Mythic Europe is a land of four Realms: magical, faerie, Infernal, and Divine. All supernatural power flows from these four wellsprings. When thinking of the pagan Slavs, think of the Realm of Faerie. The gods of the Slavs (and for that matter, the deities of most of the pagan cultures remaining in Mythic Europe) are actually powerful faerie creatures. Their homes and domains, which you will read about in the chapter that follows, can be found within Arcadia.

The alignment of pagan gods with the Realm of Faerie explains, in some sense, their continuing decline throughout Mythic Europe. As the Dominion presses through the land claiming nations and their peoples for God, it is often the faerie auras that are the worse for it. While this encroachment of the Dominion does not particularly affect the Old Ones — the great faerie powers who were so often worshipped as gods by the original inhabitants of Mythic Europe — it does make an important impact on their followers and their followers’ surroundings, because they no longer enjoy the proximity to their deities that they once did.

For the time being, though, faerie is still strong in Mythic Europe. No one knows God’s plans, and until they are revealed, faerie powers will continue to play an important role in Mythic Europe.

Slavic faerie is somewhat different from the faerie of western and southern Europe, but that is to be expected. Faeries are creatures with strong ties to humanity, and it is only fitting that different faeries and different areas of Arcadia correspond closely to the lands with which they are associated. The unique facets of Slavic faerie are what this chapter is about.

Bestiary Note

The descriptions of faerie creatures found in this chapter use the definitions of powers and weaknesses found in Faeries on pages 92-96. Although the general purposes and manifestations of the powers and weaknesses mentioned are self-explanatory in most cases, you’ll need a copy of Faeries for the specifics.

“Slavic” Faerie Auras

As discussed in Chapter 3, The Dragon and the Bear introduces a new sort of faerie aura, the Slavic faerie aura. For the purposes of almost all people, creatures, items, and acts of magic, Slavic faerie auras are no different from normal (“neutral”) faerie auras. Slavic faerie auras affect magi in exactly the same way that neutral faerie auras do. In fact, most magi would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the types.

The reason the “Slavic” designation in “Slavic faerie aura” is important is that these are the areas where Volkhvy are especially powerful (refer to the Volkhvy Realm Interactions table on page 59), and that these are the areas where those with Pagan Belief can work Domestic Magic (see pages 77-79).

Bestiary

The Old High Gods

The High Gods of the Slavs are those great beings worshipped across whole princedoms or kingdoms. Far from modest nature spirits, these creatures personify fundamental natural forces for millions of people.

Technically, these being are “Greater Faerie Lords,” as defined in Faeries, on page 106. However, Slavic High Gods, such as Perun, the Slavic deity of lightning, storm, and war, are beings of staggering power to the extent that it is not only futile but also pointless to assign statistics to them. In game terms these beings are invulnerable and immortal.

Appendix II (pages 177-186) gives a comprehensive list of the widely worshipped deities, the areas in which they are worshipped, their physical characteristics, their totems and holy objects, their feast days, and their areas of authority. Again, there are no characteristics or statistics for these gods. They are, as previously mentioned, invulnerable and nearly omnipotent.

Faerie Lords

Faerie Lords are the Seelie and Unseelie of the Slavic world. With the exception of domestic and field spirits, they are the faeries best known by the Volkhvy. Each Faerie Lord in the Slavic and Baltic lands has a specific pagan god as its patron. Each Faerie Lord’s character and abilities reflects this relationship and colors its relationships with mortals. Any mortal whose abilities or nature is closely aligned to the area of authority of the appropriate god can expect a more cordial reception from that god’s faerie subordinates. For example, a Flambeau magus would probably be well received in a court devoted to the Slavic divinity of fire, Svarozhich.

Faerie Lord

Allegiance: Stribog, god of winds

Faerie Might: 30-35

Characteristics: Int +3, Per +3, Pre +2, Com 0, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik +2

Gender: Either

Size: +1

Personality Traits: Abrupt +4, Valiant +3

Weapon/Attack: Init, Atk, Dfn, Dmg

Sword and Shield +7, +10, +8, +9 Lance +12, +10, +4, +12 Compound Bow +9, +9, -, +12

Soak: +15

Fatigue: +4

Fatigue levels: OK, 0/0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, 0/0, –1, –3, –5, Incapacitated

Powers

Faerie Powers: Bless 10, Change Size 5, Control Element: Auram 6, Control Element, Aquam 6, Curse 10, Elfshot 10, Glamour 12, Healing 6, Shapechange to Animal 10

Weaknesses: Discomfort from Iron

Equipment: Full Faerie Chain Mail: Load 0, Protection 13; Faerie Weapons: Enhanced Init, Atk, Dfn, and Dam

Encumbrance: 0

The Gold and White Courts

The common notion of Seelie and Unseelie in western Europe has its own unique twist in the east. Here the question is not, generally, of a struggle between Light and Dark, but between Sun and Cold — Summer and Winter. The “Seelie” faeries are those associated with the sun and the other positive, life-giving forces (including the earth). The “Unseelie” faeries are those associated with winter or decay. Those faeries of the former persuasion are usually referred to in the east as members of the Gold Court. The latter are members of the White Court. These are the dominant colors associated with the two types of Faerie Lords, though they will be blended with others (such as blue for faeries associated with the sky, for example).

White Faerie Lords, it should be noted, are among the most beautiful faeries known. They have all the physical purity and glamour of a gleaming flake of snow. They are not necessarily malicious, but their nature is to freeze and destroy. This is not done with deliberate intent, it is simply an outgrowth of what they are. That having been said, the Faeries of a White Court are invariably appallingly lethal.

Faerie Lords always live in courts which deliberately mirror Slavic noble and royal courts. Each has a castle or more exotic dwelling place, a hierarchy (prince, lords, knights, squires, and damsels), and many lowly faeries to act as servants. The strength of the local faerie aura is likely to be high (as high as 6 - 8, though that may vary depending on the “mythic scope” of your saga), and a gateway to Arcadia will probably be within easy traveling distance. Additionally, faerie courts almost always exist in opposition. If there is a Golden Court near a given village, there is likely to be a White Court nearby. Furthermore, the locations of the courts are likely to be symbolically opposed. For instance, a court of sun faeries may be situated on a mountain top, opposed by a court of winter faeries situated in a deep, shadowed gorge.

The strength of these faerie courts and the strengths of the individual faeries, whether powerful or lowly, waxes and wanes according to the seasons. This is true for the great majority of Slavic faeries, but is especially pronounced for faeries with an intimate link to the great powers of summer and winter. The power levels given throughout this chapter should be taken as averages, and should be allowed to cycle up and down by as much as 25%. Naturally, faerie auras also cycle in strength: White Court auras swell in winter, Golden Court auras in summer. There is a similar annual cycle to the opening and closing of gates to differing areas of Arcadia.

Common Faeries

Any faerie lesser than a Faerie Lord may be identified by the general term vily (or, in Polish, wili), which simply identifies a wild spirit. The Slavs don’t make a clear distinction between these kinds of supernatural creatures and the souls of their own ancestors, though there is a separate name for such souls, dziadys, and said souls are ritually feasted four times each year. The Slavs know that their pagan dead go to Arcadia, not Heaven, and accept that they become either gods or faeries in an entirely natural fashion.

