Saga
Anno Domini 1130, the very foundations
Senior Magi of the Alliance of Crocus Briarea met after a brutal killing happened to a magus in an abandoned university near Brixia, during the works for a magical conference. The organizers chose that ancient building because it's isolated from the city of Brixia itself, and because it's located on the top of a hill from which it is possible to see the plans nearby and the small towns of Arsenigo, Timete and La Ghianda.
As it is obvious to think, the magical conference, after the finding of a magus hanged by the neck at one of the windows of the abandoned university, was closed and abandoned. Soon thereafter, a magical council was called, and it was decided to found an Hermetic Alliance there, and to give Leandro Baldovino da Roccascambiata the presidence of it. This because he was a young Quaesitor seeking for a work, and they thought he could be the right person to keep under control the situation there at the Crocus Briarea Palace.
The first study of the topographical organization of the newborn Crocus Briarea Alliance.
He then would chose the members of the Alliance, between the young magicians who where present there, and between those who decided to swear fidelty to the Pact of the Alliance.
Maga Sanarà ex tytalo was chosen, and she then said that she previously had had a vision in which an old woman predicted that something awful would have happened: she quite often has visions, and those almost always horrible visions predict future events with a remarkable precision.
Magus Girolamo Nagus ex Flambeau was chosen, and he would take to the Alliance all the prestige of a very young and very talented battlemage, with a particular passion for Ignem, and some problems with discipline...
Magus Tartaliano ex Criamone was chosen. Good in crafted foci, in laboratory magic and in magical researches, he was the right person to embody the keeper of the bibliotheque and the laboratory director.
on the first problems encountered by the magi of the Alliance
In order to give prestige to this newborn Alliance, born to vanquish the suspect on the killing of that magus, soon a magician student arrived, and another was chosen between the small populace settled in the near of the Crocus Briarea Building. This second one proven to be a very prolific apprentice, his name was Renzo, and his magical name is Retzius: Baldovino, the Magus Primus of Crocus Briarea Alliance was his mentor. Problems came with the first apprentice, whose name was Olaf, and whose mentor was Girolamo Nagus, when while restructuring the ancient Crocus Briarea Building and its subterranean tunnels the magi found a secret chamber, in which a greek-style statue was buried. That statue represented a young beautiful man, and a third eye was opened on his brow. Shortly after Sanarà was again affected with horrible visions, but she couldn't manage to understand the meaning...
Baldovino decided to close that room with a secret door, and to keep it unknown to the other magi.
Olaf day by day changed its behaving, passing all of his time in the laboratory, which was located near that secret chamber. Eventually, Tartaliano discovered Olaf reached the chamber, and spent his time adoring the statue: on the basement of the statue it was carved the name of that ancestral demonic divinity: its name was "Mondo". Once discovered, Olaf reacted brutally, and the poor Tartaliano ended his days beaten to death by the young corrupted satanic acolyte.
Girolamo run after Olaf, but he succeeded in fleeing to the woods near Briarea.
Olaf changed his name in Kali, and founded a community of Mondo's adorers, inspired by the very demon. Quick as a plague, its cult spread to the nearby village of La Ghianda, and the magi of Crocus Briarea decided to put an end to it. They hired some warriors, and found military support by the Catholic Holy Church, settled in Arsenigo. They passed days and night planning the attack, coordinating the different troops, and preparing a huge magical attack, directed to the elimination of Kali himself.
But when they finally reached the location of Alua Aria, this was the name Kali gave to his village, protected by mountains, they stood astonished in front of the mighty cathedral the acolytes were building in order to adore the demon Mondo. They led the raging attacks of the catholic templars, and at the crucial moment, Baldovino used all the amount of vis they had to destroy Kali with a terribly powerful enchantment. Mountains tremble, and fell on the cathedral, but as a proof of the strenght of the demon, the cathedral stood against the blow of the mountain falling on it, and didn't collapse to the ground...
