Revision as of 19:22, 7 May 2011

The official name of the covenant "the Wizards' Council of the Stranggore".

Covenant Overview

Stranggore is a Winter covenant that was once arguably the mightiest collection of wizards in the British Isles, but has now crumbled almost to ruin. It is located in the Stonehenge Tribunal in the county of Somerset, on the real-world site of Maesbury Castle.

The covenant is dedicated to safeguarding the land of Britain -- though since the Code of Hermes forbids magi interfering in mundane affairs, it is not clear exactly what this means. It has roots that go back to ancient times, before the Order arrived in the British Isles, and in the early days it was sworn to the service of a royal court. The covenant still has symbols and customs that acknowledge that heritage. Some of these are subtle -- for example, the head wizard of the covenant is called the Chancellor -- and others are overt, like the grogs' green-on-gold livery or the carved wooden throne that stands empty in the council chamber, a reminder of its ancient (and, officially, forsaken) royal allegiance.

Certainly the covenant pays no homage to the heirs of that upstart Norman usurper William the Bastard.

Characters

See also the Character Index for other characters who don't reside at the covenant.

Magi

At the start of the Saga, the covenant has only three members:

Companions

Agnes, apprentice to Merewen
Cedric the raven, familiar to Argus
Maggie the cat, familiar to Merewen
Torkel

Grogs

Harold the Mad
John the Peddlar
Junior, a.k.a. Paul, the man-at-arms

Covenfolk

Bertha the Cook
Brian the Mad, aged autocrat of Stranggore covenant
Katherine the Chambermaid

Neighbors

Other Player Characters

James (will be joining shortly)

Physical Structure

We're still considering what the covenant should look like.

History

Main article: Stranggore History

The covenant of Stranggore traces its existence back to the days shortly after King Arthur. When Camelot fell, the petty kings who had sworn allegiance to Arthur re-asserted their independence. Stranggore was one of those small, early British kingdoms. Perhaps following the example of Arthur seeking the aid and counsel of Merlin, one of the kings of Stranggore gathered to his court the three most powerful wizards in the land. Under his patronage this circle of court wizards throve and grew for generations.

The kingdom of Stranggore was eventually conquered by the invading Angles and Saxons. The Wizards' Council went into exile but survived, clinging to the hope of one day restoring the rightful British ruler.

When the wizards of the British Isles joined the Order of Hermes, the Wizards' Council of Stranggore was forced to relinquish its ties to the broken royal line of Stranggore. It renounced its royal ties and re-dedicated itself to the service and protection of Britain as a whole. The Grand Tribunal stipulated that the Wizards' Council of Stranggore must relocate away from its ancestral lands. So it came to settle in Somerset.

