1221 AD: Intrigue at the Pyramids

1221 Adventure Oracle Rolls

Cabal Legacy—10% (97, no adventure)

Seeker—10% (25, no adventure)

Poverty—10% (35, no adventure)

Multiple Sites—10% (43, no adventure)

Road—10% (52, no adventure)

Tribunal Border—30% (28, adventure!)

Unsafe—10% (45, no adventure)

Unknown—30% (94, no adventure) 

 

This is apropos, because the Tribunal meeting is this year, and Jabril does plan to go.

 

Difficulty--rolled 6, ease factor 15 (again), no grace period so we're gonna have to take it.

 

Origin--rolled 37, Hermetic origin (apropos again). At ease factor 15, this is Jabril's own house instigating this adventure.

 

Timing--rolled 9, my choice. While it would make sense for it to be in winter, given that the tribunal meets then, I just can't afford an increase in ease factor, so I'm setting it in Autumn. 

 

Complexity--rolled 6, complex adventure. Only two challenges this time. 

 

Type--rolled 70, Legal/Diplomatic (apropos yet again), and 45, Magic. 

 

I'm opting in, I want to initiate into Mercurian Magic this year, so I'm looking to buy a mystagogue.

 

Omens--1, only 1 botch die this time. With my luck, I'll probably still botch. 

Spring 1221

I’m realizing I didn’t go into Jabril’s study with much of a goal before. I think I was just excited to try out Independent Study and Study Bonus. So, I decided he wants to work on diversifying his Creo rituals and eventually invent a few different Creo spells to supplement the covenant’s income. As a result, he spent time among the growing dates this season, studying his Creo summa.

In addition, the young magus heavily expanded his staff, hiring ten of the zaggaleh to serve as his turb, with Ahmad as turb captain. In addition, Ahmad traveled to Alexandria and hired a weapon smith and an armorer to keep their gear in good order,  as well as a gardener to establish a vegetable garden within the temple walls, as an additional source of food. Overall, the covenant spent 130 Mythic Pounds on these new hires (I am using the build point conversion table for these values to simplify things). 

Study xp: 12+2=14, bringing his Creo to 7.

Summer 1221

At the beginning of the season, the first Redcap arrived at Siwa Oasis. She carried a letter from the Ex Miscellanea covenant at the Pyramids, inviting Jabril to come and visit in autumn, to participate in a pre-Tribunal meeting of local Ex Misc magi. He was somewhat suspicious of this idea, not remembering such a thing happening during his apprenticeship, but nevertheless resolved to go.

Jabril also worked on bringing his Animal up this season, summoning a host of serpents and convincing them to placidly sun themselves across and around him while he studied the vis from his personal source, collected in spring (spending 3 pawns).

Vis study: 3+2+3+3=11 xp, bringing his Animal to 12.

2 exposure exp to Magic Theory, which he also gained in winter of last year (I forgot to mention). 

Autumn 1221

Going Back Home

At the beginning of autumn, Jabril made his way to the Pyramids covenant where he spent much of his time growing up. For once, he elected to leave Ahmad behind, reasoning that this is purely Hermetic business that shouldn’t need a grog. The rising nostalgia in his heart surprised even him once he eventually beheld the Pyramids, its sandstone seeming nearly golden, lit from the east by the rising sun. The journey of more than a week was exhausting—he hired a camel in Siwa and journeyed alone across the desert for eight days to Alexandria, with only the company of the beast. While Jabril preferred animals to people, he was of the opinion that camels complained far too much for their own good. 

From Alexandria, he had found passage on a ship going up the delta to Cairo, after some difficulty. The sultan’s forces had commandeered many boats, thanks to the threat of the Crusaders in Damietta. Indeed, once the small fishing skiff he had hired crossed into the wetlands, all lights were extinguished at nightfall, for if the Christians saw them from their ranging war parties—or so the old fisherman fearfully whispered—they would be seized as a trophy of war. Jabril thought he valued his rickety vessel far too much, but wisely kept such thoughts to himself. 