The weeks following it was clear that the cult had been eradicated from La Ghianda, and soon La Ghianda and all its population became part of the Crocus Briarea Alliance.
But Sanarà kept on with her visions, and all the magi know that somewhere between the mountains there's an abandoned demonic cathedral still standing.
AD 1132-1137, On Church Reactions
The Magi of Crocus Briarea Alliance, Baldovino e Sanarà, were gifted with prestige and reputations in the catholic ambients. And investigators from Cluny Abbey came there to perlustrate.
Other magi joined the Alliance: Magus Gioacchino ex Tytalo, a strange person who doesn't need to eat, can't use any magic concerning the four elements but has a particular predisposition for the Forma Mentis, Magus Wilfrido Shwarz, a Bjornaer magus with an unusually strong bestial soul, a very good new entry because of the fidelty he'll prove to have for the Alliance, Maga Mercere Madeleine, a beautiful maga, who loves travels and during her life knew many different populations, Magus Guglielmo da Fonte, very into laboratory matters, magus Giobbe, a flambeau magus coming from the eastern tribunals with an undisclosed past behind him, and Magus Carmilla Bonisagus, a quite old warrior magus.
Carmilla, as a wandering mage, says he went to a near abandoned magical alliance: the other magi decide to go there, and find an abandoned fortress, located near an empty river, between two mountains, with an incredibly high magical aura. The only sign of past human presence is the portrait of a beautiful woman, with long dark hair. They decide to take the magical laboratory there, leaving the subterranean area near the statue of Mondo.
During these years the muslims are seen at our geographical locations. The magi, seeking for adventure, seeing their population growing and in the need to accompany the magical prestige their Alliance is being imbued with some concrete magical possessions, start a mission in the north of the italic peninsula, and come to a small city near the Alps the name of which is Rhea.
The cicle of adventures our heroes go through in Rhea would eventually lead them to battle against the Kobolds, a strange race of dog-men who can cast a deformed variation of the Hermetic magick. Guglielmo starts studying it from a little book the magi stole from the cavern in which the kobolds lived.
Finally, the magi of Briarea found also the muslims have their magical theories, and risk to succumb during a dreadful ambush a muslim mage set against them.
Gioacchino proves to be a great tactical mind: during Rhea adventures, and also in organizing a military defence in La Ghianda and Crocus Briarea. Guglielmo and Girolamo occupy themselves in diplomatic relations with the Cluny priests in Arsenigo, and while Edoardo, the former bishop in Arsenigo is accused of heresy, the magi ally with Pierre, the Cluny priest who is going to lead religious affairs there. Thus, Arsenigo becomes one of the towns members of the Crocus Briarea alliances, and the council of the magi in Crocus Briarea, decides Sanarà has to be the chief in Arsenigo, and Girolamo Nagus the chief in La Ghianda.
Retzius thinks that he no longer has to learn there in Crocus Briarea, and decides that Baldovino isn't a good teacher for him. So, during the works for peace within Arsenigo, he suddently vanishes, and no one knows where could he be. Giobbe, during a naval voyage gets lost, and the magi in Briarea think he's dead.
During the winter, unfortunately Carmilla gets sick, and dies. For a life who parts, two come: Sanarà gives birth to two beautiful females: Diana and Violetta, fruit of her union with magus Gioacchino.
A long period of peace begins, and up until AD 1136, magi in Crocus Briarea can occupy themselves in studies. Gioacchino finds out a new magickal world he believes is almost unexplored: the dream world.
AD 1137-1141 War with the Muslims
Starting from AD 1137, new mages came to the Alliance, magus Bernardo, an ex miscellanea magus with an aptitude for command, magus Aldous Vergelio de Monti Albachiano, a Jerbiton magus into forensic magick, acquired to the Alliance after a magickal court charge the magi received from a nearby magical alliance named Torrequercia. In facts, the Primus of Torrequercia, Augusto, had sued Baldovino for Incompetence to his role, but eventually Baldovino was confirmed to his Primus Role, while Augusto was destitued (and he shortly thereafter died). Comings to the Crocus Briarea Alliance include also magus Halder, a Bjornaer magus with cunning abilities coming from Torrequercia, and maga Epona, a wandering Verditius Maga trying to accomplish the magical researches done by her mentor.
