Greater Alps

Magi of the Greater Alps

• • Athena Alpina, follower of Guernicus: Athena is the senior ranking Quaesitor in the Greater Alps and is known for her even-handed treatment ('blatant favoritism') of House Tremere. She is an Intellego specialist interested in trading contracts and Hermetic economics, resides at the Icy North motherhouse, and is briefly described in Sanctuary of Ice (p.45).

  • Balbina ("The Stammerer"), follower of Verditius: Balbina specializes in the repair of enchanted items, an Inner Mystery of House Verditius. Her speech impediment hinders spellcasting, so she prefers the lab. She is often consulted to investigate enchanted objects recovered from beyond the Order's borders. Her lineage includes Himinis the Mad, an infamous Verditius widely considered to have been a malicious lunatic. She resides at Sinews of Knowledge and is described in Sanctuary of Ice (p.69).

• Diana filia Telemachus, follower of Tremere: Diana is a junior researcher at the Shadow of the Moon, a research covenant dedicated to breaking the Limit of the Lunar Sphere. She was impeccably trained for this position and is heir apparent to the status of Lunarian, but she suffers under the anti-Tremere bigotry rampant in the Alps. Despite her brilliance and her service, she is reviled by her coworkers and servants. Her familiar is a Magic Wolf, in the tradition of her House.

• Hugh of Flambeau: Hugh is a well-known and fearsome milites responsible for hunting down and killing many sorcerers who dwelt outside the Order's boundaries. He is from the School of Ramius, fighting with mundane weapons and magical defenses, and is said to be related to the Norse valkyries. He wields Troll's Wife, his legendary great axe, and an enchanted gauntlet. His warhorse, Bathild, is his familiar. Hugh is based at Icy North; he regularly commands a company of Grogs, whom he enchants so they are the size of giants and run as fast as a horse. He is fully described in Magi of Hermes (p.45).

  • Kentigern, magus Ex Miscellanea: Kentigern is a Quaesitor in the Alps hailing from Hibernia. A beast mage, he hunts magical beasts with the help of his pack of Faerie Hounds. Kentigern is fully described for AM 4th edition in Sanctuary of Ice, p.47-49.

  • Kynthia maga Merinitae: Kynthia is an elderly Merinita maga trying to determine the connection between Arcadia and the Moon. She resides at the Shadow of the Moon and has taken Cassidy as an apprentice.

• Ragoneda filia Elisa, follower of Tytalus is a bone maga residing at Sinews of Knowledge. At age 56, she is relatively young for an Alpine maga and she is not officially a member of the covenant, instead trading service (mostly the creation of longevity rituals) for lab space and library access. She has a 16 year old apprentice, Augustina.

  • Sabastien filius Luise, follower of Tytalus: Sabastien is a special agent of the Order, hired to intrude into sanctums to verify a magus has been lost to Twilight, to secure a crime scene for investigation by Quaesitores, or to verify demonic relations. He does occasional consulting jobs and disarms sanctum traps so that new magi can move in. His Parma is one of the strongest in the Order, he is a Rego Vim specialist, and he is the object of many rumors which inflate his reputation through outlandish claims he actively encourages. He resides at Sinews of Knowledge and is described in Sanctuary of Ice (p. 70).

  • Scamandrius of Tremere: The greatest duelist of his generation, Scamandrius has won the right to teach the apprentices the science of magical combat, including Certamen. A native of the Transylvanian Tribunal, he is temporarily housed at Icy North.

  • Archmage Solomon scholae Jerbiton: Solomon was a Jewish magus who dwelt alone in a chapterhouse of Icy North. At some point prior to the beginning of the Saga, his tower was invaded by the Shadow Magi, who killed him, looted his laboratory and library, and made off with his personal papers. In 1206, some of the apprentices were lured to this chapter house by Mircalla, where they fought a giant that had taken up there. The exact details of Solomon's fate remain unknown.

• The Toymaker, magus Ex Miscellanea: The Toymaker is a necromancer, a founding member of the Donatores Requietas Aeterna, or "Bringers of Eternal Rest." He is from the Provencal Tribunal, and was invited to the Greater Alps in order to mentor Akakios.

