Dies Irae Chapter Five: The Twilight of the Gods

This chapter describes the breaking of the bonds that imprison the Titans in the Magic Realm, and the subsequent war with the faerie gods. This cosmic battle, the second of its kind in the history of the world, is fated to result in the destruction of Faerie and the supremacy of magic. The architect of this catastrophe is Loki, a Titan who has managed to slip his bonds and walks free in the world after an eon of confinement. He harbors a deep hatred for the faerie gods who slew his family and imprisoned him, and has been planning his revenge for many centuries.

At first glance, a world ruled by magic might seem highly attractive to the Order of Hermes but the powers of Magic are harsh and uncaring and have little regard for humankind. Life under their rule will be a daily struggle against the wild forces of nature, and humans will be confined to islands of refuge within the sound of church bells. Furthermore, Hermetic magic is already at the pinnacle of the ars magica, but under the reign of magic other magical traditions will grow to match them in strength, and Hermetic magi will lose their hegemony over the supernatural world.

The First Titanomachy

The history of the supernatural realms is not easy to uncover, and few people even bother to try. Most who do uncover something like the following account, although not all of them accept it. Nevertheless, it is the mainstream consensus among Hermetic magi who have studied the issue, and all mythological figures in this chapter act as if this account is true.

The Word of God created the universe and everything within it. The Magic Realm was a perfect reflection of God’s creation, an unchanging and eternal version of the created world. It was the World of Forms, the blueprint of existence. The act of Creation itself caused mighty intelligences to come into being to govern the universe from the Magic Realm; these are known as the protogonoi, the “first-born.” The protogonoi produced subordinates called kosmokrators, the active counterparts to the passive protogonoi. The kosmokrators are those beings that man calls Titans, or Jotnar, or Fomórach, or other names depending on culture.

Time passed. Man was cast out of Eden and encountered faeries for the first time. Whatever their origin, some faeries discovered that man’s belief could make them stronger, feeding them vitality and strengthening their glamour. These faeries became gods. Despite this growing power, the Titans still maintained a stranglehold on the governing of the universe. In a cataclysmic battle called the Titanomachy, the faerie gods went to war against the Titans, and won. The Titans were bound in the Magic Realm, no longer able to intervene in the world since they could no longer create Aspects (see Introduction). They still governed the universe but now the faerie gods held the reigns of power. New versions of the myths of the gods were told about the defeat of the wicked Titans by the heroic gods and the kosmokrators were bound by chains of belief.

For millenia the faerie gods reigned. The Titans remained imprisoned while the gods suborned their powers with the help of mankind’s belief. However, the vitality generated by worship has not proved to be a reliable source of power. The rise of Infernal corruption of pagan faiths siphoned much vitality from the faerie gods, and when God punished man’s resulting wickedness with the flood, the faeries lost even more worshipers. The rise of Divine faith has further weakened the faerie powers and they are a fragment of what they once were. Hardly anyone believes anymore that there are creatures of immense power chained beyond the earth, and the bonds forged out of man’s credulity by the faerie gods have been weakening for some time now. Some kosmokrators have discovered that they can form Aspects again and walk abroad on the face of the world once more. They cannot do this for long without their captors taking note and shortening their leashes again, but soon the day will come when they can no longer be reined back and a reckoning will be made on the upstart gods.

The Binding of the Jotnar

In the Norse version of the Titanomachy, the Jotnar were killed and their spirits bound into Nifelhel. Later, Loki and his sister Gullveig joined them there, along with their children Fenrir, Nidhogg, and Leiken. In a cosmological sense, Nifelhel is a part of the Magic Realm, one with only a handful of boundaries which permit entrance. The god Thor was responsible for guarding the chief of these on the shores of the mythological river Elivagor, and lesser allies of the faerie gods kept watch over the others. The Jotnar have been able to make minor incursions into the world through these various boundaries, for example when summoned by Muspelli (Rival Magic, page 92), but these incursions have been brief and avoided the attention of the faerie gods.

However, as human worship fades, the faerie gods have dwindled in power and their vigilance has declined. The Muspelli are increasingly more active and yet the gods don’t seem to have noticed. Worse for the world, Loki has somehow managed to get free from Nifelhel and has been active once more upon the earth since the Viking Age. He is acting with subtlety, testing the limits of the gods’ complacency, but his actions have been largely unchallenged. He has been risking increasingly larger and more overt acts, the chief of which was to remove Thor from Elivagor (see Where is Thor? later), but has suffered no serious or coordinated opposition. This has led him to believe that it is time to bring about the Twilight of the Gods. Loki knows that Ragnarok is not the end of the world — that will happen as described in the Book of Revelation. However, he (rightly) believes that it will free the Titans and usher in a new age where magic is preeminent.

The End of This World

According to several interpretations of both pagan mythology and rigorous philosophy, the current world was created through a flood and will end in fire. Indeed, the book of Genesis records that God created the world by raising it from the waters, and the book of Revelations describes the apocalypse of fire. Loki does not seek the end of the world in the Biblical sense: rather he seeks to overthrow the current world order and replace it with one where he and his fellow Titans rule. It’s the end of a world, rather than the end of the world.

Ragnarok

A Norse poem called The Völuspá details the foreboding signs that presage the end of the world, called Ragnarok. There will be wars, endless winters, monsters in the east, the swallowing of the moon by a wolf, and other signs of the coming doom. For as long as anyone can remember, a malevolent group of magicians have been working toward fulfilling this prophecy and bringing about these signs. Called the Muspelli, these magicians take orders directly from Loki, the architect of Ragnarok and the prophesied agent provocateur of the war that will slay the faerie gods.

The Norse mythological epic describes a creation through flood and an end through fire. The flood drowns the kosmokrators and confines them to the underworld, and the gods raise the world from the waters. The world will end when the kosmokrators break free from their prisons, go to war against the gods and kill them, and then burn the world with fire. This is remarkably similar in outline to the Stoic cycle of kataklysmos and ekpyrosis.

Apokatastasis and the Criamon Enigma

Apokatastasis, in Stoic thought, is the restoration of the world to its original or primordial condition. When the stars and planets return themselves to their original alignment at Creation in the constellation of Cancer, this will spark a conflagration or ekpyrosis. From the fire the universe will be recreated and the world will proceed until the counter-recurrence, or antapokatastasis, when the stars and planets align again in Capricorn. At this point the world is destroyed in a kataklysmos, or mighty flood. This alternating cycle of destruction and rebirth of the cosmos was said to occur under the auspices of the Divine Word. Origen of Alexandria brought the doctrine of apokatastasis to the early Christian church, although it was later repudiated. Noah’s Flood was the last kataklysmos and some believe that Origen was correct and there are signs that the apokatastasis is nigh.

This doctrine of recreation and destruction is echoed in the teachings of Empedocles and constitutes the central mystery of House Criamon (Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults page 45). Here, the dissolution of the universe into the Chaos is represented by ekpyrosis (fire is the element that divides and separates), and the consolidation of everything into a homogeneous whole is represented by kataklysmos (water is an element that consolidates and congeals). Those few of House Criamon that are servants of strife may prove pivotal in the bringing about of the Twilight of the Gods, an event they believe to be the state of maximal strife, when the prison doors to the Magic Realm are flung wide and immortal souls can escape the circle of time into the Hypostasis.

Loki

Loki is the principal antagonist in this story. It may be that the player characters never directly confront this powerful being, although that should be possible if the storyguide judges that they are powerful enough to either survive or actually defeat him. However, they will certainly come across his many schemes for bringing about the twilight of the gods and ending the world in a conflagration. Loki occupies an ambiguous position in Norse mythology. He was once counted among the gods, although he is a Jotun by birth and by deeds. The Titanomachy is recorded in Norse legend as Odin and his brothers climbing up the World Tree to kill Ymir the primeval giant. They slit his throat and let forth an ocean of blood which drowned all the elder Jotnar (that is, the titans); their ghosts were then bound into Nifelhel for all eternity. Only a few escaped, these became the forefathers of the race of giants. Loki and his sister Gullveig also escaped by virtue of being hostages in Asgard at the time of the genocide.

Loki’s Family he Jotnar of Norse Mythology are Loki’s closest kin. More information about each one can be found in Rival Magic, pages 77–81. Gymir the Jotun of Storms, Aegir the Jotun of the Ocean, and Surtur the Jotun of Fire are three brothers, one of whom (or perhaps all three) is Loki’s father. Gullveig is the Jotun of Witchcraft. She is Loki’s sister and the wife of Gymir, Aegir, and Surtur. Leikin, Nidhogg, and Fenrir are Loki’s children by Gullveig. Leikin is the Jotun of Death, personification of decay. Nidhogg is the World Serpent, and Fenrir is the Jotun Wolf. Urdur the Jotun of Fate is also considered among the Jotnar, although she is not close kin or even an ally. Urdur is the mother of Odin and his brothers; she does not resist the coming of Ragnarok since it was she who foretold it. However, she gives no aid to Loki, who seeks the destruction of her family.

While Loki pretended to friendship with the gods, he was plotting their downfall all along. His tricks and misadventures tested the limits of the god’s powers, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. Eventually he tipped his hand and arranged for the slaying of the god Baldur, the son of Odin. Baldur’s death prompted Odin to seek out his mother Urdur and demand from her a prophecy on the future of the world. Loki thereby learned what he needed to do to finally avenge the death of his kin upon the gods and release the Jotnar from their imprisonment. His true face revealed at last, Odin ordered Loki bound with his kin, in a cave on an island on a lake in Nifelhel, chained with the entrails of his own son.

Loki is a kosmokrator, a mighty being of the Magic Realm wielding a frightening level of power. He is the personification of strife and rebellion, the primal force that drives things apart. His true self resides within the Magic Realm and is effectively unassailable by any power wielded by mortals. Instead he sends Aspects of himself to be his agents in the mundane world. Loki is not malicious, but he has no regard whatsoever for humans; while his plans may cause a great deal of death and suffering, this is not the purpose of his scheming. His sole concern is to free the protogonoi and kosmokrators from their imprisonment and eliminate the faerie gods in the process. Humans are a petty annoyance in games played at Loki’s level. As one of the most powerful spirits of kosmokrator rank, Loki’s Magic Might as a Daimon is at least 75.

Loki’s Goal

Ultimately, Loki is attempting to make a breach between the Magic Realm and the mundane world. The boundary between worlds was solidified by Might stolen from the protogonoi following the first Titanomachy. Loki knows that a series of symbolic acts can reverse the glamour and make the boundary permeable again. He can then lead his kin into the mundane world to do battle against the faerie gods.

The symbolic acts he must perform are encoded in prophecy. Loki knows the prophecy — he heard Urdur recite it to Odin — but he doesn’t know for sure exactly how to fulfill it. He is also hampered by the vigilance of the faerie gods: every time he manifests an Aspect, he risks being noticed by the watchers among the gods. He must proceed cautiously and try to fulfill each part of the prophecy as completely as possible.

Playing Loki

Loki is an exceptionally intelligent being. His chief Aspect (see Loftur Laufeyjasonur, later) is likely more intelligent than the most intelligent human that has ever lived. This can be a challenging role to manage, since he is (presumably) cleverer than the storyguide enacting his schemes. A solution to this conundrum is to occasionally allow hindsight to mimic foresight. Loki is an obsessive plotter and he has had thousands of years of captivity to plan his actions, and the possible consequences of his actions, over the next few decades. It should not be possible to outwit him with a simple trick merely because the storyguide didn’t think of it. To simulate this, the storyguide is justified in inventing new obstacles for the players on the spur of the moment and playing them as if they had always been there. For example, if one of Loki’s agents can easily be defeated by a Veil of Invisibility, then it is reasonable to assume that Loki has ensured that one of that agent’s comrades has the Second Sight Virtue who might spot a character using this spell. This tool should only be used to fill in easy loopholes in Loki’s plots that the storyguide missed, however. If the player characters put a significant amount of effort into concocting a clever plan, it should succeed. Loki could, in theory, have anticipated this plan as well, but he cannot think of everything, and may have assumed that his opponents were not intelligent enough to make it work.

If a pattern is established in the early part of the saga that Loki has several layers of plans and contingency plans, then it is more conceivable that he is able to easily thwart simple actions against him. This should spur the player characters into being more inventive over their own counteractions. It should also emphasize that the characters are no longer in the little leagues; their opponent is a being who has killed gods. When all is done however, remember that Loki is not omniscient. A clever plan should be rewarded with success — the player characters should just have to work a little harder to earn that success.

Aspects of Loki

Already, the chains which bind Loki have begun to slip and he has been able to generate Aspects once more. However, Loki does not have his full strength yet and does not have the freedom of unlimited Aspects like other Daimons (general information on Daimons can be found in the Introduction).

Loki can only have a number of copies of the same Aspect active at any one time equal to the Intelligence Characteristic of that Aspect (with a minimum of one), and he cannot recall them at will once created. Any Aspect Loki creates has all of his knowledge at the point of its creation, but Loki’s Aspects are not in constant mental communication with him and do not share subsequent knowledge with him or with other Aspects like other Daimons. To learn what an Aspect knows, Loki must rely upon Muspelli (who can summon Aspects) as gobetweens. Only if an Aspect is drained of all Might does it return to the fold and integrate its intelligence with the Daimon; if one is physically killed its gathered knowledge dies with it, although Loki knows that the Aspect is gone. As with all Aspects, an Aspect of Loki cannot come within one mile of a place that another Aspect of Loki has been within the last 24 hours.

A further complication for Loki is that, denied his constant mental supervision, his Aspects become more-or-less autonomous and develop their own identities. Made from the stuff of rebellion and strife, the longer they exist the more independent they become. They realize that returning to Loki to share knowledge means the loss of this individual existence. Every Aspect is still dedicated to Loki’s plans (an Aspect could no more rebel against its Daimon than an arm could rebel against its body, even for a Daimon of strife) but will do its utmost to make itself invaluable to justify its continued existence — which often means competing with other Aspects. Like all Aspects, their Might pool does not regenerate but consuming vis can replenish Might points (5 points per pawn if the Form matches their Might, 2 points per pawn otherwise; see Realms of Power: Magic page 29).

Aspects can easily get out of synchronization with each other. Long-standing Aspects may not recognize the player characters and can be ignorant of successes and failures that have occurred since their creation. Note that it is often not expedient for an Aspect to ‘break cover’ and disappear for a full day, and clever player characters can ensure that it is difficult to do this without revealing itself (this is particularly true of Bekki-Aspects, see later). The storyguide should keep track of the Might of Aspects that are interacting with player characters, remembering that they may have expended Might points before they meet the characters.

This section details Loki’s most common Aspects; there may be more as the storyguide sees fit, Further, these Aspects can be varied each time they are created, changing certain Abilities, or providing access to different powers.

Gifts of the Gods Some of Loki’s Aspects have the power to loan one of their powers to another being, although this is done with caution as it costs the Aspect 5 points of Might. The loaned power manifests as a mystical item which is wielded to activate the power. While a power is loaned to another, that Aspect loses the use of the power and cannot grant it again, although a different Aspect can still use and grant the same power. The mystical item is a symbol of the loaned power. Only the recipient can activate its powers and must be in possession of the object to do so; but others can hold or steal the object. The item is an Arcane Connection to the Aspect that created it (not to Loki himself), with a +3 Penetration modifier. If an Aspect is destroyed while a gift is on loan, then it disappears as well. If a faerie god should ever get his hands on any copy of a mystical tool stolen from him, then all Aspects permanently lose the appropriate Power. Although these gifts are represented by the stolen treasures of the faerie gods, the ability to use them and gift them to others is a function of Loki’s powers and thus is aligned to the Magic Realm.

Loftur Laufeyjasonur

Loki Loftur (“he who fares aloft” or, more poetically, “skywalker”) Laufeyjasonur (“son of Laufey,” a matronymic) is the most familiar form of the Jotun, and appears in most of the Norse myths. Loki Loftur’s main power is to call upon the prizes of the faerie gods, which he has stolen from them. Each of these mystical tools is a power of Loki Loftur; he is able to summon them to hand and dismiss them at will. Thor’s hammer Mjollnir is currently still beyond him, a sign that the gods’ power is not fully spent. Each Loftur Aspect is created with an appropriate Native Language Ability.

