Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults Chapter Two: House Bjornaer

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House Bjornaer

The childhood of our House has passed. We were born into darkness, weaned in the wild places of the world, took our first tottering steps in the shadows of our forefathers. Now it is time for us to come forth from the wilderness and experience the full light of the Order of Hermes. Now it is time for us to honor the memory of our ancestors by living our own lives, filled with the wisdom we have learned — and still learn yet — at their knees. Now is the time that we stand proud as heirs, as adults, as magi.
— Primus Salmo, speaking to the House in 1023

When asked, all that most magi know about the members of House Bjornaer is that they can change shape. The more arrogant magi dismiss them as practitioners of primitive magic; the more misty-eyed ones see them as the last remnants of a forgotten people — noble savages. Neither group will be easily able to find a magus of the House who fulfills either stereotype, yet they endure. Few can mention a famous historical member of the House, fewer still know any historical event which involved a Bjornaer magus. Although the Order does not realize it, they know next to nothing about this secretive House, and what they do know is unsupported by fact. This is a result of deliberate efforts on behalf of the followers of Bjornaer, who recognize the power inherent in secrets. In truth, House Bjornaer is a cult of the ancestors, gaining power in the present because of the weight of all of those who have gone before. They believe that it is the ancestor-spirits that reside within them that gives them the power to change shape; through greater communication with these spirits inside them, they seek to become creatures of magic.

Key facts

• Population: 79
• Domus Magna: Crintera in the Rhine Tribunal
• Prima: Falke. She had this position in the House thrust upon her, and is struggling to acquire the qualities of leadership. She currently strives to carry out a strategy of isolation and patience, and is trying to regain the trust of the Quaesitores and others in the Order. Falke’s heartbeast is a silvergray falcon with white-banded wings.
• Favored Tribunals: The Novgorod and Loch Leglean Tribunals, where there are still many wild places left in which to roam undisturbed, followed by the Rhine Tribunal.
• Motto: Potentio super ipso potentia super allis. (Power over the self is power over others.)
• Symbols: A cone. When Trianoma was devising the iconography of the Order she chose the cone as a symbol for House Bjornaer; as it can cast the shadow of triangle or a circle, but never both at the same time, thus reflecting the heartbeast. House Bjornaer also uses another symbol; a Janus-style head combining the face of a bear with that of a woman.

Crintera: Domus Magna

The domus magna of House Bjornaer is Crintera, situated on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea, just off the northern coast of Germany. Its permanent members are the six members of the Bjornaer Council. The covenant proper is situated in a regio in the middle of a magical forest. As well as the six huts of the Bjornaer Council, the top level of the regio has a large meeting area where the Gathering of Twelve Years is held. More information about Crintera and the members of the Bjornaer Council here.

Famous Figures

• Birna: Gothic witch and Founder of the House.
• Hérisson: Founder of the Harmonist philosophy; unappreciated in his time.
• Salmo: Primus following the Schism War who refocused the House in a more traditional Hermetic mould.
• Urgen: Previous primus, a direct and sometimes violent magus who resigned in favor of Falke.

History

Over the four and a half centuries since the founding of the Order of Hermes, House Bjornaer has changed substantially in its demeanor, politics, and magic. From primitive shapechangers to savage defenders of the wilderness, and now to upstanding members of the Order of Hermes, these dramatic changes have left scars on the House that are still apparent today. To fully understand the Bjornaer magus, one must understand the history of the House, and it is no accident that much of this history lies shrouded in mystery — House Bjornaer do not want other Houses to understand them.

Bjornaer the Founder

As with many Mystery Cults, the story of the central figure of House Bjornaer — the Founder herself — is as much legend as it is history. She was from a remnant tribe of the Gothic people who once occupied the whole of northeastern Germany, and her name was actually Birna, which means ‘she-bear’ in the language of her tribe. As an initiate of a witch-cult, Birna received visitations from an ancestor, who took the form of a spirit-bear. It told her that the witches enslaved ancestor-spirits with evil magic, and convinced Birna to try to find a way to break the power of the cult. Birna pretended that she was magically weak, while learning the hidden lore of her tradition. She was scorned and mocked by the witch-cult for her meager powers, and her resentment for them grew daily.

When stories of a traveling witch came to the ears of the tribe, Birna’s superiors naturally sent their most expendable member to face her. However, this “witch,” named Trianoma, told Birna of a new magical society where she would be treated as an equal and be taught magic that would surpass that of those who despised her. Birna readily agreed to join the Order of Hermes, but advised Trianoma that there was little point continuing further east into the territory of the German tribes, as the sorcerers there were both hostile and of little consequence. This petty revenge denied her former tradition the possibility of joining the Order, and they in turn assumed that Birna had been killed by the witch and mourned her not.

The Name “Bjornaer”

Birna spoke no Latin when she met Trianoma, and was never much of a scholar. Her first apprentices called themselves the barns Bjornaer (meaning “The Children of Birna” in Old Gothic), which became the auditores Bjornaer (“Followers of ‘Bjornaer’”) to the nascent Order. Neither Birna nor her followers saw fit to correct the grammatical error, recognizing the power inherent in names, and Birna was therefore known as Bjornaer to the rest of the Order.

All Bjornaer magi know the real name of their Founder, but never speak it to outsiders. They use the name Bjornaer only as an adjective, knowing that it means “of Birna” in Gothic. Thus, a member of this House is not “a Bjornaer,” but instead “a Bjornaer magus,” “a Bjornaer follower,” or “a member of House Bjornaer.

The Gothic Shapeshifters

According to House Bjornaer, the Gothic witch-cult practiced Infernal magic. The ancestor-spirits of the Goths took the form of animals, and protected their descendants from ill-fortune. Once these spirits were enslaved by the cult, a witch could become any animal whose spirit she controlled. The witches could also force the ancestors to prophesy, or to reverse their protective powers and instead lay curses. Denied the Order by the vengeful Birna, this magical tradition was gradually wiped out by the civilizing forces of Charlemagne’s Empire, expanding Christianity, and the secret pogroms of House Bjornaer. The last remnants of the Goths were assimilated into the Slavic people of the region, and the shapeshifters are believed to have been eradicated shortly after the Schism War. Unbeknown to the House, the descendents of this magical tradition — the witch-women and their skin-changing people — still exist in secret in the forests of Pomerania (and perhaps elsewhere). They bear a deep and abiding resentment for the great traitor Birna, whose name is reviled in stories transmitted from generation to generation.

The Founding of House Bjornaer

Birna’s native tradition relied on shapechanging and ecstatic trances, while the magic of Bonisagus was based on a classical understanding of natural philosophy, and Birna found it necessary to change her entire worldview to adopt the new magic. However, Merinita proved to be a kind and patient mentor, and they became as sisters. With her help, Birna was able to overcome her shortcomings, and over time became an equal of the other Founders. Birna referred to the bear-shape granted by her ancestor as “the beast of her heart,” and it forever frustrated Bonisagus that his theory had no means of penetrating the “disguise” of Birna’s bear form. Birna realized that it should be possible to cause other Gifted individuals to come into communion with their own ancestral spirits. Using her knowledge of her tribe’s magical rites, and Merinita’s training in the pagan Mysteries, the two magae devised the Ritual of Twelve Years to do just that.

Birna chose her apprentices only from among the Germanic tribes. She initiated them into the heartbeast as well as Hermetic magic, and her early apprentices assisted in the teaching of the later ones, mirroring Birna’s own “apprenticeship” under Bonisagus and Merinita. Midusulf and Maruhs came from her own tribe; Midusulf literally means “mead-wolf” in Old Gothic, and signifies a bear, whereas Maruhs means “stallion” in the same language. When her third apprentice proved to be a spy from the witch-cult, Birna hunted down the traitor and ended his life with her claws and teeth; henceforth she turned her attentions to other Germanic tribes. Ilfetu (“Swan” in his native tongue) came from the marshes of ancient Frisia, whereas Wilkis (“Wolf”) and Arelie (“Eagle”) came from a Prussian tribe. Finally, Sirnas (“Stag”) originated from amongst the Wends of the Baltic Coast.

Only Ilfetu learned the Ritual of Twelve Years from his master, and the House met on a regular basis to conduct this ritual for new apprentices at Birna’s eventual home, the covenant of Crintera. At one of these early Gatherings in 831, the ancient Birna, then over a century old, imparted some last instructions to her House and disappeared forever in the form of an immense bear. Birna’s six “children” continued to recruit apprentices from the shapechanging traditions of the Germanic and Slavic tribes, just like their mater. Due to this predominance of “pagan barbarians” among the barns Bjornaer, the House quickly gained a reputation for savagery, a reputation that the House is still trying to shake. The goal of most of its members was to defend the wilderness against the invasion of the Dominion brought by the expanding human population. Birna had taught that the wilderness holds a great secret of magic, a secret that can be experienced, but not tamed. The soil unturned by plowshare, the river untouched by the prow of a boat, the forest that had yet to feel the bite of an axe; these things were sacred to Birna’s Children.

The Formation of the Clans

The last instructions offered to Birna’s followers were characteristically enigmatic. To each of her six apprentices she said but one word. To Midusulf she said “Lead,” Sirnas was told “Protect,” Ilfetu was commanded “Teach.” Maruhs was told “Strive,” Arelie “Remember,” and finally, to Wilkis she said “Nourish.” The apprentices divided the House into six clans, each of which undertook one of these duties. Wilkis, the most eloquent of the six, was appointed to be the first primus of the House on the passing of Birna. The second primus was Fauho, the filius of Midusulf, with the heartbeast of a fox.

The Early Years of the House

In the early days of the Order, a rift struck House Merinita. Two magi of that House battled to determine its future course, and when the matter was decided, the losers were accepted into House Bjornaer. They were initiated into the Outer Mystery of the House, and, despite their differing philosophy, were made welcome. This lineage has now long since died out, but they left behind a lasting legacy in the shape of a secret society within House Bjornaer (see The Huntress in the Wood).

As human populations expanded and the tangles of forests disappeared all across Europe, House Bjornaer tried to turn back the tide of mundane expansion. Most Bjornaer magi saw little wrong with extreme measures — such as killing peasants — in the fight to keep mankind within the stone walls of its towns. Many legends about ravaging creatures who could walk as both fearsome beasts and men stem from this time. In the tenth century, a member of House Bjornaer called Hérisson came to the realization that this attitude was proving counter-productive — humans destroy what they fear. The behavior of his sodales was making the locals more determined to cut down the forests and destroy all of the dangerous beasts within. Hérisson tried to convince his House to encourage the humans to live in harmony with nature, rather than attacking those who violate it. However, he was ridiculed and became the laughingstock of the House.

The Schism War

At the Gathering of Twelve Years in 999, concerns were raised that the Order of Hermes was in danger of fragmenting due to internal conflict. The non-Latinate Houses of Diedne, Ex Miscellanea, and Bjornaer seemed to be in particular danger, as the traditionally Roman Houses banded together and openly attacked magi from “primitive” traditions in flagrant disregard of the Oath of Hermes. House Bjornaer became paranoid and insular, and many retreated to Crintera. When the wholesale attacks against House Diedne began in 1004, the last few members of House Bjornaer joined their sodales in Crintera. Some Roman Houses feared that House Bjornaer would side with House Diedne, but instead, none were seen for nearly15 years until the Schism War was well and truly over.

When House Bjornaer emerged from Crintera they were lead by a primus called Salmo, a descendent of Ilfetu. He had a clear vision of the future of his House, the foremost aspect of which was to integrate themselves more closely with the Latinate Houses. Under his guidance, House Bjornaer kept a low profile, and its members gradually became more similar to the standard Hermetic magus in a deliberate attempt to prevent itself from becoming a target in the event of a future Schism War. Whilst it retains a House structure that preserves features of its tribal past, the average member of the House Bjornaer of today is as civilized and cultured as any other magus in the Order.

Another consequence of the Schism War was the increasing popularity of the teachings of Hérisson. They were attractive to the post-Schism House, primarily because they espoused a policy that attracted less attention from the Quaesitores. The more traditional members of the House started to call themselves “Wilderists” in response to these new “Harmonists.” Both factions still exist in House Bjornaer, and the Harmonists have grown to equal the Wilderists in number.

Recent Events

The most notable event to have struck House Bjornaer in the last century or so was the invasion of the island of Rügen by King Valdemar I of Denmark in 1168, followed by the conquest in 1201 of the surrounding German provinces. While the covenant of Crintera itself was safe within its regio, the House feared that the settlement of Christian folk on a formerly pagan island would result in the destruction of its aura. Appeals to both the Rhine Tribunal and the Grand Tribunal fell on deaf ears; the House was merely reminded in the strongest terms of its duty to uphold the Oath of Hermes, and many Bjornaer magi are still resentful that the Order failed them in their time of greatest need. Fifty years later, the biggest effect that this invasion actually had on House Bjornaer was to cause the primus to change twice. The first time brought the aggressive Urgen to the leadership of the House. He spent the three decades of his tenure lashing out at the mundanes and covenants whom he believed were responsible for aiding the invasion. He was popular in the House, unpopular in the Order, and largely impotent with respect to his overall goal. He resigned as primus in 1203 in favor of the present incumbent, the level-headed Falke, though he remains active in the politics of the House.

Customs of House Bjornaer

House Bjornaer has several unique conventions that set them apart from other magi, but also make them a target for accusations of savagery and barbarism. This maintenance of “primitive” customs, such as animal names and a tribal organization, forms a link to their past and their ancestors, from which the Bjornaer magi draw power. The stereotype of the Bjornaer magus is a scruffy, uncultured individual who spends much time in the wild, uses primarily natureoriented magic, and is afraid of fire. While individuals like this do exist, they are no more common in House Bjornaer than they are in any of the other Houses. They choose to adopt the trappings of a simpler existence, it is not that they are forced down this path by inferior philosophy or poor education. Members of House Bjornaer may actually benefit from this stereotype, for while their enemies underestimate them, the Bjornaer magus has the upper hand, whether it is on the Tribunal debating floor, the certamen circle, or the battlefield of Wizard’s War.

Harmonists & Wilderist

Central to the philosophy of House Bjornaer is that the wellspring of all magic is those areas that remain in their pristine state, untouched by the hand of man. Magi of the House believe that only in untouched wildernesses can the ancestral spirits be found, for the attention of mankind corrupts the pure spirits with heathenry, and they become fae. Likewise, they believe that pagan religions — even those that revere nature — are tainted by the Faerie realm, and thus anathema to the ancestors. This explains much of House Bjornaer’s antipathy towards the goals of House Merinita; the Bjornaer followers believe that faeries have usurped their ancestors.

Just how the pristine wilderness of the ancestors is to be defended has divided the House. Harmonists (Concordiarii) believe that the “invasion” of the wilderness by the growing human population is inevitable. There are too few members of House Bjornaer to be able to defend all the areas that need defending, and all humans have the right to contact their ancestors, so the Harmonists teach mundanes that they need to live in harmony with the wild. If they treat it with respect, and learn to co-exist with nature rather than try to tame it, the inherent magic of those wild places need not be destroyed.

Wilderists (Feritarii), on the other hand, wish to see humankind sent back to the cities, corralled within stone walls where they can do no harm. They ensure that humans consider forests, marshes, and moors to be places of danger, where wild beasts roam and untamable forces are in control. The ancestor sites are thereby protected from the hobnail boots of the vulgar mundanes. The more zealous members of this faction seek to revert areas that have already been tamed to their original state, driving out settlers and protecting them from further incursions. In time, they hope, the ancestors will return to these places again.

House, Clan, & Sept

House Bjornaer has a tribal internal structure, which is based on the subdivision of the House into clans, and subdivision of the clans into septs. This structure encourages a close relationship between the magi of the House; the members of a sept are usually close comrades bound by ties of mutual support. This makes House Bjornaer unusually cohesive, and magi are often surprised that these “primitive” magi are capable of the degree of organization and strength that they have displayed in the past.

The Six Clans

The basic level of organization in the House is the clan. Each apprentice accepted into the House joins the clan of those who taught him, and becomes part of that lineage. These clans are named after Birna’s six apprentices, thus there is a Clan Arelie, Clan Ilfetu, and so forth. Each clan consists of several lines of descent from these first apprentices, and together they constitute six viewpoints that drive the politics of the House. Individuals within a clan are not constrained by the political stance of their clans, yet tend to share their opinions due to their upbringing. A small tribunal may easily be dominated by a single clan. Those tribunals with few wilderness areas left tend to have members from the Harmonist clans, whereas members of Clans Midusulf, Maruhs, and Ilfetu (the Wilderist clans) are more likely towards the fringes of the Order, where primal wilderness still reigns.

Clans Midusulf and Sirnas are the largest, with about 18 members each; Clan Ilfetu is the smallest with six magi. The other three clans have about 12 members each.

The Clan Mysteries

Bjornaer magi may be initiated into both Clan Mysteries and House Mysteries. Each clan’s description lists the Initiation Scripts for the Clan Mysteries available to the members of that clan. Those Mysteries marked with an asterisk (*) in the clan descriptions below are detailed in The Mysteries: Revised Edition; the rest may be found in this book or in ArM5. The mechanics of these Scripts can be found under the heading Initiating the Clan Mysteries, below.

Clan Arelie

"Remember"

Description: Clan Arelie believes that the ancestors can be best honored through remembrance, and seeks to preserve as much of the stories and teaching of the bygone age as possible. It attempts to dispel the “Germanic barbarian” stereotype of the House, and is the most outward-looking of the clans, keen to know what is going on in the rest of the Order. Many members are taught the rare Academic Ability Art of Memory.

Political stance: Harmonist, to the point of pacifism. They are the first to complain to the House when a Wilderist acts out of turn, but have a reputation for being the last to come to the defense of the House. Clan Midusulf accuse Clan Arelie of being the caged birds of the Order in general, and the Quaesitores in particular.

Sample roles:

• Peacemaker: This magus desires nothing more than peace. He usually latches on to one particular issue at a time, and bends thoughts and deeds to resolve the conflict.
• Spy: Skilled in subtle magics and mundane stealth, this magus discovers much information about others, both friends and foes. He may have a noble purpose (such as spying for the good of the House), but not all do.
• Philosopher: Skilled in rhetoric and debate, this magus has received a classical education and loves the cut and thrust of scholarly debate.

