Legends of Hermes Chapter Six: The Flying Castle of Thomae

See Also

• The Ars Magica Reference Document
• The Legends of Hermes Open Content page.
• The Legends of Hermes product page on this wiki

Chapter Six: The Flying Castle of Thomae

Lifetime: c. 1122 AD – 1198 AD

Overview: The flamboyant creator of the most audacious enchantment the Order has yet seen — a flying castle — and a host of lesser magic items. Both the adventurous Thomae and his castle went missing only a few decades ago.

This story is suitable for a wide variety of sagas. The wreck of Thomae's castle, with some minor modifications, can act as the raw material for a new Spring covenant, so this story is suitable as the first adventure in a saga. In established sagas, the legendary castle contains many desirable enchanted items and magical resources. Characters may also seek the castle to enhance their Reputation, or to assist their House or mystery cult.

Legend

Thomae of Tytalus was famous in the closing years of the 12th century. Eschewing the political confrontations popular with the other members of his House, Thomae challenged himself to fulfill his boyhood dream of living in a floating castle. To fund his studies, Thomae became a slayer of monsters, and a hired killer for covenants engaged in Wizard's War. In 1191 he disappeared for a time, only to return with a castle that could float through the air.

This caused great alarm in the Order. After a tense tribunal meeting, Thomae agreed to fly his castle, high and at night, to a mountainous area and remain there. Away from the prying eyes of mundanes, he could not provoke them, and break the Code.

Thomae was content for a time but, in 1195, a tribunal met again to consider his actions. It had become obvious that Thomae was sneaking his castle out to sea in the dead of night, and traveling to desolate places in other Tribunals. Thomae's political skills proved sufficient defense against any crime, since none of his accusers could demonstrate that he had harmed the Order.

In 1198, 22 years ago, Thomae and his floating castle vanished. There are many stories of his fate. Some say that he left for Transylvania to work secretly on weapons platforms for the Tremere. Some claim he has gone exploring. Some say that the Devil claimed him and that his castle fell away as dust and ash, leaving Thomae to plummet to his death.

In reality, his end was less legendary than the stories of his life.

Thomae was navigating through the Alps when his castle overflew the nesting site of a flock of griffons. Unlike most covenants, his castle has no Aegis, so the griffons were able to attack it directly. A griffon damaged the flight control mechanism of the castle, and it crashed. Thomae was wearing a magic item that protected him from falling, so when the castle fell around him he was smashed into the ceiling of the navigation room.

Efforts to find Thomae have failed, but most magi assume that some hint of him will emerge eventually.

What the Order Remembers of Thomae

Thomae was active in the Order relatively recently, so many of the details about him are more easily recalled than those of the other magi in this book. Players whose characters have some reason to be particularly interested in his works or legal case may be granted a +3 bonus on Intelligence + Order of Hermes Lore rolls, when seeking the following recollections about him.

Known to All

• Thomae was a magus of House Tytalus, active late last century.
• He built a flying castle.
• He suffered legal trouble.
• He vanished about 20 years ago.

Widely Known

• Thomae was young, for a magus, when he disappeared, and many suspect he is still alive, abusing the natives in some distant part of Africa or Asia.
• Thomae was disinterested in politics–his obsession was flight.
• His castle was made of bronze.
• He was renowned as a slayer of magical beasts, and a magical mercenary.
• He was accused of provoking the mundanes by displaying his flying castle.
• Thomae traveled widely in his quest to find vis to pay for his castle, spending much time in the Holy Land and Africa.
• Thomae settled his tribunal case by agreeing not to fly his castle in civilized areas, but there was some question regarding his later compliance.

Uncommon Knowledge

• During his Tribunal case, Thomae noted that he did not build all of his magical items himself; many were purchased.
• Thomae's castle included safety equipment for his servants, at remarkable personal expense, which made them loyal to him.
• Thomae claimed to be a Hermetic Architect, one of the Order's least secret mystogogic societies.
• The castle was examined by the Quaesitores during his legal troubles, but because it was considered his sanctum, even his fellow Architects did not visit it.

Lost Secrets

• There's something wrong with the timeline of Thomae's life: he seems to fit more in than is possible. This probably means he lied about what he was doing, and when.
• Thomae was probably not a Hermetic Architect, but he claimed to be one.

Hermetic Architects Only (Ease factor 12)

• Many of the effects he claimed as integral to the castle could not have been possible, unless he made a breakthrough in Hermetic Architecture.

Legacy

Characters completing this scenario may be rewarded with any of the following treasures, as suits the saga that the troupe is telling.

The Flying Castle of Thomae

Thomae gave the impression that his castle was created by a team of skilled assistants, using strange rituals and obscure material components, to provide powerful wards and offensive capabilities. This was a lie. Thomae's flying castle is a far simpler item than the legend he created implies. It is a magical flying disk, upon which he built a castle. The depth of his deception is left for Storyguides to decide: story suggestions relating to the true source of the disk are given at the end of the chapter.

The disk is made of a single, flat circle of stone (hard stone, 4). It is 300 paces across, and slightly less than a pace thick (size 7). It lies beneath and supports the bronze sheet that forms the courtyard of the castle. Thomae's great and simple ploy was to not design this as masterpiece of Hermetic Architecture, or even as an invested device. The disk is simply one of the largest lesser enchanted devices in the history of the Order. The strange absences in his biography can be explained as the time taken to set up a laboratory of sufficient size and secrecy to satisfy the Verditius he hired. He also needed to find the resources to pay for one season of that magus's time and discretion. The disk, like all lesser enchanted devices, took only one season to produce.

The Flight Disk

ReTe Level 33
Pen +0, Constant effect
R: Personal, D: Diameter, T: Individual
This item is controlled with colored lights displayed by the control chain, described later.

The spell causes the castle to fly at the running speed of a horse.

This effect is triggered whenever the spell is not active. This means that, every time the Duration expires, the effect is triggered again, and that the effect is also triggered if the magic is dispelled, so that the castle cannot be brought down with a single PeVi spell. Since the trigger is immediate, this does not make the flight jerky.

Effect: Base 3, +1 Diameter, +3 size, +1 affects stone; Modifications +10 unlimited use, environmental trigger (this spell not working) +3.

A Note on Boundary Effects

Boundary effects are not, by their nature, mobile. This means that, for example, if the castle had a Boundary ward against magical creatures, it would leave the effect behind as it flew. Similarly, an Aegis of the Hearth ritual cast around the edge of the castle would also be left behind as the castle moved. This lack of effective wards for huge, moving objects was a known risk. Thomae believed few creatures would attack a magical flying castle filled with offensive magical items and well-trained soldiers.

The Control Chain

A steel chain, ending in a bulb of metal, is secured to the center of the flight disk. The length of this chain rises through the High Tower to the magus's laboratory. By touching this chain, and speaking an appropriate Latin command, the bulb on the chain's end glows with various colors and intensities of light. These lights control the disc. This allowed Thomae to steer the disc from many of the rooms in the High Tower, as doors in the tube allow access to the chain.

The use of a control mechanism based on light caused the destruction of the castle. During the attack, a griffon clawed a hole in the base of the High Tower to reach Thomae's treasury. This cracked the metal jacket of the disk, allowing sunlight to fall on it, which caused the castle to list. Thomae did not have time to puzzle out the failure of his control mechanism before it caused his death.

CrIg Level 9
Pen +0, Constant effect
R: Personal, D: Sun, T: Individual

This item is controlled by Latin commands given by a person touching the chain.

This effect causes the glowing ball at the end of the control chain to change to one of a variety of colors when a person touching any part of the chain uses one of the command words. The control chain is a separate magic item from the flying disk, but it is used to communicate the wishes of the controller in the main keep to the device. The different colors emitted by the chain control the castle's flight. The chain was designed to also trigger later additions to the disk's enchantments. It has many spare light patterns, triggered by speaking numbers, which have no current purpose.