Magus Guglielmo da Fonte, having studied the passed years on how to prepare his potion of longevity, leaves Crocus Briarea in order to seek the last ingredient.
Girolamo speaks with a faerie leader ancient elf named Harbek living near La Ghianda, and he says that the muslims are driven there because they're trying to reach spanish regions, to obtain a mythical magickal object which can stay in a hand but can destroy a thousand armies.
The Guide of the Faerie population living under La Ghianda is apparently lost to a powerful enchantment which adsorbs his mind, and the whole faerie population is now ruled by Mothma, a satyr considered Unseelie. Shortly thereafter, Girolamo adventures underground, but finds the entire population dead by a mysterious magickal effect which apparently has poisoned the faerie vim which imbued the entire La Ghianda Fata. There's no trace left by Mothma.
Mothma, the disappeared commander of the Lost Faerie Population.
Our heroes meet the muslims on the battlefield in different occasions. They prove to be fierce warriors also because of their alliance with the orcs, who fight side to side with the muslims against the catholic population with bestial rage. During one of these battles, Giobbe returns. One year passed since he got lost, and now a different light sparkles into his eyes.
Torrequercia Alliance is completely destroyed, and with the help of Ombretta, an hermetic mage recently joining Crocus Briarea, all the survived population is taken to Crocus Briarea, where they'll live in peace.
Eventually, during a siege to Crocus Briarea, the magi, as a last resort, break the magickal sigil Guglielmo created to chain Mondo after the Alua Aria battle, but nothing happens, and inside the sigil there's a strange anthem they can't solve.
Lodovico, the leader of the criminal organization known as "Mano Lesta" in Arsenigo, states he found one of the orcs talking with a templar priest with the Cluny dressing, but this only adds confusion in this play of parts... After three different battles, the muslims, apparently without any tactical plan, abandon the land in which Crocus Briarea Alliance is, and just as suddently as war came, peace returns.
AD 1142-1143 Then It Is Time For Reconstruction
Lodovico proves to be a very dangerous ally to have, so he's eventually tracked down and killed by Magus Wilfrido.
Magus Girolamo Nagus is nominated Archmage, because of a cicle of conferences and theorical lessons he gave about a magical device he invented. Up with this nominee, comes a misterious invitation to take contacts to the "Balance Guild", a strange association of commerciants which starts its enormous economical dominations in Milan, and is extending its possediments throughout northern italic peninsula.
Torrequercia is reconstructed, and -given to the expert hands of magus Wilfrido, who'll be the Magus Primus-, begins the reconstruction to become a new Deputee for the Briarea possediments.
A period of peace begins during which there's time for studies and evocations to take place: Gioacchino and Epona try to evoke the dead mentor of Epona, whose name's Gregorius, in order to interrogate him about his last scripts. The spirit is very angry and for a brief period of time it also takes possession of the body of Gioacchino, whose sould finds itself trapped into the spirit world.
A new mage comes to Briarea: his name's Iljan, he comes from the north-eastern european territories, and he has a very dark reputations among the magical societies. He's been sent from the Tribunal of Rome in order to substitute the vacant role left by Zoran, during a tremendous magickal incident in which he and Ombretta lost their lives, trying to dominate a horrid magical construct.
The construct made of rotten flesh and shadows by which Zoran and Ombretta lost their lives.
An old Verditius mage comes from Magvillus in order to take a look to the scripts left by Epona's Mentor, who -it appears quite clearly now- is not dead as they thought, but has probably been sent directly to twilight.
Unfortunately, the spirit of Gregorius still wanders between Briarea, and during the night kills the poor Verditius mage arrived from Magvillus.
