The Sundered Eagle - The Theban Tribunal Chapter Nine: The Magical Landscape

From Project: Redcap

The Theban Tribunal has a rich history of magic. This section discusses the magical powers that some think once ruled the world, and the magic that is thought to derive from their captivity. It also considers some of the non-Hermetic magics that are practiced across the four seas.

The Titans

In pagan mythology, the universe was created by primal beings beyond mortal understanding such as Khaos (Chaos), Ouranos (Heaven), Ge (Earth), Pontus (Sea), Erebos (Abyss), Nyx (Night), and Hemera (Day). Christian theologians who have studied the classics count these beings (the protogonoi) and their children (the titans) among the allegorical or actual Intelligences whom God set to rule over natural processes.

The six male Titans are all responsible for governing time in the Magic Realm. Hyperion establishes day and night, Krios orders the heavenly constellations, Koios rules the axis of the heavens, Iapetos is the titan of mortality, Kronos rules all-devouring time, and Okeanos regulates the motion of the tides. Their wives control natural forces of the Magic Realm: Theia is the brilliant sky, Mnemosyne (or Eurybia) is the mistress of the weather, Phoibe is the prophetic earth, Themis (or Klymene) is the Underworld’s cavern, Rhea is the fecundity of nature, and Tethys is the power of the waters under the earth. As described in Realms of Power: Magic, page 109, these primal beings are members of the Magic Realm, unlike the gods who succeeded them, who are faeries.

It is not difficult to understand the fascination that many magi of the Theban Tribunal have for these cosmic figures. Those individuals who pursue study of the titans are divided broadly into three factions, detailed below. These factions are not (yet) formal political leagues, but simply like-minded individuals who often collaborate due to similar goals. The names of the factions — Seekers of the Fallen, Legion of Atlas, and Kampe’s Lovers — were coined four Tribunals ago by Lucian (see Chapter 4, Hermetic Leagues) in a cynical speech mocking their efforts. The labels have stuck, and younger members of the factions have begun to refer to themselves in these terms.

The Titans, in Brief

The following is a very brief overview of the titans and their progeny, the Daimons and nymphs. Readers are directed to the bibliography for more information.

The sons of Krios and Mnemosyne are Perses, Pallas, and Astraios. Perses is the titan of the scorching heat of summer and destruction. His daughter is Hekate, goddess of witchcraft. Pallas is the titan of war-craft and spring. His children by Styx are the Daimons of rivalry, strength, force, victory, and persuasion beloved by House Tytalus (see Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 94). Astraios is the titan of autumn and the stars, and father of the winds and the planets. Mnemosyne is also the mother of the Muses by Zeus.

Iapetos and Themis had four sons: Atlas, titan of endurance and daring; Prometheus, titan of forethought and crafty counsel; Epimetheus, titan of afterthought and excuses; and Menoitios, titan of violence. Themis is also the mother of the three Graces and the three Fates by Zeus.

Hyperion and Theia gave birth to the sun (Helios), the moon (Selene), and the dawn (Eos). Okeanos and Tethys are the parents of all the world’s rivers and seas. Koios represents the inquisitive mind, and is acclaimed as the creator of science; Phoibe stands for the intuitive mind. Their two daughters are Leto, titaness of heavenly prophecy and omens, and Asteria, titaness of the oracles and prophecies of the night (including dreams and necromancy).

The Titans as Governors of the Universe

The titans are creatures of the Magic Realm, leading some to theorize that they were among the first creations of God. When He separated the earth and the sky, He created Ge and Ouranos; when He ordered the light He created Nyx and Hemera, and so forth. The implication is that the Magic Realm is the primal state of the world before man. With the titans set over time, and the titanesses set over nature, their children became the inventors of all human sciences and arts, the progenitors of culture, and, some say, the creators of mankind.

Seekers of the Fallen

This loose coalition of a handful of magi believe that the restoration of the titans will lead to a new age of magic. They believe the Garden of Eden was the Magic Realm, and when Adam and Eve were cast out beyond its bounds, they entered the mundane world, bringing with them fragments of the Magic Realm that manifested as auras. Most respected among the Seekers is Evantia of Moero’s Garden. The members of this faction are fascinated with Magic auras, regiones, and portals into the Magic Realm itself.

