Tribunal of the Nile in 1235

Tribunal of the Nile

Praeco: Heliobus Magister ex Bonisagus

Chief Quaesitor: Balthazar ex Criamon

Population: 6 covenants, 27 magi (4 unGifted Redcaps, 2 wandering eremites)

—15 Ex Miscellanea

—5 Mercere

—2 Criamon

—2 Bonisagus

—2 Jerbiton

—1 Verditius

Covenants, ordered by age

Venti Rosa

Type: Summer

Technically the oldest covenant in the Tribunal, Venti Rosa is not, strictly speaking, a Nilotic covenant, at least not originally. Formed in 1101 in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Venti Rosa has always been a mobile affair, moving from covenant to covenant in the Levant as a wandering Mercer House. The caravan does possess minor static holdings in Damietta, Alexandria, and Qus (and used to have more in Syria and Jerusalem, but relinquished them after secession), but these are small private docks and warehouses, not sancta. Venti Rosa possesses only one small vis source, a small statuette of a pharaoh that produces 4 Vim yearly, but likely has the largest vis income in the Tribunal, thanks to its function as the mechanism of the book and vis trade in the Nile. 

Magi: Robert ex Mercere (the only Gifted member), Sarah ex Mercere (the effective leader), Khayzuran ex Mercere, Thomasin ex Mercere, Ibrahim ex Mercere

The Pyramids

Type: Summer/Autumn

By far the largest covenant in the Tribunal and the oldest settled one, the Pyramids is built inside a regio within the Great Pyramid, and possesses a fair few furnished outbuildings outside the site. Originally a hidden cult of Ra, maintained via one of the unusual features of the regio—when there are fewer than twelve Gifted individuals living inside it, a young Gifted Egyptian feels the overpowering urge to travel to it and join the priesthood—the cult was initiated en masse into House Ex Miscellanea by Heliobus Magister ex Bonisagus in 1178, forming the Pyramids covenant. While the cult honors Ra above all—each member having the Spiritual Pact virtue as part of their tradition—Thoth and Anubis* form the full triumvirate invoked by the Pyramidians, and, usually, two of the priesthood in each generation are selected to devote themselves to these gods rather than Ra. Heliobus is a priest of Mercury and local leader of the Neo-Mercurians, but functions as the current priest of Thoth, syncretizing the two in his personal theology.

As oldest magus in the tribunal, Heliobus also serves as Praeco, and thus the Pyramids are the effective capital of the Nile. Only time will tell if Heliobus can maintain the huge responsibility that comes with high priesthood to two gods and praecoship. The Pyramids, as a note, has fairly rich vis sources scattered across the complex, totaling about 30 pawns of various Arts a year, but the many magi mean that it is almost always vis-poor. The three-magus council, Heliobus, Nebet, and Sat Djehuti, priest of Anubis, has enacted a fairly restrictive system of covenant service and vis income to compensate.

Magi: Heliobus Magister ex Bonisagus (leader), Sehotep ib Inepu ex Miscellanea, Djehuti Hotep ex Miscellanea, Sat Djehuti ex Miscellanea, Meret Djehuti ex Miscellanea, Djehuti Aha ex Miscellanea, Cheper Baw Inepu ex Miscellanea, Nebet en Medw ex Miscellanea, Inet en Inepu ex Miscellanea, Hekait Inepu ex Miscellanea, Tepher Hem-nacher Inepu ex Miscellanea

True Cross

Type: Spring/Winter

Founded as part of the Crusader occupation of Damietta in 1219, True Cross initially seemed to have a bright future ahead of it as the first foothold of Christian magi in Egypt. Numerous setbacks, however, have pushed it to the brink, and it remains to be seen if the sole remaining magus, Xydas ex Bonisagus, can persevere and keep the lone Christian covenant alive. True Cross’s general isolation from the political milieu in the tribunal doesn’t help matters. That being said, Xydas has access to the large library and wealth of vis and enchanted devices of a powerful sahir evicted by the Crusaders, who has never returned to his estate, so it’s not all bad.