Clan Initiations:

• The Trial of the Tree: The initiate is hanged by his wrists for four days, henceforth suffering from Palsied Hands, but acquires a Piercing Gaze.
• The Deed of Forgotten Lore: The initiate must uncover a previously forgotten or unknown fact about a clan ancestor, for which he acquires the Clear Thinker Virtue.
• The Oath of the Empty Hand: The initiate vows never to raise a weapon against another being, and acquires an Affinity with Mentem.

Clan Chief: Ursula Densacer (“Sharp-Tooth” in Latin) has received accolades for her erudition from House Jerbiton, and her volumes of poetry are widely circulated by that House. She has a wolf heartbeast, and is good friends with Prima Falke.

Clan Ilfetu

"Teach"

Description: Clan Ilfetu, the most mystically inclined of the six clans, administers to the cult of ancestors, conducting all the public rites of the House. It also leads the way in discovering new Mysteries. They are dreamers and theorists, considered to be both blessed and moonstruck. While holding much of the power of the House, being the only ones to Initiate the House Mysteries, they do not overtly exercise this authority. To be a member of this clan, you must take the Clan Ilfetu Minor Virtue.

Political stance: Wilderist. Clan Ilfetu is Wilderist because Birna commanded them to preserve the wild, and the Wilderist offers the most protection to the ancestors who dwell in wild places.

Sample roles:

• Prophet: A reader of auguries, apparently more than a little mad. Their divinations and subsequent pronouncements may not be real, but they are respected.
• Theoretician: An innovator, either in Hermetic magic or the Mystery of the Heartbeast.
• Crusader: A zealous promoter of a particular religious ideal who is trying to make others see the light. If this archetype espouses a non-religious view, then it is better suited to Clan Maruhs.

Clan Initiations:

• The Trial and the Oath of the Prophet: To acquire the Mystery of Divination* (a Major Virtue), the Initiate must endure a trial and swear an oath. The Initiate is pinned under a large rock for 9 days and acquires the Visions Flaw; they must also swear always to tell the truth.
• The Deed of Honor: The Initiate must locate an ancestor site and claim it for the House, thereby receiving the Second Sight Virtue.

Clan Chief: Ardea is well-respected in the House, for many of the current generation of Bjornaer magi were Initiated into the House by this elderly maga with a heron heartbeast. Ardea is believed to be the most powerful mystic in the House, and is accorded great respect as its spiritual mother.

Clan Maruhs

“Strive”

Description: Clan Maruhs refuses to allow itself to be bound by the rules of culture, but demands to do whatever it wishes. Its members have romantic souls, and are driven by strong passions, which makes them excellent poets and daring heroes. They form a bridge between the past and future, doing their utmost to be remembered by their own descendants. They have a reputation for wildness: “As capricious as the wind and as mercurial as the Maruhs,” goes a saying in House Bjornaer.

Political Stance: Wilderist. Adopting the policies of the Harmonists would mean that Clan Maruhs would be forced to conform, and that is anathema to them. They are therefore Wilderists.

Sample roles:

• Puck: This magus delights in causing mischief, often out of a desire to break tired patterns of behavior and add a random element to people’s lives.
• Wanderer: Unable to settle, she always desires new experiences and action. This need not entail moving from one’s home, but the desire for adventure is strong.
• Rebel: This magus refuses to conform. He may be treated as a dangerous maverick or a defender of free will, but to many he is just a nuisance.

Clan Initiations:

• The Trial of Chains: Bound by magical chains and cast into a pit, the escape of the Initiate gives her more magical power (Puissant Art) at the cost of less control (Unpredictable Magic).
• The Deed of Emulation: The candidate must replicate a heroic deed performed by an ancestor as closely as is possible; this earns her the Dream Magic* Virtue.
• The Oath of the Muse: The Initiate must vow to never hesitate to follow her inspiration (gaining the Reckless Flaw); in return she is visited by the muse of Free Expression.

Clan Chief: Larus Egg-Thief is a wandering magus of no fixed covenant. In his heartbeast form of a skua (a rapacious seabird) he haunts the coasts of western Europe. His former apprentices can contact him by leaving messages in certain places he checks regularly.

Clan Midulsuf

“Lead”

Description: Descended from the eldest of Birna’s apprentices, this clan is often looked to by the others for leadership. Clan Midusulf considers that it is its sacred trust to preserve their ancestors through House Bjornaer. Those magi who fit the stereotypic view of the House as uncivilized savages are most likely to be members of Clan Midusulf, not that they care what other Houses think of them. They are arch-conservatives, resistant to change, but they also have the deepest understanding of the Mystery of the Heartbeast.

Political Stance: Wilderist. Clan Midusulf is the most fervently opposed to the Harmonist stance. They are aggressive and sometimes arrogant about getting their point across.

Sample Roles:

• Savage Warrior: This champion of the Wilderist cause lives in the wild, which he considers his territory, and he fights all who despoil it.
• Chieftain: A leader of men who rules through actions, not through words or by birth. This archetype is also suitable as a “Leader of the Pack” from Clan Wilkis.
• Recluse: This magus wants nothing more than to be left alone to conclude her studies in peace. Woe betide any who disturb her!

Clan Initiations:

• The Trial of the Sacred Marriage: The Initiate is ritually wedded to the earth through the letting of blood; he gains an Affinity with Heartbeast in return for a Study Requirement.
• The Deed of Glory: The Initiate must win some prize (an apprentice, a magical item, etc.) for the House; in return he gains Study Bonus.
• The Oath of Steadfastness: The Initiate vows to never allow an insult to Bjornaer magi to go unpunished (Oversensitive); in return his magic is stronger in the presence of other Bjornaer magi (Special Circumstances).

Clan Chief: Urgen (or more fully, Archmage Urgen Midusulfis Twin-Slayer) is the leader of Clan Midusulf, the leader of the Bjornaer Council (see below), and the former primus of the House. He is wellknown for his aggressive stance on the issue of mundane encroachment on wild places, and has been accused of harassing villages with animal attacks.

Clan Sirnas

“Protect”

Description: Much as the stag guards the herd of deer, Clan Sirnas consider themselves the protectors of all Bjornaer magi, and they believe that a direct conflict with humans will be ultimately detrimental to the House. Clan Sirnas are often accredited with noble virtues such as bravery, honor, and loyalty, and they always seem to be searching for a cause. Most of the Merinita who joined House Bjornaer in the ninth century joined Clan Sirnas.

Political Stance: Harmonist. Clan Sirnas is the most active of the Harmonist clans; unlike Clan Arelie, they believe in fighting for their ideals, and in this often find allies amongst Clan Wilkis.

Sample Roles:

• Guardian of the Wild: Holding a territory in trust for the greater good, the Guardian fiercely protects it from harm.
• Champion: This magus defends others, adopting the fights of those weaker than himself.
• Healer: The wounds of the world are entrusted to the care of a healer. This may be a literal healing of wounds, or a more general care for the hurt that has been done to nature through the actions of mankind.

Clan Initiations:

• The Trial of Self Control: The Initiate must starve himself until he collapses, despite the constant presence of food. The memory of this inflicts Deleterious Circumstances (when hungry). For this he gains the Strong Willed Virtue.
• The Deed of the Woodland Warden: The Initiate acquires the Awakening Virtue in return for protecting the wilderness from real threat.
• The Oath of the Helpful Stranger: The Initiate swears to forever protect those less strong than himself, and acquires a Minor Magical Focus in wards to assist him realizing this Oath.

Clan Chief: Ophia Sirnaus Isle-Warden lives on one of the larger uninhabited islands of the Aegean Sea. The other members of her sept dwell nearby, but this serpentmaga prefers the solitude of her retreat, which contains a shrine dedicated to Artemis.

Clan Wilkis

“Nourish”

Description: Clan Wilkis honors their ancestors by strengthening the House as a whole. Its members ensure that lore of the House is actively sought out; they rescue House secrets from the hands of outsiders, and hunt down those who endanger the House with their actions. They are expected to be loyal to the primus no matter to which clan he or she belongs, and to enforce the decisions of the Bjornaer Council. By having no explicit representative on the Bjornaer Council, Clan Wilkis remains focused on the good of the House rather than personal agendas. Clan Wilkis members often have the Pack Leader Minor Virtue, as they prefer to Initiate their apprentices into the House early in their training.

Political Stance: Harmonist. Members of Clan Wilkis tend to be disdainful of mundane populations, but believe that if they are forced to live in harmony with them, then so be it. They tend to be swayed by the opinions of the current primus, supporting the actions of the less zealous Wilderists when a Wilderist is primus, and taking a stronger Harmonist stance when (as currently), the primus is a Harmonist.

Sample Roles:

• Hunter: Skilled in finding his prey, this magus takes on the role of a hoplite, tracking down those magi who break their oaths to either the House or the Order, or both.
• Politician: The ruthless predator can find easy prey in the debating chambers of the Order of Hermes. A diplomatic politician is more suited to Clan Arelie.
• Genealogist: Aided by a prodigious memory, the genealogist tracks the lineages and septs of the House, and is consulted by all for her wisdom.

Clan Initiations:

• The Trial of Self-Negation: The Initiate must perform humiliating and degrading acts before many witnesses, becoming Infamous (and acquiring a new by-name), but the shame can fuel her rage, giving her the Berserk Virtue.
• The Deed of Fealty: The Initiate must complete a task that has no meaning other than to prove her loyalty to her House; she acquires Cautious Sorcerer.
• The Oath of Completion: The candidate vows to complete the unfinished life’s work of a clan ancestor. Such dedication grants her Life Boost.

Clan Chief: Technically, the prima is the chief of Clan Wilkis, but she appoints a deputy, currently Retetarius Bjornaer. He has a salmon heartbeast and dwells in the River Danube and its tributaries. This allows him to move swiftly to most of southern and eastern Europe, and, by crossing overland to the source of the Rhine, the rest of Europe also. His sept is one of the most widely geographically spread, but all can use the rivers as a mode of transport.

The Septs

Septs are informal groupings whose members are all from the same clan, and descended Hermetically from a common ancestor. Septs are usually named after the most recent ancestor held in common by all the members, but occasionally a prominent member of the lineage provides the name instead. Some septs consist of close “family” ties, and may share peculiarities of their magic, such as a specific Art or a common heartbeast, but other septs are formed due to geographic proximity rather than strong blood ties, and their members may be very different from one another. It is very unusual to find a sept with highly diverse heartbeasts, and most share a temperament at least.

Not all Bjornaer magi are members of a sept, but most are, for the division of the House into septs reinforces bonds of loyalty within the Hermetic “family.” Important functions of the sept are the training of apprentices, the teaching of the Abilities Heartbeast and House Bjornaer Lore, and Initiation into the clan Mysteries. A Bjornaer follower in need of assistance can call upon his sept-brothers; most Bjornaer can expect that at least one of their sept will give them a season of help, on the understanding that they owe the same in return.

The largest current sept of House Bjornaer has eight members, but 3–4 members is much more common, and members of the same sept tend to live in close proximity to one another; not necessarily at the same covenant, but certainly in neighboring ones. Bjornaer magi are rarely found alone; where there is one, there are usually other members of her sept within a week’s travel as the crow flies, or the horse gallops, or the wolf runs. If circumstances drive members further away than this, the sept may be divided. A Bjornaer magus who finds himself socially and/or geographically isolated from his sept might strike out alone, with the hopes of founding his own sept through his apprentices. However, it is more likely that he will try to form an alliance with local Bjornaer followers of the same clan, which may mean the renaming of the sept to reflect a different most recent common ancestor. For example, when the magus Stellatus moved from a covenant in the Normandy Tribunal to one in Iberia, he found a local sept of his clan, Clan Arelie, which happened to consist of Lacerta and his filius Natrix. The most recent ancestor between Stellatus and Lacerta was a ninth century magus called Suspirium, and the sept was renamed after him.

Some example septs are described below.

The Sept Gyöngy (Clan Maruhs) is a lineage that takes its name from a sorceress who never joined the Order of Hermes, but whose descendants joined during the Schism War. They were Initiated into the Outer Mystery of the House, and were found to all share a magpie heartbeast. Since then, the sept has only accepted members who have the same heartbeast, but have spread their knowledge of Dream Magic to the rest of the clan. The members of the Sept of Gyöngy share many characteristics with the form of their soul, relishing in nightmares, mischief, and the mysteries of the night.

The Sept of Orn (Clan Wilkis) consists of Aquila filia Orn, Corvus filius Aquila, Ealwynn, and Coenwulf (both trained by Hosvir Goatlegs filius Orn). They inhabit three geographically close covenants in England and Scotland. Hosvir was obsessed with rebelling against the Norman nobility of England and his filii share this goal; Aquila is disinterested in such mundanity, and when she passes into Final Twilight (which will be soon), it is likely that the sept will split into the sept of Hosvir and the sept of Aquila.

Bjornaer Names

The members of House Bjornaer place great stock in names. Upon entering the House, they choose a new name for themselves to reflect this stage in their life, and many choose the name of their heartbeast, in either Latin or their native tongue, which represents their new connection with their ancestors. Alternatively, they may take on figurative bynames, such as Flinthoof, Snake Eye, or Grey Hame. They may append this name to their given name — Richard Corvus, Ursula Sharp Tooth, etc. Bjornaer magi often adopt the name of Birna or her apprentices as a family name: “Falke Bjornaer” means, literally, “Falke of Birna’s Line”; the appropriate declensions for the barns Bjornaer are Areleins, Ilfetwis, Maruhis, Midusulfis, Sirnaus, and Wilkjis.

Throughout his life, the typical Bjornaer magus acquires new bynames to commemorate specific events in his life. For example, he may be known for a great deed (“Griffin’s Bane,” “Great Climber”), an enchanted device that he created or discovered (“Rosewood Crown,” “Fenris’s Tooth”), or an event that changed him greatly, such as Twilight scars or an injury (“Goat Legs,” “Half-Hand”). Once these names are combined with the magus’s genealogy, the recitation of the full name of a Bjornaer magus may become a prodigious feat of memory.

Some members of House Bjornaer undergo a specific Mystery that strips them of their given name and grants them a secret name (see Secret Name, below). This prevents harmful magic being used against them through the power of sympathy.

The Bjornaer Council

House Bjornaer is not ruled by its primus but instead by the Bjornaer Council, whose six seats are named after the heartbeasts of the six barns Bjornaer. The Seat of the Bear is the leader of the Bjornaer Council, and is always a member of Clan Midusulf who has a bear heartbeast. The Seat of the Wolf is occupied by the Primus, who acts as a spokesperson to the Order of Hermes through the Grand Tribunal, and directs Clan Wilkis to carry out the decisions of the council. The Seat of the Swan (Clan Ilfetu) is occupied by the House’s premier mystic, the Seat of the Horse (Clan Maruhs) is responsible for the membership of the House, the Seat of the Stag (Clan Sirnas) is the House’s protector, and the Seat of the Eagle (Clan Arelie) is responsible for keeping an eye on the rest of the Order. The magi who occupy these seats are not necessarily the leaders of their respective clans, just their spokesmen, and upon being elected to their role take up residence at Crintera.

Candidates for primus are chosen by the Bjornaer Council, whereas all other positions on the council are decided by a vote of the entire House (usually at the next Gathering of Twelve Years). The primi are most often drawn from Clan Wilkis (like the current incumbent, Falke), but even if this is not the case, they represent that clan on the Council. If a primus is chosen who has the heartbeast of a bear, then the Seats of Wolf and Bear are combined (regardless of the clan of the new primus), and the Seat of the Fox (named after Fauho, second primus of the House) is occupied by a representative from Clan Wilkis. The Seat of the Fox only exists under this circumstance.

The Gathering of Twelve Years

The members of House Bjornaer congregate every 12 years at Crintera, during which time they perform rituals associated with maintaining their lineage and solidifying the bonds within the House. The Gathering is also a social and political occasion, and no member of the House is willingly absent. It is an event central to the House’s cult of ancestors, a time to honor one’s predecessors in the company of one’s mystical family

The Gathering begins on the night of the full moon closest to the summer solstice, and magi begin to arrive up to a fortnight beforehand. Only Initiates into the House Mysteries are permitted to attend, and they assemble in human form at the center of Crintera, on top of a huge wooden platform. A pool fed by a substantial stream lies nearby. Those awaiting Initiation must wait on the ground. The Bjornaer Council intone an ancient Gothic ritual which is supposed to ensure that no shapeshifters are present at the meeting, for it causes all those with a heartbeast to simultaneously assume that form. After this initial change, individuals are free to take whichever form they prefer, although human form is most prevalent, for sheer ease of communication rather than anything else.

The Ritual of Twelve Years is then conducted for each applicant to the House; all who fail the Initiation are then escorted to the lowest level of the regio, out of Crintera and forever barred from House Bjornaer. Nominations for vacant council seats follow the Initiation, with the actual vote taking place much later in the Gathering. All Initiated members of the House, whether they have completed their apprenticeship or not, have the right to vote.

The only other organized event takes place towards the end of the Gathering. All Initiates assemble — seated — to hear the Eagle Elder present the news of the Order, and the Horse Elder recites all news from within the House. Finally, the Bear Elder announces any political decisions to be pursued over the next twelve years. Everybody present has the right to speak, signifying their desire to do so by standing up; points may be debated and decisions changed as a result of these debates.

During the rest of the Gathering, which lasts about a week, the House honors the memory of its lineage. Those skilled at the performing arts prepare songs, sagas, or mystery plays that revolve around famous ancestors, or their own deeds in pursuit of the secrets of the House. Each member of the House strives to uncover as much information about his lineage as possible, as this information is vital in the pursuit of the Inner Mysteries of the House. It is also a time for the reaffirmation of old friendships and the settling of grudges.

No Bjornaer magi discuss what goes on at Gatherings with magi from other Houses. They neither confirm nor deny anything rumored to have gone on, which has added to the mystery of the Gathering amongst the curious magi of the Order. The most paranoid members of the Order intimate that House Bjornaer have very good reasons for wanting to keep the business of the Gathering a secret.

Sagas with Bjornaer magi should not neglect the Gathering of Twelve Years (the next few will be held in 1227, 1239, and 1251); players without Bjornaer characters should be given significant characters to play during the event. It is a great opportunity to introduce powerful and enigmatic members of the House, make new friends and enemies, and resolve internal matters, as well as introduce story hooks that lead the characters into new adventures. All characters who attend a Gathering of Twelve Years should gain five experience points (as Adventure experience) which can be applied to any appropriate Ability used during the Gathering.

