Houses of Hermes: True Lineages Chapter Four: House Tremere

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House Tremere

Words fail. He failed. Enough! He is gone. He wanted to be feared, but for love of him we are all now hated. We must begin again, exhausted and friendless. This is his legacy: hatred, and us. You will not love or fear me as you loved or feared him, but in this place, beyond mortal dissimulation, I tell you this: we are all he has left for any of us.

— The Eulogy for Tremere, spoken by Primus Albanus, beyond the Gate to Hades

Symbol: Mars incised with a square

Motto: Voluntas vincit omnia. (The Will conquers all.)

Members of House Tremere assume that the world is chaotic and dangerous. They strive to control events and prepare for inevitable, future battles. They cultivate influence and acquire resources to respond to emerging crises. They settle internal arguments with non-fatal duels. Tremere magi are pragmatic, dutiful and courageous.

Symbols

Mars Incised With a Square

Members of House Tremere accept the inevitability of war, but no longer hunger for it. Tremere conceived of his House as an army, but his military adventures failed, and then the House suffered terribly during the Schism War. Modern Tremere accept the use of force where necessary, but prize cunning more than their ancestors. Many see the House’s mark as a reminder that war is inevitable and that they are soldiers, which is less strident that the Founder intended. The square in the center of the symbol represents a flagstone. This is reminds the House of the importance of Roman roads in the spread of the Empire. The roads provided communication, transport, and ordnance to armies, and members of House Tremere understand each of these aspects of logistics far better than most mundanes. The House sees war as inevitable and sets aside resources for that conflict. Tremere magi draw on this reserve to fund peacetime projects.

Wolves

Tremere thinking, art and literature praise the ethos of the wolf pack. Wolves are gentle with each other and savage to their enemies. They serve their families, particularly the dominant pair, and aid in the raising of their lair mates’ cubs. The Dacians, from the word daoi meaning “wolves”, ruled Transylvania before the Romans came, and went to war behind wolf-headed dragon banners. Tremere’s familiar was a white wolf, of a pack sacred to Hermes. Familiars lead the packs about Coeris and many of the other House covenants. Odd rumors circulate concerning the House’s link to wolves. Some say that Tremere magi know the ritual of Mount Lycaeon, which turns men into wolves for nine years, and use it upon rebellious Housemates to adjust their attitude. Some claim that werewolves serve the House, others that the House’s servants are equipped with items that change their shapes. Many believe the white wolves of the forest are Tremere spies and saboteurs.

Key Facts Population: 92 magi (41 in Transylvania) Domus Magna: Coeris, in the Transylvanian Tribunal. Prima: Poena Favored Tribunals: Transylvania, where the House utterly dominates politics. Famous Figures Tremere, Founder, developer of certamen. Cercistum, Primus at the beginning of the Schism War, killed in battle.

Butterfly and Two-pronged Fork

These two, ancestral symbols are sometimes seen on items significant to the House. The Aita priesthood from which the House descends had the butterfly as its mark. During its period as servants of Pluto, the God of the Underworld and hidden wealth, its symbol was a twopronged pitchfork. Items with these marks are rarely used publicly. Many Romanians believe that moths, particularly the death’s head moth, are shapes of the moro. Moro are a type of vampire created when parents murder their unbaptized children through exposure in the wilderness. Exposure still happens at times, particularly to Gifted children. Members of the House like to adopt these foundlings, as apprentices or servants, since they tend to be loyal to their saviors. The pitchfork motif has one noticeable effect on Tremere magi. Many see two as a balanced, sufficient number. They prefer to work in pairs, train two apprentices, make two copies of letters and so on. This attitude explains why certamen duelists may disallow the first Art that their rival offers, but not the second. Tremere magi call a magus’s preferred certamen arts his “tines”.

Cult Stories The necromantic cult did not leave the cities to flee the Dominion. Most made lairs in the subterranean spaces of their cities, particularly in places like Naples, which surmounts an enormous cave complex. Occasionally, a Hermetic magus will discover that there was a necromantic presence in a city and mount an expedition to find their cult center. This is often profitable. The necromancers were not afraid to steal from graves. The defenses of their sites were designed before the invention of the Parma Magica. The Dominion has often invaded the site as the city above expanded, further reducing the effectiveness of the defenses. A few necromantic sites have been claimed by spring covenants. On a few occasions, however, the locations have been revealed to diabolists by their infernal masters.

Uniform Robes

The formal robes of Tremere magi are dyed with the residue left after vis is extracted from the Waters of Forgetfulness. The Waters are harvested in the funeral cavern at the heart of Coeris, the domus magna of House Tremere. To members of the House, their uniform appearance at Tribunal is a sign of kinship and solidarity. The dye also reminds Tremere magi that the House will care for them until they, too, rest in the cavern. The dye is self-mordanting, and changes color with time. It is initially blue-black, but deepens in shade as it ages. After about twenty years, the garment is a deep, true black. It fades to charcoal gray after a further thirty. The House dyes spare cloth each year, so that a magus requiring a new robe may request one of suitably venerable hue.

History

Before the Order

House Tremere’s ancestors were a tradition of diviners who summoned the ghosts of the recently dead and forced secrets from them. Initially servants of Aita, later Pluto, they became priests of Mercury Psychopompos — the Conductor of Souls — when the Cult of Mercury swallowed their tradition during the reign of Augustus. They did not have temples, and met in secret, in the places of the dead.

When the catacombs under Rome became the meeting sites of the furtive Christian churches, Tremere’s ancestors sensed the welling of the Dominion. They could not agree on a response, and their sect shattered into acrimonious shards. After centuries of surreptitious warfare, the cult consolidated into several rival groups. Trianoma met Guorna the Fetid, the ruler of the remnant group in Naples, in 757.

Guorna’s tradition had secularized since its desertion by Pluto, then by Hermes. They retained their power over ghosts and dreams, but became increasingly competent in the animation of the dead. Guorna was perhaps the finest necromancer of her age, but the primitive rituals that extended her lifespan had made her pus-filled and cadaverous. She designed a ritual that would move her spirit to a younger body, but her apprentices, Tytalus and Tremere, fled before she had the chance to use it.

While Guorna studied with Bonisagus, Tytalus and Tremere brutally slaughtered her followers, looting their subterranean stronghold. Where and how Guorna died is unrecorded, but few doubt her vengeful apprentices were responsible. They studied with Bonisagus, and were more forthcoming than their ancestor.

When the Order formed, many assumed that Tremere would join House Tytalus. Tremere, however, bought powerful allies to the Tribunal — another necromantic remnant group from Dacia. Tytalus was unwilling to battle Tremere and his followers.

The Final Founder

Tremere was the youngest Founder and, although he would never admit it to anyone but himself, the weakest. During the Order’s formation, Tremere sought ways to avoid becoming Tytalus’s servant. He found allies among the other Founders, and then outside the Order.

There are several, contradictory, epiphany stories explaining Tremere’s decision to create a personal army. The historical moment has been lost but its effect, that Tremere with his supporters could dissuade Tytalus or Flambeau from aggression, is the kernel from which the House grew. Soon after the foundation of the Order, Tremere retired to the Transylvanian Alps to build a defensible base, now the covenant called Coeris. He then began extending his influence through force: attacking magicians in the Byzantine Empire and sacking their sites of power.

Tremere’s empire building was unsuccessful. A group of magi in the Empire pledged to support each other, accepted Jerbiton’s nominal suzerainty, and retook much of the territory Tremere had gained. Forced into a settlement with the Theban League, Tremere sought other ways of achieving power.

Tremere attempted to subvert the Order’s legal tradition. He aided Bonisagus in the creation of certamen, and then propagated it with the assistance of Trianoma and Jerbiton. He became a master duelist, able, in this limited sphere, to face Flambeau or Tytalus without the need of supporters. In 817 Tremere was able to have the Grand Tribunal accept certamen as “decisive in all disputes”, which gave Tremere advantages in pivotal matters.

In a strategy stretching over decades, Tremere took control of vast sections of the Order. He manufactured disputes, and then settled them with certamen. Some magi respected him as the final Founder. Others were convinced that they needed a strong leader, by Tremere’s fear mongering. His House bound others through economic convenience and political aid. In the final stages of his plan, Tremere used naked force to subdue key enemies, and cowed others with threats. Tremere intended to have himself declared overlord of the Order at a special Grand Tribunal in 850.

A group of magi ruined his plans in 848. They broke the minds of Tremere’s lieutenants, leaving him vulnerable to the many mages he had browbeaten into submission. The Primus of Guernicus arranged a truce between Tremere and his enemies. In exchange for his promise to cease his attempt to dominate the Order, Tremere’s lieutenants were restored. To ensure Tremere kept his promise, the Primus of Guernicus removed his memory of who was responsible or where he had met them. Tremere agreed to have his memories monitored, to ensure he would find no way to recollect his foes.

The House View of Tremere in 1220

Members of House Tremere do not venerate the Founder. They respect Tremere, but they are distant enough from him that they can analyze the flaws in his strategies. Many see him as a tragic figure, who reached for more than he could grasp. Although he was rightly doomed for his hubris, they have a sly affection for a person so willing to dare so much. This view is popular outside his House, also.

Many magi assume that were House Tremere ever to discover who ruined their plan for dominating the Order, it would rouse them to war. This isn’t accurate, although individual Tremere magi would trouble the descendants of the Sunderers. The spell involved was probably a Perdo Mentem ritual that worked inside Coeris. Many Tremere magi assume that it was a particularly devious blow by Albanus, Tremere’s successor. If it was not he, then the House wishes to be sure that it could prevent the same happening again.

The House After Tremere

In the eyes of many other magi, House Tremere regained its honor on the battlefield.

After a century, the leaders that had faced the Founder had passed away, and although their descendants distrusted Tremere magi, they did not hate them with the same virulence. Tremere magi aided the Quaesitores against demonically corrupted Tytalus magi; then, barely forty years later, were massacred in the Schism War. Compared to demon worship and human sacrifice, megalomania was a bland vice, easily forgiven by allies.

It is popular, in parts of the Order, to suggest that perhaps House Diedne did not deserve extermination. Perhaps, some say, the druids were not the evil figures depicted in stories of the time, which the Tremere magi may have spread anyway. The Schism War, they point out, allowed House Tremere to hold its head high again, so perhaps it was responsible for the general breakdown of Hermetic culture that preceded its intervention. Tremere magi do not believe this to be true.

It may be that they believe their own lies, but members of the House fervently believe that the magi of Diedne deserved death. They accept that hatred of non-Latin magi ran deep in their House, but they do not question that Diedne magi practiced abhorrent rituals and were abetting the widespread turmoil that threatened the Order. They do not claim that they behaved impeccably during the campaign, but over half of House Tremere’s magi died during the Schism War. Those failing to show proper respect for the members of the House that died to protect the Order are enemies of the House.

At the end of the Schism, mundane warfare threatened the House’s interests. In 1014 a Byzantine army invaded Bulgaria, defeating the Bulgarian army. The Byzantine leader blinded his 14,000 captives, save one whom he blinded only in a single eye so that he could lead his fellows back to the capital. Samuel, the King of the Bulgars, died of shock at the sight of the fumbling mass of men, and the kingdom was subdued entirely within four years. Members of House Tremere could never prove that covenants from the Theban Tribunal precipitated this invasion, but the coincidence of timing was exquisitely unfortunate for the House. Tremere magi offered sight back to many of these men, in exchange for lifelong service to the House.

For around 60 years after the Schism, House Tremere became introspective again. Its leaders continued to interact politically with other magi, but its resources were spent in a reconstruction effort that was, with hindsight, excessive. The leaders of House Tremere knew that the Schism had devastated and impoverished the House, and could not be certain a further challenge did not await them. Many of the House’s military magic items date from this time, built to replace items exhausted or destroyed in the Schism War. By 1071, House Tremere’s leaders felt that their preparations against the absent leaders of House Diedne and easily corrupted Byzantines had become embarrassingly fulsome. Large numbers of Tremere magi begin to join multi-House covenants in the 1070s, in part to make the House appear less threatening to other magi.

Why Did They Care? When rumors began to circulate that the members of House Diedne were practicing human sacrifice, most magi were unconvinced or disgusted, but only House Tremere felt driven to annihilate the druids. The Tremere say that this was a simple matter of principle, and many magi accept that explanation, but there was a deeper reason for their loathing of the Diedne wicker men. House Tremere’s ancestors worshipped Aita, then Pluto, then Mercury. They served each god of the dead with devotion for centuries. Their tradition became secular because each god, in turn, abandoned them.

Members of the House will never again love anything so much that they will die for it, except each other. On a level beneath thinking, they remember that they have been three times betrayed. Many Tremere do not trust anything that desires human worship. This colors their view of the religions of others, although there are many Tremere magi who follow the Christian religion, whose God, in an unusual inversion, let humans kill Him.

Tremere magi know that ghosts are less than people. They are just reflections, usually tied to the world by duty or grief or love. Tremere magi understand, with absolute clarity, what happens to a person when they are murdered to please a god.

They don’t think that gods are worth it.

Mortal Affairs

The Tremere have never formally decided to foment trouble among the nobility of their Tribunal but, on a purely local basis, they have tended to prevent power aggregating. This lack of powerful nobles has helped fuel an endless cycle of invasion and civil war. During the Twelfth Century, the Byzantine Empire invaded Hungary and Bulgaria, the two principal kingdoms in the Tribunal, over twenty times. Before 1185, patchy civil war was incessant.

In 1185 a pair of brothers, minor lords from near Tirnova, rebelled against the Empire and forced a truce that removed the area north of the Bulgarian mountains from Imperial control. The elder brother, called Asen, began raiding Thrace and Macedonia, forcing Emperor Isaac Angelus to send his forces north. The Bulgarians crushed the Byzantine army, sending shocks through the Empire’s government.