The Titans as Enemies of the Gods

The rulership of the titans over the universe was not destined to last. Kronos ate every one of his children by Rhea, after a prophecy revealed he was destined to be overthrown by his son. Appalled at his behavior, Rhea fed Kronos a stone instead of her third son and youngest child, and had the baby Zeus raised in secret. When he came of age, Zeus fed his father an emetic, and he vomited forth the stone, then Zeus’ elder siblings. Meeting as a council of war, the children of Kronos asked Zeus to lead them in war against the titans. The battle was enjoined and dragged on for many years. Initially neutral, Atlas joined the fight against the gods when they sunk Atlantis, his beloved island kingdom. He took over leadership from Kronos, and the titans started to win. The turning point for the gods, which won them the war, was obtaining three fabulous weapons from the Kyklopes: Hades stole the titans’ weapons using the helmet of invisibility, Poseidon distracted them with his trident, and Zeus struck them down using the thunderbolt. All the titans were captured and imprisoned in Tartaros, save Atlas who was set to hold up the vault of heaven, and Prometheus who sided with the gods.

Legion of Atlas

Perhaps the most radical faction of the Theban Tribunal, the Legion of Atlas seek to undermine the faerie gods. Rather than preserving the remnants of the Magic Realm on earth, the Atlasians plan to make it anew. This is a dangerous goal; not only are the gods themselves powerful opponents, but the Oath of Hermes is quite specific about prohibiting the molestation of the fae.

Kristophoros of Bonisagus is an evangelizing magus who takes the First Commandment very seriously. He believes that the remnants of pagan practices across the Tribunal are a form of insidious evil, and seeks to cleanse Hermetic procedure in Thebes from any hint of idolatry. Curiously enough, he has no issue with the titans, since they do not desire worship, unlike the faerie gods who live for it. Kristophoros has become a rallying point for all magi of the Legion of Atlas, since their goals coincide even if their philosophies do not. Kristophoros has used his considerable rhetorical powers in the past to prevent convictions against those magi who molest the fae, and characters may find in him an unexpected (and perhaps unwelcome) ally at Tribunal.

The Titans as Government in Exile

Mother Earth was consumed with wrath at the treatment of her children by her grandchildren, and bore a race of giants to wreak her anger. The 24 giants attacked the gods, but they were incapable of being killed by the gods, requiring instead the hand of Herakles to land the death blow. During the fight the geography of the world was rearranged as both gods and giants used uprooted islands and mountains as missiles. Ultimately the giants were defeated and either imprisoned or slain. The final monster to be brought forth by Earth was Typhon, the mightiest giant of all; his ass’ head brushed the heavens, his wings darkened the sky, and he spat burning rocks from his mouth. The gods were put to flight and they hid in Egypt in the shape of animals. Zeus was hamstrung by the hideous giant when he faced it; he was rescued by Hermes, and was subsequently successful in defeating Typhon with his thunderbolts and imprisoning him beneath the earth.

Having secured three victories over the progeny of Earth, the gods now reigned supreme. By overthrowing the titans and imprisoning them in the Underworld (that is, the Magic Realm), the gods usurped their power. The titans still represent the primal forces of the universe, but they do so at the behest of the gods.

Kampe's Lovers

Mortal magicians discovered long ago that despite being imprisoned, the titans were still capable of providing power for the exercise of magic. Some Seekers claim that all magic comes to man through the titans, and Hermes was the first to discover how to take this power without weakening their bonds. These magi do not seek the downfall of the gods, but do desire a greater bond with the primal spirits of the Magic Realm. Dubbed Kampe’s Lovers after the jailer of the titans, this faction is attractive to House Tytalus, since its goals mirror those of a Tytalan Mystery Cult called the Titanoi (see Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 94). Tisiphon of Hedyosmos is the most prominent member of this faction (see more on Tisiphon in Chapter 5: Greece, Hedyosmos).