Effect: Base 1; Modifications +2 Sun, +2 complexity (caster control of color), +4 constant use.

Thomae and His Equipment

Thomae's corpse is scattered about the wreckage of the castle. He died violently, and was not buried with religious rites. This means his ghost is contactable and likely deranged.

Laboratory Notes

Thomae's lab was destroyed in the crash, but his most prized books were preserved in their magical storage chests. These codices contain lab notes for making:

• The flying disk.
• The large laboratory where the flying disk was created.
• The control chain, which is a useful mechanism for activating other magical items that are to be remotely triggered because of the dangerous environment in which they work. Mining or undersea equipment, for example, might be controlled with a similar mechanism.
• The castle's siege finials, which are basic mystical artillery and are useful in the defense of most covenants. These items look identical to the many other finials which top the castle's walls.
• Thomae's anchor. This whimsical magical item looks like a ship's anchor, and was trailed through the air behind and below the castle. It makes the castle invisible from the ground. Thomae purchased or created it after his legal troubles. Strangely, it does not make itself invisible, a flaw of which Thomae was surely aware.
• Thomae's whip. Thomae's talisman was a lengthy bronze chain, which could move magically. Thomae used this to control things at a distance, extend his Touch range, and wield as a whip in battle.
• The falling bells. The castle had several bells that, if they were freefalling, would chime. All who could hear the chime were able to fly for the rest of the day. The bells were placed in large public spaces, and some effort was made in the design of the covenant to channel the sound of the bells for the greatest distance. This was made easier by the excellent acoustic properties of bronze. The bells were held by chains with special winches that would let loose a loop of chain at a time, so that the bells would free-fall for a second before taking up the slack. This allowed the bells to be used for emergencies.
• Medallions allowing flight, invisibility, safe falling, magical attack or espionage effects. These items are of great use to magi interested in flight, but are also useful for mundane agents involved in sabotage, assassination or burglary. These medallions are currently held by the leaders of the Santa Lucians, and the thief Andros, whose crimes draw the characters to the story.

Training Bell

These smaller bells, with less powerful effects than the falling bells described in the previous section, were used for training, festivities, and missions. Most servants in the castle were taught simple tricks on training days, like leaping from the courtyard to the top of a tower then down again, so that if they were required to leap from the castle to the ground below they would have confidence in the spell. Some others were trained in flight, which has many advantages during sieges.

ReCo Level 35
Pen +0
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
This bell is activated by holding its handle and ringing it.

The spell allows the user to fly, at a brisk walking pace, for the rest of the day. The bell may be tapped on a child as it rings, to allow guided flight. Theoretically it may also be used as a club, to cause a victim to fly.

Effect: Base 10, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, Modifications +10 constant use.

Thomae's Tender

The tender is a floating metal platform that can be used to lift supplies up to the castle. A tender, in this sense, is a smaller vessel used to supply or shuttle crew to a larger one. The tender moves faster than the castle does, so it is possible for it to scout ahead of the castle, or catch up if delayed while loading supplies.

The tender is powered by a large moonstone. Moonstones are semiprecious stones with an affinity for air magic. If the tender is destroyed, a similar metal plate can be powered by attaching the moonstone to it. The command words for the stone are simple Latin instructions, which any speaker may learn with a little patience and experimentation. They may also be found in the ruins of Thomae's castle, or determined in the laboratory.

The tender is also meant to act as an expeditionary vehicle and a lifeboat. It was never actually employed for either task. The tender lacks obvious modifications that would make it more suited to these roles, like environmental control magic, artillery, and the ability to store food incorrupt.

ReTe Level 34
Pen +0, Constant effect
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
The tender is controlled by touching the moonstone that powers it, while speaking simple Latin commands.

This effect allows the tender to fly and carry as much cargo as can be piled upon its surface.

Effect: Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 size, +2 affects metal; Modifications +4 constant use.

Covenant Goods

The castle contained a magician's laboratory, private library, and sufficient supplies for his servants to live luxuriously. Many of Thomae's possessions were destroyed in the crash or by the elements afterward. His materials will not equip the multiple laboratories of most covenants, but may provide useful pieces of enchanted laboratory equipment, a collection of valuable books, or sufficient mundane wealth to purchase useful supplies for the covenant. Storyguides might use magical items from other scenarios in this book as treasures belonging to Thomae.

Story Seed: Incubation Methods

An incubation method for griffons' eggs is not immediately apparent to Hermetic magi, and they may be forced to complete a story to discover a successful one. This may be as simple as consulting a great library and doing a favor for the covenant that controls it. Some of the most powerful of Bjornaer magi are able, if rumor is to be believed, to take the shape of griffons, and if one of them might be consulted, perhaps she would be able to suggest an answer. Some Jerbiton covenants train magical animals, and one of the magi at Valnastium is said to have potent magic items which aid in the training of griffons. It is unknown, though, whether she has any experience in hatching their eggs, and it may be untenable for player characters to reach so remote a covenant quickly. It is not even known whether the eggs die if not kept in the right environment, or simply refuse to develop until their mystical climate is satisfactory.

How Much is Bronze Worth?

The wrecked castle is made of enormous amounts of bronze. Thomae chose bronze because a superficial layer of corrosion stops bronze deteriorating further, unlike iron or steel. Bronze can be sold for between 200 and 300 Mythic pounds per ton, but if reworked into high-class brassware (a term which includes bronze, in Mythic Europe) it can sell for as much as 1,500 Mythic pounds per ton. Characters wanting to sell the bronze will encounter problems of weight, remoteness and market flooding, rather than scarcity.

Griffon Treasures

The griffons whose range overlaps the crash site could provide many treasures to creative players.

The Nest of Gold

The nest of gold is worth a fortune, but to a skilled enchanter, it is even more valuable as a focus for enchantment. It adds +7 to enchantments which favor the defense of home, or the protection of treasures. To be used as a focus for enchantment, the nest — which contains pounds of gold, griffon feathers, and the woods of exotic trees — must be moved into a laboratory without damaging its basic structure. Careful manual handling, skilled goldsmithing to solder the pieces together, or magic is required to keep the nest intact until it can be stabilized and enchanted. An intact nest may also be required for incubated griffon eggs to hatch.

Eggs of Agate

Griffons' eggs are perfect agates the size of ostrich eggs. Agates are semiprecious stones that may be used for a variety of purposes. Ancient writers note that an agate placed in the mouth prevents thirst. Sorcerers have, since Roman times, used agates in the control of rivers and storms. Agate is linked to Auram magic (+3), protection from storms (+5), and protection from venom (+7).

Baby Griffons

The eggs may be permitted to hatch, providing baby griffons for the covenant to train, leaving eggshells to be enchanted as described earlier. Griffons grow slowly, so for the first few decades of their lives the covenant's griffons are little larger than dogs. Provided they accept one or more of the local people as the senior member of their pride, the young griffons are entirely biddable. They have many of the behavioral problems of kittens, coupled with the ability to fly, the capacity to spot prey at extreme distances, and the strength to tear holes in their surroundings. They may be suitable as familiars.

With magic that causes rapid maturity, the griffons may be increased to adolescent or adult size. Mature beasts are more useful in combat, but are much more difficult to train—indeed their inability to be coerced is considered one of the defining attributes of griffons. Rules for training magical animals are found in Realms of Power: Magic pages 81-81.

The Townsfolk and Site of Santa Lucia

The villagers of Santa Lucia are the covenfolk who survived the castle's destruction and their children. Many members of the older generation have unusual skills useful to magi, learned during their stay in the castle. All speak a debased, colloquial Latin. They can be recruited by a covenant lacking skilled residents.