Loftur, An Aspect of Loki

Magic Might: 49 (Corpus) Season: Winter Characteristics: Int +7, Per 0, Pre –1, Com +3, Str –1, Sta 0, Dex +2, Qik +2 Size: 0 Confidence Score: 2 (5) Virtues and Flaws: Magic Spirit; Magical Monster; Essential Virtue; Affinity with Guile, Great Intelligence x 2, Light Touch, Improved Characteristics x3, Puissant Stealth; Indiscreet, Meddler, Magical Air*; Fear (thunderstorms), Reckless * free with Magic Spirit Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Greater Powers x 7, Improved Intelligence x 2, Major Virtue (Shapeshifter), Ritual Powers x 4; Improved Confidence, Improved Abilities, Improved Powers x 7, Improved Soak; Major Flaw (Restriction: can’t use powers he has granted) Personality Traits: Consummate Liar (Communication) +6*, Sly +6, Boastful +3, Brave 0 *Essential Trait, replaces listed Characteristic whenever Trait applies. Reputations: Foe of the World 3 (Local) Combat: Short sword: Init +3, Attack +11, Defense +9, Damage +4 Short bow: Init +1, Attack +8, Defense +5, Damage +5 Soak: +4 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) Abilities: Area Lore: Local 5 (hiding places), Athletics 3 (balancing), Awareness 4 (traps), Bows 3 (mistletoe arrows), Carouse 2 (with giants), Etiquette 5 (among Germans), Charm 6 (women), Faerie Lore 4 (gods), Folk Ken 6 (kings), Guile 10 (lying to gods), Intrigue 4 (court) Leadership 4 (Muspelli), Native Language 5 (local dialect), Single Weapon 5 (short sword), Shapeshifter 4 (fast transformation), Stealth 7+2 (when others are asleep), Teaching 2 (bows), West Norse 5 (Icelandic) Powers: Donning the Corporeal Veil, 0 points, Init +1, Corpus: See Realms of Power: Magic, page 102 Cr(Re)Co 25 (Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 requisite) Greater Power (25 levels, –3 Might, +2 Init) Loan the Purloined Treasures, 5 points, Init –18, Vim: Loki can grant a mortal the ability to use one of his other Powers by giving the respective treasure to the character. The mortal gains the power as the Greater Power Major Virtue, and if she lacks a Might score, must expend 1 Fatigue level for each 2 points (or fraction) of the power’s Might cost. Loki has a Restriction as a Magic Inferiority, that he cannot use his own power while he has lent it to another character and must physically reclaim the treasure to regain control over it. No Hermetic equivalent. Ritual Power x 2 (–5 Might cost (with 5 mastery points from Improved powers)) Odin’s Spear of Victory, 3 points, Init –1, Corpus: Brandishing the spear allows Loki to grant a group of up to 1000 men a +3 bonus to their Single Weapon Ability. This power is the same as Grant Puissance in (Ability) (Realms of Power: Magic page 38) with a Size modifier. MuCo 30 (Base 2, +1 Eye, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +3 Size) Greater Power (30 levels) Odin’s Spear of Triumph, 3 points, Init –2, Corpus: Brandishing the spear allows Loki to grant a group of up to 1000 men a +2 bonus to their Soak Totals. MuCo 45 (Base 10, +1 Eye, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +2 Size) Greater Power (45 levels, –2 Might cost, +1 Init with 2 mastery points from Improved Powers) Odin’s Spear of Rage, 3 points, Init –1, Corpus: Brandishing the spear allows Loki to grant a group of up to 1000 men the ability to ignore Wound and Fatigue penalties. Affected characters still collapse when reaching Unconscious or Incapacitated, at which point they are no longer affected by this power. ReCo 45 (Base 10, +1 Eye, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +2 Size) Greater Power (45 levels, –2 Might cost, +2 Init with 4 mastery points from Improved Powers) Thor’s Belt, 2 points, Init –3, Corpus: Buckling this belt around the waist increases Loki’s Strength by 5 points. MuCo 50 (No Hermetic equivalent) Greater Power (50 levels, –3 Might cost with 3 mastery points from Improved Powers) Freyja’s Cloak, 2 points, Init +5, Corpus: By donning this cloak of gray feathers, Loki is transformed into a falcon. The effect can be ended at any time by removing the cloak. MuCo(An) 30 (Base 20, +2 Sun) Greater Power (30 levels, –1 Might, +6 Init with 5 mastery points from Improved Powers) Ullur’s Bow, 2 points, Init +4, Corpus or Animal: Any creature or person struck with an arrow shot from this bow takes an Incapacitating Wound. Firing an actual arrow is a purely cosmetic effect; the arrow always appears to hit, unless Magic Resistance applies. PeCo(An) 35 (Base 20, +2 Voice, +1 requisite) Greater Power (35 levels, –2 Might cost, +6 Init with 6 mastery points from Improved Powers) Idun’s Apple, 1–4 points, Init –2, Corpus: When Loki takes a bite of this apple he is healed from all Light Wounds, three bites heals all his Medium Wounds, and five bites heals all his Heavy Wounds. Eating the whole apple cures all Incapacitating Wounds. This power costs him 1, 2, 3, or 4 Might points respectively. If given as a gift, an apple offers six bites in total. CrCo 35 (Base 35) Ritual Power x 2 (35 levels, –3 Might cost, +10 Init with 10 mastery points from Improved Powers) Ran’s Net, 1 point, Init –1, Corpus: When this fishing net is cast over a Group of Individuals, they become hopelessly tangled within it and cannot move at all. Loki must hold onto the net to keep people entrapped; if he lets go they can free themselves within a round. ReCo 30 (Base 5, +2 Voice, +1 Conc, +2 Group) Greater Power (30 levels, –2 Might Cost) Vis: 5 pawns of Mentem vis in tongue, 5 pawns of Corpus vis in hair. Appearance: A tall lithe man with bright red hair, clean-shaven. His lips are scarred with a series of holes (remnants of when his mouth was once sewed shut); this twists his otherwise handsome face into a disconcerting leer. He wears clothes appropriate to the situation in which he finds himself, typically dark brown leggings and a buff-colored overtunic. Loki is an unusual shapeshifter in that he can change his sex as well as his shape, and he can turn into creatures smaller than the usual limit of –5. He can assume the following forms: mare, salmon, spider, wolverine.

Bekki

Bekki is an insidious force who is capable of wreaking as much havoc as Loki’s other Aspects even if he lacks their raw power. Bekki inveigles himself into mundane groups, often targeting kings and princes. With judicious use of his Entrancement and skillful deployment of blackmail and intrigue, he wins the ear of the king, then subtly influences him down the course that bests suits Loki’s schemes. Bekki deliberately takes a form that is physically unimpressive; many of those he tries to control are warriors and he wants to let them feel superior to him while he whispers into their ears. Rather, Bekki takes the role of the wise counselor and mentor; to this end he often acts even weaker than he actually is. Like Loftur, Bekki can summon purloined treasures of the gods, which are treated as powers, but he cannot usually grant use of these powers to others.

Bekki, an Aspect of Loki

Magic Might: 25 (Corpus) Season: Winter Characteristics: Int +5, Per –1, Pre +1, Com +3, Str –3, Sta –1, Dex –1, Qik –3 Size: 0 Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: Magic Spirit; Magical Covenfolk; Essential Virtue; Affinity with Intrigue, Great Intelligence x 2, Famous, Protection, Puissant Intrigue, Social Contacts; Dark Secret (true identity), Meddler; Fear (thunderstorms), Noncombatant, Palsied Hands, Poor Characteristics Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Gentle Air, Greater Powers x 2, Major Virtue (Entrancement); Improved Abilities x 5, Improved Powers, Mentem Resistance, Minor Virtue (Good Teacher), Minor Virtue (Inspirational), Minor Virtue (Piercing Gaze), Personal Powers x 3 Personality Traits: Consummate Liar (Communication) +6*, Sly +6, Ingratiating +3, Smug +2, Brave 0 *Essential Trait, replaces listed Characteristic whenever Trait applies. Reputations: Royal Counselor 3 (Nobility) Combat: Walking Stick (bludgeon): Init –3, Attack +4, Defense 0, Damage –1 Soak: –1 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) Abilities: Awareness 2 (social situations), Bargain 4 (negotiation), Brawl 2 (walking stick), Carouse 2 (with giants), English 5 (Northumbrian), Entrancement 5 (ambitious young noblemen), Etiquette 6 (among Germans), Charm 6 (nobles), French 5 (Norman), Folk Ken 6 (kings), Guile 7 (lying to kings), High German 5 (Franconian), Intrigue 10+2 (court), Latin 4 (Classical), Low German 5 (Saxon), Mentem Resistance 4 (mind reading), Organization Lore: Church 2 (the corrupt), Organization Lore: Nobility 5 (the corruptible), Ride 1 (on roads), Teaching 5 (intrigue), West Norse 5 (Icelandic) Powers: Donning the Corporeal Veil, 0 points, Init +1, Corpus: See Realms of Power: Magic, page 102 Cr(Re)Co 25 (Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 requisite) Greater Power (25 levels, –3 Might, +2 Init) Aura of Mundane Semblance, 0 points, constant effect, Vim: Prevents the detection of Bekki’s Magic Might or of the use of any of his Personal Powers, unless the level of the spell used to examine him exceeds 45. To detect him with Magic Sensitivity would require an Ease Factor of 27 (magnitude of this effect x 3). PeVi 45 (Base effect, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 constant effect) Personal Power x 2 (45 levels, –5 Might cost with 4 mastery points from Improved Powers) Freyja’s Necklace, 1 point, Init –6, Mentem: When donned, this golden necklace studded with amber can incite powerful passions in an individual. Bekki can decide upon the emotion to invoke and all of the individual’s decisions are made in the light of slaking their unnatural emotions until the duration ends. Typical emotions include envy of a political rival, hatred for an enemy state, greed for a particular object, or lust for a certain person. ReMe 30 (Base 10, +1 Eye, +3 Month) Greater Power (30 levels, –2 Might cost) The Tarnhelm, 1 point, Init –1, Imaginem: This helmet was stolen from dwarfs loyal to the gods. While wearing it, he is completely undetectable to normal sight, hearing, smell, and even if he brushes up against someone, his touch will not register (although any contact more rigorous than this is noticed as normal). PeIm 15 (Base 5, +1 Conc, +1 changing image) Personal Power (15 levels, –1 Might, +2 Init with 1 mastery point from Improved Powers) Vis: 5 pawns of Corpus vis, in clothing. Appearance: Bekki takes the semblance of a man in his sixties, hale but slow and slightly trembling. He wears rich clothes but in muted colors so that he does not stand out. His hair is gray but shows signs of its original auburn color at the temples.

The Emissary of Fire

The Emissary of Fire is one of Loki’s most battle-worthy Aspects. If the player characters come to the notice of Loki and are considered a sufficient threat for him to consider their elimination, the Emissary of Fire will be the agent that does it. Despite being a brute, it shares in the Daimon’s cunning and will often lay groundwork prior to an open assault. It might ravage the character’s crop lands, making them expend resources if they want to eat. It has several lesser spirits of fire in service to it, which it can use as scouts, spies, and warriors.

Water does damage to this Aspect as if it was a (wood) fire, including the multipliers for degree of immersion (ArM5, page 181), although the size of the Emissary of Fire makes it difficult to immerse through mundane means and its Aquam Resistance adds to its Soak. A standard Individual of Aquam creates enough water to totally immerse the creature but it must be held in place to count as immersion — simply dumping this amount of water on it inflicts only base damage.

If fought in combat, the Emissary of Fire usually grapples its foes, relying on its superior strength and its Burn power. Since its body is created using a power, it must Penetrate to physically damage those with Magic Resistance, although it can still grapple them effectively. It prefers to fight opponents in a flammable environment, using its powers to set fires which then spread naturally into a nonmagical inferno to imperil its foes.

The Emissary of Fire, an Aspect of Loki

Magic Might: 27 (Ignem) Season: Summer Characteristics: Int +2, Per 0, Pre –2, Com +1, Str +10, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik –2 Size: +5 Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: Magic Spirit; Magical Champion; Essential Virtue, Puissant Brawl; Gluttonous; Clumsy Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Greater Powers x 2, Focus Power; Aquam Resistance, Improved Abilities, Improved Attack (fiery bludgeon) x 2, Improved Attack (grapple) x 3, Improved Characteristics x 2, Improved Damage (fiery bludgeon) x 2, Improved Defense (fiery bludgeon) x 2, Improved Initiative (grapple), Improved Might x2, Improved Powers, Lesser Powers x 2 Personality Traits: Brave +3, Hungry +3, Intimidating (Presence) +3* *Essential Trait, replaces listed Characteristic whenever Trait applies. Reputations: none Combat: Fiery Bludgeon: Init –2, Attack +17, Defense +11, Damage +28 Grapple: Init +1, Attack +17, Defense +7, Damage +10 Soak: +2 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–10), –3 (11–20), –5 (21–30), Incapacitated (31–40), Dead (41+) Abilities: Aquam Resistance 4 (5) (immersion), Athletics 5 (pursuit), Awareness 4 (terrain features), Brawl 6+2 (bludgeon), Concentration 3 (Feed the Fire power), Leadership 4 (fire spirits), Native Language 5 (commands) Powers: Donning the Corporeal Veil, 0 points, Init –6, Ignem: See Realms of Power: Magic, page 102. This Aspect’s body is made of fire and cannot be harmed with normal weapons; they pass through it and possibly catch fire. Cr(Re)Ig 35 (Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 requisite, +2 Size) Greater Power (35 levels, –4 Might cost) Burn, 0 points, Init –5, Ignem: Anyone touching or being touched by the Emissary of Fire takes +10 damage (this is cumulative with any Brawl damage). This is the usual melee attack of the Aspect. Any flammable material catches fire on contact; typically, clothes inflict +10 damage per round on their wearer until extinguished. Any metal coming in contact with its body for more than a round heats up, causing the effects of Heat of the Searing Forge (ArM5, page 140); this does not include weapons used to strike it in combat. Cr(Re) Ig 30 (Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 requisite, +1 constant effect): Greater Power (30 levels, –3 Might cost with 1 mastery point from Improved Powers) Crafter of Fire, 1–5 points, Init – 7, Ignem: The Emissary of Fire can duplicate any non-Ritual Creo Ignem or Rego Ignem spells up to 25th level at a cost of 1 Might point per magnitude. CrIg or ReIg 25. Focus Power Feed the Flames, 2 points, Init –5, Ignem: The Emissary of Fire can increases the size of any conflagration that does +10 damage or less. One use of this power can affect a fire up to ten cubic paces (approximately Size +6) and increase it to a maximum size of one hundred cubic paces (approximately Size +9). The increase in size only lasts as long as it concentrates, and when the effect ends the fire returns to its former size but may now be spread over a wider area as several smaller fires. Any flammable materials that caught fire when the target was at its larger size remain aflame. The Emissary can affect its own created body with this effect; at Size +9 it stands about 55 feet tall; increasing its Strength by 8 but reducing its Quickness by 4. It cannot combine this power with Stoke the Fire. MuIg 20 (Base 2, +2 Voice, +1 Conc, +2 size, +1 to affect a fire doing +10 damage) Lesser Power (20 levels, –2 Might cost, +1 Init with 2 mastery points from Improved Powers) Stoke the Fire, 2 points, Init –4, Ignem: The Emissary of Fire can increase the intensity of any fire doing +10 damage or less, adding +5 to the amount of damage it inflicts. A wood fire (normally +5 damage) will now melt lead and heat iron; a forge fire (normally +10 damage) will now melt iron. This power can affect a fire up to 10 cubic paces (approximately Size +6) and includes the fire that composes the Emissary of Fire’s body. It cannot combine this effect with Feed the Flames. MuIg 20 (Base 2, +2 Voice, +1 Conc, +1 size, +2 to increase damage to +15) Lesser Power (20 levels, –2 Might cost, +2 Init with 2 mastery points from Improved Powers) Vis: 6 pawns of Ignem vis, in hands Appearance: A twenty foot tall giant made of flames. It has two pits of darkness for eyes and a huge gaping maw occupying the rest of its neckless head. It is not necessary for this character to buy the Gigantic Magic Quality since its body is created with a power that creates an appropriately-sized target.

Prometheus

The Greek titan Prometheus bears a great deal of resemblance to Loki. Both are from the second generation of titans. Both were initially friendly with the gods and took no part in the Titanomachy. They both stole from the gods and in punishment were bound onto a rock and tortured by a monstrous creature (a snake in Loki’s case, an eagle in Prometheus’s). Whether or not they are simply Aspects of the same Titan or independent beings does not need to be clear, since they have identical goals.

A saga that takes place in the southern part of Mythic Europe can employ Prometheus in Loki’s place. He should be treated the same as the Aspect of Loki Loftur Laufeyjasonur, although the powers derive from items stolen from the Greek pantheon of gods rather than the Norse: the three powers of Odin’s Spear come from Ares’s Sword (Victory), Poseidon’s Trident (Triumph), and Dionysios’s Staff (Rage); Thor’s Belt came from Hephaistos; Freyja’s Cloak is Hermes’s Sandals; Ullur’s Bow instead belongs to Artemis; Idun’s Apples takes the form of Demeter’s cornucopia; and the power of Ran’s Net is attributed to Athena’s Shield, mounted with Medusa’s head. The equivalent of Bekki is in possession of Hades’s Helm (the Tarnhelm) and Aphrodite’s Mirror (Freyjas’s Necklace).

Loki’s Mortal Agents

Loki marshals a host of magical beings, notably giants, the walking dead, and monstrous wolves. Many of these will be released upon the world as Ragnarok approaches. However, Loki also employs mundane agents when he needs to. He has little regard for normal humans, who are little more than a means to an end. He has more interest in individuals with The Gift, who are already aligned to the power of the Magic Realm.

It is conceivable that a player may have a character from one of the three groups of magi described below. If this is the case, it is better that Loki does not approach the player character, having already calculated the likelihood of that character joining his cause. Over the course of the saga, the character may realize that his comrades are helping the very enemy he is trying to stop. Of course, the player characters may actually decide to help Loki, in which case they can act openly in alignment with the rest of their fellows.

The Muspelli

Loki’s chief mortal agents are a group of Norse magicians called the Muspelli. These are Gifted wizards who employ a range of Supernatural Abilities to entrance minds, lay curses, shift shape, create illusions, conjure visions, conjure storms, summon animals, control fate, wake the dead, spread wildfire, and invoke the winter. They are also capable of adopting a monstrous giant-form, in which shape they can intensify their magic to create mighty ritual effects. Muspelli can also summon Aspects of their patron Jotun and from the point that this chapter begins, Loki’s Aspects are among those that all Muspelli can summon (using any sacred site available). Full rules for the Muspelli can be found in Chapter Four of Rival Magic; if you don’t have access to this book, you can still use this chapter. The Muspelli are instrumental in enacting Loki’s schemes but they need not take center stage; they can work their magic in the background, leaving the characters to deal with the consequences rather than the cause.

The Legion of Atlas

A society among Theban magi, the goal of the Legion of Atlas (The Sundered Eagle: The Theban Tribunal, page 119) is to end the reign of the faerie gods, and thus they are natural allies of Loki. Kristophoros of House Bonisagus perceives the continued existence of the faerie gods as an affront to the one and true God and he has become the rallying point for magi who share his goal to eliminate them, even if they do not share his reasons. Kristophoros is willing to flout the Order’s restrictions upon molesting the fae if it suits his goals. This society is secretly influenced by the cult of the Titanoi within House Tytalus, although the two would never overtly work together while Kristophoros remains in charge.

The Sons and Daughters of Strife

The Path of Strife is a component of the Criamon House Mystery (Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, page 67). They willingly pollute themselves spiritually for the redemption of the rest of the house. In the Empedoclean philosophy of the house, their actions increase strife, bringing the world closer to the ekpyrosis. Loki is perhaps the ultimate expression of strife and he may be able to convince the handful of magi on the Path of Strife to ally with him. He claims that by bringing the world into the ekpyrosis, the cycle of time will be shattered and all the prisons of the world opened. The cosmic mistake that trapped immortal souls for eternity can be undone and the Hypostasis made attainable for all magi. Properly convinced, the Criamon on the Path of Strife are prepared to do anything necessary to help Loki.

Help Saving the World

Player characters are the heroes (or at least the protagonists) of stories in Ars Magica Fifth Edition but in world-changing story arcs such as this one they might feel that they are doing all the work to save an ungrateful world. That needs not be the case: there are a number of sources of aid to which the characters can turn.

Assistance From the Order of Hermes

The Order of Hermes is one of the few institutions in Mythic Europe that reaches from the western shores of Ireland to the Holy Land. It is rivaled only by the Church in terms of scope and influence and the medieval church is rent in Schism between its eastern and western halves. One of the strengths of the Order is also its weakness: the Order is ruled by committee, a method of governance notorious for its lack of decisive action. Furthermore, the Grand Tribunal meets only every thirty-three years; in theory an extraordinary session of the Council of Primi could be convened but this would require substantial evidence of a tangible threat to the Order, not just a collection of moldy prophecies and paranoid speculation. Any help that the characters can muster in the early stages is likely to be isolated — one house or one Tribunal convinced sufficiently by the characters’ evidence to help them. If the Order can be motivated into action at the instigation of the player characters, then it is likely that they are given some operational role in the Order’s response to Loki’s schemes. The characters could find themselves as the chiefs-of-staff to some of the Order’s most powerful magi, helping to coordinate its response to Loki.

Even if the characters cannot get the Order of Hermes to recognize the threat, they might have better luck with House Tremere. The whole purpose of this House is to be prepared to face a threat that threatens the Order’s existence and even if the Grand Tribunal doesn’t take them seriously, Prima Poena of Tremere may, and provide the characters with some of the vast resources of her house just in case they are right.