The Apprenticeship of a Bjornaer Magus

There are two distinct phases in the training of a young Bjornaer magus, known as the sleeping years (from Opening the Arts to the Ritual of Twelve Years) and the awakened years (from the Ritual of Twelve Years to induction into the Order).

The Sleeping Years

When Gifted children are found by a Bjornaer follower, they normally spend at least two years with the magus before apprenticeship begins. During this period the child is taught Latin and closely observed for his temperament and personality. If deemed suitable for the sept, the child is taken as an apprentice, otherwise he is passed on to another magus. A new apprentice is called a catulus, or “cub.” The catulus period is very different from the apprenticeship of other Hermetic magi. Catuli are the common property of the sept; all magi of the sept take a turn in teaching the catulus, and likewise, all members have an equal right to his assistance in the laboratory. As sept members tend to dwell in close proximity, this regular travel does not impinge upon an apprentice’s study. During the sleeping years, a sept attempts to guess the heartbeast of the catulus, based on his personality and physiognomy. This is important, for the Initiation of the Heartbeast might fail if the catulus is unsuited to the sept. Little mention is made of the cultic practices and beliefs of the House to a catulus; such secrets are revealed in the season immediately prior to the apprentice’s Initiation into the House Mystery, giving him only sufficient understanding to get him through the ritual. A catulus apprenticed to a magus without a sept receives training under one magus, much like a standard Hermetic apprenticeship.

The Awakened Years

Shared training ends when the Ritual of Twelve Years is conducted and the apprentice takes his heartbeast shape for the first time. At this point he is considered to have passed his Apprentice’s Gauntlet and is a member of House Bjornaer, with a voice equal to any other member of the House. However, the Code of Hermes specifies that an apprentice will receive 15 seasons of training over 15 years before joining the Order. A single magus therefore takes over the training of the Initiated apprentice until he is ready to swear the Oath of Hermes and become a full member of the Order. The identity of this master is determined by the sept, although occasionally the House decides that the apprentice is better placed with another master. A particularly valued apprentice may provoke fierce politicking, brawling, or certamen to determine who has the right to complete his training. The training is always completed by a magus whose own heartbeast is suited to the heartbeast of the apprentice — no lynx magus will train a hare, for example!

As well as magical training, the apprentice is taught the doctrines of the cult of ancestors and its true history, and encouraged to research his Hermetic ancestry.

Bjornaer Magi and Shapeshifting Apprentices

Contrary to the beliefs of most magi, Bjornaer followers rarely take apprentices who already have the ability to change shape. House Bjornaer insist that the heartbeast must be awakened during the Ritual of Twelve Years, and believe children who can already shapeshift must be scions of the House’s ancient enemies, or else afflicted with the curse of lycanthropy. However, it is possible — although very unlikely — for a Bjornaer follower to reach Initiation into the Order of Hermes with either the Skinchanger or Shapeshifter Virtues. Clans Arelie and Ilfetu never accept shapeshifting apprentices for fear of infiltration by their ancestral foes. Clans Midusulf and Wilkis who discover Gifted shapeshifters publicly take them as apprentices, but these apprentices always meet with unfortunate accidents during their apprenticeship, and never become members of House Bjornaer. Clans Sirnas and Maruhs take on shapeshifting children as long as the apprentice can take only a single shape, for they believe that it is better to indoctrinate such children into the House beliefs to keep them from their heritage. If the Ritual of Twelve Years awakens a different heartbeast than the shape the apprentice has been using, the child is passed over to Clan Wilkis and not seen again. Of course, these measures do not safeguard the House for certain against shapeshifters; an apprentice may be skilled at hiding his heritage, be wholly ignorant of it, or his sept may be willing to hide the apprentice’s heritage for whatever reason.

Magi who are known to have shapeshifted before Initiation are called uswaurpa (“reject”), and acquire this byname along with the scorn of their peers. A shapeshifting magus who seeks Initiation will have to demonstrate an unwillingness to use his “unnatural” powers, and must accept the Secret Name Mystery before any other, giving the House power over him should he prove false. If the Inner Mystery of the House is sought, the ancestors reject the candidate unless the magus accepts the loss of his Skinchanger or Shapeshifter Virtue as the Ordeal; this is the equivalent of taking a Minor or Major Flaw respectively. Of course, the magus can seek other Mysteries that do not care about his shapechanging abilities, such as the Huntress in the Wood (see below).

Of course, all this assumes that the magus is known to have shapes other than his heartbeast (for example, he has been witnessed using a shape other than his heartbeast). If the House is ignorant of this ability, then the Dark Secret Flaw is appropriate to the character, as the discovery of this fact could have serious repercussions. It is perhaps better to accept the scorn of the House by admitting these abilities, rather than live in fear that the secret will be discovered.

Experiences of Apprenticeship

The experiences of a Bjornaer apprenticeship vary between individuals. Most apprentices are discovered in between two Gatherings, and therefore receive their training both before their Gauntlet and after it. The Ritual of Twelve Years need not be performed at a Gathering, but this is the most convenient time and place where the mystical forces align. Those septs that seek the ritual outside of a Gathering risk failure.

If the Gifted child is found immediately before the Gathering of Twelve Years, his apprenticeship starts with the Awakening of the Heartbeast, and proceeds much like a standard Hermetic apprenticeship. However, throughout this training, he is treated as the social equal of his master, helping his master in the laboratory in return for training. In the eyes of the Order, however, the apprentice is no different from any other apprentice.

If an apprentice is discovered immediately following a Gathering, he has twelve years of being traded between members of the same sept, being treated like a child no matter what his real age. During this time he must defer to the Initiated, even if they are apprentices themselves who are physically younger than he. The awakening of his own heartbeast will occur towards the end of apprenticeship, and he will be “finished off” under a single master for only three years.

Joining House Bjornaer

On occasion, a member of the Order of Hermes wishes to join House Bjornaer from a different House. Most mature members of House Bjornaer have witnessed the Initiation of a magus from another House, but it is far from being a common event. The Bjornaer Council interviews all candidates, and if they appear to be sincere in their desire to join House Bjornaer, they are adopted by a sept. The candidate then assists that sept in its business — as if he were a catulus — earning the respect of the sept through this “apprenticeship.” After at least five years, the candidate is brought to the Ritual of Twelve Years, preferably at a Gathering. Once Initiated into the House Mystery, the candidate is accorded all privileges of the House.

A magus who can shapechange without the use of a spell is always denied entrance to the House, although a reason for the refusal is never given. Likewise, any magus who is an Initiate of another House Mystery, or known to be a member of an Esoteric Mystery (see The Mysteries Revised Edition), is refused membership. A magus cannot successfully complete the Ritual of Twelve Years if he has ever bound a familiar, even if the familiar is now dead.

The Heartbeast

The heartbeast is the name that Bjornaer magi use to describe the animal form they all possess as the mainstay of their House’s cultic practices. Bjornaer magi are taught that a human is tripartite, consisting of a material body, an immaterial spirit, and an immortal soul. The spirit forms the link between the body and the soul, and controls the animal passions, the instincts and the fears, and the tendency towards virtues and vices. They believe that the heartbeast is an active expression of a person’s spirit, and therefore every human being has the potential to possess one, but in most people it lies dormant, preventing them from fully realizing their animal nature and completing the transformation between human and animal.

The secret taught to Bjornaer apprentices is that the spirit — the dormant heartbeast — is the spirit of an animal ancestor. These ancestral spirits are inherited through the line of the father, just as the materiality of the body is derived from the mother. (The soul, of course, is derived from God, at least according to Christian magi.) The Ritual of Twelve Years brings both spiritual parts of a person — soul and spirit — into an equal partnership, allowing both to inform the body. When the soul is in control, the magus is in human form; when the ancestor spirit is in control, the magus adopts animal form.

Undergoing the Ritual of Twelve Years is the only way to gain the Heartbeast Virtue (and Ability), and is synonymous with joining House Bjornaer. The ritual is more than a rite that awakens the heartbeast: it also joins the magus to the family of House Bjornaer, much as a cutting, grafted to a tree, becomes part of that tree. Mystically, his parens is now equivalent to a true parent, and sept-brothers and -sisters are as close as true relatives following the rite. Supernatural powers that affect ancestry or descendents (such as the Merinita Target Bloodline) operate now on the Hermetic family instead of the biological family. No one can leave House Bjornaer once Initiated — a cutting taken from its parent tree withers and perishes. The obligation for ensuring such cuttings perish falls on the shoulders of Clan Wilkis. In response to heinous crimes, the Bjornaer Council may on occasion declare a Bjornaer magus an orphan, severed from his sept and anathema to the House. Such unfortunates rarely last out the year, targeted as they are by multiple Wizard’s Wars.

Every individual has a different perspective on what it means to have an awakened heartbeast. These differing opinions are due to the deeply personal nature of the heartbeast — it cannot be described, it can only be experienced. It cannot be even remotely approximated by Muto spells such as Shape of the Woodland Prowler. The transformed body might look, feel, and sound like a wolf, but it is essentially still human, with a human mind. When a Bjornaer magus becomes his heartbeast, he actually becomes a wolf, and is indistinguishable from a wolf according to any test Hermetic magic cares to devise (see Ringing the Changes). A Bjornaer maga who becomes pregnant must remain in one form from the moment the pregnancy starts to show, or else the child will not come to term. Such pregnancies result in children with the same physical form as their mother at the time of birth, regardless of the species of their father. Cross-species mating is avoided by most Bjornaer magi: the limited experience of the House is that a child with an animal father appears to lack a soul (the normal state for mundane animals), and always has the mind of a beast (that is, possesses Cunning rather than Intelligence). Children with animal mothers are always born as animals, and appear to be no different from mundane beasts.

Bjornaer magi are more in touch with their passions and emotions than most; they have come to the realization that they are as much their heartbeast as they are the human form that they inhabited before the Ritual of Twelve Years. As time goes on, they learn to identify more closely with the animal side of their nature.

Bjornaer Magi and Religion

While House Bjornaer derives power from its cult of ancestors, it is not a religion per se. These magi do not worship their ancestors, they honor them by remembrance, composing poems or songs of their deeds and performing reenactments of those deeds. These cultic practices do not interfere with the practice of any religion, with the exception of the core doctrine that every person has an animal ancestor, which can prove troubling for religious magus. The House presents this concept as a fact, offering no explanation. Bjornaer magi therefore have differing views of how this situation came about. Some simply assume that the ancestors were human, but took animal form after death. Many Christian magi link the animal ancestors to Adam’s command over the beasts, and it is the pure spirit of the beasts of Eden that accompany the soul. A more radical Christian view is that the “beasts” of Scripture (i.e., angels) are the ancestors. Other Bjornaer magi, influenced by Gnosticism, associate the introduction of animal ancestors into the lineage of humankind with the expulsion from Eden; it is a consequence of sin that humans are inflicted with animal passions (and thus animal spirits).

Pagan magi of House Bjornaer are rarely part of an organized cult, as these cults are involved in the worship of Faerie creatures and are anathema to the cult of ancestors. Instead, they tend to follow their own spiritual path, which incorporates the cultic practices of the House. The Huntress in the Wood (see below) is a counter-example of a society of pagan Bjornaer magi who profess the faith of Diana the Huntress. These zealous pagans often eschew the Inner Mysteries of the House for their own Mysteries, and may abandon the cult of ancestors altogether.

Choosing the Heartbeast

The heartbeast is part of your character as much as any other trait he possesses, and you should choose a beast that portrays the type of character you wish to play. This need not stereotype characters with similar heartbeasts. Although all magi with a fox heartbeast are cunning and sly, this is but one facet of their nature. Fox-Bjornaer can also be vengeful, forgiving, dispassionate, or lustful. They share only one (important) characteristic with each other — their essential foxishness.

Also be aware that your character’s heartbeast often has outward, physical signs as well. Most Bear-Bjornaer are large, most Weasel-Bjornaer are lithe, skinny, and small. You should not necessarily allow the heartbeast to dictate Virtues and Flaws (you do not need to buy Small Frame or Dwarf just because your character has the heartbeast of a weasel), although there is nothing wrong with doing this. However, you should certainly pick Characteristics keeping the heartbeast in mind.

Finally, consider the rest of your troupe when choosing a heartbeast, particularly if there are other Bjornaer magi in your covenant. Many Bjornaer followers do not get on with one another, particularly if they are directly opposed (Wolf and Hare) or identical (two Stags). Many animals do not share territory with members of the same species, and Bjornaer magi are no different.

Naturally, a magus can only have one heartbeast, for he only has a single spirit. Shapechangers who have multiple forms are likely to be not using their heartbeast at all, but using magic to make a physical rather than a spiritual change in form.

Heartbeast Temperaments

Heartbeasts can be divided into four basic types, named after the four classical temperaments of human physiognomy — sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. In the past, these four types had different names, deriving from the four elements (air, fire, earth, and water, respectively) or further back still, the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter). However, the temperament classification has been used by all Bjornaer magi since the Schism War, in an attempt to make a break with their pagan past.

The four main temperaments may be pure, or they may be aspected by another temperament.

Sanguine heartbeasts are birds, from the largest eagle to the smallest robin. Such characters are often gregarious and lively, quick-witted and dexterous. Those predatory birds who fly by day have a choleric aspect; water birds are considered to be phlegmatic-aspected.

Choleric heartbeasts are land animals that are active, fierce, fast, or all three; nearly all predators are choleric, as are the free-spirited herbivores such as horses. Choleric characters tend to be emotional, but they are also loyal and brave. The smallest and fastest of the predators are choleric-sanguine, whereas the larger herbivores such as the horses and stags have a melancholic aspect.

Melancholic heartbeasts are all the slow-moving land animals, or those of a generally docile nature. Melancholic characters are steadfast, not generally quick to anger, but dangerous once roused. They also tend to be lazy and greedy. The more aggressive melancholic heartbeasts (bears, bulls, wild boar) have a choleric aspect, whereas the most placid (such as hares, wild sheep, and the like) have a minor phlegmatic nature.

Phlegmatic heartbeasts are all creatures that crawl and swim. Phlegmatic characters have reputations as deep thinkers, but are often introverted and find affection difficult. All fish fall into this category, including frogs and salamanders, as well as reptiles and aquatic mammals. However, dry-skinned reptiles have a sanguine aspect, whereas land animals that have an aquatic existence, such as beaver, otters, and seals, are considered to be aspected by melancholy.

The following creatures are not available as heartbeasts:

• Domesticated Animals: Only “noble” animals became the ancestors of humans. There are Bjornaer magi who take the form of rams, bulls, and goats, but they always take the wild versions of these beasts.
• Creature Smaller than a Weasel (Size -7): Vermin are excluded for the same reason domesticated animals are; they are not noble. However, a storyguide may permit such a heartbeast, but the Dwarf Flaw should be obligatory.
• Creature Larger than an Auroch (Size +3): While there are rumors of Bjornaer magi with the heartbeasts of elephants and whales, none of these shapes have been substantiated. If a player desires to play such a creature, the storyguide should consider carefully before allowing it, as it may well unbalance the game. At the very least, it is reasonable to expect such a magus to have the Giant Blood Virtue.
• Creature with Might Scores: Only natural creatures exist as heartbeasts.
• Inanimates Objects: Objects such as rocks or clouds no spirit, and thus cannot become heartbeasts.

A creature from beyond the bounds of Mythic Europe is an unlikely choice for a heartbeast, but not impossible. However, many such beasts, like the crocodile or hyena, are so unusual to the inhabitants of Mythic Europe that they are best represented as beasts of legend with Magic Might scores (and therefore not allowed as heartbeasts). Playing a magus with a heartbeast that is a mundane version of one of these animals (if permitted by the storyguide) requires, at the very least, an exotic origin, and perhaps the Well Traveled Virtue or Outsider Flaw.

A player choosing a creature of Size –5 or smaller as a heartbeast can take it as one Size category larger if he wishes, as a particularly noble member of its species. Thus, creatures who are naturally Size –8 are allowed as heartbeasts, but only if this option is applied.

Plant Heartbeasts

The possession of a plant “heartbeast” is permitted, but such characters should be highly unusual. While having an animal ancestor is at least conceivable to the thinkers of the Mythic Europe, a plant ancestor is not. Such individuals have posed a puzzle to the philosophers of House Bjornaer, as they are not in accord with the origin myth of the House. When assuming his plant form, the Bjornaer magus is capable of doing whatever a plant can do; that is, not very much. Without the application of magic, he cannot move, nor do things that are unnatural for the season, such as bear fruit in winter. It is highly likely that such characters have the Cyclic Magic Virtue and/or Flaw. Such characters may also change their temperament and personality according to the season. Only “noble” plants may be chosen as “heartplants,” this includes trees and mystical herbs.

Shapeshifting, Lycanthropy and the Bjornaer Heartbeast

Members of other Houses often find it surprising that members of House Bjornaer do not make greater use of shapechanging spells. Bjornaer magi hardly ever know spells that can turn themselves or others into animal form, and they eschew the use of magic that makes more than a superficial change to either their heartbeast or their human form. The idea of changing shape to a creature who is not part of one’s being generates feelings of revulsion in most Bjornaer magi. Despite the general opinion of the House, there are some Bjornaer magi who transcend these bounds of “decency,” and they may suffer the disapproval of their sodales and a negative Reputation. Magi from other Houses who use shapechanging spells regularly are treated with disdain, but are not expected to know any better.

The shapeshifter who uses his innate supernatural power is treated with a superstitious dread by even the most urbane of the House. Without the Ritual of Twelve Years, these shapeshifters cannot adopt the forms of their ancestral spirits; instead, it is believed, they must acquire spirits from elsewhere. Those shapeshifters who can take multiple forms are especially abhorred as soul-stealers, a dreadful perversion of Birna’s sacred rite. All Bjornaer apprentices learn the stories of the Gothic shapeshifters who lurked on the fringes of society, stealing babies for their forbidden rituals.

Lycanthropes are afforded some pity by the House, as creatures overcome by their ancestral spirits. Instead of being in balance, their animal ancestors dominate their souls at certain phases of the moon. Bjornaer magi often take on responsibility for hunting down lycanthropes to prevent their depredations, or even for finding a cure for the fiendish curse that caused the condition in the first place.

Because of these strong feelings about shapechanging, calling a member of House Bjornaer a shapeshifter or a werewolf is considered to be a mortal insult, and has led to Wizard’s War on more than one occasion.

Ringing the Changes

There are three basic types of shapechangers in Mythic Europe, and they have different responses to magic due to their natures.