Mythic Blood – Gigantes

Characters with the Mythic Blood Virtue can choose to have the blood of the Greek giants. These differ from giants in other parts of Mythic Europe, in that their immense size was accompanied by another distinct physical feature — they had serpent tails instead of feet. The Magical Focus that accompanies the Mythic Blood is usually connected with strength or the Form of Terram, and the Personality Flaw is Rebellious. Common Virtues and Flaws include: Giant Blood; Large; Horrifying Appearance — Snake Legs, Necessary Condition — must be touching the ground.

New Flaw: Rebellious
Major or Minor, Personality

You react adversely to any attempt to impose authority over you, and work against those who are in command. You do not necessarily have any desire to be a leader yourself, but you don’t like to be pushed around.

New Flaw: Horrifying Appearance - Snake Legs
Major, Supernatural

You have no legs, instead your hips give rise to two or more snake-like tails; you should consider how you survived childhood with this horrific deformity. Your movement is not hindered under most circumstances. You can hide this deformity under clothing, but you cannot move without revealing it, leaving you feigning being crippled as well.

The Sibyls

Legend has it that 10 sibyls are entrusted with the secrets of the universe. All of the sibyls predated Christianity, and yet they predicted the birth of Christ, his miraculous life, and his death for the redemption of all mankind. Several theologians, including St. Augustine and Peter Abelard, have declared the oracles of the sibyls to be true prophecy despite being relics of paganism. Whether or not each utterance of a sibyl is true prophecy is up to the storyguide. The oracula sibillina (the Oracle of the Sibyls) is widely circulated in the 13th century, as a descendant of a collation of many thousands of sayings of the sibyls uttered over hundreds of years.

What is little known is that the sibyls are ancient magic humans, gifted with immortality and true sight. Some are rumored to have been born mortal, and it is possible that “sibyl” is a role rather than an individual. Each sibyl rests in a powerful Magic aura or regio, and cannot leave without risking losing her prophetic powers (through Acclimation; see Realms of Power: Magic, page 52, for more details). Half of the sibyls dwell within the boundaries of the Theban Tribunal, and they are occasionally sought out for their wisdom, although each has a quirk in the manner in which she provides prophecy. Sibyls rarely live alone, and often have mundane or supernatural guardians to help them protect their secrets.

The Erythraean Sibyl

Demophile lives in Erythrae, a town in Ionia opposite Chios. She is closest to Christian teaching in her utterances, and is consequently more celebrated than her sisters. Her prophecies are presented in riddles; most characteristically as acrostics (a poetic device she invented), where the initial letters of each sentence spell out a word.

The Delphic Sibyl

Herophile dwells in the sacred precinct of Delphi on Mount Parnassus, a site famed for its oracle to Apollo. However, the Delphic Sibyl is not (and never was) the same as the Pythia — the priestess of Apollo known as the Delphic oracle — despite the two famous prophetesses occupying the same space (see Chapter 5: Greece for more details on Delphi). Herophile only utters prophecy for those with royal blood, although she seems unconcerned how dilute that blood is.

The Samian Sibyl

Phyto, on Samos, is one of the most approachable sibyls, and she is often brought gifts by the shepherds who graze their flocks near her cave. She demands that any questions are posed to her in a riddling rhyme, although her answers are refreshingly plain.

The Hellespontine Sibyl

Amalthea dwells at Dardania on Mount Ida in Asia Minor, although her origins are in Troy. She will prophesize truly for any native-born Trojan, but she refuses to utter any prophecy regarding Troy (or its present day descendant) ever since she predicted the war that saw so many Trojan deaths.

The Phrygian Sibyl

This sibyl’s name is Lamia, and she haunts Phrygia in the Anatolian Highlands. She is probably not the she-monster of the same name who preys on the unwary, but she has an unsavory reputation nonetheless. She must be physically overcome and forced to speak prophetic words; unlike the other sibyls, she is monstrously strong.

The Sybillides

While the sibyls themselves are incapable of leaving their shrines, they occasionally bear children to the visitors who seek their wisdom. A child of such a union is encouraged by her mother to leave the sanctuary of her magical home and experience the world. The children of sibyls — called sibyllides — are magic kin (Realms of Power: Magic, page 89). They may be magic characters or characters aligned with the Magic Realm. They always have powers associated with prophecy and extra-normal sight (like the Warders of Mystery from Realms of Power: Magic, page 95), and at least one has become a magus of the Order, naturally specialized in Intellego magic. They are obligated to return to their mother’s home every decade to report to her what they have learned about the world, so that she can judge whether it is right for more of her prophecies to be released.