Help From the Gods

The other major source of help that the player characters can obtain is from the faerie gods. They have the strongest motivation of all for stopping Loki’s plans: although Ragnarok is inevitable (or so they believe), they wish to delay it for as long as possible. Among the Norse gods, Heimdallur and Thor are the most likely to render assistance to the characters.

Heimdallur, Watchman of the Gods

Unlike many of his fellow gods, Heimdallur has not abandoned his post. The Watchman of the Gods remains vigilant over the world, missing nothing and forgetting nothing. It will be his responsibility to sound the horn that announces the final battle of the gods and Jotnar. Heimdallur is the chief of the tribe of Norse gods called the Alfar and is the god of light and the day. In his myths, he is credited with establishing the social hierarchy among mankind and teaching them all crafts and professions. Loki is his especial foe and they are fated to be responsible for one another’s deaths at Ragnarok.

Heimdallur’s role is to be a watchman and to signal the gods when Ragnarok is upon them. Ultimately he is a passive god with little initiative and who procrastinates over getting actively involved. He knows that once he rouses from passivity he will precipitate Ragnarok (see Three Cockerels Crow, later) and so will not overtly warn gods or men of what he has seen of Loki’s actions. His assistance is likely to be a lot more subtle. Once he is aware that the player characters are moving against Loki he may provide covert assistance, ensuring that they do not miss important clues to Loki’s plans and directing them like pieces on a game board. Even once they work out who it is that is helping them, he still dares not to intervene directly. A typical intervention from Heimdallur involves him disguising himself as a nobleman, freeman, or peasant and dispensing unasked-for advice, cryptic warnings, or important gifts disguised as mundane items. For example, a mud-splattered ‘villein’ may seem to know a lot about the local nobility and is able to fill the characters in on all the juicy gossip (feeding them vital information for Brother Against Brother, see later); or a ‘nobleman’ might be selling off his deceased uncle’s belongings and is surprised to find a Hermetic book among them. He brings it to the player characters and sells it for a fair price.

A full version of Muspilli (see Help from Prophecy, later) is scribed on one of the end pages.

Heimdallur

Faerie Might: 50 (Ignem) Characteristics: Int +1, Per +8, Pre 0, Com –2, Str +2, Sta +6, Dex +3, Qik +2 Size: +1 Confidence Score: 1 (4) Virtues and Flaws: Focus Power x 2, Ostentatious, Shapeshifter; Faerie Sight, Faerie Speech, Famous, Highly Cognizant, Humanoid Faerie, Improved Damage, Improved Initiative, Improved Powers, Improved Soak x 3, Large, Lesser Powers x 2, Personal Powers x 4, Positive Folk Tales, Reputation as Confidence; Feud (Loki), Proud; Dutybound, Higher Purpose, Traditional Ward (the blind) Personality Traits: Watchful +6, Cautious +5, Vain +5, Loyal to the Gods +4 Reputations: God of Light 4 (Local) Combat: Long Sword and Round Shield: Init +7, Attack +18, Defense +14, Damage +13 Soak: +22 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–12), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24), Dead (25+) Pretenses: Athletics 3 (climbing), Awareness 15 (danger), Concentration 5 (on watch), Faerie Speech 5 (Norse), Folk Ken 3 (motives), Jarl’s Leisure* 5 (riding), Karl’s Labor* 5 (trade), Leadership 5 (noblemen), Music 5 (horn), Shapeshifter 5 (ram), Single Weapon 10 (long sword), Thrall’s Toil* 5 (farming) *As the god of the social hierarchy, Heimdallur appears competent with a wide range of crafts, professions and leisure pursuits appropriate to the thralls (serfs), karls (freemen), and jarls (noblemen) which he represents. Powers: See the Grass Sprout, 0 points, constant power, Imaginem: Heimdallur can see several miles away, day or night; otherwise the same as Eyes of the Eagle, ArM5 page 145. InIm 35 (Base 3, +2 Sun, +4 Vision, +1 see in the dark, +1 constant) Personal Power x 2 (35 levels, –4 Might cost with 1 intricacy point from Improved Powers) Hear the Wool Grow, 0 points, constant power, Imaginem: When he concentrates, Heimdallur can hear the grass growing, the wool growing on the back of sheep, and everything louder than that. InIm 40 (Base 3, +2 Sun, +4 Vision, +1 constant) Personal Power x 2 (30 levels, –3 Might cost) Ten Thousand Yard Stare, 0 points, Init –12, Imaginem: Heimdallur can see and hear what is going on at any location to which he has an Arcane Connection. He can perceive anything and everything that occurs within a 100 pace diameter, whether or not this constitutes an actual Boundary. This does not need to be a ritual effect for this god. He can use his enhanced senses through this power, allowing him to extend his hearing and sight to hundreds of miles. There are numerous runestones across Scandinavia made by rune wizards to which Heimdallur has an Arcane Connection. InIm 35 (Base 2, +4 Arc, +1 Conc, +4 Boundary) Lesser Power x 2 (35 levels, –7 Might cost with 4 intricacy points from Improved Powers) World Illuminator, 1–10 points, Init –8, Ignem: Heimdallur can create any non-ritual effect of 50th level or less involving light, at a cost of 1 Might point per magnitude of the effect. Focus Power x 2 Vis: 10 pawns of Ignem vis, in teeth Appearance: A pale skinned warrior with shining white hair and beard despite his youthful mien. He wears a chain hauberk, a gleaming helmet, a white leather belt, and a cloak made from the skin of a mighty snow-bear. His teeth are made from solid gold. When he wields Hofud, his massive sword, in combat it glows with a pure white light. He can take the form of an immense ram with snow-white fleece and golden horns, a pure-white cockerel with a golden comb, a huge russet squirrel with sharp teeth, a crude but honestlooking serf, or a jolly fisherman.

Thor the Thunderer

Thor is probably the most powerful of the Norse gods by dint of being the most popular. He was the god of the common man, the peasant, and the soldier, unlike Odin who was the god of kings and jarls or Freyr who was the god of priests. The heathen religion as a whole is still called Thór blóta in Christian Scandinavia and his hammer is seen as its symbol. He features in hundreds of folktales still told throughout Scandinavia, England, and northern Germany, and his name is associated with a host of sayings and omens.

Thor’s popularity can be attributed to his role in legend as the guardian of Midgard and foe of the giants, trolls, and all baleful wights. If any one of the gods should manifest to fight Loki, it should be Thor and yet he is nowhere to be seen, even with giants walking the land. The answer is that Loki foresaw this very problem and made Thor his target long before he began to set anything else in motion. Loki manipulated the Church into vigorously repressing his worship. He provided subtle support for anti-pagan monarchs such as Saint Olaf of Norway. He spread folktales where Thor was cast as a buffoon and suppressed the old tales which presented him as a hero. This wrought changes to the faerie god’s glamour; subtle changes but enough to give Loki an edge. Once he was done Loki was able to ensnare Thor easily.

Much to his chagrin, Loki was still unable to take Thor’s hammer Mjollnir from him, and it continued to mystically guard the prison of the Jotnar much as Thor had always done (metaphysically, Mjollnir is the recipient of as much vitality as Thor and is a powerful faerie in its own right while separated from him).

However, Loki did the next best thing by stealing Thor’s belt of strength. Without it, the faerie god was no longer able to lift Mjollnir and he was effectively neutralized. Robbed of his weapon and made stupid by negative folktales, Thor has been reduced to an incognizant wreck. He no longer remembers that he was once the mighty Asa-Thor the Thunderer.

The God at the Ford

When the player characters first encounter Thor, he is laboring in a town. This town could be anywhere in Mythic Europe, but northern Europe is more plausible. He has taken the shape of a tall redbearded peasant, the local halfwit. He ekes out a living ferrying people across the river into town; there are no firm moorings for a ferry-rope and often a long queue to cross by the bridge, so ‘Hlorridi’ (as he is called) carries people across the river. He is both tall and strong, and happy to wade waistdeep into the river carrying people on his shoulders or goods on his head. For larger loads he dons a yoke and pulls two boats. He lives in a hovel on the river bank, so small that his feet stick out from one end. He wraps his massive body around a shaft sticking out of the middle of the dirt floor; actually the handle of his hammer, which he cannot lift. He has a rusty pair of gauntlets he keeps in the thatch.

When the characters encounter Hlorridi, they may know exactly who he is. It is possible that Heimdallur has clued them in to his true identity, asking them to restore the god to his former power. Alternatively, the player characters may have no idea to his identity; they may encounter him as a piece of local color and only much later work out who he might be.

In order to restore Thor, Hlorridi must be reunited with his belt of strength. He then dons his gauntlets and pulls Mjollnir out of the packed dirt of the hovel’s floor. His memories are restored and his powers with them. Unfortunately, Loki has stolen Thor’s belt of strength and getting it back may be very difficult. The characters’ best prospect is to wait for Loki to give it to a mortal servant (perhaps creating the situation where this might be necessary) and then steal it. Restoring the Belt of Strength to Thor removes the power to summon it from all Loftur Aspects.

Story Seeds: Thor the Thunderer Identifying and restoring the thunder god to his former power could be the focus of a series of stories. The Bell and the Bridge The characters are traveling to or through the town where Hlorridi dwells. The characters may choose to wait for the bridge or be carried across the ford. The bridge is choked because of the delivery of a new church bell. However, the bridge collapses under the weight of the massive bell and townsfolk are in immediate peril. Hlorridi wades over to help out; he can even shore up the failing bridge by supporting its arch, allowing people to get off safely; player characters may similarly help out. The question remains as to why a hitherto sturdy bridge suddenly failed. Perhaps something or someone doesn’t want the bell to be delivered — this would weaken the Dominion, which only extends as far as the sound of church bells. Placing Hlorridi close to the covenant is an excellent way to get the characters into the whole saga and bring the player characters to the attention of Loki. He may choose to involve them in his later schemes as a distraction to stop them restoring Thor to his former glory, or in revenge for doing just that. The Belt of Strength Heimdallur tells the characters he has found Thor’s belt of strength. He has seen it around the neck of a monstrous wolf that is chewing on a root of the World Tree. Worn as a collar, the belt magnifies the creature’s strength and it is in danger of breaking through the root. This may be a trap: Loki knows that the characters need the belt of strength and hopes to eliminate them.

The Hammer God

Once restored, Thor will be grateful to the player characters. He feels that he has neglected his duties for too long and must hie to Nifelhel (part of the Magic Realm) and strengthen the bonds holding the Jotnar. However, he promises to come to them if they have great need; to summon him they should strike the ground three times with an iron hammer, saying “Thrice I smite with holy crock; with this mell I thrice do knock; one for god, one for Wod, and one for Lok” and he will come (this is a charm still used in the north of England for luck; the god mentioned first is Thor, then Odin, and the final — and hardest — hammer blow is for Loki). He warns them that when they summon him then the borders of Nifelhel will remain unguarded, so they should only do so in dire need.

The restoration of Thor is a blow to Loki’s plans. Unlike Heimdallur, Thor is capable of motivating the other gods into action. With Elivagor guarded once more and the other boundaries of Nifelhel similarly strengthened, it becomes more difficult for the other Jotnar to act on the world. Worse still, the gods are now aware that Loki is up to his tricks and are extra vigilant, just when Loki’s plans are becoming more blatant. Loki can only rely on whatever Aspects of the other Jotnar are currently in the world and once they are gone they cannot return. This also means that no more Muspelli can have their Gift Opened (see Rival Magic, page 93). Loki himself remains free from Nifelhel, however, and has no additional restrictions on his own Aspects.

Skidbladnir

If the player characters are going to stand a chance in stopping Ragnarok, then they are going to be involved in a lot of travel. Once the characters have come to the notice of the gods, no matter how covertly, they arrange to assist them in this and ensure that they come into possession of Skidbladnir.

Skidbladnir is a magical ship belonging to the god Freyr, and the Poetic Edda calls it ‘the best of ships’. As soon as its sail is hoisted, this ship finds good wind and it knows all ports. It is made of so many parts that it may be disassembled and packed away in a pouch. Skidbladnir was made by the Sons of Mimir, the dwarfs (see the Seven Sleepers, later). Like many of the dwarfs’ creations, Skidbladnir is not merely an enchantment; it is a Magic Thing. Skidbladnir has superior knowledge of all seven seas and is able to pilot and navigate itself, even without a crew.

Most significantly, Skidbladnir can access a network of Magic regiones that connect numerous aquatic locations, allowing it to move vast distances in a remarkably short time. Every time that Skidbladnir reassembles itself, it can take a different configuration to match ships of its current waters. Unfortunately, due to a slight flaw in its construction it tends to take the form of ships that are notorious for piracy and brigandage (represented by the Mistaken Identity Flaw) and characters aboard may find themselves dealing with irate local navies.

Acquiring the Wondrous Ship

There are a number of ways in which the characters could come into possession of Skidbladnir. The decision to give them the ship stems from the observation that they have an active interest in stopping Loki. This might be because they have stumbled onto his schemes or because they have become the victim of one of them, but the gift of Skidbladnir is made after they realize that the stakes are high.

• Freyr is lord of the elves and he arranges for a faerie to reward the characters with the ship. This may be totally disproportionate to the service the characters provide. For example: a brownie hands over one of the treasures of the gods in return for slaying a particularly large rat. The characters may be suspicious but there is no ulterior motive or trap here — other than the fact the gods want them to stop the end of the world.
• The gods subtly steer the characters toward Skidbladnir’s current location. For example: a local lord, secretly a worshiper of Odin asks the characters to catch a sorcerer who has entranced his daughter. The sorcerer is an agent or Aspect of Loki who has stolen Skidbladnir. When they defeat him, the ship enters their hands as spoils. The characters only find out much later in the saga that the gods ensured that they came into possession of it.
• If the characters have some other connection to the Norse gods, then the gods might be overt in their help. The characters are told where Skidbladnir can be found, either by an emissary of the gods, or else directly by Heimdallur or another.

Skidbladnir

Magic Might: 21 (Herbam) Season: Autumn Characteristics: Cun 0, Per +1, Pre 0, Com 0, Str +12, Sta +3, Dex +1, Qik –7 Size: +6 Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: Magic Thing; Magical Friend; Essential Virtue; Great Bearer*, Sea Regio Network, Well-Traveled, Wilderness Sense; Mistaken Identity, Overconfident, Temporary Might** *Heroic Virtue, see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 105 **Free with the Magic Thing Virtue Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Greater Powers; Aquam Resistance, Improved Abilities x 4, Improved Might, Improved Powers, Improved Soak x 5, Minor Virtue (Essential Virtue), Minor Virtue (Second Sight), Personal Powers x 3 Personality Traits: Instinctual Knowledge of the Sea (Cunning) +6*, Dead Reckoning (Perception) +3*, Ship +6* *Essential Trait, replaces listed Characteristic (where present) whenever Trait applies. Reputations: The Best of Boats 2 (Local) Combat: Bludgeon: Init –6, Attack +3, Defense –6, Damage +14 Soak: +18 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–11), –3 (12–22), –5 (23–33), Incapacitated (34–44), Dead (45+) Abilities: Aquam Resistance 6 (krakens), Area Lore: Arabian Sea 5 (avoiding pirates), Area Lore: Atlantic Sea 7 (Bay of Biscay), Area Lore: Black Sea 3 (shallow waters), Area Lore: Caspian Sea 3 (islands), Area Lore: Indian Sea 3 (avoiding pirates), Area Lore: Magic Realm 4 (magical seas), Area Lore: Mediterranean Sea 5 (Western sea), Area Lore: North Sea 7 (5) (Scandinavian harbors), Profession: Navigator 5 (plotting courses), Profession: Pilot 3 (outrunning pursuit), Second Sight 5 (boundary travel), Wilderness Sense 5 (dead reckoning) Powers: Fair Winds, 0 points, constant effect, Vim: Skidbladnir can see through Magical regio boundaries and therefore divine the path to the next level. InVi 30 (Base 3, +2 Sun, +4 Vision, +1 constant) Personal Power x 2 (30 levels, –3 Might cost) Cunningly Crafted, 0 points, Init –12, Herbam: Skidbladnir can adjust its size to accommodate up to 1000 passengers (Size +9), or else shrink down to a hundredth of a cubic foot (Size –7). When at its smallest size, Skidbladnir can be disassembled and packed into a pouch for easy transport. MuHe 45 (Base 4, +1 Conc, +3 Structure, +1 allow growing and shrinking, +3 to allow drastic change in size, +1 constant) Greater Power (45 levels, –5 Might cost with 4 mastery points from Improved Powers) Changeable Sails, 0 points, Init –7, Herbam: Skidbladnir can take the shape of any ship. This transformation affects all of its components, including ropes, sails, and masts. MuHe 15 (Base 3, +1 Conc, +3 Structure) Personal Power (15 levels, –2 Might cost, +2 Init with 1 mastery point from Improved Powers) Vis: 4 pawns, in deck boards. Appearance: Skidbladnir can take the shape of any boat or ship, from an immense Byzantine trireme right down to a fishing smack. Most commonly, it takes the form of a viking longboat with a sail striped in red and white. You might wish to use the rules for Damaging Objects on page 77 of City & Guild rather than using Soak and Wound Penalties. In this case, Skidbladnir has fifteen damage levels and when an event could damage it, make a stress roll + 5 (Wondrous item) + 15 (bonus from Improved Soak Magic Qualities). If the result is equal to or greater than the Ease Factor of 15, the ship avoids losing a damage level. Damage levels do not impose penalties, they simply indicate how much punishment an object can take until it is broken beyond use. Damage levels can be restored by a competent shipwright; although if the ship is completely broken it may not still be a Magic Thing once repaired.

Help From Prophecy

The characters should be given the opportunity to get their hands on a complete or partial copy of one or more of the sources of prophecy described in the next section. It might lie mouldering in a book won as spoils, it could be recited by a mad man, or be written on the walls of a villain’s hideout. Völuspá is easily available in translation and can be provided to the players as a handout. The storyguide can freely alter the words or add new verses to fit her intended saga. Characters should be encouraged to seek out other sources of the prophecy: no version is unambiguous, nor are any complete.

From these sources, characters should learn that Ragnarok is heralded by a number of signs and that Loki is trying to bring these about. They should also get the idea that in fulfilling some of these plans Loki must wreak changes on Mythic Europe as a whole, and that if he succeeds on a grand scale in some of the signs, he can afford partial or minor successes in others yet still succeed in precipitating the Twilight of the Gods.

Prophetic Utterances To aid the players, the storyguide could compile a collection of individual predictions from all the sources that the characters locate, either in summary form or in the allegorical words used by the prophet. Such a playing aid can be a source of help (and frustration!) to the players, but ultimately should give them the edge over their opponents. You need a good number of individual prophecies, some true, some irrelevant, and some false. One method of achieving this is to recruit some friends: either beta storyguides or people who will not be regular players in the saga. While the storyguide concentrates on the true prophecies around which she will plan her stories, her conspirators can come up with false utterances, or true prophecies that do not relate to Ragnarok. Jumble all these together and give them to the players as a handout. For the true prophecies, include some repetition from different sources but do not feel compelled to be too obvious — if some are only understood in hindsight that is good too. False prophecies may be used as distractions by Loki to cover a particularly sensitive part of his operation.