For two centuries Stranggore prospered. It was among the mightiest and most prestigious covenants of the Stonehenge Tribunal, attaining a size of twelve members. The events of the eleventh century -- the Schism War, followed by the Norman conquest -- sent the covenant into a slow but irreversible decline.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 = Covenant Overview =
-Stranggore is a Winter covenant that has been in a long, slow decline and now has dwindled to just three magi, one of whom is in Twilight at the start of the Saga. It has a proud heritage and descends from a line of wizards older than the Order of Hermes itself.
+Stranggore is a Winter covenant that was once arguably the mightiest collection of wizards in the British Isles, but has now crumbled almost to ruin. It is located in the [[Stonehenge Tribunal]] in the county of Somerset, on the real-world site of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maesbury_Castle Maesbury Castle].
-'''Location:'''
+The covenant is dedicated to safeguarding the land of Britain -- though since the Code of Hermes forbids magi interfering in mundane affairs, it is not clear exactly what this means. It has [[Stranggore History|roots]] that go back to ancient times, before the Order arrived in the British Isles, and in the early days it was sworn to the service of a royal court. The covenant still has symbols and customs that acknowledge that heritage. Some of these are subtle -- for example, the head wizard of the covenant is called the Chancellor -- and others are overt, like the grogs' green-on-gold livery or the carved wooden throne that stands empty in the council chamber, a reminder of its ancient (and, officially, forsaken) royal allegiance.
-'''Symbol:''' Or, a dragon passant vert. (a green dragon standing with the right foreleg raised, on a golden field)
+Certainly the covenant pays no homage to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Plantagenet#Rise_of_Henry_II_and_his_sons heirs] of that upstart Norman usurper [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror William the Bastard].
@@ Line 14: / Line 15: @@
 == Magi ==
+At the start of the Saga, the covenant has only three members:
 * [[Argus]]
@@ Line 51: / Line 54: @@
 = Physical Structure =
+We're still considering what the covenant should look like.
 = History =
+''Main article:'' [[Stranggore History]]
-(Personality - Regal )
+The covenant of Stranggore traces its existence back to the days shortly after King Arthur. When Camelot fell, the petty kings who had sworn allegiance to Arthur re-asserted their independence. Stranggore was one of those small, early British kingdoms. Perhaps following the example of Arthur seeking the aid and counsel of Merlin, one of the kings of Stranggore gathered to his court the three most powerful wizards in the land. Under his patronage this circle of court wizards throve and grew for generations.
-== Barrestow Keep (888- present) ==
-The current location of the covenant is Barrestow Keep (now spelled "Barstow" by mundanes). It is an ancient hill fort located in the real-world location of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maesbury_Castle Maesbury Castle].
-Within the keep, there is a compound made up of a central tower surrounded by four smaller buildings in varying states of disrepair.  The tower itself was created through ''Conjuring the Mystic Tower'' two decades after the Wizards' Council's arrival in the area by (TBD).
-Tower appearance:
-As per the spell, Stranggore's main tower is a monolithic structure carved out of solid rock.  It is 80 feet high, 30 feet wide, and its foundation reaches 20 feet into the ground.
-=== Sub-Basement ===
-The sub-basement contains the vis stores of the Covenant.  It is accessible through an enchanted trap door in the basement floor; only magi who are members of Stranggore can enter.
-=== Basement ===
-Wine cellar and larder.
-=== Level 1 ===
-Council chamber.
-=== Level 2 ===
-The council chamber is two stories high, with a mezzanine at the second-story level. At one point the mezzanine widens into a railed platform where musicians or additional guards can be placed, depending on the occasion.
-=== Level 3 ===
-Library and scriptorium.
-=== Level 4 ===
-Formerly an unoccupied sanctum, now a cluttered storeroom full of disused furniture, rusted coats of mail, moth-eaten cushions and tapestries, and the like.
-=== Level 5 ===
-Sanctum, owned by [[Ozerk]].
-=== Level 6 ===
-Sanctum, currently occupied by [[Merewen]] and her apprentice.
-=== Level 7 ===
-Sanctum, currently occupied by [[Argus]].
-=== Level 8 ===
-Observatory. This is currently used by Argus, who seems to consider it a ''de facto'' part of his sanctum.
-=== Attic ===
-Rookery.  There is also a doorway out to the parapet of the tower.
-= Past Locations =
-The covenant of Stranggore has moved twice since it was first formed as an assembly of court wizards.
-== Winchester Castle from c. 600-888 ==
-After Stranggore as a kingdom ceased to exist, the wizards migrated (some would say they fled) to the site of what is now (in the late twelfth century) Winchester Castle. They preserved the claim that they were stewards of the Kingdom of Stranggore.
-When the wizards of the British Isles were offered the opportunity to join the Order of Hermes, the Wizards' Council of Stranggore resisted. They were reluctant to renounce their allegiance to the ancient throne. Eventually they were persuaded to swear the Code of Hermes, but only by threat of violence. As a condition for their acceptance into the Order, the wizards were compelled to relocate. They secretly brought the ancient throne with them when they moved.
+The kingdom of Stranggore was eventually conquered by the invading Angles and Saxons. The Wizards' Council went into exile but survived, clinging to the hope of one day restoring the rightful British ruler.
-== Keepers of the Heirs of Stranggore Lords of Wessex ==
+When the wizards of the British Isles joined the Order of Hermes, the Wizards' Council of Stranggore was forced to relinquish its ties to the broken royal line of Stranggore. It renounced its royal ties and re-dedicated itself to the service and protection of Britain as a whole. The Grand Tribunal stipulated that the Wizards' Council of Stranggore must relocate away from its ancestral lands. So it came to settle in Somerset.
-Shortly after the fall of Camelot and the dissolution of Arthur's Britain, the Wizards' Council was founded by the newly-independent petty king of Stranggore.  Stranggore was sooner or later absorbed into Wessex.
+For two centuries Stranggore prospered. It was among the mightiest and most prestigious covenants of the Stonehenge Tribunal, attaining a size of twelve members. The events of the eleventh century -- the Schism War, followed by the Norman conquest -- sent the covenant into a slow but irreversible decline.

Difference between revisions of "Stranggore"