You may note that certain faeries described here differ from similarly-named faeries that are described in Faeries. That’s mostly due to the fact that while Faeries made an attempt to synthesize the legends of many diverse Mythic European cultures, this book has the luxury of concentrating on the myths of the Mythic Slavs. Using the statistics from both books or either throughout your saga as you feel moved would be a particularly fay thing to do, considering the nature of Arcadia.

Leshy

Leshy (or Leshyie) are forest spirits and guardians, often of considerable power and with a carefully defined territory. They are most commonly encountered as small, longbearded, balding men with beards, bushy eyebrows, eyes of emerald green, and cheeks tinged blue by their azure blood. They are masters of size and shape-changing. Some shapechanging seems to be involuntary, for their stature often spontaneously changes to match the plants around them. Leshy are not malicious, but they are mischievous and often lead travelers astray. They are fond of bargaining and are respectful of people who can penetrate their illusions and sleights.

Leshy

Faerie Might: 30

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +1, Pre varies, Com +1, Str varies, Sta +3, Dex +1, Qik varies

Gender: Male

Size: –4 to +4

Personality Traits: Prankster +4

Weapon/Attack: Club: Stats variable based on Size

Soak: +5

Fatigue: +3

Fatigue levels: Variable with size

Body levels: Variable with size

Powers: Faerie Powers: Bless 6, Change Size 4, Control Animals 4, Control Fertility 12, Curse 6, Glamour 8, Shapechange to Animal 7, Shapechange Other to Animal 7

Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Iron

Vis: 15 Herbam

Polevik

Polevik (also known as Polevoi) are field spirits. Commonly they are less powerful than Leshy, but in certain regions, especially south Russia, certain of them have attained very great power and some are even worshipped as minor divinities. Polevik are often but not exclusively female, and may appear more or less human depending on the season and the circumstances of the encounter. The hue and the color of their clothing can change from bright green (spring), through deep green (summer), auburn or gold (autumn), to white or gray (winter). Sometimes grass grows on a Polevik’s head rather than hair. Their bodies may be the hue of freshly turned earth and their eyes may resemble glittering stones. The Polevik were always asked for their blessings by the Slavs, but they could be capricious, and if offended, angerous. Polevik are highly tolerant of iron. The practices of plowing the earth and reaping grain with iron tools may have accustomed them to this metal.

Polevik

Faerie Might: 20+

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre +1, Com –1, Str +2, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik +3

Gender: Most are female

Size: 0

Personality Traits: Solemn +3, Vicious +2

Weapon/Attack: Grapple/Strangle* Init +4 Atk +5 Dfn +2 Dam +6

A Polevik who achieves a grip on any victim (by successfully inflicting at least one Body level of damage) maintains it and the initiative automatically thereafter until a round occurs where it inflicts no Body levels of damage and its victim inflicts at least one Body level of damage, at which point its grip is broken. While it maintains its grip its Atk increases by +5 to +10.

Soak: +3

Fatigue: +1

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

Body levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Incapacitated*

When in a blossoming field a Polevik regenerates damage at a rate of 1 Body level per round, possibly more at the height of the spring growing season.

Powers: Faerie Powers: Bless 8, Control Element: Herbam 5, Control Fertility 16, Curse 8, Healing 4

Vis: 7 Herbam

Vodyanoi

Vodyanoi (or Topielec, in Poland) are the spirits or faeries who dwell in water. Of all the elements, the Slavs fear water most particularly, and of all common faeries, the Vodyanoi are the most vicious. Vodyanoi may be faerie in origin, or they may spring up from the souls of drowned persons. They are expert shapeshifters. Sometimes they appear as bloated, unkempt men or women with mossy, dripping hair and green skin, sometimes as beguiling beautiful women. At other times, they appear as monsters with human bodies, the heads of dogs, horns, and tails. Vodyanoi can inhabit any body of water large enough to drown someone, and their favorite means of attack is to snatch victims and plunge into the water with them.

A Vodyanoi’s strength is proportional to its proximity to water. It is at its maximum when in contact with its “home water.” Its combat statistics decrease by one point for every ten paces of distance from it, and a Vodyanoi removed from its home water also becomes listless and irritable. Vodyanoi often dwell in elaborate palaces (within a regio), served by the souls of those they have drowned.

Vodyanoi

Faerie Might: 15-25

Characteristics: Int 0, Per +1, Pre varies, Com +1, Str +3, Sta +3, Dex +1, Qik +2

Gender: Either

Size: 0

Personality Traits: Murderous +4

Weapon/Attack: Grapple Init +5 Atk +7 Dfn +3 Dam +8*

Vodyanoi do not normally attack to inflict normal damage with their attacks. Instead, they usually attempt to immobilize their victims (see ArM4 page 169). Once immobilized, a strength contest determines whether the Vodyanoi can drag its victim into the water, where he begins to drown according to the rules presented in The Mythic Seas, pages 38-39.

Soak: +5

Fatigue: +3

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious*

Body levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Incapacitated*

A Vodyanoi recovers one Fatigue level and one Body level per round when in contact with its home water.

Powers: Faerie Powers: Control Person 4, Control Element: Aquam 10, Curse 10, Fear 5, Glamour 5, Infatuation 5, Shapechange to Animal 5

Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Iron

Vis: 6 Aquam, 4 Perdo

Rusalka

Rusalka are the nymphs and dryads of the Slavic world. They are exclusively female and occupy both water and woods. Rusalka are less vicious than Vodyanoi, but they are capricious in nature, and untrustworthy. Some Rusalka, like Vodyanoi, are thought to develop from the souls of drowned pagan dead. They may manifest as bloated or distorted females or as comely maidens. Sometimes a Rusalka may bestow blessings or fertility, and they are sought out by barren women for this reason.

Rusalka

Faerie Might: 10-15

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

Gender: Female

Size: 0

Personality Traits: Willful +4, Unreliable +4

Weapon/Attack Grapple Init +3 Atk +5 Dfn +2 Dam +5*

Aquatic Rusalka attack victims in the same fashion as Vodyanoi. See page 86.

Soak: +5

Fatigue: +3

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious*

Body levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Incapacitated*

A Rusalka is always attached to either a body of water or a smallpart of a wood (perhaps just a single tree), and recovers one Fatigue level and one Body level per round when in contactwith its home.

Powers: Faerie Powers: Control Element: Aquam or Herbam 7, Control Fertility 5, Curse 6, Fear 3, Infatuation 4

Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Iron

Vis: 4 Aquam or Herbam, and 3 Perdo

Domestic Faeries

Several sorts of faeries share living space with Slavs. Some of them are ubiquitous in pagan villages. These are the most predictable of all faeries, and the Slavs have a whole litany of rituals and charms for maintaining friendly relations.

Domovoi

Domovoi are house spirits. They take care of the home and assist the family in spiritual and supernatural matters in return for small courtesies and a share of food and milk. Domovoi are rarely seen, but often heard. In fact, it’s bad luck to see a Domovoi, for they prize their privacy.

Domovoi resemble small, graceful men and women covered in very fine, lustrous brown hair, even on their palms and the soles of their feet. They sometimes sport animal characteristics like horns and tails.