Other Sibyls

The Persian Sibyl is named Sambenthe and lives in ancient Babylon. The Libyan Sibyl Phemonoe dwells in the Siwa Oasis in the Libyan desert. Sabbe the Hebrew Sibyl is purported to have been on the Ark, as one of Noah’s daughters-in-law. She wanders between Magic auras throughout the Holy Land. The Cumean Sibyl and the Tiburtine Sibyl are both to be found in Italy; Carmentis dwells at Lake Cumae near Naples, and Albunea next to the Tibur river in Etruria. The Cumean Sibyl sold three books of prophecy to King Tarquinius of Rome; these books became the property of a Roman college of priests, and then part of the lore of the Cult of Mercury.

Character Guide: A Sibyl

  • Magic Might: 25+ (mentem)
  • Season: Winter
  • Characteristics: Int +5, Per +6, Pre 0, Com +1, Str –1, Sta 0, Dex –1, Qik –1
  • Size: 0
  • Age: n/a (varies)
  • Confidence Score: 2 (6)
  • Virtues and Flaws: Magic Human, Magical Master; Famous, Self Confident; Meddler; Ability Block (Martial Abilities), Visions
  • Magical Qualities and Inferiorities: Divination & Augury (see The Mysteries Revised Edition, Chapter 7), Improved Perception, Natural Appearance; Improved Abilities x 3, Mentem Resistance, Minor Virtue (additional Divination methods) x5, Minor Virtue (Great Intelligence) x2, Minor Virtue (Great Perception) x2, Minor Virtue (Improved Characteristics), Minor Virtue (Premonitions), Minor Virtue (Puissant Divination)
  • Personality Traits: Enigmatic* +6, Meddlesome +3, Brave +1
  • Reputations: Prophetess 4 (Local)
  • Combat:
    • Unarmed Defense: Init –1, Attack n/a, Defense –1, Damage n/a
  • Soak: +0
  • Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
  • Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)
  • Abilities: Classical Greek 5 (prophetic pronouncement), [Area A] Lore 5 (varies), [Area B] Lore 5 (varies), [Area C] Lore 5 (varies), Artes Liberales 4 (scribing riddles), Divination 10+2 (varies), Faerie Lore 4 (prophecy), Guile 1 (under duress), Intrigue 3 (local politics), Latin 5 (declamations), Living Language 4 (local dialect), Magic Lore 5 (prophecy), Mentem Resistance 5 (mind-reading), [Organization A] Lore 5 (varies), [Organization B] Lore 5 (varies), Penetration 5 (Divination), Philosophiae 4 (natural philosophy), Premonitions 5 (nations), Teaching 3 (Area Lore)
  • Vis: 5 pawns of Mentem vis, in tools of divination
  • Appearance: Each sibyl appears as a woman native to the area; some appear to be young maidens, whereas others appear as haggard crones. They wear flimsy veils across their faces, or else a blindfold.

This character guide follows the rules for Magic Characters (see Realms of Power: Magic, pages 29–54), and describes the basic minimum game statistics of a sibyl. However, there is plenty of room for customization; the sibyl has only 5 points of Virtues and Flaws, and most sibyls have a Magic Might greater that 25, allowing room for some overtly magical powers rather than relying on Divination, Premonitions, and a vast knowledge of diverse subjects. The sibyl’s Enigmatic Personality Trait is an Essential Trait; magical effects to make her speak clearly mysteriously fail. Some sibyls might be Transformed Humans rather than Magic Humans.

Magical Bindings

One of the most significant magical traditions of Ancient Greece — although by no means unique to Ancient Greece — is the power of bonds, whether those restraints are taken unwillingly or voluntarily in the form of oaths. These traditions have not vanished along with antiquity, but only fragments of them survive into the 13th century. It is the choice of the storyguide as to whether any or all of the fragments presented in this section constitute a single or multiple magical traditions, and whether practitioners of that magic still exist in the wildernesses of the Tribunal, away from the eyes of the Order.