The Alpine Apprentices

The "Alpine Apprentices" are technically those twenty boys and girls who were brought to the Alps by Arnulf the Redcap in 1205. The boys were: Rene de la Croix, Gustov, Breandan, Tomas, Akakios, Martin, Angelo and three others not yet named. The girls were Eva, Garcette, Cassidy, Ilsa, Beatrice, Marie, Juno, and three others not yet named. Ilsa and Martin were captured by the Shadow Magi and Akakios fled willingly to their camp. Other apprentices already in the Alps, including Augustina and Lucius, are not strictly part of the group but are often confused for them by other magi.

• • Angelo discipulus Ulixes, Age 16: A darkly handsome Italian youth gifted with the "Evil Eye," Angelo is apprenticed to an Italian Malocchi magus of Ex Miscellanea.

• Augustina discipula Ragoneda, Age 23: Augustine has been Ragoneda's apprentice for almost fifteen years, and is a bone maga like her mater. However, she works more strongly in Animal, and thus isn't as well suited as Ragoneda when it comes to making longevity potions. Instead, she is eager to experience combat and master battle magic. Because she is pretty and has a strong personality, she finds it easy to persuade other apprentices and Grogs to follow her into danger. Augustina is briefly described in Sanctuary of Ice, page 73

  • Beatrice discipula Bronwyn, age 22: Beatrice is among the oldest of the Alpine Apprentices, an Italian woman with Gentle Gift; her talents would have gone completely unnoticed, but her singing in the church choir began to influence the congregation and drew the attention of a Roman magus. Beatrice has Enchanting Music and has been taken as an apprentice by Bronwyn filia Astrolabe of Jerbiton.

  • Ilsa discipula Philomena: Ilsa is the daughter of a Rhinelander forester whose wife died when she was a child. Unable to face his daughter any more, Ilsa's father traded her for gold and supplies. She lived with her master the Archmage Philomena at Sinews of Knowledge until she was abducted by Grigori at the Midsummer Fair of 1207. As an apprentice, she was obedient, generous, and agreeable, a happy girl with braided hair and a wide smile. When the other apprentices found her in 1218 she was with Grigori in the Cave of Bonisagus, but Eva separated her from him just as Grigori left for the Twilight Void. Ilsa seriously wounded Eva with Pilum of Fire but fell into the Void after a kick from Alfeva.

  • Juno filia Brett: The daughter of an alewife, Juno is rather plain and has the Blatant Gift, making her even more ostracized than most of the other apprentices. She has latched onto Akakios as her only friend, and followed him everywhere, at least until he fled the Order. Since his departure, she has had a hard time making new friends.

  • Lucius discipulus Paxon, Age 22: Lucius has been apprenticed to Archmage Paxon, senior Verditius of the Alps, for thirteen years. Cursed with a hunchback, he would have had a dire life as a beggar in Rome had he not been rescued by the Order. He has no special talent for longevity as his master does, and labors constantly in the workshop, leaving him soiled and dirty. Lucius is loyal to his master but jealous of others and indecisive. Lucius uses the stats for "Apprentice of House Verditius", from Apprentices p. 40.

  • Marie discipula Muscaria, age 14: Marie was abandoned by her mother days after birth and was raised by a French priest. She has a love of books and learning, and is both outspoken and devoted to her faith, but hated by everyone due to her Blatant Gift. Others consider her ugly, but she's really just a little clumsy. She has brown hair and eyes and wears simple, clean clothing. Marie uses the "Foundling Child" stats found in Apprentices p.20. She has been apprenticed to a Criamon at the Cave of Twisting Shadows.

  • Martin discipula Yselt, age 19: Martin is the son of a faerie knight and a German heiress, pawned off on the Order by his foster father. He is very handsome, with beautiful golden hair, golden eyes, and a tall, strong build. His master was the Merinita ruler of the covenant of Journey's End. In 1207, he was abducted by Hermia, a Shadow Maga and one of Grigori's students. He was killed by Eva in 1218 when she hit him in the head with a war hammer.