A Domovoi commonly lives under the stove or in the cellar. A Domovoi can sometimes be aggressive, especially if its family falls into a feud. More commonly, however, they restrict themselves to warning their families of approaching dangers and opportunities and warding off bad luck. Like Polevik, Domovoi seem to have become acclimated to iron.

Domovoi

Faerie Might: 10-15

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

Gender: Either

Size: –1

Personality Traits: Loyal +4, Secretive +4

Weapon/Attack Claws Init +6 Atk +4 Dfn +4 Dam +4

Soak: +3

Fatigue: +1

Fatigue levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Incapacitated

Powers: Faerie Powers: Bless 5, Change Size 2, Curse 5, Invisibility 5, Insubstantial Form 5, Prophecy 5, Shapechange to Object 6

Dvorovoi

Dvorovoi inhabit courtyards, farmyards, and pastures. They can be very useful as guardians of sheep and cattle, however they are less tractable than Domovoi and misbehave more frequently. Dvorovoi, unlike Domovoi, are lusty creatures, prone to seducing mortal men and women. The Slavs know the proper ways to fool the Dvorovoi (with dolls or scarecrows), but ignorant folk may well be in danger.

Dvorovoi can appear as small gnarled men or women, often with striking disfigurements like noses that reach the chin, or as half-human/half-animal figures (usually with some characteristics of the animals they guard), or, more rarely, as inanimate objects like gateposts.

Dvorovoi

Faerie Might: 8-12

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

Gender: Either

Size: –1

Personality Traits: Diligent +4, Demanding +4

Weapon/Attack: Bral Init +5 Atl +4 Dfn +5 Dam +6

Soak: +4

Fatigue: +2

Fatigue levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Incapacitated

Powers: Faerie Powers: Bless 5, Change Size 2, Communicate with Animals 5, Control Fertility 5, Curse 5, Infatuation 6, Shapechange to Animal 4, Shapechange to Object 4

Bannik

Bannik inhabit bath-houses, and in the north of Russia, saunas. They keep the fire lit and keep plenty of water in the cistern, and even caulk the walls and fetch wood. However they are demanding about “their turn;” every fourth bath is theirs. An intruders who disturbs a bathing Bannik is liable to be cruelly clawed at best. Bannik can prophecy, if only in very general terms.

Bannik

Faerie Might: 5-10

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

Gender: Either

Size: –2

Personality Traits: Diligent +4, Easily offended +4 Attack Claw Init +5 Atk +4 Dfn +5 Dam +4

Soak: +2

Fatigue: +1

Fatigue levels: OK, –3, –5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, –3, –5, Incapacitated

Powers: Faerie Powers: Control Element: Aquam 5, Insubstantial Form 5, Invisibility 4, Prophecy 5

Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Iron

Ovinnik

The Ovinnik, guardians of barns, are the most dangerous of the domestic faeries. Their goodwill is essential, for, if angered, Ovinnik can cause all manner of trouble up to and including burning down the barns they protect. Ovinnik can usually be found lounging about their barns in the form of large, mangy, lazy black cats.

Ovinnik

Faerie Might: 8-12

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

Gender: Male

Size: –3

Personality Traits: Malicious +4, Lazy +4

Weapon/Attack Claws Init +5 Atk +4 Dfn +5 Dam +4*

Scratches or wounds inflicted by Ovinnik commonly become infected or heal poorly. Subtract twice the usual wound penalty from all Chirurgy and recovery rolls.

Soak: +3

Fatigue: +1

Fatigue levels: OK, –5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, –5, Incapacitated

Powers: Faerie Powers: Control Element: Ignem 5, Curse 5, Elfshot 5, Shapechange to Animal 4

Weaknesses: Discomfort from Iron

Vis: 3 Ignem

Zaltys

The Zaltys is a special case among domestic faeries. They are only found in Lithuanian auras and regiones, where they are associated with the great sun goddess Saule. Zaltys always appear in the form of small, brightly colored serpents. They are indolent, and spend most of their time resting on the warm stones before the hearth. Zaltys do not do housework, but are valued for their wisdom, and for the luck they bring. Keeping and caring for a Zaltys is pleasing to Saule. A Zaltys will swiftly desert a house where it is badly treated or where the people turn away from the old religion. It usually takes the family luck with it when it goes. The Zaltys suffers no ill effects from iron.

Zaltys

Faerie Might: 5-10

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

Gender: Either

Size: –4

Personality Traits: Lazy +5, Benevolent +4

Soak: 0

Fatigue: –2

Fatigue levels: OK, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, Incapacitated

Powers: Faerie Powers: Bless 5, Control Element: Ignem 4, Control Fertility 5, Curse 5, Prophecy 5 em 10

Vis: 3 Intéllego

Faerie Animals

Totem Animals

Every Slavic clan has its animal mascots, and most pagan villages are attended by one or more of these fabulous animals. Such animals are always larger than their mundane counterparts, are Intelligent rather than Cunning, and can usually talk comprehensibly if not eloquently. The villagers or clanmembers often turn to these animals for advice and guidance, and always deal with these totem animals with courtesy and respect — possibly even outright worship. These animals often give gifts of prophecy; in many cases their simple appearance is an important omen.

Totem Example: Bear

Faerie Might: 15-20

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +3, Pre +2, Com –3, Str +6, Sta +7, Dex +1, Qik +1

Gender: Either

Size: +3

Personality Traits: Dignified +3, Aggressive +3

Weapon/Attack:

Maul Init +7, Atk +13, Dfn +4, Dam +17

Tackle Init +7, Atk +7, Dfn +1, Dam +15*

The target of a damaging attack is also knocked down.

Soak: +30

Fatigue: +9

Fatigue levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5, Incapacitated

Powers:

Faerie Powers: Bless 10, Control Animals 6, Control Element: Herbam 6, Control Fertility 8, Curse 10, Prophecy 10, Shapechange to Object 6

Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Iron

Vis: 8 Animál, 3 Vim

Strukis: the Great Pike

Strukis the Pike is the king of fish and lord of the water faeries. This belief is especially powerful in Poland, near lake Strukhalis. The Pike’s dominion over all the fish of the world fails for only one hour in the year, during which he sleeps and dreams prophetic dreams. Strukis has great wisdom, since knowledge is borne to him from all the streams and lakes of the Slavic world, but he is miserly and greedy for slaves. Anyone entering his realm or palace stands a very good chance of being seized and enslaved. Strukis should be played as a magical faerie animal who can take the form of a great faerie lord, rather than as a faerie lord who can assume the form of an animal.