The new valley of Santa Lucia is an allod: a piece of land not claimed by a nobleman. Allods make excellent sites for locating Spring covenants. The discovery of the castle, and the people of Santa Lucia, could provide the initial story for a saga. In this case, the griffons are likely too formidable an opponent for newly Gauntleted magi, and one of the alternatives mentioned in the Alternative Enemies section should be used instead.

Adventure: Flights of Fancy

The search for Thomae's flying castle takes the player characters to dangerous new heights.

Précis

The adventure presented here has the following structure:

• The storyguide foreshadows elements of the story in previous stories, including the main magus and monster.
• Crimes are committed using a magical device.
• The player characters investigate, from their own interest or because they are pressed to by other magi.
• The thief's magic item was made or commissioned by Thomae. It was stolen from a village in the mountains.
• As the characters travel to the village, they have combat encounters and face environmental puzzles.
• The villagers are the covenfolk of Thomae, and know where his castle crashed. They are being harassed by faeries that have attached themselves to the idea of the castle. The player characters can solve this problem simply by removing the items that tie this community to its past. They may not realize this, though, and may choose to fight the faeries instead. Characters may track a faerie back to the castle.
• The flying disk's metal jacket has been damaged. The damage was obviously done with large claws.
• The characters must either fight the griffons or find ways to avoid their notice, while either repairing the castle or salvaging its valuables.

Foreshadowing

For the adventure in this chapter to be slotted seamlessly into a saga, the storyguide should prepare the players by foreshadowing two elements in earlier stories. Thomae himself might be mentioned, in passing. Characters might find art depicting his castle, or he may be referenced in a legal case. The players should also know a little about griffons. They may, for example, visit an ancient covenant that possesses the talisman of an archmage, a staff that ends in an agate the size of an ostrich egg, and learn that this was laid by a griffon. Griffons also appear in artwork and so may be slipped into other stories as decorative elements.

The Hidden Thief

In a large town near the covenant, a thief is committing crimes while invisible. The player characters are likely to want to intervene. Potential hooks include:

• The Order dislikes magically-assisted crimes, because magi tend to be blamed for them, so it is practical as well as civically-minded to investigate.
• A magus might be the criminal and, since this has led to public concern, it may be a Hermetic crime.
• If the person is using an invisibility charm, it likely was made by a magus. Any Hermetic activity in a town so close to the covenant is worrying enough to investigate.
• Minor items like these usually become available to criminals after they murder redcaps. Defense of redcaps is one of the duties of all members of the Order.
• The victim of a robbery or his servants may contact the magi, seeking the recovery of a lost item, or the capture of the criminal if someone died during the burglary.
• The commercial interests of the covenant may have been targeted.

To Catch the Thief

The method used to catch the thief must vary based on individual troupes. Access to one of the burglary sites is possible through bribery of household servants or warehouse guards, Social skill rolls, magic or simply breaking in. Simple observation (Awareness rolls against an Ease Factor of 6) tells the characters that the thief was able to fly. His point of presumed access, from the roof, doesn't show any tool or foot marks. A second roll also shows that the thief was searching for things to steal; he did not target a particular object.

Characters may find and catch the thief through a variety of means:

• The burglary site may contain Arcane Connections, allowing spells to detect the thief's identity and location.
• Characters with criminal contacts may obtain a description of the stolen goods, and find people to whom they have been offered. These potential purchasers can be persuaded to identify the culprit.
• The characters find a pattern in the robberies (against a particular family that recurs in the saga, or of a particular type of item) and use that pattern to set a trap at the next likely site, or to investigate enemies of the family.

The Thief and His Medallion

The invisible thief is a man in his mid-twenties named Andros. He has some mercenary experience, but is not sufficiently formidable to trouble a band of experienced grogs. The storyguide should determine if and how they wish to use Andros in future stories, and select a set of statistics from the generics in Ars Magica supplements that suit his after-story role.

Andros believes his medallion is a holy relic. He gained it from Roberto, another soldier with whom he served. Roberto always carried his medal and kissed it before battle. He used it once, when combat became desperate, to vanish. Andros was able to avoid dying in that battle through luck, and eventually he and Roberto were in the same mercenary company again. When Roberto was killed in a shower of arrows, Andros made sure he was the one to collect the miraculous medal. He did consider sending it to Roberto's family, but Roberto claimed to be from a tiny village called Santa Lucia in the Alps, so it didn't seem worth the effort. (The Storyguide should change the location and name of the town to suit her saga.)

The medal is small and bronze, attached to a chain of the same metal. On one face, it shows a portrait of a man, and on the reverse, a stylized castle. It looks like a medal sold to pilgrims, although the iconography for Saint Thomas is wrong (Intelligence + Church Lore against an Ease Factor of 3—the saint's halo is actually a spiral, and the portrait lacks any other iconic identifiers. Thomas is the Patron Saint of Architects, so the castle on the reverse side might be taken as an indication of his identity.

Andros activates the medal with an incorrectly-memorized Latin prayer to Saint Thomas. This works because the triggers for two of the powers are "Thomae" and the Latin word for "help". The magus was named for Saint Thomas by his master, the name being popular with Hermetic Architects.

Andros takes two rounds to activate the device, because his prayer contains many unnecessary words between the two vital ones. He always uses both powers together, as he does not understand that they are separable. He is also aware that the medal provides a controlled descent at the end of his flights. He is not aware that this is a power triggered by the medal freefalling. Blowing on the medallion activates another power, used for espionage, but Andros does not know this. This is why the original owner kissed the medal before battle —it allowed him to spy on his commanders while they made their plans, and find his way into forces held in reserve whenever possible.

Thomae's three shield grogs had medallions with slightly different effects. This one was designed to allow covenfolk to be trained in emergency descent. It has a flight power with unlimited uses and long duration. The flight is slower, but far longer than the other medallions. It has been coupled with an invisibility effect to allow spying, and which can be used by groups if they pass the medallion among themselves. It also has a safety effect, which allows controlled falling. This was also used for training covenfolk in flight.

Aerial Dancer

ReCo 35
Pen +0, unlimited/day
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Individual.
This power is activated by the medallion's wearer speaking the word "Thomae".

This effect allows the user to move at running pace through the air in any direction he wishes. It can be reactivated an unlimited number of times per day. Thomae's bodyguards developed a strange, three-dimensional martial art based on the use of this power. The scent of frying onions—sigil of the Verditius who created the medallion— accompanies the character for the duration of the effect.

(Effect: Base 10, +1 Touch, +2 Sun; Modifications +10 unlimited uses per day.)

The other medallions provide flight for two minutes, but at the speed of a running horse.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +1 Diameter; Modifications +10 unlimited uses per day.)

Failure to Fall

ReCo 25
Pen 0, unlimited/day
R: Touch, D: Diameter, T: Individual
This power is activated by free fall.

This power gently lowers a falling person toward the ground for two minutes. The character falls at a steady rate of about one foot per second, without accelerating. The effect lasts three minutes, so the character can fall safely for 120 feet. If, at the end of this distance the character begins to freefall again, the device reactivates. Each time the device activates, there is a momentary lull in the scent of frying onions, and some covenfolk, back when the castle was still inhabited, claimed they could determine their fall distance using this as a measure.

(Effect: Base 5, +1 Touch, +1 Diameter; Modifications +10 unlimited uses per day.)

Veil of Invisibility

PeIm 25
Pen +0, 24 uses/day
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Individual
This power is activated by the wearer saying the Latin word for "help".

As the Hermetic spell of the same name (ArM5, page 146). This power makes the user invisible, despite motion. The scent of frying onions—sigil of the Verditius who created the medallion—accompanies the character for the duration of the effect.

