Eurora Magic

From AJS.COM

WARNING: This article was never finished, due to the lack of interest from the publisher in the first. Certainly, I consider this document to be up-to-snuff in terms of the general content, but many of the templates and spell details are left unfinished. Someday, perhaps someone will show enough interest in publishing Eurora that I will finish all of this and write the follow-on articles, but for now I have more important projects. :-(

Contents 1 Eurora: Magic In an Alternate Europe 1.1 The History of Magic 1.2 Using Magic 1.3 Spells 1.3.1 Spell Groups 1.3.1.1 Channeling 1.3.1.2 Combat 1.3.1.3 Communication 1.3.1.4 Elemental Summoning 1.3.1.5 Healing 1.3.1.6 Life Force 1.3.1.7 Mind 1.3.2 Magical Schools 1.3.2.1 Military Schools 1.3.2.2 Academia 1.3.2.3 Wild Magic 1.3.2.4 Darker Magic 1.4 Charms 1.5 Sorcerer's Isle 1.5.1 Adventuring on Sorcerer's Isle

Eurora: Magic In an Alternate Europe

Eurora is an alternate history campaign set in and around the year 2000, but with barely post-Roman technology and powerful magic. The name, Eurora is also the name of the empire that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the beginning of the Steppes. See the previous article, ``Eurora: Role Playing In a Fantasy Europe, for more information on this setting.

The History of Magic

Very little is known about how magic came to be a part of Eurora. Namen-Ha discovered the Obelisk of Power and began using it to ensure his safety in exile. How or even if its use lead to the proliferation of mages and of the magical disasters is still unknown, but the fact that the three events came so close together makes it likely that they share something in common.

The fact that Eurora had a lead in magic use was a major reason for its rapid expansion. The devastation of the magical disasters was the primary shaping factor of the history of the world after 10ESC.

The first mages to appear had to discover how magic worked on their own. There were no master mages at that time. These few pioneers of magic founded the first schools, and have become icons of the history of Eurora. Over time, the empire came to terms with mages, and they have become as integral a part of workings of Eurora as engineers and trade-folk.

Using Magic

Magic takes on four major forms in Eurora:

• Spells

Magical spells are similar to the Standard Magic System from Fantasy Hero. Many magical traditions exist, some of which are open and accepted, and some of which are reviled and must remain in secret.

• Charms

Charms or charm talents are powers that certain rare people (who are also called charms) are born with. These powers take the form of enhancements to existing abilities such as strength or vision or combat damage.

• Items

Magic items are not common, since they can only be forged by the strongest mages. However, there are some, and treasure-hunters who search for magical artifacts in the ruins of ancient cities are not at all uncommon.

• Disasters

Magical waves which produce anything from illness to earthquakes to demonic hordes are common in Eurora. These magical waves have two consequences: they devastate the local area and they make magic use easier for the duration of the event.

Spells

The Eurora Magic System is fairly standard for a semi-realistic Heroic-level fantasy campaign.

Rules for Spell Creation

• Spells should not be take Duration Advantages (e.g. Persistent or Continuous) without careful GM consideration. Some examples of reasonable Duration Advantages are below (e.g. Preservation under The Bohemians).

• They must have at least the Requires a (Magic) Skill Roll and Concentration limitations as well as one of Gestures or Incantations.

• Movement restrictions: No spell may be used to increase movement to greater than 12`` per phase and Gliding does not work at all, unless it is restricted to downward movement only (e.g. for a safe-fall type of spell).

• Range restrictions: No spell advantage may allow a power to have a range or area that can reach beyond 500`` (1km) from the caster. For mental powers, the same distance restriction applies, even if the character establishes LoS through another spell.

• All spells are always subject to Game Master approval.

• The GM should be looking for spells which violate the basic concepts of Eurora. This is why, for example, movement powers are so restrictive. If movement spells were capable of flitting characters from one city to another, maintaining continuity in the empire would not be so difficult.