Three days of slow sailing past rolling farms, and at last Cairo came in sight. As he finally disembarked and made his way to the great necropolis on the outskirts of the city, Jabril was reminded of the bittersweet days of his youth. It was on this patch of sand where he first called the asps: it was that pile of weathered sandstone where he would sulk when Rolf dismissed him: the buried Sphinx, where Rolf in sand would draw out the letters in Latin and Arabic for him to learn. 

But this was not the true covenant, and indeed, he was not nostalgic for that place. Rolf’s sanctum had lain outside the Aegis due to his eremitic nature, in a half-collapsed outbuilding near the Great Pyramid. The true covenant lay within the Pyramid itself. At its base, he was met by one of the stoic Bedouins that served as covenfolk, who are taught the secret pathways that lie within the man-made mountains. The surly man led Jabril into a hidden passage in the great structure, down a tight, narrow passageway that seemed to twist and turn incomprehensibly until surely it had led them out back into Egypt. 

And in a way it had, or at least into an Egypt. As they emerged from the passageway, Jabril blinking against the sudden light, he found himself, as he had before, on the deck of a ceremonial funeral ship, rolling gently on the Nile. To the west could be seen the Pyramids, or a facsimile of them, caught up in a vast, formidable redness—the land of the dead, swallowed whole by an eternal Simoom. To the east lay the Black Land of life, covered in verdant farms and filled with temples, palaces, and even the sight of distant people, if people they were, moving like ants through their handmade labyrinths. And between the two, dead calm along the Nile, and the regio-ship that served as the true Pyramid covenant. Here, the last cult of Ra held sway. 

There was a welcoming party, and he was gratified to see that some of those who he had been distantly friendly with during his apprenticeship were still here: Tepher Hem-nacher, who he had always had a secret crush on, now draped in the robes of a priestess of Ra, and Sehotep, with his sardonic half-smile, and a handful of others he could name. The twelve magi welcomed him with all the politeness due an old friend and colleague, and treated him to a feast on one of the large lower decks of the ship, even remembering his particularly bland tastes. 

Gradually, the reason for this invitation became clear. Recently, some of the younger magi of the cult of Ra had begun to chafe at the impositions of the Levant Tribunal. Levantine magi, they said, were all too obsessed with the Crusades, and with the division between Islam and Christianity, something that had no relevance to the pagan cult of the Pyramids. Despite forming the largest covenant in the tribunal, with twelve magi (11 of them Ex Misc and 1 Bonisagus), the Pyramids had little sway in Levantine politics. And so, this secession faction argued, they should make a push at the next Grand Tribunal for Egypt to be counted as part of the Theban Tribunal. There, Ra would be recognized as their protector, and there was already a historical legacy of Roman rule in Egypt that justified this secession. But, they could not push for such an action without Jabril, thanks to his living within Egypt. Five magi formed this group, with greater or lesser commitment.

For his part, Jabril was more drawn to the pro-Levantine faction, also composed of five magi (three, including Heliobus of Bonisagus, the covenant founder, were uncommitted). They argued that whatever the historical context, the Levant Tribunal should be the Arabic and Coptic one, much as the Novgorod Tribunal is the Slavonic, and for Egypt to secede would irrevocably damage the native magi’s control of the Levant, leading to domination by foreign Christians. It was their duty as natives to keep the Levant strong, and moreover, trying to join Thebes would just involve them in another meaningless Abrahamic conflict, between the Greeks and Latins. Most convincingly for Jabril, his friends were part of this nativist faction, and so over dinner, he found himself increasingly arguing in their favor. 

This went poorly, unsurprisingly. Jabril had a fiery head and a warrior’s heart, not the cool cunning needed for debate. Before he realized, he had been talked into a corner by the opposing side, and all the rhetoric he could muster failed to convince anyone. Indeed, one of the uncommitted Ex Misc began to vocally support secession. As a last resort, he racked his brain for any bit of the Peripheral Code he could find to support his position: and remembered an obscure and unusual rule of the Levant. Many of its founders had been Flambeau, obsessed with duels and honor. And so early on, it had been established that participants in political debates of this nature could challenge their opposing number to certamen or dimicatio to force concessions. Jabril had never been skilled at certamen, but having so recently defeated a powerful settut witch, he felt confident in his abilities at dueling. Besides, the argument had been nearly enraging, and he could feel the hot anger beginning to overwhelm him. 