The Bulgarian rebellion persisted under a series of kings leading to Ivan Asen II, the current Tsar of Bulgaria. Ivan II claims the title “Emperor of the Bulgars and Greeks” and is a skilled enemy of the Latins who currently occupy Constantinople. He wishes to take the capital from them, to serve as the center of his Bulgar-Greek Empire. The main factor protecting Constantinople from his armies, in the decade following 1220, is that it is the weakest of the four players in the game of empire on the Balkan Peninsula. Ivan is more worried about either Epirus or Nicea than the Latins.

Amber Eyes

The Tremere returned sight to over a thousand blinded Bulgars with a single ritual, since this was the least expensive method. The new eyes the Bulgars grew were colored amber, the sigil of the maga who cast the ritual. Many of the covenfolk in Transylvania have inherited this eye color, which deepens with Warping. Children with these eyes are often named for the blind bard Thamyris, and are more likely to be homosexual than other characters.

Peace Initiatives

The previous Primus of Tremere gently supported the Asen rebellion, a policy the current Prima adheres to. This support was not formal alliance. The Primus simply directed that Tremere magi should assist local disputes to non-violent resolution. The Primus believed that stable monarchies would prevent brigandage, invasion, and the diabolism that accompanies widespread suffering. In Hungary, conflicts between the king, Andrew II, and his nobles are also gradually being resolved. The servants of Tremere magi have cordial dealings with many Hungarian nobles, so a constitutional system may develop. The daughter of Andrew II married John II in 1218, partially due to Tremere influence.

Coeris

Coeris, the Domus Magnus of Tremere, is a pleasant place. Tremere originally designated it as a site where damaged warriors could take the waters of forgetfulness and be healed of their psychological injuries.

According to the House’s history, Coeris surmounts the Gate of Eurydice, the abyss through which Orpheus departed into the underworld. Some Tremere magi claim that they could visit Hades if they wished, but the use of the Gate of Eurydice causes Warping, so they choose not to. The House as a whole has little practical interest in the Gate of Eurydice, because most Tremere magi many believe it to be a regio that shows visions from the quester’s own thoughts and dreams, leading to self-absorption and detachment from reality.

The Gate of Eurydice is the focus of the House’s funereal practices. Tremere’s coffin was carried through the Gate of Eurydice, and the ashes of his descendants are poured into it. The walls of the cavern that surround it have ten thousand niches. There is a space for the sigil of every Tremere magus, ordered by Gauntlet date. The Primus, for ceremonial reasons, sometimes removes the Founder’s.

Coeris is the ultimate strong point for the House. It is not considered a place of final retreat: the House assumes that by the time Coeris becomes the final bastion of the Order, all hope is likely lost. Coeris is the storehouse where the magi of Tremere keep much of their vast treasury to be expended in future conflicts. It is also their mustering point of preference in times of Europe-wide conflict. That the Primus has immediate call on the House’s reserve is not lost on fractious senior Tremere.

Large Tremere House covenants are found in the Tribunals of Transylvania, Iberia, Rome, Stonehenge, and Thebes. Small House covenants are found in five of the other Tribunals. The House covenants serve as storage depots, research facilities and fortified rallying points. Experienced magi, each usually accompanied by a young assistant, live in many of the multiple-house covenants.

Single Tremere magi are sometimes found in covenants at the borders the House’s sphere of influence. These magi receive special attention from their superiors, since their position is exposed. They are also likely to be from Transylvania, and unaccustomed to the self-indulgent, short-sighted and tiresome ways of young magi from other traditions. Members of the House hope that these young wizards will develop into experienced magi with assistants of their own, over time.

The House in 1220

Tremere magi are usually raised in House covenants, and value the respect and company of their Housemates. They find reasons to meet each other between Tribunals, particularly Ceremonies of Welcome and funerals for their Housemates. Tremere magi gather for a few days before Tribunal meetings convene. Magi who have their own sigils gather at Coeris every ten years, to consider the future of the House. The House forms an extended, demanding family.

Pragmatic Attitude

Tremere magi are pragmatic almost to the point of pessimism. They believe that the world is not for the incautious, terrible things happen regularly, and those who prepare best survive. Those who do not prepare, who waste their time in frivolities, dishonor the sacrifices of other, better magi. Tremere magi are not as miserable as their philosophy might suggest. They enjoy the exercise of power and the study of the Arts. For the most part they love their parentes and apprentices and enjoy friendships. They pursue a variety of personal interests. Tremere magi simply believe that the House paid for these luxuries with blood. Those who have enjoyed them will pay again when necessary.

Military Ethos

The House maintains a state of military preparedness, because Tremere magi believe all sources of power require protection. They see the ability to defend themselves and their sodales as the basic test of maturity. When the House expects a long period of peace, as it does in 1220, it accumulates political and economic power. They see this storing up of materiel as insurance against future trouble. The Doctrine, the Tremere method of war and philosophy for living, separates Tremere magi from “warriors”, magi who develop personal prowess to seek individual glory. It allows Tremere magi to fight as soldiers: in coordinated groups, using tested equipment and methods.

Tremere magi do not seek personal military or political triumphs; they desire the respect of other Tremere magi. Tremere magi consider it dishonorable to be unfit for war. The Tremere Doctrine emphasizes that a group in which each soldier carries his own gear travels faster than those which use draft animals, is able to redeploy into small sections, and recovers better from ambush. Many Tremere magi are able to swim, hike and fieldrepair equipment. The Tremere aesthetic prefers the lithe, athletic body. Tremere magae, in particular, look unusual to mundanes.

Reverence for Order

House Tremere would like to rule the world. This attitude alienates many of their sodales. Their desire for domination is not, however, born directly from pride. Tremere magi believe that a global government would make life less chaotic. Fewer tragedies would occur, and crises would swiftly dealt with. Great accomplishments would be easier if magi pooled their efforts. The Tremere magi do not, however, trust anyone else to rule the world wisely. Tremere’s vision, a totalitarian empire, died in the Sundering. The magi Tremere had drawn into the Order never embraced it. His promises of consultation, through the House Council, assured them that the House, and world government, would have a federal structure after a brief period of military rule. The modern House is less culturally heterogeneous than in Tremere’s time, but most of its members believe a federal world government is practicable. They know the Order will not accept the House Doctrine, but can be convinced, with skilled evangelism, to adopt elements of it over time. The Magi of Tremere support the Order because, with a handful of gross exceptions, it has maintained peace between, and prevented diabolism by, the most dangerous people in Europe for many centuries. They don’t think that its insular, manorial culture is the best way for magi to live or govern themselves, but other magi acquiesce to the Order, and it can be improved, however slowly.

Extent

House Tremere dominates the Transylvania Tribunal absolutely. No Tremere proposal has failed to pass in over two hundred years. In 1220, 41 Tremere magi live in Transylvania, and 51 live in the other Tribunals, an outward-looking political posture. Another 20 magi and redcaps live in Transylvania as guests of the House. These are usually specialists, paid to create items and perform research. The Transylvanian Tribunal is larger than House Tremere can effectively administer. It contains only five covenants, and stretches from the Adriatic to the Black Sea, including all of Hungary and Croatia, with all of Bulgaria north of the Rodopi Mountains. The House has deliberately kept the Tribunal’s population far lower than necessary, to allow its members to collect sufficient vis to pay its specialists, fund its projects, and lay aside logistical reserves necessary for war Young magi trained in the other Tribunals usually spend at least a few years in Transylvania before resuming duties in other Tribunals. This maintains the cultural cohesiveness of the House. Young magi acting without immediate support, for example those few who join forming Spring covenants just after their Gauntlet, were usually trained in Transylvania.

Political Priorities

Block Voting

Tremere magi vote in blocks at Tribunal meetings. This allows their leaders to negotiate with other politically powerful magi from a position of strength. It also allows them to coordinate their position in criminal trials. The free proxy of votes to the House’s Tribune, their speaker at Tribunal, sidesteps the rulings that prevent magi buying and selling votes on criminal matters. The main tactics that Tremere magi use to reform the Peripheral Code are:

• Refining existing rulings where the Code is silent. The Tremere, for example, advocate the rights of apprentices. Young Tremere magi do not draw away from their masters, like those of other Houses.

* Requesting that rulings be reviewed, when circumstances have changed. The Tremere, for example, question the assumption, found in older rulings, that the property of all magi in a covenant is held communally by the covenant. They question what a legitimate dispute, settled by certamen, is. 

• Defining terms in a favorable way. An example occurred when the House argued that giving sanctuary to a faerie prince involved in a civil war, even if it did lead to his rivals to attacking another covenant, was interference, certainly, but not molestation.

Transitionalism

House Tremere advocates changes to the Code that would permit Tribunals to compel magi to assist the Order. Contributions to research covenants, embassies to foreign magical groups and expeditions to distant lands are currently voluntary. Miserly covenants often refuse to assist, knowing that House Bonisagus will share any useful information with them. House Tremere favors a common purse to pay for these things. They also believe that the Order should be able to compel material assistance from every covenant during war.

Secularization of Public Life

With the possible exception of the Divine, the Tremere believe that gods are swindlers who deserve no role in the deliberations of magi. This is not a major point in the Order during the Thirteenth Century. Many Tremere magi refuse to swear oaths to Hermes, which offends some of their sodales.

Border Awareness

House Tremere is interested in the abilities of the mystical groups beyond the Order’s influence. These groups could be a source of useful ideas, or might threaten the Order, so assessing their abilities is prudent. House Tremere currently focuses on the abilities of Islamic wizards.

Storing Up Materiel

Tremere magi constantly seek to strengthen and enrich the House. The House claims many vis sites and sources of mundane wealth, and spares a portion of all that it collects, against future strife. Tremere magi avoid wasting the House’s resources, which makes their lives less luxurious than those of their sodales. Tremere magi use the treasures of the House, during peacetime, to fund projects that bring in greater wealth, or that make minor conflicts less likely.

Hospitality Hospitality is the gift of somewhere safe to rest, goods required for a journey to continue, and defense against those wishing to attack the guest. The Tremere support the right of wizards to engage in War, but a Tremere magus hunted by a superior foe does not consider it dishonorable to hide in the sanctum of a senior Tremere magus. To do so is an admission that the younger magus is not an equal of their patron, but this is less embarrassing for Tremere magi than those of other Houses.

Contacts With Outsiders

House Tremere interacts frequently with the groups protected from harm by the Code. The Tremere would prefer an open détente with the faeries, church and nobility of Europe, explaining the Order’s aims, their prohibitions against molestation, and the services which magi are permitted to provide in exchange for land or other favors.

The House does not break the Code, according to its interpretation. The Tremere do not interfere with the mundanes, but do not consider honest trade interference, even if it advantages shrewd mundanes over cloddish ones. The Tremere do not molest faeries, but they often support certain faeries against others of their kind. The House is ambivalent about the Church, but tries to convince monasteries near covenants to sell their land, and hermits to settle as far away as possible. The House sees little difference between demons and gods. Their god used to carry a pitchfork, after all.

Structure

The House has a simple structure. The Primus rules for life and appoints his or her own successor. The Primus selects highly effective subordinates, called exarchs, to oversee the House’s affairs in one or more Tribunals. They manifest their schemes with the assistance of the experienced members of the House. These experienced members are older magi, in the autumn of their power. Experienced magi have skilled lieutenants who oversee projects for them. At the bottom of the hierarchy are newly Gauntleted magi. Members of the House do not have names for the ranks below exarch, but are aware they exist.

The Primus, theoretically, governs with the counsel of all magi who possess their own sigils. This Council meets every ten years, the origin of the Decennials, but has lacked formal powers since the Schism. A member of this body is called a conciliarius, a word meaning both councilor and counselor.

In exchange for their subordination, all members of the House expect aid. The degree of aid varies, depending on how senior the magus is, whether their project is personal or for the House, and how wealthy the House is in their area. Aid often takes the form of loans of vis, money, books or magic items.

The Role of Young Magi

It seems strange to young magi from other Houses that Tremere magi voluntarily give so much of their time to the schemes of their superiors. Young Tremere magi understand that the House’s cohesiveness is their greatest source of strength. They serve their elders, and, in turn, their elders nurture them. Tremere magi learn how to acquire and wield power by aiding those who have and do.

If distant from their conciliarius, younger magi report and receive instructions by letter. When a young magus moves to a distant Tribunal, the conciliarius instructs them to seek guidance from the senior Tremere magus in that Tribunal instead. This is usually not an exarch. Most exarchates cover several Tribunals, and the exarch appoints locals to advocate for the House at Tribunal meetings. It is usual for these tribunes (“tribal leaders”) to speak and vote on the younger magus’s behalf, following the exarch’s instructions.

Little is required of younger magi beyond time, obedience, and courage. Their aim is to develop the skills required to serve the House skillfully in later years. If they are the senior Tremere magus in the covenant in which they live, they should seek its leadership, but not in a hasty way. They are required to avoid the notice of the powerful in the church and nobility, but seek influence among lesser landowners and local priests.

His superiors carefully select a young magus’s duties for the House so that, except in times of crisis, they do not slow his magical development so markedly as to make him weak compared to magi from other Houses. A younger magus generally loses a season per year to the work of the House, less if he completes his duties swiftly.

A key duty of Tremere magi is to answer the call to arms. In times of crisis, House Tremere rapidly converts into an army. It has a chain of command, prearranged mustering points, and a developed supply network. Its members fight in a way coordinated by an established doctrine, and are, generally, willing to follow orders that seem likely to prove fatal. House Tremere forms the core of the Order’s soldiery, augmented by Houses with more individualistic, undisciplined members. Allowances are made for lost messages during times of crisis, but a Tremere magus who knowingly fails to muster is hunted down by his sodales.

Other duties include:

• negotiating with the landholders and churchmen in the immediate area. • collecting vis from a site frequented by minor, hostile faeries or magical creatures.
• finding and claiming a suitable Gifted child as an apprentice for a superior.
• securing a rare, distant resource from a site unlikely to be heavily defended.
• finding witnesses to an incident to be discussed at Tribunal.
• investigating rumors that indicate the presence of resources useful to the House.
• investigating the disappearance of a redcap or minor ally of the House.
• assisting senior magi in their personal concerns.
• developing local knowledge of terrain, to act as the House’s guide should it need to operate in force nearby.
• locating ancient battlefields or artifacts for the House’s necromancers.
• investigating local hedge magicians, drawing them into the service of the House if possible.
• attending the Wizards’ March.

