The Covenant of Elk's Run

View of the Covenant

Canon covenant, see The Contested Isle.

Season Summer

Living Condition Modifier +2

Aegis of the Hearth Level 30. This is now cast by Philippedes. The Aegis takes the entire harvest of Vim Vis, thus it is not possible to increase the level.

Aura and Location Elks Run sits in a majestic remote valley, running east to west in the low mountians near the Connach border (1). Its powerful magical aura covers the entire length of the valley, making it the largest covenent aura in Hiberina (2). The steep valley sides are bordered by thick pine forests both north and south, their errie black depths tinged with purples and blues (3); covenfolk working the forests claim to seen the northern lights beneath the forest canopy (4). The valley base is lush meadows, with mutlicoloured flowers always in bloom, no matter the time of year; after the last raid 3 years ago when Drake unleashed his boundary encircling firewall, the valley is warm enough in winter that snow never settles anymore (5).

Buildings

Inside the Aegis there are

  • three traditional towers, three storeys, 10x10 pace square base, each fitting two sanctums, with workshops and covenfolk on the lower floor.
    1. (closest to the Cathach Hall)
      • Top floor left completely empty by Oswald,
      • Completely empty
        • Seafraid’ lab is moved to Oswald’s tower
      • Dermot on lower floor
    2. (Middle)
      • top floor to be redesigned by Tim.
        • originally belonged to Lugardis who left it completely empty;
      • empty lab on middle floor (vacated by Phil, and cleaned up by trained grogs)
        • standard lab with precious ingredient and major feature/focus: statue
    3. (Towards the feast hall)
      • Igneous on top floor
      • Maine (previously Marcus) on middle floor.
  • A tall tower, erected Autumn 1223, inhabited by Oswald alone, a product of Conjuring the Mystic Tower.
    • after Oswald’s death, this was not used for ten years.
    • in 1241, Nemoy moves in
    • top floor: Oswalds old lab (heavily refined but not designed)
    • next floor down: Nemoy’s lab, moving Seafraid’s old lab
  • a small feasting hall (wooden)
  • a good sized stone scriptorium
    • basement: the old sanctum has been cleared out and used to store Oswald’s library
  • a village where the cattle herders live
    • Una has her sanctum in the kennel
    • Cieran has his workshop and sanctum.

Each tower has two Hermetic labs, with one of the senior magi on the top floor and a slightly smaller standard lab, ready for new arrivals. The ground floors give room to a number of servants and workshops.

The scriptorium also houses one standard Hermetic lab, as well as rooms for the librarian and his assistants, on the ground floor. The library itself is a grand room with large windows and book closets along all the walls. The ceiling is high with a gallery around.

The feasting hall is a more modest, wooden building, but it still has room to seat all the covenant members, senior covenfolk, and guests for dinner. Kitchen and larders are adjacent to the hall.

The hamlet, or maybe this is rather a village, houses hunters and cattle herders.

The players can choose the layout of their lab,

  • A lab with Size +1 and the Living Quarters virtue
  • A Sanctum including a Size 0 lab and separate living quarters
  • A Size +1 lab and separated living quarters, where the magus has to choose which one to as his sanctum.

Outside the Aegis there are

  • pasture and fields
  • a fortified tower housing the catharc and other cultural treasures.

The covenant lays claim to vast areas of mountain, lough and forest, and all the vis sources within.

Covenfolk

See Cast for magi and other key characters.

  • Modessa, stewardess early 1240s. (Mentioned. Not played.)

The locals are of the clan Cenél Áeda na hEchtge, and that clan are a branch of the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne who were the royal house of Connacht in ancient times. Two great families comprise the clan — the Uí Sheachnasaigh and the Ua Cathail — but it is the Uí Sheachnasaigh who serve as covenfolk here. The Ua Cathail resent the English magi and the aid they bestow upon their Uí Sheachnasaigh rivals, and may soon bring a formal complaint to the Tribunal. The other covenants of Ireland may support this despite Lugardis’s best efforts, but it is doubtful; the interference with mundanes is likely to bring ruin upon their sodales and therefore an offense against the Code.

The hunters and herders managing the income sources of the covenant are generally trained to fight and defend the covenant.

Resources

The covenent was founded on a cattle herd bought from England. Since then, the ever blooming meadows of the valley have sustained and grown the herd significantly. Many of the cattle now have unusual coloured and patterned hides, the covenant sells these to leather workers in Limerick for a premium price. The covenant also owns a small copper mine on its northern border; the covenant hasn’t dug too dig, as the copper veins quickly stretch out towards Connacht, so they are wary of crossing the border underground.

The cattle of the covenant provides a typical source of income, i.e. £100/year. This used to be just enough before the new magi arrive. The covenant has stocks to survive for years, but the income has to increase.

The cattle herders are not counted as covenfolk, although they are trained to fight, and can serve to defend the covenant and its property when needed. Feel free to create grogs or specialists who have grown up as cattle herders or peasants at the covenant.

A copper mine worth £40/year, run by some native Irish clansmen and some immigrant English miners. The mine is close to the border of the covenant lands and the crew keep manage themselves. The miners are not available for covenant duties.

A trading business was set up in the Autumn 1217, organised by Kevin with the help of Elaine in Limerick. The covenant invested £100 in the organisation, including two river barges. In 1218 the income is £13.

Design notes

Canon has Elk’s Run as Autumn, but in spite of having three mature and accomplished magi as members, it is young with few traditions and threatened by Irish patriots. We have reduced the power level, including the library, slightly compared to an expected Autumn covenant, and we call it Summer.