In addition, the following powers are not available for spell construction:

       Absorption
       Duplication
       Extra-Dimensional Movement
       Flight
       FTL
       Teleportation

The following advantages are not available for spell construction:

       Megascale
       Transdimensional

Spell Groups

The following groups of spells are intended as the starting-points for any school that uses spells of a the given type. Because there are so many magic-using schools and because they have been around for so long, it would be impossible to list every one of their spells here. Instead, each school will have one or two spell groups listed and one or two unique spells as well.

The notation ``G/I will be used for ``Gestures or Incantations. Each spell school will define which 1/4 limitation will be used for all of its spells. Requires a (Magic) Skill Roll is abbreviated as MSR. Thus, ``G/I+MSR (-3/4) will be listed for all spells.

Channeling

Channeling covers a wide variety of techniques for interacting with the spirit world. Classically channeling is used to speak to the dead, but it can also cover detecting the presence of spirits and controlling them.

Apprentice level:

     Hide From Spirits
         Invisibility to Sight, No Fringe (30 active points); G/I+MSR (-3/4), Increased END: x2 (-1/2), Conditional Power: Only spirits (Very Uncommon, -1) Total Cost: 9 

     Sense Spirits
         detect: magic vision, only spirits 

     Spirit Voice
         telepathy, only spirits, consensual only 

:Journeyman level:

     Compel Spirit
         mind control/suggestion, only spirits 

     Planar Sight
         This power allows the caster to see any spirits within LoS. However, the only barriers to this vision are the earth itself (hils, horizon, etc) and magically opaque barriers. 

         n-ray vision, only spirits

     Bind Spirit
         entangle, spirits only 

Combat

The Combat spell group covers spells that affect combat and some offensive capabilities. Keep in mind that a combat mage may be more involved in the planning and preparation of a battle than the execution of it.

Apprentice level:

     Magic Dart
         RKA, NND (magic), side effect: hits caster 

     Shield
         force field, PD, front only 

     Enhanced Strike
         HKA, OAF (easily replaced, cutting weapon), armor piercing 

Journeyman level:

     Leader's Vision
         aid: PRE, only usable on others 

     Shield Shatter
         HKA, against armor, shield or non-edged weapon only 

Communication

Apprentice level:

     Translate
     Sense Emotion
     Ensure

Journeyman level:

     Mind Speach
     Babel
     Compel Truth

Elemental Summoning

This group of spells is focused on summoning elemental energies. These spells are not considered to be ``summoning by the inhabitants of Eurora, and most people will not confuse an elemental mage with a bane.

Apprentice level:

     Ignite Fire
         ? 

     Summon Water
         ? 

     Move Earth
         TK, earth only, no fine manip 

     Gust of Wind
         EB, extra KB 

Journeyman level:

     Ball of Fire
         EB, extra KB, AE 

     Wall of Water
         force wall, lim: must have water present 

     Earthquake
         EB, point blank AE, all targets, ? 

     Bonds of Wind
         entagle

Healing

Apprentice level:

     Cleanse Toxins
         transformation, toxins->water 

     Diagnose
         n-ray vision, tisue only micro vision, linked 

     Ease Pain
         ? 

     Light Healing
         healing 

     Refresh
         aid, END 

Journeyman level:

     Cure
         ? cures diseases 

     Greater Healing
         heal 

     Health
         aid, BODY 

     Ward Disease
         force field, persistant, usable on others, controled by caster 

Life Force

Apprentice level:

     Increase Speed
         running, usable on others, no range (must hold hand) 

     Sense Life
         detect: life 

     Share life
         aid: END 

Journeyman level:

     Lifestop
         HKA, NND 

     Ease Fear
         Mind control, remove fear only 

     No Pain
         ? 

     Magic

Apprentice level:

     Detect Magic
     Cancel Illusion
     Assess Caster

     Journeyman level:

     Reflect Spell
     Counterspell
     Forget Spell

Mind

     Apprentice level:

     Sense Thought
     Hesitate
     Suggestion
         mind control 

     Journeyman level:

     Powerful Suggestions
         mind control 

     Wave of Confusion
         EB/EGO, AE cone 

     Speach of Resolve
         aid EGO, AE 

     Nature

     Apprentice level:

     Sense Animal
     Sense Plant
     Commune with Nature
     Pass Through Forest
         ? 