Forms of support available to younger magi include:

• the loan of a moderate sum of silver, or 4 pawns of vis, or a minor book on an Art, or a minor magical item.
• the secret assistance of a highly-skilled but non-magical person, paid for by the House, such as a blacksmith, poisoner or courtesan.
• the use of a debt owed to the House by a minor noble or priest.
• passage on ships, or a team of horses.

Assume a young magus may have one form of aid at a time and that it takes a complete season for a player character in a multi-house covenant to change his form of aid. If, for example, he repays a loan and asks for the assistance of a burglar, it takes three months for the burglar to become available. Magi in House covenants find the process far faster. Senior magi often give younger magi more support than this, if they have difficult tasks to perform. The House cannot provide every item on this list at demand. Its ships and horses, for example, provide logistical support in times of crisis, so they center their peacetime activities on the House covenants that act as mustering points. Distant Tremere magi may find it difficult to access them. The House’s supply of magic items is not limitless and new items are not created for young magi. Senior members of the House have preferential call on its logistical reserves.

The Role of Skilled Magi

A magus who has served the House well for a period of years, and come to the attention of the experienced magi, is trusted with tasks of greater importance and risk. These magi are respected members of their covenants and have significant influence, in their surrounding area, with lesser noblemen and the leaders of small church establishments. They spend more time in the service of the House than the youngest magi, but their masters try to balance the demand that they serve the House now with their need to serve it better in future.

Other missions suitable for skilled magi include:

• negotiating with minor nobility, the leaders of smaller church establishments and powerful hedge magicians.
• capturing minor magical creatures, for sale to other magi or use by the House.
• collecting vis from sites frequented by dangerous faeries or magical creatures.
• guarding large quantities of money and vis sent to the foundation of a new House Covenant.
• distributing the sigils and goods of a dead magus to his filii.
• carrying the ashes of a Tremere magus to Coeris.
• supporting the schemes of a nobleman allied to the House.
• investigating folktales or rumors indicating the presence of a defended magical site.
• leading small groups of Tremere magi on dangerous missions, including acting as skirmishing parties on Wizards’ March.

Forms of support often given to magi of this level include:

• the loan of a large sum of silver, or up to 12 pawns of vis, or a widely-admired book on an Art, or a magical item of moderate power, or a tame magical animal.
• the secret services of groups of skilled individuals, such as a group of bandits, or a team of scribes.
• the assistance of a hedge magician in the service of the House.
• the use of a small ship suitable for piracy or trade.
• the use of a debt owed to the House by a significant nobleman, or an abbot.
• the hire of a small group of mercenaries.

A magus at this level of skill can have two types of support from the list above. Each of the types of support above may be traded for three types of support in the previous list. Senior magi often choose to give skilled magi more support than this, particularly the assistance of young magi.

The Role of Experienced Magi

An experienced magus is one trusted to act, with little supervision, in the interests of the House. If he lives outside the House covenants, he is likely to be the House’s representative in a broad geographical area. He deals with problems as they emerge, and although he works within the House’s strategy, he enjoys great freedom concerning his methods of completing tasks. An experienced magus is one who has come into his power, and is expected to lead members of the House less powerful than he. Some experienced magi are skilled in dealing with a particular threat, dark faeries for example. The House uses them as problem-solvers, rather than as part of the geographical web of command. These magi often travel extensively, enjoying hospitality from Tremere covenants.

The duties of experienced Tremere magi include:

• negotiating with noble faeries, major mortal nobles, abbots and bishops.
• killing or subduing powerful magical beasts, troublesome troupes of faeries and mortal armies.
• negotiating with members of powerful, united hedge traditions.
• negotiating with senior Hermetic magi from other Houses.
• investigating and defeating the machinations of demons.
• recovering the bodies of missing Tremere magi, and extracting vengeance.
• securing heavily-defended sites, including vis sources, on behalf of the House.
• leading expeditions to areas outside the sphere of Hermetic influence.
• founding new covenants.
• training an apprentice.
• supervising younger magi
• leading Wizards’ Marches, particularly if the crime was against a Tremere magus.
• meeting with the other experienced Tremere in the exarchate to consider how best to strengthen the House.

Resources available to experienced magi include:

• the gift of a large quantity of silver, or up to 4 pawns of vis,
• the loan of a major work on an Art, or a magical item of great power, or a tame magical animal with lethal powers. Items are sometimes created to order for magi of this level of responsibility.
• the secret services of groups of highly-skilled individuals, such as an organized crime gang, crew of smugglers, or team of stonemasons.
• the assistance of young Tremere magi.
• the use of a warship, or a small force of grogs familiar with Hermetic magic. • the use of a debt owed to the House by a minor king or bishop.

An experienced magus may select three forms of support from the list above. Each of these slots may be traded for either three choices on the skilled magus list, or nine choices on the young magi list. The Exarch will often give further assistance if the magus has been set a difficult task. This can include the assistance of magi specialized in dealing with particular sorts of problems. A magus of this level does not need to pay back the money or vis he spends, but does need to show a consistent pattern of success that justifies his expenditures. A magus who uses a slot to acquire a gift from the House can regain the slot by returning items of equal worth, or by waiting until his superiors deem him to have served off the gift.

Material Aid in Your Saga Storyguides and players should negotiate the degree of aid provided to Tremere characters. The system of aid is the Tremere alternative to the fantastic powers granted to other Houses, like Merinita and Criamon. It is practical, and powerful, but too slow to be useful in emergencies. In sagas where stories favor another House, the troupe may decide that Tremere characters receive greater aid. Similarly, in campaigns that focus on mundane and magical intrigue, the Tremere magus might receive less aid. High fantasy sagas may justify more aid, historically realistic sagas may require less. The system of aid also compensates Tremere magi for the seasons of study they lose in the service of their House. Tremere magi have access to excellent books, and loans of vis, so that they fall only slightly behind their age-mates. If the demands of the House are making a player character far weaker than his sodales, then the troupe should increase the level of aid. Similarly, characters developing far more rapidly than others in the group owe time to the House. Troupes should justify changes in the level of aid. A more parsimonious or generous magus replaces an exarch. The character’s pet project may fall into, or from, favor, due to changes in the threat perceptions of the senior magi of the House. Major projects may strip the House of particular resources, or the conclusion of long-running projects creates a sudden surplus. As a campaign evolves, the interests of players and their characters change. The degree of aid should wane, and wax, in sympathy with the saga’s themes.

The Role of the Exarchs

The exarchs are senior Tremere placed in command of the House’s operations in one or more Tribunals. There are currently six exarchs. One supervises each of the Rhine and Roman Tribunals. Another oversees the Theban and Levant tribunals, although in time the Levant may become a unique exarchate, as its exarch has granted the tribune broad powers beyond his role as advocate. Provencal and Iberia share an exarch. The exarchate based in Stonehenge Tribunal controls the three British Tribunals and Normandy. Transylvania, Novgorod and the Greater Alps comprise the final exarchate. This exarch’s role includes traveling as a spokeswoman for the Prima, since her exarchate includes tribunals where the House is either ubiquitously powerful or all but absent.

The duties of an exarch may include:

• coordinating the experienced magi of the exarchate.
• detecting diabolism performed by Tremere magi.
• engaging in Tribunal-wide plots to replace major mortal nobles and ecclesiastical leaders.
• leading armies to destroy mighty beasts, armies of faeries, nests of hedge wizards or covenants of foresworn Hermetic magi.
• acting as the ambassador for the Primus to the domus magnae of those other Houses that lie within the exarchate.
• negotiating the sale or purchase of vis supply sites with covenants.
• investigating major incidents which harm the House, including attacks on House covenants by unknown forces.
• commissioning expeditions to areas outside the sphere of Hermetic influence.
• selecting the sites for new covenants and arranging their construction, staffing and early stability.
• officiating at the cremation of a dead Tremere magus
• regularly reporting to the Primus.

Resources available to exarchs include:

• the gift of vast quantities of silver or 12 pawns of vis,
• the loan of a masterpiece concerning an Art, or a magical item of extraordinary power. Items are often created to order for magi of this level of responsibility.
• the secret services of groups of highly-skilled individuals, including soldiers trained to hunt magi, and friendly troupes of faeries.
• the assistance of experienced Tremere magi.
• the use of a small fleet of warships, or an army of moderate size.
• the command of any House ally among the nobility or in the church.

An exarch may choose three items from this list, each tradable for three picks on the experienced magi list, but are often permitted more by the Primus. They have many responsibilities to the House that justify additional support, and they are the magi who monitor the use of money, vis, minor books, magic items, and mundane goods. The most powerful items that exarchs can request are of strictly limited supply, and items crafted to order take many seasons to arrive. The battle banner of each exarch is an enchanted, wolfish dragonhead, carried on a pole. Attached to it is a long cone of fabric, which catches the wind as a tail, but is not enchanted. Various heads have differing powers: at least two spit flame. A banner bearer, who often has a pole as a talisman, attends each exarch.

Vexillations During the violent portions of the House’s history, it was usual for Tremere magi to serve in small, mobile squads. Each member had a set of skills that complemented those of the other members of the group. These military units, called vexillations, still exist within the House, but in 1220 the term is used for any group of magi who have been given a single task. The leader of an important vexillation is often given a pennant enchanted with useful effects. Most vexillation pennants were designed for military use, and assist communication and travel. Senior Tremere magi call vexillations for important tasks together from across the breadth of Europe. The order to “assemble beneath the flag” is keenly anticipated by Tremere magi. It gives them an opportunity to collaborate with their peers within the House. Members are usually ordered to bring allies or equipment that their superior feels will prove useful, so magi of other Houses often assist Tremere vexillations.

The Role of the Primus and Legatus

The Primus rules the House from Coeris, a covenant in the Transylvanian Alps. The current Prima, Poena, has governed the House since her predecessor retired at the Deccenial held two years ago. Poena has channeled resources into a series of research projects, some of which require purpose-built facilities. Staff for these new covenants are drawn from across the House, but new Tremere magi, or those who rise suddenly in status, are likely to be ordered to assist a research covenant. Poena particularly favors research that reduces the battlefield advantages of the Islamic wizards of the Levant. The most important magus in the House, aside from the Primus, is the Legatus. The Legatus is the field-leader of the House in war, selected by the Primus. It has become popular, since the death of Primus Cercistum during the Schism, for the Primus to avoid the battlefield, to maintain command. It is usual for the Legatus to live in Coeris, but use magical transport to reach a forward base of operations if required. The Legatus is the Primus’s heir. Were Coeris destroyed by a surprise attack, leadership of the House would fall to the Exarch of Rome.

Continuing Vexillations

Some vexillations never disband, because they have tasks that they cannot finish. These vexillations encourage young Tremere magi to become worthy inheritors of the task. There are many continuing vexillations, and many invite members from outside the House.

Abyssal Bearer Vexillation

Task: To ensure no Tremere magus is left unburied. Beyond the emotional appeal of doing the correct thing for deceased relatives, the House does not want ghosts of its magi to fall into enemy hands. Members of this vexillation have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the safety of Tremere magi. This vexillation contains four members, each the descendant, eldest student by eldest student, of a magus who carried Tremere’s coffin into the Gate of Euridyce. They have many other demands on their time, and some lack detective skill, so they seek the assistance of other Tremere magi when they suspect trouble.

Leader: Since the First Primus, Albanus, was one of Tremere’s coffin-bearers and was his oldest student, the leader of this vexillation is the descendant, eldest by eldest, from the Founder. She is a young maga in a spring covenant, who finds her responsibilities arduous.

Burning Acorn Vexillation

Task: To discover the whereabouts of the leaders of House Diedne. Arguably, this is the least successful of the continuing vexillations, but they don’t let that worry them. Members of this vexillation are the House’s explorers. They are equipped to survive expeditions into unknown territory and confront hostile magic there. They often collaborate with the Houses Mercere and Merinita. Members of this vexillation would be surprised if they were ever to discover any sign of the Diedne, but are finding so many other interesting things while they attempt it that the House would prefer they continued trying. This vexillation has developed a breed of partially fae horse that does not react badly to Gifted riders, and can see in the dark. This line does not breed quite true, and the stallions have a vicious temper. These are a rare exception to the House’s disapproval of mounts.

This vexillation is currently governed by Umno, the previous Primus of the House, which grants it prestige.

Cold Iron Vexillation

Task: To settle disputes with faeries to the advantage of the House. Each member of this vexillation has faerie blood, is a competent soldier, and a skilled diplomat. It maintains a small force of auxiliaries, trained to fight faeries.

This vexillation is always led by a masked figure called the Epicurean. Presumably the mask has changed wearers over time, but in Arcadia, the Epicurean is, in a very real sense, a continuing entity.

Broken Mirrors Vexillation

Task: To investigate suspicion of diabolism, treason against the House, or cowardice in battle. The Broken Mirror Vexillation was founded by Albanus, the First Primus, to ensure that the House did not fracture after Tremere’s retirement. Its members are ruthless, unflinchingly violent, and impeccably polite.

Leadership: This vexillation is usually controlled by whichever member of House Tremere has been accepted as a Quaesitor.

Promotion by Force

The House compromises between a pair of promotional paths — one political, the other based on force. The House accepts that magi skilled at war must lead. Simultaneously, it knows that the logistical decisions of the House cannot be entrusted to people simply because they, personally, are powerful. The usual, political, method is given above: a magus progresses when his superiors feel he is right to progress. The alternative, which is entirely acceptable except in times of emergency, when disrupting the chain of command is anathema, is to claim one’s due by a display of aptitude, through dueling. When dueling with other Tremere magi, it is dishonorable to use vis.

