Hermetic Projects Chapter Three: The Great Tower

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The Great Tower

Now the whole earth had one language and few words. And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the Earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. — Genesis 11:1-9

This chapter presents the building of the tallest tower the world has seen since man sought to reach the heavens at Babel. Such a tower goes far beyond a simple conjuration and becomes the object of a life’s work, not just for a single magus but for a covenant of magi, or perhaps generations of magi. While a shipyard, the quest for everlasting undeath, and a covenant hidden within a volcano are well-defined projects that magi and covenants can perhaps cooperate on, the tower provides a setting that grows over time, and against which the troupe can tell stories. The fruits of this project can be harvested throughout an entire saga, and maybe into the next, and become a unique setting in itself.

Such a project and setting also provides an opportunity to inject elements of high fantasy into your Ars Magica saga, offering a contrast with the medieval tone suggested for standard sagas. Once the tower is established, it continues to provide troupes with the option for unusual and unique stories: exploration of the forgotten parts of the tower, beasts and spirits of the four realms claiming territory, and different levels of the tower acquiring their own motifs over time.

The material presented here can be used in two ways. The project can be followed from its foundation through to its conclusion. As the tower grows, both in height and in terms of its enchantments, it provides the impetus for new stories. Over time, the tower itself becomes the backdrop against which the saga plays out. But the various enchantments explored later can also be applied to smaller, more conventional, structures, allowing players and troupes to pick and choose the effects they find useful. This helps support magi and covenants who take on the roles or guises of traveling mundane architects and masons, or even magi specializing in building covenants for other members of the Order. The story seeds and suggestions are also optional and troupes should not feel limited in the stories that they choose to tell.

But what kind of magus would dedicate his life to the building of such a vast tower? A Tytalus might enjoy the challenge, not only to his own power and ability, but to the natural order, eager to seek out and confront such supernatural powers as would oppose him. For a Verditius mason, the tower becomes his crowning achievement and perhaps one day hosts the grand competition. For the politically-minded Bonisagus, perhaps the tower can offer a shining example of cooperation among individuals, covenants, and Houses. As a House, Tremere may seek to show leadership and power. Such a tower could reinforce the collective strength of the Order. A Criamon may be more interested in sending the tower through the divide between the mundane and the magical worlds, escaping time, or as an extension of their House motto that “The World Within is the World Without”. And scholars of magic from any House may look upon the tower as a chance to escape the earthly realm and chart the lunar sphere. But whatever the driving ideology, the magus who controls it essentially rules his own private kingdom.

The Tower of Babel

After the great flood that cleansed Earth of sin, the surviving peoples came together in the land of Sumer and built a great tower at the city of Babel. But this tower was not built for the glory or adulation of God. Instead, it was built for the glory of the men who commissioned it and those who built it.

Sources disagree on the fate of the tower itself. While it is clear that the builders had their single language stricken from them, the book of Genesis simply says that building work on the tower stopped. Other sources indicate that the tower was toppled by a great wind, while Jewish tradition has it that the top was burned, the bottom swallowed up into the ground and the middle left to the ravages of time. The story of the tower sets humanity in competition with God, not humble before His wishes. But while the actions of humanity angered God, there is also a story of great cooperation. Could magi of the Order tread the fine line between exemplifying the best of mankind and transgressing against God’s will?

Vestiges of the Tower may be found in the Magic Realm, and maybe in more than one place and in more than one form. Some might reflect the unchecked pride of its architects, others might contain the finished tower as the purest extension of the plan. But aspects of the Tower of Babel are most likely to be found associated with faeries, where the stories of temptation, ambition, and pride feed those faeries with vitality. As such, there may be many faerie towers laying claim to either be the tower of Babel itself or be built from its ruins.

Medieval Buildings

Most buildings across Mythic Europe are functional: a cobbler’s shop, a farmer’s barn, or a serf’s home. But castles, churches, cathedrals, and even cities rise beyond simple buildings into works of art. Beyond any functional aspects, such buildings are built for prestige: primarily, the promotion and glory of a heavenly Lord or an earthly one, and secondarily, the promotion and pride of those who commission and build them.

Cathedrals are among the largest and most artistically impressive buildings in Mythic Europe, while castles and city walls, though very large, offer little beyond defense. A particular fondness for the building of towers has grown up in the Italian city-states. These towers often exceed 100 feet in height and can take years to build. Their purpose is primarily as symbols of the importance, wealth, and power of the commissioning family, but they also serve as refuges and defensible positions during the all-too-frequent fighting between rival dynasties.

Mundane Architecture

Any construction is unlikely to succeed unless some kind of basic plan is used. For simple buildings, anything from outhouses to one-room dwellings, the craftsman himself can be assumed to have a sufficient plan in mind to complete the work. Anything larger requires an architect’s input.

Architects are most likely educated, with either a Church or vernacular education, and able to read, write, and draft building plans. Their role involves not just the outward design of the building, but also calculating the various stresses upon the structure, determining the best use of space, and ensuring its stability.

As a guideline, assume an architect must work a single season on designing a standard structure, and one additional season for each size magnitude after that prior to building work beginning. So a structure of size +1, a moderate church or a series of town walls, requires two seasons of the architect’s time before construction can begin.

Construction Techniques

Construction techniques, like the designs themselves, are being refined all the time, but there are some key constants. Building takes a lot of raw materials, which need to be transported, and those working on the building need the skill and manpower to build towards the target design.

Raw Materials

Despite the army of craftsmen involved in constructing great buildings, the main cost comes from the raw materials, with stone needing to be quarried and transported, wood needing to be felled and prepared, and other materials such as glass expensive in their own right. With this in mind, everything is done to reduce the cost of materials as far as possible. This is why stone is usu- ally shaped and carved at the quarry rather than at the building site, to make transport easier, quicker, and cheaper.

