The Covenant of Dankmar

(Last update: 11/4/96)

(this page written by Mark Shirley)

Back to the Background Information

Back to the Home Page

Symbol: A seven-pointed star containing 3 moons, full, crescent and new
Season: Winter
Year Founded: approx 1000AD
House Affiliation: Ex Miscellanea
Aura: +8

Members:
There are eleven Magi at Dankmar:

Defence: +5
Watch: -4
Contacts: -1
Morale: -1

Number of Grogs: 13

Library

Specialized in Rego, Corpus and Mentem, high scores in Perdo, Muto, Herbam, Imaginem and Animal.

Major Lores: Herbalism, Faerie Lore, Faerie Magic, Alchemy,Occult Lore.

Location

Located in a small wood (about 2 miles in diameter) north of the Perpignan - Canet-Plage road. The wood is known to be protected by many mundane traps as well as a powerful version of "The Shrouded Glen". Fell beasts periodically roam the forest, and at night it is haunted by the sluagh, a host of spirits summoned by Shadrith.

Fortress

A low wall surrounds the seven squat towers that now house the Dankmar Witches and the dingy grog barracks, the rest of the Magi dwell in caverns beneath the covenant, hollowed out with the help of an elemental called the Rockgrinder.

Inhabitants

Shadrith, Orbus, House Ex Miscellanea (Deceased 1229AD)

This truly wicked old woman, originally from Loch Leglean, was cast out of House Merinita for unspecified acts with the Unseelie Court. She joined Ex Miscellanea and continued her studies with the dark fay, using their magic to unnaturally prolong her life (but not her youth) - she was believed to be well over two and a half centuries old at the time of her death. It is not generally known how she died, but it was by the hand of Charles, an archer of Malinbois. Shadrith was an arch enemy of Caitlin Suil Uaine - if this is true, then Shadrith certainy knows how to pick her enemies! It also gives a measure of her power - the two fought Wizard's War on no less than three occasions.

Orphedra, filia Shadrith, House Ex Miscellanea

Descended from a long line of witches, although she is the first to enter the Order, partially trained in Hermetic ways by the outcast Shadrith. She appears to be exceedingly old, in fact the archetypal witch, with a hunchback and grey lanky hair. She is the mother of Jiphella. Orphedra feels no loyalty to her parens, or even her own family, who make up the majority of the covenant.

Jiphella, filia Shadrith, House Ex Miscellanea

A grossy fat woman with greasy black hair that is usually tied back. She has a carefully cultured smile that tends to put others at ease. She is incredibly nosey, and probably has far too much to do with mortals than the Code allows. She is the natural mother of Larinda (the Elder), Dernia and Amelia, and resented Shadrith's mandate that her children were trained by the old woman, so she left the covenant for seven years after Amelia's seventh birthday, so that she could raise her Hermetically herself.

Larinda the Elder, filia Shadrith, House Ex Miscellanea

Larin is totally unlike her mother. She is well versed in the arts of herbalism, but uses them only for good. She is the only one of her family to show any interest in the Faerie arts, but sticks strictly to dealing with the Seelie Court. She is often mistaken for a peasant girl, with her long golden hair and buxom figure. She plays the part of a dim-witted peasant as well. Kassandra and Larinda the Younger are her natural children, by Ferrun Cato, an ex-Consors of Malinbois. Since his death at the hands of Crusaders, she has returned to Dankmar.

Kassandra, filia Shadrith, House Ex Miscellanea

This young witch is a strong force behind the covenant. She is horrified at her family's excesses, and their callous attitude to everything but the Art, and due to her outspoken nature she has caused a rift among the Magae, with herself, her mother and her sister on one side, and the other 4 witches firmly on the other. The rest of the covenant are trying to stay neutral in the power struggle, but both sides have a lot to offer. Kassandra has inherited none of her mother's good looks, being rather big-boned and plain. However she has a forceful personality, and is a skilled and persuasive orator. In her magics she favours the Earth and Sky, and is a powerul weather-witch.

Dernia, filia Shadrith, House Ex Miscellanea

Dernia is a succubus. Not the diabolic kind, but in some ways even worse. She enjoys causing man to fall hopelessly in love with her, and then rejecting them for another. Her great love is that of Mentem magics, but she rarely needs to resort to bewitchment, for she has been blessed by The Mother with stunning looks that all men find irresistable. Her sexual liasons form one of the sources of vis for Dankmar - the aborted foeti (they never make it to full term due to her longevity potion) are Corpus vis. Dernia is ruthless in her affections, and at least one prominent merchant has committed suicide after her rejection.

Amelia, filia Jiphella, House Ex Miscellanea

Amelia was a member of Malinbois for some time, before an unfortunate event with Unseelie fay left her open to ridicule, and she could bear it no longer, so she returned to her mother's covenant. The fay cursed her to have the legs of a chicken, and despite all her family's magic, the curse has proved resistant to dissipation.

Larinda the Younger, filia Larinda, House Ex Miscellanea

Newly out of apprenticeship, Larinda is very similar to her mother - the two could easily be mistaken for sisters. She shares with her late father an intuitive knowledge of natural things, and spends most of her time in one forest or another learning her magical arts.

Maushmet Gudrun-aryu, House Bjornaer

Upon passing her Gauntlet, Hjodlin, filia Gudrun set off for Egypt fascinated by the tales of Bast and Sekhmet who she resembled in Heart-Shape. While there she learnt several secrets of Egyptian magic, as well as befriending her constant companion, a vulture named Seshtat. Maushmet, as she now prefers to be called, is a big boned woman with red hair and green eyes. This valkyrie-type visage seems incongruous dressed as a warrior of Ancient Egypt.

Surcula, filia Altonitus, House Verditius

A tiny woman, no more than 4' tall, with a swollen and red left eye, giving her an evil visage. Many of her House scorn her interest in her craft, but most will grudgingly accept that there are few better brewers of potions around. This is just a side-line of her great work, which is pursuing advances into the Essential Nature of Inanimata.

Ballator, filius Caeral, House Tytalus

Virtually nothing is known of this Magus. It is assumed that Ballator (despite the masculine gender of the name) is female, as are all the Magae of Dankmar, but she has never been seen, and Caeral died during the destruction of his home covenant in the Stonehenge Tribunal, so little light can be shed. Ballator never turns up to Tribunal meetings.

Outside Relations

For the last half century, Dankmar has had very little to do with the outside world. Recently however, a change has been seen. Jiphella and Kassandra are common visitors to nearby Perpignan, although the laviscious Dernia prefers the port of Canet-Plage. Orphedra has been seen frequently in Belābre, in the company of the dashing young Captain Chartez, who lead the Crusaders when they were resident in that town. Dankmar are up to something, but no-one is sure what.

Mystical Attributes

As so little is known about the covenant, it is difficult to say what enchantments they have at their beck and call. Certainly evidence of a number of elemental spirits have been seen, believed to be the work of Shadrith. A perpetual fire burns in the centre of the covenant, though it sheds no smoke. What else there is is a matter of conjecture.

Mundane Resources

It is probable that Dankmar have forged alliances with the outside world recently, but most of their gold (and they seem to have copius amonts of the stuff) is derived from when they were an Autumn covenant, and lies in coffers below the fortress, in a deep vault.

Obligations

None.

[Back to the Home Page]