     Journeyman level:

     Binding Vines
         entangle, pbAE, selective, must be plants 

     Summon Animals
         summon, non-specific/mixed, amiable, must be animals in area, travels to caster 

     Summoning

     Apprentice level:

     Summon Imp
         summon, non-agressive 

     Sense Summoned
     Bind Summoned
     Demonic Hand
         TK, fine manip 

     Journeyman level:

     Summon Demon
     Demon Horde
     Dispatch Summoned
         Interdim Travel, usable on others, lim: only summoned target 

     Travel

     Apprentice level:

     Lighten Load
         aid STR, lim: for encumberance only 

     Sense Direction
     Trail History

     Journeyman level:

     Safe Drop
         gliding, 1``, only down, pbAE 

     Group Lighten Load
         aid STR, lim: enc only, pbAE 

     Group Running
         running, pbAE 

     Weather

     Apprentice level:

     Predict Weather
     Shelter

     Journeyman level:

     Control Weather
     Summon Lightning
     Temperate Zone
         life support, pbAE 

Magical Schools

The term ``school is vague at best. There are actual schools, orally maintained traditions, secret societies and many other forms of magical training. They are all generally referred to as schools, and any mage in Eurora will know what you mean if ask what school they studied in.

While there are probably hundreds of schools, these are the major movers and shakers. A character can use one of these schools, or invent their own. If they do invent their own, it should use one or two of the spell groups from above and have one or two unique spells. The GM may also feel that it's appropriate to create some unique spells that the player can get access to with difficulty (e.g. through a quest or difficult research).

An interesting side-effect of building spell lists with only one or two spell groups is that Euroran mages tend to be over-specialized. Not everyone has ``detect magic or ``magic dart. This reflects the fact that each school of magic has a unique way of approaching it, and every one of those approaches is ultimately limiting. While a mage could study more than one school, it would be a very unusual mind that would be capable of learning to actually cast spells from more than one school (read this mechanically as requiring an EGO of at least 18).

Some of the greatest sorcerers of all time have been able to learn magic from as many as three schools, but most of them were also insane. It is recommended that GMs restrict players to one spell school to start, and allow them to add a second only by role playing an intense effort to learn the new school.

Military Schools

The Euroran military allows for many schools of magic, but also maintains several of its own. The Hand's Spirit Ranks are generally the keepers of such knowledge, and even mages in another military branch will generally train with the Spirit Ranks.

• Caregivers

The caregivers are healers who study the Healing and Life Force spell groups. They specialize in advanced healing techniques of the magical and mundane sorts. The Caregivers' spells use incantations.

         Unique Spells:

Mass Heal

       healing, pbAE, selective

Romero's Blessing of Health

       aid BODY, pbAE, selective

• Menders

Also known commonly as ``Manglers in the way that psychiatrists are often known as ``shrinks in our world. This college studies the ways of the mind and focuses on curing ailments both real and imagined. They study the Healing and Mind spell groups. The Menders' spells use gestures.

         Unique Spells:

Restorative Sleep

       healing/EGO, only on sleeping target
       mind control, sleep suggestion only, linked

Unending Resolve

       mind control, resolve only

• Blue Force

Blue Force is an elite group of combat mages within the Spirit Ranks. They often work with the Centurions, but more commonly are assigned to assist The Fist. Blue Force's spells use gestures.

         They study the Combat and Life Force spell groups.

         Unique Spells:

Swift Strike

       SPD

Group Evasion

       DEX, usable on others, pbAE, selective

• The Bohemians

These mages are responsible for maintaining the Archives of Magic in Prague. They have small groups in every client-state and are allowed access to most military operations (though often grudgingly). The Bohemians' spells use incantations.

         They study the Communication and Travel groups.

