Location: The campaign is set in Scandinavia, mainly Sweden. Sternwarte is home to most of the magi and the focal point of the story. It is located on the island of Gotland.
Gotland is a large island, approximately 100 miles in length and 55 miles wide, in the Baltic Sea. It is located off the southeast coast of Sweden and is quite flat. There are many unique aspects to this island. The eastern shore has many rocky cliffs, which at some points climb as high as 90 feet above the soft sandy beaches below. It has thick pine forests to the north and lush forests of leafy trees (oak, birch, hazelnut, etc.) to the south. Scattered throughout the island there are many meadows full of unique flowers. Many of the flowers are not found anywhere else in the world.
In the year 1121 most of the island is sparsely populated. The only town on the island is Visby, which will become a central trading port to the Hanseatic League. Small farmsteads and fishing villages are scattered about the rest of the island. Though Gotland does contain a few Christian parishes, most of the populace still follows the old ways. It provided a good hiding place from the watchful eye of the church and the Order of Hermes. Only a few years ago the Order managed to infiltrate the observatory and bring it to the attention of the Quaesitors.
Gotland has a long history of observing the stars. Many astronomical calendars, grooves worn into the stone from a tool fixed on a pendulum, are scattered across the island. They are aligned with certain positions of celestial bodies (the sun, moon, and other constellations). With the presence of the covenant on the island, many of them are still in use.
Covenant: Die Sternwarte or Nachtwachters (the star observatory or night watchers).
The covenant is a large observatory dedicated to the magical and scientific studies of the heavens. Though it does have frequent visitors from the church and scholars, many of its yearly visitors are members of secret societies (the Perfugium ex Astologus - Astrologers Asylum) dedicated to the study of astrology (Ars Astrologia).
The covenant's presence is not well known to most of the inhabitants on the island. However, a few local fishing villages and farmsteads have developed extensive trade with the covenant. These villages have become dependent on trade goods brought to the covenant from the frequent visitors and the covenant relies on the locals for food. Most relations have been positive, with a few exceptions. Eleven years ago Landsmathr Adder Pel, a former local ruler and member of the society, had some conflicts with neighboring villages which led to many problems for the locals and the society. Adder's involvement in local politics was the cause of the Quaesitors infiltrater to call for formal action against the covenant. Local relation have calmed down since then.
The covenant houses two large buildings of high quality. The first is the library, which is filled with astrological charts and books concerning astronomy, astrology, and weather. Also, it has a large collection of personal histories recorded as a form of payment for visitation rites. The next is the observatory. The main chamber is forbidden to all except society members. This chamber has an opening in the ceiling to permit the members a clear view of the heavens. In the center of the room is a massive celestial sphere used for tracking the movements of the heavens. There are also smaller chambers, which are open to all visitors, used for tracking specific celestial bodies. On the covenants lands are many smaller buildings for laboratories, work and rest.
The covenant has room for six magi to study at a time and currently only has two permanent magi that reside there. The rest of the space is filled with visiting magi and scholars. Visiting magi are expected to bring their own troupe of servants and protectors with them. There is enough room to comfortably house six servants for each magus. They are expected to bring supplies and their own personal stocks of vis. Magi pay in advance for each season they plan to study.
(Currently our characters are away from Sternwarte helping a member of the Perfugium ex Astrologus in Denmark to save their covenant from, as of yet, an unknown threat.)