The Shadow Magi

• • Grigori: Apparent leader of the Shadow Magi, Grigori appears to be a former magi of the Order who is known to Quaesitors of the Greater Alps. Grigori is tall with dark hair, heavily bearded, and appears to be in his fifties. He murdered Arnulf with Infernal Smoke of Death, has been seen to cast Veil of Invisibility and Summon the Wizard's Mount, impersonated a Redcap, and has a two-headed dog named Cerberus for a familiar. He carries a staff. Grigori is in a carnal relationship of some kind with Caterina, and tried to make Garcette his next victim, but was driven off by the arrival of Kentigern. At the Midsummer Fair of 1207 he lured the apprentices to himself with a "secret auction," then kidnapped Martin and Ilsa with the help of a pack of demons. In 1218 Grigori led the Shadow Magi to Terragon Vale where they were all transported to the Cave of Bonisagus, deep in the Twilight Veil. He was last seen leaving the Cave to traverse the Veil with the help of his familiar, Cerberus, and with Grigori in tow.

  • Caterina: Grigori's partner is a beautiful woman of apparent middle-age and possessed of the Gentle Gift. She has demonstrated Hermetic magic, specifically weather control spells. Caterina was master of Akakios for a few years while the Shadow Magi camped in Provence with the armies of Montfort. In 1218 she traveled to Terragon Vale disguised as one of the Terragon Heirs, and was transported to the Cave of Bonisagus. She was last seen by Akakios, who allowed her to depart peacefully. It is believed she took a boat out of the Cave with Gideon and Incantata.

  • Magni: The largest and most physically capable of the Shadow Magi, Magni wears full metal armor and wields a longaxe. He speaks little and casts spells very slowly. He helped to murder Arnulf, capturing the Redcap with Pit of the Gaping Earth. In the confrontation with the apprentices, Magni tried to claim Rene de la Croix for his own but Rene came to the defense of the other children and attacked Magni with a piece of firewood. Magni appears to be a skilled tracker and outdoorsman. Magni was present at Terragon Vale and the Cave of Bonisagus along with the other Shadow Magi, but was persuaded to stand down by Gustov. He was last seen leaving the Cave with Grigori.

  • Hermia: The younger woman among the Shadow Magi is a shapechanger named Hermia. The apprentices had little interaction with her, and when Kentigern showed up she turned into a raven and fled the scene. Hermia later appeared at the Midsummer Fair of 1207 disguised as a Faerie maga. She helped to capture Martin and Ilsa and became Martin's domina. In 1218 she was killed by Eva, who hit her with a war hammer when Hermia was in raven form.

  • Gideon: The youngest of the Shadow Magi is Gideon. He appears to be immune to the effects of winter, wearing his leather armor loosely tied and suffering no discomfort from the ice and snow. He tried to claim an attractive girl close to his own age as an apprentice. When the children ran, he captured Eva with Shackles of the Frozen Ice. He also carries a sword. Gideon took a woman of Provence, called Incantata, as an apprentice and took her with him to Terragon Vale and the Cave of Bonisagus where they were observed in Bonisagus's sanctum by Breandan and Cassidy, who decided to flee while invisible. Gideon and Incantata are believed to have left the Cave with Caterina using a boat they found there.

  • Incantata: Gideon's apprentice, Incantata was a Provencal girl who was given the False Gift by demonic power. Lusty and deceitful, she escaped the Cave of Bonisagus after convincing Gideon to have sex with her on Bonisagus's bed.

Others

• Alys the Washer-Woman: Alys is covenfolk at Icy North and has been tasked with doing chores for the apprentices when they are studying with Profundus. Her beloved is Sam, a butcher in town.

• Arnulf: Arnulf was a disgraced Redcap who organized the collection of twenty Gifted children from throughout the Normandy, Roman and Rhine tribunals, leading them to the Greater Alps for selection by magi. Unfortunately, he became the victim of Grigori, and was murdered.

  • "Creon": This mysterious individual sold a purse full of Amaranth to Akakios at the Midsummer Fair of 1207; he fled the Fair and has not been identified or caught.

  • Mircalla: Known as the Ghost of the Mother-House, Mircalla appears to be the ghost of a former apprentice. She appears to be immune to Hermetic magic, and the apprentices have been warned to avoid her.