Saulés Vartai
Saulés Vartai is a covenant in Lithuania at the site of modern-day Kaunas. It is the covenant of the Wednesday night game.
The covenant is located at the confluence of the rivers Neumas and Neris and is a part of a large magical forest (up to the Zvesta). Joined to the forest is a village of native Lithuanians (pagans) caught up in ongoing Northern Crusades, who seek protection from the Teutonic Order.
The covenant maintains a hospital where anyone will be treated, and be expected to pay according to their means, this is how the covenant makes its income.
Located within the forest is a magical portal - the gateway to the Nameless One's prison in the realm of magic. This is kept inoperative by the pagan gods of Lithuania lest the Nameless One and his horrendous power escape. Long ago a Koldun (dark slavic magician) tried to open the portal, but was thwarted, but now his spirit roams the forest vexing anyone he comes across.
Contents |
The Charter
The Charter of the Magi of Saulés Vartai
The Buildings:
- 6 labs (The 5 Magi + Dr Angli) Klysus's is outdoor and Amnisia's is quite large attached to the warehouse.
- Warehouse/Store
- Central Ritual area/Library/Secure Store
- Common area (Kitchen/extra space)
- Hospital
- Stables and animal pens
- Women's Hall with 6 rooms (Dijana, Amnisia, Losija and the Christian Martyr)
- Upper Men's Hall with 6 rooms (Damon, Galen, Klysus, Kestusis and Dr Angli)
- Middle Men's Hall with 6 rooms (Sir Petor, Endris, Ylo, Head of the Militia, Ernestas Orvidas)
- The Lower Hall a bunk house with common area (for servants/labourers) divided down the middle by sex (13 servants/Labourers)
- Barracks with common area and armoury (15 Soldiers, excluding their leader)
The Magi
- Dijana ex Criamon
- Damon ex Tytalus
- Galen ex Miscelania
- Klyses ex Tytalus
- Amnisia ex Veditius
The Companions
- Dr John Angli - An excommunicated doctor
- Svetlana of the Dawn - Local Volkhvy
- Ylo the Forest Brother - A guerilla warfare specialist
- Endris Locker - An adulterous blacksmith
- Kęstutis ex Mercere - A Redcap
Others
- Ernestas Orvidas - A retired trader and ship's barber with a surprisingly skill for teaching.
- Losija wife of Paimis - A woman cursed by her former husband to take the form of a swan, now rescued and a nurse at the Hospital.
- Sir Pētõr of Courland - A former member of the Livonian Brotherhood, fell in love with Losija and cursed into the form of a wolf. Now freed and works as a guardian of the Covenant.
- A Cadre of Ylo's 16 veteran soldiers
- Stratonice - A woman who was fed to the Lions in the reign of Nero who was preserved by a pagan healer before she could die and was subsequently saved by Galen.
Maps
Close up of the covenant.
Map showing the extent of the forest and nearby settlements.
The Four Villages:
Kaunas / Kovno
The largest of the villages, this one is directly adjacent to the Covenant over South side of the river.
It has three large extended families with several dozen households each;
- The Dobis, the largest of the three. Their family controls the best of the farmland and has extensive connections with other settlements. The current chief of the village is from this family.
- The Alkena, They were once more influential in the village, but a few unfortunate deaths from disease and war caused them to lose nearly a generation of male heirs, from which they are recovering.
- The Baltakis, the newest and smallest of the three, but relatively wealthy due to running boats up and down the Neris river, trading with Vilnius and Kernavė, the informal capital of Lithuania.
Still despite it's size it is protected only by a wooden fence, designed more to keep out livestock than any concerted form of attack.
The village supplements its subsistence agriculture with raising prize cattle particularly Aurochs.
Notable people of the Dobas family:
- Almantas, the Bajorai (Noble) of the village and head of the Dobis family
- Eimantė, Wife of Almantas
- Domas, Younger brother of Almantas
- Elijas - local farmer
- Ona, Elijas's wife, suffered from a vampire attack
Baltakis Family
- Pijus - Head of the Baltakis Family
Alekna Family
- Rimas - Head of the Alekna family
Others:
- Svetlana - Local Volkhvy
Jonucial
Jonucial is the most isolated of the nearby settlements with about 20 households. They are largely self sufficient and practice small scale farming and crafts, particularly pottery. Particularly associated with the goddess Gabija - godess of the Hearth
People of Jonucial:
- Iglė - The local Volkhvy, a young woman with eyes that reflect flames.
Lapes
Lapes is a small community of mostly hunters associated paticularly with the goddess Giraitis - a goddess of forests. Contains the Zalty Domnykas. Their hunting is supplemented by charcoal burning and limited forestry for timber.
People of Jonucial:
- Domnykas - The local Volkhvy
Karmelava
Karmelava is the largest of the outlying settlements, with about 50 households on a raised hillfort and is particularly associated with the god Andai - god of war. They supplement their agricultural income with apiary, making mead and creating decent wax candles which are much in demand in the cities upstream.
People of Karmelava:
- Darius - Elderly Volkhvy
The Forest - Ąžuolynas (literally, "Oak Grove")
From outside the forest is only about 30 miles along its perimeter.
However the regio manifests is unusual. It has no fixed threshold, without a path or a guide, you could spend a dozen lifetimes trying to cross it. There are many paths through the wood. Some are physical, marked by white stones or lengths of twine, most are more ephemeral or metaphorical. To step off the path is to wander a primal forest, infinite in each direction until discovered by a Faerie or reaching the gates of Arcadia, or just as likely dying of predators or exposure. The most important path leads into the centre of the forest.
There are many paths to this place from many forests and Volkhv faithful to the Sun come from across the Slavic world via their own paths to participate in the Winter Solstice ritual, although you can only return to the mundane world along the path you arrived from (Unless the Gods will otherwise or you know the secrets of Faerie Portage). This ritual keeps the Nameless One bound, although with the coming of Christianity, the number of Volkhv attending grows fewer every year and there is always the malevolent Koldun spirit trying to open the gate and unleash the Nameless One. The Gods themselves sometimes appear to grace their priests with tasks, challenges, advice or wisdom.
At the forest's heart is the gateway to the Nameless One a rough hewn gate of obsidian rockbound in the roots of the Golden Oak Tree of Saules. The exact nature of the tree and the gate is not consistent. Often changing the specifics of its form as the conflict between the nameless one and the Sun warps and twists the battleground between the two. One time the gate might be suspended in the air by the roots, other times the gate is deep in the Earth. The Tree could be a vast Ygdrasil binding the gate, or it could be a single modest tree entirely perched upon the gate its self.
The Forest used to be home to a dark Volkhvy named Vladas, if they were still alive they would be over 100 years old by now. But in one form or another they still haunt the woods bringing misery and misfortune to those who cross their path. It is said that if you sacrifice a pint of still liquid human blood (Yours or somebody elses), you can petition Vladas to place a curse on anybody who has wronged you.
There are other lesser paths around the perimeter. Some might be set up by magi to lead to Vis sources, find a source of water or an isolated lodge, but they are to be used with care as many things encourage people to stray off the path and whilst Faeries native to the woods are bound to never interfere with the paths or obscure them completely, they are all too happy to place temptations and distractions nearby.