         Unique Spells:

Preservation

       Life Support/unaging, usable on others, continuous,
       inanimate materials only

Duplicate

       Duplication, usable on others, continuous, zero end,
       inanimate only

Academia

While all magical traditions are called ``schools, there are literally schools that teach magic. These tend to be small and somewhat elitist. The aristocratic mages will often hail from such a magical institution.

• Hermetic Institute of Prague

These mages are the ones who delve deep into the meaning of magic and its quantitative limitations. To them, magic is almost a science, and every non-Hermetic mage is just an amature. They mostly tend to study the Elemental Summoning and Magic groups, but a mage that hails from this school could also substitute Life Force, Communication and/or Travelling for either one of those groups. This reflects the fact that Hermetic mages are broken down into multiple sub-schools within the one institution. It is not possible for a member to study more than two groups without counting as having more than one school (see above). The Hermetics almost exclusively use gestures for their spells, but a character could use incantations with permission of the GM and a good reason (e.g. a special training track, etc).

         Unique Spells:

These spells are very powerful, but highly specialized. The ability to read the magical history of an object allows mages of this school to understand how a magical item works or to understand a magical trap. Cleansing fire allows the reversal of a number of types of magical damage such as vampirism, magical disease, psychic bondage and so on.

Analyze Magical Residue

       postcognition, item, magic only
       detect: magic, linked

Cleansing Fire

       transform, tainted person -> untainted

• Weather College of Lusitania

These weather mages are primarily emplyed by the Armada and many regional shipping companies. They can ensure that non-magical weather will not interfere with a ships passage, which is fortunate as magical problems are not uncommon. Thus, shipping in Eurora is just about as dangerous as it was before magical disasters, as long as you have a weather worker. Spells from this college use gestures.

Wild Magic

Many magical schools are simply oral traditions or regional organizations of loosely associated mages.

• Nature Traditions

Native traditions of Europe varied a great deal before the awakening of magic at Eurora's founding, and that has not changed. This category is just that, it's not a firm school. Many traditions practice Nature and Healing magics, and are trained through family or community teachings. Rarely are outsiders indoctrinated into these ways.

• Shamanic Traditions

Some traditional magic workers who focus on ancestor and spirit communication will use Channeling and Nature magic in ways that are passed down to them. Sometimes these shamen have no human teacher, but are directly trained by the spirits of their people or by other spirits that they may or may not consider divine.

""Most of these wild-magic schools use incantations, and might even add ``extra time and ``concentration to their spells to simulate trance states, etc.

Darker Magic

The term ``bane is used to refer to any mage that practices forbidden magic. Most of the rules governing magic center around the absolute dictum that no mage may attempt to bring control or summon entities from the spirit world. Communication is allowed to an extent, but only insofar as it involves communicating with benign entities or the departed.

The most hated of mages are those that attempt to summon the energies of magical disasters for their own purposes. One theory of the history of such disasters is that they were triggered by one of the earliest mages who attempted to summon and control demons.

While there are no large institutions of the darker magics, some mages fit into these classifications:

• Necromancers

Practitioners of Channeling and Magic groups of spells, these mages are either insane or desperate for power. Often their life expectancies are short. These mages use incantations for their spells.

• Summoners

The entire group of Summoning spells are considered deadly poison to mages, and those that use them are feared and hated. There are mages who claim that summoning powers from beyond our world can be beneficial. Few examples of this exist in practice, however. The Summoners' spells used incantations.

Charms

A charm is a person who has a magical gift. The gift itself is also called a charm. These gifts are totally free-form except for these restrictions:

• A character can only have one charm.
• A charm is always taken with the advantage Invisible Power Effect
• The limitation, Increased Endurance Cost: x2 END is required for powers that use END.
• The limitation, Requires Endurance must be taken for powers that do not normally use END.
• A charm must not allow the character to do anything that they could not do without it, though it may enhance an existing ability substantially (see examples, below).
• Charms must have an active point total of no more than 30 points.