Strukis

Faerie Might: 40

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

Gender: Male

Size: 3

Personality Traits: Domineering +4, Greedy +4

Weapon / Attack: Bite Init +4, Atk +8, Dfn +4, Dam +15

Soak: +9

Fatigue: +5

Fatigue levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5, Unc*

Body levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5, Inc*

Strukis recovers two Body and Fatigue levels per round when immersed in water

Powers:

Faerie Powers: Bless 10, Brew Faerie Potions 5, Change Size 6, Communication with Humans 10, Control Animals 6, Control Person 10, Control Element: Aquam 10, Curse 10, Enchant Objects 5, Glamour 10, Prophecy 10, Shapechange to Human 5

Weaknesses: Discomfort from Iron

Vis: 15 Aquam, 5 Mentem, 5 Intéllego

Zhar-Ptitsa: the Firebird

The Firebird, called Zhar–Ptitsa, is the most widely known, magically potent, and elusive of the legendary Slavic animals. Physically it takes the form of the cassowary, and dwells in the garden of the sun in the uttermost East. Here it feeds on golden apples and other fruits that blaze as brightly as gems. A single feather from its wing can light the interior of a palace feast hall brighter than full sunlight, though no one experiences any danger or pain in looking at the Firebird. The Firebird has never shown any true intelligence, but it is a cunning thief, with an eye for gems, fruit, or other bright, sweet things. The Firebird is typically encountered only in areas of very potent regiones with nearby access to Arcadia. It is one of those exceptionally rare faeries so powerful it can generate gateways to Arcadia at need (which makes it hard to catch, or to keep once caught).

Zhar-Ptitsa: The Firebird

Faerie Might: 50

Characteristics: Cun +4, Per +3, Pre n/a, Com n/a, Str +1, Sta +3, Dex +3, Qik +5

Size: –2

Personality Traits: Curious +3, Thief +3

Weapon/Attack Talons Init +12, Atk +10, Dfn +2, Dam +10

Soak: +5

Fatigue: +3

Fatigue levels: OK, –3, –5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, –3, –5, Incapacitated

Powers:

Faerie Powers: Bless 10, Control Element: Ignem 15, Curse 10, Travel 21

Weaknesses: Discomfort from Iron

Vis: 30 Ignem

Semargl

Semargl is among the strangest of all the chimaeric beasts of legend. He has the head, body, and limbs of a dog, the wings and tail of an eagle, and is feathered from head to tail. Semargl is swift, voracious, and cunning. He is a servant of the gods, though his duties remain a mystery. Possibly, like Hermes and Mercury, he is their messenger.

Semargl

Faerie Might: 30

Characteristics: Cun +2, Per +3, Pre n/a, Com n/a, Str +3, Sta +4, Dex +2, Qik +2

Size: +1

Personality Traits: Hungry +3

Weapon/Attack: Bite Init +8, Atk +7, Dfn +4, Dam +10

Soak: +7

Fatigue: +4

Fatigue levels: OK, 0/0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, 0/0, –1, –3, –5, Incapacitated

Powers:

Faerie Powers: Bless 10, Communicate with Animals/Plants 10, Control Element: Auram 10, Curse 10, Fear 10, Insubstantial Form 5, Travel 28

Weaknesses: Vulnerable to Iron

Vis: 10 Animál, 10 Auram

Animal Princes

All of the different species of animals have their own courts and princes. These are in many ways similar to the courts of other faeries, though animal princes and their “vassals” are much less likely to mimic the culture of humans in the way that the faeries of most Slavic courts do. Instead, they concern themselves with the issues of importance to their species.

The courts of the animal princes are only encountered deep within faerie regiones. Even then, it is far more likely that any ani mal prince encountered makes its true home in Arcadia.

Animal princes and their courtiers are fully-intelligent shapechangers who can assume human guise at will. They have noble natures and behave graciously with guests. Some of them, particularly the princes of the eagles, hawks, and falcons, are known to have wooed human princesses. The alliances result are often highly advantageous to human princes.

In game terms, treat animal princes as atypical Faerie Lords with appropriately adjusted powers and abilities.

Monsters

Outside the realm of Slavic religious mythology, other forces lurk. Some are also seen in western folklore — dragons, ogres, and the like — but a few are peculiar to the Slavic peoples. Many of the following creatures are found in the far north-western Carpathian mountains (the Tatras), and consequently infest the southern Polish border.

Poludnica

Poludnica are common in Poland. They are revenant spirits, either of pagan souls who have not gone to Arcadia, or of Christians who were improperly buried or slain by evil faeries such as a Vodyanoi. Poludnica have no physical form and seldom communicate clearly. They can inflict close relatives with prophetic or maddening dreams, or bring warnings of approaching tragedies.

Poludnica

Faerie Might: 5-15

Characteristics: Int 0, Per –2, Pre –3, Com –5

Gender: Either

Personality Traits: Disturbed +2

Powers: Faerie Powers: Fear 2, Prophecy 3

Strzyga

Strzyga are Polish changelings or halflings. They are born with two full sets of teeth and also have two spirits: one human, the other faerie. Even proper baptism is no cure for the devilish nature of the Strzyga, for the holy water only touches the human spirit and the soul. A Strzyga can lead a long, apparently normal life, marry, have children and die, all without demonstrating exceptional evil. After death, however, when the soul has gone to its reward and the human spirit is at rest, the evil spirit rouses and sends the body out to live as a vampire or crossroads murderer. Unlike traditional vampires, Strzyga do not suck blood. They are more prone to strangling, and enjoy inhaling the last dying breaths of their victims, from which they can gain more Faerie Might.

Strzyga

Faerie Might: 10-15 Characteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre 0, Com –1, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik +1

Gender: Either

Size: +1

Personality Traits: Malicious +3

Weapon/Attack: Strangle Init +5, Atk +6, Dfn +3, Dam +8

Soak: +5

Fatigue: +4

Fatigue levels: OK, 0/0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, 0/0, –1, –3, –5, Incapacitated*

* A Strzyga has two hearts. Accordingly, whether in its normal life or after it, if incapacitated or killed it springs up again a moment later, fully restored to health. It has to be killed a second time to permanently dispatch it.

Powers:

Faerie Powers: Control Person 8, Curse 5, Fear 8, Glamour 6, Possession 10

Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Iron

Vis: 3 Perdo, 2 Vim

Dragons

The Dragons are the worst of the monsters that inhabit the northern Carpathians. One of these ferocious beasts was slain by the legendary polish hero Krakus; the site of this event later became the city of Krakow. However, even Krakus could not slay it in battle, and was forced to rely on an alchemical trick to destroy it.

Slavic dragons are similar to those found in central Mythic Europe. They’re fourlimbed firebreathing creatures with serpentine bodies and bat wings. Slavic dragons fall into two broad categories. The dragon Krakus killed was of the first type: physically powerful, hungry, and resilient, but not intelligent. The second type is altogether subtler. It is still physically dangerous, but much more intelligent, magically gifted, and vicious.

Most dragons in other parts of Europe are allied with the Realm of Magic. It is unknown whether these Slavic dragons bear any relation to those dragons, because while their forms are similar, these hail from faerie. It is almost certainly the burning passion of a magus somewhere to find out.

Dragon (Marauding)

Faerie Might: 40

Characteristics: Cun –1, Per +2, Str +8, Sta +8, Dex –2, Qik –3

Gender: Either

Size: +5 or more

Personality Traits: Ravenous +5

Weapon/Attack: Claw and Bite Init +6, Atk +15, Dfn +8, Dam +50

Soak: +20

Fatigue: +10

Fatigue levels: OK/OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5/–5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK/OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5/–5, Incapacitated

Powers:

Faerie Powers: Fear 20

Fiery Breath, CrIg 35, 1 point: The range of a dragon’s fiery breath is typically 30 to 40 paces. It forms a cone which reaches its widest point — about 5 paces — at the maximum range. All those who fall within this conical area are affected, taking +35 damage, against which metal armor is not effective.

Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Iron

Vis: 10 Animál, 10 Ignem, 10 Perdo, 5 Vim

Dragon (Sorcerous)

Faerie Might: 50

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +3, Pre +2, Com +1, Str +6, Sta +6, Dex –1, Qik –2

Gender: Either

Size: +4 or smaller

Personality Traits: Devious +4, Murderous +3

Weapon/Attack: Claw and bite Init +6, Atk +15, Dfn +8, Dam +50

Soak: +15

Fatigue: +7

Fatigue levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5/–5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5/–5, Incapacitated

Powers:

Faerie Powers: Brew Faerie Potions 5, Change Size (but not above +4) 6, Control Person 10, Control Element: Ignem and Auram 10, Fear 10, Glamour 12, Infatuation 10, Invisibility 5, Shapechange to Human 6, Shapechange to Object 6

Fiery Breath, CrIg 35, 1 point: The range of a dragon’s fiery breath is typically 30 to 40 paces. It forms a cone which reaches its widest point — about 5 paces — at the maximum range. All those who fall within this conical area are affected, taking +35

damage, against which metal armor is not effective.

Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Iron

Vis: 5 Ignem, 15 Perdo, 15 Vim

Ogres and Giants

Ogres, giants, and trolls are called dziwozony in Poland and norka in Russia. There are too many varieties of these creatures to detail here, but they do have certain common characteristics: great size, superhuman strength, low intelligence, and vulnerability to Christian rituals and relics. They often have power over earth and a rocky invulnerability to many weapons. They are typically not seriously bothered by iron. Frequently these monsters have the ability to shapechange into the most common element in their environment (rock, earth, water, or mud) and to move through it effortlessly. It is also common to find that they have very acute senses and can detect (often by smell) the presence of mortals. Some have senses so acute they can identify nationality by scent.

It is not uncommon to encounter these monsters in groups of siblings, and to find that the siblings have an ever-increasing number of heads. Thus, if there is a group of three giants preying on a city, the first may have three heads, the second six, and the last nine. The more heads one of these monsters has, the harder it will be to kill. As a rule of thumb, assume five points of Might per head.

Three-Headed Giant

Faerie Might: 15

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

Gender: Either

Size: +3

Personality Traits: Greedy +3, Murderous +4

Weapon/Attack: Gtreatsword Init +8, Atk +12, Dfn +7, Dam +16

Soak: +10

Fatigue: +4

Fatigue levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5, Unconscious*

Body levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5, Incapacitated*

Any giant or ogre in contact with its natural terrain regains one Fatigue level and one Body level per round, even if slain.

Powers:

Faerie Powers: Communicate with Animals/Plants 6, Control Element: Terram 8, Fear 8, Shapechange to Object 6

Weaknesses: Discomfort from Iron

Vis: 6 Terram, 4 Perdo

Zluidni

Zluidni are the smallest, most common, and most spiteful of all the Slavic dark faeries. There are too many varieties to even begin cataloging them, but certain common attributes can be noted. Zluidni are physically small (of Size –2 to –4), misshapen or chimaeric in appearance, and have limited shapeshifting powers. Regardless of the form they take, however, some malformation or distortion always gives them away.

Zluidni are found in urban, rural, and wilderness areas equally. Their powers typically allow minor cursing and the use of glam our and possession in order to play small, vicious jokes. They are not usually capable of a physical act of murder, but are known for leading unwary travelers astray or causing enmity and feuds in a community. A good Domovoi is more than a match for any num ber of Zluidni, and wouldn’t tolerate them near his home for an instant.

The Infernal

Although this chapter specifically discusses Slavic faerie, there are certainly more foul creatures that stalk the Novgorod Tribunal. One Infernal example is described here.

Vampires

Vampires are reasonably common in Slavic lands. In Poland they are known as zmory, upiory, or martwiec, in Russia as oboroten. Vampires do not, despite what Bram Stoker and Hollywood have conspired to tell us, make other vampires by biting them, and though they can kill by biting, they more commonly attack by strangling. Rather, a vampire is a mortal who has entered a particular sort of Infernal pact, giving up claim on his soul in exchange for a semblance of immortality. At the end of his natural life, the damned mortal “dies” and is buried normally. After a few nights he rises from the grave to stalk living prey.

Vampires account for their Infernal Might in two different ways. Like all creatures with Might, they can expend it to use their powers. A vampire can recover Might expended in this way by resting for a full day in its sanctuary. At the next dusk all full points of Might are restored. Even complete exhaustion of Might by spending it on powers in this fashion cannot kill the Vampire or endanger its soul.

The Infernal Might of a vampire, however, can rise and fall gradually, depending on whether it continues killing mortals. For every night a vampire fails to kill a mortal it loses a tiny fragment of its Infernal Might. In this regard (and only this regard) Infernal Might is treated like an Ability composed of experience points in the normal pyramid scale fashion. A vampire that fails to kill in a given night loses one “experience point” in Infernal Might. Conversely, for every mortal a vampire kills, it accumulates one Infernal Might “experience point.” For example, if a new Vampire with an Infernal Might of 12 goes through a night without killing and loses an experience point, its Might drops to 11, with 11 experience points. It can only use 11 Might Points effectively until something changes. So, on the following night, the Vampire slays someone and regains a point, rising back to a full 12 Infernal Might points. If, over the next few nights, it makes 13 more kills (and never goes a night without killing), it will gain enough “experience” to rise to a new level of Infernal potency, 13 Might Points. A vampire’s maximum current Infernal Might is known as its Permanent Infernal Might. If a vampire’s Permanent Might ever drops to zero because it has not killed enough people, its soul descends to Hell.

New vampires commonly have from 10 to 15 Infernal Might points, depending on how evil they were in life and on their ability to strike a “good” diabolical pact. As time passes vampires hope to accumulate more Might, extend their undead “lives,” and increase their range of powers. Vampires can, if they live for considerable periods, barter Infernal Might points to their Infernal patrons in return for enhanced Characteristics, Abilities, and Powers.

Killing a vampire by conventional or magical means is very difficult. When wounded severely by muscle or magic — even to the point of having no Body levels left — a vampire collapses into a dank, grayish “grave dust.” This is not death, but a resting state. Unless the dust is thoroughly dispersed (throwing it into water is the best option), the vampire revives at the next dusk. If the dust is not dispersed and has spent the day out of sunlight, the vampire revives with its full Permanent Infernal Might. If the dust has spent any part of the day exposed to sunlight, the vampire lacks its Might, but is otherwise unharmed. If thrown onto water or otherwise effectively dispersed (roll a stress die x 10 for days to full recovery, increased if the method of dispersal is particularly ingenious or effective), the vampire’s dust will take many days to recombine, and the vampire will lose Permanent Might all the while. This may even result in the vampire’s final death.

PeVi spells are the best way to avoid having a vampire fall to grave dust and reform. They can be used to destroy a vampire’s Permanent Infernal Might directly, according to the PeVi spell guidelines, but must be tailored to this specific end.