(Effect: Base 4, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 moving; Modifications +5 24 uses/day)

Whispering Winds

ReAu 15
Pen +0, 1 use/day
R: Sight, D: Concentration, T: Individual
This power is activated by the wearer blowing on the medallion.

As the Hermetic spell of the same name (ArM5 page 127). This power allows the user to eavesdrop on the conversations of a group of people that are visible.

(Effect: Unique)

Recognizing the Link

Characters may recognize the link between Thomae of Tytalus and the medal in the following ways:

• Players who spot the link themselves need make no roll.
• Characters who roll Intelligence + Order of Hermes Lore against 3 know that the spiral on the medal is the symbol of House Tytalus.
• Characters may roll Intelligence + Order of Hermes Lore against 9 to connect this medal with the legend of Thomae of Tytalus, who was famous for his flying castle. They are also aware that he is missing. Knowing that this medal is triggered by a prayer to Saint Thomas adds 3 to the roll. Hermetic Architects +3 to this roll.
• Characters who make an Intelligence + Magic Theory roll of 3 or more note that the maker's marks on the edge of the medallion, at the bottom, are Verditius runes, and a personal sigil.
• Characters who make an Intelligence + Order of Hermes Lore against 15 can recognize the maker's mark. If they note the sigil (the smell of frying onions) it lowers this to 12. Characters making a House Verditius Lore roll instead have an Ease Factor of 6, 3 if they notice the sigil. Redcaps and hoplites are able to point the characters to the right magus if they fail in this roll, although they may want a substantial favor in exchange if they realize how significant the characters' business with the Verditius magus is.

Following the Lead to Santa Lucia

Different troupes will prefer alternative leads to the location of Santa Lucia. Possible methods of finding it include:

• Andros has some of Roberto's other possessions, and they provide clues to the location of his home town.
• Andros knows where Roberto is buried. He died in battle, so his burial was irregular, meaning his ghost can be summoned.
• Player characters may search for other young men from Santa Lucia, working as mercenaries in a nearby warzone, and convince them to act as guides.
• A redcap may know where Santa Lucia is.
• The maker of the medal, Flavia of Verditius, is still alive. She received a fixed Arcane Connection for Thomae to ensure payment for her work, and was able to fool Thomae into thinking she had destroyed it once payment was complete. Flavia never used the connection, because she believes Thomae flew his castle to Africa or Asia and has founded his own kingdom. She thinks that annoying a magician-king with a flying battle fortress would be stupid, so she will need skilled convincing to allow the player characters to use the Arcane Connection. Storyguides wishing to extend this story using the search for Thomae's laboratory, as described at the end of this chapter, should select a different link.

Travel to Santa Lucia is isolated; characters going there must carry many of the supplies which they would conventionally purchase en route. This makes travel to Santa Lucia slow. Storyguides may complicate this journey to provide time in the spotlight for characters whose specializations have yet to be used in this story. She may, for example, provide combat opportunities or environmental puzzles.

Elemental Blizzard

This creature is designed as a water elemental using the rules found in Realms of Power: Magic.

Magic Might: 20 (Aquam)

Characteristics: Cun +2, Per +2, Pre 0, Com –6, Str +6, Sta +5, Dex –5, Qik +1

Size: +3

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Thing; Ways of the Mountains; Poor Memory, Short Attention Span, Simple Minded

Magical Qualities and Inferiorities: Greater Power (Drown), Greater Power (Chill Touch), Greater Power (Charge of the Angry Winds), Major Virtue (Greater Immunity to Fire), Improved Abilities x 4, Improved Powers (Chill Touch cost –2, Charge of the Angry Winds cost –1, Init +2, Drown Init +5), Minor Virtues (Lightning Reflexes, Tough)

Personality Traits: Storm +5

Soak: +11

Wound Penalties*: –1 (1–8), –3 (9–16), –5 (17–24), Incapacitated (25–32), Dead (33+)

\* When injured elementals lose points from their Might pool equal to the Wound Penalty for their injury.

Abilities: Area Lore 4 (local), Athletics 4 (flight), Awareness 4 (animals), Brawl 4 (suffocate), Hunt 2 (animals), Penetration 6 (Chill Touch power).

Powers:

Chill Touch, 0 points, Init +5, Ignem: The freezing touch of the snowstorm elemental inflicts +10 damage, which is Soaked without benefit from metal armor.

Charge of the Angry Winds, 0 points, Init +7, Auram: As the spell of the same name, add the elemental's Strength to all Ease Factors for acting within the wind.

Drown, 0 points, Init +5, Auram: The elemental envelops a victim and attempts to fill her lungs with ice, necessitating a Deprivation roll (see ArM5 pages 180-181). Characters may break free of the elemental using the Grappling rules (see ArM5 page 174).

Vis: 4 pawns of Auram, in body. Large pieces of the elemental broken off during combat contain a portion of this vis. The elemental always knows where such pieces are, and attempts to reunite them.

Appearance: A grey and menacing fog that seems to contain human and animal shapes.

Elementals are made of chunks of rarefied matter. They have no real personality or sense of personal identity, so the fury of this elemental is due to the fundamental nature of the violent weather it embodies. It attacks humans not because they are trespassing in its domain or because it hates humans; it attacks simply because it is filled with the tempestuous rage of a blizzard.

The elemental blizzard is designed as a foe for parties of characters traveling to the crash site. It may attack up to its Size in enemies each round. Its immunity to fire and ability to ignore many kinds of armor make it a formidable foe for groups with weak combat magic.

Combat

There are many varieties of monster suited to this journey. Isolated mountain areas provide excellent opportunities to use monsters that cannot realistically be placed in agricultural areas or cities. This scenario, for example, uses griffons, which are large and prey on livestock, and would so disrupt medieval agriculture as to damage the setting. In Mythic Europe, the Avar invasions in the sixth century are sometimes recorded as being caused by a plague of griffons that forced the Avars to flee their homeland, streaming west. The monsters suggested in the nearby inserts use the icy conditions of the mountains as a weapon. Storyguides should include these as suits the pace of the story and the interests of the player group.

Environmental Puzzles

Environmental puzzles are opportunities for players to use the powers of their magi to solve difficulties. These are particularly useful for characters designed as spontaneous spellcasters, or as non-combatants. Examples include:

• A rope bridge over a ravine has fallen away. How do the characters replace it?
• The characters must use a path under the shadow of a mountain that has a field of unstable snow upon it. Can they brace it so that accidental - sounds do not cause avalanches? Can they instead mute the sound caused by the party's travel?
• Early melt has engorged a river. How do the characters get all of their baggage across?
• Part of the journey requires extended travel above the snowline. How do the characters defend themselves, their servants and animals from the effects of the cold?
• A terrible blizzard threatens the group. How do the magi construct shelter, or do they instead try to divert the storm?

Despair Demon

The statistics for this demon use the rules given in Realms of Power: The Infernal.

Order: Accusers (variant)

Infernal Might: 10 (Aquam)

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre 0, Com +1, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik +1

Size: +1

Confidence: 1 (3 points)

Virtues and Flaws: Weak-willed

Personality Traits: Doubt +3

Combat:

Rolling Ball of Spikes (trample): Init +8, Attack +16*, Defense +14*, Damage +13

\* Includes Ability specialization.

Soak: +7

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–12), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24), Dead (25+)

Abilities: Brawl 6 (trample).

Powers:

Coagulation, 1 point, Init –1, Aquam: Allows the demon to create a material form for itself. This form is a spiked ball of icicles a yard in diameter. This takes one round, although the demon may disincorporate almost instantly.