Prophecies of the End Times

Many of the sources of lore offered in this section are real texts: poems, stories, and philosophical expostulations. The text of these books can be altered by the storyguide to add material of relevance to the saga. There may also be entirely fictional sources of prophecy, such as the sayings of Immanola the former prima Ex Miscellanea, or the Travels of Fedoso.

In addition to the experience points they offer, these books also act as sources of lore. They may be used for research; a character who lacks the Ability contained within a book but who can read the language in which it is written may make a roll to find a specific fact, whereas under normal circumstances he could not roll if he lacks the Ability. It takes about an hour to find the information. For every different book he has on the same subject, he adds +1 to the roll but requires an additional hour of research time.

Gylfaginning

“The Deluding of Gylfi” by Snorri Sturluson. Language: West Norse (Icelandic). Summa on Organization Lore: Norse Paganism, Level 5 Quality 10.

Written in 1218 by a famous Icelandic lawspeaker, this work is not always accurate and riddled with Christian prejudice but is a good overview nevertheless.

Völuspá

“The Seeress’s Prophecy” by anonymous. Language: West Norse (Old Norse). Summa on Organization Lore: Norse Paganism, Level 7 Quality 7

Völuspá purports to be the prophecy of Urdur the Jotun of Fate, recited to her son Odin, and is the primary source for Ragnarok. It is filled with complex poetic allusions and metaphor and the Quality drops to 4 for characters who do not already possess the Organization Lore: Norse Paganism Ability from another source. Complete copies of Völuspá are currently rare, since it was collated some time in the thirteenth century. However, as an oral tradition Völuspá is available intact, although characters may have to search for those who know it.

Muspilli

by anonymous. Language: Old High German. Tractatus in Faerie Lore, Quality 6

Written about 870 by an unknown author, this poem is a thinly Christianized account of Ragnarok, describing the battle between Elijah (Thor) and the Antichrist (Surtur), the champions of God (Odin) and the Devil (Loki). It is a somewhat obscure poem, written in whole as a marginalia in another book. The faerie gods may need to play a hand in getting this to the characters.

De Principiis

“On First Principles” by Origen Adamantius. Language: Latin. Summa on Theology, Level 4 Quality 12.

Origen was an early Christian theologian, although some of De Principiis was declared heretical in the sixth century and he was posthumously excommunicated. If an unexpurgated version can be found (containing an additional twenty four chapters), the Level is increased to 6; the unexpurgated text is also a tractatus on Organization Lore: Church (specialized in heresy) of Quality 12

Titanomachia

“The War of the Titans” by Eumelos of Corinth. Language: Classical Greek (Doric). Two summae, one on Magic Lore and one on Faerie Lore, Level 5 Quality 10.

A description of the Greek version of the creation of the world and the titans, and their subsequent war with their progeny. There is a legendary third poem which contains prophecy of the second titanomachy; if this is found then the Level of the summa on Magic Lore raises to 7. Unfortunately all three poems were lost in antiquity; while fragments of the first two exist as quotes in other works, nothing of the third remains at all. Characters may need to resort to necromancy in order to retrieve this knowledge.

Lore on the Titans

In addition to doomsday prophecies, characters are likely to come upon information about the Titans and theories about the antediluvian world. The best sources for this information are the theurgical works of the great Neoplatonists such as Plotinus, Porphyry, and Iamblichus; and their various works are summae and tractatus in Magic Lore.

Central to Neoplatonic theurgy is the concept of the Golden Chain of Universal Sympathy. There exists, so is claimed, a hierarchy descending from the Demiurge (i.e. God) to the protogonoi, kosmokrators, theoi, daimons, and finally to the airy spirits. Before the First Titanomachy, magic was performed by using incantation, sigils and mystical signs, and the properties of certain herbs, stones, and so forth to set in motion a chain of sympathies running up this hierarchy to the spirit the magician was trying to evoke. The spirit would then enact the magic desired. The paraphernalia of the theurgical ritual were termed “synthemata.” The faerie gods bypassed this system by cutting out the middle men and imprisoning the Titans. Henceforth nothing stood between mankind and the magic they sought and everyone with The Gift became his own god.

Finding this information indicates to the player characters that a second Titanomachy may not usher in a new golden age of magic. Instead, use of magic is likely to be regulated more tightly by the freed Titans and only those who know the synthemata permitted to use it.

Story Seeds: Finding Prophecies Before the player characters can read the prophecies, they must find them. Rescue Me Snorri Sturluson, author of Gylfaginning and other compilations of Norse mythology visits Norway in 1218–1220 and 1237–1239. He is perhaps the most knowledgeable Christian on the subject of Norse paganism and an authority on Ragnarok and the characters would do well to visit him. He has also been kidnapped by trolls… Glossolalia As the player characters return from an encounter with Loki or his minions, they hear a man ranting on the street. They may have encountered him before and dismissed his ramblings as nonsense words thrown together that sound like sentences. However, sharp-eared characters pick out a sentence that is highly pertinent to the event in which they have just taken part. Who is this man and why is he like this? The Auction The characters locate a book of prophecy and agree a price with the seller. When they go to collect it however, the price has changed. He’s had interest from other buyers and now intends to auction the book. Every prospective buyer can enter a secret bid once a day for three days; the day’s highest bid is announced at dusk each day. The winner will be the highest overall bid on the third day. The characters might investigate the other bidders and discover potential allies who are also interested in stopping the End of the World. However, they also discover that an Aspect of Loki is one of the other bidders. Babble of the Written Word Through great effort the characters manage to locate a native speaker of an ancient language in which a prophecy is written. She is a charcoal-burner from a secretive and primitive people, and she speaks no other language, having lost the ability to communicate with her family when her husband died. The spell Thoughts Within Babble allows communication with her; if she can be taught to read she can recite the prophecy out loud, divulging its secrets. Unfortunately, this woman has a supernatural enemy — the ghost of her murdered husband, a vengeful werewolf, or the forgotten god of the tribe. This enemy means to end her life and the life of anyone spending time with her.

Letting the World Burn

The prophecies are pretty clear that the Second Titanomachy would not be good for the sublunar world. The Norse prophecies talk about the destruction of the world by fire. Origen, in common with his Empedoclean and Stoic forebears speaks of the state of pure strife, where every atom is disconnected from every other, where Form is immaterial and Matter formless. Some of the prophecies state that select humans might survive the process, but do not describe how the selection process will take place. Characters electing not to take part in stopping Loki are potentially resigning themselves to destruction. Nevertheless, all the prophecies include the hope of a new world under the control of magic, populated by those who survived the apocalypse.

The idea of the post-apocalypse world may sound attractive to some characters. They might presume that individuals aligned to the Magic Realm — like all Hermetic magi — could enter a golden age of magic. Impious characters may believe that the Titanomachy may even overturn the Dominion of God and place the Magic Realm in ascendance. Nevertheless, among the prophecies associated with this event are warnings that the world might not be so nice with the Titans in control, regulating every aspect of the world including magic.

Some House philosophies align with Loki’s goals to a greater or lesser extent. House Bjornaer, particularly the Rhine Bjornaer magi, might welcome the extermination of the fae and the return to the pristine state of the world. Some Tytalan magi are already aligned with the Titans and could number among Loki’s forces, unwittingly or knowingly. Criamon might interpret the Titanomachy as their ultimate goal — the breaking of the cycle of time and the establishment of the Magic Realm as the Hypostasis.

Other Houses might be horrified once Loki’s plans are revealed — House Merinita for example.

Regardless of House philosophies, every character is unique and may have her own drives and reasons for seeking the destruction of the world as we know it.

It is possible therefore that the characters might decide to help Loki to hasten the world’s end. If this is the story that the players want, then it is the storyguide’s duty to satisfy them. Instead of opposing Loki, they could become his allies; the Jotun would certainly welcome powerful and influential magi into his ranks if it means he has a better chance of success. However, the player characters are bound to be opposed by other magi, who do not agree that the end of the world would be beneficial to mankind. In effect, these storyguide characters take the role that the player characters would have in the default version of this chapter and it is the job of the player characters to oppose them and preserve the fulfillment of prophecy.

The storyguide should not allow the player characters to be bystanders in the upcoming conflict. There is no place for spectators at the ending of the world. If they elect to stand aside and allow things to happen then the storyguide should bring the action close to home so that it directly affects the resources or allies of the covenant. Alternatively, they might learn (rightly or wrongly) of the conditions of the world following the Titanomachy. No one knows in truth what it will be like, so predictions can be as dire (or utopian) as needed to spur the characters into action.

Five Acts to Destroy the World

The various prophecies used by Loki detail the events that must occur before the restraints placed on the Magic Realm can be broken and the Titans freed. The ‘prophecies’ are directions, like an Initiation Script. Each event mentioned describes the undoing of one of the constraints that Faerie placed on Magic after the first Titanomachy. Each of the key parts must align, in literal or symbolic form, in order for Loki’s planning to bear fruit and initiate the Second Titanomachy. These are not true foretelling, which only comes from God. If Loki does nothing then Ragnarok will not occur and the Titans will remain bound. The order of the events is not important, although they are presented here in the order that they will probably occur.

To succeed in bringing about the Twilight of the Gods, Loki has to fulfill a certain number of signs. Five of these are detailed in the following sections: Brother Against Brother, Giants in the East, Monsters in the Ironwood, Swallowing the Moon, and Three Cockerels Crow. Each of these sections gives the outlines of Loki’s major plan to bring this event about. The storyguide needs to flesh out each of these outlines to best suit his own saga.

Loki has already succeeded with one prophecy (Gods’ Halls are Reddened with Blood), and has several others he can pursue.

The symbolism of the prophecy must be fulfilled, but he does not need to succeed with every one of the plans detailed later, although he does need to pay lip-service to all of them. Disrupting one of his plans does therefore not completely derail his efforts and the ever-cunning Loki has schemes, counter-schemes, fall-back positions, and back-up plans, meaning that it is likely that he can achieve at least some success on each event in the prophecy. Loki might still be able to get Ragnarok started with a large number of minor successes rather than a few major successes.

Signs of the End

The prophecies describe more than five signs of the world’s end. Other signs include the disappearance of the stars, the shaking of the earth so violently that mountains fall, inundation of the land by the sea, a winter without end, and the destruction of pagan temples. Loki has chosen the five signs with which he believes he has the best chance of succeeding and has set a Loftur-Aspect over each one. Were he have to begin again with some of the other signs, it would take him many more centuries of planning.

Winter Without End

One of the signs not dealt with in this chapter is a mighty winter, with snow coming from all directions and no summers in between. This Fimbulvetr is given extensive treatment in its own chapter of this book as an apocalypse in and of itself rather than a part of Loki’s plans. If you wish to integrate this event into Loki’s plans, then you can draw inspiration from that chapter.

Serpents in the West

In the Norse version of the prophecy, the mighty Midgard Serpent slips free from its bonds and whips the western sea into such a frenzy that it floods. In the latter half of the thirteenth century, western Europe (particularly Gascony, Aquitaine, Friesia, and Saxony) and northern Iberia were subjected to devastating floods. This can be employed as backdrop as a further sign of the End Times or fleshed out into another event the characters can try to stop. The characters might have friends located in the affected region and get involved in the rescue effort. The agents of this catastrophe could be Muspelli or they could be elementalists able to summon water monsters and elementals to do their bidding.

Gods’ Halls Reddened with Blood

This part of the prophecy refers to the despoiling of the temples to the pagan gods who bound the titans. It was achieved by agencies other than Loki — most significantly, the Church — although it is certain that Loki lent his assistance to the effort. This was an essential first step that weakened the faerie gods, making them less likely to notice his schemes and less powerful to oppose him even if they did. This counts as a success for Loki.

Brother Fights With Brother

One of the first indicators of Ragnarok is an increase in chaos and warfare. Völuspá couples this with of a loosening of morals, when witchcraft is common and incest rife. Greek seers saw this breaking down of the social order as an increase in the divisive power of Strife as the cycle of the world descends into chaos. Loki achieves an unqualified success if he manages to provoke war between two nations, or sufficiently destabilizes a significant portion of Mythic Europe.

The action in this story focuses around two noblemen, here named Duke Arnault and Duke Bertram, although they should be substituted for Greater Landed Nobles close to the characters’ covenant. These men should be close friends — maybe even brothers — to begin with, and have many powerful friends. Each is advised by a different version of Loki’s Bekki Aspect, although these Aspects have different appearances and names. Duke Bertram, under his Bekki’s influence, develops an inappropriate interest in a woman, here called Lady Caristiona. Bertram may be already married but Caristiona is doubly inappropriate as she is a relative, either of himself, his wife, or his brother’s wife. A relationship with any of these individuals would be considered incestuous by the Church, and a great sin. Bekki has used the power of Freyja’s Necklace to provoke this reaction in Bertram. Arnault visits his friend once rumors of the affair reach him but, enthralled by Bekki’s power, Bertram is not able to see sense. He mistakes concern for envy and convinces himself that Arnault is lusting after Caristiona. This is where the characters come in.

A Chance Meeting

The characters are on the road on an unrelated matter, when they encounter a carriage stuck fast in a ford. The carriage is occupied by Lady Caristiona; she is sodden from the leaking carriage and asks the characters to bring her to shelter. They know that Duke Bertram lives nearby and are the architects of their first meeting. Bertram’s Bekki is also here and the characters witness his pleasure at their meeting.

The Princess in the Tower

Duke Arnault comes to the covenant with troubling news. Someone has bewitched his friend Duke Bertram, who has become infatuated with Lady Caristiona. He has imprisoned her in a tower and Arnault wants help freeing her and dispelling whatever enchantment has affected his friend before the scandal ruins them both. Even if he hasn’t dealt with them before, Arnault knows that the characters are magi, and as magic is clearly at work here they need to fix it. The characters free Caristiona and become aware that Bekki might be involved. Particularly astute characters may be able to unravel the plot and stop it at this stage. If they do, Loki has failed in his attempt, as no discord has arisen.

Caught in the Middle

Suspicious of Bertram’s Bekki, the characters are moved to investigate him. They witness him passing messages to Arnault’s Bekki, which is highly suspicious, although the two never meet (in fact, they are never within a mile of one another). Also party to the plot is a red-headed man who can take the form of a falcon: this is Loftur, checking in on the progress of his plan.

Meanwhile, relations have deteriorated between Arnault and Bertram. The two Bekkis have stoked the fires of envy and outrage and if he can, a Bekki makes the characters’ covenant a target of Bertram since they were instrumental in taking Caristiona from him.

This is the stage at which the player characters are most likely to stop the plot. Loki can claim a minor success, as relations between Arnault and Bertram will never fully recover.

The Counselor of Evil

As the conflict between Arnault and Bertram escalates, more nobles are brought into the conflict as old rivalries and jealousies find an outlet, all ably assisted by more Bekkis. The conflict has developed into a full-blown feud and when powerful nobles fight, their vassals follow. Mythic Europe being what it is, both Arnault and Bertram have relatives in many separate countries and, fueled by the manipulations of the Bekkis, there is soon civil strife throughout the region. Few remember (or were even aware in the first place) that this began as a fight over a woman.

Bertram’s Bekki ensures that the player characters come into possession of information that says Bertram is about to attack Arnault. This leaves them in the quandary of whether to tell Arnault. There is already a Quaesitor sniffing about due to all the accusations of witchcraft; do they dare meddle with the affairs of mundanes again?

Eventually, the characters have a showdown with Bertram’s (or Arnault’s) Bekki. They may be surprised to discover just how magical he is. Bekki’s boastful nature won’t allow him to complete this affair without letting the characters know what dupes they have been. He’ll gloat like a caricatured villain, dropping references to Ragnarok. He may try to escape using the Tarnhelm, in which case he heads east (see the next story). Once he is killed or escapes, characters may find partial copies of some of the apocalyptic prophecies among his belongings, particularly those relating to this sign. By now, the war is too big to stop even if proof of magical influence is brought to the principles involved. At this point, Loki has succeeded in this element, and all the characters can do is try to limit the collateral damage.

Other Plans: Brother Against Brother

Loki has not been relying solely on fomenting trouble between Arnault and Bertram. His agents have also been subtly working to weaken other alliances by delaying tributes, spoiling dynastic marriages, and altering diplomatic messages. These efforts have been concentrated mostly in the eastern part of Mythic Europe, as he wants these nations to be disunited when the Giants in the East rise. He achieves some success, but the plot with Arnault and Bertram is decisive overall.

Giants in the East

Prophecies of the coming Titanomachy predict the invasion by a horde of giants from the east. Just outside of Mythic Europe, on the steppes of Asia, live a vast nation of people descended from Gog and Magog, giants of Biblical times. There are many tribes but they include some known to Mythic Europeans as former invaders, including the Scythians, the Bulgars, the Goths, the Huns, the Khazars, the Cumans and Pechenegs, and the Ghuzz. Alexander the Great locked these barbarians away, behind the Gate of Alexander in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia and behind the Great Wall of Gurgan to the east of the Caspian Sea (see The Cradle and the Crescent, page 153), but in the centuries since their population has expanded into the lands north of the Black and Caspian Seas, and they now look upon the pastures of Mythic Europe with envious eyes.

There is one tribe of Gog and Magog not yet encountered by Mythic Europeans. They have already invaded Persia and seem limitless in number. At the moment they seem content slaughtering infidels and at first they were believed to be the armies of Prester John, coming from the east to save the Holy Land from the Saracen threat. However, those few Mythic Europeans who have witnessed the savagery of these vast armies bring back tales of horror. They have begun to be called the ‘Magogoli’ and it is believed that their coming might herald Armageddon.

Loki can be accounted to have succeeded in achieving this goal if the Magogoli invade and occupy a portion of Mythic Europe and pose a significant threat to other nations.

The Magogoli

These Magic Kin are a Mythic variant of the Mongols. A contemporary account of the Magogoli describes them with narrow and piercing eyes and heads set on their bodies as if they have no necks. Their noses extend from cheekbone to cheekbone and are profuse with hair that reaches as far as the lips. Their mustaches are of extravagant length but their beards scant. Their skin is rough-grained like shagreen and patched in black and white. Magogoli are profuse with lice and have a smell that is offensive to Western noses.