Vampires: Upiory/Oboroten

Infernal Might: 10-15+

Characteristics: Variable. The following would be normal for a modestly powerful vampire: Int +1, Per +1, Pre –3, Com +1, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik +2

Size: 0

Personality Traits: Murderous +5

Weapon/Attack:

Bite: Init +4, Atk +4, Dfn +2, Dam +5*

Strangle: Init +5, Atk +5, Dfn +5, Dam +7**

Once a vampire has bitten a victim by inflicting at least one Body level of damage, it can cling to him (a Strength contest is required to break this grip), and automatically draw off one Body level worth of blood at the beginning of each round. The vampire is free to employ Infernal Powers while engaged in this struggle with no effect upon his grip.

- Once a vampire has gotten a grip on his victim by inflicting at least one Body level of damage, it can automatically cause one Body level worth of additional strangulation damage at the beginning of each round. The vampire is free to employ Infernal Powers while engaged in this struggle with no effect upon his grip.

Soak: +5

Fatigue: +2

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Fall into dust

Body levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Fall into dust

Powers:

Confusion of the Numbed Will, ReMe 15, 2 points: See ArM4, page 148.

Shape of the Furred Slinker, MuCo 25, 3 points: Transforms the vampire into a rat.

Broom of the Winds, ReAu 15, 2 points: See ArM4, page 121.

The Iron Grasp, MuCo 15, 2 points: Increases the strength of the vampire’s grip (including its Strength, Strangle Attack, and Strangle Damage) by +3.

Weaknesses:

Natural Sunlight: Any Vampire exposed to natural sunlight loses 3 Infernal Might points per round. When all Infernal Might points are lost it loses one Body level per round until it collapses into dust.

Bright Light: Vampires attacked with powerful artificial light (such as a CrIg spell) lose 1 point of Infernal Might per round of exposure per magnitude of the spell – 1. (For example, a vampire confronted with a CrIg 20 spell for one round would lose 3 points of Might.) Treat very strong lantern light as a spell of level 10 and a large bonfire as level 15.

Holy Ground: Vampires cannot trespass on holy ground.

Roads: Vampires have an antipathy for the center of a road. Attacking anyone on a pathway with an Infernal power requires one point more Might than normal, and physical assaults are conducted with a–3 Atk penalty. If the target stands at the center point of a crossroads it requires three points more Might than normal and physical attacks are at –6.

After Burial: A vampire is at his most vulnerable on the first three nights after burial, assuming he has been buried in holy ground or laid out in a church. During this time anyone who had genuine affection for the vampire in life can keep a vigil over the body. If a vigil-keeper successfully stays awake through the full three nights, despite the distractions and psychomachia assaults of the Vampire’s patron demon, the vampire is prevented from rising from his grave.

Vis: At minimum, 1 Perdo, 1 Vim, and 1 Corpus, all diabolically tainted. Amounts can be much larger for more powerful vampires.

Arcadia

The ultimate nature of Arcadia is something that magi have spent centuries debating, and the matter is far from resolved. It has been observed, however, that different portions of Arcadia take on different forms, usually with some sort of correspondence to the customs and beliefs of the people who are associated with that portion of faerie.

Slavic Arcadia — that is, the portion of Arcadia which is dominated by the powerful faerie beings that are the Slavic divinities — is more firmly fixed and has a logic that is far more reliable than the areas of faerie that are commonly associated with western Mythic Europe. It is the place where the dreams and stories of the Slavs are acted out. By far the best way to get a sense for the flavor of Slavic Arcadia is to read a book of Russian and Polish fairy tales.

Slavic Arcadia is the world of thirty kingdoms; of speaking animals; and of sorcerers who hide their hearts in eggs, ducks, caskets, at the top of mountains of glass, and beyond the endless seas at the edge of the world. It is the world where being kind to a tree with overloaded branches or a gate with rusty hinges brings reward. It is the world where giants spring up in groups of three, each one more grim than the last. This is the world where the Firebird flies from the garden of the Sun to raid the palace of the King and the waters of Life and Death can be found by a valorous hero. Obey the logic of this world and it will reward you, defy it and it will turn against you.

Geography

Slavic Arcadia is centered on the World Tree. This is the hub of existence; according to Slavic mythology it holds the universe together. The World Tree is like a spoke and strung upon it are three worlds. At the top of the World Tree, among its branches, is Slavic Heaven. Beneath Heaven, about halfway down the trunk, is the second level of existence, Slavic Earth. Below the Earth, down among the roots of the Tree, is the lowest level, Slavic Hell.

Slavic Earth

Slavic Arcadian Earth (or simply “Slavic Earth”) is an idealized Russia. Much like other areas of Arcadia, it is made up of princedoms and cities where the high faeries dwell. Slavic Arcadia is particularly set in regard to these matters. The shape of the earth is circular, and at its center there is a great mountain range: the World Tree.

Grouped around the tree are thirty prince doms. Half of them are of the Golden Court, half are of the White Court. Some of the courts are “human” and others are “animal.” Each princedom contains numerous cities whose citizens — princes and boyars, merchants and craftsmen, peasants and hunters — mimic the business and concerns of Slavic society. It is all a grand act, of course, and the underlying nature, the great play of the natural forces of the world, can be seen quite clearly by the discerning.

On the outer fringes of this Earth dwell “Nomads,” “Muslims,” and “Germans” — that is, faeries who have taken on the appearance of these enemies of the Slavs. The frontier with the “German” faeries is the place where it is easiest to leave Slavic Arcadia and enter the portions of Arcadia dominated by western European beliefs.

Scattered throughout Slavic Earth are mountains, forests, seas, and swamps. It is here that faeries play out the stories that the Slavs delight in, fighting evil sorcerers, rescuing princesses, and questing after lost treasure and knowledge. Regardless of the players’ reasons for entering Arcadia, it is this world that they will almost certainly encounter first (assuming they enter from a Slavic part of Mythic Europe, anyway), and it is this world that will strive to ensnare them.

Slavic Heaven

Ascending the trunk of the World Tree, whether by scaling it physically, traveling “toward Summer,” or taking a special gate way, takes one into the very perilous world of the Slavic gods. Slavic Heaven is a world of absolutes where the fundamental creative forces of nature have free play and where the Sun and Summer manifest themselves in blinding, intolerable purity.

Many of the Slavic gods dwell here, and their powers in this place are effectively unlimited. Only the strongest and most devout of Volkhvy would consider making a journey to this place, and even they would never do so casually. Game experiences in Slavic Heaven should be fundamentally mystical experiences — pure role-playing — devoid of dice and worldly concerns. And unless characters have a very good reason for visiting, they will almost certainly not come back.

Slavic Hell

There are three principle regions in Slavic Hell.

Part resembles a dim portion of Slavic Earth. Courts in this region are mean, brutal places where the faeries live fiendishly like despotic human princes, afflicting the spirits who are their captives. Though this is not a pleasant place (it is full of the spirit of Darkness and Winter) it is not Infernal. Slavic devils are great tricksters and dealmakers, not sadists for sadism’s sake. The world they rule represents the toil and misery of common life on earth.

The second portion is the realm of the dark gods. The principles of Arctic Cold and Darkness hold sway here. This is where the Nameless God of Demons is confined, bound at the roots of the world until Armageddon, watched by the ever vigilant Fates. This is not a place recommended for a visit, though as the realm of the Fates it is the ultimate fount of prophecy. Regardless of the answers that can be acquired here, it is not an easy journey; visitors almost never return, and if they do return they are always changed.

