Astrius

Description

Astrius is a tall, broad shouldered man who is most often seen wearing a tunic of midnight blue, embroidered with stars that make out the shape of an hourglass. Beneath his robe, bright silvery mail can be seen, which on occasion glimmers ever so slightly in the dark and from a broad leather belt hangs a heavy looking steel bastard sword. His black hair is cut short away from his dark blue eyes, revealing a face that is more suggestive of a common street thug than a magus. His nose is badly crooked, broken when he was young and never set straight, and his heavy brow gives him a coarse, even brutal aspect.

If his face makes him look more like a grog than a magus his confident manner around the covenant suggests otherwise. Astrius strides around Severn Temple much as a noble might walk around his manor. While he always tries to treat fairly with the grogs and coven folk, and knows most of them by name, he does not regard them as equals and expects to be treated accordingly. He can also be somewhat impatient with people and does not tolerate fools or wasters easily.

Although wary of strangers and those he does not know well, Astrius is fiercely loyal to those he counts as his friends, whether they are Gifted or not. Like many of his house Astrius can be a little headstrong and reckless, and is a proud man who takes insults and perceived slights badly. Woe betide anyone who mistreats an animal when he is around.

There is an air about Astrius that marks him as a wizard. While animals seem not to notice this and indeed appear to actively enjoy his company; to men, it feels as though there is something distant about him, that there exists a gulf between him and them that can never entirely be crossed. Yet Astrius is not an unsociable man and he enjoys the company of friends or his beloved hounds and when not in his laboratory or the library, he may be found down in the kennels or by the fire in the great hall with an ale.

Reputations: Reckless (Magi) 1; Feared (Grogs) 2.

Favoured arts: Creo; Aquam; Ignem.
Favoured spells: Bolt of Absymal Flame; The Wizard's Call to Arms; Blade of Virulent Flame; Mighty Torrent of Water.

Known virtues: Loyalty passion; Knack (Parma Magica); Animal Ken.
Known flaws: Poor reader.

Personality: Brave +3; Proud +2; Honourable +1; Wary +1; Vengeful +1; Reckless +1.

Astrius' Views on the Magi at 1173 AD

Aelfwin

Despite our occasional vociferous differences in council, my respect for Aelfwin has grown since he took on the role of Pontifex. He has shown more backbone than I would have previously credited him with and has not been afraid to anger magi, including me on more than one occasion, by wielding the veto that is his right and duty as Pontifex. While such decisions may sit ill with me at the time, on calm reflection when tempers, usually mine, have cooled, they usually turn out to be the wiser course of action. Although we may disagree from time to time, of all the magi here I feel the most kinship with Aelfwin. He can still be naïve and overly trusting, but his heart is in the right place and I trust him utterly. He is the only magus here that I can call my friend.

Cormoran

Venal, selfish and pig-headed, Cormoran may be blessed with great physical strength but his character appears proportionately weak. His martial strength and potency of magic is beyond doubt, and he is not without courage, though twice now he has left the field of battle prematurely. At least he appears to have abandoned the jealousy about my position as Imperator that poisoned what slight bond of comradeship we had. If he were ever to truly dedicate himself to a cause other than that of satisfying his own desires then he could be a great boon to this covenant, but whether he will ever find the strength of mind to resist his own greed remains to be seen.

Medius

The experiences of the hunt for the Renounced Magus Caelestis have undoubtedly brought Medius and I closer together. I have much admiration for our Quaesitor, though he remains too distant a figure for me to call him a friend and can still on occasion be a little stuffy and pompous. Nevertheless in the darkest moments in the Levant neither his resolve nor his courage faltered and I would have no other from this covenant by my side when taking battle to the infernal. His dedication to the Code seems impeccable and his efforts to maintain his neutrality are admirable, especially when his personal views of some of the issues are surely very clear-cut. However, his dealings with the Kabbalah and deeply held religious faith do still concern me for I have seen only too clearly how such outside allegiances can lead magi into betraying their Oath, but I have confidence in Medius's strength of character to remain strong where so many have fallen.

Theo

My worst fears about Theo have come to pass. The good man that he once was has been corrupted by his delusions and naked lust for power. First he claimed to be the reincarnation of Merlin who needed to "reclaim" his lost memories and now it seems he believes himself to be High King of the land and we who were once his friends and sodales are now naught but his vassals. Aelfwin has attempted to use Theo's supposed love for his son to explain his betrayal of Dialectica, but the crime he visited upon her was done in cold blood, not hot, and as soon as he had his son he just gave him to the faeries. He speaks self-pityingly of the competing responsibilities that he has as "King" which dictate how he must act, but what of the oaths that he swore to the me, the Order and his sodales at this Severn Temple that he has so glibly betrayed? Even Cormoran's deceits and betrayals pale before what Theo has done. I grieve for the Theo who was once my true and trusted friend, but it seems that he is long gone and all that remains is a hollow shell which despoils his memory. If, or more likely when, the time comes when his breaches of his Oath demand firm action then he would be foolish to presume that the friendship we once shared will stay my hand.

Tiarnan

The true colours of this magus were shown when twice he was asked to confirm his loyalty to the Order and twice he equivocated, speaking of the many oaths and allegiances that he had to consider. Clearly his true allegiances lie in the faerie realm and the court of water. His actions as Theo's lackey and lickspittle when Dialectica revealed the ugly truth of Theo's treachery indicate just how deeply mired he is in his lord and master's many schemes. He relies on his amiable appearance and honeyed words to maintain the illusion of a genuine and trustworthy sodales but in truth his nature is that of the fish he so likes to spend time with, cold and slippery. With the faerie realm threatening violence against us if we interfere with "King" Theo's plans, doubtless at least in part due to Tiarnan's actions, maybe we should encourage Cormoran to return to that realm and plunge it back into civil war, divided again the fey might not pose as much of a threat.

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