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Biographical history
- Spring 1185: Cotrone, a town on the southern coast of the Italian
peninsular, part of the Kingdom of Sicily. Marcos is born into a wealthy
family of silk merchants.
- Winter 1194: Marcos’ parents both die from a plague. Orphaned, he is
taken in as a ward by his uncle.
His uncle is a bad businessman and he and his wife like to enjoy life a
bit too much - the couple spends too much money on luxuries, taking
loans on the business to fuel their sybaritic lifestyle. Over the next
few years they run the business into the ground.
- Summer 1201: Marcos reaches adulthood. He takes ownership of his
family business and sells what it left to a competitor. Leaving his
uncle and aunt destitute, he travels to Salerno to join the
University.
- Spring 1203: Marcos meets Justine, a princess who is studying music
with a private tutor in Salerno. They fall in love and are married just
over a month later.
- Spring 1204: Tragedy strikes. Marcos’ wife, Justine, dies from a
snakebite. She was pregnant.
- Winter 1204: Heartbroken, Marcos’ studies turn dark. Patching
together lore from occult tomes, he attempts a ritual to bring Justine
back from death.
It fails… badly. But the ritual was not without power and it marked him,
drawing the attention of nearby ghosts and spirits.
- Spring 1205: Marcos becomes obsessed with bringing his wife back
from death. Undeterred by his previous failure, Marcos delves deeply
into dark and forgotten lore. His sinister studies draw the attention of
a cabal of Mathematicii, lurking in the shadows of the university. They
approached Marcos and ask him to join their cabal.
However, the Mathematicii were themselves being watched. Carles
Severel, a Guernicus magus of Schola Medica
Salernitana (an independent covenant also ensconced within the
halls of the university), became aware of the gifted young man through
watching the Mathematicii. He also approached Marcos and offered him
apprenticeship in ‘real magic’. Marcos challenged the Guernicus Magus to
prove that his magic was stronger. The Guernicus duelled each of the
Mathematicii in turn and easily defeated them.
Marcos agreed to join the Guernicus as apprentice once his studies with
the university were complete.
- Summer 1205: Marcos is apprenticed into House Guernicus of the Order
of Hermes, and joins the Schola Medica Salernitana.
- Summer 1214: Rhine Tribunal of 1353 AA. Crintera continue their
political attacks against their neighbour. While there is no evidence
that Oculus Septentrionalis is deliberately
interfering with the mundanes, they argue that the mere proximity of the
covenant to the townsfolk endangers the order. Surprisingly, this
position is supported by Waddenzee and the tribunal vote narrowly
supports the motion. The tribunal rules that there is no evidence to
require an investigation but because of the potential risk, a request
will be made to House Guernicus to monitor the interaction of
Oculus Septentrionalis.
- Spring 1216 onwards: As part of his apprenticeship, Marcos travels
extensively with his Parens and spends almost two tears at
Magvillus.
- Spring 1219: Marcos passes his Gauntlet at Magvillus. He takes the
name Serapis after the Graeco-Egyptian deity of death
and rebirth.
The newly gauntleted magus is appointed to Oculus Septentrionalis in the
Rhine tribunal, to monitor the covenants involvement in mundane affairs
and report to the Rhine Tribunal gathering of 1221.
- Spring 1219: Travel to Lubeck, Exp: 0
- Spring 1219: Spirit Eyes opened, Exp: 0
- Summer 1219: Disguised in Lubeck, Exp: 0
- Autumn 1219: Disguised in Lubeck, Exp: 0
- Winter 1219: Disguised in Lubeck, Exp: 0
- Spring 1220: Now…
Other background details
Orpheus
- Serapis is a descendant of the Orpheus of legend. Orpheus was one of
the Argonauts. After retrieving the Golden Fleece, the Argo’s voyage
home was not as easy as the voyage out. They braved many dangers but
also enjoyed the local cuisine (if you know what I mean, nudge-nudge,
wink-wink) at many ports. One of the ports at which the Argo stopped on
the long voyage home was Cotrone.
- Cotrone is also connected to Pythagoras.
While Pythagoras is most famous for his arithmetic, he was also a mystic
philosopher. Some magi, notably members of house Criamon and the
Fraternity of Samos (named for the place of Pythagoras birth) believe he
may have been Gifted.
- Serapis is a
Graeco-Egyptian deity of the late Ptolemaic era. Combining aspects of
Osiris, Apis and Dionysis - he is a god of the underworld but also a god
of resurrection. Statues of Serapis bear a strong resemblance to
Hades.