Nigrasaxa Book, Chapter Three: The Tribunal

Staging

This final portion of Nigrasaxa is best staged as a free-form roleplaying event. Don’t worry about the particulars of the characters’ arrival at Blackthorn covenant, or any of the mundane concerns of the meeting. Just concentrate on the interaction between the magi.

Remember that only two characters from the players’ covenant are invited – the others will have to stay behind. That doesn’t mean that the players whose characters are not chosen will be left out. They’ll be taking the roles of the emissaries from four other covenants: Blackthorn, Voluntas, Ungulus, and Schola Pythagoranis. Character notes for these characters are provided on handouts on the next page. Just cut them out and hand them out. Statistics are not provided for these characters, and they should not be needed. Combat and spellcasting will not be tolerated by the officials of the tribunal meeting.

Getting Started

When everyone is ready to start, let them begin negotiating and talking with one another informally. The actual tribunal meeting has not yet started at this point. This time simulates the discussions that the magi are having beforehand. Allow this to go on until the players seem to have exhausted the possibilities for pre-meeting interaction.

It is a good idea to play this portion of the game in a fairly large room (or series of rooms) so the players can have private conversations. This is particularly important if the covenants try to set up plots against each other.

The Meeting

Next, summon everyone together for the formal portion of the meeting. You will play the roles of the Praeco (the eldest magus in the tribunal and leader of the proceedings) and presiding Quaesitor (the chief legal authority of the proceedings), which means that you have in-character control of the proceedings as well as authority as storyguide. The Praeco is Josephus of House Tremere, a member of Blackthorn. He must at least appear to be impartial, but is politically allied with Blackthorn, and his decisions may reflect that. The name and background of the quaesitor is unimportant. Fabricate a name and background if any player really wants to know.

In the formal tribunal meeting, each magus present may put forward any number of topics he wishes to discuss and vote upon. Once all topics have been put forth, the Praeco oversees debate and voting on these topics in any order he chooses. You should allow votes on just about any motion. Once the meeting has started, the characters will not be able to have private conversations. Anything they want to say must be addressed to everyone present.

When a vote takes place, each magus may cast a number of votes equal to the number of sigils he carries. Each magus in the Order has one sigil, and generally, magi who will not be attending a tribunal hand their sigils over to magi who will be attending. Each non-attending magus from Nigrasaxa should decide which attending magus he will give his sigil to. The magi from other covenants each control of a number of sigils that is listed on their handout sheets.

One of your main jobs during “The Tribunal” will be to answer out-of-character questions about the game background. You can refer to the rulebook as necessary, (the Mythic Europe chapter will be especially helpful) but don’t let it bog you down. Make up any background information you’re not sure about, especially about the various covenants, or tell the players that they can make it up, as long as they check it with you. Your main goal is to make the meeting exciting.

Edward of Schola Pythagoranis

You are a member of House Jerbiton, and the representative of the covenant of Schola Pythagoranis. Your covenant is in Cambridge, housed in several buildings scattered through the town. You control four sigils.

You are aware of Nigrasaxa's encounter with the fay. Consult the storyguide about your precise attitude (since it depends on what actually transpired).

Since the last tribunal, your covenant has been fighting with Voluntas over the right to search for vis in a highly magical wood in Lincolnshire. This has consumed substantial resources, and has been inconclusive. You want the tribunal to assign all exploration rights to your covenant, so that you can take action against Voluntas if they interfere.

Nigrasaxa has a copy of the spell Hermes Portal in its covenant library. You would very much like to be allowed to copy it, and would be willing to trade votes for the privilege. Your covenant has a good source of Imáginem vis, which you would also be willing to offer in trade, up to 10 pawns now, or up to two pawns per year, for vis of any Technique.

Flavius of Ungulus

You are a member of House Ex Miscellanea, and a member of Ungulus. Your covenant is on the coast in the Lake District, housed in a single huge tower. You control five sigils.

You are aware of Nigrasaxa's encounter with the fay: consult the Storyguide as to your precise attitude (as it depends on what they actually did).

In recent years, Blackthorn has been mounting a subtle campaign to destabilize your covenant. Most recently, they have been using subtle magic to harm your cattle. It took you a while to notice, as they did nothing flashy, just reducing the amount of milk the cows gave and increasing the frequency and severity of disease. After you discovered that magic was involved, you analyzed the sigils of the spells and determined that Blackthorn's magi were responsible, including Goliard, their representative at this Tribunal. Unfortunately, the traces of the spells have all long since faded, so you have no evidence beyond your word. You will have to get the votes of other covenants on your side.

You desperately want some Animál vis. If Nigrasaxa talks to you about your support, you will bring it up. You would like to trade votes for vis on a one-for-one basis, but you will take a lower rate if that's all you can get. You might also be willing to trade your support in their motion for their support in yours.

Goliard of Blackthorn

You are a follower of Tremere, and a member of Blackthorn. You hold all six of their sigils at this Tribunal. Your covenant is sited in South Wales, in a complex of caves.

You want to see Nigrasaxa censured for their actions against the faeries, and for dealing with the mundanes. Ideally, you want to take their Creo vis source from them and have it assigned to Blackthorn. If you cannot manage that, you at least want them to be prohibited from exploiting it, aiming to get it assigned to Blackthorn at the next Tribunal. You are open to bribery with their Creo vis source, but nothing else will convince you to vote for Nigrasaxa.

Your covenant has been trying to destabilize the covenant of Ungulus recently by cursing their cattle. You have kept the magic subtle, decreasing milk given and increasing the frequency of disease rather than striking all the animals dead. You think the precautions have been fairly successful, and that Ungulus has no firm evidence of your covenant's involvement. (You were personally involved in this on occasion.) You have denied all involvement, but it is inevitable that Ungulus will raise it at the

Julia of Voluntas

You are a member of House Jerbiton, and the representative of the covenant of Voluntas. Your covenant is in the Yorkshire Moors, housed in a sturdy manor house. You control five sigils.

You are aware of Nigrasaxa's encounter with the fay. Consult the storyguide about your precise attitude (since it depends on what actually transpired).

Since the last Tribunal, your covenant has been fighting with Schola Pythagoranis over the right to search for vis in a highly magical wood in Lincolnshire. This has consumed substantial resources, and has been inconclusive. You want the tribunal to assign all exploration rights to your covenant, so that you can take action against Schola if they interfere.

Nigrasaxa has a superb Liber Quaestionum on Vim in its library, The Pulse of Magic. You are willing to trade your votes in their support for the opportunity to copy this book, and you may suggest it if they approach you. You will also trade support for support.

Your library is superb, and you are willing to give the magi of Nigrasaxa up to two seasons each of study in it, in return for their support in your case or for other favors. You might be willing to let them copy for a total of two seasons, if they have something good to offer.

Moving On

We hope that once you have played this mini-saga you will want to keep on playing Ars Magica. The pre-generated characters provided here are significantly more powerful than starting magi, so you may wish to start a new saga with your own characters. Even if you do, there is nothing to stop you using the covenant of Nigrasaxa as your home base. It could easily be moved to anywhere in Europe without changing many details. Even if you don't like the covenant as described, you might still want to use some elements, such as the library.