Normandy I
Raging Iron Thunder
Member
Hi all,
This TL will be a bit strange, as I'm not aware of people writing up TL's based on tabletop RPG sessions based on history. The game in question is Ars Magica set in "Mythic Europe" which is historical medieval Europe + faeries + magic + demons + angels. In this world Europeans are somewhat aware of magic, but generally quite distrustful and suspicious of it. There exists a supra-national organization called the Order of Hermes which is the dominant magical order in Europe. They know that an "Order of Solomon" exists in the Middle East and North Africa, concluding a treaty in the late 800s to stay out of North Africa. The Order of Odin exists in the North and Northeast, they assisted the Vikings until a truce was reached in the late 900's. Rumors swirl of other, more exotic Orders, but so far no definitive proof exists.
I also combined this with the most epic Dark Fantasy Novel series, the Prince of Nothing.
Normandy I, Summer 1095
Aubert, bastard Saracen son of [Hugh d'Avranches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_d%27Avranches,_Earl_of_Chester), the Viscount of Avranches, and Earl of Chester in England will lead his ailing father's contribution to the first Crusade, under the forces of [Robert Curthose of Normandy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Curthose). In this (alternate) timeline, Hugh went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the early 1070's, and in the Holy Land was "seduced" by a beautiful female Djinn (or so he claims), who gave him their baby the very next day! Aubert is extremely tall and bulky at 7'6", with jet black hair that shines blue in sunlight, but has otherwise the blue eyes and fair skin of a Norman.
As Aubert is the son of Hugh, a leading magnate under [William II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_II_of_England), Aubert's forces are not inconsiderable, leading some 550 of his father's men. We have decided that the historians are correct, and that Hugh is indeed William the Conqueror's half-nephew (his mother is rumored to be William's Half-sister). This makes Aubert and Robert **[half- first cousins once removed](https://isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_statistics#Table)**, about as related as a second cousin. Recent Crusade research has shown strong family connections & networks in who went initially, and who continued to go on Crusades.
"Aubert" the bastard Saracen son is illegally, at least in the eyes of the Order of Hermes. Aubert is faking being his own twin brother, Kaldas ex House Tytalus. Were Aubert's noble and knightly entourage to know that he is a wizard, would drastically undermine his authority and lead to all sorts of accusations. If the Order were to find out, they would likely kill him for High Crimes.
We started the first session with Kaldas ex Tytalus's graduation ceremony, in Hyperiax's Sanctum within the covenant of [Monteverte](https://arsmagica.fandom.com/wiki/Montverte) a rather infamous and powerful Hermetic covenant in the Normandy Tribunal. The ceremony itself was a strange summoning rite resulting in an epic vision:
(0) [The history of the Order is a lie.](https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/the-history-of-the-order-is-a-lie-what-is-the/8416)
(1) in Ancient times the No-God, a being not of *this* world, fell from beyond the sky from into the desert wastes of the East. and the No-God's plan to destroy the world.
(2) While the Devil wants to corrupt humanity and keep them alive in order to have an endless stream of new souls into Hell... The No-God simply wants **everyone** and *everything* to die.
(3) The No-God is served by the Unholy-Consult, a mixed group of Hermetic Magi and Eastern Wizards to whom he opens new and unfettered secrets of the Magic of Death. They can become almost perfect impostors of a person, and perfectly destroy memories.
(4) The No-God and Unholy Consult are most often confused with The Devil and Diabolists, but they are **not** the same. The Church of Christ and the remnants of the Caliphate are unwittingly the No-God's greatest foe.
(5) Tasgilla, Prima of House Tytalus during The Corruption, was not infected by diabolism. She pushed too far to learn about the No-God, and ended up corrupted. She and her followers who were killed were actually *not* infernalists, but members of the Unholy-Consult.
(6) Not only was House Diedne destroyed, but the full scale of the war is heavily redacted and edited by Quaesitors and their enforcers, the Hoplites. In, fact, a whole other house existed that is now completely forgotten by the rest of the Order of Hermes: House Seswatha.
(7) The Schism war was truly apocalyptic: No woman in the world gave birth in the year 1012, and if they were already pregnant had a stillbirth. The Unholy Consult tore holes in reality and much was forcibly and directly forgotten through their efforts. Many fallen "Diedne" covenants throughout Europe are actually fallen House Seswatha covenants, or unknown and forgotten in the middle east...
(8) Officially, despite "little conflict" in the Levant Tribunal during the Schism war, it has not met quorum for a Tribunal or sent representatives to the Grand Tribunal ever since in 84 years.
(9) The machinations of the No-God continue, and using corrupted agents in House Guernicus and other Hermetics, has destroyed almost all mentions of House Seswatha. Surviving records are in Akkadian, the House's secret language. (Historically not rediscovered until 1767.)
(10) The 14th founder, Seswatha, was a Levantine Greek. The survivor of an ancient Akkadian prophetic summoning Tradition in Syria that strove to save the world for upcoming the Apocalypse, predicted to happen around the year 1000.