Elemental Control of Air, variable points, Init +1, Auram: The demon may create any Creo, Muto or Rego Auram effect, at the cost of 1 Might per magnitude. The demon is limited to minor effects, with level equal to its Might Score or less. It uses this power to separate straying travelers from groups by hiding paths, erasing footprints, limiting visibility and stifling cries for help.

Envisioning, 1 point, Init +0, Mentem: The demon may make subtle changes to a victim's dreams, to make them more ominous and depressing.

Obsession, 3 points, Init –5, Vim: When a human performs a venial sin and the demon responds by spending Might, this demon gains an opportunity to force the human to feel spiritual doubt. When next faced with a crisis of worthiness, the storyguide makes a simple roll +3, to reflect the strength of the feelings of doubt, and the player responds with a simple die + a suitable Personality Trait as adjustments for exposure to a harsh environment. If the character's total is higher, the demon has not been able to break the character's sense of self-worth. If the demon's total is higher, then the character gains a Doubt score of +1. If the character ever acts on this score, then he is in a state of sin. The demon then coagulates and kills its victim.

Weakness: Protected Group (truly penitent people)

Vis: 2 pawns, body

Appearance: A ball of icicles a yard in diameter.

These demons dwell in the Alps and prey on travelers. They separate and confuse humans so that they become lost in the wilderness. The demons hope that, worn down with physical privation and the psychological strain of imminent death, their victims will lose faith in the Lord. They then kill the victim, so that penitence is impossible. These demons are suited for encounters with individual characters who separate themselves from the group, like scouts or foragers.

The Santa Lucians

The Santa Lucians are relocating their village because their pasture is poor, and unable to support their expanding population. They are racing the coming winter to move their goods and herd their cattle to the new site. They face many logistical difficulties, and the magi can gain their assistance in finding the castle of Thomae by solving these problems.

Storyguides may use the environmental puzzles for difficulties involving cartage, or may use some of the following examples, drawn from the construction of the new village. The villagers need to perform various tasks to found their town, and most of these could be accomplished by magic. These include:

• Digging a well, three feet wide and 30 feet deep.
• Clearing and perhaps paving main roads.
• Replacing temporary bridges and fords with durable structures.
• Constructing communal buildings, like the chapel, mill, granary, calving sheds, bakery and smokehouse.
• Clearing land to plant orchards and fields.
• Fencing pasture land.
• Cutting and laying aside hay for the herds.
• Slaughtering and preserving beasts not suitable for feeding through the winter.

The Folk Stories of Santa Lucia

The older generation of Santa Lucia served a magus with a flying castle. They say the castle was destroyed by "birdcats". Their leader, the wizard Thomae, ensured that if his castle was destroyed his servants would be able to fly, briefly. The older Santa Lucians used this ability to escape into the eye of the sun, so that the monsters could not follow them.

The symbols of office for the three councilors who lead this community are metal badges that originally identified Thomae's bodyguards. Characters may notice this with an Intelligence + Order of Hermes Lore against an Ease Factor of 12. It would normally be 21, but is reduced by the fact that the characters are searching specifically for just this sort of sign, and have a duplicate medallion already. If it suits the story, these badges are magical items. They may also allow passage past some of Thomae's magical defenses.

One of the Councilors' badges is a replacement for the medallion the characters have. The councilor, Rogerio, would like the original back, and initially assumes the characters took the medallion from his son Roberto, who stole the medallion before seeking work as a mercenary. As a ranking servant of Thomae, perhaps one of his personal guards, and a community leader among the Santa Lucians, Rogerio's goodwill may be valuable to the characters. He is no longer as able, or likely, to use a combat item as when he was young, so other offers of position may sway him. Andros's testimony rings true to Rogerio's memory of his son's reckless character, and the return of his son's remains is considered very favorably.

Using the clues given in the story, characters may discern that Thomae's castle lies about half a day to the west, on the side of a snowy peak beyond a range of mountains. This does not require a roll, but skilled questioning using Presence and Leadership or Charm may grant a more precise location or distance (Ease Factor 12). Characters may also be able to determine that the "bird-cats" are griffons. This requires an Intelligence + Magic Lore roll against an Ease Factor of 12.

The Dogs of the Castle

A group of faeries has been attacking groups of travelers hauling goods to the new village site. The magi may destroy them, or just interrogate them with Intellego Mentem spells.

The faeries have settled themselves into the castle's finials, decorative statues on the walls. The canine shape of the finials has influenced the material forms these faeries take and the behavior they exhibit. The faeries appear as clanking bronze dogs with mechanical howls. They hunt in groups because of their canine role, and because their three hunting powers, if used together, exceed the capacity of a single dog's Might pool. Packs of Dogs of the Castle are able to fight as trained groups.

Like most faeries, the dogs patrol a border. In this case, they are the guardians of the division between places which are considered home and places considered away from home. The Santa Lucian community, by relocating itself, is transgressing this border. The Dogs of the Castle are killing the peasants as they move their gear, because it allows their bodies and ghosts to be dragged back to the castle. The ghosts of the Santa Lucians are forced to return and remain "at home" in the castle courtyard where their bodies are piled. Player characters can only discern this if they can read glamor, or by seeing the pile of bodies that the Dogs are guarding in the wrecked castle's courtyard, then making an Intelligence + Faerie Lore roll against an Ease Factor of 6. The characters can prevent further attacks simply by severing the last symbolic link between the Santa Lucians and the castle. The leaders of the Santa Lucians use badges that once designated Thomae's personal guard as their symbols of office. If they discard these items and create new symbols for their community, then the tie to the castle is broken and the faeries lose interest in their game. Characters aware of the dogs' role may discern the importance of trinkets from the castle with a roll of Intelligence + Faerie Lore against an Ease Factor of 15.

Slaying the faeries is relatively easy, given their low Might. Storyguides may wish to raise this level of resistance to encourage players to find alternatives, like capturing and interrogating the faeries, or redefining their role to be domesticated. To make the faeries more dangerous in combat, increase their numbers. Assume that some of the finials are magical items designed to defend the castle, and that each faerie can trigger the finial it inhabits. Destroying the bodies of these faeries destroys these magic items.

The Dogs of the Castle

Faerie Might: 5 (Animal)

Characteristics: Cun 0, Per +2, Pre –4, Com 0, Str 0, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik +2

Size: +1

Virtues and Flaws: Greater Faerie Power (Grasp Ghost), Faerie Beast, External Vis (finial), Faerie Sight, Improved Characteristics, Sharp Ears, Large; Incognizant, Reckless, Traditional Ward (cannot be inside)

Personality Traits: Loyal to the castle +5

Combat:

Bite (small teeth): Init +2, Attack +10, Defense +9, Damage +1

Soak: +7 (naturally armored form)

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–12), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24), Dead (25+)

Pretenses: Athletics 5 (distance running), Awareness 6 (keeping watch), Brawl 5 (bite), Hunt 6 (track by scent)

Powers:

Fearful Flaming Eyes: 2 points, Init –2, Corpus: Completely paralyzes a human who makes eye contact with the faerie.

Costs 15 spell levels (Base 5, +1 Eye, +1 Conc)

Grasp ghosts: 2 points, Init 0, Mentem: Allows the dog to grasp a ghost and drag it back to the castle, where a ring of hounds prevent escape.

Costs 20 spell levels (Base 5 (control a disembodied spirit), +1 Touch, +2 Sun.)

Hands of the Animal: 2 points, constant, Animal: This allows the dog to manipulate and carry an item as if it had human hands and a Strength of +5. The dog must concentrate to do anything other than carry the object, and to drop it or take something else.

Costs 15 spell levels (ReTe Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 constant)

Vis: 1 pawn Terram, in finial

Appearance: The faerie dogs seem to be cunningly articulated, animated bronze statues.