The use of a spell or invested item (including the Skinchanger Virtue) to change shape does not change the underlying fact that the target is human. While he may be affected by Animal spells, he may also be affected by Corpus and Mentem spells, and any ongoing magics using these Forms cast prior to transformation remain in effect. The transformation magic is bound by a duration, during which time the spell or effect may be detected with Intellego Vim spells. The Penetration Total of the caster must exceed the Magic Resistance of anyone that the shapechanged human wishes to touch (or attack). Furthermore, remaining in this form may incur Warping.

Those who have an innate supernatural power to change shape (represented by Virtues or Flaws such as Shapeshifter and Lycanthrope) only invoke a magical effect at the moment of transformation. Thus, the shapechange is not an active effect while that character is in animal form. Consequentially, Penetration is not required for mundane attacks, nor does the creature radiate magic or suffer Warping due to the transformation. However, this type of shapechanger is still a human in an animal shape, and so Corpus and Mentem magics are effective, as are Animal spells. An exception is the lycanthrope, who do not retain his human mind when transformed, and therefore cannot be affected by Mentem spells, although Corpus spells still work.

The heartbeast is the most total transformation of the three. Unlike the other two, the Bjornaer magus does not merely take the physical characteristics (the “accidents”) of an animal shape; he actually becomes the animal in question. Despite retaining his human intelligence, he cannot be affected by Mentem or Corpus magics while in heartbeast form. Spells already in effect before the transformation remain in effect, however. Similarly, Animal spells cast on the heartbeast remain in effect after transformation to human form. As with shapeshifters, there is no ongoing magic beyond the moment of transformation.

The Heartbeast in Play

The consequences of possessing a heartbeast are discussed below, expanding the details of the Outer Mystery of House Bjornaer. An expanded description of the Heartbeast Ability is given under New and Modified Abilities, below.

Changing Form

A Bjornaer magus can adopt his heartbeast form after a moment’s concentration, and under most circumstances this requires no roll. The actual transformation takes a full round, as the magus gradually transforms into animal form. During this round, the magus can perform most physical or mental actions unhindered, but cannot perform complex tasks such as casting spells. An action undertaken during transformation can use the Abilities of either form, as the magus controls which part of his body transforms first. Thus, he could attack with a sword, dropping it at the very end of the round as his hands become paws, or instead transform his upper body first and use a bite attack whilst his hindquarters are still changing from human legs. For small heartbeasts, these distinctions of the change may be lost because of the dramatic decrease in overall size. The transformation to human form is identical but in reverse. The clothes and possessions of the magus do not transform with him.

If the magus is under the influence of a shapechanging spell, he may attempt to adopt either of his forms by making a Stamina + Heartbeast roll, against an Ease Factor of (3 + magnitude of the spell). If successful, the spell is canceled. As the actual process of changing between shapes is a magical act, a magus affected by spells which would normally suppress his magic (such as Aegis of the Hearth) must also make a Stamina + Heartbeast roll against an Ease Factor of (3 + magnitude of the spell) to effect the transformation.

A magus in heartbeast form cannot make the gestures necessary for spellcasting; even exotic forms such as apes do not have sufficient manual dexterity. It is not possible for a magus to partially change form without assistance from a spell or the Mystery of Theriomorphy (see House Mysteries, below).

Statistics of Shapechangers

Appendix B to this chapter describes the process for producing the statistics for an average member of a particular species, but most player characters are not average humans, and so tend to have characteristics in animal form that differ from the species average. For Bjornaer magi and other shapeshifters, determine the statistics for the creature as described in the appendix, then follow these steps:

1. Characteristics: For all Characteristics other than Intelligence/Cunning:

• If the human and the animal Characteristic are both negative, use the lower of the two.
• If the human and the animal Characteristic are both positive, use the higher of the two.

Otherwise, add the two Characteristics together.

2. Cunning vs Intelligence: If the shapechanger is a lycanthrope, apply the Cunning score of the animal, otherwise retain human Intelligence. Example:

• Ulf (magus): Int +2, Per +1, Pre +2, Com 0, Str –1, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik +1
• Wolf: Cun +1, Per +2, Pre 0, Com +1, Str –1, Sta +3, Dex +2, Qik +1
• Ulf in Heartbeast form:
  • Int +2 (human value)
  • Per +1 (sum of human –1 and wolf +2)
  • Pre +2 (sum of human +2 and wolf 0)
  • Com +1 (sum of human 0 and wolf +1)
  • Str –1 (lowest of human –1 and wolf –1)
  • Sta +3 (highest of human +1 and wolf +3)
  • Dex +2 (highest of human +1 and wolf +2)
  • Qik +1 (highest of human +1 and wolf +1)

3. Size: Human Size has no impact on the Size statistic of the shapechanged form. However, if the animal form is within the size range of most animals (Size –4 to Size 0) and the character has a Virtue or Flaw that affects Size, then she will be a notably large or small member of her species.

4. Virtues and Flaws: Apply all the Virtues and Flaws of the animal form while shapechanged, as well as all Virtues and Flaws of the human form, if applicable. For example, a Lame character is still Lame as an animal. If the animal form already has a Virtue or Flaw possessed by the character, it applies only once.

5. General Abilities: Use the General Abilities of the animal form. None of the human General Abilities can be accessed other than languages (which can still be understood) and lores. The General Abilities of the animal form are not suitable for human bodies, and cannot be taught to human characters. Arcane and Academic Abilities are available to the shapechanger if he retains Intelligence. Supernatural Abilities can always be used.

6. Communicating: Acquire the ability to communicate with members of the same or similar species as the shapechanged form. Animals of the same temperament and aspect, which also share the same diet and habitat, can be considered to speak dialects of the same language. Thus, it can be assumed that all eagles, hawks, and buzzards share a common language, but this differs from the shared language of the swans, storks, and herons, and also from the language spoken by songbirds.

7. Wounds: Any wounds taken in the human form are reflected in the animal form, and vice versa. Thus, a human with a Medium Wound has a Medium Wound in cat form, despite the fact that if that wound had been inflicted when in cat form, it would have been more serious due to the different wound ranges of a cat and a human. Lycanthropes are an exception to this — when transforming back into human form, all wounds taken while an animal are healed, although wounds suffered as a human remain.

8. Experience: A character who spends a substantial amount of time in animal form may apply any experience gained for that period (either through adventuring, exposure, or practice) to the Abilities of her animal form.

The Hidden Shape

Another aspect of the Bjornaer heartbeast is called the Hidden Shape. While the actual act of change is magical, there is no continuing mystical effect once the transformation has taken place, because the heartbeast is a reflection of the magus’s essential nature. To any magic that is subject to the Limit of Essential Nature (including Hermetic magic), a heartbeast appears as a mundane animal. Nevertheless, a Bjornaer magus in heartbeast form under the influence of a magical effect (including Parma Magica) may be distinguished from a mundane beast by spells and powers that can detect the presence of magic. The magus still has The Gift, but humans rarely notice the negative social penalties of a wild animal, as they are usually pretty distrustful of wild animals anyway.

Bjornaer Magi and Familiar

The final consequence of being Initiated into the Outer Mystery of House Bjornaer is the inability to bind a familiar. The Ritual of Twelve Years, like other Mysteries of Initiation, leaves a scar on the soul of the Initiated magus; Birna, having no personal desire to bond a familiar, considered it to be an acceptable loss when she invented the ritual. Any magus who has ever bound a familiar, even if it has since died, cannot successfully complete the Ritual of Twelve Years, and so cannot join the House.

Heartbeasts and Wizard's Twilight

When a Bjornaer magus undergoes Wizard’s Twilight, he usually adopts the form of his heartbeast. However, he often acts like the mundane animal of his heartbeast rather than as a being with intelligence, and some liken Wizard’s Twilight to a form of Bjornaer Lycanthropy (although not within earshot of a member of the House!). Magi with high Warping Scores may well adopt the form of their innermost heartbeast (see Inner Mysteries, below).

When Final Twilight comes to a Bjornaer magus, he always adopts the form of his heartbeast and flees all human contact. If the magus only knows the Outer House Mystery, he becomes a mundane beast. However, if he has achieved any of the Inner Mysteries of the House, he converts into his inner heartbeast and acquires a Magic Might equal to (5 x Heartbeast Ability). House Bjornaer refers to these beings as Great Beasts, and treats them with a great deal of reverence and superstition. The appearance of a Great Beast is considered to be a powerful omen, especially at the Gathering of Twelve Years. The last time a Great Beast was seen was at the Gathering of 1167; only a year later, the island was invaded by the King of Denmark.

Magical Items and Changing Form

Bjornaer magi who make enchanted items for their own use face a problem when changing form, in that they will not wish to abandon the items if they are the wrong size or they can no longer hold them. The solution is the following well-known effect, instilled into the item, and then connected with a Linked Trigger to any other effects instilled in the item, such as those that change its size, shape, or appearance.

Perceive the Change

• InAn 14
• R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
• Pen 0, constant effect

This effect detects whether the enchanted item is touching an animal; if so, it triggers any effects tied to it with a Linked Trigger. Linked powers should be designed with constant effect. It cancels any linked effects as soon as human form is assumed. The wielder can choose not to resist this effect. If this effect is instilled in a talisman, it can be made with Range Personal for a final level of 9.

(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Sun; +1 two uses/day, +3 environmental trigger [sunrise/sunset])

The Mysteries of House Bjornaer

The Outer Mystery of House Bjornaer is the Heartbeast, which brings the ancestral spirit into harmony with the human soul. It prepares the way for acceptance of the House Mysteries, which allow the magus to emulate his ancestors and their magic. The Clan Mysteries assist the clans in fulfilling the duties to their ancestors. The Inner Mysteries of House Bjornaer bring the magus even closer to his ancestors. The magus learns through the process of atavism — the acquisition of ancestral characteristics — how to adopt the form of a particularly notable animal ancestor. He acquires a third form of the heartbeast; giving him an outer heartbeast (the animal form) and an inner heartbeast (the ancestral form).

Initiating the Clan Mysteries

Clan Mysteries are Initiated by elder members of the clan acting as Mystagogues; these clan members are often members of the same sept as the Initiate. The Initiation Scripts used by a clan are unique to that clan, and are not employed by other clans. These Scripts originated from the native beliefs of the founders of each clan, but have been elaborated over the years; however, they all follow broadly a similar template. All Clan Mysteries (with Clan Ilfetu as the only exception) are Minor Virtues, and thus have an Ease Factor of 15. They require a Mystagogue who knows the sought Virtue and has a (Presence + House Bjornaer Lore) of at least 8, although a previous Ordeal bonus may be in effect, which reduces this.

The Trial of (Name): In a special place and at a special time (+3), the Initiate must undergo a rite of physical or mental mortification (+1), and suffers a Minor Ordeal (+3). If a Major Ordeal is suffered instead, this script has a +13 Script bonus.

The Deed of (Name): The Initiate is charged to discover a quest that will satisfy his ancestors (+3); complete that quest (+3); then spend a season composing a poem, lay, or song detailing his heroic deed (+1).

The Oath of (Name): The Initiate must make a solemn oath equivalent to the Vow Flaw (+3) that will please her ancestors, and spend a year demonstrating her dedication to that oath (+1). Her Mystagogue must then spend a season teaching her the new Virtue (+3). If the oath is broken in a minor way, the Virtue is lost until amends are made. If broken in a major fashion, no restitution is sufficient.

Example Ancestor Sites

Pripet Marshes: The Pripet Marshes, in the Novgorod Tribunal, are the supposed origin of all the Slavic people, although all migrated away many centuries ago. They are occupied (and protected) by the Bjornaer-only covenant of Pripet Maior, who are careful not to interact too closely with the spirits of the marsh, least they become tainted by human imagination and turn fae.

Kerry Mountain Pool: Deep in the Kerry Mountains in Hibernia there is a pool where the ancient Irish came to cast votive offerings of great personal value to their ancestors. The still black waters of the pool are believed to hide untold wealth in gold, silver, and perhaps even ancient enchantments.

Initiating the House Mysteries

The House Mysteries (Heartbeast, Secret Name, Sensory Magic, Theriomorphy) are Initiated by members of Clan Ilfetu. The description of each of the House Mysteries listed below includes the Initiation Script, although alternate, more stringent scripts may be known to Clan Ilfetu if the Mystagogue does not know the Virtue being Initiated, or has insufficient knowledge of the House Lore. However, the Ritual of Twelve Years is the only method employed by the House to Initiate new members.

The Initiation Scripts for the House Mysteries often call for the ritual to be conducted in a specific location that is resonant with the power of the ancestors, known as an ancestor site. All members of House Bjornaer know Crintera to be such a place, but other locations are also known to Clan Ilfetu. These are invariably located in regions of pristine wilderness, far from the habitations of mankind, where the ancients made long pilgrimages to make offerings to their ancestor spirits. As such, reaching the location of the rite is not merely a long journey, it is one fraught with peril, for the spirits guard these regions still, and set challenges to test the mettle of those who would reach them.

The Ritual of Twelve Years (Minor House Mystery)

This is the Initiation rite of the Mystery of House Bjornaer, which confers the Heartbeast Virtue. Only members of Clan Ilfetu know the Initiation Script for the Ritual of Twelve Years. The Gathering of Twelve Years is a particularly propitious time for the ritual, but it can take place at any ancestor site, at an appropriate time calculated by the Mystagogue. Any magus who wishes to be present at the ritual is entitled to attend (and typically the members of the Initiate’s sept are present), but the sept has the right to dismiss participants who they believe might upset the mystic balance of the ritual by having contrary heartbeasts. By tradition, those magi who took part in the training of the Initiate (his sept), the Mystagogue, and up to six others cannot be refused attendance at the ritual, but the sept can turn away individuals in excess of this, if they choose.

The temperament of the heartbeast is usually evident in the personality (and even the appearance) of the Initiate. The ritual is only likely to fail if the heartbeast of the Initiate is completely contrary to those of the witnesses. As there is no way of determining a heartbeast or its temperament for sure prior to the ritual, this unfortunate situation does occur, but it is rare. The Ritual of Twelve Years can never be repeated for the same Initiate; thus, an Initiate who fails can never enter House Bjornaer. If Initiation is successful, the probationer immediately adopts the shape of his heartbeast, and gains the Heartbeast Virtue and Ability at level 1.

Ardea, the Swan Elder who conducts this ritual at the Gathering of Twelve Years, has a Presence of +3, the Puissant House Bjornaer Lore Virtue, an House Bjornaer Lore of 8+2, and a sanguine heartbeast (a heron).

Initiation of Heartbeast (The Ritual of Twelve Years)

• Ease Factor: 15 (Minor Virtue known to the Mystagogue)
• Script Bonus: +6 + Participation Modifier (see below)
• Script Details: At a place and time resonant with the House ancestors (+3), the Initiate forever loses the ability to bind a familiar (+3). The Participation Modifier provides +1 for every witness who has the same temperament as the probationer’s heartbeast and –1 for every witness who has an opposing temperament (sanguine opposes melancholic and choleric opposes phlegmatic). The Mystagogue is included in this modifier.

For the purposes of future Initiation into Clan or House Mysteries, the permanent loss of the ability to bind a familiar counts as a Minor Ordeal, but only if the character is Initiated after character creation (for example, if a magus joins House Bjornaer from another House).

Story Seed: A Thousand Heartbeasts

It is a well-kept secret of Clan Ilfetu that The Gift is not a pre-requisite for Initiation into the Heartbeast Mystery (although a different Initiation Script is required for the unGifted, as the Ordeal that destroys the ability to bind a familiar is not appropriate). However, as the ritual binds the Initiate to the Hermetic ancestors, no sane Mystagogue would mystically adopt a mundane into the Bjornaer family through Initiation.

However, rumor has it that a rogue member of Clan Ilfetu is doing precisely this. Clan Ilfetu is horrified at the profanation of its most sacred ritual, while the House is concerned that the Code has been broken. Stories of whole villages of mundanes able to access their heartbeasts are surely exaggerations, aren’t they? More worryingly, these mundanes have all become part of House Bjornaer through the ritual — what is the House going to do with them?

Secret Name (Minor House Mystery)

This Mystery permanently severs the sympathetic resonances of the magus’s name and forges them anew with a name known only to the Mystagogue and the Initiate. All Arcane Connections to the magus that date from before the ritual immediately expire upon its completion, and all sympathetic connections become invalid. The magus produces new Arcane Connections after the ritual has taken place, but no sympathetic connection will ever work against him again, even if created after the ritual. The Mystagogue provides a secret name that allows the magus to work magic upon himself; without this he would not be able to use the Personal Range. However, anyone knowing the secret name — such as the Mystagogue, or wizards who know the mystery of Synthemata Magic (see The Mysteries Revised Edition) — need not subtract the spell level from the Penetration Total of any spells cast against the target, much like the Weak Magic Resistance Flaw. Clan Ilfetu considers these secret names to be a sacred trust, and has never been suspected of misusing them.

The Initiate chooses a new public name as well as receiving the secret one. There is inevitably a time of confusion while sodales get used to referring to the magus by his new public name, but this is part of the symbolic sacrifi ce of this Mystery. This Mystery can benefit any person (Gifted or not) who possesses Magic Resistance, and those few magi outside the House who learn of it occasionally ask the House to perform it on their behalf.

The Initiation of this Mystery fails if the magus has a Talisman or a Familiar; these enchantments form too great a tie to the magus’s past identity to be broken by the Initiation process.

Initiation of Secret Name

• Ease Factor: 15 (Minor Virtue known to the Mystagogue)
• Script Bonus: +8
• Script Details: On the anniversary of the Initiate’s birth, the Mystagogue and the Initiate enter a round tent that has been set up on an ancestor site (+3) and perform a ritual cleansing together which must end at the hour of the Initiate’s birth (+2); the Initiate acquires a minor version of the Weak Magic Resistance Flaw, a Minor Ordeal (+3).

Theriomorphy (Minor House Mystery)

Using this Mystery, a magus may apply any Quality (see the appendix to this chapter, below) or Virtue possessed by his Heartbeast to his human form on a Stamina + Heartbeast roll against an Ease Factor of 9. This process takes a whole round. He gains all the benefi ts for that Quality, but also undergoes a physical change to refl ect the abilities acquired. For example, if Fast Runner is added to the human form, the magus acquires the legs of his heartbeast. If he adds Sharp Ears, he grows a set of animal ears. The magus may acquire natural weapons in this fashion, employing them using his human Brawl Ability. To rid himself of the Quality or Virtue, the magus must make another Stamina + Heartbeast roll against an Ease Factor of 9.