Stygian Magi

An interest in binding magics is known as the “Stygian Art” in the Theban Tribunal, connecting these magics to the mythology of the Underworld. It is commonly held that binding magics are suspect, possibly even Infernally corrupted, probably due to the preeminence of the Goetic Arts in this field. Despite this reputation, some magi still pursue these studies. Most notable of these is Polydegmon of Hedyosmos (see Chapter 5: Greece), who practices a non-Hermetic tradition of binding magic; until he trains an apprentice, his abilities remain unique in the Tribunal.

The Witches of Thessaly (Realms of Power: The Infernal, pages 140–142) — possibly the native tradition of Trianoma — still practice their stygian magic across the Tribunal, but specifically on the mainland. Here they clash with the Covenant of Erebos (see Chapter 5) over territory and magical resources.

Epanakoi

“Epanankoi” is a general term for spells that constrain, specifically for the purposes of coercing spirits and gods. The epanankoi are among the most powerful magics of the classical period, practiced by both gods and men, and are almost completely forgotten in the current day. Some fragments of this power remain, and magi eagerly seek them out for clues to this lost magic.

The Gates of Tartaros that constrain the titans are one of the most significant bindings known. These mighty chains allowed the gods to direct the power of the titans while keeping them imprisoned. The jailer of Tartaros is a fearful she-dragon called Kampe; she is the embodiment of the chains of the gods ever since Zeus slew her. Some claim that Kampe’s power was channeled by ancient sorcerers to work their binding magics.

Some of the bindings wrought in ancient times still hold today, and members of the Order who are aware of them are nervous that they are incapable of repairing them should they be broken. Some example bindings known to the Order include:

  • The island of Delos was once bound to the ocean floor by spells wrought by a titan, but this binding as now been broken (see Chapter 6: The Islands);
  • During the gods’ war against the giants, each defeated foe was bound into the earth, crushed under mountains, or buried beneath islands. The locations of some of these giants are known;
  • The Jar of Pandora is rumored to be an item of great binding magic capable of controlling the spirits of hardship and death;
  • The monsters of the Persian Wars were bound by Greek sorcerers into inanimate objects (see Chapter 2: History);
  • Oaths formed the foundation of the mundane leagues (see Chapter 2).

Diabolai

Much as Christians threaten saints into compliance with ritual humiliation (Realms of Power: The Divine, pages 87–88), so too can local spirits and mythological figures be coerced into acting on a character’s behalf. Although by no means common in the empire, practice of diabolai, or “slander rites,” is widespread. The most common use of diabolai is to evoke the wrath of a supernatural being and direct that wrath at the target of choice; but this process can direct the being to use any of its powers at the character’s command. Not every supernatural creature is responsive to diabolai; it has to be a sentient being who has accepted patronage over a specific site or subject personal to the character invoking it. Thus a native of a village could invoke a nymph who guards a local grove; a local could visit the long-abandoned shrine to Helios the sun god; a physician could invoke Aesklepios, the god of medicine; and someone with Mythic Blood could call upon his magical ancestor. This deep and personal connection is vital: a person cannot simply perform a diabolai on a random magical spirit or faerie. The character also requires some intimate knowledge of the specific being he intends to invoke, represented by knowledge of the (Realm) Lore appropriate to the entity’s Might. Characters without an appropriate (Realm) Lore cannot perform a slander rite, but no other specialist Ability or Virtue is required. Slander rites can be used to coerce creatures from any Realm, but they are most commonly used against Faerie and Magic beings. Attracting the attention of demons with these rites is opening yourself to future corruption.

It takes several hours to perform a slander rite. The most common method involves drawing a portrait or making an effigy of the entity, wrapping it in cloth and then throwing it into an oven or bath, or suspending it over a lamp. Alternatively, the character can reverse the normal (pagan) worship rites of the being, such as offering the brains of a black ram, or fumigating a holy place with burnt dung from a black cow. But any of these rites, particularly the last, are easily misconstrued as paganism or demon worship, and may attract unwanted attention from one’s neighbors. While performing the slander rite, the character must describe the power to be employed and the target of that power, if appropriate. If the entity does not have the requested power, then the diabolai automatically fails.