The Crash Site

Storyguides should tailor the degree of damage that has been suffered by Thomae's castle in the crash, taking into account the resources and story opportunities that suit their own saga. Characters investigating the site can see that the base of the highest tower has large holes gouged into it by enormous claws. If the player characters are unable to fly, then a medallion, the tender or a training bell may be found at the crash site, to make the lair of the griffons accessible. Alternatively, the player characters may need to take Thomae's notes to their covenant and fabricate similar items.

It is useful at this point for the player characters to discover that the damage was done by griffons. This can occur because:

• A character examines the claw marks and determines that they are from a giant eagle (Intelligence + Magic Lore against an Ease Factor of 18, 12 if the characters have scoured the site and found a mixture of gigantic eagle feathers and hairs from a lion).
• The player characters are tipped off by the ghost of a Santa Lucian or of a castle staff member.
• The characters manage to attach one of the faeries playing a hound to their story, and it gives them guidance.
• The characters see a griffon in the distance (roll Perception + Awareness against an Ease Factor of 18.)
• A flock of juvenile female griffons attacks the party, because they are riding horses, have mules or donkeys as draft animals, or have unwarded members carrying gold. This isn't a fight to the death; the griffons snatch what they want and then flee.

Sneakery

The characters can work at the crash safely by avoiding the notice of the griffons. The griffons will attack if the party has gold or draft animals, because they value these as nesting material and food. They particularly enjoy the taste of horses, and will take greater risks to acquire them than other types of meat. They also attack flying objects larger than a bird, to defend their territory.

This should be treated as an environmental puzzle. Characters may work around these limits through a variety of strategies that suit their Arts. For example, creating tunnels, neutralizing the scent of draft animals, and invisible flying are all possible methods the player characters could devise.

The Lair of the Griffons

The characters do not need to fight the griffons in their lair. More subtle strategies, as described previously, are less hazardous. Combat is, however, an obvious way of dealing with the threat the griffons pose. It is also unavoidable if the characters seek the griffons' golden nest.

Griffons lair in inaccessible places, so characters need guidance to find the nest of gold. Possible ways of finding the lair include:

• Griffons can be lured out with the right bait. Characters who make an Intelligence + Artes Liberales roll against an Ease Factor of 12 recall a story that suggests horsemeat may be used to lure griffons into a trap. Alexander the Great is said to have used horsemeat to trap four griffons, and after he harnessed them to a chariot, he forced them to pull him through the air with horse carcasses that dangled from a metal frame, before their eyes. A character who retains an Arcane Connection to the horsemeat may follow it until the griffon feeds it to her chicks.
• An Intellego Animal spell can indicate the direction of the griffon that left feathers and hairs at the castle site, but this requires the spell to overcome the griffon's Magic Resistance.
• A faerie might indicate the direction, so that he can bear witness to an epic battle.
• A flock of griffons may attack and, once driven off, they may flee toward the nest.

Griffons have dimorphic genders, at least in the region where the castle crashed. That is, male and female griffons are so different in their form that they require separate statistics.

Female Griffons

Female hatchlings may be found in the lair of the griffons, or hatched from intact eggs, at the discretion of the storyguide. Griffon hatchlings are the size of a human, but much of that mass is taken up by their wings, which are disproportionately large when compared to the wings of mundane birds.

Juvenile griffons may be added to those faced during the combat section of this scenario. Griffons may alloparent, like lions and some birds, with older siblings aiding in the protection, feeding and education of young animals. Female griffons might, in high fantasy campaigns, serve as flying mounts for magi. Faeries may also use juvenile female griffons as templates for their own mounts.

Adult female griffons are strongly territorial, so only one should appear in any scenario.

Female Adult Griffon

Magic (Faerie?) Might: 30 (Animal)

Characteristics: Cun 0, Per +3, Pre +2, Com –, Str +7, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik +2

Size: 3

Confidence: 2 (5 points)

Virtues and Flaws: Magical Monster; Ferocity (may use Confidence points only when home threatened), Homing Instinct (always knows where home is in relation to self), Keen Vision

Qualities and Inferiorities: Focus Power (Nests of Gold), Improved Abilities, Improved Attack x 3 (beak, claws, grapple), Improved Confidence, Improved Damage x 4 (beak, 3 x claws), Improved Defense x 2 (beak and claws), Improved Fatigue x 2, Improved Initiative x 4 (beak, claws, 2 grapple), Improved Soak x 4, Minor Virtue (Improved Characteristics x 2), Minor Virtue (Long Winded), Minor Virtue (Puissant Athletics), Minor Virtue (Second Sight), Minor Virtue (Strong Willed).

Personality Traits: Defends home +5, Brave +3

Combat:

Beak: Init +5, Attack +15, Defense +14, Damage +11

Grapple: Init: +8, Attack +12, Defense +11, Damage: special (On subsequent rounds may add Grapple Strength to Attack Roll for beak attacks.)

Large Claws: Init +5, Attack +17, Defense +16, Damage +20

Soak: +11

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–8), –3 (9–16), –4 (17–24), Incapacitated (25–32), Dead (33+)

Abilities: Animal Handling 5 (griffons), Area Lore 5 (home territory), Area Lore 3 (gold rich territory), Athletics 7+2 (flight), Awareness 5 (prey), Brawl 8 (claws), Hunt 4 (horses), Second Sight 5 (Illusions), Survival 5 (home terrain).

Powers:

Nests of Gold, 5 points, Init –2, Terram: A catch-all power that allows griffons to detect, excavate, and craft gold. This is also the power that allowed the griffons to puncture the side of the tower.

Vis: 6 of Animal, heart

Appearance: A female griffon is the size of a small horse, and its features combine those of a lion and an eagle. The head, forequarters and forelimbs of the griffon are aquiline, while the hind legs, torso and tail are leonine. Female griffons have feathery wings, and fly with a swiftness and dexterity that is surprising in so large a beast. The female griffon is surprisingly strong, given that its foreparts have the comparatively delicate structure of a bird's skeleton.

Female Juvenile Griffon

Magic (Faerie?) Might: 15 (Animal)

Characteristics: Cun 0, Per +3, Pre +2, Com –, Str +4, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik +3

Size: 2

Confidence: 1 (3 points)

Virtues and Flaws: Magical Monster; Ferocity (may use Confidence points only when home threatened), Homing Instinct (always knows where home is in relation to self), Keen Vision

Qualities and Inferiorities: Focus Power (Nests of Gold), Improved Abilities, Improved Attack x 2 (beak and claws), Improved Damage x 2 (beak and claws), Improved Soak x 2, Minor Virtue (Improved Characteristics), Minor Virtue (Long Winded), Minor Virtue (Puissant Athletics), Minor Virtue (Second Sight), Minor Virtue (Strong Willed).

Personality Traits: Defends home +5, Brave +3

Combat:

Beak: Init +3, Attack +12, Defense +10, Damage +8

Grapple: Init: +3, Attack +7, Defense +9, Damage: special (On subsequent rounds may add Grapple Strength to Attack Roll for beak attacks.)

Large Claws: Init +3, Attack +14, Defense +12, Damage +8

Soak: +7

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–7), –3 (8–14), –5 (15–21), Incapacitated (22–28), Dead (29+)

Abilities: Animal Handling 1 (griffons), Area Lore 4 (home territory), Area Lore 1 (gold rich territory), Athletics 5+2* (flight), Awareness 5 (prey), Brawl 5 (claws), Hunt 4 (horses), Second Sight 3 (Illusions), Survival 4 (home terrain).

\* +2 Athletics (female) included.

Powers:

Nests of Gold, 5 points, Init –2, Terram: A catch-all power that allows griffons to detect, excavate, and craft gold. This is also the power that allowed the griffons to puncture the side of the tower.

