Ars Magica Adventure
"You only live twice"

cccdave@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu

A diabolist, recently dead, has been raised as a ghoul as part of his contract with Satan. Unfortunately, this ghoul is causing so many problems (killing people, eating corpses from newly laid graves, etc.) in the nearby town, that people are flocking to the Church in droves, causing consternation amongst Satan and his followers. A demon approaches the covenant to ask the covenant to destroy the ghoul (the demons cannot kill it, as its existence was part of a contract they signed) in return for a favour or some gift. The gift need not be infernal, though the demon will do its best to make the gift a cause of trouble, unless the magi are very specific about the wording of the agreement.

Time: 1153 AC
Place: Covenant VaBrumsh, Chorzele, NNW of Pułtusk
The new-gathered party^* have recently arrived to the former VaBrumsh covenant.
Covenant VaBrumsh was located in an old fort made of timber and soil back in the beginning of the X century. The magi, at first residing in the fort itself, eventually built a stone tower-like building within the fort and moved the covenant. Gradually the fort lost its military importance and was left by the army (so called vois), and as it was located away from important trade routes, by many of its civilian inhabitants as well. People who remained were all associated with the covenant.
Twelve years earlier, in 1141, a local vicar from Gryfice (Jonatan Spokojny) appealed to the bishop in Płock for help in dealing with Satan's followers acting in the covenant. The bishop (Jakub Żółcicki) sent his personal representative, brother Lutvius (an Italian; sort of pre-inquisitor, although truly good-willed), who run an official investigation, confirmed Jonatan's suspicions and, together with Castellan Tomasz of Pułtusk, supervised punishment of the magi and ordered the covenant to be disbanded. Ian was publicly tortured and burned at stake. The same fate met all seven full-status magi; their apprentices were flogged and sent into slavery.
After Ian's trial and disbanding of VaBrumsh most of them left or scattered to neighboring villages, previously owned by VaBrumsh, namely Kieł, Róg and Trygząb.
The magi had good opinion among their peasants. They were quiet, gentle and seemed to understand the serfs' needs and goals. All they wanted was food and occasional services like conveying messages or manual works within the covenant itself. VaBrumsh employed a few armed grogs as well, but they were never used against the peasants, for policing or the like.
The officials will rather suggest founding the new VaBrumsh somewhere else, as "there may still be some diabolic influences in the old covenant". However, they will not particularly oppose the party if they decide to re-inhabit the old VaBrumsh.

Details on the fate of VaBrumsh:
·       the investigation was run by the Church
·       there are NO traces of any other magi involved in the trial
·       brother Lutvius really found signs of diabolic rituals, including human sacrifices - at least HE is sure of that (of course the same applies to Jonatan)
·       the only thing that does not conform to the official version was that the magi were all good-spirited and friendly - but that might have been a ruse...
·       there are no signs of any infernal auras in the covenant. Underground laboratories were stripped of any valuables (stored by the Castellan - he will pass them to the new covenant members) and then burnt, the shaft leading to them filled with soil and rubble. Brother Lutvius had in fact little idea of what to do with the Hell-polluted covenant...
In fact, VaBrumsh was cleverly destroyed by Marcus the Blue, a prominent mage associated with Bolesław Kędzierzawy's court. He became afraid of Ian's powers and wanted to conceal before him the fact he was (and still is) breaking the Code and influencing Bolesław to further his own ends.
And here comes the first mini-adventure. The ghoul is named Joanna Sowińska and was known to be particularly faithful to the new Christian religion. This was but a ruse, of course...