Guardians of the Forest Chapter Eight: Central Germany

Fengheld

The covenant of Fengheld is the largest in the Rhine Tribunal, both in sheer physical size and in the number of magi who it claims as members. It is also perhaps the most diverse of the Rhine covenants, having no single House or gild dominating its membership. This Autumn covenant is perceived as the most neutral of the covenants in the Tribunal, although the more paranoid magi have suspicions regarding its true agenda. It likes to give the image of being politically impartial, and a peacemaker — both the Apple and Linden Gilds were formed by members of this covenant — and often adjudicates conflicts between covenants; nevertheless, its main purpose is to keep all the other covenants so bound up in political machinations that they don’t notice the burgeoning power of Fengheld. So far, this policy has been successful — although the covenant now commands more than forty Tribunal votes, nearly a quarter of the total, they are seldom all cast together.

History

Fengheld was founded in 1039 by veteran members of Houses Flambeau and Tremere returning from the Schism War in Stonehenge and Normandy. The Tribunal had no problems agreeing on the founding of a covenant for these “war heroes,” but it was originally intended as a place that older magi could spend their glory days in isolation from mundanes. However, the founding of the covenant coincided with the reign of Henry III, and the politically inclined Tremere magi of Fengheld, in cahoots with the Transylvanian Tribunal, were involved in his conquests of Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary, seizing numerous vis sites in the process.

As its main site grew full, Fengheld tried to sponsor daughter covenants populated by young Tremere magi, but were blocked by the Tribunal. Instead, they resorted to the founding of chapter houses, copying the common practices of and citing as precedent the Greater Alps Tribunal, reckoning that they had enough martial power to defend multiple sites. Fengheld has recently loosened its ties with the Transylvanian Tribunal, and is no longer seen as being dominated by House Tremere.

Fengheld's Chapter Houses

Each of Fengheld’s chapters is still a part of the main covenant. All magi must accept the charter of Fengheld, and any strictures or rulings from the Tribunal that apply to Fengheld also apply to the chapter houses (and vice versa). However, a chapter usually has a local charter that applies only to those magi who live in the chapter house.

Of the eleven magi of Fengheld that live in chapters, only six are detailed in the five chapter houses given below. The placing of the other five magi has been left to the storyguide to determine. We suggest that Fengheld’s biggest chapter, run by Clemens filius Stentorius, the most senior master of Fengheld, could be sited close to the player covenant. Alternatively, the player magi could themselves constitute one of the remaining chapters, which would make them beholden to the dictates of Fengheld’s senior magi.

Fengheld House: The most remote of Fengheld’s chapters is located in the city of Cherbourg in Normandy. Only a single maga lives here, Marguerite of Flambeau. The chapter is a simple, fortified townhouse owned by Sir Jozef of Poznan, a crusader of Polish birth. Marguerite is a woman of stunning beauty, who considers mundane folk beneath her. She is as rude as she is beautiful, and does not hesitate to make the most cutting remarks she can. This chapter runs a small trading business with England and France.

Rheingasse: Two Gentle-Gifted magi live at this chapter in the center of Cologne. Their purpose is to arrange the supplies and organize the mundane contacts of Fengheld, and they are remarkably adept at their task. Wilhelm Weiss of House Jerbiton poses as a wealthy merchant, and his companion Garrinchus is a newly apprenticed member of House Ex Miscellanea, whose master was acknowledged as an expert in physick. Both magi are members of the Apple Gild, and Wilhem is its co-leader.

Turris Acontiarum: Hassan El-Megrayhi maintains a lone tower in the Kyffhäuser Mountains, where he studies the stars with but a single, mute companion.

Lusatia: Taking its name from the March of Lusatia (see Chapter 9: The Eastern Marches, The Margravate of Lusatia), Lusatia is only 10 miles from the agreed border with the Novgorod Tribunal, and the foundation of this chapter house was the cause of the most recent boundary dispute between that Tribunal and the Rhine (see Chapter 3: Tribunal History and Customs, History). Located in an idyllic spot on a bend of the River Sprec, this chapter has a single inhabitant, Odorpes filia Urgen of House Bjornaer. Odorpes is not exactly a model member of her covenant, and Fengheld has accused her at Tribunal more than once of failing to fulfil her duties, although they are reluctant to discipline her harshly for fear of her aggressive and powerful parens. Odorpes spends most of her time in her heartbeast (a bear), and hibernates for the whole winter.

Durenmar Chapter: Plans are currently underway to establish a chapter at Durenmar. This scheme, the brainchild of Rudolph of Bonisagus, is cautiously supported by Fengheld, although some senior members question the wisdom of this action.

Attribution

Content originally published in Guardians of the Forest - The Rhine Tribunal, ©2005, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0)