Founded: 1195
Status: Summer
Ara Maxima Nova is a Summer covenant made rich through trade in wine and cork.
Ara Maxima Nova is designed to resemble a typical hamlet, complete with a variety of practical worker's buildings, shelters, and small hovels; at present it also has a an odious humor that befouls the otherwise tranquil pastoral setting. The grounds of the covenant extend widely and include open fields stretching away from the coast in all directions. Small stone border markers are sparsely placed throughout the outer edges of the covenant proper to mark its real borders. As you fly over the outer fields you can see workers amongst the long straight rows of vines. Every few fields has a small hut between them, probably for storage. A much smaller set of southern fields contains a variety of animals. The fields are set out with a wheel and spoke pattern with the covenant proper forming the hub.
From the air you can see a large central courtyard of packed dirt which is in the process of being excavated by hand. Three men are trawling dirt a pace below the surface from a sub floor of stone. Seen beneath the dirt is the layer of rock which is a mosaic of either concentric circles or perhaps a spiral pattern of heavy sandstone. Two obvious features of the courtyard are two small matching roofed shelters on either side of the large courtyard; a well in the north and a bell in the south. Then spaced around the 30 pace courtyard is a large barn with stone foundations, three long large wooden building which could be barracks, and a wide stone road which stretches to an over-sized wooden jetty to east. The other shelters and huts are randomly dispersed between these structures in a haphazard way. The main pathway away from the covenant points westward, a man sized stone marker aside the path as the pathway crosses the border markers.
The Magi
- Francois Deveroux ex Jerbiton
- Concerned with plants and crops, and wine.
- Younger brother to the dying Baron. You'd note easily that she is obviously close to her dying uncle and speaks of her cousins in the same way as her brothers.
- He is older than he looks, substantially so. Helene thinks her father is getting tired.
- His familiar is an african gray parrot, who is taken to singing inappropriate rhymes and songs and is particularly vulgar when drunk. "The vile little bird."
- Has an apprentice named Helene whom he claims is his daughter.
- Francois Deveroux ex JerbitonJeanne of Merinita
- also has self transformation powers to a wolf.
- Pragmatic and blunt.
- Adopted sister to the missing Magus named Luc.
- Has a violent wolf familiar, and an older apprentice boy in his early 20s named Davok, from eastern Europe.
- Maga Etienne ex Merinita
- Order Hermes Lore 6+ = Rep: “the ambassador” for her role many years ago finding a peaceful conclusions to a particularly ugly set of confrontation.
- Possibly also gentle gifted, as she used to spend large amounts of time among the covenfolk, before her personality became erratic. She is grumpy and acerbic at times now.
- She is often away from the covenant.
- Her apprentice passed her gauntlet a few years ago and visits now and then.
- A very friendly white cat familiar, who will give away secrets for dates and sweetened milk.
- Ethan ex Tytalus
- a guest of the covenant, has been for a few years.
- investigating the remains of some ruins in the middle of the covenant courtyard.
- Creepy, mainly because he is friendly and courteous, but has such strange followers and tastes. Keeps very much to himself, and is not using one of the guest houses, but instead has his own lab beneath the ground like the other Magi.
- Luc ex Merinita
- Helene has never met him. Apparently well liked.
- Left the covenant on an expedition 15 years ago. Still considered an absent member.
- Guillermo of Mercere
- A redcap who no longer stays at the covenant, or even visits. something happened about 8 years ago, but he's not really talked about except by reference in charter discussions.
Current Relations with Andorra
- Ara Maxima Nova appears willing to keep good relations with Andorra.
Lucas's Contacts
- Francois Deveroux ex Jerbiton