(11) Seswatha was afflicted with various dreams and visions in his life, that led him to France and then to the Founder's Gathering in Durenmar in 767. He warned the other Founders of the No-God, a being not of *this* world, that had fallen from the sky from beyond the Lunar Sphere into the wastes of the East, and the No-God's plan to destroy the world.
(12) The only Founder to not laugh at, ignore, or politely listen was Tytalus, whom after battling Guorna the Fetid understood the danger. The two houses were strongly allied in the early years of the Order, and caused many setbacks for the No-God and the Unholy Consult.
(13) Seswatha was the oldest of the founders, as he was born around the year 410. He bound a powerful sympathetic Jinn into himself and did not age past 30.
(14) Kaldas saw through Seswatha's eyes, each founder in person, including Diedne, in the original gathering of 767.
(15) Seswatha argued with Charlemagne and Jerbiton to destroy [The Tree at the End of the World](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irminsul) in Northern Germany to stop the machinations of the Unholy Consult in corrupting the Northmen. This partially succeeded but led to the Viking devastation of Christian lands for the next ~250 odd years.
(16) Seswatha lives in his descendants - all of his followers learn how to enact a ritual that binds them to Seswatha's memories, inflicting the Flaw "Visions." Over time as their mind accumulates, they witness scenes from Seswatha's life, and up to his apocalyptic battle with, and defeat by, the No-God in 1012.
(17) Only one of Seswatha's followers survived the first apocalypse. Due to magical similarities and opportunities the wake of the ending of the Schism War, he stole the identity of a slain member, Hyperiax, of House Tytalus. (The PC's master.) 'Hyperiax' officially a century and a half old, now tries to mastermind the 1st Crusade against the machinations and stirrings of the No-God in the East after the first apocalypse.
Aubert's Marriage:
One of the first things the player stated was that he didn't want any romance sub plots, so we agreed that Hyperiax arranged for a marriage to a bastard daughter of an unnamed Greek Noblemen of [House Doukas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doukas), who sired a daughter on Aphrodite! Velkonia is incredibly beautiful (Presence +4) and has exceptional linguistic skills, among others to help Aubert. Early seasons had her instruct him in basic Greek & Arabic.
Kaldas' First Servant:
Unknown to Kaldas, Hyperiax arranged for the assassination of the summoner of [Bartimaeus](https://bartimaeus.fandom.com/wiki/Bartimaeus) so that Kaldas could summon said Djinn.
@DarthOne , @Sargeant Foley , @Abhorsen , @Lord Sovereign , @Circle of Willis , @Agent23 , @Spartan303 , @TheRejectionist , @Free-Stater 101 , @Husky_Khan ,
More to come soon.
This TL will be a bit strange, as I'm not aware of people writing up TL's based on tabletop RPG sessions based on history. The game in question is Ars Magica set in "Mythic Europe" which is historical medieval Europe + faeries + magic + demons + angels. In this world Europeans are somewhat aware of magic, but generally quite distrustful and suspicious of it. There exists a supra-national organization called the Order of Hermes which is the dominant magical order in Europe. They know that an "Order of Solomon" exists in the Middle East and North Africa, concluding a treaty in the late 800s to stay out of North Africa. The Order of Odin exists in the North and Northeast, they assisted the Vikings until a truce was reached in the late 900's. Rumors swirl of other, more exotic Orders, but so far no definitive proof exists.
I also combined this with the most epic Dark Fantasy Novel series, the Prince of Nothing.
Normandy I, Summer 1095
Aubert, bastard Saracen son of [Hugh d'Avranches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_d%27Avranches,_Earl_of_Chester), the Viscount of Avranches, and Earl of Chester in England will lead his ailing father's contribution to the first Crusade, under the forces of [Robert Curthose of Normandy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Curthose). In this (alternate) timeline, Hugh went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the early 1070's, and in the Holy Land was "seduced" by a beautiful female Djinn (or so he claims), who gave him their baby the very next day! Aubert is extremely tall and bulky at 7'6", with jet black hair that shines blue in sunlight, but has otherwise the blue eyes and fair skin of a Norman.
As Aubert is the son of Hugh, a leading magnate under [William II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_II_of_England), Aubert's forces are not inconsiderable, leading some 550 of his father's men. We have decided that the historians are correct, and that Hugh is indeed William the Conqueror's half-nephew (his mother is rumored to be William's Half-sister). This makes Aubert and Robert **[half- first cousins once removed](https://isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_statistics#Table)**, about as related as a second cousin. Recent Crusade research has shown strong family connections & networks in who went initially, and who continued to go on Crusades.
"Aubert" the bastard Saracen son is illegally, at least in the eyes of the Order of Hermes. Aubert is faking being his own twin brother, Kaldas ex House Tytalus. Were Aubert's noble and knightly entourage to know that he is a wizard, would drastically undermine his authority and lead to all sorts of accusations. If the Order were to find out, they would likely kill him for High Crimes.
