A Brief History of the Covenant of Vigil Cavernae

The history of Vigil Cavernae ("Guardian of the Cavern", or more commonly among the covenfolk, "Guardian of the Grotto") begins in the year 1037 A.D. Vilantus of Jerbiton, a young noble from Carinthia fresh out of apprenticeship, eyed the lush vis sources of the untamed Transylvanian Tribunal, and sought to establish a covenant in the Balkans. He had secured the interest of two other young magi from his Tribunal—Marcolo of Tremere and Gerhard Ex Miscellanea—and the three now searched for a suitable place to found the covenant. Gerhard discovered an area just south of Ragusa (also known as Dubrovnik) which possessed a suitable magic aura, situated among the ruins of the ancient Roman settlement of Epidaurum. The genteel Jerbiton and Tremere liked the site for the steady access to supplies that this proximity to a major port would allow. But when Vilantus and Marcolo approached the city's nobles with a petition to build a fortification on the site, the patricians were cool, fearing the three ‘scholars' would seek to subjugate the city with their new stronghold. Undeterred, Vilantus and Marcolo began a nine-month disinformation campaign, spreading distrust among the political factions of the city; after this the nobles eyed each other even more suspiciously than ever. With some further deception, the magi made the nobles believe that Venice was about to construct a castle on a site just north of the city, and so would come to dominate Ragusa.

When the magi then offered to help the city build a defensive structure on the northern site to ward off the coming Venetian "attack," the city patricians relented. The noble familiaes demanded only that magi become Ragusan citizens, swearing an oath to defend the city. This the magi did, and they stunned the populace when they raised a tower north of Ragusa overnight, and the whole of their covenant to the south in three months. So it was that in 1038 A.D. the charter of Vigil Cavernae was ratified by Vilantus, Marcolo and Gerhard. The covenant's name was taken from its aura source, a submerged cave shrine to the Greek—later Roman—god Aesclapius.

Vigil Cavernae's early days were typical for a new Spring covenant: familiarization with its surroundings, investigation of vis sources, and the beginnings of many years of magical study. Both Vilantus and Marcolo were quick also to embrace the politics of Ragusa, and in essence the covenant quickly became another merchant ‘family;' by 1046 Vigil Cavernae had a ship sailing the trade routes of the Adriatic.

As the covenant's temporal power grew, it fell under the watchful eye of Coeris, the most powerful covenant of the Transylvanian Tribunal and Domus Magna of House Tremere. Coeris sought to bend Vigil Cavernae to its will, something Vilantus and his companions railed against. Thus Coeris moved to isolate and contain this upstart covenant. Marcolo had not won his sigil, and was powerless to stop the intrigues of his superiors, so for many years the magi of Vigil Cavernae could find no new magi to bolster their numbers.

The magi were able to at least take apprentices, as they matured in magical prowess: Marcolo in 1057, Vilantus in 1066, and Gerhard in 1068. Gerhard was killed but a year later while investigating a vis source, and although Coeris was still acting to politically limit the covenant, their machinations were of little import to Harnella of Criamon, who joined the covenant in 1073, and probably actually enticed Duril of Tytalus, who followed in 1077. Marcolo's first apprentice left in 1072, but he took another in 1078. Vilantus' apprentice Antonio di Venetti completed his studies in 1081.

Thus Vigil Cavernae moved somewhat belatedly into its Summer years, and consolidated its power quickly. When Tibor Ex Miscellanea joined the covenant in 1103, and Talesta, Marcolo's former apprentice, returned to join in 1115, the covenant had seven magi, a secure fortress, substantial coffers, a small fleet of sailing ships, and burgeoning vis stores. The covenant had fought its way to a stable Autumn.

Yet the covenant's many enemies eyed the covenant enviously, and bided their time. After almost a century of prosperity, Vigil Cavernae's fortunes changed for the worse over the span of a few short years. The covenant's shipping vessels suffered horrendous losses at the hands of pirates, while political opponents within the city asserted themselves and gained the upper hand in the council. Duril was lost and presumed killed late in 1204, while Vilantus died a few months later in 1205.

Vigil Cavernae found itself quickly slipping into Winter. Only two magi remained, unable to muster the strength necessary to strike back at whatever enemies had orchestrated the covenant's downfall, bordering on senility and fast approaching Final Twilight. The magi decided their only hope of restoring Vigil Cavernae to its former glory was to bring in new blood to take up the fight.