A common trooper is a grog character, although he also has the Giant Blood Virtue on top of his normal allotment. He is a human descendent of the Magic Humans who make up the generals and shamans of Magogoli society. For simplicity, give him the statistics of the Specialist template (ArM5 page 21), or the Mongol trooper (The Cradle and the Crescent page 180), with the following adjustments:

• Virtues and Flaws: Add the Giant Blood Virtue.
• Characteristics: Increase Strength and Stamina by 1 (from Giant Blood)
• Size: +2 (from Giant Blood)

A Magogoli orlock (general) is a companion-level character and a Magic Human. Give him the statistics of the Knight template (ArM5 page 23) or the Mongol general (The Cradle and the Crescent page 180) with the following adjustments:

• Magic Might: 10 (Corpus)
• Virtues and Flaws: Add the free Magic Human Virtue.
• Magic Qualities & Inferiorities: Gigantic, Greater Power (Son of the Eagle, see later); Minor Virtue (Large), Minor Virtue (Puissant Leadership), Minor Virtue (Self Confident), Minor Virtue (Tough)
• Characteristics: Increase Strength by 4 and reduce Quickness by 2 (from Gigantic)
• Size: +3 (from Gigantic and Large)

The Magogoli are also accompanied by böge or spirit summoners. A böge is a magus-level character and a Magic Human. Use the statistics for the Summoner (Realms of Power: the Infernal page 119) or the Mongol Spirit Shaman (The Cradle and the Crescent page 181) with the following adjustments:

• Magic Might: 20 (Corpus), or more for powerful böge
• Virtues and Flaws: Add the free Magic Human Virtue Magic Qualities & Inferiorities: Gifted, Gigantic, Greater Power (Son of the Eagle, see below), Major Virtue (Ghostly Warder), Major Virtue (Greater Immunity to Mind Control and Possession), Major Virtue (Nightwalker); Minor Virtue (Inoffensive to Spirits), Minor Virtue (Temporal Influence)
• Characteristics: Increase Strength by 4 and reduce Quickness by 2 (from Gigantic)
• Size: +2 (from Gigantic)

If you do not have access to either Realms of Power: the Infernal or The Cradle and the Crescent, assume that a böge can summon a Magic, Faerie, or Infernal spirit of Might 30 or less and bargain with it to do his bidding. The Nightwalker Virtue (Hedge Magic Revised Edition, Chapter 9) allows the böge to leave its body as a spirit. When in this form it has no Magic Might and so cannot be affected by spells targeting a creature’s Might (including wards and The Aegis of the Hearth).

Magogoli breed enormous horses the size of elephants which they ride into battle. They also rear immense wolf-like dogs, renowned for their savagery, which accompany them in war. Breeding these creatures is left to a secretive society of female böge called idugan, who have extraordinary control over these monstrous beasts. The wardogs of the Magogoli are Size +2 and have the game statistics of bears (to be found in The Book of Mundane Beasts, available free from the Atlas Games website), except that they can fight as a trained group under the control of a Magogoli witch, who uses Animal Handling rather than Leadership. For more information about the Mythic Mongols, see The Cradle and the Crescent, pages 179–184.

Son of the Eagle 0 points, constant effect, Imaginem Magogoli can see distant things clearly, making out the details of objects that are miles distant as if they were only a foot away. This is a constant version of Eyes of the Eagle (ArM5, page 145). InIm 30 (Base 3, +2 Sun, +4 Vision, +1 constant effect) Greater Power (30 levels, –3 Might cost)

The Invasion of Mythic Europe

The first story could have ended with Bekki fleeing eastwards, pursued by the player characters. Bekki’s destination is beyond the limits of Mythic Europe and into Mythic Asia, where a horde of giants waits to invade. Alternatively, characters can be alerted to the presence of the giants with the rest of the Order, when they begin to lay waste to Europe. Either way, if a Bekki Aspect has been allowed to report in Loki is aware of the characters’ involvement and wants to know more about them.

A Spiritual Interloper

The magi first become aware they are being spied upon when someone works late into the night and find herself unable to rouse any covenfolk from sleep. This is due to the presence of a Nightwalking böge who is checking out the characters on behalf of Odi Aab (the Magogoli name for Loki’s Emissary of Fire Aspect). Nightwalkers have no Might score and so are not stopped by the Aegis of the Hearth, but the drowsiness their presence causes has no Penetration so cannot affect any character with Magic Resistance. Anyone with Second Sight or appropriate spells can see the spirit and may be confused by its monstrous appearance. They may concoct methods to trap or follow their visitor; attempts to communicate send it flying east however.

When the Order learns of the Magogoli hordes, their description matches their nocturnal spy. This, coupled with the prophecies found among Bekki’s belongings, should be enough to clue the characters into the bigger picture.

The Eastern Bastion

House Tremere maintains a network of fortresses specifically to watch for threats to the Transylvanian Tribunal or the Order as a whole (see Against the Dark: The Transylvanian Tribunal, Chapter 7 for more details). At the first sign of the Magogoli horde, the Tribunal is mobilized and the Order warned.

Of course, Loki is aware of the strengths of House Tremere and the limits of the Code of Hermes and he has planned for this day. Fighting the Magogoli magically is a challenge. The footsoldiers are outside the range of a base Individual of Corpus, which also reduces the effectiveness of Target: Group spells fivefold. When the characters arrive in Coeris, they find most of the magi on the field of battle, leaving a familiar face in charge of the home defense — somehow Loki has inveigled a Bekki Aspect into the military leadership of House Tremere.

The targets of Magogoli attacks are towns and cities, and they avoid areas with covenants or Hermetic outposts to avoid giving the Order an excuse to meddle with mundane affairs. Magogoli battle tactics are the same as those of Mongols. They rely heavily on scouts and spies, who have been covertly in Mythic Europe for a decade or more making maps of the roads, assessing the military strength of each nation and the degree to which they are allied. Some of these alliances may well have been eroded. They are expert besiegers and divert rivers and cut off supplies. They drive captured civilians into cities to stretch meager resources further and heighten fear, and infect these unfortunates with contagion to further weaken the city. They accept surrender and tribute from cities they capture, but if refused are implacable and devastating in their total destruction of the enemy. In open warfare they are equally terrifying, using feigned retreats and flanking to encircle their opponents before crushing them. A favored tactic is using captured forces as human shields, throwing them against mounted cavalry charges to demoralize their opponents.

Kill the Khan

As the invasion proceeds, it might seem that the only way to prevent this menace is to go straight for the head. The Order might hope that assassination of the Magogoli’s supreme commander might stall the invaders long enough to mount a reasonable defense. House Tremere is looking for volunteers for this mission into enemy territory, offering rich rewards to those daring enough to attempt it. The characters may feel enough personal investment in the story to volunteer.

Other Plans: Giants in the East

The Magogoli aren’t Loki’s only giants. Lurking in the Ironwood (see later) are a band of frost giants who are loyal to Loki, and he has sent embassies to all manner of other magical giants. Ireland has its Fomórach, the Pyrenees has its Jentilak, and the Theban Tribunal has its Gigantes (see the respective Tribunal books for more details), and there are other groups in isolated mountainous areas. The sheer size of these giants means that they can achieve similar levels of destruction to a ravening horde of Magogoli should they be set loose on Mythic Europe.

The Monsters in the Ironwood

The Ironwood (Jarnvidur in Norse) is a potent regio used as a staging post for the Twilight of the Gods. According to prophecy, the Ironwood is populated by fearsome witches who whelp horrid wolf-like monsters that will oppose the forces of the faerie gods at Ragnarok. Loki fulfills this part of the prophecy of Ragnarok if the Ironwood becomes established in Mythic Europe and remains unopposed due to superstitious dread of its inhabitants.

The Ironwood has a single level with a Magic aura of 9. This aura is aligned to trolldomur (Rival Magic page 92), which means that only those using giant-derived magic can benefit from the aura modifier. The Ironwood itself is a vast forest filled with gray-barked trees. The leaves of these trees are sword-blades and spear-tips, and when the wind blows there is an awful clamoring as the metal clashes together. The undergrowth is filled with wire-like briars tipped with iron thorns that tear at the flesh and grasp at clothing. Simply moving through the forest can rip a man to shreds. There may be entrances to the Ironwood in multiple locations across Mythic Europe — any dense forest haunted by wolves has appropriate symbolism.

Several groups of beings call the Ironwood home. The Jarnvidjur are Muspelli dedicated to Gullveig. They are the mothers of the monstrous Ironwood wolves, and each dwells singly surrounded only by her offspring. They occasionally ride their children using using reins made from live venomous snakes. There is also a small group of hrimthursar (frost giants) in the Ironwood led by Eggther (see later). Finally, there are several small settlements of Hundings in the Ironwood. The Hundings were originally a human tribe but are now heavily warped by the Magic aura of the Ironwood. Each Hunding has a Magical Blood Virtue that gives them lupine features; some have the Monstrous Appearance Flaw, which grants them the head of a wolf. Lycanthrope is a very common Flaw among the Hundings. The Jarnvidjur abduct Hunding men using Entrancement; they may also kidnap Skinchangers and Lycanthropes from the mundane world. These unfortunates become the fathers of the Muspelli’s monstrous wolf-children.

Ironwood Wolf

Magic Might: 18 (Animal) Season: Summer Characteristics: Cun +2, Per 0, Pre 0, Com –5, Str +7, Sta +4, Dex +2, Qik 0 Size: +2 Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: Magic Animal; Magical Monster; Berserk, Improved Characteristics x 3, Magical Blood, Tough; Wrathful; Nocturnal Mundane Qualities: Aggressive, Extra Natural Weapons (Claws), Fast Runner, Grapple, Hardy, Imposing Appearance, Keen Sense of Smell, Large Teeth, Pursuit Predator, Tough Hide Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Greater Powers, Major Virtue (Greater Immunity to Iron); Improved Attack (Teeth) x 2, Improved Damage (Teeth) x 2, Improved Initiative (Grapple), Improved Might x 3, Improved Soak, Minor Virtue (Lesser Immunity to Silver) Personality Traits: Terrifyingly Ferocious +6, Cruel +3, Wolf* +3, Brave +2 *Essential Trait Combat: Claws*: Init –1, Attack +9, Defense +8, Damage +9 Teeth*: Init 0, Attack +16, Defense +7, Damage +16 Grapple*: Init +3, Attack +7, Defense +5, Damage n/a Soak*: +12 *when berserk, +2 Attack, +2 Soak, –2 Defense Fatigue Levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–7), –3 (8–14), –5 (15–21), Incapacitated (22–28), Dead (29+) Abilities: Athletics 3 (pursuit), Awareness 3 (prey), Brawl 5 (teeth), Folk Ken 2 (motives), Hunt 4 (human), Leadership 3 (Ironwood wolves), Survival 5 (winter), Swim 3 (upstream) Powers: Relentless Search, 0 points, Init –2, Corpus: If in possession of an Arcane Connection, an Ironwood wolf always knows the direction to his prey. The scent of his prey is an Arcane Connection lasting Hours. InCo 15 (Base 3, +4 Arc) Greater Power (15 levels, –2 Might cost) Terrifying Howl, 1 point, Init –2, Mentem: The sound of the creature’s howl creates an overwhelming fear in its chosen victim. This might cause them to bolt or cower, depending upon their nature. These wolves prefer to hunt down terrified prey. CrMe 20 (Base 4, +2 Voice, +2 Sun) Greater Power (20 levels, –1 Might cost) Vis: 4 pawns of Animal, in teeth. Appearance: A bulky wolf standing five feet at the shoulder and ten feet nose to tail; it has a dark mangy pelt and bloodied jaws. Its human ancestry is evident in its face (which is curiously man-like) and in its uncommon intelligence. Typically, one pins a foe with a grapple while its pack-mates rip the victim apart. Their immunity to iron renders them unaffected by the hostile flora of the Ironwood.

The Herdsman of Monsters

Loki’s chief lieutenant for this task is Eggther, a frost giant. Eggther is referred to by name in some prophecies (where his harp-playing and his cheerful nature is mentioned) and alluded to in others (as a herdsman of monsters); the ‘sheep’ that he tends are the Ironwood wolves and winter winds. He trains monstrous animals, wind-creatures and cloud-spirits using his Master of (Form) Creatures Virtues, and if the characters seek to face him they must also be prepared to face all manner of monsters. Eggther is also the guardian of a magical sword called the Gambanteinn (his name means “sword-watcher”) which Loki will need later; in the meantime this makes him a dangerous warrior.

Eggther, A Frost Giant

Magic Might: 33 (Auram) Season: Summer Characteristics: Int –2, Per 0, Pre +2, Com –2, Str +14, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik –4 Size: +6 Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: Magic Human; Magical Monster; Arcane Lore, Berserk, Master of Animal Creatures, Master of Auram Creatures, Piercing Gaze, Reserves of Strength, Voice of the Winter, Warrior; Envious (major), Monstrous Appearance*; Baneful Circumstances (mild weather), Cheerful. *free with Magic Human Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Focus Power, Gigantic (x5), Greater Powers, Major Virtue (Shapeshifter); Auram Resistance, Improved Abilities, Improved Powers, Improved Soak (x3), Minor Virtue (Lesser Immunity to exposure), Personal Power Personality Traits: Envious +6, Angry +3, Cruel Sense of Humor +2 Combat: Gambanteinn*: Init +9 Attack +20**, Defense +16**, Damage +23 Pole axe: Init –3 Attack +12**, Defense +4**, Damage +31 Javelin: Init –4, Attack +5, Defense –2, Damage +19 Kick: Init –5, Attack +4**, Defense –2*, Damage +17 Soak: +14 (+16 when berserk) Wound Penalties: –1 (1–11), –3 (12–22), –5 (23–33), Incapacitated (34-44), Dead (45+) Abilities: Animal Handling 4 (wolves), Auram Resistance 4 (lightning), Brawl 3 (kick), Concentration 3 (controlling storms), Great Weapon 5 (pole axe), Leadership 4 (training), Magic Lore 4 (Norse giants), Music 3 (harp), Penetration 3 (hail), Shapeshifter 1 (wolf form), Single Weapon 4 (Gambateinn), Survival 4 (cold climates), Thrown Weapon 1 (javelin), West Norse 5 (incantations) Powers: Master of Fierce Winds, 1–5 points, Init –7, Auram: Eggther can spontaneously conjure Rego Auram effects of fifth magnitude or less that create violent winds or hail. One of his favorite effects is Charge of the Angry Winds (ArM5, page 125).(Focus Power), Improved Powers (+2 Init) Gathering of the Stormy Might, 2 points, Init –8, Auram: As the spell on page 129 of ArM5. ReAu 40 (Base 5, +3 Sight, +2 Group, +2 Size): Greater Power (40 levels, –2 Might cost) True Sight of the Air, 0 points, Init constant effect, Auram: As the spell on page 127 of ArM5. This ability is continuously active. InAu 20 (Base 1, +2 Sun, +4 Vision, +1 continuous effect): Personal Power (20 levels, –1 Might cost), Improved Powers (–1 Might cost, 10 xp Penetration) Equipment: lap harp, partial chainmail armor, the Gambanteinn. His Combat Totals reflect that he is wielding a sword of excellent quality but do not account for its powers. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Vis: seven pawns of Auram, in his frozen heart. Appearance: Eggther stands 27 feet tall; most humans do not reach his knees. He has long pale hair streaked with white; this and his similarly colored beard are braided into neat plaits. He wears a chain haubergeon and cuirboulli leg and arm protection. Details of the Gambanteinn are found later in this chapter. * see later for details of the Gambanteinn, which mostly works with Eggther ** Add +2 to Attack and –2 to Defense when Eggther is berserk

Gambanteinn, the Wand of Woe

The Gambanteinn, or “Wand of Woe,” is a sword forged in the dawn of time. It was made by the elf-smith Volundur, won by the gods and traded to the giants in return for Freyr’s perfidious giant-bride Gerdur. In an old version of a popular myth it was the sword used by Hodur to kill his brother Baldur at the instigation of Loki (rather than a mistletoe arrow). The sword ended up in the hands of Fjalar, brother of Gerdur, who entrusted it to his servant Eggther. When the time is right, Fjalar will deliver the Gambanteinn to his father Surtur. In the hands of the Jotun of Fire it becomes the Surtlogi, a fiery brand that will burn the whole world. The Gambanteinn is a Magic Thing. The characters might be able to win the Gambanteinn and use it against their enemies, making them exceptionally dangerous to Loki’s plans. However, it has a mind of its own and is cruel and hateful, delighting in bloodshed. It cannot speak without magical aid but its intense emotions can occasionally be felt radiating from it. If it befriends a character (only really possible if they share a personality) or else is dominated by one, then it might teach him how to wield it more effectively. This does not require the character to be able to speak with the sword or even realize that it is teaching him; it is enough to merely train with the sword for a season to gain experience points from Teaching in Great Weapon (Source Quality 14). Magic Might: 10 (Terram) Season: Summer Characteristics: Cun –1, Per –1, Pre –3, Com 0, Str +3, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik +2 Size: –4 Virtues and Flaws: Magic Thing; Magical Friend; Shapeshifter; Puissant Great Weapon, Strong-Willed, Hatred, Temporary Might*; Small Frame *Free with Magic Thing Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Greater Powers; Improved Attack x 2, Improved Damage, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative x 2, Improved Soak x 2; Limited Movement Personality Traits: Hateful +6, Rebellious +3, Selfish +3 Reputations: Foe of Man 1 (Local) Combat: Great sword*: Init +9, Attack +20, Defense +16, Damage +16 *see Guided Strike Power, below Soak: +8 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1), –3 (2), –5 (3), Incapacitated (4), Dead (5+) Abilities: Awareness 2 (foes), Great Weapon 6+2 (great sword), Faerie Lore 4 (smiths), Magic Lore 5 (smiths), Penetration 4 (The Woeful Bite), Shapeshifter 3 (giant-sized), Teaching 4 (martial Abilities) Powers: Guided Strike: If wielded in combat, the Gambanteinn can guide its own blows. This is not a power, but the result of the sword being aware and capable of limited movement. If its wielder has no Great Weapon Ability then use the statistics above but with a –3 penalty to Attack and Defense Totals to account for the lack of coordination between wielder and weapon. If the bearer has the Great Weapon Ability and is acting in accordance with the sword, then use the highest of the wielder’s Combat Totals and the sword’s. However, the sword is willful and may resist the wielder, desiring to continue fighting when the wielder stops, or to attack a different foe. If this occurs, then make a Strength stress roll for the wielder and the sword. If the wielder’s roll is higher then he uses the weapon with his own Combat Totals. If the sword’s roll is higher then it attacks using the statistics above. The sword cannot attack at all unless someone is holding it; a character can resist the sword’s actions by simply letting go, although this leaves him disarmed. The Woeful Bite, 0 points, Init –1, Corpus: If this power Penetrates, any wound inflicted by the Gambanteinn festers and death is inevitable without magical intervention. Affected characters always fail Wound Recovery rolls for the wounds inflicted by this sword, so even a Light Wound eventually worsens to a fatal one. Wound Recovery rolls that include any magical aid are not affected by this power. This power uses the guidelines for inflicting a major disease. PeCo 25 (Base 20, +1 Touch) Greater Power (25 levels, –3 Might cost, 10 xp into Penetration) Vis: 2 pawns of Terram, in blade Appearance: A sword of superb manufacture. Designed in the Viking style, it has a guard without quillons, a grip wrapped in red-dyed shagreen, and a cocked-hat pommel. Its blade is three finger-widths and has parallel sides and a rounded tip. The 50 inch blade has a single deep fuller running its entire length. The metal has a gold and brass pattern imbedded within it that resembles flames, and always feels warm to the touch. The Gambanteinn is a typical Viking sword but sized for a larger-than-normal warrior; in the hands of a human it should be treated as a great sword and must be wielded with both hands unless it changes size (see later). Due to the excellent quality of its manufacture, the Gambanteinn has +2 Initiative and +2 Damage bonuses above and beyond those of a standard great sword; these are figured into the totals above and should be included in the Combat Totals of any character wielding the sword. Unless under an active spell, the Gambanteinn’s blows do not need to Penetrate any more than the claws of a magical wolf need to penetrate. The Shapeshifter Virtue allows the sword to become different weapons rather than adopting different animal forms. In theory the Gambanteinn could become any weapon but the shapes currently known to it are all different-sized swords: a short sword with a 25 inch blade; a long sword with a 40 inch blade; and a 16 foot-long sword suitable for a giant. Like the Shapeshifter Virtue, the sword has no continuing magic beyond the point of actual transformation and therefore is not stopped by Magic Resistance when at a different size. You might instead wish to use the rules for Damaging Objects on page 77 of City & Guild rather than using Soak and Wound Penalties. In this case, the Gambanteinn has five damage levels and adds +11 to any Stress check. See Skidbladnir (earlier) for more details. Unmaking the Gambanteinn As a god-forged weapon, destroying the Wand of Woe is no simple task. The importance of the Gambanteinn in fulfilling the prophecy of Ragnarok has left an impression of it on the Magic Realm and this impression must be erased properly (something which Perdo magic does not achieve) to prevent its symbolic function from being transferred to another weapon. Those most likely to know how to unmake the sword are the Sons of Mimir (see The Seven Sleepers, later), but by the time they are awake the characters will have had to survive at least one attempt from Fjalar to regain the weapon. The dvergar can tell them that the Gambanteinn can be undone by immersing it in the Elivagor, the icy stream of venom and hate in which it was forged. To reach the Elivagor, the characters must travel to the far north of Alfheim in the Faerie Realm to a stronghold called Ýsetur. From this fortress, the boundary with Nifelhel was once watched for encroachment by the Jotnar. Now, Ýsetur lies abandoned by its master and its elf warband has fled. The strand is haunted by monstrous wyrms, spawn of Nidhogg who have crawled from Elivagor’s tumultuous currents. The Elivagor itself is the gulf of the Twilight Void that serves as an Aquam and an Ignem Boundary to Nifelhel — the prison of the Titans in the Magic Realm. If Thor has been restored, then Ýsetur and its beach will be less dangerous. Alone, unmaking the Gambanteinn cannot prevent Ragnarok. The Gambanteinn is a powerful symbol in the prophecy but not irreplaceable. Its destruction would be a major setback to Loki however, and in combination with other failures might cause a fatal disruption in his plan to destroy the gods.

