Stranggore

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.

Reputation

Wise and learned magi +3

Purpose

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:

• Argus
• Merewen
• Orzek

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

• Godwyn
• Thomas the Poacher
• Village of Barstow
• Village of Shepton Mallet

Other Player Characters

• Godwyn (may or may not be joining)
• James (will be joining shortly)
• Thomas the Poacher, Godwyn's servant and partner in crime

Resources

• Stranggore Library
• Stranggore Grimoire
• Stranggore Enchantments

Physical Structure

(We are still discussing what the physical structure of the covenant should look like. This is not final and indeed will probably change.)

The covenant site is surrounded by a grassy rampart about 25' high. The rampart encloses an oblong area about 900' x 600'. From the outside, only the rooftop and ivy-covered towers are visible, making the place look like a ruined castle.

There are weathered but serviceable wooden gates defending two entryways through the rampart.

Inside the earthworks is a large yard occupied by a hall keep with two square towers. The towers are ivy-covered and dilapidated but apart from a few roof leaks the hall is in serviceable condition. The hall keep contains an impressive great hall and kitchen on the first floor, and sancta for four magi on the second floor. The towers are each four stories high and once housed four sancta each, but these have been abandoned for decades and are falling to ruin.

The main keep has deep basements two levels deep, which are now mostly disused.

Outbuildings once served as a stable (with attached smithy), granary, and servants' quarters. These are all ruined and overgrown with weeds and bushes.

There is a dilapidated stone wall linking the outbuildings with the hall keep. It is about 8' high but is tumbling down in several places.

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.