Vis: 3 of Animal, heart

Appearance: A female griffon is the size of a small horse, and its features combine those of a lion and an eagle. The head, forequarters and forelimbs of the griffon are aquiline, while the hind legs, torso and tail are leonine. Female griffons have feathery wings, and fly with a swiftness and dexterity that is surprising in so large a beast. The female griffon is surprisingly strong, given that its foreparts have the comparatively delicate structure of a bird's skeleton.

Female Hatchling Griffon

Magic (Faerie?) Might: 5 (Animal)

Characteristics: Cun 0, Per +3, Pre +2, Com –, Str +2, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik +4

Size: 1

Confidence: 1 (3 points)

Virtues and Flaws: Magical Monster; Ferocity (may use Confidence points only when home threatened), Homing Instinct (always knows where home is in relation to self), Keen Vision

Qualities and Inferiorities: Improved Abilities, Minor Virtue (Long Winded), Minor Virtue (Puissant Athletics), Minor Virtue (Second Sight), Minor Virtue (Strong Willed).

Personality Traits: Defends home +5, Brave +3

Combat:

Beak: Init +4, Attack +3, Defense +6, Damage +3

Grapple: Init: 0, Attack +2, Defense +7, Damage: special (On subsequent rounds may add Grapple Strength to Attack Roll for beak attacks.)

Large Claws: Init +4, Attack +9, Defense +10, Damage +6

Soak: +1

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–12), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24), Dead (25+)

Abilities: Area Lore 3 (home territory), Athletics 3+2 (flight), Awareness 4 (prey), Brawl 2 (claws), Hunt 2 (horses), Second Sight 1 (Illusions), Survival 3 (home terrain).

Vis: 1 of Animal, heart

Appearance: Griffon hatchlings are about the size of a human. Its features combine those of a lion and an eagle. The head, forequarters and forelimbs of the griffon are aquiline, while the hind legs, torso and tail are leonine. Female griffons have feathery wings, and fly with a swiftness and dexterity that is surprising in so large a beast. The female griffon is surprisingly strong, given that its foreparts have the comparatively delicate structure of a bird's skeleton.

Male Griffons

Male griffons combine eagle and lion attributes in a way similar to the female, with the following exceptions. Male griffons lack wings. They also have more muscular bodies than female griffons, particularly in their forequarters. This makes them stronger, although less agile, than the females. Most have a pair of straight horns that emerge from the forehead. The horns develop during adolescence, when spikes also emerge from many of the joints.

These spikes are most extremely, perhaps ridiculously, prominent on the ruff. This is formed of a circle of spikes that protects the throat. This band is wider on the breast and between the shoulders. The spikes are primarily defensive, preventing enemies from attacking the throat of the male griffon. The male griffon sometimes grapples prey, and the spikes are particularly deadly to prey attempting to struggle free.

There is some question in the Order about the nature of male griffons. They do not appear in ancient texts, but occur occasionally in heraldry. There is some possibility that they are a faerie species that has attached itself symbiotically to the magical griffon. These magi note, particularly, that male griffons are often found near the nests, but that griffons nest in inaccessible places, and the males cannot fly, so it is difficult to explain their presence if they are purely magical animals.

Juvenile male griffons may be added to those faced during the combat section of this scenario. Alternatively, the storyguide might judge that young male griffons are rejected from their pride, much as lions are, and wander the countryside seeking gold. Once they find an area with sufficient gold, they build crude piles of it, which attracts the female. The two then create a nest and found a territory. Wandering males might be drawn to the covenant, if it is particularly wealthy.

Adult male griffons are strongly territorial, so only one should appear in any scenario.

Male Adult Griffon

Magic (Faerie?) Might: 30 (Animal)

Characteristics: Cun 0, Per +3, Pre +2, Com –, Str +7, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik +2

Size: 3

Confidence: 2 (5 points)

Virtues and Flaws: Magical Monster; Ferocity (may use Confidence points only when home threatened), Homing Instinct (always knows where home is in relation to self), Keen Vision

Qualities and Inferiorities: Focus Power (Nests of Gold), Improved Abilities, Improved Attack x 3 (horns, 2 grapple), Improved Confidence, Improved Damage x 3 (2 horns, spikes), Improved Defense x 2 (horns and grapple), Improved Fatigue x 2, Improved Initiative x 5 (2 horns, 3 grapple), Improved Soak x 4, Minor Virtue (Improved Characteristics x 2), Minor Virtue (Long Winded), Minor Virtue (Puissant Brawl), Minor Virtue (Second Sight), Minor Virtue (Strong Willed).

Personality Traits: Defends home +5, Brave +3

Combat:

Beak: Init +2, Attack +14, Defense +13, Damage +8

Grapple: Init: +11, Attack +15, Defense +15, Damage: special (On subsequent rounds may add Grapple Strength to Attack Roll for beak attacks.)

Large Claws: Init +2, Attack +16, Defense +15, Damage +11

Large Horns: Init +10, Attack +17, Defense +18, Damage +16

Spikes: The spikes which grow from the joints of the male griffon do +8 damage to any attacker making a successful mêlée attack, including grappling attacks.

Soak: +15

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–8), –3 (9–16), –4 (17–24), Incapacitated (25–32), Dead (33+)

Abilities: Animal Handling 5 (griffons), Area Lore 5 (home territory), Area Lore 3 (gold rich territory), Athletics 7 (running), Awareness 5 (prey), Brawl 8+2* (horns), Hunt 4 (horses), Second Sight 5 (Illusions), Survival 5 (home terrain).

Powers:

Nests of Gold, 5 points, Init –2, Terram: A catch-all power that allows griffons to detect, excavate, and craft gold. This is also the power that allowed the griffons to puncture the side of the tower.

Vis: 6 of Animal, heart

Appearance: A male griffon is the size of a small horse, and its features combine those of a lion and an eagle. The head, forequarters and forelimbs of the griffon are aquiline, while the hind legs, torso and tail are leonine. Males have more muscular bodies than female griffons, particularly in their forequarters. Male griffons are wingless, but have defensive horns and spines that protrude from the body, and especially around the neck.

Male Juvenile Griffon

Magic (Faerie?) Might: 15 (Animal)

Characteristics: Cun 0, Per +3, Pre +2, Com –, Str +4, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik +3

Size: 2

Confidence: 1 (3 points)

Virtues and Flaws: Magical Monster; Ferocity (may use Confidence points only when home threatened), Homing Instinct (always knows where home is in relation to self), Keen Vision

Qualities and Inferiorities: Focus Power (Nests of Gold), Improved Abilities, Improved Attack x 2 (beak and claws), Improved Damage x 2 (beak and claws), Improved Soak x 2, Minor Virtue (Improved Characteristics), Minor Virtue (Long Winded), Minor Virtue (Puissant Brawl), Minor Virtue (Second Sight), Minor Virtue (Strong Willed).

Personality Traits: Defends home +5, Brave +3

Combat:

Beak: Init +3, Attack +12, Defense +10, Damage +8

Grapple: Init: +3, Attack +9, Defense +11, Damage: special (On subsequent rounds may add Grapple Strength to Attack Roll for beak attacks.)

Large Claws: Init +3, Attack +16, Defense +14, Damage +8

Spikes: The spikes which grow from the joints of the male griffon do +5 damage to any attacker making a successful mêlée attack, including grappling attacks.

Soak: +9

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–7), –3 (8–14), –5 (15–21), Incapacitated (22–28), Dead (29+)

Abilities: Animal Handling 1 (griffons), Area Lore 4 (home territory), Area Lore 1 (gold rich territory), Athletics 5 (running), Awareness 5 (prey), Brawl 5+2 (claws), Hunt 4 (horses), Second Sight 3 (Illusions), Survival 4 (home terrain).

