It is the Year of our Lord 1191. King Richard is crusading in the Holy Land, leaving his scheming brother John to seize the throne of England. Hardship and strife follow as the usurper tightens his grip on the kingdom.
Many leagues away, from a draughty tower in an ancient castle, the last remnants of an ancient brotherhood of wizards stands vigil. Once they counseled kings and their magic decided the fates of armies; now they have faded to a shadow of their former power. The banners in their council chamber are faded and moth-eaten. Of the twelve rune-carved chairs about the great council chamber, all but two stand empty. Even so, the wizards still perform the ancient rituals of their forebears. They still send forth ravens to keep watch over standing stones and forgotten trods. Though old, their eyes are not blind: in the flight of crows, in the paths of the planets across the night sky, and in the smoke from village chimneys they see great portents. Portents such as have not been seen in Britain for centuries. The spirit of magic is still very much alive.
The Saga of Stranggore is a Saga for Ars Magica Fifth Edition. Set in late twelfth century England, it tells the story of the ancient covenant called the Wizards' Council of Stranggore, whose rich heritage pre-dates the Order of Hermes itself. At the start of the Saga, the covenant is deep in Winter, with only two magi remaining. Will a pair of new magi and an apprentice be able to reverse the Council's decline and thereby claim an honored place in its history?