The Ironwood Comes to Pomerania

Intelligence received by the characters from their allies is that Eggther is abroad in the Pomeranian Forest (Guardians of the Forests, page 99), home to a malign genius loci. Eggther wants to bring the Ironwood into the Pomeranian Forest but needs the assistance of its ruler, the Holm Oak. The spirit wants freedom from the Divine trap that confines it to the grove of Romowe. Each has something to offer the other and an alliance seems likely; especially since the spirit approves wholly of Loki’s plan to free the Titans.

Quenching the Holy Fire

A holy fire was lit under the boughs of the Holm Oak by Saint Aadelbert of Prague and has been fed ever since by a band of foresters devoted to the saint. While the fire burns, the great genius loci is imprisoned in the tree and can exert only subtle control over the Pomeranian Forest. By the time the characters arrive in the region, four of the five foresters have been killed and Ironwood wolves hunt the survivor. Eggther has brought winter to bear against the fire they tended, and under his assault even the divinely-lit pyre has failed.

The last remaining forester has escaped with a flame from the holy fire. As long as he feeds it with wood taken from the oak tree in which the spirit is trapped, the saint’s prison remains firm. Against such an eventuality, the foresters have several caches of wood hidden in the local area but they are now running low and it is getting harder for the man to move about the forest as the Ironwood encroaches. The characters must find him before the wolves do.

Should the flame fail, then Romowe’s spirit is free. In accordance with its bargain with Eggther, the Ironwood becomes coterminous with the borders of the Pomeranian Forest and its inhabitants are free to come and go as they please. The forest’s vegetation turns to gray iron and the Jarnvidjur and Hundings spill out to harry neighboring lands. The spirit possesses the leader of a coven of Pomeranian werewolves and commences a campaign to dominate the local area. Eggther serves as its warleader and Loki’s ambassador.

The characters can foil the plot by keeping the forester alive and the flame burning. Eggther does not give up in his attempts, however, so this means that they must face the giant. If the characters manage to defeat Eggther, they win possession of the Gambanteinn. As a self-aware (and ultimately selfish) item, it ensures that the characters notice it and want to possess it. While this is not ideal for Loki, he takes no immediate steps to retrieve the sword, trusting that he can get it when he needs it.

Help Against the Ironwood

The traditional enemies of the Hundings were a tribe called the Wulfings or Ylfings, who later became the Welf dukes of Swabia, Bavaria, and Saxony, and even an Emperor, Otto IV, who abdicated in 1215. The Welfs are still known as famous wolfhunters and may even have connections to a secret society of werewolf slayers. The relics of Saint Aadelbert of Prague are anathema to the Romowe spirit and may be used to drive it back into its ageold prison. However, two complete sets of his remains are to be found, one in Prague and the other in Gneizno, and it is not clear which are the authentic ones.

Other Plans: Monsters in the Ironwood

Loki’s second-line plan for this part of the prophecy is to unite the various shapeshifter cults across Mythic Europe. In addition to the Pomeranian witch-cult there are the Wolf Brotherhoods of the Transylvanian Tribunal (Against the Dark page 122), any number of Folk Witch covens (including the Sorginak of Provencal), and possibly other groups. For example, the people of Osraige in Ireland are famous for husband and wife pairings of werewolves (where they are called faoladh or conroicht); and Pavia in Italy has regular outbreaks of werewolf activity.

These societies orchestrate public attacks on significant public figures (dukes and kings, bishops and archbishops), creating a culture of fear of wolves across Mythic Europe accompanied by the paranoia that comes from not knowing who might be a member of one of these secret cults.

Swallowing the Moon

This part of the prophecy demands that the moon be swallowed by a hound or a wolf. In Norse mythology, this creature was an Aspect of Fenrir called Hati, who ran before the sun and chased the moon. Eumelos references Kerberos the Hound of Hades in his Titanomachy, worshiped along with other deities of the underworld by the Witches of Thessaly. In ancient times, this group performed a ritual called “Drawing Down the Moon” (see Realms of Power: the Infernal, page 141) as part of their chthonic worship, and Loki seeks to reestablish this tradition.

Moon-Eaters

For several decades, an Aspect of Fenrir in the guise of three-headed Kerebos has been training Witches of Thessaly in Muspelli magic. Similarly, Norse Muspelli have been trained by the same Jotun. Both groups have each been preparing for the casting of an utiseta ritual (see insert) designed to swallow up the moon and deny its light to the world’s denizens.

The Snatcher of the Moon Sjonhverfing Ease Factor 48 R: Sight, D: Decade, T: Boundary This utiseta creates the image of a mighty wolf that seems to swallow the moon; from this day onwards, the moon is not seen for ten years. The illusion only holds when within the same geographical region as the Muspelli when the ritual was cast; if characters travel out of the region the moon reappears. (Base 12, +9 Sight, +15 Decade, +12 Boundary) To complete this utiseta, a Muspelli with a good score in Sjonhverfing (7) would need Power Modifiers of x5 or x6. This would probably mean that they will be located on islands on lakes (sites symbolic to Fenrir) all over Mythic Europe, performing rites of self-mutilation and sacrifices of creatures with Faerie Might. These rituals would take an average of seven hours to complete. For more information on the Muspelli and their utiseta rituals, see Rival Magic, Chapter 4. While Muspelli cannot combine their powers, in this case they are simply creating multiple illusions from many different vantage points.

Likewise, Loki’s servitors within the Order of Hermes have been distributing versions of The Wizard’s Eclipse (ArM5 page 142) as either Lab Texts or Casting Tablets and stockpiling vis for its use. These versions are of Duration: Year (and thus Perdo Ignem 50) and so are left to powerful solitary magi or groups of conspirators casting in communion. At Loki’s signal they station themselves in cities and populated valleys across Mythic Europe and, coordinated with the Muspelli’s efforts (although probably unaware of them), prepare to cast the nighttime sky of Mythic Europe into darkness. Characters with suitable contacts should hear about these preparations, but not in any detail. If they investigate, they may be able to block the plan early on, ensuring that Loki fails in this respect.

Guardians of the Moon

Over successive months the moon ceases to rise in regions across Mythic Europe. This effect begins at the fringes of Mythic Europe— in Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, the Balkans, Greece, southern Italy and Spain— but month after month creeps inwards. The moon always disappears when it is full and is henceforth not seen again. Depending upon where the player characters are based, they may experience this for themselves or else hear rumors from outlying provinces. Reports soon come in from all directions: the moon is being gradually extinguished. The pattern becomes clear to anyone paying attention to the locations of the reports: the area lit by the moon is becoming successively smaller and smaller and in a handful of months will be extinguished altogether. The characters can even determine the last city to receive the light of the full moon will be Frankfurt (Guardians of the Forests page 89). Astrologers will be aware that a lunar eclipse is due on the day that the moon will be extinguished in Frankfurt; otherwise an Intelligence + Artes Liberales roll of Ease Factor 9 allows a character to calculate the significance of the place and date. The exact location of the last full moon and even the pattern of extinguishing can be changed to suit the individual saga. For example, a storyguide might prefer the pattern to go from east to west and have Tuam in Connacht as the last place affected.

Lunar Eclipses Total lunar eclipses occur in October 1222, February 1226, September 1233, January 1237, December 1247, July 1255, May 1258 (southern Mythic Europe), August 1262 (western Mythic Europe only), December 1265 (on Christmas Day), November 1276, March 1280, October 1287, and February 1291. Each eclipse lasts about 100 minutes. Of course, a storyguide need not feel constrained by these dates if inconvenient, and can add or move an eclipse as needed.

Investigating in the Dark

Characters may wish to investigate places already affected by the unnatural darkness. They hear stories of a massive wolf in the sky catching the moon and swallowing it in three bites. On lake islands they may find evidence of Muspelli rituals in the form of warped auras and sacrificial remains, or elsewhere of Hermetic rituals in the form of abandoned ritual spaces adorned with Hermetic symbols. A few days after each ritual, a falcon can be seen flying in the affected area; this is Loftur in his shapechanged form, checking on the progress of his plan.

Preserving the Light

If the characters are clever, quick, and lucky, they determine the location of the next ritual and get there in time to stop it taking place. The individuals performing these rituals are powerful sorcerers in their own right and it should be no small task to prevent them; they should be supported with whatever resources seem reasonable. If the Ironwood has successfully encroached on the mortal realm, then the assistance of Ironwood wolves is highly appropriate.

Success in preventing a ritual means that the moon continues to shine over this region. It remains a beacon surrounded by the darkness of the surrounding area, but ultimately, on its own, will not be enough. Only if a significant-sized hole in the blanket of darkness will prevent the final ritual from making the effects permanent. Needless to say, Loftur takes an interest in such holes and take steps to patch them.

Before the final ritual, the effects in each region are continuing magical effects, which means that the player characters could use Perdo Vim to dispel them. Again, Loftur takes steps to patch such holes. However, if the characters create enough holes, Loftur may not be able to patch them in time for the final ritual, again meaning that he fails in this aspect.

Drawing Down the Moon

The very last ritual in Frankfurt on the eclipse is the most important, since it symbolizes the extinguishing of the moon and mystically ‘locks’ the other effects and makes reality from illusion. If successful, moonlight is truly extinguished from Mythic Europe, at least until Ragnarok, and the darkness is no longer dependent on the spells cast by Loki’s mortal agents.

During the culminating ritual, a theurgist (possibly the leader of the Magogoli böges) summons an Aspect of the Daimon of the Moon, now greatly weakened since each of the eclipse rituals drained a fraction of its Might score. This Aspect, taking the form of a glowing woman, is given to a monstrous wolf brought into the city just for this occasion, who consumes her utterly. This wolf could be a willing participant, perhaps a captain among the Ironwood wolves, or it could be a dupe, captured from the wild and starved or compelled to make it vicious. The wolf could even be a magus’s familiar, or a member of the Wolf’s Court (Mythic Locations Chapter 11). Loftur is here as well, to ensure the plan goes off without a hitch.

The player characters can disrupt this ritual, but this still counts a partial success for Loki.

A World Adrift Without a Moon

If Loki is successful in this endeavor, there is widespread fear and confusion that leads to rioting. The moon is an important indicator of timing of agricultural and religious events. Easter’s date is determined by the phase of the moon; without a moon can there really be Easter? Most peasants attend to confessing their sins once a year in Lent, but with no Easter, there is no Lent. A clergyman rips off his vestments in the town square and begins to beat himself with a knotted whip, shouting passages from the Apocalypse of St John. A riot is imminent; the slightest spark (such as a person with The Gift) could set it off. This part of the story could be influenced or capitalized on by a diabolically-inspired cult (Antagonists, Chapter 8). Unlike the disaster detailed in an earlier chapter, the moon is still there, but its light is swallowed by the Magic Realm before reaching earth. At the option of the storyguide this may still have a mystical effect on Moon duration spells and other moon-based phenomena, in which case inspiration can be drawn from “The End of Time.”

Other Plans: Swallowing the Moon

If his main plan fails, Loki’s main backup is reliant on the player characters having restored Thor to his full glory, and if they haven’t achieved this yet, Loki gives them a helping hand. This has to happen anyway, because Thor must be present at Ragnarok, but Loki would have preferred to have deferred this as long as possible. Knowing his foster brother as he does, Loki can predict that Thor has promised a boon of help to his rescuers. If he can trick the player characters into invoking Thor’s boon and summon him and Mjollnir with him, the prison of the Jotnar will be truly unguarded for the first time in millenia and Loki can call across an Aspect of Fenrir called Hati to consume the moon. To do this, Loki must create a dire situation for the player characters, perhaps turning loose several of his most powerful allies against their covenant directly in a miniature rehearsal for Ragnarok. On the other hand, if Loki is sure that his other plans have gone well and prophecy is satisfied, then he may simply wait for a lunar eclipse and allow this to symbolically complete this part of the prophecy.

Three Cockerels Crow

All available prophecies state that the crowing of three cockerels is the beginning of the End. Once the three roosters crow — one in the underworld, one in heaven, and one on earth — the armies of the faerie gods and the titans are summoned and battle will ensue. If prophecy has been fulfilled, then this battle is Ragnarok, which the gods are doomed to lose. If Loki has failed, then this battle marks his defeat and re-imprisoning in the underworld.

This event is the culmination of all Loki’s plans; Ragnarok cannot start until all three of the ‘cockerels’ sound their call to arms. Loki only fails in this event if all three cockerels are killed and the Gambanteinn (see earlier) is destroyed. Failing to meet all these conditions merely delays the end, and if Loki thinks he has prophecy on his side he continues to try to complete this event until he succeeds or until success is impossible.

The Red Cockerel

The rooster that crows in the Nifelhel is a guise of Fjalar Suttungur, the son of Surtur the Black. Fjalar is a fire giant and before he heads for the Magic Realm he collects the Gambanteinn from his servant Eggther. He then heads for the Magic Realm, where he intends to summon the army of the pagan dead as well as deliver the magical sword to his father in Nifelhel.

For Fjalar’s statistics, use those of the Emissary of Fire (see Aspects of Loki), but he is a Magic Human rather than a Magic Spirit. Increase his Magic Might to 41 and add the following Magic Qualities: Gigantic x2, Major Virtue (Immunity to Fire*); Increased Might; and Minor Virtue (Skinchanger) with the shape of a red rooster. His Size is +7 (making him over 35 feet tall), he receives a +4 to Strength and Damage and a –2 to Quickness and all Initiative totals. *Unlike the Emissary of Fire, Fjalar is a Magic Human who would be susceptible to fire without this Virtue.

Fjalar Retrieves the Sword

If the player characters are in possession of the Gambanteinn, then Heimdallur tells them to expect a visit from Fjalar Suttungur very soon, and they should be prepared to die at his hands if they oppose him. The characters could simply hand over the sword to him, in which case Fjalar demands wergild (death-payment) for the murder of his servant Eggther but does not seek any vengeance beyond that. Wergild is a Norse tradition where the perpetrator of a slaying pays the family of the deceased his worth. Fjalar sets the worth of Eggther at a hundred marks of silver (800 ounces, or 50 Mythic Pounds). The characters may be able to negotiate for less, or for a time frame over which to pay, but if they cannot or will not agree to the wergild then Fjalar seeks to destroy them instead. If the characters fight Fjalar using the Gambanteinn, the sword resists them for the entire battle. Alternatively, if they concede the sword to the fire giant then they can follow him into the underworld and have a second chance to stop him.

If characters survive and keep the Gambanteinn out of Fjalar’s hands, then they may wish to attempt to destroy the sword. Fjalar will not stop trying to obtain the sword, but next time he comes to claim it he will have a horde of the walking dead with him.

Silencing the Red Cockerel

If the characters do not have the Gambanteinn, then Fjalar will not come to them first but head straight for the Magic Realm. Nifelhel is an insula within the Magic Realm that is peopled by the spirits of the pagan dead who died an ignoble death: men who were executed; died in the torment of disease; committed suicide; or bore some terrible moral crime when they died. The Jotnar are also in Nifelhel, or more accurately in the Twilight Void that adjoins it.

Skidbladnir knows the way to Nifelhel. They must travel to the utmost north, until they reach a sea onto which the sun and stars do not shine. Eventually, a light will be seen in the distance; this leads to a fire being kindled on the beach of a rocky island by two faeries of uncommon size. The guardians, swarthy elves who have dead giants and the ignoble dead as neighbors, try to dissuade the characters from continuing. They can confirm that Fjalar has been this way. The beach is an Aquam Boundary to the Magic Realm of level 5 and the sea ahead is the Twilight Void. For details on Boundary Travel see Realms of Power: Magic page 23; Skidbladnir has a total of stress die +7, and the Ease Factor is 15, –15 for the ship’s Area Lore of the seas of the Magic Realm. This route to Nifelhel is the same one taken by Thorkill in Saxo’s Gesta Danorum (a Latin history of the Danish people). Note that Skidbladnir and the characters may even reach Nifelhel before Fjalar due to the vagaries of time in the Twilight Void.