Falsework

Falsework is the term given to all temporary structures used in the construction of buildings. This generally breaks down into three types of falsework: scaffolding, centering, and shoring.

Scaffolding provides temporary elevated platforms, allowing craftsmen and laborers access to raised parts of the building. Scaffolding can be built directly on the ground, extending upwards on rigid frames, or suspended from the building itself, usually through wooden beams extending from planned post-holes in the walls.

Centering consists of strong rigid frames designed in the shape of vaults and arches. They are built or moved into place and the stonework is built around these frames to ensure that the correct forms are achieved.

The last type of falsework is shoring, which consists of temporary supports that bear the weight of a structure, keeping its proper alignment and shape, while the permanent supports are built.

Story Seeds for Medieval Buildings The Cracked Stone When part of the construction collapses under its own weight, it is discovered that the stones have been intentionally and magically weakened. Construction must stop while the other stones are inspected, costing the project time and money. And with the quarry some miles distant, finding and stopping the culprit is no easy task. The Apprentice The master mason who has worked on the great tower for much of his life wants to leave, disillusioned at the endless nature of his allotted task. Facing opposition from the magi, he offers to train an apprentice to take over the work from him. Within the year, he presents his apprentice and leaves. It is only then that the magi discover that the apprentice has neither the ability nor the leadership to manage the job. Do they go after their old master of works and hold him to his bond, or look elsewhere? The Wisdom of Stone After a new hall is built to support the prospering covenant, one of the covenfolk becomes obsessed with the edifice. His duties go ignored and, over the course of the season, he becomes more and more distracted and unpredictable. As the magi investigate they begin to see hidden messages within the architecture, messages that convey meaning. Before long, they realize that the entire hall contains knowledge of the Infernal. But to determine its content and purpose, one of the magi must risk corruption and study the building. The most urgent question, however, is who had the messages built into the hall in the first place, and why?

Craftsmen and Artists

The main craftsman involved in building any tower is the mason. More than just a laborer or worker of stone, he is a learned engineer with knowledge of the Artes Liberales, an understanding of his raw materials, and the leadership to organize complex building projects. Masons are members of an international guild that governs their trade, and this guild is a powerful presence at major works. There is more information on masons in City & Guild, page 59.

Supporting the mason is an army of carpenters, joiners, blacksmiths, stone- cutters, brick-layers, plasterers, and other laborers. All of these craftsmen, skilled in their own right, are further supported by local tradesmen selling food, lodging, clothes, tools, and other necessities.

Construction projects of a certain size employ many masons. One of these is considered the master mason and is usu- ally the architect of the project; his Ability scores should be used throughout. Every trade represented in the construction, from blacksmiths to carpenters, stone cutters to glaziers, is led by a master craftsman who is involved in the decision-making at the highest level.

The construction of a building is only part of the project. Whether for the glory of the sponsor or for God, castles and cathedrals are augmented by the works of master artists. Columns and ceiling vaulting are designed, stained glass installed, frescoes worked onto the walls, great tapestries created, and gold and silver ornaments and fixtures specially commissioned. More information on artists can be found in Art & Academe, page 114.

It can take many years to build a castle or cathedral, so masons and artists alike put down roots in a city until the job is done, and then move on to the next city and the next edifice. Master masons are in high demand as every project wants the confidence and prestige of having the best craftsmen available.

The workforce engaged to build a cathedral or castle is made up of around 3000 craftsmen and laborers consisting of:

• 400 masons
• 200 quarrymen and stone cutters
• 50 smiths and carpenters
• 100 craftsmen of other trades such as
• roofers, glass makers, and sculptors
• 2000 laborers

As with so many activities, building tends to be seasonal work, taking advantage of the longest days and finest weather. Aside from potentially slowing the actual construction through shorter days, the winter months bring the cold and the rain, which prevents mortar from drying properly. Much of the building work stops during the winter and is replaced with activities that can be performed inside, such as stone carving, carpentry, and outfitting the building.

Exempli Gratia: The Thirteenth Tower In the 35th year of the building of the Great Tower, one of the magi sets the craftsmen to work on a new slender tower constructed out of the Great Tower’s side. Under his guidance, the masons and sculptors create depictions of creatures and places the magus has seen in his long travels in the Magic Realm. The measurements, lines, and angles all bear significance for the boundaries and vestiges he crossed, and careful study of these elements, from the gallery that winds its way around the outside of the tower, may even provide a map of sorts. The Thirteenth Tower can be studied as a summa on Magic Lore and if the masons and the supervising magus incorporate magical substances, such as vis or items of virtue collected from the Magic Realm, it gains a +3 bonus to quality due to the resonant materials used in its construction. A further +3 resonance bonus for additional components gained through stories, such as the bones of a dragon sought out and slain for the purpose, is also available (see Covenants, page 102).

Style, Symbolism and Hidden Messages

The masons jealously guard the mysteries of their trade: the secrets of numbers, angles, and proportion that turn a simple building into a work of divine beauty. But these secrets can, by the insightful ob- server, be decoded and great knowledge gained. The Covenants supplement introduces the concept of the Great Work, a building or other construction that can be studied as a summa or tractatus. Any large construction costing 100 Mythic Pounds or more can be used as a Great Work (Covenants, page 102).

There are no special rules for investing a building with knowledge, though a stone mason instructed to create a Great Work needs rudimentary knowledge of the subject matter. A character must be able to spend time at the Great Work, and perceive the medium through which the knowledge is transmitted, in order to study from it.

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.