Physical Layout

The Mountain

The mountain is located in the Pontic Alps, south of Trebizond and Bayburt, west of Erzurum. An extinct and ancient volcano (well, sort of extinct), the mountain has an altitude of 2,963 meters (for the metric impaired 1.83 miles, in Roman Stadia that is 16.3 stadia). In truth, the mountain has different heights and area based on which regione you are within, as well as astrological conditions. Representing the world mountain so frequently discussed in a variety of mythologies, this place should not be considered in exclusive mundane terms. Instead it must be seen within a broader cosmic, and allegorical, framework.

The mountain is riddled with caverns and chambers, both natural and artificial. The way to the mountain is treacherous, difficult to find in the best of times. It is made all the more difficult by a Shroud the Mystic Glen spell (ReMe 40). This spell reaches out to cover the entire mountain, its slopes and the surrounding valleys. This version of the spell is different from the standard Hermetic version. It has shallows and other navigational hazards, which shift with the heavens and other factors. This changes the difficulty of finding the place. It is easier to find things in the lower valley, such as the village, than those close to the higher slopes of the mountain.

As you get close to the mountain, about two-thirds of a mile out, there are four straight roads, each at a cardinal direction, leading to one of the four gates. These roads are each nine paces wide and are obviously, by their construction and the fact they are still in usable condition, Roman made. At points these roads cut through the slopes and rock outcropping to provide a level route. By the nature of some of the rubble to the sides of the road there are clues that there used to be stelae or perhaps statues along its way. If so, these are long gone.

The roads show obvious signs of recent work. At the point where each road begins there is a newly carved stelae with the symbol of the Order and of the covenant carved upon them.

The Caldera

The lake at the center is exactly circular, with a diameter of seven stadia (a stadia is 185 meters). The cliffs towering over the caldera are at least one stadia in height. The upper rock lip is rough and difficult to traverse. Buildings and installations exist on the face of these upper rocks. Most of these are ancient and of a variety of construction. Primarily they are in some state of ruin, though that is not always the case.

At the exact center of this lake, cloaked in several levels of regio, is the island that contains the covenant's vis source. This island does not exist in the base level of the regio, this means it is rarely seen from the shore.

The lake has many regiones, most of which are not connected. Most of these are dangerous and could be considered best as shoals, whirlpools and other natural hazards.

While the lake has a reputation for danger, and the magi have been warned away from eating the fish by the magus Tiphys, the lake is really not that dangerous most of the time. There are some water elementals, but their occurrence should not be automatic. Of course, astrological occurrences can change all of that quite radically.

The shores of the lake vary from rough and sheer cliffs to large sections of temples to terraces that were once farmed and now run wild. Recently, the efforts of Achilles have begun to take fruit and the terraces are starting to be reclaimed. Some of the terraces have not been used for farming, but now are inhabited by bees and their hives. Via the bees, the magi have discovered a Grove Regio

Places of Note

• The Ruined Temple
• Dedicatory Stelae
• The Geometer's Garden

Vis Source

The covenant's vis source is not available until you reach the third level of the regio it is within. At the first, +4 in strength, the island does not exist. At the second, +5, there is a bare island with five large stelae in a circle. In the third is the vis source. At the third level the aura is +7 in strength. The vis source is the apex of the covenant. It is the source and the result of all mysteries. Everything points to this island as an integral part of the puzzle.

The island is twenty-one paces in diameter. The rock of the island is black basalt. At the third level it is covered in a thick carpet of grass. The ring of nine stelae, carved columns in the third level of regio, form a ring being ten paces in diameter. At the exact center is a gold well, carved with various archaic symbols, some Hermetic in origin and relation. The well is one pace high and two paces wide. It is filled with water. From the center rises a plume of flame high above the island ( it is one pace in diameter at the base). The height of this plume is known to vary. While there is an obvious seasonal pattern to this variance, other heavenly factors certainly contribute.

In the fourth regiones, at +8 in strength a temple takes shape, built upon the five columns. Each column is absolutely smooth porphyry. The roof is a strange peak rising from the five columns. Within this, in the east (the fountain being in the center), is an altar. It has the following inscription carved on the face towards the fountain:

O Mighty Titans, who from heaven and earth
Derive your noble and illustrious birth,
Our fathers sires, in Tartarus profound
Who dwell, deep merged beneath the solid ground:
Fountains and principles, from whom began
The afflicted, miserable, race of man:
Who not alone in earth's retreats abide,
But in the ocean and the air reside;
Since every species from your nature flows,
Which all prolific, nothing barren knows:
Avert your rage, if from the infernal seats
One of your tribe should visit our retreats.

