Background

In the late 1240s, a covenant of Hermetic Magi came to prominence in the Stonehenge Tribunal, now called Raven's Tower. These magi were at first a minor covenant of magi from Houses Jerbiton and Tytalus, but in 1242 a newlygauntleted magus was admitted to the Order: Martial, filius Guy of Jerbiton. A likely and lively apprentice, the new mage soon made his mark on the Order, rising to the leadership of the covenant in only two years. His tireless energy and passion for Order and control were remarked upon by other magi in the tribunal who did not know his true parentage: Martial was in fact Edward, the son of Richard, the Earl of Cornwall and Isabella, daughter of William, Earl of Pembroke. Martial is grandson to both King John of England and William Marshall, and nephew of King Henry III of England.

Guy of Jerbiton had for a long time been associated with Isabella's family, and when it was discovered that Edward had the Gift, Guy agreed to take him on as an apprentice. Even though Hermetic custom decrees that an apprentice must cut himself off from his mundane family, Guy and the covenant of Raven's Tower soon prospered because of bequests made by the young man's mother. Guy was introduced to the court of Henry as William's tutor, and the young man was raised in both the royal court and the covenant. Guy was given the rank of Baron when a number of [his] astute suggestions resulted in gains for the King.

With Royal patronage, the magi grew bolder, and soon other members of the covenant were introduced to court and then knighted. The covenant was dangerously close to breaking the peripheral code regarding the employment of magi as court magicians, but with access to the court they also had access to some of the best legal minds in the country, and when the covenant of Blackthorn finally called them to account for their association with the king and court, Raven's Tower was able to not only have the charges thrown out, but were able to wrest control of the Stonehenge Tribunal from Blackthorn.

raven's tower takes control

Since that time, none have dared challenge the Noble Magicians of Raven's Tower (as they are called in tribunal sessions). Martial reorganized the covenants of the Stonehenge tribunal, forcing the independent mages to swear fealty to himself, and the covenants to pay Raven's Tower tribute of raw vis and magical items. Tribunal sessions now seem like a shadow of the English Royal Court, with Martial as King. Gone are the days of Blackthorn's empty tribunals; Martial may summon magi to tribunal at any time, and is harsh with those who fail to comply. Martial's officers include several Quaesitors in their number, so official ratification of a tribunal is easy to come by.

There are about 15 members of Martial's administration, while there are now over 70 magi in the Stonehenge tribunal. Some who remember the good old days are disenchanted with Martial's policies, but most have seen their own wealth (mundane and magical) increase, and the chance to join the court is seen as a road to power. Dissenters have been known to disappear, though no-one can say for certain that Martial or his officers have been involved. Relations between the Stonehenge and other tribunals (especially Hibernia, Loch Leglean and Normandy) have become strained, as the foreign magi see Martial's acquisition of power as a threat to their own independence.

One tactic of Martial's has been to sponsor young covenants in other tribunals in an effort to build his influence throughout the Order. He has sponsored covenants in the surrounding tribunals of Normandy, Hibernia and Loch Leglean, and is turning his eyes towards Provence, Germany and Spain (the Provencial, Rhine and Iberian tribunals). In this way, he gains allies and votes in the Grand Tribunal, as well as spies and agents in foreign lands.

In addition to the tribunals sponsored by Martial, many young magi feel that the old ways of separation from the mundane world are no longer possible, with the proliferation of towns and churches and the destruction of vis sources and areas of Magical auras. These magi support Martial in many ways, from votes to material aid and joining his forces. Many hope to bring about a change in the government, not only of the Order, but of the world. They hope to head up a magiocracy - a government of Magicians.

destruction of wales

Martial's association with the mundane Royal Court has been profitable for both sides. Ideas about administration and accounting have been absorbed by the mundane court, while mundane military might has occasionally been used against recalcitrant covenants. Many magi outside the tribunal fear that the Welsh wars of King Edward were no more than a cover for the destruction of the Blackthorn covenant, once the most outspoken opponents of Martial's reign. In truth, the aims of Edward and Martial ran in tandem during the Welsh wars; Blackthorn was indeed destroyed by mundane troops backed by magicians, but Edward had his own agenda as well.

Martial surreptitiously aided Edward's campaigns in Wales in 1277 and 1282. In return for their aid, they asked for English troops to help them reduce the magi of the ; Blackthorn covenant. Strictly following Hermetic custom, Martial declared Wizard's War against the covenant in June of 1278, and attacked a month later. However, the force that attacked the covenant was composed of hundreds of English men at arms, Gascon bowmen, and mailed knights, supported by over a score of mages skilled in battle magic. Martial himself led the final assault, collapsing caves on the magi and grog defenders. By the end of the day, not a single magus of Blackthorn remained alive.

Many of the magi of Cad Gadu, Domus Magna of House Ex Miscellanea, fled from Martial's forces, but the Primus, Febog, surrendered the Robes of the Rosy Dawn to Martial. F His intention was to bring peace to the island, but he has t been kept virtually imprisoned by Martial since his capitulation. Other Welsh mages fled to Loch Leglean, Hibernia, or the Continent. Crook-back Mary, a witch and Febog's second in command, went to the covenant of Crun Clach in Scotland, to try to rally the Scottish mages against Martial, but for several decades her pleas went unanswered. Only the mages of Horsingas, long of antiEnglish sentiment, seemed to care. Caitlin Suil Uaine, Praeco of the Loch Leglean Tribunal, cited the Pact of Crun Clach (1189, wherein the magi of Loch Leglean agree to aid no mundane noble in his wars) again and again when the matter was brought up in tribunal meetings.

the grand tribunal of 1284

Martial himself did not officially attend the Grand Tribunal of 1284, but was present at Durenmar, along with his major officers, excluding Guy of Jerbiton. There was at least one pro-Martial magus among the delegations from Loch Leglean, Hibernia and Normandy, and Pertego of Tytalus lead a sizable contingent of magi well-skilled in Certamen to counter opponents. Citing the Code and Peripheral Code, the Stonehenge delegation was able to block any censure of Martial or his actions. Other matters, such as the conquest of Prussia by the Teutonic Knights, and a resurgence on vampiric Tremere magi in the Transylvanian tribunal were deemed more important by many magi.

