Stranggore Events
This is a listing of important events in the Saga of Stranggore. It includes the activities of the player characters, especially stories, as well as major events in the Stonehenge Tribunal and England.
Note: This page is a timeline of fictional events for the fantasy role-playing game Ars Magica. The game is set in a fantastic version of medieval England. Events in the story line of the game have only slight relation to real-world history and should not be considered factual.
When editing this page, list seasons in reverse chronological order so the most recent events appear at the top of the list.
For each season, first list major historical events (wars, droughts, coronations) if there are any. Most years, there won't be. Next, add links to any stories that occurred. Finally list the publicly-known activities of the player characters.
Anno Domini 1201
Autumn 1201
- Story: Stonehenge Tribunal of 1201
Spring 1201
- Story: Ozerk's Revenge
Anno Domini 1200
Winter 1200
- Story: The Shortest Day
Spring 1200
King John has made peace with King Philip of France after months of conflict with little actual fighting. The terms of the peace recognize John as undisputed King of England; his nephew Arthur has relinquished his claim. John made major concessions to Philip in return, abandoning his Continental alliances that contained French power. This has earned the new King the nickname "John Softsword" among the nobles of England.
Anno Domini 1199
Winter 1199
- Story: You are the Stars
Spring 1199
News of the Realm: A great calamity has struck! Good King Richard has been killed in battle in France, laid low by a commoner with a crossbow. The succession is disputed between Prince John and John's nephew, Arthur of Brittany. War is certain, and the future of the Angevin "empire" hangs in the balance.
- Story: Lost Along the Way
- Story: I Shall Be First
Anno Domini 1198
Summer 1198
- Story: The Rescue of Ozerk
Spring 1198
- Story: Trail of the White Wizard
- Investigation: Godwyn and Paul at Cad Gadu
Anno Domini 1197
Winter 1197
Agnes set up the guest laboratory.
Autumn 1197
- Story: The Pilgrimage
- Story: A Song for Aveline
With great difficulty, Hywel used the spell Freeing the Striding Tree to walk the covenant's enchanted pear tree halfway across Somerset, from the Weld to Stranggore. The tree now stands on the covenant grounds.
George the Bastard married Valera.
Eustace finished his apprenticeship. He is now both a journeyman stonemason and a grog of Stranggore.
Summer 1197
Spring 1197
Anno Domini 1196
Winter 1196
- Story: Twisted Web
- Story: Judgement for Jonas
- Story: Storm over Barstow
Autumn 1196
Story: Frightened Villagers - introduced Paul
The covenant repaired the third-floor laboratory in the northwest tower. They also constructed a wooden gate across the opening to the rampart around the covenant.
Summer 1196
- Story: Ghostly maga
- Pestilence and Famine strike England. Merewen works tirelessly to alleviate the famine and attendant sickness.
- Peregrine departed for Scotland to search for his love, Ellen. He took Edgar the Good with him.
Spring 1196
- Story: How Hywel Spent his Spring
- Story: Trouble on the Doorstep
- Story: Spring Cleaning
Anno Domini 1195
Winter 1195
- Junior suffered his third Aging Crisis and was forced to retire as "doorman" (chief grog). He assumed the new ceremonial post of Master of the Armory.
- The turb selected George the Bastard to replace Junior as leader of the turb. George proclaimed Bloody Bill as Champion of Stranggore.
Autumn 1195
- Story: Here Be Dragons
- Event: Godwyn's Gambit
Summer 1195
- Story: Simon Says
- Story: The Devil's Snare
- Story: Release the Hounds
- Story: On the Road to Saint Giles
Anno Domini 1194
Autumn 1194
- Story: The Butcher of Blackbury
- The Stonehenge Tribunal of 1194 was held at Stonehenge itself on Salisbury Plain.
Also,
- Eustace received tutoring from Valera, the foreign scholar living in Barstow. She began teaching him Latin. This was Brian the Mad's idea; he noticed Eustace was smart and wanted to learn to read, so he started educating the lad.
Summer 1194
Spontaneous celebrations broke out across England as good King Richard returned from Crusade, putting an end to five years of misrule by his rebellious brother John.
Three young magi were invited to the covenant of Stranggore. They will remain guests of the covenant for one year, after which the current members of the covenant will vote whether to admit them permanently. Exceptional service to the covenant may prompt the council to admit a member earlier than that. Each newcomer is provided with lab space and equipment.