So, the challenge was levied: dimicatio to decide which way the Egyptian magi would move, with Jabril as champion for the nativists. To his quiet dismay, Nebet, oldest and most experienced of the secessionists, accepted his challenge. 

First challenge: Per+Folk Ken (rolled 4+0+3=7, failure) Sta+Artes Liberales (rolled 0, botch threatened, botch die 6, result becomes a normal failure with a total of 4), Com+Order of Hermes Lore (specialty, rolled 7+1+2=10, spent two confidence to succeed). One success, two failures. 

Duel on the Nile

It was obvious to every magus at the Pyramids that night that Jabril was outmatched. He was no pushover, but neither was he a dedicated hoplite, and Nebet had more than two decades of experience over him. Victory would not be had honorably, but by cunning. The two agreed that rather than deciding the affair with one strike, it was more fair that whoever struck their opponent’s Parma three times first would be the victor. 

As the dimicatio began, Jabril called out to a nearby hawk, one of the regio inhabitants, and used a spell of command to convince it to distract the older magus. It dove for Nebet, flapping around his head and screeching. This had the effect of making him lose concentration for a moment, allowing Jabril to sneak in the first strike. A general cheer rose from the nativists at this trick. 

But their excitement soon changed to worry as Nebet rapidly struck Jabril twice, both times the younger magus failing to identify the spell in time. He got in another strike of his own, but as Nebet smirked at him, he realized that it was as much a pity point as anything else. His rising fury at this condescension focused his mind, and he realized that while he couldn’t match Nebet for power or fast-casting ability, the rules of dimicatio clearly stated that one must strike one’s opponent’s Parma, not them, in order to score points, and so he came up with a dangerous plan. 

As Nebet’s final spell came hurtling in, Jabril screwed up his courage and momentarily suppressed his Parma, allowing his opponent to hit him with full force. It was a CrIg spell, and the force of it hurled him into the floor, while white-hot pain shocked through his body from burns across his face and arms. The magi of the covenant gasped and rushed to his aid, including Nebet: who failed to see in time as Jabril weakly summoned an asp and hurled it towards him, striking his Parma. 

The next few days were a bit of a blur: even after trading the majority of his vis for healing, the experience had been exhausting, and the nativists were more than happy to care for him. Nebet and his faction were furious, and argued that Jabril’s actions invalidated the dimicatio, while the nativists countered that if brought to tribunal, the Quaesitores would likely look very dimly on Nebet, him being the elder of the two. Regardless, while the secessionists refused to accept the result, Jabril’s courage had won over the two uncommitted magi, including Heliobus himself, and so the matter was settled, for now. Jabril knew well enough he had made enemies, though, and that the secessionists would not remain pacified forever. 

In brighter news, his courage also won him the respect of the elder Heliobus, who privately confided to him that this affair had shown his loyalty, and that the Bonisagus would be willing to officially initiate him into the Neo-Mercurians at Tribunal. This was a surprise to Jabril, who had not even known Heliobus was a member. Another surprise was learning that Rolf had also been guided within the cult by Heliobus, which explained the many nights in Jabril’s youth when the two had stolen off for some privacy among the sands. 

After his recovery, and laden with gifts by the grateful nativists, Jabril made his way back home, satisfied by his victory. 

Second challenge: Pre+Animal Ken (rolled 2+0+3=5,  cast Momentary Command of the Harnessed Beast to add magnitude 5 and spent two confidence to succeed), Int+Magic Theory (rolled 0, botch threatened, botch die 8, result becomes a normal failure with a total of 5) Qik+Parma Magica (rolled 6+0+1=7, cast Summoning the Creeping Death to add magnitude 5 and spent a confidence to succeed). Two successes, one failure. 

Result: a partial success. With no full botches, we only take one loss and two rewards, plus 9 xp (12 with Independent Study) and 9 confidence points. Before I talk about spending rewards, unfortunately, I rolled a 7 on the Loss table, meaning Jabril takes damage equal to the Ease Factor + a stress die! This really sucks, because I didn’t think to hire a healer nor does Jabril know any healing spells. I roll a 2+15=17 and Jabril rolls a 9+2 to soak, only taking 6 points—which is still a medium wound, yikes. 