The third portion is the peaceful world of the afterlife. It is Slavic Elysium, a rich, autumnal garden, overgrown but wholesome, on a late evening when the sun has set but the sky is still full of soft colors. The trees are laden with natural bounty, the waters are clear and cool, the air is warm, and the breezes are soft. This is where the ancestral Slavic spirits live in their clans, and where the souls of devout pagans still come after death. This portion of faerie hell has clear correspondences with Barathrum (as described in the original edition of Faeries) and also with the spirit lands (as described in Shamans and in Appendix I.) Both of these realms are accessible from this region.

Ultimately, Slavic spirits do go onward from even this place, through the gates of twilight into mystery. One notable site within Slavic Elysium is the mystical Isle of Boyan. This is the place to which the spirits of deceased Volkhvy travel. It is rumored to take the form of a huge, perfectly round isle in the midst of a great circular lake. At its center is a mountain, likewise perfectly conical in form. The isle is a natural paradise of streams, vales, groves, and meadows, teeming with magnificent animals and flocks of birds. The departed Volkhvy live here in a utopian state, worshipping the gods from their many temples. The two most eminent of these temples are the temple of the Sun at the mountain’s peak, and the temple of the Earth, in a sacred grove at the mountain’s foot. Hermetic magi speculating on rumors of Boyan have conjectured that there must logically be portals in both these locations connecting to Slavic Heaven, permitting Volkhvy and deities instant access in both directions. Living Volkhvy, it is thought, still retain the secrets of traveling to Boyan, and consulting there with their forebears. This is not, however, likely to be a safe undertaking for non-believers. There is no living Hermetic magus in the Novgorod tribunal who openly claims to have visited Boyan.

Arcadian Adventures

As is well known, the participation of mortals in faerie affairs has some undefinable but crucial effect, and faeries are always keen to involve mortal visitors in their struggles. In Slavic Arcadia this tendency is exaggerated. The vast majority of gateways to Slavic Arcadia deliver the visitor to Slavic Earth. Anyone entering Slavic Earth almost immediately encounters one or more emissaries, often the guardians of the gate used. These usually approach with a serious problem. Any Hermetic party penetrating this realm will almost certainly find themselves swiftly caught up in a story.

Remember that Slavic Earth is an idealized place, one that reflects the Slavic dreams and passions. It tries to work the player characters into its own internal logic, responding to the newcomers by creating situations suited to their capacities and attitudes (though, of course, the overriding rhythms of Summer and Winter must also play a part). Most often Slavic Earth presents visitors with situations that offers them the opportunity to behave as heroes. If it casts them as villains — which it only does if they provoke such a situation — they will swiftly find themselves in real trouble, as mythic villains usually end up dead, or worse.

There is a genuinely terrible danger in this situation, for if they are not careful, visitors find themselves seduced into becoming a permanent part of the faerie world. Most fairy stories end, especially for the heroes, with the phrase “happily ever after;” characters may find this to be literally the case. The mythic tale they find themselves living traps them, for it is very enjoyable and seems completely real. At this point, unless they have companions willing to risk the wholesale wrath of the entire environment to drag them out, the characters are lost, permanently, and spend the rest of eternity playing out enormously enjoyable but fundamentally unreal fantasies.

Assuming visitors manage to negotiate not only the reasons for which they have entered Arcadia, but also the demands that it has made of them to participate in its stories, and still manage to preserve their sanity and belief in the real world, they face the challenge of finding their way back to their gateway. Slavic Earth will not want them to leave. It will tempt them to stay, put obstacles in their path, challenge them in both subtle and obvious fashions, and if all else fails, attack them. Two general rules serve best in such a situation. If the path is marked, egress is simplest. Visitors who take some tangible connection to the gateway and keep it safe at all times can use it as a focus. Using it, finding the path back is relatively easy. A visitor with no connection to use should take the path of greatest resistance. Wherever the way s hardest and the chance of success least likely is where the gateway is likeliest to be.

With these dangers and pitfalls, why would any person ever bother to enter Arcadia? There are several possible motivations.

First, it is a vast repository of knowledge. Nothing is ever really lost from the consciousness of a whole people, and Slavic Arcadia is the realm of Slavic racial memories. Things can be discovered there that simply cannot be found out in the real world, if one has the endurance to locate the right “person” and the willpower to break away at the end of it all.

Second, Arcadia offers concrete glances of the future. Time in Arcadia is flexible; it ripples, it dances, and the future can send echoes backward into the past. It is here that the gods, with their mighty intelligence and supernatural foresight, dwell. This is the realm of the Fates, who, surely, can answer all questions.

Third, other realms of Arcadia are accessible from Slavic Arcadia. There are points at which the dreams and myths of east and west meet. Seeking them out is likely to be a long hard trial, but it can be done. There are always rumors in Slavic Earth of “our brethren in the West.” It must be possible to travel there.

Fourth, there is great vis in Arcadia. In the real world faeries naturally cause deposits of vis to accumulate around them. Russia and Poland, recently Christianized and with their vast faerie auras, are relatively rich in such sources, but vis in Arcadia is even more abundant. It literally leaks out of the environment. All that is needed is to gather a few handfuls of dirt, a branch, or a piece of clothing and make for the nearest gateway. The environment, however, reacts badly to gross acts of theft and local spirits are likely to manifest themselves immediately and aggressively to deter thieves. Gifts are another matter, but mercenary questors will be dealt with harshly.

Finally, Arcadia is a place of fabulous quests for mythic objectives like the Firebird and the Waters of Life and Death. Such creatures and objects are only rarely accessible in the real world. There is a far better chance of locating them in Arcadia.

One piece of advice for all storyguides is that regardless of the strength of will and cunning of the players and their characters, each foray into Arcadia should cost something tangible. A grog might wander off, perhaps quite close to the end of the quest, and once he’s out of sight, he’ll never be found. If no suitable grog is available then one of the other characters may find himself haunted for months after emerging into the real world by the most alluring dreams. Perhaps he might even suffer episodes of sleepwalking that lead him back towards the gateway. . . .

The Onslaught

Time ripples in Arcadia. The future echoes backward and forward. In 1206 in Mythic Europe, when Genghis Khan united the nomad tribes of Mongolia, the path of the future was substantially set. Details change with the acts of men, but the Mongol invasions of Eastern Europe became inevitable from that time forward. Slavic Earth began to suffer invasions almost immediately.

At first these were trivial. The “nomads” living on the borders of Slavic Earth began raiding more vigorously and frequently than normal. Soon matters worsened. New bands of “nomads” were seen, and many of them were dangerous: fearsome dog-headed warriors, ogres, and demons. Several faerie princedoms were attacked in force; cities were besieged, one fell. Alarm spread through Slavic Earth at these developments, as witnessed by several Merinita magi.

Then the wyrms appeared, not just in Slavic Earth, but in the clan lands of Slavic Hell too. These creatures were unlike any thing seen in Slavic Arcadia before. Serpentine, these creatures have massive jaws, manes, and horns, often gold and silver or ebony in color. They have four limbs and terrible claws and fly through the air though they are wingless. They do not breath flame, but travel with thunder and lightning and strange magics.

