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Symbol: A fiery dragon eating its own tail

Just before the Schism War broke out, many of the Flambeau magi at Val-Negra left the domus magna, based on a vision one experienced, to form a separate covenant, and took a number of magi from other Houses with them. They seized control of a nearby outpost and the smaller halls scattered throughout the Pyrenees which once belonged to Val-Negra, including the great temple to Mercury from which they took the covenant’s name. After the Schism War, to help establish their legitimacy, they spread the idea that Val-Negra covenant itself was no more, and that Aedes Mercu- rii had inherited its legacy. The brutal and prominent losses suffered by the covenant during hostilities only reinforced this idea. Thus, the covenant is now considered to be one of the most powerful regional cove- nants, although it doesn’t match Val-Negra’s former glory.

Setting and Description

Aedes Mercurii has two locations. The first consists of a series of low utilitar- ian buildings surrounding a majestic stone edifice located in the center of the Cirque du Gavernie, about two miles north of Val-Negra. The main building is called the Temple of Mercury, and seems to predate the birth of Christ. Some tales claim mem- bers of the original Order of Mercury con- structed it, others say Priamitus and other founders of the Cult of Mercury designed it to appear ancient. It stands three hundred feet long, surrounded by carved columns, with an elegant and beautiful interior and ancient altars on every side before the holy of holies at the eastern end. Usually called “the Temple” (Templum) by those at the cov-

enant, this site is accessed from the other part via a large Mercere Portal built into an archway between two courtyards. The Magic aura throughout the Cirque and the outer buildings is 4, increasing to 8 inside the temple proper.

The second location is the more well- known site, built into the top of the distinc-

tive Pic du Midi d’Ossau, which on a clear day is visible from Pau. Only 90 kilometers to the northwest of Val-Negra, Aedes Mer- curii was originally established as a garri- son for Val-Negra’s forces during the final conflicts in the early 900s, but it has been continually improved since. Pic du Midi d’Ossau is now an immense fortress, with many towers, domes, and rotundas carved out of the mountain’s interior. The exte- rior is grim and forbidding, especially when viewed from the narrow and winding path leading along the chasms of the Pyrenees to the entrance. Inside, the labyrinthine halls are a riot of conflicting styles, both grandiose and eclectic. It is enormous; even the magi who now live there do not know everything it contains, as new members usu- ally add on to the existing structure. Many rooms once claimed by magi as labs and sanctums have remained undisturbed since their owners entered Twilight or died. The whole mountain has a pervasive Magic aura of 5. Since the main temple is typically ac- cessed from here, this site is often referred to as “the back” of the temple (Dorsum).

Various other sites have also been con- sidered part of the covenant, though none as significant as these two. Until recently, there was a large outpost at the city of Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, but, disastrously, the covenfolk who lived there came under suspicion of witchcraft from the local citi- zenry and the house became a casualty of a war when Richard the Lionheart razed the city in 1177. At one time there was another

portal and entrance to the complex at the eastern edge of the Pyrenees, near Barce- lona and north of Girona, though that too was abandoned, along with the portal to Val-Negra proper, at the beginning of the Schism War.

The Magi

Approximately 18 magi compose Aedes Mercurii, with 11 living at the Dorsum site, and the other 7 living remotely at the Tem- plum. The covenfolk divide in more or less the same proportion. While the two settle- ments are part of the same covenant, over the years since the Schism War tensions have escalated between them. Though they still present a united front to outsiders, the magi living at the Templum and those living at the Dorsum have very different outlooks. Generally speaking, the Templum magi re- main loyal to what they envision as the pa- gan and historical traditions of the Order of Mercury, while the only consistent quality of the Dorsum magi is their bitter opposi- tion to Castra Solis and their perceived sta- tus as the inheritors of Val-Negra’s legacy.

As part of their belief that they are the last uninterrupted magical descendants of the Order of Mercury, the magi of Aedes Mercurii consider themselves to be priests of the Temple, or Flamen, each associated with a Roman god or goddess appropriate to their focus of magic. In most cases, es-

pecially that of the Tremere members, this is purely ceremonial and secular; declar- ing their patron god is like naming a spell after that god. Very few of those living at the covenant are actually pagan, worship- ping their gods as anything more than high concepts, and those are generally seen as unusual. The most powerful faction at the covenant are the priests of Mars, who are almost exclusively House Flambeau, and the priests of Pluto, who are mostly House Tre- mere and thus have a good deal of political clout. House Verditius maintains a small and not-very-influential priesthood to Vulcan.

f

f

Age: 121 (Apparent age 75)

Personality Traits: Passionate +2,

Ruthless +2

Flammarcus of Flambeau considers him- self the leader of the covenant, and he calls himself the Pontifex Maximus. He is a priest of Mars, though like many who live at the Dorsum he is actually Christian and views the Mercurian priesthood as purely ceremo- nial. He idolizes Flambeau the Founder, and believes the magi of Castra Solis corrupted and revised the Founder’s history. Accord- ing to his research, Flambeau was not a Mithraian, but a Mercurian, possessor of some of the lost rituals of the Order. His findings paint a very different picture from the commonly accepted history, though

most other magi believe him overzealous, and do not understand his fervor. He is pas- sionately driven to become Primus as soon as Garus dies, and it seems he might be will- ing to do anything to achieve this goal.

p

t

Age: 112 (Apparent age: 83)