Powers:

Nests of Gold, 5 points, Init –2, Terram: A catch-all power that allows griffons to detect, excavate, and craft gold. This is also the power that allowed the griffons to puncture the side of the tower.

Vis: 3 of Animal, heart

Appearance: A male griffon is the size of a small horse, and its features combine those of a lion and an eagle. The head, forequarters and forelimbs of the griffon are aquiline, while the hind legs, torso and tail are leonine. Males have more muscular bodies than female griffons, particularly in their forequarters. Male griffons are wingless, but have defensive horns and spines that protrude from the body, and especially around the neck.

Male Hatchling Griffon

Magic (Faerie?) Might: 5 (Animal)

Characteristics: Cun 0, Per +3, Pre +2, Com –, Str +2, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik +4

Size: 1

Confidence: 1 (3 points)

Virtues and Flaws: Magical Monster; Ferocity (may use Confidence points only when home threatened), Homing Instinct (always knows where home is in relation to self), Keen Vision

Qualities and Inferiorities: Improved Abilities, Minor Virtue (Long Winded), Minor Virtue (Puissant Brawl), Minor Virtue (Second Sight), Minor Virtue (Strong Willed).

Personality Traits: Defends home +5, Brave +3

Combat:

Beak: Init +4, Attack +5, Defense +8, Damage +3

Grapple: Init: 0, Attack +4, Defense +9, Damage: special (On subsequent rounds may add Grapple Strength to Attack Roll for beak attacks.)

Large Claws: Init +4, Attack +11, Defense +12, Damage +6

Soak: +3

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–2), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24), Dead (25+)

Abilities: Area Lore 3 (home territory), Athletics 3 (running), Awareness 4 (prey), Brawl 2+2 (claws), Hunt 2 (horses), Second Sight 1 (Illusions), Survival 3 (home terrain).

Vis: 1 of Animal, heart

Appearance: Griffon hatchlings are about the size of a human. Its features combine those of a lion and an eagle. The head, forequarters and forelimbs of the griffon are aquiline, while the hind legs, torso and tail are leonine. Males have more muscular bodies than female griffons, particularly in their forequarters. Male griffons are wingless, and the horns and fans of spikes that protrude from the body of an adult male griffon are not found in hatchlings.

Griffon Alternatives

Griffons have been selected as opponents for this adventure because of their close tie to the concept of the defended home. Storyguides may, however, prefer an alternative antagonist. Some suggestions follow.

• The castle was struck down by a powerful demon of the Order that punishes human sin. This demon sees human flight as an aspiration beyond what is seemly for the mortal race, an expression of Pride. The players may mend the castle with little opposition, but will accidentally make themselves the targets for this demonic nobleman. Storyguides may mix this hook with that of the griffons, providing the covenant with a new Enemy.
• The castle attracted a flock of magical moths, which flew through the side of the disk so that they could cluster about the light inside. These ethereal moths may be tricked out of the workings of the castle by setting the control chain's orb to black, and then providing an alternative mystical light source. Simple CrIm or CrIg spells, with Ring durations, can be used to trick the creatures into abandoning the control mechanism.

Ties To Earlier Books

Griffons can be used to enrich some of the story seeds presented in previous works. They may be used in many seeds that simply require a formidable monster, but they are particularly suited in three cases, where ancient Greek folklore nominates them as the correct creature to guard the items that player characters are seeking.

An early discussion of griffons occurs in a lost poem, the Arimaspea by Aristeas, reported by Herodotus in his History. The griffons live close to the north wind, and it is their land that separates Hyperborea from the rest of the world. Magi seeking Hyperborean magic, as described in Ancient Magic, may find it useful to tame a griffon and use its migratory sense to seek the land of gold.

Aristeas was a Nightwalker, as described in Hedge Magic. In that book, a story is described where a fae version of Aristeas attempts to draw the nightwalker cult away from the Lady and to the god Apollo. Characters destroy Aristeas by seeking out a statue that was buried instead of his missing body. The faerie Aristeas is reported to have hidden the body in the land of the griffons.

In one of the possible outcomes of the quest to the Hesperides in Ancient Magic, the characters seek the weapons of the ancient gods, either to aid or fight the children of the Titans. The god Zeus is remembered, in one ancient Greek poem, as having griffons as his guard dogs. Griffons might therefore nest on the mountain where the weapons of the Titans are hidden.

Aftermath

Thomae's castle is, fundamentally, a simple item. This disguises another problem in his biography. The many ancillary magic items which he owned seem excessive, once characters have time to assess his notes. There's no straightforward way in which Thomae could have made or afforded all of these items.

Thomae's Secret

What Thomae was hiding is best tailored to the interests of individual troupes, but whichever secret he was hiding, players can be pointed toward it with clues relating to the following story elements.

• Who or what was Thomae's "Verditius collaborator" and where can they or it be found?
• Where is Thomae's ghost?

Verditius Assistance

Thomae built the castle with the assistance of a Verditius magus, who has not come forward for the credit. This surprising modesty is because the Verditus magus has kept the secret laboratory Thomae created to allow the construction of this device. He or s does not want the Order to know this for a reason. Suggested reasons include:

• The lab includes prohibited faerie or demonic elements.
• The lab is at the center of a small kingdom in Africa or Asia which Thomae conquered. This is likely a breach of the Code.
• The lab has steadily churned out flying squares for the last twenty years. The squares clip together into a vast platform that could be used for a flying city.

Faerie Dealings

There are two great limitations in Thomae's biography: time and cost. He could have dealt with both of these by constructing the castle and his ancillary items in Arcadia. If Thomae died in Arcadia, but did not notice, the being that returned to the world could have been a powerful faerie. This would explain why he left no ghost, and why his castle was attacked by creatures that are the perfect folkloric destroyers for Thomae's story. Thomae's wanderings to the mountainous reaches of distant tribunals may have been his subconscious attempt to complete the script in his glamor.

It seems remarkable that Thomae was able to bring such a large object from Faerie to the real world. The faeries trade wishes for vitality, so Thomae must have poured enormous amounts of vitality into Faerie, or at least promised to. A creature arriving to collect the vitality, or remove the castle for non-payment, provides a story hook. It could be a dark and cruel faerie, asking for the blood of the dead from the war which Thomae promised he would ignite, or it may be a Queen of Sylphs, demanding the tears of ten thousand babies, that are this century's rent for her flying throne.

Found Object

Thomae was a vain and obsessed man, so it is possible that he did not create his castle, but merely found its key component and repurposed it. The control chain is clearly a Hermetic device, but the disk might have an ancient origin. In Herodotus, there is described an island, called Chemiss, which floats freely on the surface of the water while supporting a temple of Apollo, the god of light. When Thomae was looking for trouble and vis in Egypt, he investigated this island and discovered

He discovered no reason why it had been left in a lake, but for a myth. A goddess named Latona, or perhaps one of her priestesses, made the island float. She did this so that it could hide Apollo (Horus) from Typhon (Set) during their war. Latona was the city goddess of Buto, and according to Herodotus had an oracle there, so some trace of her might remain.

Thomae was able, perhaps with assistance, to work out that the control mechanism was based on colored lights. He spent the time he was missing commissioning the ancillary magic items. His Verditius ally has remained quiet about this to retain bragging rights over the castle, because this ally has allowed others to believe he himself built it, and it would wound his House standing were this chicanery to be discovered.

According to the myth, then, the disc was used to hide a faerie from a magical being during the Egyptian version of the Titanomachy. What else was hidden under it? Was it the capstone of a weapons cache? The doorway to a faerie road? What is happening at the original site, now that Thomae has recklessly removed this barrier?

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