We started the first session with Kaldas ex Tytalus's graduation ceremony, in Hyperiax's Sanctum within the covenant of [Monteverte](https://arsmagica.fandom.com/wiki/Montverte) a rather infamous and powerful Hermetic covenant in the Normandy Tribunal. The ceremony itself was a strange summoning rite resulting in an epic vision:
(0) [The history of the Order is a lie.](https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/the-history-of-the-order-is-a-lie-what-is-the/8416)
(1) in Ancient times the No-God, a being not of *this* world, fell from beyond the sky from into the desert wastes of the East. and the No-God's plan to destroy the world.
(2) While the Devil wants to corrupt humanity and keep them alive in order to have an endless stream of new souls into Hell... The No-God simply wants **everyone** and *everything* to die.
(3) The No-God is served by the Unholy-Consult, a mixed group of Hermetic Magi and Eastern Wizards to whom he opens new and unfettered secrets of the Magic of Death. They can become almost perfect impostors of a person, and perfectly destroy memories.
(4) The No-God and Unholy Consult are most often confused with The Devil and Diabolists, but they are **not** the same. The Church of Christ and the remnants of the Caliphate are unwittingly the No-God's greatest foe.
(5) Tasgilla, Prima of House Tytalus during The Corruption, was not infected by diabolism. She pushed too far to learn about the No-God, and ended up corrupted. She and her followers who were killed were actually *not* infernalists, but members of the Unholy-Consult.
(6) Not only was House Diedne destroyed, but the full scale of the war is heavily redacted and edited by Quaesitors and their enforcers, the Hoplites. In, fact, a whole other house existed that is now completely forgotten by the rest of the Order of Hermes: House Seswatha.
(7) The Schism war was truly apocalyptic: No woman in the world gave birth in the year 1012, and if they were already pregnant had a stillbirth. The Unholy Consult tore holes in reality and much was forcibly and directly forgotten through their efforts. Many fallen "Diedne" covenants throughout Europe are actually fallen House Seswatha covenants, or unknown and forgotten in the middle east...
(8) Officially, despite "little conflict" in the Levant Tribunal during the Schism war, it has not met quorum for a Tribunal or sent representatives to the Grand Tribunal ever since in 84 years.
(9) The machinations of the No-God continue, and using corrupted agents in House Guernicus and other Hermetics, has destroyed almost all mentions of House Seswatha. Surviving records are in Akkadian, the House's secret language. (Historically not rediscovered until 1767.)
(10) The 14th founder, Seswatha, was a Levantine Greek. The survivor of an ancient Akkadian prophetic summoning Tradition in Syria that strove to save the world for upcoming the Apocalypse, predicted to happen around the year 1000.
(11) Seswatha was afflicted with various dreams and visions in his life, that led him to France and then to the Founder's Gathering in Durenmar in 767. He warned the other Founders of the No-God, a being not of *this* world, that had fallen from the sky from beyond the Lunar Sphere into the wastes of the East, and the No-God's plan to destroy the world.
(12) The only Founder to not laugh at, ignore, or politely listen was Tytalus, whom after battling Guorna the Fetid understood the danger. The two houses were strongly allied in the early years of the Order, and caused many setbacks for the No-God and the Unholy Consult.
(13) Seswatha was the oldest of the founders, as he was born around the year 410. He bound a powerful sympathetic Jinn into himself and did not age past 30.
(14) Kaldas saw through Seswatha's eyes, each founder in person, including Diedne, in the original gathering of 767.
(15) Seswatha argued with Charlemagne and Jerbiton to destroy [The Tree at the End of the World](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irminsul) in Northern Germany to stop the machinations of the Unholy Consult in corrupting the Northmen. This partially succeeded but led to the Viking devastation of Christian lands for the next ~250 odd years.
(16) Seswatha lives in his descendants - all of his followers learn how to enact a ritual that binds them to Seswatha's memories, inflicting the Flaw "Visions." Over time as their mind accumulates, they witness scenes from Seswatha's life, and up to his apocalyptic battle with, and defeat by, the No-God in 1012.
(17) Only one of Seswatha's followers survived the first apocalypse. Due to magical similarities and opportunities the wake of the ending of the Schism War, he stole the identity of a slain member, Hyperiax, of House Tytalus. (The PC's master.) 'Hyperiax' officially a century and a half old, now tries to mastermind the 1st Crusade against the machinations and stirrings of the No-God in the East after the first apocalypse.
Aubert's Marriage:
One of the first things the player stated was that he didn't want any romance sub plots, so we agreed that Hyperiax arranged for a marriage to a bastard daughter of an unnamed Greek Noblemen of [House Doukas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doukas), who sired a daughter on Aphrodite! Velkonia is incredibly beautiful (Presence +4) and has exceptional linguistic skills, among others to help Aubert. Early seasons had her instruct him in basic Greek & Arabic.
Kaldas' First Servant:
Unknown to Kaldas, Hyperiax arranged for the assassination of the summoner of [Bartimaeus](https://bartimaeus.fandom.com/wiki/Bartimaeus) so that Kaldas could summon said Djinn.
@DarthOne , @Sargeant Foley , @Abhorsen , @Lord Sovereign , @Circle of Willis , @Agent23 , @Spartan303 , @TheRejectionist , @Free-Stater 101 , @Husky_Khan ,
More to come soon.
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