Use of this Virtue is not protected by the Hidden Shape, and counts as a constant mystical effect with respect to Warping. Use of this Mystery in front of others (particularly mundanes) may have a strong psychological effect; a Brave roll is required to face such a creature.

If a magus with this Mystery also has an inner heartbeast (see below), he may access the Minor Powers of the Inner Heartbeast as well as its Qualities and Virtues. Many Bjornaer magi dislike this Mystery, but some manage to overcome their revulsion for shapeshifting in return for its utility.

Initiation of Theriomorphy

• Ease Factor: 15 (Minor Virtue known to the Mystagogue)
• Script Bonus: +6
• Script Details: The Initiate must spend a whole year as his heartbeast, acting entirely in accordance with the abilities of a mundane animal, eschewing both magic and his Parma Magica (+3). This is followed by a ritual that awakens this power and taints the human form permanently with an animal feature, a Minor Ordeal refl ected in either Feral Scent or Disfigured (animal feature) (+3).

Sensory Magic (Minor House Mystery)

House Bjornaer know spells which affect all those who hear a lion’s roar, get caught in the gaze of a wolf, or smell the musk of a stag. They can attach a magical scent to an area to create a ward and coopt a target’s hearing to spread Mentem effects. These are all special categories of Targets, invented by Birna and Bonisagus together, but the work was never completed, and they were imperfectly melded to Hermetic Theory, remaining a Mystery of House Bjornaer.

Each of these Targets consists of an area of effect. When within this area of effect, anyone sensing the Bjornaer magus through the specifi ed sense becomes a target of the spell. For example, with the Scent Target, anyone able to smell the caster is affected by the spell. Targets need not be present at the casting of the spell, and are continuously acquired throughout the spell’s duration. The effects on all targets ceases with the spell’s expiry, no matter how long they have been affected

There are a number of restrictions on these spells:

• The Range must be Personal, and spells must penetrate the Magic Resistance (if any) of those within the area of effect to take effect, although the caster is never affected by his own Sensory Magic.
• The magus must create a taste, texture, scent, sound, or spectacle that transmits the spell to the target. This sensory medium may be mundane, magical, or even created by the magus’s sigil. The magus must continue to radiate these species to affect new targets throughout the spell’s duration, so, for example, a magus who becomes invisible after casting a spell with a Spectacle Target cannot affect new targets. The caster is always at the center of his spell’s effect.
• The spell can only affect a being who is capable of sensing the caster in the way specifi ed. For example, deaf people are immune to Target Sound spells. Similarly, non-living objects cannot be affected by these spells.
• The spell cannot employ the Technique of Intellego, even as a requisite. Spells which grant magical senses (see ArM5, pages 113–114) fill that role. As magical senses were successfully integrated into standard Hermetic theory by Birna and Bonisagus, they do not require this Mystery to invent.
• The Form of the spell must be appropriate to the sensory medium. An Ignem spell cannot be transmitted by sound, because fi res don’t affect people through sound, but through touch (burning) and sight (brightness) instead.
• These spells cannot be invested into magical items.
• Characters who have not been Initiated into this mystery cannot learn Sensory Magic spells from those who have been Initiated, or invent them from their Lab Texts.

When inventing Formulaic or Ritual spells which employ Sensory Targets, the magus’s Heartbeast Ability score is added to the Lab Total. This also limits which spells a magus is capable of using — the spell must not be inappropriate to the caster’s heartbeast. A Bjornaer magus with the heartbeast of a hare is unable to duplicate the spell Scent of the Predator listed below, for example. The storyguide, as always, is the fi nal arbiter of which spells can be produced by which Bjornaer magi. Bjornaer magi with Sensory Magic are more in touch with their senses than the average magus, and may also add their Heartbeast Ability score to their Lab Totals when inventing Intellego spells that grant magical senses

Sensory Targets

Flavor

The spell affects any being that tastes the caster (or anything else included in his Personal set of items). The Flavor Target is equivalent to Individual.

Texture

The spell affects any being who touches the caster. This differs from Touch Range in that the spell affects any appropriate target who touches the caster while the spell persists. The target must touch the caster’s skin with its own, and be theoretically able to describe the texture of it. Remember that the target must be capable of perceiving a touch, therefore this target cannot be used, for example, to destroy all weapons that touch the magus. The Texture Target is equivalent to Part.

Scent

The spell affects any being who smells the caster, effective over approximately three paces. Wind conditions can affect the area infl uenced of the spell, providing directionality or increasing the area of effect up to a six-paces radius. Creatures with a keen sense of smell (or characters with that Virtue, see New Virtues) can be affected from even further away, up to 15 paces. The Scent Target is equivalent to Group.

Sound

The spell affects any being who hears the sound the caster makes. Use the Voice Range column of the Words and Gestures table on ArM5, page 83 to determine the area of effect around the magus. Potential targets with the Poor Hearing Flaw (or those who have blocked their ears) are treated as one category further away from the caster; those with the Sharp Ears Virtue are considered to be one category closer. These spells can be cast without any words (at the usual penalty), but an actual sound must be created to carry the spell. The Sound Target is equivalent to Structure.

Spectacle

The spell affects any being who sees the caster. Targets looking in completely the wrong direction cannot be affected. Those looking vaguely in the caster’s direction are as likely as not catch him in their fi eld of view, which is suffi cient to transmit the spell. A potential target need not be able to see the caster clearly — a shadowy shape in the fog or a distant figure is sufficient, as long as the general form can be determined. A lesser-known ramifi cation of this Target is that anyone scrying on the caster is also affected. Those with the Keen Vision Virtue are more likely to see the caster, whereas those with Poor Eyesight are at an advantage avoiding the effect. The Spectacle Target is the equivalent of Boundary.

Initiation of Sensory Magic

• Ease Factor: 15 (Minor Virtue known to the Mystagogue)
• Script Bonus: +9
• Script Details: The Initiate must craft an object in the shape of his heartbeast and enchant it with the ability to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. He must then locate an ancestor site with a deep pool in which no man has swum, and, at the dark of the moon (+3), cast the enchanted item into it (a major sacrifice of time and vis, +6).

Initiating the Mysteries of the Inner Heartbeast

As a magus of House Bjornaer researches the legends of his ancestors, he discovers that some were able to assume the forms of Great Beasts before succumbing to Final Twilight, becoming creatures of myth with a host of supernatural powers. Furthermore, those who enter Final Twilight as Great Beasts do not die a natural death, and they may be sought out to reveal the secret of the Inner Heartbeast. The Bjornaer magus must have an House Bjornaer Lore of at least 5 to reach this conclusion. The player of a Bjornaer magus should discuss with his storyguide what he sees as the form of his magus’s inner heartbeast to be before his character begins this Initiation; broadly speaking, there are three choices: a perfect epitome of his species; a chimera or amalgam of two or more creatures; or an anima, a creature of pure elemental matter. Each is considered a separate Inner Mystery of House Bjornaer.

Example: Ulf Bjornaer is a magus with the heartbeast of a wolf, and a Magical Focus in Fear. He wishes to be able to adopt the inner heartbeast of a shadow-wolf, a creature of darkness and terror (an anima).

Naturally, a Bjornaer magus may have many potential ancestors to learn from, but the search should narrow quickly, excluding those ancestors who have inappropriate heartbeasts, or who have pursued a path that is incompatible with that desired by the postulant. Of those who are left, some will inevitably have perished through violence or misadventure, and others will be completely untraceable. By the time the magus has eventually stumbled upon a true lead to a suitable ancestor, he has passed the fi rst hurdle to this Inner Mystery.

Example: After many false starts, Ulf finally discovers that his ancestor Lupercus haunts the Bielowezca Forest in the form of an immense wolf, and he sets out for Poland.

The second stage of the Quest towards this Inner Mystery is to communicate with the Great Beast and convince it to impart the knowledge sought. Great Beasts have succumbed to Final Twilight and become creatures of the Magic realm; however, they were once human, and most are still in possession of true Intelligence. Despite this, they now possess wholly different motivations and goals, most of which are utterly inscrutable. Successfully communicating with a Great Beast can be a lengthy and frustrating process.

Example: The Great Beast that was once Lupercus is a wily quarry, quite beyond Ulf’s ability to track. It takes him months to even get a glimpse of his ancestor, and Ulf starts to despair of any actual contact. Finally, one of Ulf’s nightly howls, hitherto unaccompanied, is joined by an immensely deep wolf-voice, and Ulf knows he has made contact.

The ancestor may put any obstacles in the way of a postulant magus that the storyguide desires. A magus must show his dedication to the cause; Great Beasts disdain the company of magi, who are painful reminders of their own lost humanity, and only the most persistent seekers attract their favor. Great Beasts set tasks and trials for their prospective students; in game terms, the magus must earn a total of 10 Adventure experience points from these trials. These experience points are not spent on advancement; instead, the seasons usually spent resolv ing these experience points into Abilities are instead spent contemplating how the tasks being set by the Great Beast relate to the Mystery sought.

Example: Ulf communicates nightly with his mentor over the vast distances that the wolf howls carry. Under his ancestor’s instruction, the magus drives a village of hunters from the edges of the Bielowiezca and becomes leader of the forest’s largest wolf-packs without using his magical capabilities. Ulf realizes that his ancestor is making him act like a creature of stealth, cunning, darkness, and fear, and resolves this learning into the fi rst glimmering of how he can become the creature he desires.

Once the magus has completed the Quests, the Great Beast agrees to Initiate the Mystery of the Inner Heartbeast. This process takes a season as the Great Beast tears apart the ancestral spirit of the magus and reassembles it in the form of the inner heartbeast. The magus suffers either a Hermetic or Supernatural Major Flaw as part of this Ordeal. Every Great Beast imposes its own choice of Ordeal, which refl ects the desired Inner Heartbeast. Common Ordeals include a Deficient Technique (a serpent epitome might find Creo magics particularly dif ficult), a Necessary Condition (a bull chimera might need to be touching the ground), a Restriction (a choleric anima might not be able to use magic when at sea), or a Greater Malediction (burned by sunlight, silver becomes poisonous, and so forth). Some Great Beasts even inflict the Lycanthrope Flaw on their Initiates, making them lose control over their inner heartbeast for a few nights each month.

At the end of the season, the Initiation Total based on the scores of the Great Beast (as Mystagogue) is calculated, and if it equals or exceeds the Ease Factor, then the Initiation is successful and the magus acquires whichever of the three Inner Heartbeast Mysteries he was attempting to learn.

Example: Satisfi ed by his pupil’s dedication, the Great Beast fi nally meets with Ulf, appearing without warning out of the shadows. Over the course of a season, Ulf runs nightly at his ancestor’s side, and within his shadow acquires a weakness for light — the Restriction (bright light) Flaw. At the end of the season, his Initiation into the Mystery of the Anima is complete.

Initiation to The Mystery of tHe Inner Heartbeast

• Ease Factor: 21 (Major Virtue known to the Great Beast)
• Script Bonus: +13
• Script Details: The Initiate must Sacrifi ce time to discover a suitable ancestor (+1), Quest to achieve the approval of the Great Beast (+3), and undergo a Major Ordeal (+9).

The Three Inner Mysteries

There are three paths to the Inner Mysteries of House Bjornaer, each with a different type of inner heartbeast as its ultimate goal.

The Mystery of the Epitome (Major House Mystery)

The Gifted man is a more Perfect Man, the Virtuous Beast is a more Perfect Beast.

The Great Beast shows the magus how to perfect the form of his heartbeast so that it is a perfection of the base form and a closer refl ection of the ideal form of that creature — a Beast of Virtue. A Beast of Virtue is a supernatural version of a mundane beast. In appearance it does not vary substantially from the mundane animal, although it may be larger and more impressive. This is the most common path of House Bjornaer, bringing the magus into closer contact with the essence of his true self.

Upon being Initiated into this Mystery, the inner heartbeast is drawn out from the outer heartbeast. There are a number of benefi ts to this transformation:

• One Characteristic of the inner heartbeast (other than Intelligence) receives a permanent +3 bonus to the value of the base animal (ignoring any adjustments for the magus’s own Characteristics). That same Characteristic receives a permanent +1 bonus in human form as well, which might alter the Characteristics of the outer heartbeast in the usual fashion. The Characteristic raised in this fashion must be one for which the mundane beast is well-known, such as an eagle’s Perception, a wolf’s Presence, or a bear’s Stamina.

Example: An eagle has a Perception of +2, but the Bjornaer magus’s human Perception is –1, so his outer heartbeast has a Perception of +1. However, his inner heartbeast acquires a Perception of +5, and his human form also gets a +1 bonus for a final Perception of 0. This means that his outer heartbeast finishes with a Perception of +5."

• The inner heartbeast may perform a Mythic Feat related to its increased Characteristic at a cost of 1 Confidence Point. A Mythic Feat is an automatically successful incredible action that would normally be covered by a single die roll, and cannot be used on an activity which usually takes days or seasons to perform.

• The inner heartbeast is a perfect specimen of its type. When in the form of his virtuous inner heartbeast, a Bjornaer magus does not suffer from any Physical Flaws that would normally affect his shape. A Lame magus is not lame as a Beast of Virtue, for example, although he is still affected by that Flaw as his outer heartbeast.

Sample Mythic Feats

• Perception: See a sword being drawn at a mile distance; hear grass grow
• Presence: Stop a riot with a glance, make an animal slavishly obedient
• Communication: Command a creature to obey to the death, speak a language never heard
• Strength: Lift something 20 times one’s own weight, inflict a Heavy Wound on a creature of Size +1 or less on a successful attack
• Stamina: Become immovable until choosing to move (Grapple Strength of 21 required to move such a character), ignore an Incapacitating Wound for two minutes, recover a Light Wound

overnight

• Dexterity: Run across treetops, fight two opponents simultaneously
• Quickness: Move at ten times normal speed until fatigued, act twice in a single round

The Mystery of the Chimera (Major House Mystery)

The Beasts of Legend are our Ancestors, not our Foes.

The Great Beast transforms the outer heartbeast into a new inner heartbeast that combines the features of more than one mundane creature. Such a hybrid creature is called a chimera. There are a number of famous chimeras mentioned in legend, such as the griffi n, hippogriff, and unicorn, but the chimera need not mimic one of these famous examples. Instead, the inner heartbeast can take any two creatures and borrow features from each. The storyguide should ensure that the combined form chosen as a character’s inner heartbeast is still noble; for example, a hybrid of tortoise and falcon looks ridiculous, even though the individual animals qualify as noble.

Naturally, one of the base creatures must be the outer heartbeast of the magus, and for the most part, this animal should make up at least half of the chimera’s body. It is impossible to include human as one of the components of the chimerical form (creating a centaur or mermaid, for example).

Once the shape of the basic chimera has been decided, the storyguide and player should decide which Characteristics, Abilities, Virtues, and Qualities (see the appendix to this chap ter, below) are retained by the chimera from each of its parent animals. This determines the base form of the inner heartbeast.

As well as combining features from each animal form, there are a number of other benefi ts to this transformation:

• A chimerical heartbeast is one size category larger than the outer heartbeast, or as big as the creature added to the outer heartbeast, whichever results in the greatest fi nal size.

Example: An eagle-Bjornaer (Size –2) acquiring Characteristics of a Lion (Size +2) becomes Size +2. A lion-Bjornaer adding the features of an eagle becomes Size +3.

• The inner heartbeast gains a new Minor Virtue. Sanguine heartbeasts gain Lightning Refl exes. Choleric heartbeasts gain Reserves of Strength. Melancholic heartbeasts gain a Lesser

Immunity (the player and storyguide should determine this immunity between them). Phlegmatic heartbeasts gain Intuition. If the character already has the Virtue in question, the storyguide should pick another suitable one.

• The combat abilities of the chimera are determined by the Abilities, Virtues, and Qualities it retains from each of its forms.

The Mystery of the Anima (Major House Mystery)

Open Your Heart to the Realm of Magic.

The Great Beast transforms the heartbeast into a spiritual or elemental form. These are often the hardest translations to inner heartbeast to make because of the new form is so wholly different from the old one, and are consequently the least common.

Upon acquiring this Inner Mystery, the Bjornaer magus can transform into a creature of the same shape and size as his outer heartbeast, but composed of elemental matter. This body may be made of one of the traditional four elements of earth, fi re, air, or water, or other matter such as smoke or shadow. While in this form, the magus is affected by the Hermetic Form associated with (or closest to) that element, rather than the Form of Animal.

Sample Elemental Forms

• Stone: The body is transformed into solid stone. The magus’s mass increases fi ve-fold with no change in overall dimensions (+2 to Size with correspondingly increased wound range, but Strength is unaffected). His Soak receives a +15 bonus, but Quickness is reduced by 5.
• Air: As Cloak of Mist, constantly in effect.
• Fire: The body is transformed into living fi re. The magus needs no fuel to burn, but he ignites fl ammable materials that come into contact with him, and infl icts +10 damage if he touches anyone. His fire cannot be quenched, and he cannot suppress it.
• Water: As Transform to Water, constantly in effect.

Other elements should be based upon the effects listed here.

The Inner Heartbeast in Play

Once Initiated, the form of the inner heartbeast can be taken by fi rst assuming the form of their outer heartbeast, then making a Stamina + Heartbeast roll against an Ease Factor of 9. This process takes a full round, in which the magus can do nothing except defend himself, using the statistics of his outer heartbeast until the change is complete. The reverse process is the same, but requires no roll; the change from inner heartbeast to outer heartbeast is automatic.

Any powers or other features possessed by the inner heartbeast may only be used when the magus is in that form. All features of the inner heartbeast apply equally and simultaneously. The magus cannot decide to just adopt some features of his new form any more than he could take on part of his outer heartbeast. The Hidden Shape still applies to the inner heartbeast, although it is often of more limited use while in this shape, as many inner heartbeasts have obviously supernatural characteristics. Unless modified or refined by Inner Mysteries, the nner heartbeast has all of the Characteristics, Qualities, Virtues, Flaws, and Abilities of the outer heartbeast.

Refining the Inner Heartbeast

An inner heartbeast can be refined further by a number of smaller Initiations. Further Initiations involve changing the Size or Characteristics of the inner heartbeast, or acquiring new Qualities, Virtues, or Powers. The magus must rely on his own knowledge for this process of refi nement, for his Mystagogue has returned to its solitude in the wilderness.

