter_One:_The_Infernal_Realm|Infernal Realm]], or the [[Realms_of_Power:_Faerie_Chapter_Two:_The_Faerie_Realm|Faerie Realm]], which the magi want to monitor, control, destroy, or explore. | ||
* A covenant built inside a volcano is likely secure and hidden from mundane interference. Even many Hermetic or other supernatural foes would be reluctant to casually assault a covenant embedded in a volcano. | * A covenant built inside a volcano is likely secure and hidden from mundane interference. Even many Hermetic or other supernatural foes would be reluctant to casually assault a covenant embedded in a volcano. | ||
* A volcanic covenant may be allied to indigenous inhabitants of the volcano. The covenfolk could include fire elementals and other magical creatures, faeries, or humans with lava flowing in their veins (perhaps due to ancestors who were volcanic creatures). | * A volcanic covenant may be allied to indigenous inhabitants of the volcano. The covenfolk could include fire elementals and other magical creatures, faeries, or humans with lava flowing in their veins (perhaps due to ancestors who were volcanic creatures). | ||
Revision as of 11:19, 19 March 2026
This document is still under construction. You are invited to help construct it, through the Ars Magica Open Content Conversion Tracker.
This page is part of the Hermetic Projects Open Content
The Burning City
The Burning City project is about constructing a covenant in the heart of a volcano. The effects in this project involve constructing buildings on either lakes of lava or the crater rim, effects to ensure that the magi and covenfolk can survive in this inhospitable environment, and effects to deal with the possible supernatural denizens of a volcano. Effects to find a volcano and to regulate its behavior are also detailed.
Although the Burning City is predicated on an entire covenant constructed within a volcano, there is no need for interested magi in your saga to take this approach. Perhaps your magi are only interested in building a small chapterhouse, or a laboratory, on the lava fields. Alternatively, your magi might not be interested in colonizing the volcanic heart at all — maybe they only want to survive inside a volcano for a particular adventure. In any case, your magi only need to develop the elements of the Burning City project they find useful.
Finally, if the particular effects of this project are not useful in your saga, some of the ideas discussed in this chapter may give the troupe inspiration for the construction of covenants, chapterhouses, or laboratories in the other inhospitable places of Mythic Europe.
Why Build a Volcano?
Why might magi want to build a covenant inside a volcano? For some magi, merely the challenge and the fact that it can be done is enough of a reason. However, some other reasons for colonizing a volcano include:
- Living inside a volcano could be a part of a Mystery Cult initiation.
- The heart of the volcano could have a very high magic Aura, which makes the effort of building a laboratory in the volcano worthwhile.
- Laboratories built inside a volcano can be designed to take advantage of the volcano’s natural features for a bonus to appropriate laboratory work (some examples are given later in this chapter).
- A magus whose magic suffers from a particularly harsh Necessary Condition or Restriction Flaw (see ArM5, pages 56 and 58) may only be able to use his magic within volcanic regions.
- A magus with a Study Bonus Virtue or a Study Requirement Flaw (see ArM5, pages 49 and 59) who already has an Ignem Art Score in excess of 35 can only take advantage of his Virtue when he improves his Art (or improve his Art at all, if he has the Flaw) if he studies in an extreme location, such as a volcano’s heart.
- The volcanic heart could contain vis sources that the covenant wants to ensure do not fall into the hands of other magi, or other forces beyond the Order of Hermes.
- The volcano’s heart could contain an entrance to the Magic Realm, the Infernal Realm, or the Faerie Realm, which the magi want to monitor, control, destroy, or explore.
- A covenant built inside a volcano is likely secure and hidden from mundane interference. Even many Hermetic or other supernatural foes would be reluctant to casually assault a covenant embedded in a volcano.
- A volcanic covenant may be allied to indigenous inhabitants of the volcano. The covenfolk could include fire elementals and other magical creatures, faeries, or humans with lava flowing in their veins (perhaps due to ancestors who were volcanic creatures).
Volcanoes in Mythic Europe
The Greek Volcanic Islands
Italian Volcanoes
Volcanoes in Iceland
Affecting Volcanoes with Hermetic Magic
Effects to Help Find Volcanoes
Effects to Create Volcanoes
Hazards of Volcanoes
Attribution
Based on the material for Ars Magica, ©1993-2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0"). Ars Magica Open License Logo ©2024 Trident, Inc. The Ars Magica Open License Logo, Ars Magica, and Mythic Europe are trademarks of Trident, Inc., and are used with permission. Order of Hermes, Tremere, Doissetep, and Grimgroth are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB and are used with permission.