Claiming the Name, to Move to the Role of Magus by Force

The Gauntlet for House Tremere is a challenge, apprentice to master, for the title of magus. It is all-but unheard of for an apprentice to win the role of magus by force: doing so allows the apprentice to claim his sigil immediately. When the apprentice fails, a new name is granted instead. The new name tends to be grander than that used during apprenticeship, and is often chosen in consultation with the apprentice. By preference, the Gauntlet takes place in the presence of the exarch for the tribunal, a Quaesitor, and as many Tremere magi as are conveniently available. If a tribunal holds annual Ceremonies of Welcome, these are often used. The duel takes place when the master, or his superiors, decide it should. The magus may ignore any challenge from the apprentice before the correct ceremonial occasion. An apprentice kept overlong, however, attracts the attention of the Quaesitores. The master uses this certamen to display his apprentice’s skills. The most senior Tremere present determines if the apprentice graduates. It is usually sufficient for the apprentice to perform the basic maneuvers of certamen: were the magus not ready, no challenge would be permitted. Before the Gauntlet, a birchwood wand travels from the Primus to the tribunal’s exarch, who gives it to the master. The parens gives this to the new magus, as their sigil. The young magus then asks their parens to “hold my sigil, and guide me in its prudent use”. The parens accepts the birchwood wand and, if they do not hold their own sigil, sends it to their own parens, repeating the request. The young magus often acts as the sigil’s bearer The conciliarius then sends the birchwood wand to the appropriate exarch.

Claiming the Sigil, to Move to the Role of Experienced Magus by Force

A magus’s parens returns the sigil of their protégé after defeat in certamen, or at death. The protégé may challenge for their sigil, at a time of their choosing, once. After this, the magus may challenge at every Decennial meeting of the House. When the magus succeeds, he is usually presented his own talisman as his sigil. His birch wood sigil is returned to the magus’s funerary niche. It is used to ignite the magus’s funeral pyre. A young magus who holds his own sigil is:

• treated as an experienced magus when requesting assistance from the House, but is usually only assigned tasks which are suitable to his abilities, from the skilled magus list. This allows him to develop personal projects quickly.
• far less likely than a skilled magus to be required to assist other magi.
• the most likely experienced magus to be asked to assist the exarch with minor matters. This allows them to rapidly develop their skills and reputation.
• expected to become a specialist in a particular field that serves the needs of the House.
• trusted to act far from the support of the House, for example in the fringe Tribunals.
• permitted to vote at Tribunal as he wishes, without rancor on the part of his superiors, on trivial matters.

The exarch or tribune selects which matters are trivial at each tribunal. A matter is not trivial simply because the House has no interest in the outcome. The tribune often wishes to trade support on such a matter for support on another issue. This makes the matter significant to the House. A weak exarch may declare significant matters trivial. A magus who refuses to vote with the House at tribunal is challenging the exarch for his role.

Claiming the Tribunal’s Dragon Banner, to Move to the Role of Exarch by Force

The role of exarch is economic and executive, so disruptions to the exarchate distress the plans of the House. At the exarch’s ascension, his senior colleagues meet. They debate who might be suitable to act as exarch if the post becomes vacant, agreeing to a pool of candidates who then duel for the role of heir. The exarch ensures that the heir is familiar with their plan for the exarchate. The heir serves as exarch until the primus replaces him. The heir also accepts challenges at Decennials. Any Tremere magus may challenge the exarch to certamen over their policies for the House, or for their office. The exarch may accept personally, or ask an ally to meet the challenge. A magus may only challenge the exarch for his role once, and must not do so while the House faces rivals, at Tribunal for example. To challenge an exarch is not within the normal course of ambition for a Tremere magus. At times of such serious division, the House minimizes the opportunities presented to potential enemies. Any change in leadership is swift and decisive — a defeated exarch may not challenge to regain the role. The old exarch is required to give assistance to the new exarch. The Primus appoints and dismisses each exarch, so it challenges the primus’s authority for a magus to remove an appointee. Sometimes the Primus simply selects the deposed exarch again and punishes the usurper. Primi have also, historically, accepted the new exarch, sent a third party to the tribunal as mediator or candidate, collapsed the disputed exarchate into a neighboring exarchate and, on one occasion, declared the challenger an Orbus and mustered the House to war against him. Even if the challenge is successful, and the Primus accepts them, the new exarch is ceremonially punished, to demonstrate that the authority of the Primus remains intact.

Addled Secutor The Archmagus Valerius is the current Secutor. Three months ago, an incident in a faerie forest damaged his mind. He is intermittently lucid, and has sought the aid of the player characters. His rival, Theodoros of Tytalus, has become aware of his injury. Theodoros has boasted that he intends to challenge Valerius to certamen, then claim he has the right to challenge the Prima. Most Tremere would refuse to accept the challenge as valid, but were Prima Poena to refuse certamen, she would look pathetic. Valerius worries that foolish elements of the House might accept an outsider’s legitimacy in exchange for greater autonomy. Ambitious magi, sensing weakness in the Prima, would challenge her exarchs and disrupt the House’s projects. Valerius’s worries may be unfounded but he, and perhaps the Prima, would like to ensure that Theodoros never has the opportunity to challenge. Valerius is unable to provide the characters with much assistance in planning his defense. He is only lucid for a few moments at a time, between lengthy stretches of amused-looking catatonia. The characters could try to transport him to Coeris, or another covenant whose members are loyal to the Prima, but Theodoros may have found a way to locate his foe. They might hide Valerius in their covenant and travel to Coeris for an arcane connection, to allow them instant travel. They might, alternatively, negotiate with the terrible faerie powers that drove Valerius insane, either to repair his mind, or to do the same to his enemy. Dissent The House has never engaged in civil war but, at times, sections of the House have acted independently. This is not due to a failure of authority: it is always clear who is the Primus. Usually, dissent is due to a lack of charisma or coercion on the part of the Primus, and centers about an exarch. In a time of dissent, most members of the House pretend that the structure is still functioning normally. An exarch may ignore the requirements of the Primus, but she will still pretend to be following them closely, because her authority is itself a function of the role of the Primus. The House tries to heal these rifts through several mechanisms: challenge for the role of Primus, retirement of the Primus, appointment of a new exarch, voluntary relinquishment of the role of exarch, private negotiation resulting in a determined degree of independent authority for the exarch, and, in the most dire of situations, casting out the exarch and civil war. This final sanction has never been used, but members of the House are certain it would be, were no compromise possible. Both sides of the dissent will test experienced player characters, which is itself a powerful motivation to seek compromise. The vis, money and other support that usually flows from the Primus to experienced magi is lost to dissenters, and the manpower and items which dissenters usually provide are lost to the assenters. The Tremere magi are not reckless when they argue and in the face of enemies, for example hostile proposals at Tribunal, they set aside their differences temporarily. A young player character living in a time of dissent may not, initially, notice that there is a fracture within the House. They have limited access to the House’s resources in Transylvania — which has always stayed loyal to the Primus in times of trouble because of his location and access to powerful tools of retribution — and so may not notice that they are unable to draw on the assistance of part of the House. If they travel to an area outside their exarch’s influence, they still receive hospitality, but it is less generous than usual, unless they are overtly supportive of the same leader as their host.

Claiming the Sigil of Tremere, to Move to the Pole of Primus by Force

Many Primi choose to retire. They assist the exarchs, but are usually left to their researches. If a Primus dies or retires, his legatus becomes Primus, and selects a new legatus. At the Decennial the consiliari duel for the right to assess the competency of the primus. The victor, called the secutor, need not challenge the Primus to certamen, stating that his conversations indicate that the Primus’s mind is intact. The secutor may challenge the Primus at any time until the next Decennial, as may any Tremere magus who defeats the secutor in certamen, on any issue. Allies of the Primus may challenge magi who have defeated the secutor on the issue of whether they will challenge the Primus before the next Decennial, to reduce their numbers. The secutor may challenge the Primus as often as he wishes. It is impolitic to challenge more than once a year, unless an event renders the Primus inept. Similarly, the tradition of the House makes it usual for those who have defeated the secutor to challenge the Primus only once per victory. If the secutor dies, all interested Tremere magi gather at the next convenient event — such as a ceremony of welcome, funeral or tribunal — and duel for the privilege.

Designing Magi of House Tremere

Tremere magi are trained to be useful to the House. Virtually every magus is combat capable, and almost all have a field of special expertise. This allows their superiors to call upon the magus to solve difficulties for the House.

Arts and Spells

Magi of Tremere usually desire to be excellent duelists, which means they specialize in four arts. This is because the other party in a duel can veto their rival’s first choice of form or technique. Tremere was skilled in Rego, particularly with Mentem, and his descendants commonly select these two Arts. Rego Mentem spells lack direct offensive power, so many Tremere magi choose secondary arts that aid magical violence. In the current House, Muto is slightly more popular than the other techniques, and Terram, Animal, Corpus and Imaginem are all popular forms.

The Art of Rego

Rego specialists have to work with materials that are already present at casting, so they may lack the offensive power of Perdo or Creo specialists. Some develop a broad knowledge of the Forms and use spontaneous spells in precise, creative ways. Other Tremere magi carry objects that are affected by aggressive formulaic spells. Others develop their understanding of the forms of Terram or Herbam, on the basis that wood and stone are ubiquitous. In Wizard’s War members of House Tremere gain two advantages from their preference for the art of Rego. Their warding spells are excellent, which allows them to create secure spaces to recuperate, store supplies, and muster forces. Many can use Leap of Homecoming and, in moments of desperation, the far riskier Seven League Stride. This allows members of the House to retreat or deploy with extraordinary speed, while maintaining the cohesion of their combat units. Each of these advantages permits the Tremere magi to remain soldiers, fighting together under doctrine, instead of a force of scattered warriors.

The Art of Mentem

Tremere magi are skilled at exploiting necromancy to acquire information about their enemies. They question the dead, but also use them as spies and scouts. In limited circumstances, ghosts are effective magical infantry. Some Tremere magi are skilled at controlling dreams. Many people in Mythic Europe credit dreams with the power of prophecy, and so subtle changes to the dreams of significant mundanes can have disproportionate political outcomes. The real skill involved in this style of manipulation is surreptitiously acquiring an arcane connection to the victim, so that the spells can be used from an untraceable distance.

Millions of pagans have died traumatically in Europe, and a skilled necromancer can summon many of them at the sites of their deaths. During the Schism, for example, a small group of necromancers lured a covenant of Diedne magi into battle at Kalkriese. The druids did not realize this was the site of one of the preliminary skirmishes in the Varius Disaster, which killed 60,000 Roman legionaries. Their ghosts demoralized and scattered the druids, who were then defeated in detail. During the Schism, Primus Cercistum made many claims about his ability to call up ghost armies. He claimed to be able to call up the casualties of Hannibal’s three victories against the Romans in Italy (150,000 dead) and the victims of the storm that destroyed the Roman invasion fleet off Cape Pachynus in 255 BC (100,000 soldiers and over 250 ghostly ships). These claims were never tested, but were not novel, because Guorna the Fetid claimed to be able to rouse the spirits of those who died when Belisarius’s troops sacked Naples. The House continues to encourage young magi to find such useful sites. Young magi are also encouraged to find remains, which summon ghosts away from their burial sites. The senior necromancer in the House, for example, carries a torc crafted from the teeth of a Scythian chieftain and his warriors, which allows him to summon thirty-four ghostly horsemen, away from the site of their internment. Kore, the fifth and only necromantic Prima, created the torc and for years afterward had young magi looking for an enormous bronze vessel made from the census arrowheads of the Scythian army. She hoped to bring an entire nation of dead to the battlefield. Kore was the first Primus replaced by force, on the grounds of insanity. Some necromancers search for the skull of Guorna the Fetid, hoping to learn the techniques of the archnecromantrix. Others fear she would find a way to claim the body of her pupil.

Varieties of Ghost

Tremere magi have noted that there are many types of ghost. The commonest, those linked to the magical realm, are tied to the world either by unfinished business, or by a burden of sin. Many ghosts in Transylvania can construct permanent, solid forms. These are indistinguishable from the dark faeries of Western Europe. Why certain ways of dying create faeries, while others create ghosts, is not clear to Tremere magi. They are interested in sponsoring research into the question. Tremere magi are forbidden to summon the ghosts of the damned, because it breaches the Code. Many Tremere consider saints to be particularly powerful ghosts, but summoning saints does not work.