Personality Traits: Reclusive +2,

Secretive +2

Protendus of Tremere is the most senior magus of House Tremere in the Tribunal. He answers (somewhat reluc- tantly) to the Iberian exarch, whom he believes resents the fact that the House does not have a significant presence in the Tribunal. He has trained several appren- tices, and encourages young Tremeres to distinguish themselves, but the House’s last enterprise twenty years ago (Larian- der) failed for mysterious reasons, and he suspects that crusaders and the Me- rinita magi associated with Castra Solis were behind their disappearance. He is a member of the Vexillation of the Golden Thread, a secretive Tremere group dedi- cated to thwarting the twisty wiles of magi of House Tytalus, and he serves on the Aedes council as the priest of Pluto. He is also reputed to be a necromancer of unparalleled skill. For the most part, he remains aloof from Tribunal politics despite holding six sigils, often abstaining unless a decision impacts his House or a fellow Tremere advises him of important potential consequences. He prefers to act as a sort of unofficial, although tacitly sanctioned, Quaesitor. This unadvertised Quaesitor status and his Tremere rank al- low him to better conduct unobtrusive in- vestigations requiring discretion. Proten- dus keeps this secret by oaths enforced by certamen when necessary. He focuses on preventing the northern magi of House Tytalus from gaining a foothold in the region through unofficial channels and through methods Quaesitors might not usually use. So far he has been successful, though he suspects that the Tytali are now simply using the Mithraian members of House Flambeau and Castra Solis as their cat’s-paws.

o

m

Age: 172 (Apparent age: 85)

Personality Traits: Gregarious +2,

Opinionated +2

Ophilio of Mercere lives at the Templum.

He is generally respected by the other magi, though they tread carefully around him and he rarely shows his face at council, preferring to spend his time with the covenfolk. If he exerted authority over the covenant it would be grudgingly respected, as he was the High Priest of Mercury for many years, though he has since retired. Gifted, Ophilio is one of House Mercere’s longevity specialists.

m

f

Age: 94 (Apparent age: 50)

Personality Traits: Loyal +2, Submissive +2

Midius of Flambeau is the current High Priest of Mercury, caretaker of the Templum

and flamen for the Provençal Tribunal. He still thinks of himself as Ophilio’s subor- dinate, from his many years of serving be- neath him in the temple, and is as ever des- perate to impress the old magus. He attends Tribunal on Ophilio’s behalf.

p

f

Age: 103 (Apparent age: 79)

Personality Traits: Couragous +2,

Dedicated +2

Pila of Flambeau is a priest of Mars and re- sponsible for the covenant’s defenses, duties she takes very seriously, and some would say fanati- cally. She is a staunch supporter of Flammarcus and his revised version of the Founder’s history. She also considers herself a true “Hoplite” as the term was once used in the Order and dresses like a Greek infantry soldier when going into battle. She looks surprisingly unassuming and mild otherwise. She resides at the Dorsum.

m

f

Age: 87 (Apparent age: 44)

Personality Traits: Engaging +2,

Expressive +2

Malfortis of Flambeau is another priest of Mars, though he is not particularly mili- tant. He is an exceptional teacher and a strong writer, and has written a great many books in the covenant’s library. He fulsome- ly corresponds with anyone who writes to him, though he is generally not particularly friendly in his replies. He is also a staunch supporter of Flammarcus and his beliefs re- garding the Founder. Unusually for a Flam- beau, he fights barehanded and specializes in Corpus magic.

r

f

Age: 82 (Apparent age: 42)

Personality Traits: Disturbing +2, Sensual +2

Ricardus of Flambeau is a priest of Bacchus, openly homosexual, and ru- mored to have lustful proclivities. Most of the other magi at the Dorsum find his

company and interests distasteful, es- pecially when they involve the many tractatus he writes. However, he is very social and tends to get involved in cov- enant business; few activities pass by the council without his input, and so he is of- ten uncomfortably supported at Tribunal. He is said to be accomplished in the Arts of Creo and Mentem.

A

e

m

Age: 87 (Apparent age: 59)

Personality Traits: Combative +2, Mysteri-

ous +2

Aintza Ex Miscellanea is one of the few priestesses at Aedes, and the leader of the Janus priesthood. She is a Hermetic Haruspex, one of a small group of oracu- lar magi supposedly invited to join House Flambeau but who spurned the invitation and joined House Ex Miscellanea. She does not care about distinctions of sex, and certainly does not favor women over men; she believes that her lower status at the covenant is because she is House Ex Miscellanea, not because she is female. She is pagan, the primary Mystagogue for the Aedes branch of the Neo-Mercurians, and lives at the Templum with the other

familiar, named Elias, whom she believes is possessed by an aspect of the god Janus due to its strangely disfigured face. The cat has two mouths, two noses and three eyes. Azinta makes a special point of in- cluding him in all of her magic.

r

v

Age: 99 (Apparent age: 41)

Personality Traits: Concilatory +2,

Relaxed +2

Ruberus of Verditius is the leader of the Confraternity of Roland, a group of Verditius magi dedicated to the construc- tion of magical swords (see Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, page 121). One of the few

magi at Aedes Mercurii with no com- plaint with Castra Solis, Ruberus admires and respects Garus, the Flambeau Primus. However, deep within the mountain of the Dorsum, one of the forges of Hephaes-

tus smoulders, and as the priest of Vulcan he is also the caretaker of this important site. This requires that he maintain cor- dial relations with his covenant-mates and conceal his friendship with Garus. He also greatly admires and even secretly loves Dama, the Praeco, and would do almost anything to protect her.

b

r

Age: 48 (Apparent age: 35)

Personality Traits: Prone to Wanderlust +2,

Proud +2

One of the resident Redcaps at the

Dorsum goes by the name of Berezi, and is

a descendent of one of the Milvi Antiquiti (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 98),

often spending her two seasons of service traveling between Aedes Mercurii and her mother’s home covenant in the Roman Tribunal to obtain and deliver books for the magi of western Provençal. She pos- sesses a magical device that allows her to transform herself and anything she carries into the shape of a bird.