Here are some example charms:

• Eagle Eye

The chararcter can focus on vision and see things much farther away than normal.

detect: sight, telescopic, targeting

Stone Stance

   The character literally becomes rigid and can withstand massive amounts of damage while remaining that way. 

   force field, no defense against electrical or ``pure magic damage, concentration/0 DCV, increased end: x2, invisible power effects

Vault

   The ability to jump long distances safely. 

   superleap, 5``, invisible power effects, increased END: x4

Vicious Blow

   The simplest sort of charm is one that enhances a combat technique. These are common among charms. 

   HKA, OAF (easily replaced, cutting weapon), armor piercing, increased END: x2, invisible power effects.

Magic Items

Magic items are very hard to fashion and most player characters will not have the resources (in terms of time, power or money) to create their own. However, since Eurora is littered with ruined cities which were destroyed by magical disasters, there is a healthy trade in things that used to belong to someone else. This includes magical relics. Most are mere trinkets. It's common to see someone trying to sell a brazier that has a magical aura as a powerful, but unknown artifact. In reality most such relics are just the trappings of alchemical laboratories and have no particular use.

Game masters are cautioned to allow ony one magic item for a starting chracter, and even then, only one with an active point total of less than 30 points. Unless the GM specifically to introduce a rare and powerful item, magic items should be restricted to the same guidelines for power generation as spells, except for gestuers and incantations (though trigger words are sometimes used).

Most items will have a limited power supply, measured in charges. These charges replentish themselves over time, by absorbing magical energies from the environment, so leaving the item unused for a day or a week is usually sufficient to recharge it.

Examples

Here is a list of some magical relics that you might find if you knew were to look:

Balancing Staff

   This simple staff is often mistaken for a plain walking stick. Its only magical effect is to increase the user's DEX by two points. There are no charges, and there's no way to turn the effect on or off. 

   Statistic: DEX, IPE, independent, 0END, IAF/unique.

Lightstep Ring

   A powerful ring that lets the wearer become invisible and silent to all but direct inspection. 

   invisibility to sight and hearing (+1 non-targeting group, fringe), recoverable charges, IPE, independent, IAF/unique

Serpent Blade

   This blade secretes a poison that does not linger in the blood, but does increase the damage of attacks. 

   HKA, OAF/unique (normal sword), 0END, independant HKA, OAF/unique, AVLD (vs poison power defense), linked, requires power success (normal sword strike), independant

Stein of Health

   It is common for people to go to a drinking hall with their own stein. This one was designed to prevent accidental or deliberate poisoning or taining of the drink. 

   transform, poisons and disease -> water, IAF/unique, independent, IPE, 0END

Disasters

Magical disasters strike all over the world. They take many forms, though, and often it's only obvious after the fact that something like a disease was magically introduced.

Think of these disasters like earthquakes in southern California. They happen all the time, and most go unnoticed. When one does strike that's significant, the likelyhood of it striking a population center is not terribly great.

Most of the effects are temporary. When something as tangible as a demon appears, it will often disapear within a day or even an hour. Only very, very rarely does something spawned by a magical disaster continue on for as much as a week. Things are rumored to stay longer sometimes, but in Eurora The Hand is pretty good about disposing of such entities, so it's unclear just how long they would remain otherwise.

All magical disasters are preceded by an increase in local magic levels. Mages who use any sort of magic detection spell will sense it. Also, magic gets a little easier in the local area. The strongest storms will reduce END costs for all spell use by 1/2, while the weakest storms have no noticable impact on END costs. These effects will appear as much as 5-20 minutes before an event and end at about the same time as the event.

Examples

Here are some example scenarios for magical disasters. Don't feel constrained to just these examples, but also don't feel that every game session needs to have a new and unique disaster. These events are fairly rare, and will only affect a party of chraracters on a regular basis if they are seeking them out.

Demons

   Demons are the most feared type of magical disaster, but also one of the rarest. It is likely that these creatures exist constantly in another plane of existance, and that the disasters simply summon them to our world. 