Ghostly Armies Legionary This ghost is typical of the fallen legionaries summoned in Western Europe. Many vanish after their first victory in combat, but a small portion feel they have a duty to defend Rome, and undertake moonlit pilgrimages to the Eternal City, dissolving into the Dominion at their quest’s end. Magical Might: 10 (Mentem) Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre 0, Com 0, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik +1 Size: 0 Age: Appears to be between 16 and 35 Decrepitude: n/a Virtues and Flaws: n/a Personality Traits: Loyal +3 Reputations: n/a Combat: Sword (gladius) and rectangular shield (scutum): Init. +2, Attack +11, Defense +12, Damage +7. Dagger (pugio): Init.1, Attack +9, Defense +6, Damage +5 Javelin (pilum): Init +1, Attack +9, Defense +10, Damage +7 Soak: Varies by historical period to suit armor: Chain 6, Plate 9, Scale 8, including Stamina bonus. Immune to physical weapons. Fatigue: Tireless Wound Penalties: –1 (1-5), –3 (6-10), –5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20) Abilities: [Area] Lore 3 (ancient fortifications), Athletics 3 (marching), Awareness 3 (in combat), Bargain 2 (for supplies), Brawl 4 (dagger), Carouse 3 (drinking), Charm 2 (opposite sex), Latin 5 (military jargon), Legion Lore 2 (pay and conditions), Profession (Soldier) 4 (fortifications), Single Weapon 5 (short sword), Survival 1 (foraging), Thrown weapon 4 (javelin) Powers: Strike: 0 points, Terram: The centurion can affect the world through a single possession. For most, this is a gladius: a Roman sword. Vis: 1 pawn Mentem, gladius Appearance: Varies: usually a fit young man clad in ancient armor, but occasionally, a skeletal or decaying corpse clad in rusted armor and tattered clothing. Equipment: Arms and equipment of a Roman soldier Encumbrance: 0 (0) Cataphract Cataphracts are the mounted warriors of the Eastern Empire. They are found in the West in a handful of places, left behind after Justinian’s imperial adventure in the Sixth Century. Cataphracts found in the West are particularly useful to the House. Their unfinished business is often the rebuilding of the Empire: a task that the Tremere do not oppose. The House recruits ghostly cataphracts where it can, and directs the remainder over the border into the Theban Tribunal, where they harass the Latin invaders. The statistics here are for a young cataphract, with basic training but little combat experience. Magic Might: 15 (Mentem) Characteristics: Int 0, Per +1, Pre 0, Com 0, Str +1, Sta +1, Dex +2, Qik +2 Size: 0 Age: Appears 20 Decrepitude: n/a Virtues and Flaws: Improved characteristics Personality Traits: Loyal +3, Proud +2 Reputations: n/a Combat: Cavalry sword (spatha) and shield (mounted): Init +4, Atk +15, Def +14, Dam +7 Cavalry sword (spatha) and shield (on foot): Init +4, Atk +12, Def +11, Dam +7 Lance (mounted): Init +4, Atk +17, Def +8, Dam +6* Bow (mounted): Init +1, Atk +14, Def +11, Dam +7 Bow (on foot): Init +1, Atk +11, Def +8, Dam +7 Dagger: Init +2, Atk +7, Def +5, Dam: +4 Cataphracts charge slowly in tight formation, because they lack stirrups. Soak: usually +10 for chainmail or +8 for scale. Rare examples of plate (+12) are known known. Fatigue: Tireless Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20) Abilities: Animal Handling 2 (horses), [Area] Lore 3 (posting), Athletics 2 (hiking), Awareness 3 (battle), Bow 5 (short bow), Brawl 1 (dagger), Chirurgy 1 (arrow wounds), Etiquette (archaic Byzantine) 3, Hunt 2 (varies by posting), Intrigue 1 (Byzantine court), Leadership 4 (soldiers), Roman Army Lore 2 (duties of officers), Greek 5 (giving orders), Ride 5 (in combat), Single Weapon 5 (spatha), Survival 1 (deserts), Equipment: Full chain mail, cavalry sword, mediumsized shield, bow, lance. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Vis: 2 pawns Mentem, engagement ring or keepsake. Appearance: An impressive warrior, obscured by his armor. Sometimes the armor contains an ethereal skeleton. Sometimes it is empty. Wili These dark faeries are the ghosts of maidens who died on their wedding day. They are often found in graveyards, singly or in groups, where they attempt to convince young men to kiss them. A pack of wili can drain the life breath from a young man in a few minutes. The House uses wili as assassins. Most wili want to be reunited with their betrothed, but this is usually impossible. Destroying their lover dispels some. Most can be exorcised. Faerie Might: 15 (Mentem) Characteristics: Int 0, Per +1, Pre +3, Com +1, Str +1, Sta 0, Dex 0, Qik 0 Size: 0 Age: Appears 16 Decrepitude: n/a Virtues and Flaws: n/a Personality Traits: Lonely +5 Reputations: Murderous +1 Combat: n/a: Wili cannot attack physically. Soak: 0, immune to physical weapons. Fatigue: Tireless Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20) Abilities: Vary by station in life Powers: Float, 0 points, Mentem: Wili can float through the air at walking pace. Incorporeal, 0 points, Mentem: This ghost is incorporeal when she wishes to be, and solid when she desires to be. Eyes you can forget everything in, 5 points, Init. +5, Mentem: If the wili makes eye contact with a young man, she can cloud his mind so that he forgets any warning he has been been given about the wili. He can protect himself with an Intelligence roll of 9+, which reminds him not to make eye contact with the girl at the cemetery. Kiss: 5 points, Corpus: If the wili kisses a willing victim, or one made compliant by her mesmerizing eyes, she permanently steals a fatigue level from the character, and gains back all of her Might points. Each wili can only feed on a victim once per day, but a pack of wili can kill a man in a single round of kisses. When a man kisses a wili, his mind becomes clouded. He knows the wili is a ghost who is killing him with her kisses, but he cannot bring himself to avoid their next rendezvous. Unless the man makes an Intelligence roll of 9+, he does everything in his power to meet the wili again. Friends can break this charm with the assistance of a priest, after which the man regains a fatigue level after each night of rest. Some wili kill with the second kiss, others drain another fatigue level. Equipment: Wears the beautiful dress she was buried in. Probably carries a locket, cross, hair ribbon or other keepsake from her betrothed. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Vis: 2 pawns Mentem, engagement ring or keepsake. Appearance: A beautiful, if sad, girl in a flowing white dress, mourning at a fresh grave site. Moro Moro are vampires created when parents murder their children by exposure. They can take the shape of butterflies, and drink blood, but the loss is negligible. They can drain life itself, a power to which children are particularly vulnerable. Most moro want revenge on their parents, which the Tremere think it only just to give them. Faerie Might: 20 (Animal) Characteristics: Int +1, Per 0, Pre –2, Com 0, Str –1, Sta –1, Dex 0, Qik 0 Size: –2 (infant form), –4 (insect form) Age: Appears as an infant Decrepitude: n/a Virtues and Flaws: n/a Personality Traits: Vengeful +5 Reputations: Vampire +5 Combat: n/a, Moro attack only by stealth. Soak: 0, immune to normal weapons. Fatigue: Tireless Wound Penalties: Infant Form: –1 (1–3), –3 (4–6), –5 (7–9), Incapacitated (10–12); Insect Form: –1 (1), –3 (2), –5, (3), Incapacitated (4) Powers: Shapechange, 0 points, Animal: Moro can swap between forms, human and death’s head moth, at will. Create storm, 10 points, Auram: This ghost creates powerful storms that damage crops, to take revenge on those who left it to starve. Bite: 0 points, Corpus: If the moro bites a sleeping victim, in butterfly form, it steals a fatigue level from the character for the next week, and gains back all of its Might points. Each moro can only feed on a victim once per day, but a single feeding will murder an infant. A week of feeding will kill an adult, since they die if fed from once they have lost all of their fatigue levels. Priests and folk magicians can defend people from moros, after which the victim regains a fatigue level after each night of rest. Equipment: None. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Vis: 3 pawns Perdo, body. Appearance: A tiny, blue, emaciated, shivering child, or a death’s head moth.

Animals

The Founder Tremere was interested in Animal magic because he was unable to precisely control animals with his political skills, or the muscles of his followers. Tremere magi use mundane animals to extend their senses, carry supplies, collect arcane connections and perform sabotage. The House’s Doctrine prefers small, swift carnivores. The House used raptors and wolves extensively during the Schism, and prefers dogs and rats in cities. The House collects and tames magical animals. There are several varieties of animal, available from stable populations near the House covenants, which have an extensive doctrinal history; so many Tremere magi prefer to use them. Others enjoy seeking out new animals and developing fresh doctrine based on their strange powers. House Tremere lacks a detailed doctrine for magical mounts. It’s not possible to grant a mount Magic Resistance, except by extending the Parma over it. This means either the mount is undefended, or the magus’s own protection is halved. Neither of these options is pleasant. Riders of magical beasts are effective against mundane forces, so they have some history in the House, but for the most part they are considered glamorous and wrongheaded. The discovery of a large group of biddable animals with a Might of 30 or more could see this doctrine revised.

Animals: Magic Items that can be Trained Tremere magi often trap and study the magical animals they encounter, adding them to the House’s resources. If a covenant has a population of interesting animals, perhaps as a vis source, a young Tremere magus may be sent to determine their usefulness. If they prove valuable, the magus will want to procure live samples for his superiors. The House might also secure breeding pairs, to start new colonies of the animals at a House Covenant. Common White Wolves There are several types of magical wolf that serve the House in its packs but this type, descended from Tremere’s familiar, are the most common. Magic Might: 10 (Animal) Characteristics: Int +1, Per +3, Pre +1, Com +1, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik +2 Size: 1 Age: n/a Decrepitude: n/a Virtues and Flaws: The Visions Virtue occurs occasionally among these wolves. Personality Traits: Loyal +2, Amused by Humans +1 Reputations: None Combat: Bite: Init +12, Attack +10, Defense +14, Damage +9 Soak: +7 Fatigue: 0,–1/–1,–3/–3,–5,Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–12), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24) Abilities: [Area] Lore 6 (Pack land), Brawl 3 (bite), Folk Ken (Tremere magi) 3, Hunt 6 (in a pack), Latin* 3 (Hermetic terms). Stealth (forests) 3, Swim (lakes) 1, Survival 6 (forests) * Cannot speak Latin without magical assistance, but some packs are trained to understand it by familiars which can. Powers: Theft of Voice, 1 point, Init +10, Mentem: The wolf can steal the voice of any human with whom it makes eye contact. The effect usually lasts until the next sunrise, although some individual wolves have variant powers, so that the effect ceases whencrossing a stream, or entering a church, or by firelight. Eyes like Lanterns, 5 points, Init +5, Mentem: The wolf can paralyze a victim with terror. This requires the wolf to make eye contact, and the victim to fail a Brave check with an ease factor of 9+. A victim who makes eye contact with several wolves may need to make several checks. The victim may make a new check each round if attacked, with an ease factor of 6+, so wolves tend to form a circle about a mesmerized victim and all pounce at the same time. Slapping or shaking the victim also allows a check, against an ease factor of 6+. Equipment: None. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Vis: 1 pawn Animal, tail Appearance: Large wolf, white to gray in color, that looks amused. White wolves are far larger than normal wolves, and are extremely intelligent. Over the centuries, their human allies have assisted the wolves to modify their pack lands. These reserves about the Tremere House covenants are more confusing than natural forest, and often contain game runs, pits, and enchanted items that the wolves can activate. Shadow Owls and Fire Hawks Shadow Owls and Fire Hawks are small raptors, sharing many mechanical attributes. Magic Might: 10 (Animal) Characteristics: Cun –2, Per +5, Pre n/a, Com n/a, Str –2, Sta 0, Dex +2, Qik +3 Size: –3 Age: n/a Decrepitude: n/a Virtues and Flaws: Nil Personality Traits: Fierce +5, Patient +2 Reputations: None Combat: Talons: Init +7, Attack +6, Defense –1, Damage +4 Soak: 0 Fatigue: 0, –3, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–2), –3 (3–4), –5 (5–6), Incapacitated (7–8) Abilities: n/a Shadow owl Powers: Dapple, 1 point, Imaginem: Shadow owls can alter the appearance of their plumage, so that they blend more readily with their surroundings. If stationary, the owl is hidden by a minor illusion of sight. During flight, any roll to detect an owl using this power suffers a –3 penalty. Straight chase, 1 point, Animal: After this power is activated, a shadow owl can fly through solid objects, for the next few minutes, as if it was a ghost. Shadow owls cannot strike through objects, like armor, because they need to be solid to harm their target. Owls pursue game through forests using this power. The House uses these owls to collect arcane connections, as they can carry game, or small items, in ghostly form. Fire hawks powers: Kindle, 1 point, +5 Init. Ignem: Fire hawks can ignite flammable objects by touch. They light small brushfires to flush, and sometimes cook, insects. They usually grasp a stick or clump of grass, ignite it, and then drop it while swooping over a target area. A hawk using the Kindle power that strikes a foe does +9 damage (including the talon damage given above). The House uses these animals as saboteurs. Equipment: None. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Vis: 1 pawn Imaginem, feathers or 1 pawn Ignem, both claws. The House has found uses for a variety of small raptors. Shadow owls are useful for collecting arcane connections. Fire kites are used as saboteurs. The most popular large raptor in House Tremere is the griffin vulture, found along the Adriatic coast. These creatures, which follow griffins and feed on their scraps, can see tremendous distances and are magically sensitive. Their cooperative hunting pattern, searching for dead lambs by scouring the countryside in a comb formation, makes them perfect intelligence gatherers. Ethereal Fisherman Spiders Ethereal fishermen are social spiders: arachnids that work communally to construct traps. They consume the spirits of their victims, which are generally insects. To breed the ethereal fishermen need to take on additional mass, and then distribute their eggs. They do this by trapping persistent spirits, preferably human ghosts. The webs constructed by ethereal fishermen are individually small, but they work as a swarm to construct large, elaborate structures that capture ghosts of Might 20 or less. Use the Weaver’s Trap of Webs spell as a guideline to determine if the ghost can escape. The spiders prefer, when breeding, to lay webs across roads, to catch wandering spirits. The tiny spiders swarm anything that falls into their web, cocooning it. They feed from the ghost, draining its Might pool repeatedly until they are bloated enough to breed. The spiders then lay eggs, which are in spectral form, into the ghost. The ghost is then released to flee to its usual haunt, taking the spider eggs with it. The hatching spiders usually destroy the ghost. The webs of ethereal fishermen do not catch humans. Contact with the web does no damage, although it causes a cold, spine-tingling sensation. To Second Sight, the web is a deep blue, almost black, but the spiders are luminous and milky. They form beautiful constellations in their three-dimensional traps. Some Tremere keep them simply for their attractiveness, others for the coolness of their webs, which is pleasant in the Mediterranean summer. Tremere magi are fascinated by the way that these spiders skirt the barrier between the material and ethereal states. They use controlled swarms of spiders to imprison ghosts. Tremere magi farm these spiders for their beautiful silk, from which they make formal robes. Their small, farmed colony is fed with pure Mentem vis. The silk becomes shimmering and translucent when dyed. Some Tremere believe there is a complete ethereal ecosystem, which magi glimpse only tangentially.