Diabolai Presence + (Realm) Lore + modifiers + stress die
Ease factor 9 + being’s (Might / 5

If the slander rite succeeds, the invoked supernatural being immediately uses its power to grant the character the effect he demanded. If the rite fails, the invoked being is annoyed and will not respond to any further petitions for a month. If the roll is 10 or more points beneath the Ease Factor, or the diabolai is botched, then the entity uses one of his powers on the invoking character. Furthermore, the supernatural being refuses to entertain more requests from anyone for the entire year.

Modifiers to Diabolai

Diabolai performed in public:+2 Requested power is apt (e.g. target worthy of punishment): +1 to +5, as determined by the storyguide Synthemata of being known (see The Mysteries Revised Edition, pages 86–88): +3 True Name of being known (see Realms of Power: The Infernal, pages 34–35): +9 Performed a diabolai in the last month: –9 Threatening an unfamiliar being: –6

Goetia

A more direct way to summon and control spirits and gods is through the Goetic Arts (see Realms of Power: The Infernal, pages 114–119). The term goes, meaning “sorcerer,” is one of the most ancient words used to describe magic in Greek, and some believe that this brand of Infernal sorcery began here. Because they deal with chthonic forces, the Goetic Arts inevitably bear the taint of the Infernal realm. Practitioners are treated with the utmost prejudice by Hermetic and Church authorities alike.

Spirit Magic and Theurgy

Some Mystery Cults of the Order of Hermes teach a form of binding magic that deals with spirits (Hermetic Spirit Magic) or Daimons (Hermetic Theurgy). Both of these techniques contain elements of binding and control, and it may be that they owe their origins to either diabolai, goetia, or both. For more information on these magics, see The Mysteries Revised Edition, Chapters 8 and 9.

Katadesmos Magic

The lost art of Defixio Magic (see Ancient Magic, Chapter 3) was called Katadesmos Magic in Ancient Greece, where it was perhaps more prevalent than in Ancient Rome. However, the evidence is more scattered and less easy to obtain. That has not deterred the magi who search the islands for katadesmoi — cursing tablets — in hope of an insight into this lost magical tradition. Through this magic, a wizard could enact a curse on a victim at any range without the need of an Arcane Connection. Furthermore, they could create conditional spells that would be triggered in response to a specified event, and thus act as warnings, traps, and governors of good behavior. The ancients would call upon spirits to act as conduits to their magic, and to deliver their spells to their enemies.

One consequence of the prevalence of Katadesmos Magic is the manifestation of the Leadworker Virtue (Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 143) in non-Hermetic wizards who may take this Virtue as a Supernatural Virtue. Among magi, leadworking remains a secret of House Tremere.

Hedge Magic and Magicians

The Theban Tribunal is a fortunate place for practitioners of magic; not only is it magically rich in terms of auras, regiones, and vis, it also has many wild and uninhabited places that serve as retreats for the Gifted individual wishing to avoid the negative consequences of his Gift on other people. The Order of Hermes has estimated that one in every hundred people in the Theban Tribunal have some magical ability; although only one in every thousand has received any formal training. Furthermore, only one in 10,000 has The Gift, and is thus capable of learning the most powerful magic.

Magical Tradition

Hedge Magic, Ars Magica Fifth Edition’s supplement for non-Hermetic magic, details a number of magical traditions that can be found across Mythic Europe. This section describes how these traditions might manifest in the Theban Tribunal.

Elementalists

Chapter 2 of Hedge Magic describes the Apostles of Apollonius, devotees of the legendary inventor of elemental magic, Apollonius of Tyana. These wizards can be found scattered throughout the Greek islands and in Asia Minor, and they have some contact with their Arabic counterparts in the Muslim lands to the south and east. Control over the elements of water and air is exceptionally useful for sea-going peoples, and merchants occasionally hire these wizards to ensure safe passage.

Folk Witches

Folk witches are mostly found on the Greek mainland rather than on the islands. Many are secret devotees of Hekate, the titan-goddess of witchcraft, and claim an unbroken tradition leading back to the classical era. Some covens have joined forces with the Strigae or Daughters of Erictho (Realms of Power: The Infernal, pages 129–131 and pages 140–142, respectively), although it is often these Infernal witches who are in control. This alliance has given the practice of the folk witches a bad reputation in the empire.