- Hywel Mawr passed his Gauntlet and moved to Stranggore and arrived mid-season, too late to do anything else.
- James (Caballus) joined Stranggore at Argus's invitation. He arrived early in the season and spent the rest of the time studying the tractatus, Parma Magica.
- Peregrine also joined Stranggore at Argus's invitation.
And, the new magi came with grogs.
- Caballus brought Angus and Randolph
- Peregrine brought Edgar the Good and George the Bastard
Also,
Spring 1194
Story: The Certamen Tournament
Anno Domini 1193
Winter 1193
Story: Highland Holiday
- Edgar the Good received two Medium wounds in the story, Highland Holiday. He recovered but not in time for the Hermetic tournament at Stormwatch early the following season.
- Agnes was taught Latin by Torkel
- Eustace got caught doing repair work at the covenant in violation of Stonemason's Guild rules -- apprentices are not allowed to work on their own. However Eustace's father decided to take over the job and Eustace is allowed to work alongside him.
Autumn 1193
Caballus passed his Wizards' Gauntlet.
- Sandre Paen joined the covenant.
- Godwyn finally prepared his set of leather clothes for enchantment.
- Agnes helped Merewen gather herbal ingredients (Exposure in Apothecary)
Summer 1193
- Story: The Intruding Magus
- Merewen taught Parma Magica to Agnes
- Junior taught Great Weapon to Torkel
Spring 1193
Eustace, an apprentice stonemason from Barstow, began working on maintenance and light repairs of the covenant's main building.
A severe thunderstorm pounded the covenant with wind, rain, and hail. The northwest tower suffered some slight damage.
There was a story this season involving Agnes and Eustace.
- Torkel taught Latin to Agnes
- Godwyn extraced Vim vis.
- Sandre Paen passed his gauntlet.
- Peregrine passed his gauntlet
Anno Domini 1192
Winter 1192
Good King Richard was captured by Duke Leopold of Austria while returning from Crusade in the Holy Land. This is a great calamity for England because wicked Prince John rules as regent, and now the people despair that his tyranny will ever end.
- Agnes helped Merewen invest Unraveling the Fabric of Mentem into her Talisman
- Junior suffered his first aging crisis and was bedridden for a month.
- Godwyn finished setting up his laboratory
Autumn 1192
Summer 1192
- Agnes helped Merewen improve her laboratory by adding specimens (potted herbs, roots, and fungi)
- Godwyn studied 1 pawn of Vim vis, substantially increasing his formerly pitiful Vim score.
- Junior taught Great Weapon to Torkel
Spring 1192
- Agnes formally became Merwen's apprentice as Merewen began her tutelage in the Hermetic Arts.
- Godwyn extracted Vim vis in his lab.
Anno Domini 1191
Winter 1191
- Story: Two Faces of Love
- Merewen branded Agnes with the mark of her clan and initiated her into the secrets of Mythic Herbalism.
- Godwyn finished setting up his lab in the cave.
Autumn 1191
- Story: The Horror of Wookey Hole
- Story: A Gentle Abduction
- Agnes is taken by Merewen to Stranggore.
- Torkel taught Latin to Agnes
Summer 1191
- Story: Blood on the Stones
- Story: A Covenant Denied
- Story: Black Beast of the Weld
Spring 1191
The bodies of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere were reportedly found and exhumed at Glastonbury Abbey. Some dispute the claim on the belief that Arthur was transported to Avalon and will one day return, so he could not possibly be buried in England.
- Godwyn studies The Dün and the Weld a two century old book about magical places of Sussex and Wessex.
Anno Domini 1190
Winter 1190
- Story: Of Mice and Monks
Autumn 1190
- Story: Godwyn Sets Out
Summer 1190
- Story: Godwyn's Gauntlet
Spring 1190
Nothing happened. Godwyn was still finishing up his apprenticeship, Torkel was still a prisoner in Faerie, and the covenant of Stranggore was still slowly and stoically crumbling to pieces.
Before A.D. 1190
For events that occurred before the player characters joined the story line, the Stranggore History and Stonehenge Tribunal History pages.
- Spring 1184 - Story: Torkel's Failure