Initiation of a Refinement

Both the teachings of his Great Beast ancestor and the lore he has gathered from the House allow a Bjornaer magus to develop an embryonic rite that serve as his fi rst step on this path. This rite begins with no Quest and no Ordeal, and involves only a season of ritual cleansing in isolation at an ancestor site (see above), invoking his ancestors and physically consuming a large amount of vis, which causes Warping. However, this rite may be insuffi cient on its own to Initiate the refi nements desired, and must be varied to grant a bigger bonus. All Initiations use the Presence of the human form, not that of either heartbeast. This embryonic Script is unique in that it can Initiate any Refi nement Mystery; however, it cannot be used to Initiate any other Mystery.

Embryonic Initiation of a Refinement Mystery

• Ease Factor: Varies, see Refi nements, below
• Script Bonus: +7 + Resonant Bonus
• Script Details: The magus must spend at least one season at an ancestor site (+3), physically consuming one pawn of vis (of an appropriate Art) per three points of the Initiation Ease Factor, and acquiring 1 Warping Point because of this (+1). The Virtue acquired can only be used in the form of the inner heartbeast (special bonus of +3). The type of inner heartbeast offers a Resonant Bonus to the Initiation of certain Refinements:

• Mystery of the Epitome: +3 to Virtues and Increasing Characteristics
• Mystery of the Chimera: +3 to Qualities and Changing Size
• Mystery of the Anima: +3 to Minor and Major Powers

This embryonic Script is rarely sufficient to Initiate the desired Mystery, and the magus must therefore usually add another Script element as detailed in the Introduction. The storyguide also adds a sympathetic Script bonus (or penalty) from –5 to +5 depending upon how suited he feels the added component is to the Initiation of the specifi c refi ne ment. This bonus should be kept a secret from the player until the Initiation rite is performed

Refinement

Refinements affect only the inner heartbeast. It is impossible to apply any Refi nement Mystery to the human form or to the outer heartbeast.

Changing Size

The Size of the inner heartbeast may be increased, one point at a time. Size increased in this way does not affect Strength or Quickness in the usual manner (see the appendix to this chapter, below). The larger the form increases past its natural size, the harder it is to Initiate this refi nement.

Appropriate vis: Muto. Ease Factor 18 + (3 per previous Size increase).

Increasing Characteristic Scores

Any Characteristic of the inner heartbeast other than Intelligence is increased by 1. The farther that Characteristics increase past their natural values, the harder it is to Initiate this refinement.

Appropriate vis: Creo. Ease Factor 18 + (3 per previous increase to this Characteristic).

Acquiring Qualities

The inner heartbeast may acquire an animal Quality, such as physical features or natural abilities. A list of Qualities can be found in the appendix to this chapter, below. Qualities generally provide lesser benefits than a Virtue does, and so the Initiation is slightly easier.

Appropriate vis: Animal. Ease Factor 15.

Acquiring Virtues

The inner heartbeast may acquire either Major or Minor Flaws from a specific list. These lists may be extended to other Virtues with the agreement of the storyguide.

Appropriate vis: Vim.

• Major virtues: Greater Immunity, Ways of the (Land). Ease Factor 30.
• Minor virtues: Enduring Constitution, Keen Sense of Smell, Keen Vision, Lesser Immunity, Lightning Refl exes, Long-Winded, Magic Sensitivity, Perfect Balance, Piercing Gaze, Rapid Convalescence, Reserves of Strength, Second Sight, Sharp Ears, Tough, Wilderness Sense. Ease Factor 18.

Acquiring Powers

The inner heartbeast may acquire a supernatural Power, designed as if it were a magical effect for an invested item, including Uses per Day and Penetration. The magus’s Lab Total in the appropriate Arts must exceed the effect level or its formulation is beyond him. However, the Power is not actually enchanted, but Initiated instead. If the desired Power cannot be formulated as a Hermetic effect, it cannot be Initiated. Sensory targets may be Initiated as Major Powers if the magus knows that Mystery. Appropriate vis: Form of Power acquired.

• Minor Powers affect only the magus himself (such as a resistance to fi re) or are Magical Sense Intellego spells. Minor Powers may have a constant effect. Ease Factor 21.
• Major Powers are any effects that can affect a target other than the Bjornaer magus himself. As a rule of thumb, if a spell needs a Penetration Total to have an effect, then it is a Major Power. Major Powers cannot have a constant effect. Ease Factor 30.

Example: Ulf’s inner heartbeast (through the Mystery of the Anima) is that of a wolf made entirely from shadows. This is treated like the air shape, and his statistics are adjusted accordingly. He wants to give himself the ability to move from shadow to shadow in order to creep up on his foes; this is a Rego Animal spell, using the Rego Corpus guidelines for instant transportation. The base level of 15 allows him to transport up to 50 paces, and he wants to be able to do this 24 times per day, for a total level of 20. (He needs to have a Rego Corpus Lab Total of 20). This Minor Power would normally require an Initiation Total of 21+ (a Minor Power), but since this is the fi rst Initiation following the Major Ordeal suffered to acquire his inner heartbeast, he is seeking a total of 12 instead.

Knowing that his anima heartbeast is amenable to the Initiation of powers, he decides not to vary the embryonic Script. His Script bonus is +10 (+7 + 3 for an anima heartbeast), which, with his Presence of 2 and House Bjornaer Lore of 5, is more than suffi cient to Initiate the Mystery. Several refi nements later, Ulf wishes to increase his Size by one point to 0. This Initiation will have an Ease Factor of 18 (he has used up all his previous Ordeal bonus). With no resonant bonus from his inner heartbeast, he decides to add a Quest to the simple Script, to seek out the largest wolf in the tribunal and defeat it in fair combat. The Script variation roll is successful, and the storyguide also awards a +3 sympathetic bonus because the Quest is so appropriate to the Mystery sought. His Script bonus is therefore +13 (7 + 3 for the quest + 3 sympathetic bonus) for an Initiation Total of 20. Had he received no sympathetic bonus for the appropriate Quest, he would have failed, and had to start again with the embryonic Script.

The Huntress in the Wood

The Esoteric Mystery Cult of the Huntress in the Wood — also known sim ply as the Huntress — guards teachings descended from the followers of Merinita who were defeated by Quendalon at the beginning of the ninth century, and who took shelter in House Bjornaer. The cult also contains members of House Merinita who reject the faerie ways of their House, and a few members of other Houses, mostly from Houses Flambeau and Ex Miscellanea, who are attracted to the messianic teachings of the cult. They have a dramatic and ambitious goal — to train and anoint a pagan messiah, to whom the Goddess Diana will grant the key to unlocking the power of nature, thus changing the entire Order of Hermes and its magic. In the pursuit of this goal they have abandoned the ancestor cult of House Bjornaer in all but name, pay ing only lip service to the House rituals at social occasions. Instead, they devote themselves to the worship of Diana in secret rituals out of sight of the rest of the House.

History of the Huntress in the Wood

The Huntress believe that the battle between Quendalon and Myanar was a battle over the leadership of the cult of Diana, the Roman goddess of animals and the hunt. In antiquity, the priest of Diana Nemorensis (“Diana of the Wood”) had to slay his predecessor to claim leadership of the cult. According to the Huntress, Quendalon fi rst slew Merinita to become the high priest of Diana, then slew Myanar, who challenged him for that leadership.

Myanar’s followers fl ed to the embrace of House Bjornaer, where they established a rival cult of Diana in secret, and hoarded fragments of scattered lore, which they claim to be Merinita’s true magic before the taint of faerie infected the House. For a couple of centuries, the society stayed hidden mostly within House Bjornaer, until in 1129, Mendalus of House Merinita proclaimed at the Grand Tribunal that Quendalon had been wrong, and the Order had a duty to follow the true path of Merinita. Several Merinita took up this pursuit of wilderness magic, starting a sub-tradition in the House. Mendalus was actually a hierophant of the Huntress who became crazed after a protracted Twilight. His actions worked towards the goals of the Huntress, but he was in danger of revealing their secrets. He believed that he was the messiah they had been searching for, and the other hierophants of the Huntress were forced to silence him by declaring Wizard’s War against him and slaying him.

The Huntress secretly contacted those Merinita who had followed Mendalus, and those who were deemed worthy were invited to join. Since then, magi from other Houses who express an interest in Mendalus’s teachings are carefully vetted by the Huntress, and occasionally offered membership.

The Huntress Today

The Huntress is a small and fanati cal sect with a very specifi c goal: to train an individual suffi ciently so that he will possess enough power to fi nd Quendalon (who is supposedly hiding in Arcadia) and destroy him. The goddess herself will then anoint her new high priest or priestess with the power to change the entire Order from being practitioners of Hermetic magic to cultists of nature wor ship. To achieve this end, the Huntress is devoted to reclaiming the secrets of ancient nature worshipers. Some say the Huntress has collected fragments of wisdom from House Diedne, and even seeks to contact any survivors for aid in defeating Quendalon and converting his followers.

Very few magi outside the Huntress give credence to Huntress’ claims. The Huntress is not actively hostile against House Merinita, instead directing all its energies to contemplating the mysteries of the wilderness, convinced the new high priest will win over House Merinita with messianic powers. The faerie magicians of House Merinita keep a watchful eye on the Huntress, of course, but do not treat it as a threat without evidence of direct hostility against the rest of the House.

Meetings of the Huntress always take place with considerable secrecy on the Ides of August (Diana’s holy day) at a place sacred to the goddess (which changes every year). Indeed, members traditionally wear masks at these meet ings and adopt cult names derived from the legends of Diana. Only the innermost members know that several members of the Huntress are, in fact, hedge wizards (some possibly of the lineage of Diedne) who are not members of the Order of Hermes. The anonymity of the society thus offers them protection from magi who would seek to hunt them down.

Structure of the Huntress

The Huntress possesses three lev els of Initiation, the outer kerykes, the inner eumolpids, and the innermost hierophants. The Ability Huntress in the Wood Lore (abbreviated to Huntress Lore) is necessary for the Initiation of these grades

Kerykes

Members of this rank are devoted to the study of nature, and they do not concern themselves with the overall goal of the society; indeed, they are only aware of the goals of the cult if they take a personal interest. They are charged with recovering the lore of nature known to the ancients, but lost in modern times. To become a member of the society and join the kerykes, it is necessary undergo an Initiation which grants the Mystery of Nature Lore (see House Merinita: Nature Mysteries) at one of the yearly meetings of the cult. A Bjornaer magus inducted into the cult will probably be Initiated by his sept members, but not until after his Initiation into the Order of Hermes.

Initiation to the Rank of Kerykis and the Mystery of Nature Lore

• Ease Factor: 15 (Minor Virtue known to the Mystagogue)
• Script Bonus: +9
• Script Details: The Initiate must

acquire Huntress Lore 1 through at least one season’s tutelage under the Mystagogue (+3); discover and give to the hierophants a piece of magical lore related to the study or worship of nature hitherto unknown to them, such as a new (or old) spell, an ancient book, or an invested item made by House Diedne (+3); and take an Oath of obedience to the hierophants of the cult (Vow Flaw, +3).

Eumolpids

The eumolpids are concerned with the religious aspect of the society, in particular, the worship of Diana, and the identifi cation and training of the pagan messiah. A kerykes wishing to join the eumolpids must have a Huntress Lore of 3, and her Initiation grants the Mystery of Hermetic Theurgy (see The Mysteries Revised Edition). Eumolpids who prove themselves loyal to the Huntress and who further its goals may also be Initiated into the Mysteries of Names of Power and Invocation Magic (both described in The Mysteries Revised Edition), learning the names of powerful nature-oriented deities such as Demeter and Kore.

Initiation to tHe Rank of Eumolpid and te Mystery of Hermetic Theurgy

• Ease Factor: 15 (Minor Virtue known to the Mystagogue)
• Script Bonus: +12
• Script Details: On the Ides of August,

the Initiate must either bathe in the waters of Lake Nemi (in the Roman Tribunal) or anoint the statue of Diana at Epheseus (in the Theban Tribunal) with sacred oil (+3), and must receive a mystical mark that forever alienates him from the fae (Supernatural Nuisance Flaw, +9)

Hierophants

The three hierophants of the Huntress, who lead the cult, are elected by the eumolpids. One is always a priest ess of Diana, a second is always a priestess of Ceres. The third can be either male or female, but is usually a priest of a pagan god. Upon being chosen as a hierophant, a magus is Initiated into the Mystery of Hermetic Synthemata (see The Mysteries Revised Edition) by the other two. This Mystery is vital in the Huntress’s plans, as with it they hope to be able to control the messiah when they create him. During the rite, the Initiate reveals her identity to the other two hierophants; thus, the senior hierophant always knows the identity of the other two, whereas the junior knows the identity of neither of the others.

The hierophants guard an Initiation Script for the innermost Mystery of the cult, Ascendancy to the Hall of Heroes (see The Mysteries Revised Edition, Chapter 9: Hermetic Theurgy). Once the pagan messiah has been chosen from amongst the kerykis, he will prove himself by slay ing Quendalon, earning in the process the blessing of Diana, and become the focus of veneration by the eumolpids as he reforms the Order of Hermes.

Initiation to tHh Rank of Hierophant and tHe Mystery of Hermetic Synthemata

• Ease Factor: 15 (Minor Virtue known to the Mystagogue)
• Script Bonus: +7
• Script Details: The Initiate is stripped

naked (Sacrifi ce of anonymity, +1). The Initiate must then track, chase, and bring down one of Diana’s sacred white stags in a single day (+3); cloaked in the skin of the stag she must discover her secret name, which she gives to the other hiero phants (a Minor Ordeal as described under the Secret Name Mystery, +3).

Initiation to the Rank of Chosen of Diana and the Mystery of Ascendancy to te Hall of Heroes

• Ease Factor: 30 (Major Virtue unknown to the Mystagogue)
• Script Bonus: +24
• Script Details: The Initiate must

undergo a unique Quest to fi nd Quendalon in Arcadia and slay him (+6). This is followed by the Sacrifi ce of every thing that he owns or has made or written in his life as a magus (+6), and a ritual blinding by the hierophants (Major Ordeal, +9) in the presence of Diana herself (+3).

The Magic of House Bjornaer

House Bjornaer are as magically diverse as any other House, although they do show a distinct bias towards Muto magic, despite their unease about shapechanging. It is believed that magi of House Bjornaer commonly have a Deficiency in Ignem Magic because of the association of fi re with civilization, a thing that beasts instinctively fear. This slander is widespread throughout the Order, although at least since the Schism War, it has not been true; some Bjornaer magi find this accusation insulting.

A follower of House Bjornaer is likely to have some connection between his heartbeast and his magic. At least some of a magus’s spells mimic the mythic properties ascribed to his heartbeast, or enhance his natural abilities. Spells that allow him to do things in animal form that he would normally be only able to do in human form are also very popular. Most Bjornaer magi, for example, know (or are able to spontaneously cast) Unseen Arm, to allow them to open doors and turn the pages of books; with other spells, many can create a set of clothes for themselves if they travel a lot in heartbeast form.

The members of House Bjornaer make much heavier use of the magical sense Targets than other Houses, even those who have not Initiated the Sensory Magic Virtue (see above). Their version of Speak with the Living Flame, for example, is a Range Personal, Target Hearing spell with a free Mentem requisite, which interprets the sound of the fi re into thoughts.

There are some spells known to House Bjornaer that are not widely disseminated in the Order, but are often found in the personal libraries of members of House Bjornaer; these spells are detailed below. Any spell that affects a heartbeast of Size +2 or greater must be invented with a Size modifier (see ArM5, page 113), and is thus at least a magnitude higher.

The Voice of the Bjornaer Magus

MuAn 15

R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind

This spell allows the caster to speak with a human voice when shapechanged into the form of an animal. The caster must be in animal form to cast this spell because it targets the vocal capacity of that form, and must be able to cast this spell with no words or gestures (usually a –15 penalty), but while under its influence, may use his own voice without penalty to spellcasting.

(Base 5, +2 Sun)

Form of the (temperament) Heartbeast

MuAn 20

R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind

There are four versions of this spell, one for each of the sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic temperaments. These spells must be cast in animal form because they enhance the correspon dences to the temperament of that form, whereas humans naturally have a more balanced temperament than animals. A Bjornaer magus may revert to human form after casting this spell and still retain its effects. It is not required that the animal form he takes take matches the temperament listed in the spell’s name; however, if the two do match, all bonuses granted by the spell are increased by one. Only one of these spells may be cast on the same character at any one time; they operate by influencing the bodily humors, and only one humor at a time may be influenced in this way.

Sanguine: +1 Qik; +3 to all rolls to negate the natural fear the caster instills (as a wild animal with The Gift); temporarily acquires the Cheerful Personality Trait at +3 (or increases preexisting trait by 3)

Choleric: +1 Dex; +3 to all rolls to follow a trail or fi nd something deliberately hidden; temporarily acquires the Brave Personality Trait at +3 (or increases preexisting trait by 3)

Melancholic: +1 Sta; +3 to all rolls to communicate across a language barrier, through empathy, via sign language, and so forth; temporarily acquires the Creative Personality Trait at +3 (or increases preexisting trait by 3)

Phlegmatic: +1 Str; +3 to all rolls involving intuition and memory; temporarily acquires the Cool-Headed Personality Trait at +3 (or increases preexisting trait by 3)

(Base 5, +2 Sun; +1 complexity)

Facilitate the Stifled (Form) Spell

MuVi Gen

R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind

This spell is cast at the same time as another formulaic spell (see ArM5, page 159) whose level must be less than twice the level of this spell. If successfully cast, the targeted spell may be cast with no penalty to the casting total due to reduced or absent gestures and/or voice. While this Muto Vim spell requires gestures and voice as normal, the casting total of the follow-up spell is not penalized, and thus diffi cult spells at the limit of a magus’s ability have a greater chance of success when in restricted circumstances, without incurring fatigue loss. If the targeted spell has Range Voice, the volume used to cast this spell determines the actual range.

There are ten versions of this spell, each affecting spells of one of the Hermetic Forms. This spell is particularly useful to Bjornaer magi who wish to maintain the appearance of mundane animals yet still cast spells.