Virtues and Flaws

Some other virtues have a particular resonance with the history of the House:

• All Tremere magi have a Minor Magical Focus in Certamen. This makes them excellent duelists, but means that they cannot, age for age, match the power of other magi with similar interests. Like their Founder, they work around this problem with diplomacy, preparation and supporters.
• Most of the House’s practitioners of Mercurian magic died in the Tempest, the decisive battle of the Schism War. Four hundred years on, their descendants still exist, but the virtue is not required for membership of the House.
• The Heir, Mentor and Close Family Ties virtues can be used to modify a Tremere magus’s relationship with his tribune or conciliarius, with the Storyguide’s approval.
• Entrancement, Skilled Parens, Piercing Gaze, Self Confident, Second Sight, Social Contacts, Cautious Sorcerer and Temporal Influence are common, as are affinities in Guile, Bargain and Finesse.
• The Shapeshifter and Skinchanger virtues may explain some of the stories about the wolves of Coeris. Tremere Shapeshifters also often take the form of owls.
• Dark Secret (Diedne Magic) is not appropriate for Tremere characters. Tremere is the House most likely to react violently to the re-emergence of a druidical lineage of magi.
• Berserk magi cannot fight to doctrine and so are ineffective soldiers.

The attitude of the House toward most characters with Flaws is based on the magus’s capacity to serve as a soldier in times of crisis. Few Tremere magi would accept an apprentice with any of the following flaws: Hedge Wizard, Faerie Upbringing, Noncombatant, Softhearted, and Reclusive. A Weak Parens would not train a child, although a master might become Infamous during or after an apprenticeship. Apprentices with physical disabilities, or who are Tainted with Evil, would not be selected for training, but those who developed these flaws after they were accepted might not be sold to other Houses. Magic Addiction, Painful Magic, Fury and many physical disabilities prevent a magus from serving effectively, and most Tremere magi would see them as humiliating. A second group of flaws make a magus suboptimal on the battlefield, but can be hidden by sufferers. They are likely a cause of embarrassment, particularly if they seem to indicate a lack of self-control. These flaws include Rigid Magic, Short-ranged Magic, Unstructured Caster, Careless Sorcerer, Slow Caster, Unpredictable Magic, Warped Magic, Weak Magic, Weird Magic, Weakness, Afflicted Tongue, Motion Sickness, No Sense of Direction, Obese, Palsied Hands, Poor Eyesight, Poor Hearing. The Clumsy Magic flaw would cripple a Tremere magus in sagas that use the dueling rules provided later in this chapter. The Favors flaw creates an obligation in addition to that caused by membership of the House.

Abilities

Members of House Tremere value Abilities that allow them to serve in times of crisis, and acquire power during peace. Many Tremere are masters of Intrigue and Bargain skillfully. Magical combat skills, like Penetration, Concentration, Parma Magica and Finesse are valued. Younger magi are expected to be able to fend for themselves on the Wizard’s March, and so they develop some skill in Survival, Swim, Athletics (hiking) and Profession (soldier). Most cannot Hunt well, since the Tremere doctrine discourages foraging. A Tremere who is being groomed as a specialist in an area concentrates on skills that will aid in his missions. Leadership is useful in older magi and those who lead mortal forces.

Magical Items Popular in the House

Tremere magi expect to carry their own gear, so they prefer small magical items, crafted out of expensive materials. Many members of the House believe that Tremere invented the wand as a more manageable version of the staff. Tremere magi like rings, for their portability and because they can be comfortably worn while sleeping. Pouches that allow a magus to carry a campaign’s worth of food on his belt and flasks that draw water from nearby clouds are popular. Sacks that reduce the bulkiness of bedding and camping gear are valuable.

Materials

Minor magical items from the Transylvanian covenants are often amber, rhodocrosite or opal. Major magic items are comprised of the full range of materials found in other Hermetic manufactures, but lesser items favor these cheaper alternatives. Amber and rhodocrosite are semiprecious gems for enchantment cost calculation; opal is precious. Amber is a yellowish stone, which sometimes contains preserved insects. It is particularly suited to Rego magic. Amber is mined in the Tribunal and is available from other sources, chiefly around the Baltic Sea. The House’s amber deposits, at the Covenant of Lycaneon, yield stones of a redder hue than the Baltic sources. Rhodocrosite crystals are rare and fragile, so polished pebbles of the banded form are enchanted. These appear as stones with fine, angular bands, alternating white and rose. Discs with concentric rings, made by slicing rhodocrosite stalactites, are also used. It is suited to spells that influence the memory, particularly the forgetting of unpleasant events. It is also used for medical enchantments. Rhodocrosite is found in the Coeris cave complex, and in other parts of the Transylvanian tribunal. Opal occurs in significant European deposits only near Cserwenitsa in Hungary. A House covenant ensures House Tremere’s supply. It assists magic related to the eye: ophthalmic medicine, illusions and invisibility. Blonde women who wear opals retain their hair color. Opal scratches easily, so it is not used in items likely to suffer damage.

Specialist Roles

Each Tremere magus is trained in a role that serves the House. Some of these roles are descended, teacher to student, from functions in the order of battle used during the Schism. These have adapted to meet the contemporary needs of the House. Other specializations have developed to complement them. Younger magi are often the most convenient members of the House to assign to problems. They are rarely excellent examples of their specialization, but the House has less than a hundred members, and senior magi have many claims on their time. Those who do well come to the close attention of those senior magi whom they will eventually replace, and are groomed for the role. There are many roles, common in other Houses, that Tremere magi rarely perform. Tremere magi cannot have magical focuses other than certamen, so they hire magi from other Houses to provide specialized services. Major spell research is sponsored with the aid of Magi from House Bonisagus. The House contracts Verditus magi to construct many of its magic items, providing them with lodgings in the Covenant of Lycaneon, which maintains the House’s amber supplies.

Architects

Initially the House’s combat engineers, these Terram specialists now have a primarily economic role. The House’s architects supervise House Tremere’s fortifications, tunnels and mines. They also, surreptitiously, maintain roads and bridges in Transylvania, and are the source of several bridges said to have been built overnight by the Devil.

Artificers

Artificers manufacture the ritual objects of the House, both magical and mundane. If a new dragon banner is required, it is fitting a Tremere magus make it. Artificers make the reliquaries of other Tremere magi. If the table around which the Council meets needs repair, an artificer performs it. Artificers also dye the cloaks, and often craft the sigils, of Tremere magi. Artificers create the magic items that the House does not want discussed with outsiders. Artificers do not have techniques that are novel: they are less skilled than Verditus magi of the same age. They do, however, bring the Tremere mindset to problems. They see the need for devices in the same way other Tremere do, and hired Verditus magi often realize their concepts for new devices.

Assessor

Assessors have a variety of urban roles: diplomat, merchant or spy. The cadre of Assessors maintains a series of identities that a member can wear using suitable illusions. All have the Gentle Gift. Assessors are, in part, the source of the folktale in Transylvania about vampires who work as merchants, traveling between cities, returning after years under the pretense that they are their own sons.

Disputants

Disputants specialize in Certamen. They are less common than magi of other Houses expect. The House trains a few, who act as its representatives in vital matters, but prefers that most of its magi focus on other tasks. Disputants, as a group, also have an unfortunate reputation for egomania. Some disputants claim that with sufficient mastery of certamen, they learn to mimic the magical focus of the Founder Tremere. They believe Tremere, hounded through his apprenticeship by his parens and brother, was skilled at defensive fast-casting when assailed with magic.

Master of Auxiliaries

A handful of Tremere magi train to lead mundane soldiers, whom the House calls auxiliaries. Magi in this role master small, incapacitating spells which they multicast. When masses of mundanes are intermingled, single strike spells make little difference and killing your own troops is with area-effect spells is gauche, if sometimes necessary. Over the course of a battle, small multicasts allow aimed fire at masses of troops. Spells that create and then control animals are fashionable in this role, as the animals persist after they strike, and are intelligent enough to seek fresh targets.

Nauarchos

House Tremere maintains a fleet of ships, which is particularly active in the Adriatic and Black Seas. The fleet is a method of transporting materiel in times of crisis, so most of its ships are cargo vessels. The fleet engages in commerce during peace. The fleet’s warships guard the cargo vessels, and dissuade piracy. They aren’t dependable platforms for magical combat. Tremere naval officers have spells that control or create weather, allow communication at a distance, and suppress fire. A handful of Tremere magi have engaged in small fleet actions or arranged shore bombardments, and doctrine on the use of ships may emerge if the House’s influence in the Eastern Mediterranean improves.

Physicians

Members of this branch of the House are skilled healers and crafters of longevity potions. They specialize in medical spells that do not require vis but are still superior to mundane medicine; examples include anesthesia, bone setting and arrow extraction. Tremere magi trust the skill and loyalty of their physicians but, since they are usually corporeal necromancers, find their sigils, reputations and experiments disturbing. These unsettling figures assess potential Tremere apprentices before their mystical potential is tested. Most Tremere magi feel that corporeal necromancers suffer unusually poor luck, and wonder if the work of Guorna is cursed. They are more likely to slip into diabolism than other members of the House, and are watched carefully by their superiors and the Quaesitores.

Saga Seeds: Weapons Research House Tremere’s leaders are aware that they may soon have a far stronger position on the Greek Peninsula. This implies the fleet will cease to concentrate on the Black and Adriatic Seas, which may attract the hostility of naval powers. The House would like to prepare for this possibility by developing a doctrine of naval warfare. This would move ships beyond their cargo-carrying role, so that they became offensive platforms. Player characters review ship types, develop naval strategies, and design magic items for the new doctrine. A small covenant is established, well away from the Theban Tribunal, to test the naval doctrine, evolving into a fleet maintenance base. The new doctrine is to be tested against the pirates of Rhodes, so other characters are sent there, to reconnoiter. If a suitable site can be secured, a second base is likely to develop there. A complication of the expansion of House Tremere’s interests beyond Cyprus is that their sphere of operations will overlap the territory of a group of Arabic wizards who have been able to defeat small Hermetic forces. Their success, in part, is due to their control of spirits that can fly, and carry wizards. This gives this group of Arabic wizards rapid reaction forces that the Order cannot match, and allows them limited air superiority. The House may respond by developing an avian force. Magi seek mounts for the new force. Companions, who are easier to replace if ripped to pieces by genies, become the preferred riders. Magi develop offensive capabilities for the mounts, or invent a system that allows magical weapons to be recovered from the fallen and given to replacements.

Scouts

These magi, descended from the Schism scouts, are trained to move through potentially hostile territory, collect information, and return home. They are used, during peace, to assess situations where only fragmentary information is available. For example, if the House was seeking a missing redcap they would, initially, send a scout. Scouts are also the house’s explorers. Some scouts track and capture magical animals.

Signalers

These magi are descended from a small corps of tricksters who, during the Schism, fed false information to House Diedne’s human supporters, created bogus targets, hid Tremere scouts, and confused enemy signals. In the modern house, the signalers are the magicians who speed communication, although most dabble in the tricks of their illusionist ancestors. Of all branches of the House, Signalers seem to be most cheerful.

Dueling

Certamen is a peaceful way of resolving disputes. If the two duelists are closely matched both seek to avoid Wizard’s War, since the outcome is uncertain. If one is clearly inferior, he will submit rather than face death. There is less embarrassment, among militant magi, in concession after defeat at certamen than in negotiated concession. To reconsider one’s position after loss at certamen is something other than cowardice. Certamen is a sensible way of resolving disagreements during a crisis. Certamen finishes sooner than debates on policy, which is useful when time is precious. The outcome of a duel is more decisive than the conclusion of a conversation. Certamen lays issues to rest. The final spell cast by the victor is the punishment for the loser’s impertinence, but this is a form of military justice: after it is complete, the incident is closed. To a Tremere magus, this satisfies all matter of honor. Certamen serves as a public ritual that marks the phases of a Tremere magus’s family life. They become magi, then self-directing adults through certamen with their parentes. Through the same process, they formally introduce their filii to the House, and pass their authority to the younger generation. The certamen ritual is the House’s way of declaring that the life of a magus has entered a new stage. When two groups of magi disagree on an issue, it is usual for the leader of each side to duel. Certamen may be necessary to determine leadership of each side. This practice allows Redcaps challenged to certamen to avoid dueling, by ceding leadership to a skilled duelist. Tremere magi often participate in certamen without wishing to settle an issue. A challenge to certamen “for the love of it”, or “for love”, is fought under different social constraints from political certamen. Vis is not used when fighting for love, even with non-Tremere magi. Some duels end with the first solid blow. The final spell is rarely harmful, although it is often humorous between duelists who are friends. House meetings usually include duels for love. They allow each magus to measure his strength against his Housemates without offense on either side, are entertaining, and build camaraderie between duelists. A famous duelist from the tenth century, named Agrippina, used to send white roses with her challenges. She found ways to shower her defeated enemies with rose petals using her final spell, across a surprising variety of art combinations. Many serious duelists for love emulate her. Her nickname, “Nemesis”, from the goddess that enforces humility, has entered the duelist vernacular. Even a skilled duelist may develop a poor reputation if they use their abilities in an uncouth way. It is important that a magus knows when to challenge to certamen, and if the challenge should be for love. Victory by first blow or surrender is usual, because Tremere magi consider it vulgar to force your rival to beat you unconscious. Other significant factors include the selection of venue, the wording of the challenge, and the acceptance or rejection of arts, the choice of final spell, the way a loser faces the spell, the words exchanged after the duel concludes and the actions of the defeated magus which demonstrate their acquiescence to the outcome. A magus must be powerful to attract respect, but one who demonstrates exquisite self-control is admired.