Magi: Xydas ex Bonisagus

Siwa Oasis

Type: Spring/Summer

This saga has already chronicled the journey of Siwa Oasis, but it’s worth noting that despite being a one-magus covenant, Siwa produces nearly as much vis as the Pyramids, and being of course foundational to the Nile Tribunal, is held in high regard.

Magi: Jabril ex Miscellanea, the Black Hand, Serpent of Siwa (it’s my saga, yes, he gets cool nicknames)

Ikhmindi

Type: Spring

A young covenant founded in 1227, Ikhmindi lies in Nobatia, south of Egypt, and possesses several peculiarities. First of all, it is entirely made up of Aithiopians, a catchall term for the inhabitants of the derogatorily-termed Slavelands around Nubia and Ethiopia, and indeed has the only members of those groups in all the Order. Secondly, it is the furthest south of any covenant, established within the ruins of a fortress along the Nubian portion of the Nile. The covenant consists of three Ex Miscellanea magi of varying traditions, as well as a single Jerbiton, who is the effective “face” of the covenant, though it has no formal leader. Though young, Ikhmindi is fairly stable, in a good location with a few vis sources and a loyal population of covenfolk, freed from slavery. 

Magi: Chisomo ex Miscellanea, Aznag ex Miscellanea, Hidaya ex Miscellanea, Mukhtar ex Jerbiton

Bahariya Oasis

Type: Spring

The newest of the Nile’s covenants, formally founded in 1230, Bahariya is a burgeoning Criamon clutch led by the Chief Quaesitor and former eremite Balthazar. A follower of the Path of Walking Backwards, Balthazar is a student of the Sufis, and hopes to form his nascent covenant into a Hermetic madrassa of sorts, infusing the spiritual teachings of Islam into the Hermetic Arts, although he syncretizes them with his Mercurian beliefs. Despite his pacifist nature and spiritual inclinations, Balthazar is a firm Hermetic traditionalist, and administers justice with an uncompromising and exacting eye. Aurelia, his former apprentice, is the only other member of the covenant currently, but has made it her focus to draw magi from Europe. 

Magi: Balthazar and Aurelia ex Criamon

Eremites

The nascent Nile Peripheral Code distinguishes settled magi from eremites, regardless of the number of settled magi at a specific location. The homes of settled magi are always considered covenants—partially due to the influence of Jabril and partially due to the number of low-population covenants in the area. While Venti Rosa is an exception thanks to its unique situation, wandering magi are always considered eremites otherwise. 

There are only two declared eremites in the Nile at the moment. The first is Matthias ex Verditius, a native Copt and member of the Confraternity of Irene. Though he has a few workshops in Cairo and Alexandria, he has no permanent home, and lives a quiet life making religious art for Coptic monasteries. The second is Sjjad ex Jerbiton, a very different figure. Member of the Ponderers of Weight and Distance, he is a larger-than-life figure, a merchant adventurer who takes great pleasure in economic experimentation, injecting large quantities of capital into a given city’s economy and observing the results before moving on once more. Unlike Matthias, Sjjad owns a mobile laboratory and sanctum in the form of a river ship, which he frequently takes on restless journeys upriver. 

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Comments: Ikhmindi, Bahariya, the eremites, and of course Siwa are my own inventions, as are the magi in them (feel free to use them in your own sagas if you want). The others are from the 4e Levant book. The Nile is in a strong starting position with a few well-established covenants and some newer ones, as well as a unity derived from its formation, which may dwindle over time. Over time, I’ll detail how I think the various covenants outside of Siwa develop, which I may or may not roll for. It is my saga, after all, and the joy is in the worldbuilding. One thing to note is while the Neo-Mercurians were key to the creation of the Tribunal, there are only four Neo-Mercurians among its initial population: Heliobus, Chisomo, Balthazar, and of course Jabril. Hector takes over priest duties for the Levant. 

Next time: 1235 and our all-new adventure Oracle!