apra filius Konrad of House Bjornaer
was one of the founding members of Rabenstein Covenant. Together with Lassitor
of Criamon, he searched the Mür and Enns valleys of Austria in search
of a suitible location, ultimately settling on the Roman ruins when they
discovered hot sulferous springs within caves underneath.
Capra's mundane name is Gavin, and he is a towering man of well over 6 feet, with a completely bald head, and a menacing series of scars across his cheek. Born to a Magyar furrier, he was sold to a Magus of the Order in 1177 south of Munich (though his father was loathe to lose his mysterious son, Capra was but the youngest of 6 brothers). He apprenticed at the Domus Magnus of Bjornaer, Crintera Covenant in the Black Forest. Despite his origins, he speaks fluent Latin, and embraces an interest in Hermetic politics much as his pater did at Crintera. Rejecting the counsel of Urgen, the Primus of Bjornaer, Capra determined to solidify the ties between their House and the other Latin traditions of the Order with his politics. But the first decade of Rabenstein's existence proved difficult, and Capra struggled to preserve the security of his own fledgling Covenant before turning his attention to politics.
In the early 13th Century Capra befriended a shaman near Sopron named Tíbor, and came to trust the strange man, spending more time among his folk learning hedge magics than pursuing his Hermetic training. Capra departed the Covenant in 1207 and is currently away indefinitely in Hungary, attempting to learn the secrets of their spiritual magic. Capra hopes to adapt what he learns to Hermetic magic for the benefit of the entire Order, a great gift from his House to the Order as a sign of their friendship. He has promised to contact Rabenstein when possible about his progress, but this is certainly difficult.
As a member of House Bjornaer Capra has the heartbeast of an Ibyx. Note that although he suffers as do most Magi from a strange demeanor, animals seem to find him no more offensive than any other men (+1 Virtue: Inoffensive to Animals). He always dresses in a monk's cowel, though he wears several flashy rings, including one of silver, another of sapphire (none are thought to be magical). Capra does wear a lone magic item: a brass armband embedded with the spell Ward Against the Icy Touch of Winter (ReCo/Aq 25). Although the item officially belongs to the Covenant, he found the band and bore it away with him into Hungary to aid him with the icy winters there.
Capra's laboratory and quarters are located within the caverns beneath the Covenant. Despite the dim, twisted nature of the sulferous caves, the three chambers comprising his Sanctum are rather comfortable, and an effort to 'square' each chamber to give it the appearance of a room affords his sanctum a rather man-made ambience.
Laboratory quality is 0, safety factor 0, risk factor 0, specialized for inventing spells (+4). Personal books adorn a small wooden shelf (Animal Summae 4 [2 Quality], Muto Summae 2 [Quality 2]), and woven rugs cover the floor.
Lab equipment is relatively sparse, but very well organized, and includes numerous animal hides and effects (such as a fox tail, sheep wool, raven's feathers, squirrel claws, etc). Simple bodily fluids from men and animals fill many vials, each labelled neatly in Latin script. In his absence, Capra's laboratory has been granted to young Magda of Bjornaer, filia Vanya. This young Bulgar shapeshifter came looking for Capra after the death of her pater (who knew of Capra from his past), and when Capra departed the Covenant he approved of her presence there. Until Capra returns to Rabenstein, this spacious sanctum is therefore entirely hers.
None (Capra took his personal vis with him when he departed; refer to Magda's sanctum for more information).
Lassitor was Capra's closest friend during his time at Rabenstein, as the two founded the Covenant together and shared rather non-traditional backgrounds. They also established their sancti in the caves below, adjacent to one another (for the seclusion it offered, but also because the Roman ruins above afforded little space for a sanctum in the Covenant's early years). Yet Capra easily distinguished between friendship and politics, as he and Lassitor rarely saw eye-to-eye on Covenant politics, often engaging in vocal debate with each other. With Lassitor's lengthy Hungarian expedition in 1204 and Capra's subsequent departure in 1206 to pursue esoteric matters, the two Magi have had little contact for over 5 years.
Capra was instrumental in bringing Merento of Bonisagus into the Covenant, hoping to lend credibility to Rabenstein with his lineage. He respects Merento's capacity to work magic, but is disappointed with the Magus' weak physical countenance and blatant Gift. The fact that Merento was apprenticed to one of the greatest statesmen in all the Order (Rahewin of Trianoma) and did not take an interest in politics himself also rattled Capra, so while the two Magi rarely disagree in public, they have remained distant from one another (in fact, Capra feels Merento is important more for the prestige he lends the Covenant than any accomplishements he might offer).
Capra hardly knows the the other magi, but was sorry to see Gustav depart. He has confidence that Julian and Lady Enelle can guide Rabenstein into summer in his absence because of their strength with Hermetic politics, and hopefully provide him with a sanctuary when he returns to codify what he learns from the Magyar shamans for the benefit of the Order. He is quite fond of Magda of Bjornaer, as her presence at Rabenstein alleviates the guilt he felt that his absence may be construed as abandoning the Covenant. He hopes she can prove useful to the Covenant in his stead, and is contemplating giving her his sanctum when he returns as a token of his gratitude for her service on behalf of their House. While Capra knows little of Cynric (and naught of Nicolaus), he witnessed the Magus' violent tendencies near Lake Balaton against Pirmin and the water-sprite, and thinks him a worthwhile asset along with Magda to defend Merento in his absence.
This page last modified 4/24/98.
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