Certamen reputations A character encountering another duelist may roll on the following table to determine information about their potential foe: die + Reputation: 3 Scandalous breaches of etiquette 6 School 9 Favored arts 12 Favored victory spells 15 Famous victories Modifiers: Members of the same school +1 From the same Tribunal +1 From the same house, other than Tremere or Tytalus +1 Both members of House Tytalus +2 Both members of House Tremere +3'

Styles of Certamen

Magi practice certamen in a variety of styles, called schools. Each school has a unique pattern of strengths and vulnerabilities. It is not usually possible for a magus to be a dedicated follower of more than one school because dueling is so dependent on trained reactions that attempting to master two styles makes a magus ineffective with either. Magi can, however, study with a member of a different school for a season and learn imperfect imitations of their signature techniques. At the start of each certamen, each combatant chooses if they are going to duel as a follower of their school or, alternatively, if they will duel in a variety of styles. A magus dueling as a follower of a school can use the most powerful techniques of that school, but cannot change schools between rounds of certamen. A character dueling in the style of various schools cannot use the most powerful techniques of any school, but can swap between schools during the certamen. The player must decide whether to change schools at the beginning of the round, before the Attack and Defense rolls. Magi are raised in their masters’ schools. Magi not trained in certamen during apprenticeship become a member of a school by studying with a skilled member of the school for a season. Most schools are vague groups of magi who duel in a similar way, but some schools, at the troupe’s discretion, have political hierarchies.

Gladiator

The School of the Swordsman is the style of the Founder Tremere, reflected in the basic rules. It is a balanced, simple style, for which many teachers are available. Rumors persist that there are a series of secret techniques for this school, allowing dedicated Followers to can spend vis to greater effect than other magi. The Tremere treat these rumors as an attack on their integrity — if other magi lost faith in the certamen system, it would disadvantage the House. The shared illusions of the School of the Swordsman tend to be humaniform and are heavily influenced by the sigil of the magus.

Andabatus

Followers of Blind Fighting school use savage, chaotic attacks to finish duels quickly, while accepting strikes to themselves. The andabatus adds a bonus to his Attack Total of up to twice his Finesse score, but also accepts an equal penalty to his Defense Total. Fighting in the style of the andabata allows a magus to accept a bonus to their Attack Total up to their Finesse score, but the penalty is twice the bonus. The shared illusion of the certamen churns and loses focus when an andabatus fights, because their technique is instinctual, imprecise and assumes the opponent will strike them.

Bestiarius

Employed only by members of House Bjornaer, the techniques of the School of Beasts allows them to use their Heartbeast score instead of their Finesse score during duels in the Muto form, or involving their own bodies. In Muto Corpus or Muto Animal duels, they can add twice their Heartbeast score to their Resistance Total. Bjornaers who dabble in the Bestiarus technique add their Heartbeast score to their Resistance.

Bone-biting

This technique is based on the magical practices of certain Irish bards, and was brought to the Order by magi of House Diedne. It allows a magus to injure himself to resist fatigue, or increase the strength of his next attack. The dedicated followers of this technique died in the Schism. Those fighting in this style cause themselves a Light Wound, and either ignore the loss of the next two fatigue levels, or add ten points to their next Attack Total. Traditionally the magus bites through the tip of the left thumb, to the bone. In 1220, the few magi who practice this technique bite their tongues instead. Accidental tongue biting occasionally occurs during certamen, so this does not look like an overtly druidical practice. It is very difficult for these magi to surreptitiously do more than one Body level of damage to themselves, because it is reflected in the shared illusion, with elements of blood and fire.

Charon

A trick, rather than a school, named for the Ferryman on the River Styx, a magus fighting in the style of Charon may cast two spells on an opponent at the end of certamen. They do this by casting a spell silently and without gestures during an earlier round of the certamen (Intelligence + Concentration of 15+), then maintaining it until the round they believe will be the final one, declared before the Attack Roll (Intelligence + Concentration of 12+ each round). If they are correct, this spell travels along the arcane connection provided by the certamen duel, along with whatever spell they cast in the round after the certamen is complete. Using this trick is likely a breach of the Peripheral Code, but it has only appeared recently, and so no Tribunal has considered it. Rumors suggest that there is a School of Charon whose members can cast many spells on those they defeat in certamen.

Essedarius

The Charioteer techniques are flashy and intimidating. They subdue foes psychologically. After a successful attack, the essedarius may choose to do no damage and instead create the impression of a powerful and dreadful attack that failed, but by the barest chance. The intention is to frighten the foe into surrender, which may occur if they fail a Brave check of 3 + 2 per Fatigue level the essedarius has declined to take during this certamen. Magi fighting in this style can force a similar Brave check, but the target is 3 + 2 per fatigue level forgone in this round of combat.

Gladiatrix

The School of the Swordswoman uses a chessboard as a setting for the duel. The phantoms rise from the squares of the board and slaughter each other. The pieces do not always correspond to those of either mundane or Tremere chess. The matches are spectacular to watch, and give insights into the mental iconography of each player. Certamen is fought across a chessboard if both duelists accept this in advance, or if the follower of the School of the Gladiatrix voluntarily does no damage after an otherwise successful attack, suing this opportunity to create a phantasmal chessboard. On a successful attack, a follower of the School can choose to do no damage and instead strike out at an enemy piece that represents a concept, idea or value of the opponent. If the opponent does not make an Intelligence roll of 9+, any Gladiatrix viewing the game can surmise their emotional reactions to the concept, idea or value that was threatened. Skilled Gladiatrixes can develop a deep understanding of their rivals using this technique. Those fighting in the style of the Gladiatrix can create the visual effect of battle on the chessboard, and can summon phantasmal boards, but cannot read their opponent’s opinions. Any magus trained in the School of the Sword can fight in the style of the gladiatrix without further training. This is probably because Tremere was a Master of the Games. Some members of this school believe that they can develop a complicated form of team certamen, in which a magus plays each piece. They have yet to demonstrate this technique at Decennial. It is possible to play chess with Folk Dancers as pieces. The Dance of the White and Red Kings, where two sides fight for the heart of a princess, translates easily to the ritual, with the average score of the dancers on side acting as if it were a Vis bonus during each round.

Hoplomachus

This style, named for warriors armored in impersonation of the Greek hoplites, sacrifices many advantages for increased defensiveness. A hoplomachus cannot win initiative contests except against another hoplomachus. Each round the hoplomachus reduces their Attack Total by up to their Finesse score, then increases their Defense Total by up to twice that penalty. In a round where the hoplomachus declines to attack at all, their Defense total gains a bonus of three times their Finesse score. Other magi fighting in the style of the hoplomachus, may decline to attack during a round, and gain a bonus to their Defense Total equal to twice their Finesse score. The half of the shared illusion controlled by the hoplomachus tends be slow, but annoyingly persistent, and resistant to damage.

Laquerius

Magi of the School of the Noose gradually bind the ritual working of their opponent, making it inert and ineffective. In any round the laquerius can take a Defense Total penalty equal to or less than their Finesse score. If they land a blow that round, they may choose to inflict no damage and instead reduce their opponent’s Defense total for the rest of the duel by the Defense Penalty. This penalty is visible in the shared illusion as a tether marked by the sigil of the laquerius. Magi fighting in the style of the laquetores inflict Defense penalties in the same way, but the penalty lasts only a single round.

Chess Tremere magi play many non-magical variants of chess. Games at family meetings are popular, and some of the letters that redcaps carry between Tremere magi contains chess moves. The three most popular variants are “old”, “prima” and “expedition” chess. Old chess is the game played by the mundanes in some parts of Europe. It’s a slow form, based on the careful building of forces, because the bishops can move only three squares, and the vizier only one, on the diagonal. The king may move up to three spaces in any direction on the first move. Prima chess has a queen instead of a vizier. The queen can move any number of spaces on the diagonals, rows or columns. Bishops may move an unlimited number of squares on the diagonal. There may only be one queen per side at any time. If the queen is lost, the game is lost. Expedition chess centers about the magus, his shield-grog, companions and grogs, who have the misfortune to encounter faeries that duplicate the party. The magus may kill distant pieces without moving. If he is lost, the game is lost. Many Tremere magi consider playing chess a form of intimacy. Some refuse to play with members of the opposite sex, because they consider it an erotic familiarity.

Provocator

Members of the School of Challengers sacrifice fleetness for protection. A provocator may accept a penalty on their Initiative Total that is equal or less than their Finesse score, but in all future rounds their Resistance Total attracts a bonus equal to the penalty. Many provocators develop strong Parma Magicae and do not attempt to win Initiative contests. Others may only fight effectively in the style of the provocator if they have initiative in the duel. They lose the initiative in the following round, but their Resistance Total rises by their Finesse score. In the round that follows, they regain the initiative. The shared illusions contributed by provocators tend to be annoying — but that may reflect the personalities of the members of this school, which is a little more social and organized than the others. They delight in dodging blows by a whisker and flippant duel conversation.

Pumilius

Use of the techniques of the School of the (Amusing) Dwarfs is considered offensive by some Tremere magi. This style has been active for over two centuries, however, and many Tremere magi believe that, in some more dignified way, its core movement is acceptable in polite society. The provocatores find it humorous, for example. The Pumilius declines to do damage after a successful attack, and instead projects a humorous image into the shared illusion. If their opponent fails an Intelligence + Concentration roll (target 12+ modified by personality traits) they are so amused that they lose the chance to either attack or defend in the next round. The amused magus chooses which opportunity is lost. The target of the Concentration roll can be made up to 3 points higher if the disciple of the School of Pumilius researches an enemy to discover what they find funny. The contribution by the members of the Pumilius school to the shared illusion usually demonstrates their lack of concern for the outcome of the duel. Magi fighting in this style can project an image into the illusion as well, but it is less vibrant and active, so it is less distracting. The roll is 9+, modified by personality traits.

Retiarius

The retiarius attempts to strike swiftly, and evade damage. Dedicated practitioners of the School of the Fisherman may add a bonus of equal to or less than their Finesse score to their Initiative roll. They must subtract twice that number of points from their Attack Advantage in the next three rounds. A reitarius who does not have the initiative can claim it by landing a blow and declining to do damage. A magus fighting in the style of the retiarii may force a fresh initiative roll by landing a blow and declining to do damage. The illusory presences of retarii are swift, flickering things that dance away from blows, and return with feathery attacks that wear the opponent down over several rounds.

Saggitarius

Many Tremere magi do not accept the saggitarius technique as legitimate. It probably lacks dedicated followers. A Merinita magus who desired to humiliate a rival from House Tremere introduced it to the Order. When using the saggitarius technique, the magus may add up to triple their Finesse to their Attack Total, subtracting the same amount from their Defense total. Regardless of the outcome of their rolls, they can never do more than one Fatigue level of damage. It creates a tiny attack based on the duelist’s sigil that is extremely effective for winning duels to the first blow — but very little else. Many Tremere magi refuse to use the Technique of the Archer, and challenge its legitimacy in legal contexts.

Scissor

The School of Carvers uses cripplingly deep attacks. The scissor may choose not to attack in a round, then, in the following round, they attack as normal, but if successful they use the following damage formula:

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A magus fighting in the style of the scissores skips an attack, and then if their next attack is successful, they use the formula above, dividing instead by 4.

Velitus

The Style of the Spear is based on wearing down an enemy’s magical resistance during the early rounds of the combat. A velitus who lands a blow and declines to do damage reduces their foe’s Resistance total by one half of the velitus’s Finesse score, rounded down. A velitus can damage a foe’s ritual working so badly that it acts as a channel for hostile magic — their Resistance Total can become negative. A magus fighting in the velitus style may decline to do damage and instead reduce their opponent’s resistance by Finesse divided by 3, rounded down, to a minimum Resistance of zero. The effect of a successful spear attack on the shared illusion varies with the sigil of the duelist and the context of the illusion, but sometimes looks like a long cylinder skewering the champion of the other duelist.

New Spells

Creo Animal Spells

VENOMOUS VELITES

R: Sight, D: Sun, T: Group, Level 45; Requisite: Rego

Creates a swarm of a hundred poisonous scorpions. The Rego requisite allows the magus to command them to attack specific targets. If used in combination with spells like “To Mark With Umbrage”, the magus can command his scorpions to kill anyone on the battlefield not bearing his sigil. It is important for magi with weak Parmae Magicae to ensure they bear the mark.

(Base 5, +3 Sight, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +1 extra effect from requisite.)

Intellego Animal Spells

TO SEE AS OTHERS SEE

R: Arcane, D: Sun, T: Ind, Level 40 Requisite: Rego

This spell allows a magus to read the thoughts of an animal, and give it directions. This allows the magus to indirectly sense the animal’s location, using it as a spy. The magus’s perceptions are filtered through the mind of the animal, so they focus on those stimuli that the animal finds most vivid. Dogs find smell vivid, so the magus’s perceptions, when using a dog, will focus on odiferous substances. A magus reading the mind of a magpie finds that they fixate on reflective surfaces.

(Base 5, +4 Arcane Connection, +2 Sun, +1 extra effect from requisite.)

Rego Animal

THE UNFAITHFUL FAVOR

R: Touch, D: Sun T: Ind, Level 45

This spell commands a silk handkerchief to strangle an enemy for whom the magus has an arcane connection. The handkerchief appears near the victim and swiftly wraps itself about their throat. They take damage according to the rules in Ars Magica until death or the destruction of the handkerchief. Conscious victims can often avoid the handkerchief, so this spell is usually cast at night. After the victim dies, the handkerchief hides itself in their bedding, or up their sleeve.

(Base 25, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 commands in addition to transport)

Rego Aquam Spells

EXACTLY TO SCALE

R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind, Level 10 Requisite: Mentem

This spell, designed by a Tremere Artificer with broader imagination than vocabulary, is used to draw precise pictures of a magus’s ideas. The inventor used this spell to draft technical diagrams, but many of his sodales use it for mapmaking. It requires the presence of a pot of ink and a drawing surface, because the spell creates permanent images using mundane materials. The magus requires an Intelligence + Finesse roll of 9+ for the diagram to be legible.

(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 for highly unnatural control)

Creo Imaginem Spells

TO MARK WITH UMBRAGE

R: Sight, D: Sun, T: Group, Level 30

This spell marks every member in a force mundanes, so that, in the confusion of battle, they can tell friend from foe. The mark is a large visual representation of the sigil of the magus. The spell’s creator had a shadowy sigil, so the grogs she marked appeared dark and featureless, giving the spell its name. The spell can be cast on any group of people, and can project any sort of visual mark, so Tremere magi also use it for processions and sport. Any Awareness roll concerning the location of forces has a +3 bonus while this spell is in effect. Examples include selecting areas of the battlefield to target with destructive spells, selecting victims for missile fire, finding groups to rally to when separated from the army in the swirl of battle. This version of the spell is able to mark up to a thousand individuals, in groups within the magus’s Sight. Some younger magi prefer a version of the spell suited for smaller units of grogs. This version is level 25, is effective to Voice range, and can only affect a group of about ten. Others don’t bother because grogs from House covenants usually have a covenant symbol (called a badge) or color on their clothes.