The vis takes the form of precious stones created in the water at appropriate times. Opals for Terram; emeralds for Aquam; sapphires for Auram; rubies for Ignem; and prismatic diamonds for Vim. Interestingly enough, this vis only appears at the third regio. Six each of Aquam(spring equinox), Auram (autumn equinox), Ignem (summer solstice), Terram (winter solstice) and vim (one pawn each new moon following each equinox and solstice, as well as two pawns on the first day of the Hermae - May 15th).

About the altar in the +8 regio are nine statues. Four statues would be to either side of the altar, and the ninth would be directly behind it as the supplicant approached. Eight are stunningly beautiful, but none have particularly identifiable features, as if the artist (Stentor) had never seen them.

All of the "Muses" are of the finest alabaster (with dark marble "hair") clad in long, flowing white marble robes, but each is represented somewhat differently. Their irises are slightly differently colored turquoise (differently colored between statues, of course), with obsidian pupils. Each of the statues were made using Stentor's spell "Chisel the Face of Stone." From left to right, not including Ployhymnia, the individual differences of the statues are as follows:

1. Calliope is a grand figure of a woman with a single tear running down her left cheek (composed of quartz). Her right arm is raised, and her face turned to her open right hand, as if she is in the midst of a high narrative. At her feet are tiny armies crashing together on battlefields, monsters eating ships, titans striking down impudent mortals, etc. The detail of these smaller scenes are not great, but they are discernable as depictions of epic prose.
2. Erato is a particularly delicate woman who has a kindly expression on her face. At her feet is Cupid, his bow and quiver laid at his feet, playing the lyre. In front of these two is a smaller statue of two lovers embracing.
3. Thalia is a woman with a smile upon her face, upraised to the heavens, as if she were about to laugh out loud. In her right hand is a mask -- the prototypical mask of comedy. A miniature theater will be next to her left foot.
4. Clio is a slightly more serious woman with a closed book clasped to her chest and an open book at her feet with a quill and an inkwell next to the open book. This statue departs from the others in that it has a very detailed appearance, quite lovingly carved. Tiphys made this change recently, unasked by Stentor. The book at her feet will move with appropriate Rego Terram magics. It contains a copy of Clio's Remembrances (InIm25).
5. Polyhymnia is between Clio and Urania, behind the altar. Polyhymnia is fashioned from Stentor's memories of youth. Her head raised as if she were singing to the heavens. Her arms are near her sides, outstretched slightly, with her palms outward.
6. Urania looks to the sky, with an astrolabe held loose in her left hand at her side and her right hand held to the heavens. Small representations of the constellations are formed by the veins in the marble of her robes.
7. Melpomene is a woman with downcast expression and a traditional tragedy mask held in her right hand. A miniature theater is next to her right foot.
8. Euterpe has her head raised in song and her right hand to her breast while a young boy plays the flute at her feet. The boy slightly resembles Stentor.
9. Terpsichore has a leg raised, as if she were in the midst of a dance, and before her, but to the side, are three young boys singing together, with identical expressions of joy and wonder on their faces.

The Stone Roses

There are also a blooming of stone roses on a crest of rock that juts into the Caldera about a eighth of a circumference from the covenant. These roses, harvested judiciously, have proven capable of giving Creo vis. The covenant currently harvests two pawns a year in the form of a large stone rose bud.

General Artwork

The general character of the artwork of the mountain is Hellenistic, at least for those areas the magi have explored. There are of course notable exceptions. It is possible to find artwork from any culture that has had concourse with this part of the world. The further back in time you go, the less artwork from that epoch you find.

The general quality of this art is in general disrepair to down right vandalized. Very few works are complete or in good shape. There seems to be a general pattern to this destruction.

Primarily, the artwork in the covenant is mosaics.

Light Sources

Magical light sources are not uncommon. Most are dim or just gone out. Use as your story demands. Within the area of the covenant they are more common, taking the form of glowing carvings in the walls and ceilings and of globes that shed their own radiance. The general lighting, with a few exceptions, is a dim ambience in the vicinity of the covenant. The magi have taken some steps to increase the lighting in their area of control.

Water

Most of the mountains natural pools and waterways have been altered to conform with the needs of the previous inhabitants.

Minerals

The volcano has much in the way of natural wealth, most of it buried deep. There are massive quartz deposits which yield amethyst, chalcedony, carnelian, flint, jasper and opal. Copper, tin and bauxite lodes are certainly possible, as well as silver, but if they have been tapped to date this has not been found.

On the outer slopes granite encases the chambers. Shimmering grains cover this grey stone. Futher within the mountain, smooth black, basalt replaces granite as the foundation stone. Beautiful marbles can be seen throughout the mountain, most heavily damaged. While many are obviously imported or magically created, there are sections that seem to be carved from large veins of native marbles.