   Most demons will be alone, but packs of as may as a dozen have been reported. They are mindless brutes, and will attack anything that is living without discrimination. No attempt to communicate with them normally or with magic has ever been successful. One of the side-effects of this is that they are toally imune to any sort of magical suggestion, though confusion, fear and other such mental effects seem to work.

   They appear in many forms, but usually resemble large (6-8') humanoids with various animal features ranging from fur to claws, etc. Some demons are truly bizarre, having more than 4 limbs or no discernible facial features, for example.

Disease

   Magical diseases are difficult to cure with magic, and can be fatal or crippling if untreated. They tend to be communicated by touch or by the use of magic or both. Some folk remedies are actually quite useful, though the are occasionally just messy... 

Insects

   Strange and bothersome insects are a fairly common form of disaster. Often appearing in swarms as large as a town, they can eat crops and kill livestock or even people, but most often are just a nuisance. 

Storms

   The most common manifestation of a magical disaster is a glowing stormcloud. Such storms can be sensed a short time before they appear by weather mages. Most such storms will have increased winds, rain or snow (without regard to local season), and some lightning. 

   The greatest damage comes from the unique effects of such a storm, though. Some rain frogs on the area, some will rain fire. Sometimes nothing at all comes from the clouds, and they simply act as the harbinger of another disaster in the area.

Building Character

When it comes to putting all of this together, it can be hard to figure out where to start. Keep in mind that you don't even have to play a magic-using character unless the campaign strictly calls for it.

If you do want to use magic, start with a concept. What kind of character do you want to play? This will lead you to the question of what kind of magic you want. Will your character be a Charm? Will you be a mage? Will you just have a magic item?

Packages

Here are some packages that can be used in conjunction with the above spell schools, charms and items. These are the packages from the first article, which have been revised to add in magical options.

Combat Mage

   Skills and Talents 

       FAM w/ Single Weapon Group              1
       Magic Skill                             3
       KS: Particular Magical Tradition        1
       KS: Magical Entities                    1
       Apprentice spells                       10

   Disadvantages

       Choose one of:
       Code: School of Magic, Reputation       -5

   Total package cost: 11

Healer

   Skills and Talents 

       Magic Skill                             3
       KS: Particular Magical Tradition        1
       KS: Healing Techniques                  1
       Paramedic                               3
       Apprentice spells                       10

   Disadvantages

       Code of Healing                         -5

   Total package cost: 13

Maritime Weather Mage

   Skills and Talents 

       KS: Common Sailing Ships                1
       KS: Meteorology                         1
       AK: Ports of Eurora                     1
       Marine Navigation                       2
       Survival                                3
       Apprentice spells                       10

   Disadvantages

       One of:
       Military Code, Reputation, 
       Reactivation                            -5

   Total package cost: 13

Soldier

   Skills and Talents 

       FAM w/Common Melee Weapons 2
       FAM w/Common Missile Weapons 2
       +1 w/ Chosen Weapon Group 3
       +1 OCV w/Favorite Weapon 2
       KS: Military Combat Techniques 1
       KS: Military History 1
       Language Skill 1

       Choose two of: 6
        Interrogation, Paramedics, Riding,
        Shadowing, Stealth, Survival,Tactics,
        Fringe: Rank, Teamwork
       or Choose one of:
        Magic item or charm

   Disadvantages

       Choose one of:
        Reactivation, Military Code,
        Reputation -5

   Total package cost: 13

Trade Mage

   Skills and Talents 

       KS: Specific Trade                      2
       KS: Materials                           2
       Fringe: Guild member                    1
       Fringe: Industry contacts               1
       Select two of:
       Bribery, Bureaucratics, Climbing,
       Lockpicking, Riding, Streetwise,
       Trading, Perk: Wealthy                  6
       One of:
       Apprentice spells, Charm or item        10

   Disadvantages

       Depending on military status (or lack)
       choose one of:
       Reputation, Reactivation,
       Code: Military or Trade Guild           -5

   Total package cost: 17

Example Characters

Mira Rossi

Mira is a Roman combat mage. While few women serve in the military, mages are rare, and so any mage male or female is generally recruited. Sometimes men look to her only for magical support because they assume her combat skills are not equal to her magic. Those who know her well do not make this mistake.