(Base 1, +3 Sight, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +2 size)

Shape and Material Bonus Table Additions Amber: +3 Controlling movement. Human Skull: +4 destroy human body, +5 destroy human mind, +5 destroy or control ghosts, +10 destroy of control ghost of particular skull. Lead: +4 wards, +3 summoning and binding ghosts Mirror: +6 display images, +3 summon or bind ghosts Opal: +4 travel, +6 eyes, +2 images, +2 invisibility Rhodocrosite: +3 forgetfulness, +2 memories, +3 binding wounds

Muto Mentem Spells

FALSE PROPHECY

R: Arcane, D: Moon, T: Ind, Level 30

This spell alters the victim’s memories of their dreams, so that they recall a persistent nightmare. The magus crafts this nightmare, but usually includes material designed to influence the victim’s decisions.

(Base 3, +4 Arcane, +3 Moon)

SWORDS OF SILVER AND MOONLIGHT

R: Eye, D: Sun, T: Ind, Level 40 Requisites: Terram

This spell makes the metal accouterments of a ghost solid. Many ghosts are able to affect the world with a single, favored object, but this spell allows them to use their entire kit. Weapons that are a composite of wood and metal work normally for the ghost, but only the metal parts may strike a mortal. Hard-pressed Tremere magi sometimes cast this spell upon the ghosts of dead shield grogs. Eye contact must be made with the ghost.

(Base 25, +1 Eye, +2 Sun)

SPECTRAL QUINREME

R: Eye, D: Moon, T: Structure, Level 50 Requisites: Herbam

A ghostly ship is not the spirit of a ship, it’s a prop projected by the psyche of a ghost, like the clothes or weapons of a ghostly soldier. Ghost ships, as figments of the imagination of the dead, can be called up with Mentem magic. This spell makes a spectral ship sufficiently solid for humans to sail upon her, and stow cargo safely within her hold. It does not summon or command the ghostly ship: that requires the magus to summon and command the ghost or ghosts who manifest the ship.

(Base 15, +1 Eye, +3 Moon, +3 Structure)

ARMING THE LEGION OF THE DEAD

R: Touch, D: Moon T: Group, Level 70, Ritual Requisites: Terram

This spell makes the metal accouterments for an army of ghosts, up to 10,000 strong, solid. It does not, however, give caster any control over the ghosts. Many ghostly legionnaires can affect the world with a single weapon, but this spell allows them to use their complete kit, granting missile attacks, the ability to engage in field engineering, and the use of siege weapons.

(Base 25, +1 Touch, +3 Moon, +2 Group, +3 size)

Rego Mentem Spells

VOICES FROM HOLLOW SPACES

R: Voice, D: Ring, T: Ind, Level 25

This spell binds ghosts to objects or places. Traditional sites include mirrors, skulls and graves. It does not compel trapped ghosts to serve willingly, but members of House Tremere threaten or bribe their ghosts into compliance.

(Base 5, +2 Voice, +2 Ring)

THE FACE IN THE MIRROR

R: Eye, D: Moon, T: Ind, Level 40

This spell forces a ghost to possess a magus, but allows the magus to maintain control. This brings the ghost inside Personal range and allows mental communication. The Tremere magus can follow the ghost’s advice and allow it control of his muscles, to use skills. The ghost is usually purged from the magus’s body if the Parma Magica is raised during the duration of this spell, so Tremere Assessors tend to use it briefly, in cities, for urgent, vital tasks. Possession is treated like level 25 Rego Mentem effect. This spell does not summon a ghost. Its designer assumed that he would have the ghost he wished to use stored in a mirror. Tremere magi are supplied with ghosts by Leadworkers, or call them up. This spell allows the magus to give the ghost complex, unbreakable instructions, but Assessors find it best to convince their ghosts to assist. This is not difficult, because most ghosts are tied to the Earth by a piece of unfinished business that they cannot accomplish. The Tremere can usually bargain for the ghost’s assistance, in exchange for the resolution of its problem.

(Base effect: 20, +1 Eye, +3 Moon)

CALL THE FALLEN EAGLES FROM THE MIST

R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Group, Level 65, Ritual

A spell used on ancient battlefields to call up the pagan dead. This spell grants control of the dead, but if ordered to directly oppose their reason for remaining on Earth, they occasionally break the magus’s control. Roman legionnaires asked to attack Rome, for example, might break control.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +3 Moon, +2 Group, +3 size: up to 10,000 ghosts, + 1 summon and control)

Creo Terram Spells

A SIMPLE METHOD FOR RAPID VALLATION

R: Voice, D: Sun, T: Ind, Level 35

The sciences of vallation, surrounding your forces with walls, and countervallation, surrounding your enemies with a wall to cut off their supply lines, were well understood by the Romans. They could not, however, accomplish these feat as easily as a Tremere Architect. This spell makes a wall of granite up to 500 paces wide, 5 paces high, and 1 pace thick. One needs miner’s tools to break through it, though it can be toppled if it is not connected to a support on its side or top. The wall this spell creates has a walkway, protected by crenellations, along one side. Architects who plan to use this spell often master it, because during the Corruption of Tytalus, a Tremere magus had the misfortune to botch this spell. The walkway appeared on the enemy side.

(Base 3, +2 Voice, +2 Sun, +4 size)

Intellego Terram Spells

LOVE’S UNFAITHFUL WITNESS

R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind, Level 35

This spell is used to question jewelry about its wearer’s activities. The sympathies of the largest gemstone determine the personality of a piece of jewelry. Rubies tend to be bloodthirsty, garnets sanguine and so on, as represented by the Materials Table in Ars Magica (page 110). Unadorned silver is treacherous and unadorned gold is pious, judgmental and accusatory.

(Base 25, +1 Touch, +1 Conc)

Muto Terram Spells

A WINDOW OF SINGULAR DIRECTION

R: Touch, D: Ring, T: Part, Level 20

This spell, created by the Architects of Tremere, makes a circle of wall transparent, from one side only. It was developed in the early years of the Order, to allow magi protected by temporary fortifications to target their foes.

(Base 4, +1 Part, +2 Ring)

New Virtues

Dhampir

Major, Supernatural

One type of vampire, found in the Transylvania Tribunal, returns from the grave to rape women, particularly its wife. Sometimes they father half-vampire children called dhampirs. Vampires find dhampir servants useful, because they can travel during the day and have supernatural abilities. Many dhampirs, raised by their mothers, find vampirism repulsive and strive to slay first their fathers, then any other vampires of which they become aware. If a dhampir dies, they rise again as a vampire, unless certain rituals have been performed on their corpse. However, most dhampirs warn people about their tainted blood so that their bodies can be safely destroyed. Tremere magi recruit dhampirs as guards and servants. Their ability to see invisible beings makes them particularly valuable.

The vampires that create dhampirs are a type of dark faerie not, strictly speaking, an infernal spirit. Some vampires choose not to attack people, but instead visit their old homes at night, and perform little services like chopping firewood and repairing tools. Vampires, like other dark faeries, have vulnerabilities that vary widely, but many are affected by crossroads, doorways, church bells, sunlight or herbs. Dhampirs have the following advantages:

• Dhampirs start making aging rolls at the age of fifty, and get –3 to all rolls to resist the effects of aging, cumulative with any other bonuses.
• Dhampirs have the Virtue Second Sight (see Ars Magica 5th Edition, page 48), and can see normally in darkness or semi-darkness. Their eyes look mostly normal, but are an unusual and vivid color.
• Dhampirs may learn Faerie Lore during character generation, and gain a +1 bonus on all Faerie Lore rolls.
• Dhampirs may have The Gift, but House Tremere forbids the training of dhampirs as Hermetic magi. It did happen once, long ago, and might happen again (Dark Secret Flaw). This is a supernatural ability, and you cannot lose it when being trained as a magus (see Ars Magica 5th Edition, page 107). If your master cannot preserve the ability, you cannot be trained.

A character who becomes a vampire is given to the Storyguide. Vampires cannot use Hermetic magic, but have a wide variety of powers. Hedge wizard dhampirs are permitted as servants.

Folk Dancer

Minor, Supernatural

Folk dancing is a vestigial remnant of pagan folk traditions found in many parts of Europe. Folk dancers are entertaining, and play a role in many festivals. Their magical tradition is communal and, lacking a new Gifted practitioner, likely unable to advance. A troupe of a dozen or more folk dancers, who all make Dexterity + Carouse rolls of 9+ can perform a dance, hours long, that creates a minor magical effect. Most troupes know only a couple of magical dances, and they cannot create new ones. The most popular is a harvest blessing that, if performed correctly, gently reduces the severity of storms in the area for a season. A handful of groups know how to dance around a grave to trap a restless spirit within it. Folk dancers cannot tell if they have successfully completed the dance, unless there is an obvious botch. If creating a folk dancer, negotiate three dances with the rest of the Troupe.

Samovily Blood

Minor, Supernatural

Bulgarians use the term “Samovily” for several different types of mystical maiden. Most are faeries, but at least one is an infernal spirit. The blood that runs in characters is of the faerie kind, however. Some samovily are maidens of the woodland, who ride deer, are archers, and can milk the moon like a cow. They love music, and kidnap shepherds to force them to play their pipes. These maidens bathe at dusk and can be forced into servitude by those who steal their clothing. They make poor mothers and flee when they find their clothes. Other samovily are spirits of the waters, or winged spirits the air. Some are spirits of the waters in Spring and Summer, but spirits of the Air in Autumn and Winter. Spirits of the air are sometimes young women doing penance for frivolous lives. Others are ghosts of women who died on their wedding day. This last type is able to suck the breath out of young men (see Wili, above).

Characters with samovily blood gain the usual bonuses for Faerie Blood, and one bonus from the list below:

• +1 on all archery rolls
• +2 on all riding rolls
• +1 on all rolls involving music, including dancing and carousing
• +1 on all Presence rolls for characters that find young, blonde women attractive.
• +2 on all activities undertaken underwater.

Mythic Blood (Zmey)

Major, Hermetic

Zmey are a variety of dragon native to the Transylvania Tribunal. Each village has a zmey, which rouses itself to fight evil spirits that attempt to enter its territory to cause hail or drought. This creates storms. Zmey have many powers. They fly by controlling the wind. Their natural form glows when they fly, but they can become invisible at will. They can change shape, into dogs or humans, but can also impersonate manufactured objects, like necklaces and garlands of flowers. Some play enchanting music on shepherd’s pipes. Female zmey, zmeyitsas, can take ursine form. Zmey often charm young women, which usually leads to their death. Sometimes the zmey leaves, and the woman pines away. Local herbalists have a concoction that sometimes restores the desire to live. The zmey often asks the woman to elope, taking her away to his chthonic home. Occasionally, women survive relationships with zmey, and bear children. The children of zmey look human, except for small membranous wings that connect their torso and underarms. These wings are useless vestiges. A human who eats the heart of a zmey gains many of its powers, including supernatural strength. Humans can become zmey through spells or herbal preparations. Descent from a zmey grants a Minor Magical Focus with Storms, and the Minor Personality Flaw tends to be one of Lecherous, Meddler, or Proud. The granted power may be invisibility (as Veil of Invisibility (ArM5 page 146), but with Personal Range and no Penetration, castable without words or gestures), the ability to fly on the wind (as Wings of the Soaring Wind (ArM5 page 126), requires words and gestures), or the ability to turn into a dog or bear (like Shape of the Woodland Prowler (ArM5 page 131), but with Personal Range, and requiring only a gesture).

Leadworker

Minor, Hermetic

Leadworking is a skill descended from the style of necromancy practiced by the Aita cult. The name refers to the ability to craft katadesmoi. A katadesmos is a tablet that is used to curse and control the individual whose name is written upon it. Occasionally figurines, kolossoi are created instead. Curse tablets are most easily crafted from lead, but modern Tremere also use the non-reflective sides of mirrors. Much of the original power of the tradition has been lost in the move to Hermetic magic, but two useful powers remain to the leadworkers. They may create arcane connections to the restless dead, and to those animals and spirits able to recognize their own names. They may also create a fixed Arcane Connection to someone by incorporating an Arcane Connection taken from the body of the victim into a kolossos, without spending vis or study time.

Penetration bonus table additions:

• Katadesmos tablet, inscribed with the name of a victim (+2)
• A Kolossos is a representation, like any other (+2)
• A Kolossos constructed with a sympathetic connection from the body of the victim imbedded in it (+3)

Harenarius

Minor, Hermetic

A “Person of the Sand” is one of the very few magi able to master two Certamen Schools on an instinctual level. Tremere magi respect this talent, but its past possessors have been less mentally stable than the House prefers. A Harenarius may choose to fight as a member of one of his schools at the commencement of certamen, or may choose to fight as a generalist, as other magi do. Harenarii begin with a Reputation 2, as a master duelist, with Tremere magi. They are more likely to be sought out by Magi seeking Certamen instructors than other Tremere magi. Harenarii pioneer the majority of new Certamen schools and tricks.

Nyktophylax

Minor, Hermetic

Nyktophylaxes, “night guards,” are magi whose magic of Sun duration fails at noon and midnight, rather than dawn and dusk. Their name comes from their role as sentries during the Schism War.

Attribution

Attribution Based on the material for Ars Magica, ©1993-2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0"). Ars Magica Open License Logo ©2024 Trident, Inc. The Ars Magica Open License Logo, Ars Magica, and Mythic Europe are trademarks of Trident, Inc., and are used with permission. Order of Hermes, Tremere, Doissetep, and Grimgroth are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB and are used with permission.