Climate

The tunnels and rooms that wind beneath the mountain are naturally dark depths which constitute a nearly closed environment. Temperatures rarely deviate from a norm of 56-65° and the humidity is comfortable, albeit slightly damp. Of course the occasional subterranean streams and burning fissures produce steam, mists, rivulets and fire.

This is in stark contrast to the climate that can be found on the flanks of this high mountain.

The Gates

There are four primary gates that allow egress to within the mountain. Each at a cardinal direction. Each of the four is dominated by certain motifs of art and design. Except for the lion gate, none are accessible, being blocked by a solid stone plug, which has appropriate carvings, but seems invulnerable to force. The outside of each gate is monumental, being thirty paces tall by twenty paces wide and carved from the very stone of the mountain.

The Lion Gate

The south gate. This gate is flanked by two giant lions that tower above the ground, glaring at anyone audacious enough to enter through their portal. On the lintel above them, carved in huge letters in Greek is: "The four elements combine for Breath (pneumos), Breath brings forth Soul. The Soul predetermines existence." Entering this portal one is judged by the fierce faces of lions, some stylized, others realistic, that line the stone of this three paces wide corridor for a stadia. After this is ruined mosaics, filled with images of earth, and to a lesser extent fire, mythology. The themes of martial strife, bravery and honor predominate. After two stadia one comes to a large rectangular chamber from which four corridors branch. The arches of each corridor are dedicated to an element, in order of (from left to right) earth, fire, air and water. That of the air leads to the covenant.

• The Moon Chamber
• The Sun Chamber
• The Hall of Stars
• The Chamber of Mnemosyne
• The Hall of Victory
• The Dolphin Arch
• The Fire Gate
• The Chamber of Mars
• Sand Cave
• Blue spires over a subterranean river
• The Chamber of Venus
• The Hall of Melampus
• The Chamber of Jupiter
• The Chamber of Saturn
• The Chamber of Dionysis
• The Chamber of Possible Origins
• Chamber of Themis
• Mystery Chamber
• The Chamber of Nereus
• The Chamber of Elements
• The Room of the Battle of Frogs and Mice
• The Chamber of the Four Ages
• The Chamber(s) of Janus
• The Chamber of Nyx
• Dedicatory to Athena Pallas
• Chambers of Hebe and Geras
• Miscellaneous Sanctums found in the Mountain

The Serpent Gate: The east gate. A large snake curves up each pillar holding up the arch. The snakes stare down, with what some say is bemusement, at any who enter its way. On the lintel high above is inscribed these words in Greek: "From Four is produced the word, the word shapes the body. The body inspires all else." The first seven paces are accessible. After that a solid stone plug blocks the way. This plug is carved to resemble a mass of writhing serpents. It seems immune to magics (the highest tried to date is a level 25). The intervening space has dragons and snakes carved into the walls.

The Dolphin Gate: The west gate. Two dolphins leap from stylized spray to hold up this mighty gate. The inscription on its gate duplicates that of the serpent gate. Seven paces in is a stone plug, a raw piece of basalt, a solidified flow of lava. Fish and dolphins are carved into the walls before the plug. Most are damaged.

The Gate of Birds: The north gate. This gate resembles the temple famous from Petra. Each of its seven columns is carved with images of birds, of all shapes and sizes. The inscription on its lintel is the same as the lion gate. For some unknown reason there is always hundreds of native birds clustered around this gate. In 1185 a colony of birds from the Valley of Birds took up residence here and have begun to build their nests. They will allow the magi to harvest one nest a year (discovered in 1189), which is worth 5 pawns of Muto.

Stentor, in Autumn of 1189 noticed the following odd activities among the various birds. Occasionally, it seemed as if the birds broke into factions within the shelter of the gate. From each of these factions rose a leader, and the leaders converged on the center of the clearing before the gate, as all the other birds moved as if to get a better view. The process by which such a leader was chosen is unclear, as the leader was oft not the most impressive specimen amongst its brethren. What seems clear, however, was that these leaders would circle one another and begin to chirp and sing with increasing vigor and volume for up to five and even seven diameters. Then, by some unspoken consensus, one of the leaders would seem to emerge victorious as challengers merged back into their factions and the assembled mass seemed to merge once again. The leader would then generally fly deeper into the gate and things would progress normally from thence onward. Such events occurred perhaps three to five times a day, at fairly evenly spaced intervals.

The plug - once of seven paces in diameter, of solid obsidian with no carvings here on the inside, the freshness of the walls gives the sense as if someone had wiped them away - was destroyed during the Conjunction of 1186. Beyond it lies a series of caverns.