Raven's Tower has its own supporters throughout the Order; magi inside the Pale in Ireland, covenants in the Normandy tribunal, and young magi who think Martial's way is better than the policy of separation from mundanes. As yet, no-one has been able to prove the presence of magicians at any of the mundane battles, and there is nothing in the code to disallow the use of mundane troops in a Wizard's War. With a Grand Tribunal years off (1312), Martial figures that if he can present the fait accompli of annexing the Loch Leglean tribunal, he will not face nearly as much protest over his actions. To this end, he has been secretly aiding his supporters in their attempts to take control of covenants and even tribunals. He is over-extending himself, however, as the Battle of Stirling Bridge (see below) shows. He is walking a fine line of power, which may prove his downfall.

loch leglean faces martial

With the death of King Alexander of Scotland in 1284 and the confusion following the death of his daughter, Margaret, the Maid of Norway, King Edward saw his opportunity to bring Scotland to heel, and Martial saw the chance to bring the island under one tribunal. Again, the ambitions of the mundane and Hermetic rulers of England ran together. Edward's treatment of the claimants to the Scottish throne were echoed by Martial's claims on the sigils of the magi of Loch Leglean. A few covenants, mostly along the borders and the Lowlands, agreed to Martial's demands; but the majority, led by the magi of the Horsingas covenant, sent back a strongly worded rejoinder to the English usurper.

At Berwick in March of 1296, and again at Dunbar in April, magicians from the Stonehenge Tribunal aided the soldiers of Edward in the field, allowing his troops to destroy two sizable Scottish armies and capture hundreds of men, including four Scottish Earls. Edward then marched across the south of Scotland, during which time the buildings of the Horsingas covenant were destroyed, though the magi were able to escape. Fleeing north to the covenant of Crun Clach, they appealed to all magi of the Loch Leglean tribunal to face the invader with all the power at their disposal. Messengers were sent to other tribunals, but many were killed trying to cross the sea.

Martial took a majority of his battle-mages to Crun Clach while the remainder stayed with the main English Army. He intended to reduce the covenant in much the same way as he had destroyed Blackthorn, but he did not count on the ties that Crun Clach had formed with the local faeries. His forces were attacked by monsters, cursed by Gruagachs, and ambushed by faeries. Before he was able to reach the covenant, his force was reduced by a third. He besieged the faerie mound in which the covenant was housed, and hard fighting eventually broke the enchantment on the door of the covenant. Once inside, however, his men were ambushed and killed by the inhabitants, and by the walls of the covenant itself. It was discovered (too late for most of the attackers) that the faerie mound that housed the covenant was itself sentient. Martial retreated with barely one-tenth of his attacking magi, marching to meet up with the English Army under the command of the Earl of Surrey.

Stirling Bridge

At Stirling Bridge however, the army fared little better than Martial. The few English mages left with the army were trapped and killed during a series of minor ambushes set by Scottish mages, and the entire army was left vulnerable. Scottish mages had a field day infiltrating the army and wreaking havoc with its commanders. A mage with the Gentle Gift and Disguise of the Transformed Image (Mulm 15) could wander at will in the sort of international army raised by King Edward, since Scots, English, Welsh, French and Irish men at arms and knights found themselves next to each other. Aura of Ennobled Presence (Mulm 10) allowed the mage to evade questions of his actions or motives.

One bold mage made his way into the camp and proceeded to tell the Earl of Surrey of a ford only a mile away from Stirling Bridge. Using Subtle Shift of the Heart (MuMe 10), he made the Earl suspect that the ford was part of an ambush. The next morning, Confusion of the Numbed Will (ReMe 15) was enough to make the second in command of the army, Cressingham, start the crossing of the river, while Surrey was kept asleep with the equivalent of The Call to Slumber (ReMe 10).

The forces of Wallace and Moray had numerous spells cast upon them; the two young leaders had Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe 20), various armor spells, and wards against weapons cast upon them (unfortunate. ly, Moray's failed and he was mortally wounded, dying a few months later). Some Scottish sol. diers had spells cast upon them to allow them to cross the marshy riverbank with little effort. The English army was routed with great loss o life; Cressingham, the treasurer of Scotland, was killed; his body was flayed and distributed as souvenirs.

The Current Situation

It is just after the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The Scottis forces (both mundane and magical) are on the ascendant, chasing the fleeing southerners across the border and raiding with near-impunity. King Edward and Martial are gathering their forces in preparation for another invasion of the north and this time there will be no prisoners. Martial has sent out the call to his supporters to oppose the Scottish magi, both i the field and in the councils of the Order.

On the Scottish side, the tribunal is divided. Some magi are interested only in appeasement and a return to their stud ies, some prepare for war, and some don't want to be both ered. Magi from other tribunals come to Scotland to oppos Martial, fearing his eventual expansion into their lands . Many magi in the Order see this as the beginnings of a titan is struggle between those that would bring the Order to th. forefront of politics and society, and those that revere the old ways of obscurity and freedom.

The Raven and the Lion Ars Magica Mini Campaign Using Scotland the Brave

Introduction
Raven's Tower Covenant
The Court of Martial, Rex Magiorum
Adventure Ideas