Gruagachan

While this magical tradition is based in a culture from the other side of Mythic Europe, a storyguide could introduce a similar tradition drawn from the Pelasgic people of pre-Hellene Greece. They would be worshipers of the titans and descendants of the serpent-tailed Greek giants, but their powers over curses and blessings, and the connection of these to permitted or prohibited behavior, is a perfect match for the binding magics native to the Tribunal. It is probable that Greek versions of the gruagachan would have access to spirit magic, most likely in the form of some of the Goetic Arts (Realms of Power: The Infernal, pages 114–119), in exchange for losing the ability to create enchanted tattoos. They may be a reservoir of Defixio Lore which would greatly extend the scope of their magic.

Learned Magicians

Byzantium has no universities, which are the most likely home of the mathematici, although Constantinople’s famed schools are perhaps a suitable substitute. Any mathematici in the Theban Tribunal are more likely to have come here with the Venetian invaders. However, the variant form of cunning folk are perhaps as common as folk witches in rural areas, communing with faeries and local nymphs for the protection of their community. Likewise, alchemists have a home in Constantinople. They are heirs to a great body of learning, and were richly funded before the fall of the empire because of their contributions to military prowess, particularly with regard to Greek Fire.

Nightwalkers

Nightwalking traditions were a feature of Ancient Greece, and remnants of the cult remain in pockets across the empire. They often find themselves at odds with Folk Witch covens, particularly those who have teamed up with Infernal witches. Nightwalkers in Greece often have other magical abilities, such as being cunning folk (see Learned Magicians).

The Malkai

In Rival Magic a tradition of wizards called the Muspelli is described, who derive their magic direct from the Norse equivalents of the titans. Advice is given for variant Muspelli in other lands, including the Makhai — Greek sorcerers who serve the monstrous Ekhidna and Typhon, who were brought forth by the Earth to avenge the imprisonment of the titans on the faerie gods. The Makhai might incorporate or replace the Gruagach variants mentioned in this chapter.

Peasant Magic

As well as the usual collection of minor magical powers represented by Supernatural Abilities like Dowsing, Premonitions, Second Sight, and so on, the common folk of Greece also have a very minor ceremonial magic. The origins of this magic — if indeed it has a single origin at all — is long lost. It is usually dismissed by Hermetic magi as beneath their notice.

New Virtue: Folk Magic
Minor, Supernatural

The character is capable of performing very minor acts of magic through his knowledge of scraps of occult lore. Choose one (Realm) Lore that is the key Ability for this magic; he may learn this Ability at Character Creation even if he is normally unable to take Arcane Abilities. The choice of (Realm) Lore also determines which supernatural realm his magic is aligned to for the purposes of aura modifiers. He can only create spells in one narrow area, which must be one of the following four options:

  • Abjuration: Creates a ward against animals or supernatural creature. Uses the Rego Animal or Rego Vim guidelines.
  • Divination: Acquire magical senses that detect health, wealth, and mental state. Uses Intellego Corpus, Intellego Mentem, and Intellego Terram guidelines.
  • Healing: Grants a Recovery bonus for either wounds or diseases, and aids the birthing of children and livestock. Uses the Creo Corpus or Creo Animal guidelines. Infernal Lore cannot be used to produce this type of effect.
  • Evil Eye: Causes minor acts of mischief like pain, blight of crops, hair loss, sneezing, and so forth. Uses the Perdo Corpus, Perdo Animal, or Perdo Herbam guidelines. Divine Lore cannot be used to produce this type of effect.

To cast a spell the character must expend a fatigue level, whether the spell succeeds or fails. He must also spend at least 15 minutes preparing the spell, during which time he needs unbroken concentration and access to his “magical” materials (while necessary, these materials offer no benefit to the casting). The spell is designed exactly like a Hermetic spell. The Casting Total is equal to (Stamina + (Realm) Lore + Aura modifier + stress die) / 2. Penetration is calculated in the normal fashion: Casting Total – Spell Level + Penetration modifiers. You may pick this Virtue more than once, to acquire expertise in a different category of spells. Each time you choose this Virtue, you can align it to the same Realm as before or pick a different one, although a character cannot have access to both the Divine and Infernal Realms.

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