Scopulus Ungularum
(Crag of Claws)
Covenant Members
Magi
Aelfgith
154 years old, 123 years since apprenticeship, filia of Devorgil, member of the Lineage of Mothers, of Ex Miscellanea. The Lineage of Mothers is a small tradition within Ex Miscellanea, whose distinguishing feature is that the members are always the natural daughters of their parens. They used to have distinctive magics based on this, but these have been lost, so that they are, of all Ex Misc magi, among the closest to conventional Hermetic magic.
Aelfgith joined Scopulus with her mother during her apprenticeship, and remembers Hector (on whom she had a crush, long, long ago). She has grown into a petty tyrant, interfering with all aspects of the covenant's business, and running Eleanor's life for her. If she were competent, this would not be too bad, but her instinctive conservatism has effectively put paid to any attempt to revitalise the covenant.
Eleanor
119 years old, 94 years since apprenticeship, filia of Aelfgith, member of the Lineage of Mothers, of Ex Miscellanea. Eleanor's life has been blighted by Aelfgith. She is subdued, rarely speaks to anyone, and, indeed, rarely leaves her sanctum, which Aelfgith happily enters without permission. She will do nothing without asking her mother's approval, and is reluctant to have an opinion on any subject. The only thing that gives her any pride at all is her daughter, Joan. Sixty years ago she defied Aelfgith by sending Joan away from the covenant when her apprenticeship was complete, and shielding her from Aelfgith's search. Even now, she is vigilant, sure that Aelfgith will not have given up. Joan lives in the Rhine Tribunal, where she has trained two of her daughters as magi, and is searching for the unique magics of her tradition. She resents Eleanor for throwing her out, and has never visited the Tribunal.
Briseis
138 years old, 114 years since apprenticeship, filia of Sardepon (Sardepon was filius of Hector), follower of Flambeau. Briseis specialises in fire magic, and is a typical Flambeau, except for a streak of caution/cowardice. This has kept her alive to the present day, but has not done her reputation in her house any good at all. She wants a return to the good old days of Scopulus, but she can see no other way than the plundering of more treasure, something that she is loathe to do without tedious preparation: and she cannot bear tedium. She has not trained any apprentices, as she could not face the waste of her effort.
Priam
111 years old, 80 years since apprenticeship, filius of Nestor (Nestor was a filius of Hector), follower of Flambeau. Priam is almost insane in his love of destruction, but he is subtle and wily enough to know that greater destruction can be wrought by carefully laid plans than by wildly charging in flinging bolts of flame. He was largely responsible for the destruction of the covenant of Saxenburh, although this fact is unknown to the Tribunal, and he was connected with some of the excesses of the rebellions of the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. He is currently plotting to bring his own covenant down, by abandoning it, taking much of its treasure with him. He thinks that he will be able to find refuge with another covenant, given the treasure that he will bear with him.
He has trained a single apprentice, Cyrus, who completed his training in 1186 and immediately left the Tribunal, travelling to the Levant. There is no love lost between the two, but Priam does not regard Cyrus as an urgent priority.
Martin
82 years old, 67 years since apprenticeship, filius of Asaph (m), follower of Mercere, unGifted. Martin was crippled while on duty twenty years ago, and the magi of Scopulus Ungularum did not see fit to heal him. As a result, he can no longer perform his duties, and he has grown very bitter against the covenant. He contemplates treachery, anything to injure those who so injured him.
Lillea-Nemu
129 years old, 101 years since apprenticeship, filia of Plenath-Kanu (f), follower of Merinita. She trained Thenaru. Her efforts are devoted to giving the ultimate feast, to which she can invite faeries, magi, and even mundanes. She seems distracted on any other subject, and is somewhat overweight from constant sampling of dishes. These feasts are expensive, and a drain on the resources of the covenant. Nevertheless, most people respond to her invitations, when she issues them, because the feasts are very good.
Gyraldus
104 years old, 72 years since apprenticeship, filius of Justinian, follower of Guernicus. Gyraldus agreed with his parens' goal of breathing life into Scopulus, and when he saw it fail, he was disillusioned. Since Justinian's death, Scopulus has lost control of one of the vis sources that he discovered (to Spina Nigra), and Gyraldus has given up all hope for the covenant. He is seeking to change covenants, and hoping to move to Spina Nigra itself. He represents Scopulus at tribunals, and will vote with Spina in almost all cases. He has begun negotiations with Spina, and foresees moving within a few years, probably taking some of the covenant's treasures with him.
Companions
William of Exeter
The captain of the grogs, William is a very capable administrator and military leader. The indolence of the magi frustrates him, particularly as he sees the chance of extending the covenant's influence to cover some mundane territory. At the moment, he is still loyal, but if the covenant begins to fragment, he will take over the grogs in his own capacity and work on acquiring a barony of his own. The grogs, and most of the covenfolk, will be loyal to him. He is effectively the autocrat, and has access to the mundane treasury. It's dwindling size is one of the reasons for his growing disaffection.