(Base effect, +1 Touch)

Characters of House Bjornaer

The first step in character creation when designing a magus of House Bjornaer is to decide upon the heartbeast. You should then decide on which clan you want to belong to, based on the philosophical stance of your character. Your storyguide decides upon the location and composition of your sept (if you have one), although he may be willing to take suggestions from you.

Virtues & Flaws

You should consider what Virtues are particularly appropriate for your character’s heartbeast — one might expect a Bjornaer-bear to be Large, a Bjornaer-wolf to have a Piercing Gaze, or a Bjornaer-eagle to have Keen Vision. Similarly, you should consider what Flaws are suitable for the heartbeast. For example, a boar-Bjornaer might have Poor Eyesight, a bull-Bjornaer might be Clumsy, and a weasel-Bjornaer might have a Small Frame. In particular, Personality Flaws should be chosen while keeping the heartbeast in mind. You may wish to invent some new Personality Flaws for Bjornaer characters, such as Brooding, Hibernation, Migratory, Territorial, Loner, Dandy, Savage, or Carnivorous.

Bjornaer characters are unlikely to have Faerie Blood, due to the general dislike of House Bjornaer for faerie matters. Possessing either the Skinchanger or Shapechanger Virtue, or the Lycanthrope Flaw, is a major hindrance to the magus in the House, and you should carefully consider the background of your character which led to him finishing his apprenticeship with both this Virtue and his life intact. If the House is not aware of the Virtue he will be hindered less, but should take the Dark Secret Flaw to account for the story possibilities if it is found out that he has an ability believed to mark him as one of the ancient enemies of the House. For information on the restrictions placed on shapechanging Bjornaer magi, see Apprenticeship, above.

Mythic Blood

Birna had several natural children through her life, and her bloodline is carefully guarded by House Bjornaer, and watched for signs of The Gift. Magi of this lineage always have a bear heartbeast, but apart from this, the Founder’s bloodline may manifest in a number of ways. Most commonly, those of Birna’s blood receive a Minor Magical Focus in Legendary Creatures and acquire one of the Form of the (Temperament) Heartbeast spells as their magical feat. These spells were originally modeled from Birna’s own innate abilities. The hereditary Minor Personality Flaw from Birna’s line is Slothful (see New Flaws, below).

It is also possible to bear the blood of one of the Great Beasts — Gifted children may arise from the interaction of the Great Beasts with shapechanged humans. The benefits of this Virtue are typically related to the supernatural powers of the Great Beast.

Common Virtues & Flaws Every Bjornaer magus has the free Supernatural Virtue Heartbeast. Members of Clan Ilfetu are required to take the new Virtue “Clan Ilfetu”. Other common Virtues and Flaws are: Affinity with Heartbeast Animal Ken Deft Form Inoffensive to Animals Puissant Heartbeast Quiet Magic Special Circumstances: When in human or heartbeast form. Self-Confident: Magi who experienced the Ritual of Twelve Years early in their apprenticeship are treated as equals by adults at a very early age, which gives self-assurance and confi dence. Study Bonus: Particularly useful for magi who spend a lot of time in heartbeast form. Subtle Magic Ways of the (Land): Particularly suitable for traditional “savage” Bjornaer magi. Wilderness Sense: Particularly suitable for traditional “savage” Bjornaer magi. Animal Companion: Some Bjornaer magi form deep attachments to animals of the same species, and these may fill roles similar to spouses or dependents. Feral Upbringing: Once common, this Flaw is now much rarer as the House tries to shake off its primitive roots; they no longer seek out apprentices such as this. Low Self-Esteem: Magi who were catuli for most of their apprenticeships often become accustomed to being ordered around, even by those younger than they are. Magical Animal Companion: Bjornaer magi sometimes forge friendships with magical creatures to fi ll the void of being forbidden familiars. Mentor: A sept-member to whom the character owes much of his training. Necessary Condition: When in human or heartbeast form. Restriction: When in human or heartbeast form. Study Requirement Examples of Mythic Blood Blood Magical Feat Minor Magical Focus Personality Flaw Birna Form of the (Temperament) Heartbeast Legendary Creatures Slothful Wolf of Virtue Paralyze a man at R: Eye Wolves Envious Owl of Virtue Silence of the Smothered Sound Ghosts Nocturnal Griffin Panic of the Elephant’s Mouse Courage Reckless Pheonix Coat of Flame, R: Touch Aging Higher Purpose

New Virtues

Clan Ilfetu

Minor, Hermetic

The character is a member of Clan Ilfetu, and has received extra training in the rituals of the House. You receive 50 extra experience points that may be spent on House Bjornaer Lore, Magic Lore (with a specialty in the Great Beasts), and Gothic, the dead language that the House uses for all of its rituals. It is possible that the magus has also been Initiated into the Esoteric Mystery of Divination and Augury (see The Mysteries Revised Edition); if so, this Virtue must be purchased with the normal allowance of ten points of Virtues and Flaws. Clan Ilfetu teaches the Divination method of haemagmomancy, which is divination by observing the blood splatters of wounded animals; this gives the following bonuses to Divination: +5 family, +3 Corpus.

Keen Sense of Smell

Minor, General

The character’s nose is more sensitive than normal for a human. He gets a +3 bonus to all rolls involving his sense of smell, including following tracks with the Hunt Ability.

Pack Leader / Natural Leader

Minor, General

The character is a dominant person with a demeanor that encourages others to do what he says. His self-assured manner gives him a +3 bonus to social situations in which he takes the lead; people are more likely to follow his orders or do as he suggests. If he is Gifted, this bonus can temporarily help to overcome the social penalty of The Gift, due to the strength of his domineering personality. Members of House Bjornaer who were Initiated early in their apprenticeship often have this Virtue.

Unbound Tongue

Minor, Supernatural

Whenever the character is transformed into a non-human form (whether by spell, magic item, curse, or a heartbeast) he may speak any human languages he knows with no impediment. If he is a magus, he may use his voice as normal to cast spells.

New Flaws

Feral Scent

Minor, General

Perhaps due to his beast blood or feral upbringing, the character has the strong natural smell of a wild animal. Humans tend to avoid being too close to him, and may be on edge in his vicin ity without knowing why. He may well spook domesticated animals if he sur prises them. He suffers a –1 penalty to social interactions (which stacks with the penalties imposed by The Gift, if he has it), and develops a negative Reputation of Unclean at level 2. However, if he has Initiated the Sensory Magic Mystery, any spells he casts with a Scent Target have twice their normal area of effect.

Pack Mentality / FolloWer

Minor, Personality

The character is a follower, not a leader. He rarely takes the initiative, but is usually happy to follow the direction of a forthright and decisive person. If he fi nds a leader, he tends to stick with her.

Secretive

Minor, Personality

The character is prone to keeping secrets from his sodales. He rarely explains what he is doing or why he is doing it, which can frustrate those around him.

Slothful

Minor, Personality

The character is lazy and indolent, and enjoys nothing better than doing as little as possible. He is very good at com ing up with excuses as to why things need not be done right now. When roused into action, he works as hard as any other, but is constantly looking for opportunities to lapse into sloth again.

New Abilities

An asterisk (*) indicates an Ability that cannot be used at all by characters with no score (see ArM5, page 62).

Dead Language: Gothic (Academic)*

This is the language used in all the rituals of House Bjornaer, and is essential for any member of Clan Ilfetu. As a dead language, it has little use outside of a ritual context. Specialties: rituals, deciphering.

Heartbeast (Supernatural)*

This Ability is only possessed by those who have undergone the Ritual of Twelve Years. It governs the understanding that a Bjornaer magus has for his heartbeast, both on an intellectual and a visceral level. He has the knowledge of what it means to be an animal of his species; he knows how to survive, what to eat, how to care for him self, and so forth. This Ability grants the character a Personality Trait named for the appropriate animal, at a level equal to half the score in this Ability. Finally, and per haps most importantly, it allows the magus to change form. This Ability cannot be learned from books, and for it to be taught, the teacher must have the same tempera ment of heartbeast as the pupil. Specialties: changing to human form.

House Bjornaer Lore (Arcane)

This is the (Organization) Lore of House Bjornaer, providing knowledge of the legends, history, structure, operation, and goals of the House. It is used to recite lineages, remember sept affi liations, and so forth, but also details the magics, rites, and secrets of the House’s Exoteric Mystery and Cult of Ancestors. This Lore is primar ily orally transmitted, as Bjornaer magi are very cautious about letting these secrets into the hands of others. It is most com monly taught by sept and clan members or learned through self-discovery; every time a magus spends a season initiating a Mystery, he gains experience in House Bjornaer Lore from exposure. Specialties: lineages, legends, ancestors, Clan Mysteries

Appendix A: Story Seeds

The Secret Enemy

The Gothic shapeshifters gain a charismatic chieftain who unites some of the tribes under one banner. This leader becomes sufficiently motivated to try to eradicate House Bjornaer, possibly due to actions performed or witnessed by the player characters. These people do everything in their power to wipe out every last one of the Bjornaer followers, even at the expense of their own lives. They are magically weak compared to Hermetic magi, but they are physically strong, highly loyal to each other, and fanatical in their task. More about the Pomeranian witches can be found here.

In Search of a Heron

The Seat of the Swan on the Bjornaer Council has always traditionally been held by a lineage of magae who share a heron heartbeast. However, no Initiate has possessed a heron heartbeast in over fifty years, and Ardea is already old. The whole House is desperately seeking a suitable apprentice for her, but each potential candidate turns out to be a different creature. Some are whispering that the ancestors are displeased with House Bjornaer for some reason, and are punishing them.

Rumors about heron heartbeasts may send Bjornaer player character magi all over Europe in the service of their House. A player character with a heron heartbeast will become the heir of Ardea, marked for great things, but stifled by the over-protectiveness of the House.

The Unwelcomed Apprentice

A good friend of the covenant (perhaps even a companion) has a Gifted child who can also change shape. The characters may well decide that it is in the child’s best interests to be trained by a Bjornaer magus (unless there is a Bjornaer magus at the covenant to persuade them against this course). When the child goes missing a few years later, the characters may be asked to investigate.

Appendix B: Mundane Beasts

Rather than providing an exhaustive appendix with many creature statistics, the guidelines here allow you to easily create any statistics for heartbeasts, familiars, and other mundane creatures in a few simple steps.

Editor's Note: For specific creature statistics, see Realms of Power: Magic Appendix: Book of Mundane Beasts.

1. Type & Size

There are four categories of beasts: Birds, Fish, Hoofed Beasts and Clawed Beasts. Birds are self explanatory. Fish includes amphibians such as frogs, toads, and salamanders, and reptiles such as snakes and lizards, as well as more traditional fi sh and whales. Hoofed Beasts includes both domestic animals and wild ones. The category of Clawed Beasts contains all creatures that do not fi t into the other types.

Each Size category is approximately twice as heavy as the next smaller Size category. A 1-point difference in Size doubles the weight, 2 points multiplies it by fi ve, and a 1-point increase in Size entails a ten-fold increase in mass. Thus, a pig weighs approximately the same as 50 hedgehogs, 200 rats, or 2000 mice. Note that the Rat has been moved from Size –8 in ArM5 (page 192) to Size -7 in this table. Birds are one Size point bigger than their weight would suggest, accounting for their larger overall dimension; if you need to know the weight of a bird, subtract one from the Size before calculation. All weights are approximate.

Size Examples

Size	Examples
-15	insect
-10	minnow, mouse (1 oz)
-9	bat, frog
-8	mole, salamander, toad (5 oz)
-7	rat, weasel
-6	lizard, stoat, thrush (1.5 lbs)
-5	cuckoo, dove, eel, polecat, grass snake, hedgehog, partridge, rabbit
-4	dder, cockerel, crow, magpie, octopus, owl, raven (7 lbs)
-3	badger, carp, cat, duck, falcon, gull, hare, human baby, osprey, otter, pike
-2	beaver, dog, eagle, fox, goose, grouse, heron, human child, roe deer, salmon (30 lbs)
-1	adolescent human, ape, crane, gazelle, lynx, sheep, stork, swan, wild goat, wolf
0	adult, antelope, boar, deer, dolphin, pig (150 lbs)
+1	buck (male fallow deer), ibex, pony, seal
+2	bear, horse, lion, stag (male red deer) (700 lbs)
+3	aurochs, moose, shark, walrus, war horse
+4	elephant (3000 lb = 1.5 tons)
+5	killer whale
+9	humpbacked whale (64 tons)

Creatures of Non-Standard Size

You may wish to create creatures that are larger or smaller than the average for their type, or that have been affected by Muto Animal spells. This is a simple procedure: for every point of Size removed, subtract two from Strength (and therefore Damage Total), add one to Quickness (and therefore Initiative and Defense Totals), and decrease the damage range for each wound level by one (minimum of one). Note that the creature’s mass has halved, at least. Increasing Size has exactly the opposite effect.

Note that these rules entail a minor change to the descriptions for the spells Beast of Minuscule Proportions and Beast of Outlandish Size, in that Initiative is increased or reduced (respectively) by one in addition to the listed effects.

2. Characteristics

As stated on page 191 of ArM5, mundane beasts have a Characteristic called Cunning in place of an Intelligence score. Use Cunning for rolls that would otherwise call for Intelligence, such as fi nding a way out of a closed barn. While beasts have a limited capacity for problem-solving, they lack imagination, reason, and intelligence as such.

Communication and Presence have slightly different meanings for animals. Presence represents how much impact that the creature has on its human viewers. Creatures with a low Presence are barely noticed; those with a high Presence instill awe, fear, or wonder. Communication, as for humans, represents the ability of the animal to impart information; few animals (to the medieval mind) are capable of the transmission of complex thoughts to others.

For beasts, the Quickness Characteristic has mainly to do with reflexes and agility, and little to do with movement rate. Many animals can run faster than a human, but that does not necessarily mean they have better Initiative and Defense scores. Animals that run fast, but do not have especially good reflexes, have a Quality (see below) that reflects this.

Unlike human characters, animals only spend points on their four physical Characteristics (Stamina, Strength, Dexterity and Quickness). Like human characters, each has up to seven points to spend on increasing these Characteristics. Negative points may also be taken to gain an equal number of positive points, but an animal cannot have more than two Characteristics with negative values, and the minimum value is equal to (Size – 5). There is no maximum Characteristic score for an animal, and no Virtue or Flaw is needed for extreme Characteristic scores for animals.

After spending points on Characteristics, add twice the Size to Strength and subtract the Size from Quickness.

These adjustments may give an animal a third negative Characteristic, or reduce a Characteristic below the minimum of (Size – 5).

Example Physical Characteristics of Creatures Type of Creature Size Str Sta Dex Qik Example Small predator –5 -7 0 +1 +5 Polecat Large predator -1 0 +3 -1 +1 Lynx Rodent -7 -12 +1 +3 +5 Rat Small herbivore -3 -7 +3 +2 +2 Hare Large herbivore 0 +2 +2 0 +1 Boar Songbird -6 -12 0 +3 +7 Thrush Predatory bird -3 -6 0 +1 +6 Falcon Large fish -2 -4 +4 0 0 Salmon

The other four Characteristics (Cunning, Perception, Presence, and Communication) are given values according to the creature’s type.

Mental Characteristics of Creatures

Type	Cun	Per	Pre	Com
Clawed Beast	0	0	-2	-5
Hoofed Beast	-2	0	-4	-5
Bird	-1	+2	-1	-2
Fish	-3	-2	-5	-6

A creature may have the Minor Virtue Increased Characteristics one or more times (particularly appropriate for predators), just like a human character. The Characteristic points gained from this Virtue may be applied to any of the physical Characteristics. These points should be spent before applying the adjustments for Size. See step 3, below, for adjustments to this Virtue.

3. Virtues & Flaws

Each species of beast has certain Virtues and Flaws that are common to all members of that species. Species Virtue and Flaws are not given for game balance reasons, but rather to provide rules for the unique strengths and features of beasts.

When designing your own species, simply assign the Virtues and Flaws that describe the species the way you imagine it. It is recommended that a species have at least one point of Flaws for every three points of Virtues. All beasts get their species’ Virtues and Flaws for free.

Exceptional beasts may also take individual Virtues or Flaws that set them apart from others of their kind. Any individual Virtues a beast takes must be balanced with individual Flaws, just as for human characters.

Personality Flaws are particularly appropriate for beasts; you may need to come up with new fl aws of this type, and creatures can have more than one.

Suitable Virtues & Flaws for Beasts Virtues: Berserk, Enduring Constitution, Ferocity (new virtue, see below), Improved Characteristics*, Lightning Reflexes, Long-Winded, Perfect Balance, Rapid Convalescence, Piercing Gaze, Reserves of Strength, Self-Confident, Tough Flaws: Clumsy, Fragile Constitution, Poor Eyesight, Poor Hearing, Fear, Noncombatant, Nocturnal, Reckless, Reclusive, Weakness, most Major Personality Flaws taken as Minor Flaws * Large creatures require more Characteristic points because high value Characteristics are increasingly more expensive. A creature of Size +1 or smaller gets 3 Characteristic points from this Virtue as normal, a creature of Size +2 gets 6 Characteristic points, a creature of Size +3 gets 9 Characteristic points, and so on.

Ferocity

Minor Virtue, beasts only

Like companion and magus characters, a beast with this Virtue has Confi dence points. However, its Confi dence points may only be used in situations where its natural animal ferocity is triggered, such as when defending its den or fi ghting a natural enemy. For each instance of this Virtue, describe a situation that activates Confi dence for the species in question, and take 3 Confi dence Points and a Confi dence Score of 1 to use when those circumstances are met.

4. Basic Abilities

All creatures have the following basic Abilities according to their type:

Basic Abilities

Type	Abilities
Clawed Beast	Brawl 3 (bite or claw), Survival 3 (home terrain), Awareness 3 (food), Athletics 3 (running)
Hoofed Beast	Brawl 2 (dodging), Survival 3 (home terrain), Awareness 3 (predators), Athletics 4 (running)
Bird	Brawl 2 (dodging), Survival 3 (home terrain), Awareness 4 (food), Athletics 3 (flying)
Fish	Brawl 2 (dodging), Survival 3 (home terrain), Awareness 2 (food), Swim 5 (home terrain)

Qualities (see below) may add further Abilities to this list. Animals (at least, those with Cunning rather than Intelligence) cannot acquire experience points to improve their Abilities once they have reached adulthood, nor can they learn new Abilities. However, an intelligent being can provide a tamed beast with Teaching experience points using Animal Handling instead of Teaching; these points can be applied to current Abilities or conceivable new Abilities.

