A Family Affair
In the spring of 1230, the young magus Duran de Merlon received a mysterious letter. His uncle, Maurice, had died without issue and left a modest seaside estate in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southern France, in the county of Provence. Maurice's will stipulated that Duran was to inherit the property on the condition that three of his kinsmen also be invited to live there in perpetuity. Unbeknownst to Duran, all three of those relatives -- none of whom he had met before -- were also magi.
The old manor house stands in a magical aura. For mysterious reasons, a library of magical books was also included in the bequest. It would seem old Maurice had intended for his relatives to found a new covenant. For these magi, at least, magic is clearly a family affair.
A Family Affair is an Ars Magica Fifth Edition Saga set in the Provençal Tribunal in the mid-thirteenth century (starting around 1230).
Map
The saga is centered on the covenant of Casa sus Baux in the Provençal Tribunal.
Here is a Google Map showing the covenant and other notable locations.
Characters
- Magi
- Grogs
- NPCs
- Covenfolk
- gents de Cassis
- gents de La Coita
- gents de Marseille
House Rules
See our House Rules category for a list of the house rules for this Saga.
Stories and Events
See Chronicle of a Family Affair.
Covenant
The covenant is called Casa sus Baux, "the house on the cliff."
- Magic Aura: +3
- Library
Setting
The covenant located in an old stone manor house in the calanque en-vau.
Travel
Travel in the middle ages is often difficult, time-consuming, and dangerous which is why most people never leave home.
Here are some Travel Guidelines to help judge how long it takes to get places.
Provence
- Google Map showing the covenant and its surroundings.
- Occitan and Catalan Names
- Occitan-English Dictionary
The Abligensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade ended a short while before the start of the Saga and is an important prologue to some characters' stories.
The covenant's political position is that it is tolerant of Cathars and their sympathizers, but wishes to avoid unfriendly attention from church authorities. Grogs and covenfolk who were former Cathars are welcome, but must officially renounce their heresy and do penance before taking up residence at the covenant.