Luckily, thanks to collecting Vim vis at the start of the year, Jabril has 14 pawns of vis overall, and trades 9 to a CrCo specialist at the Pyramids in exchange for a level 25 healing ritual to get him back up (using the BP conversion table, 1 BP=1 pawn=3 points of casting total, therefore 25/3=8.333, rounded up to 9). He is left with five pawns of Vim, having traded away all his remaining Ignem from last year, as well as his last pawn of Animal for this year and a pawn of Vim. As for the rewards, he spends 9 of the 14 BP gained on the services of a Neo-Mercurian mystagogue with Cult Lore 3 for next season, and 5 BP on a lesser enchanted item, a bracelet that can be activated 1/day to create an effect similar to Trust Me, but at Diameter duration. This will help certainly with social rolls. 5 xp goes to both Folk Ken and Parma, 2 xp goes to Magic Theory. 

Overall, the adventure takes 20 days, and Jabril gladly returned to Siwa to rest and recuperate for his winter travels.

Winter 1221

Jabril spent most of this season traveling. After collecting his vis from the Spring—Aquam this time—he made his way to the covenant of Domus Pacis near Jerusalem, where tribunal meetings are held. There, his control over Siwa Oasis and its vis sources was formalized, and he extended an invitation, as is customary, to any magus who may want to tour the covenant site. 

More concerning was the bitter debate between Christian and Muslim magi that dominated the meeting. The Christian covenants pushed hard to abrogate the Treaty of Baghdad, which guaranteed peace with the Order of Solomon, and launch an all-out war against the sahirs. The Muslim and Muslim-friendly covenants pushed back, arguing that said treaty was the only thing making the Hermetic presence here at all viable, and that peace was more sustainable. For their part, the Egyptian covenants mostly favored the Muslims. Even the Pyramids secessionists had no wish for war, and the rest had no desire to encourage the rapacious Crusaders. Only True Cross, in Damietta, supported breaking the treaty, which was no surprise given their crusader origin. 

The meeting ended bitterly, but peacefully, with the Christian covenants thinly defeated in the vote by the pro-peace faction. A sense of disunity prevailed, however, as the Christians and Muslims kept coldly to themselves. For his part, Jabril privately wondered if he had made the wrong decision championing the Levant. 

After the meeting, he met Heliobus, and the two traveled north, to Syria, for his initiation. Procuring a healthy ram in Antioch, they led it deep into the desert, arriving at an ancient temple of Mercury by December 11. There, Jabril was initiated into Mercurian Magic, at the cost of gaining two flaws (details below). Thanking his Mystagogue, Jabril rushed back to Siwa via Woolen Steed, arriving just barely in time to cast an Aegis over both Siwa and the temple, leaving him with one pawn of Vim. 

It is worth noting that the source of income from pearls becomes lesser this year, as the covenant is having to sell fewer and fewer in order to avoid flooding the economy. 

Initiation script for Mercurian Magic

Initiate must procure a healthy, strong ram and travel with it to a ruined temple of Mercury deep within the Syrian desert, arriving by December 11, traditionally the date of the winter Agonalia festival (+1 for special place and time). There, the initiate is clothed in the vestments of a priest of Mercury, as is the Mystagogue, and, while they chant Latin prayers to Mercury, the ram is sacrificed (+1 for sacrifice of material wealth). Then, the initiate disrobes and is ritually cleansed by the Mystagogue, a process which weakens the initiate’s connections to the spontaneous magic of the barbarians, gaining the Weak and Ceremonial Spontaneous Magic Flaws (+12 bonus overall for Major and Minor Ordeals). Once the cleansing is complete, the initiate receives a vision in which the decapitated ram’s head speaks and teaches them the secrets of Mercurian Magic. This script has a sympathetic bonus of +2, giving a total of +16, which Jabril’s Mystagogue supplements with a Pre+Cult Lore of +5, just reaching the necessary 21 for him to learn the virtue. 

This is a huge step forward for Jabril: he is now officially a Neo-Mercurian, and can now create Aegises at up to 3 sites in Siwa from the covenant’s base income. In addition, he doesn’t have to use his full personal source income to create wealth, which will be helpful once I get his Creo up. He gains 2 exposure xp to Neo-Mercurian Lore.