Mira has served in the Spirit Ranks' Blue Force for four years now and she loves her work. She has been on loan to the Centurions before but mostly works with The Fist -- the group within The Hand that deals with magical disaster-spawned creatures.

Attributes

       STR     12
       DEX     14
       CON     12
       BODY    12
       INT     14
       EGO     15
       PRE     12
       COM     12
       PD
       ED
       REC
       SPD
       STUN
       END

Skills and Talents

       FAM w/Short Bladed Weapons
       Magic Skill (18-)
       KS: Blue Force
       KS: Magical Entities

Spells

       Magic Dart
       Shield
       Increase Speed
       Share Life
       No Pain

Disadvantages

       Reputation                              -5

Mario Beucimi

A Lusitanian weather mage, Mario has always been at sea. His father is a fisherman, and Mario would have been too, if his magical talent had not manifested in his teenage years. The whole village contributed to send him to the Weather College, and he has been a ship's mage ever since, sending money back home when he can.

Skills and Talents

       KS: Common Sailing Ships                1
       KS: Meteorology                         1
       AK: Ports of Eurora                     1
       Marine Navigation                       2
       Survival                                3

Spells

       Predict Weather
       Shelter
       Temperate Zone

Disadvantages

       Code of the Sea                         -5

Antonius ``Canis Cicero

Antonius, or Canis as he is known among his

Skills and Talents

       FAM w/Common Melee Weapons 2
       FAM w/Common Missile Weapons 2
       +1 w/ Chosen Weapon Group 3
       +1 OCV w/Favorite Weapon 2
       KS: Military Combat Techniques 1
       KS: Military History 1
       Language Skill 1

       Choose two of: 6
        Interrogation, Paramedics, Riding,
        Shadowing, Stealth, Survival,Tactics,
        Fringe: Rank, Teamwork
       or Choose one of:
        Magic item or charm

Disadvantages

       Choose one of:
        Reactivation, Military Code,
        Reputation -5

Total package cost: 13

? [a trade mage with magic whip]

Sorcerer's Isle

In our world, it's known as the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine. In the middle of the Black Sea, it's a 200-mile long island connected to mainland Europe by a narrow strip of land.

In the world of Eurora it's the Sorcerer's Isle, and the land bridge has been destroyed in war that took place between Germania and the mages that control the island around 250ESC. The island has remained a free-hold of magical traditions both benign and sinister that live under a sort of equilibrium of power. The five most powerful traditions each appoint a single representative to a council which is known as The Scythian Congress lives in a mountain fortress above the city of Yalta. Some say that the magical disasters that wrack the rest of the world never touch the Scythian's tower. Others say that that's simply what a handful of magic-drunk old men would have you think.

The name Scythian comes from the original inhabitants of the island, which the city of Yalta counts as its descendants along with the Romans who had a small outpost here.

Eurora's official policy on Sorcerer's Isle has changed a great deal over time. At first, the two engaged in open warfare as Namen-Ha saw the creation of a magical state so close to his borders as a threat. In the modern day, there is tentative trade and communication with the Isle, but the official stand remains that until the sorcerers expunge the darker mages from their midst there will never be a formal relationship between the two.

Adventuring on Sorcerer's Isle

It will generally work out best if the game master leaves Sorcerer's Isle as a mystery for the players. They might have to visit there to find a particularly powerful mage or to acquire some powerful item, but the power of this island comes form the fact that the rest of the world holds it in a sort of guarded awe.

To support this, the Congress allows magical creatures, spawned by magical disasters, to roam free through the island as long as they pose no direct threat to the general population. Since most of the population is on the southern and western shores of the island, the large area north of the mountains tends to be rife with frighteningly powerful magical creatures that would be slain by The Hand in Eurora.

Needless to say traveling on the island is no small danger, and few undertake it without deep trepidation.