The death of the powerful inspector ignites a forensic trouble, and the Briarea's mages are called to defend their positions. They immediately discover that there's a sort of attack led by the Verditius, probably to avenge the death of their fellow. This attack culminates with the tribunal's injunction to nominate magus Iljan member of the congress in Briarea.
Iljan starts immediately interesting into the Infernal Regio in Alua Aria, and this generates tension between the other mages. Magus Gioacchino eventually decides to give up with his frequentations, and casts himself out the Briarea congress. He'll go to a little magical Alliance in Toscana, the name of which is "gladio mentis" (which stands for "the sword of the mind" in latin), and go on with his theoretical studies there, far from the problems arising into Briarea.
Gioacchino isn't the only one to part from Briarea. There's also Bernardo, who after reading a strange tome, the "Assassin's Master", found inside the Chiaravalle Abbey, strarts to feel the pressure of the nearby Infernal Regio, and decides to leave for a solitary journey in which he'll have to find himself again.
Following Bernardo, trying to convince him to come back to Briarea, that the other magi know Biondetto. He's a young magus trying to reach Briarea to go on in his magickal studies.
During a close encounter with the demon, magus Iljan eventually is able to destroy the Infernal Regio, and this apparently quits with all the problems going on to the infernal regio near Alua Aria.
1144-1145AD The Spanish Campaign
An hermetic missus is sent: he informs the magi their name has been proposed for a difficult mission. The important strategic minds of the Hermetic Order are confident that all the movement of the moresque horde we witnessed were conducted in order to reach the spanish royal court: they believe that the spanish king, Garcia the Fifth, also known as the Restorer, holds a powerful magickal construct, and that the object is the object of the moresque commanders.
The Hermetic Arcimagi stated that the only important thing is that the object isn't controlled by the aggressive moresque minds: if the Briarea Magi manage to possess the object, they're allowed to retain it for themselves.
So Wilfrido, Girolamo, Orso, Iljan, Epona, Biondetto start their journey. During their travel, they discover that Violetta hid herself inside the wagon with which they parted.
They stop for some days inside a small village, in which they eventually fight against some soldiers from the Holy Roman Empire, who turned themselves into thieves. They will have to fight also against strange legends of the nearby villages, discovering a particular corpus of miths harbored inside the country. A dragon reapes Violetta, but she states that she's well with the awesome beast, and she claimes that she wants to be left there with the dragon.
New mages feel driven to join the group, Elethiel, who's a wandering mage scared of the destruction left by the moresque invasions, and Gabriele, a very strange ex-miscellanea magus. Then, Giovanni, a joung lumberjack apprentice who has his father killed during one of the fights of the magi against the Gilda delle Bilance.
During their journey they would know powerfuld enemies like Morr, a corrupted magus who uses his magickal powers to harvest money and influences on the near villages. But Morr is also a sneaky person, and Wilfrido gets killed in fighting against him.
Iljan day by day beholds a strange change inside him: his skin gets colder every day, and the animals seem to hate him without a reason. So, after a violent struggle takes place against Epona, he decides to leave them, to reach Morr, trusting that the evil mage could prove a better alliance for him.
Iljan in facts is welcome inside the Omega City, the Hermetic Alliance of which Morr is the leader, and they give materials and money to build a powerful army, and fight througout Europe as an adventurer. Some sort of legend develops around Iljan and his three lieutenants, and he's now known as Fratediavolo.
Eventually the mages manage to arrive to the palace of the king, where they finally fight against Iljan himself and his three marshals, one dressed in white, one red, and one in black robes. During the fight with their once precious ally, Girolamo and Orso loose their lives, and Epona has her left hand cut away.
Finally, Elethiel, Giovanni, ed Epona escape from the prison in which they were held, discovering that the object was projected by an Hermetic Alliance on the undergrounds of the royal palace, and that the king, once coming in contact with the object, destroyed the Alliance. They return to Briarea, sad and without the magickal object. Iljan proved to be a powerful enemy, and one from which the Briareans will have to watch themselves in future.