Simon of St Germain
Simon is the librarian. His father was a keen bibliophile, and took great care of the books, even encouraging the magi to augment the collection. Simon inherited the position, and is more interested in womanising and partying than in looking after the books. Nevertheless, respect for his father means that he keeps the books in fairly good order, and ensures that they are not damaged, even if they are not particularly cared for. The library is thus still intact, but it is gradually getting out of order.
Grogs
There are fifty grogs, all well armed, armoured, trained, and disciplined, largely due to William. The initial endowment was due to Hector's desire to command a respectable force, and a succession of competent and enthusiastic grog captains have maintained the band. The other twenty servants are mostly connected with the grogs in some way, either as wives, parents, or children.
Covenant Site
Grimspound is on a hill-top, and has no magic aura as of 1220. The site is at 5 H1.
Covenant Buildings
The covenant buildings are spectacular, built in Romanesque style and Portland stone. Hector had a lot of money when he was founding the covenant, and didn't stint. The compound is surrounded by a ten metre high wall, guarded by several towers and pierced by a single gate. Within, there are three towers for the magi, a great hall, a council chamber, a library, and sundry outbuildings, accomodating the grogs and the necessary adjuncts of covenant life.
Constitution
In theory, the constitution gives equal votes to all members of the covenant. In practice there is almost no co-operation between members, so that the point is moot. They entrust their sigils to Gyraldus for Tribunal more out of inertia than anything else, although his constant efforts to portray himself as working in the best interests of the covenant help.
Mystical Attributes
Library
The arcane library is mediocre.
Laboratories
All the laboratories are of average quality, and fully equipped.
Vis Supplies
Protected
6 pawns of Vim vis per year, 10 pawns of Int�llego.
Reserves
The covenant has 12 pawns of Int�llego, 32 pawns of Perdo, 21 pawns of Ignem, 19 pawns of Muto, and 18 pawns of Anim�l in its stores.
Magical Artifacts
Other Notes
Mundane Resources
Income and Reserves
The covenant has no income at all. In the past, its income was entirely plunder from adventuring, and now none of the magi go on such adventures. Fortunately, the magi accumulated huge reserves of treasure, so there is still over a thousand pounds sitting in the treasury. When this has gone, however, there is no prospect of any more.
Mundane Library
Stephen, Simon's father, was interested in the mundane library, with the result that it is quite respectable, if neglected. If books were stolen from here, it is doubtful whether the theft would ever be noticed.
Equipment
Treasure
Other Notes
Relations
Hermetic
Stonehenge Tribunal
It is common knowledge in the Tribunal that the covenant is on the verge of falling into Winter. With the general drain of magic from the island, no-one expects them to last very long.
General Interaction
Reputation
Past it. The great days of Scopulus are undeniably in the past. Everyone remembers Hector and recounts the legends about him, and everyone agrees that the covenant that he founded has fallen far below his standards.
Redcaps
The Redcaps resent the covenant's treatment of Martin, and thus visit here only when they have to. They will make an exception for Lillea-Nemu's feasts, of course: it's amazing how many Redcaps suddenly have urgent messages to deliver to the covenant when they come up.
Quaesitores
The Quaesitores are not worried about this covenant. Gyraldus is not suspected of corruption, and, while it is known that he is rather exasperated by his sodales' conduct, he gives no indication that there is anything worthy of investigation. On the other hand, Scopulus certainly has no reserve of good will.
Other Covenants
Cad Gadu
Caligo Fulgens Crepusculi
Domus Doctrinae
Insula Sancta
Peregrinatores Glandis
Rosa Aurea
Schola Pythagoranis
Silbury
Spina Nigra
Relations with Spina Nigra are very close, thanks to Gyraldus. Scopulus almost always votes with this covenant, and the loss of the votes is one of the main obstacles that Gyraldus has to overcome before he can join Spina. Despite the closeness of the relationship, Spina has no qualms about encroaching on Scopulus' territory and taking over their vis supplies.
Turris Papilionum
Other Tribunals
Non-Hermetic
History
Scopulus Ungularum was founded in 1038 by Hector of Flambeau, a powerful magus who went on to become an Arch-Mage, in no small part due to the defeat of the Dragon Degarith who had previously inhabited the covenant site. He soon attracted a group of magi around him, and with the Dragon's treasure he was able to build a fine covenant. However, Hector was not really interested in running a covenant: he merely wanted to found one as part of his own legend. He trained a couple of apprentices, became an Arch-Mage, and continued his adventures, until he died, in 1091, in a battle against the Demon.
None of his successors in the covenant were managers either, and they merely tried to emulate him, without his genius, or, indeed, success. The covenant gained no reliable resources, living off plundered treasure, and slipped into Autumn. Justinian, a member of House Guernicus, tried to pull the covenant back into dynamic growth, but the resistance was too much. He succeeded in acquiring some vis supplies for it, but none of the other members could be made to interest themselves in the dreary but important business of getting a covenant established. With Justinian's death, the covenant went back to living on its resources, and fell strongly under Spina Nigra's political sway. Now, it is on the point of lapsing into Winter, especially as the magical aura of its site has finally disappeared.
Copyright David Chart 1995-1998