Unless modified by Qualities, all creatures have one Natural Weapon (usually either teeth, claws, or hooves) as well as either fur, feathers, or scales, which gives them a Protection of 0.

A young animal may not have all of the Qualities that it will as an adult, and has reduced scores in most Abilities.

5. Qualities

Qualities are features of the animal that affect its capabilities. Add any appropriate Qualities from the following list to any creature’s basic profi le, or make up your own. If any Quality grants an Ability that the creature already has, use the highest score, and choose whichever specialty seems most appropriate. Through Qualities, a creature may have one or more extra Fatigue levels. One extra Fatigue level grants an additional Winded level, two extra grant another Winded Level and another Weary Level, and so forth.

• Accomplished Flyer: This bird is either a particularly powerful flier, or an acrobatic one. Grants Athletics 5 (fl ying); the creature must be capable of flight.
• Aggressive: Add 1 to Cunning; grants Brawl 5 (natural weapons).
• Ambush Predator: The beast lies in wait for its prey and catches it by surprise. Grants Stealth 4 (stalking prey) and Hunt 4 (prey). The beast’s specialization for Brawl changes to one of the beast’s natural weapons. If it has successfully crept up on its prey, it automatically wins Initiative in the fi rst round of combat and gains a +3 to its Attack Total for the fi rst round only.
• Amphibious: Grants Swim 4 (home terrain). The beast can hold its breath for twice as long as normal.
• Aquatic: Grants Swim 5 (home terrain). The beast can breathe water.
• Camouflage: Add +3 to all rolls to hide, whenever the creature is not moving.
• Crafty: Raise Cunning to 0 (if currently negative), or add 1. This Quality may be taken more than once for exceptionally cunning animals.
• Defensive Fighter: The creature only fi ghts to defend itself. Grants Brawl (dodging) 4 and an extra Fatigue level.
• Domesticated: The beast loses any Survival Ability that it might have, but gains 1 point of Communication, if currently negative.
• Extra Natural Weapons: Gain an extra set of natural weapons, such as horns/antlers, teeth/tusks, claws, or hooves. Only one set of weapons may be used in each round of combat. This Quality may be taken more than once.
• Fast Runner: Add +3 to all rolls involving running.
• Fast Flyer: Add +3 to all rolls involving speed while fl ying; the creature must be capable of fl ight.
• Good Jumper: Add +3 to all rolls involving jumping.
• Grapple: The creature may make a grapple attack instead of a normal attack. This attack may only be employed against an opponent that is less than or equal to the creature’s (Size + 1). See Non-Lethal Combat (ArM5, page 174) for rules on grappling. If the creature has another natural weapon (such as a bite), it may add its current Grapple Strength to its Attack Total in subsequent rounds, until the opponent breaks free. The creature must defend against any opponent outside the grapple with its Grapple Defense (see Natural Weapons Table, below).
• Hardy: The creature is used to harsh conditions; it has a Survival 5 (home terrain) and an extra Fatigue level.
• Herd Animal: The creature is brave when with others of its own kind. When forced to fi ght as a group, herd animals temporarily gain the Ferocity Virtue, which they may use to stampede or escape whatever is threatening them as a group. These animals do not have the Ferocity Virtue when caught on their own, unless taken as a Virtue. For example, a stag might have the Virtue, whereas the deer in his herd have this Quality.
• Imposing Appearance: The creature has a beautiful, majestic, or awe-inspiring appearance that appeals even to humans. Raise Presence to 0 (if negative), or increase by 1 otherwise. This Quality may be taken more than once for exceptionally beautiful or impressive creatures.
• Keen Eyesight: Add 1 to Perception and +3 to all rolls involving eyesight.
• Keen Sense of Smell: Add 1 to Perception, +3 to all rolls using the sense of smell, and +2 to all Hunt rolls.
• Large Claws: The creature’s claws are larger than average for a creature of its Size. Use the weapon statistics for Large Claws listed below.
• Large Horns/Antlers: The creature’s horns or antlers are larger than average for a creature of its Size. Use the weapon statistics for Large Horns listed below.
• Large Teeth: The creature’s teeth are larger than average for a creature of its Size. Use the weapon statistics for Large Teeth listed below.
• Loathsome Appearance: The creature is so repulsive that its Presence drops to –6. However, this should be treated as a Presence of +3 if the animal makes any attempt to scare or intimidate an opponent.
• Mimicry: The creature is capable of mimicking other noises, such as a human voice. Raise Communication to 0 (if negative) or increase it by 1. It does not understand the meaning of the sounds it makes, unless the creature has Intelligence rather than Cunning, in which case the creature acquires Living Language 3. Note that a magus shapechanged into a creature with this Quality cannot form the precise and complex sounds required for spellcasting.
• Pack Animal: These creatures may fi ght as a Trained Group when a Pack Leader is present. If the Pack Leader is not present, they may still fi ght as an Untrained Group.
• Pack/Herd Leader: Add 1 to Communication and grant Leadership 5 (own species).
• Pursuit Predator: The beast actively hunts for its prey, either tracking its scent or chasing it down. Grants Hunt 4 (prey) and an extra Fatigue level. The beast’s Specialization for Brawl changes to one of the beast’s natural weapons.
• Sharp Ears: Add 1 to Perception and +3 to rolls involving hearing.
• Shell: The creature is encased in a protective shell. Grants a +4 to Protection, but the creature suffers a –3 to all rolls involving fast or nimble movement.
• Skilled Climber: Add +3 to all rolls involving climbing.
• Slippery: This creature has a +6 to Defense rolls against Grapple attacks. This Quality may be taken more than once; the bonus rises by +3 each additional time it is taken.
• Spiny: The creature is covered in spines; these grant a +1 bonus to Protection. If any opponent strikes at the creature with a bite, claw, or fi st attack, he infl icts damage as normal, but suffers +5 damage in return. Some creatures have poison spines (see Venomous, below), in which case the attacker’s own Attack Advantage is used against itself to determine the success of the Venom counterattack only.
• Timid: Subtract 1 from Presence; grant Stealth 4 (hiding) and Awareness 4 (predators). Timid creatures usually lack natural weapons.
• Tireless: The creature gains two extra Fatigue levels.
• Thick Fur/Thick Scales: Add 1 to Protection; this Quality stacks with the Tough Virtue and the Tough Hide Quality.
• Tough Hide: Add 2 to Protection; this Quality stacks with the Tough Virtue and the Thick Fur Quality.
• Venomous: One of the creature’s attacks (usually the bite) also delivers venom into the wounds it causes. Compare the creature’s Attack Advantage to the victim’s Protection (not Soak). If the creature’s Advantage is higher, then the victim suffers the effect of the venom, regardless of whether the bite infl icts an actual wound. The Ease Factor to avoid damage from venom varies from 3 to 15 (see ArM5, page 180).
• Vocal: The creature can produce impressive vocalizations, such as a powerful roar or howl, beautiful birdsong, or the like. Communication is raised to 0 (if negative) or increased by 1: gain Music 3. This Quality may be taken twice for particularly impressive vocal ability, increasing Music to 5.

Beasts of Legend Presented below are brief descriptions of 20 animals, concentrating mainly on the mythic characteristics ascribed to them. Descriptions of the listed Qualities for each beast are given in the Qualities section. Asp: The asp keeps its mouth open, with venom steaming from its jaws to injure all kinds of animals. Like all serpents it is cold by nature, and its bite steals heat from its prey. There are many types of asp, each distinguished by its venom: the dipsa makes one die of thirst, the ypnalis sends its victims to sleep, and the emorrosis makes its victims sweat blood. The venom of the seps devours the body and bones of its prey. Virtues & Flaws: Lightning Refl exes; Infamous. Qualities: Ambush Predator, Loathsome Appearance, Slippery, Venomous. (phlegmatic with sanguine aspect) Badger: A fi erce creature, for its size. Their tenaciousness is legendary. Some are born to be the servants of the others, and clean the nests by lying on their backs and holding onto the soil, whilst being dragged out by others. Virtues & Flaws: Enduring Constitution, Ferocity (when cornered); either Pack Leader or Pack Mentality. Qualities: Aggressive, Grapple, Large Claws, Tireless. (melancholic) Bear: The bear is a nurturing creature who gives birth to formless young, which are then licked into shape. Their heads are said to be feeble, with the greatest strength lying in the arms and loins. Their weakness is for honey. Virtues & Flaws: Ferocity (when injured), Improved Characteristics x2, Tough; Greedy (Minor), Reclusive. Qualities: Aggressive, Extra Natural Weapons (claws), Grapple, Hardy, Imposing Appearance, Large Claws, Pursuit Predator, Tough Hide. (melancholic with choleric aspect) Boar: The boar is wild and rough, and signifi es fi erceness. His thoughts are wild and unruly, too. Virtues & Flaws: Berserk, Enduring Constitution, Ferocity (when cornered), Tough; Greedy, Wrathful (Minor). Qualities: Aggressive, Extra Natural Weapons (tusks), Hardy, Herd Animal, Tireless. (melancholic with choleric aspect) Crow: Soothsayers declare that the crow knows the paths of treachery, and can predict the future. Some say that God entrusts his secrets to the crow. Crows are known for their acrobatic fl ight. Virtues & Flaws: Second Sight; Visions. Qualities: Accomplished Flyer, Crafty, Keen Vision, Mimicry, Vocal. (sanguine) Dove: A simple fowl and free from malice. It is a dainty and graceful eater, taking only the fi nest of grain. It is pursued by hawks, and uses mirrored surfaces to watch for their approach. Some believe that in every fl ock of doves, one is an angel. Virtues & Flaws: Premonitions; Pious (Minor). Qualities: Timid (sanguine) Eagle: The eagle has such wonderful eyesight that nothing can be hidden from its gaze. When the eagle becomes old and its feathers dull, it fl ies to the height of heaven and burns off the dross of age until the feathers shine like fi re. Virtues & Flaws: Lesser Immunity (blindness), Piercing Gaze; Proud (Minor). Qualities: Extra Natural Weapons (claws), Fast Flyer, Keen Vision, Pursuit Predator. (sanguine with choleric aspect) Eel: Eels are born from mud. They are so slippery that the harder one holds on to them, the more quickly they slip away. Qualities: Aquatic, Slippery x2. (phlegmatic) Fox: A fraudulent and ingenious animal who feigns death to attract the attention of curious birds for him to eat. He never runs in a straight line, but always by devious ways. Virtues & Flaws: Perfect Balance; Nocturnal. Qualities: Ambush Predator, Crafty, Good Jumper, Keen Sense of Smell. (choleric with sanguine aspect) Goat, Wild: A goat’s eyes are very acute. They are the best climbers of all creatures, and the most sure-footed. The blood of a he-goat is said to be able to dissolve even diamond due to its excessive heat. Virtues & Flaws: Perfect Balance, Long-Winded; Lecherous (Minor). Qualities: Aggressive, Extra Natural Weapons (horns), Hardy, Herd Animal, Keen Vision, Skilled Climber. (melancholic) Hare: Light-footed and swift-running, the hare is timid, and puts no trust in itself, but rather in God. Virtues & Flaws: Ferocity (eluding predators); Pious (Minor). Qualities: Fast Runner, Good Jumper, Keen Sense of Smell, Timid. (melancholic with phlegmatic aspect) Horse: The spirit of a horse is great, it exults in the battlefi eld and is excited to fi ght by the sound of a trumpet. Its virility is extinguished if its mane is cut. Virtues & Flaws: Improved Characteristics, Long-Winded; Fear (loud noises). Qualities: Imposing Appearance, Fast Runner, Good Jumper, Tireless. (choleric with melancholic aspect) Lizard: The lizard goes blind with age, but its sight is restored by the rising sun. There are several types of lizard; the salamander is proofed against fi re, the newt is the enemy of poisonous creatures, and the botrox has a frog’s face. Most lizards are venomous, but their venom is stronger during the day when they are warm. If a lizard is cut in twain, the parts scramble around until they fi nd each other again, and rejoin. Virtues & Flaws: Greater Immunity (fi re or poison), Rapid Convalescence; Depressed, Poor Eyesight. Qualities: Camoufl age, Slippery, Venomous. (phlegmatic with sanguine aspect) Otter: The otter has a playful and frivolous disposition, but is nevertheless the enemy of crocodiles, which he climbs inside and eats. Virtues & Flaws: Ferocity (against water creatures), Puissant Swim; Carefree. Qualities: Amphibious, Pursuit Predator. (phlegmatic with melancholic aspect) Partridge; The female partridge secures protective coloration by clever camoufl age, hiding their eggs from predators and her husband, who is a disgusting creature consumed by lust. As a devoted mother, the partridge feigns injury to distract foxes from her young. Virtues & Flaws: Puissant Stealth; Fragile Constitution. Qualities: Camoufl age, Timid. (sanguine) Salmon: A wise fi sh who feeds on the nuts of the hazel bush. Some say that the salmon is the oldest creature on earth. Virtues & Flaws: Improved Characteristics, Intuition, Unaging; Compassionate (Minor). Qualities: Aquatic, Slippery. (phlegmatic) Stag: Stags are a symbol of health; they are able to restore themselves from old age by eating venomous serpents. They have the keenest of hearing. They have kings, whom they obey. Virtues & Flaws: Improved Characteristics, Unaging; Higher Purpose (protect the herd); Dutybound. Qualities: Defensive Fighter, Extra Natural Weapons (antlers), Fast Runner, Good Jumper, Large Antlers, Sharp Ears. (choleric with melancholic aspect) Swan: The swan is good luck to those who make their living on water. Swans have the sweetness of music. They are strong fl yers and able to cross vast distances. Virtues & Flaws: Luck, Inspirational, Puissant Music; Humble. Qualities: Accomplished Flyer, Timid, Vocal x2. (sanguine with phlegmatic aspect) Weasel: The weasel is a hunter of snakes and mice. Weasels are skilled in healing. Virtues & Flaws: Greater Purifying Touch (venom); Short Attention Span. Qualities: Aggressive, Fast Runner, Pursuit Predator, Skilled Climber. (choleric with sanguine aspect) Wolf: Wolves are well known for their rapacity and keep their strength in their chest and jaws. They can live on anything — plants, soil, even the wind — but it is fl esh they like the most. Should a wolf gaze upon its prey, the creature is paralyzed and struck dumb; if the prey sees the wolf fi rst, it is the wolf who cannot run. Virtues & Flaws: Ferocity (against livestock), Improved Characteristics x2, Long-Winded; Compulsion (killing), Infamous. Qualities: Aggressive, Hardy, Keen Sense of Smell, Pack Animal/Pack Leader, Pursuit Predator, Sharp Ears, Thick Fur, Vocal. (choleric)

5. Combat Statistics

Combat Statistics are calculated as normal (see ArM5, page 171), using the Natural Weapons Table. Because combat totals are affected by Characteristics, these weapons may be used for creatures of all Sizes; a mouse and a cat have the same basic statistics for their bite attacks, but the combat totals are very different.

Natural Weapons Table

Header text	Header text	Header text	Header text	Header text
Natural Weapon	Init	Atk	Dfn	Dam
Grapple	0	0	0	n/a
Dodge	0	n/a	0	n/a
Teeth	0	+3	+1	+1
Large Teeth	0	+4	+1	+3
Tusks	0	+4	+1	+3
Claw	-1	+2	+3	+2
Large Claw	0	+5	+3	+4
Horns	+1	+3	-1	+2
Large Horns / Antlers	+2	+3	+2	+3
Hooves	+2	+2	+2	+1

All natural weapons use the Brawl Ability. Strength, Load, and cost are not applicable.

Aging If an animal is to be an important part of a saga (as an animal companion, for example), its response to aging should be considered. There are three things to track: the age at which aging begins, the adjustment to the aging roll due to age, and the number of aging rolls per year. A human, with an average lifespan of 50 years (ignoring lifestyle modifi ers), begins aging at 35, adds one to the aging roll for every ten years, and makes one aging roll each year. The storyguide should decide upon the average lifespan of the creature and adjust these fi gures accordingly. Thus, a creature with an average lifespan of ten years has a modifi er of 50 / 10 = 5. It therefore begins aging at 35 / 5 = 7 years old, adds one to the aging roll for every 10 / 5 = 2 years of age, and makes 1 x 5 = 5 aging rolls each year. If more than one aging roll is made each year, they should be spread evenly throughout the four seasons, with any excess occurring in Winter. When deciding upon the average lifespan of a creature, strict biological adherence is not necessary in Mythic Europe. Most small animals have an average lifespan of under ten years.

Animal Creation Example: Bear A bear is a Clawed Beast of Size +2. The storyguide wants it to be strong and tough, but perhaps a little slow and clumsy. He buys Improved Characteristics twice, granting 12 extra Characteristic points (because the bear is Size +2), for a total of 19. These are spent in the following way: Str +2, Sta +4, Dex +2, Qik +2. Once the adjustments for Size have been made, the Bear has Str +6 and Qik 0. The storyguide gives the bear the Tough and Ferocity Virtues, and takes the Greedy and Reclusive Minor Flaws. He picks the following Qualities for the bear: Aggressive, Extra Natural Weapons (bite), Grapple, Pursuit Predator, Hardy, Imposing Appearance, Large Claws, and Tough Hide. The storyguide also decides to give the bear an extra Ability, Swim. The bear’s final statistics look like this: Characteristics: Cun +1, Per 0, Pre 0, Com –5, Str +6, Sta +4, Dex +2, Qik 0 Size: +2 Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: Ferocity (when injured), Improved Characteristics (x2), Tough, Greedy (minor), Reclusive Qualities: Aggressive, Extra Natural Weapons (bite), Fast Runner, Grapple, Pursuit Predator, Hardy, Imposing Appearance, Large Claws, Tough Hide Personality Traits: Brave +3, Slothful +3, Aggressive +2 Reputations: Ferocious (local) 2 Combat: Claws: Init 0, Attack +13, Defense +9, Damage +10 Teeth: Init 0, Attack +10, Defense +6, Damage +7 Grapple: Init 0, Attack +7, Defense +5, Damage n/a Soak: +9 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–7), –3 (8–14), –5 (15–21), Incapacitated (22–28) Abilities: Athletics 3 (sprinting), Awareness 3 (prey), Brawl 5 (claws), Hunt 4 (deer), Survival 5 (foraging), Swim 3 (against the current)

Editor's Note: This text includes Errata.

Attribution

Content originally published in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, ©2010, 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)