Nifelhel is an insula with a Corpus Boundary of Level 8. It is a mountainous broken land, covered in treacherous ice. The mountains are riddled with caves inhabited by the pagan dead and the spirits of slain monsters (especially giants), as well as hazards such as corpseeating serpents, rivers of swords, and other horrors. All tunnels eventually lead to a vast cavern where Loki once lay bound with the entrails of a wolf, a serpent dripping venom on his face (each an Aspect of one of his sons). The stone table on which he once laid is now occupied by a horn. The cavern is filled with the supine bodies of the sleeping dead, each the spirit of a pagan who died an ignoble death. If the characters do not intervene, when Fjalar arrives here, he will lay down the Gambanteinn (if he has it) and take up the horn and with one blast, wake the sleeping dead. These spirits stream from the cavern, finding their way to the mundane world.

As the characters return from the Magic Realm on Skidbladnir, regardless of whether they were victorious or not, they may witness a mighty bird spreading its pinions above them, leaving the Magic Realm at the same time. This is Vidofnir, a black cockerel fated by prophecy to be the third to crow (see later).

The Dead Return

If woken by Fjalar, the dead of Nifelhel are free to return to earth. The Norse dead do not return as ghosts, instead they occupy their own corpses and animate them. Some of the returned dead are exceptionally strong and may have the power to spread disease, shapeshift, or control the weather.

Pagan dead from other religions follow suit; similar animated corpses issue from Etruscan cemeteries in Italy, Bulgar grave mounds in the Balkans, or Gaulish and Gothic burial sites in central Mythic Europe. Other pagan dead may haunt the living as ghosts (Realms of Power: Magic, pages 115–118). The Christian dead, in common with all buried under the auspices of a Divine religion, do not return.

The White Cockerel

Once Fjalar has crowed in the Magic Realm, the white cockerel departs for heaven — that is, Asgard in the Faerie Realm. The white cockerel is Heimdallur, who blows his mighty horn to summon the army of the gods. While this makes Heimdallur complicit in the schemes of his enemy Loki, the White God has no choice. It is part of his story to sound the call to arms and nothing short of his death will stop him. Heimdallur will have the courtesy to inform the player characters before he ascends the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard. If the characters kill Heimdallur they can delay Ragnarok, but it might be unconscionable to kill a trusted ally (and possibly friend).

Once Heimdallur’s horn has been sounded, the faerie gods acknowledge that the Twilight of the Gods is inevitable and stop trying to thwart Loki. Sympathetic gods like Heimdallur might still help the characters if they can be convinced that it will make it more likely that the gods will win, but they do so with a resigned air having already accepted their fate.

The Army of the Faerie Gods

At the sound of Heimdallur’s horn, the army of the gods is mustered. The einherjar are the spirits of those pagan Norsemen who died a warrior’s death. They have been feasting and sleeping in the Valhall since the time of their death. Eight hundred issue from each of the Valhall’s 540 doors and the 432,000 warriors begin their preparations to fight their final battle. Each of the einheri is a faerie warrior, clothed in glamour that results from the stories told about a deceased man by his shield-comrades, his family, and even his enemies. If the statistics of an einheri is needed, use the Berserker or Grizzled Veteran Template (ArM5 page 21) but also give him a Faerie Might of 5 (Corpus).

A side effect of waking the einherjar is that Warping for Muspelli becomes a lot harsher. From hereon in, whenever a Muspelli is required to make a Heipt Roll (i.e. takes 2 or more Warping Points at once, Rival Magic page 85) she is assumed to automatically fail and is visited by a Trained Group of einherjar with a number of members equal to her Warping Score. The Enigma’s Gift (ArM5 page 157) is now a powerful spell for magi to use against Muspelli.

Story Seeds: Days of the Dead Once Fjalar crows in the underworld, all manner of the dead return to earth. There are plenty of opportunities for the characters to be beset by the shambling dead. Ghost Legions of House Tremere House Tremere have been recruiting armies of pagan ghosts as part of their battle-readiness (Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, Chapter 4). When the first cockerel crows, these ghosts could break free of their Hermetic shackles, reanimate their corpses, or possess the living. This mass return of the dead could be the distraction Loki needs for one of his other plans (such as advancing the invasion of the east by the Magogoli). Givers of Eternal Rest The Donatores (a tradition within Ex Miscellanea, Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 115) have been expecting the mass return of the dead for several decades. They have a God-given mission to lay the dead to rest and have been feverishly training for this day. A cadre of these magi come to the covenant to seek their help in destroying the undead menace terrorizing the local populace. While technically magi, these three have no Hermetic training, but are skilled Banishers. They have noticed that while the dead have risen all over the region, the walking corpses that they have encountered account for a mere fraction of the total number of disturbed graves they have seen. The rest of the walking dead are amassing somewhere and the Donatores need help to find where and why. Who is the shadowy figure who commands the army of the dead? The peasants whisper it is Death himself.

The Black Cockerel

Vidofnir — who the characters may have witnessed leaving the Magic Realm earlier — is the third rooster to crow. In this case, Vidofnir actually is a rooster, albeit a giant one endowed with magical powers. He travels across Mythic Europe, and his arrival is witnessed by many. He seeks out a high vantage point close to a burial site such as a cathedral steeple and waits until dawn. He then lets out three mighty cries, splitting open graves and sepulchers and raising the dead. Afterward he flies to another city and repeats his actions. The dead roam the streets until the power that animates them falters at sunset.

When Vidofnir arrives in a city close to the player characters, they have the opportunity to stop him. There is no malice in his actions; he is simply obeying the iron chains of prophecy as a servant of Urdur, the Jotun of Fate. However, the prophecy says he will awaken the Seven Sleepers, who Heimdallur can tell them will be the salvation of mankind should Ragnarok go ahead. The player characters are left with a dilemma: killing Vidofnir could prevent Ragnarok but allowing him to live could mean that more people survive the Twilight of the Gods unscathed. How confident are they that they have thwarted Loki sufficiently?

Vidofnir

Magic Might: 20 (Animal) Characteristics: Int –2, Per +2, Pre +2, Com +3, Str +6, Sta +1, Dex +2, Qik 0 Size: +3 Season: Summer Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: Magic Animal; Magical Champion; Essential Virtue (Powerful Voice); Improved Characteristics x 4; Oath of Fealty (to Urdur), Proud; Overconfident (minor), Restricted Power (Ear-Shattering Cry, only during the day), Restricted Power (Earth-Shattering Cry, only during the day) Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Gigantic, Greater Powers x 4; Improved Might x 3, Improved Soak, Minor Virtue (Puissant Music) Personality Traits: Powerful Voice (Communication) +6*, Cockerel* +3, Proud +3, Imperturbable +2 *Essential Trait, replaces listed Characteristic (where present) whenever Trait applies. Combat: Spurs: Init –1, Attack +9, Defense +7, Damage +8 Beak: Init 0, Attack +9, Defense +5, Damage +8 Soak: +5 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–8), –3 (9–16), –5 (17–24), Incapacitated (25–32), Dead (33+) Abilities: Athletics 2 (balancing), Awareness 6 (dawn and dusk), Brawl 4 (spurs), Music 7+2 (crowing), Penetration 4 (Corpus effects) Powers: Ear-Shattering Cry, 0 points, Init +1, Corpus: An individual in direct line of Vidofnir’s crowing has his hearing destroyed. This damage heals as a Heavy Wound, and inflicts the effects of the Deaf Flaw until it heals to a Light Wound, at which point it becomes equivalent to Poor Hearing until totally healed. A deaf magus suffers the –15 penalty to spellcasting for using no words (but no penalty to Voice Range) until he adjusts to his new condition (which takes about a day). PeCo 30 (Base 20, +2 Voice) Greater Power (30 levels, –3 Might cost, +4 Init) Earth-Shattering Cry, 0 points, Init –3, Terram: Vidofnir’s cry is so loud that it can shatter stone and weaker material. This effect can burst open doors and break open graves. PeTe(He) 25 (Base 3, +2 Voice, +2 Group, +1 affect stone, +1 requisite) Greater Power (25 levels, –3 Might cost) Rouse the Dead, 3 points, Init –5, Corpus: Vidofnir’s crow is loud enough to literally wake the dead. Any human corpse in the vicinity is animated, although the cockerel rarely directs them to do anything other than stumble about. ReCo 45 (Base 10, +2 Voice, + 2 Sun, +2 Group, +1 size) Greater Power (45 levels, –2 Might cost) Stunning Cry, 0 points, Init 0, Mentem: Everyone hearing Vidofnir crow is stunned by the sheer volume. This leaves them confused as if affected by Confusion of the Numbed Will (ArM5, page 151). This power activates simultaneously with any of his other three powers. ReMe 20 (Base 4, +1 Diam, +3 Sound) Greater Power (20 levels, –2 Might cost, +2 Init) Vis: 4 pawns of Imaginem, in tongue Appearance: An immense cockerel, ten feet tall from toes to comb and with a twenty foot wingspan. His feathers are a glossy black with sooty-red highlights; his comb, wattles, and eyes are fiery red. His powerful voice mean that R: Voice and T: Sound effects extend as far as 300 paces.

The Seven Sleepers

If Vidofnir is permitted to crow throughout Mythic Europe, stories begin to be told across Christendom of the appearance of the Seven Sleepers. They appear at several sites associated with them, including Mount Pion at Ephesus and the Church of St Victor of Gaul in Marseilles where the tombs of the Seven Sleepers have been venerated as relics for centuries. There are similar appearances at pagan, Jewish, and Muslim holy sites. The Sleepers bring the same message to all: they announce that the End of Times is upon the world but they have been sent by God (or the gods, depending on the audience) to protect the faithful. When heaven and earth war with one another, everyone should shelter on holy ground (Divine or Magic auras), where they will be kept safe until the peril is over. The Seven Sleepers that appear to Christians are saints with a Divine Might of 25; magical versions have similar levels of power.

There are many versions of the legend of the Seven Sleepers. The Norse version tells of the seven sons of Mimir, who helped him craft the world from Ymir’s corpse. These seven are sometimes called the dvergar, or dwarfs, but there is nothing diminutive about them in the original stories. Once creation was done, the sons of Mimir went to sleep, fated to awaken at Ragnarok and protect mankind from extinction in the events that follow. Both Welsh and Irish legends tell of champions of men, cast into sleep in preparation for the day that they are needed again.

The story of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus is one of the most popular medieval Christian legends. Seven noble youths, fleeing the persecutions of Christians instituted by emperor Decius (249–251), took refuge in a cave near Ephesus. Praying for guidance, they sank into a deep sleep, waking hundreds of years later when belief in God and the eventual resurrection of the faithful was waning. Their appearance renewed faith in the eventual resurrection of the dead. The seven returned to their cave, where they will sleep until Judgment Day. On that day they will return to protect the faithful from the Antichrist. The version in the Qur’an is very similar, except for the addition of a dog called Katmir.

Other versions can be found among the Greek, Slavic, German, Syrian, and Jewish folk tales. The names of the Seven Sleepers are variously given as:

• Norse: Dvalinn (or Sindri), Dáinn (or Brokk), Alfrigg, Berling, Grerr, Dúneyr, Durathrór
• Christian: Maximianus, Malchus, Martinianus, Dionysos, Ioannes, Serapion, Constantinus
• Greek: Achillides, Diomedes, Diogenos, Probatos, Stephanos, Sambatos, Kyriakos
• Irish: Fionn mac Cumhaill, Goll mac Morna, Conán mac Morna, Caílte mac Rónain, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, Lugaid Stronghand, Liath Luachra
• Muslim: Mixelmina, Tamlikha, Martool, Daryun, Ninom, Sarin, Qasentina
• Welsh: Arthur, Cai, Bedwyr, Gwalchmei, Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd, Menw son of Tairgwaedd, Cynddylig Gyfarwydd

Hermetic Sleepers At the option of the storyguide, the Order of Hermes could have its own Seven Sleepers. Of the fourteen individuals present at the Founding of the Order (twelve founders plus Trianoma and Pralix), only six deaths are confirmed in Ars Magica Fifth Edition —Flambeau, Guernicus, Jerbiton, Mercere, Tremere, and Trianoma. This leaves eight candidates from which you can assemble a Hermetic septet. When the seven worthies step forth from the Twilight Void and present themselves at Tribunal (a Grand Tribunal would be fitting) with a message of impending doom, the Order cannot deny the coming apocalypse. However, the return of the Founders is bound to throw the Order into confusion. Their message delivered, the Founders may disagree with the current structure of their respective Houses. Those Houses without a Returned Founder might be disadvantaged by having no representation among the cabal of seven. Maybe those who deny the identity of the Hermetic Sleepers are right— but if so, who are they and what is their goal?

Other Plans: Three Cockerels Crow

Of all Loki’s plans, this one lacks alternatives. This is the precipitating event that either starts Ragnarok or else reveals that all Loki’s efforts have been for naught. As long as at least one of Fjalar, Heimdallur, and Vidofnir is still alive, Loki can substitute other beings for the original ‘cockerels’ and such substitution is amenable to the prophecy as long as the Jotun has met with significant success in its other clauses. Unmaking the Gambanteinn (see earlier) is a much greater setback and might cause Loki to abandon his plans for a century or two while he regroups his efforts.

The Second Titanomachy

As soon as the third cockerel crows, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Some supernal assessor takes stock of Loki’s actions and judges whether he has done enough to bring about the Titanomachy. Much of what happens next occurs at a level incomprehensible to mankind; the powers of the world go to war against one another and mankind must shelter while the battle rages.

Loki Fails

Through the actions of the player characters (among others), Loki’s decades of planning could fail. When the cockerels crow, the world seems to pause for a long breath, as if taking stock. Birds are silenced, men pause, the heavens seem to stop turning. Then everything resumes as before. The world carries on unchanged. Loki’s scream of rage echoes across the world; it can be heard in all four corners of the earth. He has just a short time before his faerie jailers find him and haul him back to his prison in Nifelhel and he uses those moments to enact his revenge on those who thwarted him. If the player characters were instrumental in the failure of Ragnarok, then they become his target; otherwise Loki’s wrath may be spent on Durenmar (as the seat of the Order), Rome (as the home of the Church), or any other foe that vigorously opposed him.

The player characters deserve a showdown; their moment of victory should not be marked with a failure of something to happen. If this attack is by an Aspect of Loki, it is the most powerful he can manage, one with a combination of powers of Loftur Laufeyjasonur and the Emissary of Fire. They just need to fight him for as long as it takes the faerie gods to arrive and drag Loki back to the Magic Realm in chains. Even if Loki does not concentrate his wrath on the player characters, he still directs one of his allies at them — a mighty giant like Fjalar or Eggther, or a powerful Muspelli that they may have faced before. This should be a suitably climactic battle. A long period of clearing up follows.

Depending upon Loki’s successes, the dead may still walk the earth, the Magogoli could still threaten Mythic Europe, and so on. Whether the characters involve themselves in this or take a well-deserved rest is a matter for the individual saga, but the storyguide should not be stingy with rewarding them for saving the world.

Loki Succeeds

The seal of the world breaks and the Magic Realm begins to bleed into the mundane world. The sympathetic magic of this event is so great that all bindings fail, all knots untie, and all locks open. This effect lasts for the duration of the main conflict — about three months. Loki sets sail on an immense ship embarking from the Magic Realm; the ship is packed with the souls of the pagan dead. Meanwhile, giants and monsters emerge from the east; the Midgard Serpent rears its head in the west; and the fire giants and jinn amass in the south. The gods fall one by one; the armies of dead heroes are not enough to defeat the forces of Magic. The aurora borealis burns in the sky throughout the battle and vortices of colored fire descend to burn away Faerie auras as their guardians are defeated. Loki himself is killed by Heimdallur, but it was a sacrifice for which he was always prepared.

Humans miss most of the battle, of course. If they have heeded the advice of the Seven Sleepers, they are sheltering in their holy places. All Divine and Magic auras prove refuges against the war of the powers; sheltering within a church itself is not actually necessary as long as one remains within the sound of Church bells (that is, within the Dominion), although rare incursions into the Dominion by fleeing faeries or their magical pursuers make trips outside of sacred places occasionally perilous. Those who venture beyond these refuges risk getting caught up in the warp of wild magic. Those forced by necessity or foolhardiness to brave unprotected areas while the gods are at war are never seen again, or return with laden with Warping, or perhaps even The Gift.

A New Dawn

The Twilight of the Gods rages for a season, although it takes several years for all the skirmishes to die down. During this time all the powerful faeries are hunted down and slain, or else flung into the Faerie Realm and imprisoned there for “eternity.” Magic floods into the world from the breach in the Magic Realm, before it closes again.

The Magic Realm

The denizens of the Magic Realm are the major beneficiaries of the second Titanomachy. The Titans reclaim their rightful place as the governors of God’s universe and their power is felt directly on the earth without the faerie gods siphoning off much of it to support their glamour.

Wild Magic

The world is a very different place following the Titanomachy. There is more untamed magic in the sublunar world than there once was and this has several consequences.

Since magic becomes much more immediate to the general populace, Magic Lore becomes a General Ability rather than an Arcane Ability, although it cannot be used untrained.

Thanks to the abundance of wild magic, Acclimation no longer bothers creatures from the Magic Realm.

Magic auras become more common. All Magic auras of level 9 or less increase by one point. Areas of wilderness outside of the trappings of human habitation gain a Magic aura of at least 1 and areas of pristine wilderness often have a higher aura than this. These auras attract (or are perhaps the cause of) an abundance of magical creatures, mostly with minor powers or Beasts of Virtue.

Passage into Magic regiones and the Magic Realm is easier than it once was: reduce all Ease Factors for Regio Sight rolls for Magic regiones (ArM5 page 189) and travel through Boundaries and Vestiges (Realms of Power: Magic page 25) by 6.

Creatures and man-made objects and structures that do not reside within a supernatural aura, or else hide within a Faerie aura, are warped by the tumultuous outpouring of magical energy during the Titanomachy. The most common effect of this warping is the gaining of the (Form) Monstrosity Flaw (Realms of Power: Magic, page 48), but any other effect of warping is possible, including gaining the Transformed (Being) Virtue and acquiring a Magic Might. About one in five of all animals and humans exposed are affected in some way. Many magical creatures are created during the Titanomachy, usually through the amalgam of different animal parts into one body. House Criamon sees this as vindication of the Enigma, claiming that the current state was preceded by one of free-floating organs which then combined — sometimes wrongly — to create living beings as Order became dominant over Strife.

About one in two inanimate objects exposed to the wild magic is warped by it. Such objects become less like a sign of human artifice and more like a magical thing. A bridge may be intangible except by the light of the moon; a castle might have turned from stone into living wood; a plowshare might move on its own; and so on. Affected objects typically gain a single enchantment but certain items become Magic Things instead. The latter acquire a Might Score appropriate to the item’s size and magical powers, and gain a measure of self-awareness.

Vis also becomes more common. Most vis sources see a modest increase in the amount of vis they yield and more vis sources spring up. A greater proportion of this vis is Spell-Like or Lesser Enchantment Vis (Realms of Power: Magic, page 120).