The beginning exists at the very top of the mountain rim, or close to it. A spiral corridor three paces wide by three paces high. There are many ways of reaching its beginning. The one the characters use seems to be some sort of portal or gate that transports the walker across the mountain. Once there you find yourself in an wide airy corridor, open on one side, lined with a columned promenade, which looks out upon the caldera. This circles a quarter of the way around the caldera before reaching the first set of guardians. After that the corridors are closed in and contain mosaics.

The gauntlet is a series of tests that seem to examine the supplicant's character. What exactly they are looking for is unknown. Each stage of the gauntlet is marked by two statues serving as guardians and holding up the arch. The distance between the guardians grows progressively longer. Thus between the first and second it is three-quarters of a mile, the distance between the second and third is a mile and a half. All the time you are sloping slowly downward, part of a great spiral.

The First Gauntlet is a pair of Cyclops, holding the lightning they forged for Zeus. The Cyclops will defend their arch by extending the lightning bolts they grasp. Any who try to push their way through force or magic will be assaulted by mighty bolts of lighting.

Between the two gauntlets are beautiful complete mosaics dealing in the themes of loyalty, commitment and duty.

The Second Gauntlet is two Gynosphynx wings spread. These wings will spread to cover the arch if any try to enter it who have failed or do not meet the conditions.

Between the two gauntlets are beautiful, complete mosaics dealing with the themes of love (in all of its forms known to the Hellenistic mind, not all positive) and self-sacrifice.

The Third Gauntlet is two Tritons with tridents and horns. They seem to be frozen as they swam. Their tridents will bar the way. If any try to force through they will sound their mighty horns, a sound that will turn bones to liquid.

Beyond this gate are murals and mosaics featuring all the variety of changes in Hellenistic mythology, and earlier. Yes, there are the myriad of stories of people being changed into this and that. Yet there are also more subtle changes of personality or allegiance depicted.

The Fourth Gauntlet is the Octagon Gauntlet: This room has an archway, opening upon a nine pace chamber, octagon in shape. In the center is a reading stand, its three legs are snakes, that curve to make the base. It once hosted a scroll. The faces are in order, clockwise from the opening (that is, starting at the left of the arch):

1. Creation: This depicts the original members of the covenant (see Hall of Victory below) in acts of forming the covenant. It depicts them before each of the gates, in various poses at each. At the lion gate they are in combat. In front of the serpent they debate. The dolphin gates depicts them in repose. Before the gate of birds they are riding constructs of air and fire.
   The figures at the Lion Gate once represented the founders of the Gauntlet of the Four Quarters exclusively. If you pay inspect you will see a lighter scene in the background. It shows the original magi of the covenant (Corvax, Demetrios, Mithras, Tiphys) looking in fear at the Lion Gate. They were not here in 1182. Over time these images have strengthened, growing in solidit. It is interesting that since 1186 the picture of Corax has turned his eyes away from the Gate.
2. Building: The Founders of the covenant are depicted writing texts, training grogs, and in the act of construction. In the background there is a faint image of a bear and crow, beckoning as if inviting others.
3. Victory: The magi triumphant over all that opposes them. The border is made of icons, including 27 caduceus space; and nine Mushussu (three at top, two on the other three sides).
4. Teaching: The magi train their successors.
5. Stellar Scene: The sky is depicted. Anyone who succeeds an Artes Liberales role of 14+, or does research with the appropriate tables, will be able to discern that it depicts the night sky as seen on the day of the first Tribunal.
6. Civil War: The original magi and their successors fight amongst themselves. Great magics are depicted.
7. Generational Change: The filli of the original magi of the Gauntlet of the Four Quarters are depicted in their full power.

Beyond the fourth Gauntlet lies a long corridor that slopes deep into the mountain. Upon its walls is depicted a history of the mountain, going back before the Order of Hermes. The rise and fall of the Gauntlet of the Four Quarters is depicted here, their hubris and their power. The history of the Aerie of the Spirit's Breath is slowly being traced upon this surface. At the end of this corridor lies the Gauntlet of Isis. This Gauntlet seems to be the most fearsome, anything that happens beyond its arch has permanent repercussions. If any Gauntlet lies after it, none of the Magi have succeeded in reaching it.

Each set of guardians is capable of protecting their archway from intrusion by those who have failed previously. No magic cast by the characters to date (up to level 40) has pierced these gauntlets or their protectors. The guardians have many of the aspects of classic automata, though of great power. There has been a great deal of speculation of the powers of this place. The most popular theory being that the Gauntlet may be some sort of memory construct made real. The validity of this theory has yet to be fully tested. And its ramifications are immense.

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Last modified: Fri Oct 22, 1999 / Jeremiah Genest