These creatures are the spirits of the Mongols, come to ravage the spirits and dreams of the Slavs. In the time since their first appearance they have attacked the very roots of the World Tree, swarming into the clan lands in vast numbers. They have destroyed three princedoms in Slavic Earth and have made a blasted wasteland of the ground there.

In the future, war will become general in Slavic Earth, and the first signs of real damage to the World Tree will emerge. The Slavs as a people are about to suffer a terrible blow, one that will greatly hasten the end of Slavic paganism. The Mongols are going to butcher vast numbers of believers in Mythic Europe and slay many Volkhvy who will never pass on their knowledge and beliefs. If this tragedy is permitted to occur there will ultimately be no full recovery. Slavic Arcadia will be ravaged as the forces of Mongolian spirits and Shamanic magic sweep across it, and the first signs are already plain to see. How this Onslaught, as it has come to be called, affects Mythic Europe and your saga is up to you. Although these activities may simply be the reverberations of events in Mythic Europe, you might decide that the cause and effect are actually the other way around.

Whatever you decide, the events of the Onslaught should be tied in with your decisions about the inspiration and goals of the Mongol conquest in Mythic Europe, which will be discussed in Chapter 6.

Onslaught Dragon

Faerie Might: 40

Characteristics: Int +2, Per +3, Pre +3, Com +1, Str +7, Sta +8, Dex 0, Qik 0

Size: +5

Personality Traits: Destructive +6

Weapon/Attack:

Bite: Init +8, Atk +12*, Dfn +4, Dam +25

Claws: Init +8, Atk +12, Dfn +4, Dam +30

An Onslaught Dragon’s bite is large enough to engulf an opponent. Anyone suffering at least one Body level of damage must a simple die + Size of 6+ or be swallowed. Swallowed characters may try to cut their way out of the throat (Soak 12) or the stomach (Soak 15). Anyone entering the stomach must Soak 20 points per round from vitriolic acids.

Soak: +20

Fatigue: +10

Fatigue levels: OK/OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5/–5, Unconscious

Body levels: OK/OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3, –5/–5, Incapacitated

Powers:

Faerie Powers: Communicate with Plants/Animals/People 10, Control Element: Auram and Aquam 15, Fear 12, Glamour 10,

Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Iron

Vis: 10 Auram, 10 Aquam, 10 Perdo, 10 Vim

MALINCKA’SJ OURNEY, PART 5

From the sounds of it the debate was still going strong. Malincka sighed and wandered over to one of the wooden benches which lined the antechamber. There was a guard standing before the closed doors of the council chamber; the look he gave her mingled equal parts of boredom and envy. Certainly he would not be allowed the luxury of sitting down on duty.

She usually enjoyed Three Lakes. It was a healthy covenant, and, thanks to her friendship with Georgi Yurivich, usually a friendly one too. She’d passed seven winters here and brushed off several flattering hints that the magi would welcome her as a member.

Not here. Too traditional, too rule-bound, far too firmly under the thumb of the resident quaesitores, and much too close to heavily settled lands. Not at all what she had in mind. But if she wanted her covenant to succeed, she would need tribunal acknowledgment at a minimum. Solid support would be too much to hope for.

Politics. Did everything boil down to that? The Polish covenants fearing anything that wasn’t certifiably Slavic and Hermetic, the Bjornaer magi wanting more pure Bjornaer covenants, everyone else wanting less Bjornaer altogether. The tribunal as a whole more worried than they cared to admit by the presence of the shamans on the southern steppes, and firmly resolved to ignore the existence of the Volkhvy, at least officially. Above all, their steely resolve to steer well clear of any more entanglements with the royalty of Russia and Poland. She smothered a laugh. What was it that little man from Great Bulgar had said, all those years ago on the portage? “Too many princes.”

She sighed. Well, she had made her request. And Georgi had spoken in her support. A new covenant in the Urals. It might not be of any immediate use, but as a hedge against future developments, who could say? She hadn’t had to lie, thankfully. And no one had asked any of the dangerous questions. Her obsession with Intéllego magic and the Volkhvy was well known, but thought harmless. If they only knew. . . .

The noise level rose abruptly as the doors swung open. The guard braced quickly to attention, trying to look alert and menacing. The magi came out in groups, mostly by covenant, though several Bjornaer magi came out with the Pripets. The looks they sent her were hot enough to scorch. A pity. She had hoped for more support from the Bjornaer in general. If anyone would benefit from a general broadening of the Hermetic method it was they, she had hinted. Oh well. At last Georgi came out, with his father, and, a telling indicator, both of the quaesitores. The Leczycans were with them too. Good.

“Let me be the first to congratulate you.” It was Andrei Soitchkin. The elderly quaesitor didn’t move quickly, but his glance was very sharp. “It has been some time since we’ve given our blessing to a new covenant. If I may say so we were impressed, more than anything, by your willingness to travel so far in search of a suitable site. You seem a very determined young woman, Malincka, but really, are you quite sure about this?” He gestured toward the eastern windows. “It is a wilderness out there. A wilderness!”

“It will not remain one, sir. The gorge is fertile, and there is almost no building to be done. The caves are surprisingly comfortable. Who knows,” she let her voice grow arch, “perhaps you will find yourself wanting to visit?” Andrei was famous for his lack of humor, but he favored her with a minute smile and a gracious nod. “Who knows. Certainly some of our younger fellows will. Speaking of which, Georgi, that matter I mentioned . . . .”

“Certainly Andrei. All taken care of.” Georgi nodded affably. Malincka had no chance to question him until the crowd had ebbed out around them, and then he beat her to it. “You did say you wanted to attract some Bjornaer magi into this new covenant of yours?” He was smug with some secret or other.

“Absolutely. Why else did you think I spent all that time at Pripet? God, I can still remember the bloody black flies and the mosquitoes. Much thanks I got for it.” She shivered. There were a few old covenants in Hungary, but she’d never visited anywhere with such an air of decay as Pripet Maior.

The place stank of dying dreams.

“Well then, have you heard of Nastassia Baramov?”

“Nastassia? Yes, I’ve heard the name. Isn’t she one of the apprentices here?”

“Ah. Was. She was an apprentice here. She gauntleted yesterday, very young. All the Pripet magi were there, patting themselves on the back at seeing another Bjornaer magus come into the fold, until her final display.”

“Was it . . . very unusual?”

“Unusual? If you regard a Bjornaer magus who has altered her heart-beast so that it’s limned in raging flames as unusual, then yes, I’d have to say it was.”

“Flames?” Malincka shot a glance at the door through which the Pripet magi had withdrawn. “Oh dear — how. . . trying for them.”

“Yes. Just so. In fact I’d say they were pretty much mortally offended. Not that Nastassia cares, she doesn’t like being condescended to, and they’d already done that very thoroughly. But if you’d like to meet her I believe I could arrange it.”

“Yes . . . yes I’d like that very much.” A weight was lifting off her shoulders, she could feel it moment by moment. So much time, so much work, so much preparation, all so that she could reach this moment, all so that she could begin.

“Well, then, come down to the feast hall. I’ll introduce you. And Malincka?”

“Yes?”

“Mind your courtesies. Yesterday Nastassia was an apprentice. Today she’s a maga. And she won’t be slighted. She, ah, has a temper.”