Hedge traditions blossom with the influx of wild magic, at least once the problems of the Golden Chain have been overcome (see later). The Gift becomes approximately twice as common as it once was. Further, all Gifted wizards with Difficult Arts or Supernatural Abilities may now increase them as normal Arts. The powers of unGifted magicians remain unaltered but the Initiation of Mysteries becomes easier for the unGifted: an unGifted initiate is no longer required to take an Ordeal Flaw as part of the Initiation process and are also able to self-initiate Virtues. Finally, some people find their rituals and superstitions suddenly gain real (if meager) power, developing the Folk Magic Virtue (see Insert). With more people having Magic Lore, Enrichment of Things of Virtue (Realms of Power: Magic, page 124) becomes more common.

The Golden Chain

Use of magic is now directly regulated by the Titans. They are the conduits through which magic flows from the Magic Realm; they pass it to their subordinates, who parcel it out to their subordinates, and so on down the great chain of being. Only characters connected to this ‘Golden Chain’ can sequester the power necessary to fuel their spells. The Golden Chain has a strict hierarchy, with Daimons at the top arranged in order of Might, followed by other beings and objects with a Magic Might score arranged in order of Might. Next are humans with The Gift, followed by beings and objects with intrinsic magical powers but no Might score (including vis and places with Magic auras), followed by beings and objects with acquired magical powers (including unGifted humans).

Immediately following the Titanomachy most magicians aligned to the Magic Realm find they cannot cast spells, use Supernatural Abilities or make enchantments. This affects everyone from the local wise woman with Second Sight right the way up to Hermetic archmagi. The only exceptions are those who receive their powers from spirits, such as spirit votaries, theurgists (including Hermetic theurgists), and learned magicians who Entreat the Magic Powers (Hedge Magic Revised Edition, page 87). Characters with a Magic Might score are also unaffected. All these types of magicians are tapped into the Golden Chain and other wizards need to follow suit to restore their powers. To restore one’s former power characters must find a way to connect to the Golden Chain, specifically a being or creature higher up the chain than themselves.

UnGifted characters are at the bottom of the chain, so they can restore what minor magics they possess quite simply, for example by being in a Magic aura, carrying a pawn of vis, or touching a being with a Magic Might. Characters with The Gift are higher up on the Golden Chain than such things, and must instead connect via a pact to a being with a Magic Might. The entity chosen must be intelligent to pass on the magic they receive from the Chain, and it must be powerful enough to supply sufficient magic to the Gifted character.

These pacts can be formed ad hoc via theurgy or Entreating the Magic Powers, which is why such magics still work. A more permanent solution can be found through a formal relationship with a Magic being or Daimon. The character’s Casting Totals and Lab Totals cannot be higher than the Might of the creature with which one has made a pact, so most magi will want to enter relationships with powerful Daimons and similar creatures. There is no generic method by which this can be achieved; each maga must contact and bargain with the chosen entity, probably one that matches her interests or magic. This can be treated as a form of Initiation (The Mysteries Revised Edition, Chapter 2): the maga may need to undergo quests, sacrifices, and ordeals in order to attract the attention of the patron and persuade it to enter into a compact. This process is likely to leave an indelible mark of the patron’s power on the maga, represented by a Hermetic Flaw such as Restriction, Necessary Condition, or Study Requirement appropriate to the being involved, or else a Story Flaw representing the duties or responsibilities imposed by the patron. If you are using The Mysteries Revised Edition to guide this process, then the Target Ease Factor for the Initiation should be equal to two-thirds of the patron’s Might. Once the pact is forged, the character discovers that her magic works with the simple inclusion of her patron’s name in spellcasting and enchantment.

The requirement to connect with the Golden Chain is only applicable for powers aligned to the Magic Realm. Practitioners of Divine powers are unaffected and those who use Infernal powers are only limited with respect to their inability to use Goetic bindings and ablations on Magic creatures (see later). Faerie wizards can no longer practice magic at all (see The Faerie Realm, later). A magus can avoid making a pact by realigning their magic to a new Realm: a powerful demon is capable of replacing The Gift with The False Gift (Realms of Power: the Infernal, page 124) in exchange for his soul. Alternatively, a magus could instead Initiate Holy Magic (Realms of Power: the Divine, page 66), a difficult but virtuous path.

New Virtue: Folk Magic Minor, Supernatural You are capable of performing very minor acts of magic through your knowledge of scraps of occult lore. Choose one (Realm) Lore which is the key Ability for this magic; you may learn this Ability at character creation even if you are normally unable to take Arcane Abilities. The choice of (Realm) Lore also determines which supernatural Realm your magic is aligned to for the purposes of aura modifiers. You can only create spells in one narrow area, which must be one of the following five options: Abjuration: Creates a ward against animals or supernatural creature. Uses the Rego Animal and Rego Vim guidelines. Craft Magic: Duplicates mundane craft in an instant without need of tools, but does require raw materials. Uses the Rego Animal, Rego Herbam, or Rego Terram guidelines for one type of craft (see Covenants page 49 for more on Rego craft magic). Divination: Acquire magical senses which detect health, wealth, and mental state. Uses the Intellego Corpus, Intellego Mentem, and Intellego Terram guidelines. Healing: Grants a Recovery bonus for either wounds or diseases, and aids the birthing of children and livestock. Uses the Creo Corpus or Creo Animal guidelines. Infernal Lore cannot be used to produce this type of effect. Evil Eye: Causes minor acts of mischief such as pain, blight of crops, hair loss, sneezing, and so forth. Uses the Perdo Corpus, Perdo Animal, or Perdo Herbam guidelines. Divine Lore cannot be used to produce this type of effect. To cast a spell you must expend a fatigue level, whether the spell succeeds or fails. You must also spend at least 15 minutes preparing the spell, during which time you need unbroken concentration and access to your “magical” materials (while necessary, these materials offer no benefit to the casting). The spell is designed exactly like a Hermetic spell. Your Casting Total is equal to (Stamina + (Realm) Lore + Aura modifier + stress die) / 2. Penetration is calculated in the normal fashion: Casting Total – Spell Level + Penetration modifiers. You may pick this Virtue more than once, to acquire expertise in a different category of spells. Each time you choose this Virtue, you can align it to the same Realm as before or pick a different one, although a character cannot have access to both the Divine and Infernal Realms.

All Bonds Break

When Loki set sail from the Magic Realm, he began a series of events that set the Titans free, and this echoes down the Golden Chain. All bonds constraining magical creatures are instantly broken and all wards against magical creatures fail. Ongoing spells and enchantments of this type cease to work and new castings prove impotent against creatures from the Magic Realm. This is a permanent effect of the Titanomachy that affects supernatural powers aligned to any Realm except the Divine and applies to targets belonging to the Magic Realm.

Subsequently, all summonings, wards, and banishments no longer work against Magic creatures that are higher up the Golden Chain than the originator of the effect. A Daimon can still summon a magical spirit, and a creature with a Magic Might of 20 can affect a creature with a Magic Might of 5, but even once he has restored his ability to cast spells a magus still cannot use Perdo magic to destroy the Might of a Magic creature, or Rego spells to ward against it. Humans can use theurgy to contact (but not summon) Daimons who may then provide such effects on lesser beings. Spells that target the creature and not its Might are still effective — a magical creature can be captured in a magically-conjured cage, or burned by a Ball of Abysmal Flame — but even these spells tend to erode over time if they restrain or compel. For example, a Magic wolf might be able to break an enchanted rope that an Infernal wolf of the same strength cannot.

Most damaging to the Order of Hermes is the universal failure of the Aegis of the Hearth to affect any creature with a Magic Might, but nearly as devastating is the breaking of all familiar bonds to creatures with a Magic Might. If a creature gained Intelligence through the familiar bond it retains that Characteristic, but it loses all Bond Scores and any effects empowered into the bond. With the familial bond gone, familiar and magus no longer share the True Friend Virtue. This is likely to be a tragic event in the life of both the magus and the familiar and many will part ways following this event, unable to cope with the massive hole left in their lives.

Pacts with Daimon Magi Through various esoteric Mysteries, Hermetic magi are capable of becoming Daimons (see The Mysteries Revised Edition for details). Furthermore, magi who entered Final Twilight may have earned themselves a place in the Golden Chain. As magi search for means to restore their magic, they may discover that they can make pacts with ancient magi. If the Seven Hermetic Sleepers were employed earlier in the saga, then these could offer this service for their followers. This process might result in the formation of new Houses as Mystery cults or societates form around powerful Daimonic magi. Impacts on Non-Hermetic Magicians Learned Magicians who Entreat the Magic Powers are already connected to the Golden Chain, as are Theurgical Elementalists, Muspelli (who derive their power direct from the titans) and Soqotran sorcerers (all of whom have Magical allies, except for the Myrrh tribe, who need to find new patrons). Other wizards have to find a patron in the same way as Hermetic magi. Rune magicians might seek out the Jotun Mimir and his sister Urdur, who taught Odin the runes in the first place. Folk witches might approach Titans such as Hecate or Gullveig, and Gruagachan can approach their eponymous god, who may have also been a Titan. Amazon sorceresses might approach the ghost of Viea and be infected by her madness. The mostly Christian Virgilian wizards are in the same position as magi and might find a pact distasteful or idolatrous. This might spell the end of the new tradition, or else someone might quest for the Daimon of Virgil himself. Most severely affected are goetic sorcerers and sahirs, who can no longer summon or compel Magic spirits due to the breaking of bonds and find that most Faerie spirits have been destroyed. The impact on the Order of Solomon could be devastating (see The Cradle and the Crescent, Chapter 3 for the reliance of sahirs on bound spirits). These individuals might resort to dealing with Infernal spirits, or else make a pact with a powerful Magic spirit such as a genius loci with many subordinate spirits it can lend to sorcerers. Story Seeds The transformation of the natural order gives rise to many possible stories. The Tool Becomes the Master A powerful magus seriously endangers the Order though blatant and violent use of magic on mundanes. The characters are witnesses to some of these acts and forced to do something before matters get out of hand. In truth this is not the magus in question; instead, his talisman has become a Magic Thing and the magus is dead, in Twilight, or otherwise incapacitated by this traumatic event. Due to its connection to the magus, the talisman believes that it is him, although it has a warped view of the world. The talisman is able to access any of its enchantments as powers, and may develop more based on its creator’s signature spells. It can also create either an illusory or artificial body, but has not yet developed speech. Ushant’s Woe The covenant of Fudarus has three powerful spirits bound to its service. These are released when the bonds holding them are destroyed and the spirits of storm, mist, and concealment embark on a rampage across Brittany. Woe betide any covenants or vis sources in their way. The damage they do to Fudarus before they leave may solve House Tytalus’s primus crisis by killing one candidate, or start a new one by killing both.

The Faerie Realm

Faerie power has dramatically reduced since the Titanomachy. Faeries can no longer draw power from human imaginations and emotions. The gates into Faerie itself have closed, divorcing the fae from the stories that sustain them. Tales abound that the false gods are dead and new stories about their rebirth, resurrection, or rescue are ineffectual at restoring the gods.

Deicide

Many, if not most, of the powerful faeries were killed in the Titanomachy itself, or hunted down subsequently. All of the major pantheons have been slaughtered, or were inside Faerie when the gates to the realm closed. As a consequence, the most powerful faeries still abroad in the world have a Faerie Might around 20, although this could be higher in certain auspicious places or times.

Those humans who still served as priests to the pagan gods felt their connection to their gods severed as they were put to the sword and gods-given powers such as faerie wizardry and rites using faerie Methods and Powers no longer yield any results. In addition, all magic relying on charms — including the Folk Mysteries of House Merinita (Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, pages 96–99) and charmed Virtues (Realms of Power: Faerie, pages 104– 105) — can no longer call upon the power of stories and cease to work.

No Faerie Auras

Mirroring the increase in Magic auras (see earlier), there is a matching decline in the prevalence of Faerie auras. Most are destroyed during the Titanomachy itself by the shifting multicolored flames of the aurora borealis. All Faerie auras of level 1 or 2 vanish entirely. Those of level 3 to 5 become Magic auras of level 1. Those of level 6 to 8 become Magic auras of level 2 and those of 9 or more become Magic auras of level 3. A magical guardian is installed by the Titans into any former Faerie aura of level 9 or 10; these are places where glamour was formerly very strong and the Titans seek to prevent them from becoming rallying points for the faerie survivors.

All faerie regiones collapse, leaving behind a Magic aura with a level determined by the level of the highest former Faerie aura on the site. The Faerie Realm cannot be reached; the former Threshold has become an impenetrable wall. Any powerful faeries who survived the Titanomachy are imprisoned in Faerie, unmolested but starved of vitality.

Covenants in Faerie auras or regiones are left intact by this event, although they might be scarred by the auroreal flames if they were heavily Warped or otherwise infused with the power of Faerie.

Vitality Is No Longer Enough

Those faeries that remain are forced to form a bond with humanity to gain protection against wild magic. Unlike before, vitality is a precious commodity that can no longer be harvested from casual adherence to folk rituals or legends whispered at the dead of night. Instead, a faerie requires a formal exchange; they must receive the products of human craft or else a sacrifice of time or life’s blood. This can no longer be stolen or involuntarily provided, it must be knowingly donated by a human or a community of humans. The gift must be repeated at least once a year to sustain the faerie. In order to earn the gift that they need, the faerie must usually agree to perform some task on behalf of the humans it serves. This is rarely mutually beneficial: the faerie is usually the servant of the humans, using its glamour for the good of the community. Some faeries are able to pose a physical threat and demand a yearly tribute but the humans will eventually discover that they can just withhold the tribute and cause the faerie harm. Sometimes, rarely, these relationships between faeries and humans approach something akin to friendship, with the benefits to either side being nearly equal.

Faeries incapable of forging or sustaining a formal bond with humans cannot maintain their glamour and lose one point of Might every year. They also lose a point of Virtue, which they can forestall by accepting a Flaw. Virtues affecting their physical form are the last to go, and many accept the Flaw of Intangible Flesh in a last ditch effort to maintain their existence. The faerie literally fades from this world. Faeries will probably die out with the current generation of humans.

Realm Interaction Table The Realm Interaction Table has changed with the weakening of the Faerie Realm’s influence on the world and the burgeoning power of the Magic Realm. Caption text Magic Power Divine Power Faerie Power Infernal Power Magic Aura + aura no effect – aura – aura Divine Aura – (2 x aura) + aura – (4 x aura) – (5 x aura) Infernal Aura – aura no effect – (2 x aura) + aura

The Divine and Infernal Realms

The Dominion has remained unaffected by the Titanomachy; similarly divine places are untouched. God still reigns supreme over Creation; there’s just been a change in middle management. Unfortunately, the Devil and his works were likewise unaffected by the war; there was little additional opportunity for the corruption of mortal souls.

Society After Ragnarok

The Poetic Edda refers to the post-apocalyptic world as Gimlé, a world of prosperity free from the dictates of fate and unbound by prophecy. While this state might be true for creatures of magic, for those unaligned to the Magic Realm Gimlé is a more perilous world that that which preceded Ragnarok.

Those who followed the advice of the Seven Sleepers and retreated to churches, mosques, and synagogues during the Titanomachy survive the tumultuous battle. Following the cessation of the fighting, humankind emerges blinking from its refuges into a changed world. Although cities still stand and crops still grow and the heavenly spheres still turn, life will never be the same again. The Dominion remains a safe haven, for few Magic creatures care to intrude upon areas claimed by God.

Beyond the sound of the Church bells, the world has changed. During the Titanomachy, there was a gradual reversion of the world to its pristine state, evidenced by the warping of unprotected structures. Whole castles may have disappeared; bridges now demand payment; and roads resent people treading upon them. Magic auras now dominate in the wildernesses between towns and they are filled with all manner of dangerous beasts and spirits.

Travel outside the safety of the Dominion becomes the business of the desperate, the determined, and the foolish. A new cadre of merchant-adventurers emerges from the confusion. These trade between towns, carrying messages and occasional travelers. They employ their own mercenaries, who usually include a magician, to keep the wagons safe. Employing the merchant-adventurers is a costly business, but guilds and companies form among tradesmen who share the cost between them.

The Order of Hermes

The Order of Hermes is initially thrown into confusion by the Titanomachy, bereft of its capacity to work magic. Many crisis Tribunals are held and solutions gradually emerge (see earlier); until then, magi are forced to rely on preexisting enchantments, Spell-Like and Lesser Enchantment Vis, Enrichment of Objects of Virtue, and other working magic. Once the problems of the Golden Chain have been ameliorated or solved, the Order can look outwards again. None of the improvements to the way in which magic is acquired makes a big difference to the Order of Hermes, since all that has happened is that other magicians now enjoy some of the benefits that only magi had before. Some magical traditions, particularly those who quickly solved the problem of the Golden Chain, may have grown fast and gathered power thanks to the influx of wild magic. Groups like the Folk Witches may even rise to challenge the Order — through sheer numbers if not raw power.

Despite the growth in power of hedge wizards, the Order remains supreme over these upstarts, in the short term at least. Hermetic magic is still the most comprehensive magical system in Mythic Europe and magi are the only tradition that possess universal Magic Resistance and protection from The Gift. The latter is perhaps the strongest asset the Order has; while the other traditions will grow in power, they can never be the political entity that the Order is without some means of avoiding the social penalty of each other’s Gift.

A major change is wrought in the Order by the increase in the prevalence of The Gift. Magi now have little trouble locating apprentices and can afford to be more choosy about which ones they take. The Order finds itself with an excess of Gifted children who cannot be trained in Hermetic magic due to lack of available masters. Rather than lose them to hedge traditions it is proposed to the Grand Tribunal that the Order of Hermes joins forces with the Learned Magicians (Hedge Magic Revised Edition, Chapter 5). Under the proposal, this hedge tradition incorporates as a trade guild providing magical services for mundanes. The Order shares its resources, including Gifted apprentices, and the Learned Magicians make their unGifted members available as companions and lab assistants to the Order. This arrangement is mutually beneficial for both parties.

House Merinita undergoes a profound change following the Titanomachy. With the slaughter of fae and the closing of Arcadia’s gates, Faerie Magic becomes inoperative and all but the nature mysteries of the house are lost. The primus killed himself and many Merinita followed suit, unable to adapt to a world lacking glamour. Covenants residing in former Faerie auras are wrecked with warping; one even transformed into a dragon and flew away! Those Merinita magi who survive desperately look for ways to preserve the fae but most believe that like the fae, the days of House Merinita are numbered.

House Criamon seem somewhat disappointed that the world didn’t actually end. They were expecting the Titanomachy to break the cycle of time and that magi would be free from the shackles of fate. After years of discussion, the House concludes that time did indeed end at the moment that the Titans, the personifications of time, broke free. The world existed timeless in a state of pure Chaos and then time restarted and love brought order to the Chaos. The Criamon were insufficiently pure to maintain their existence during the time of the Chaos and missed their opportunity to escape time. They are phlegmatic about their failure. They have adjusted their eschatology, reorganized their baffling mysteries and are preparing for the kataklysmos due in several thousand years. Or, perhaps, they decide to make their own attempt to bring about the end of time.

Attribution

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.