Characters

Gerlach the Smith of Verditius
Gerlach is a dwarf, barely three and a half feet tall. Despite that, he is broad and relatively brawny. He most recently came from Greece with his companion, Gregorios, where he was investigating the mysteries of Verditius. His age is difficult to determine.

Gerlach is lecherous, crude, rude, and loves to eat. He has the manners of a goat. He is noticeably averse to physical risk, and overweeningly proud of his enchanting skills. He hails from Bavaria.

He has some sort of old rivalry with the missing maga Dominica Creatorus of Verditius, who seems to have been responsible for most of the enchanted fixtures at the covenant. Gerlach is quick to pronounce everything made by Dominica as "crap," but otherwise, does appear to have a sober perspective on what needs to be done in order to repair the covenant.

His wizard's sigil is the ashy scent of a forge. His physical sigil is an anvil with a hammer on top of it that he wears as a necklace.

Marcus Wright of Jerbiton
Marcus is a young English mage, fresh out of apprenticeship. It is known that his master, Karl Wilhelm, had a Twilight experience go badly awry, and went down the path of diabolism. Many view young Marcus with suspicion because of this. Despite his youth, Marcus' hair is greying at the temples. He is a bit taller than average, of average build, with blue eyes.

Marcus is thoughtful, patient, and fairly courageous. He seems to have a vested interest in proving that he is not corrupted, as his master was. His magical sigil is the sound of whispers.

Nadia of Flambeau
A short-tempered mage, Nadia specializes in fire magic. She is tall and pale, with unusual white and silver hair. Her sigil is that her hair turns increasingly reddish and sparks. She is the most local of the magi, having been born in Sibiu and raised in the area.

Odea O'Cellach of Ex Miscellanea
Odea is the daughter of an Ex Miscellanea mage, Dafydd O'Cellach, from the Connacht region of Ireland. Red-haired and green-eyed, she seems most at peace in the woods. Sturdily built and healthy, she is reserved but curious, and seems to be willing to take the lead when called for. She was accompanied by her brother, Argus, and two of his friends. Her wizard's sigil is a slight warming in the area.

Theodore of Bjornaer
This lame English mage is of average height, but broadly built. He has thick brown hair and a bushy beard. His left leg is noticeably damaged, giving him a pronounced limp, but the true oddity is his left eye, which has a bigger socket than his right eye, and is dark green compared to his right eye's blue. The eye doesn't suit his face -- it looks like it belongs to some sort of beast, and has a thicker, bushier brow than his right eye. His Heartbeast is a bear, and his wizard's sigil is a heavy scent of oak.

Argus O'Cellach
Argus, the brother of Odea, is tall and well-built, sharing her red hair and green eyes. He carries a longbow and a short sword, and like his sister, seems most comfortable in the woods. He is remarkably agile. He was raised with full knowledge of the Order of Hermes. He is accompanied by an Irish wolfhound, Finnegan.

Gregorios Alessandri
This Greek is a scholar of building and construction, an engineer trained in the finest schools. Blond haired and blue eyed in the fashion of the northern Hellenes, he looks to be about thirty years old. He has demonstrated a remarkable understanding of construction and battlements. He is constantly apologizing for Gerlach's uncouth ways.

Herczog Janos
A Hungarian-born Teutonic Knight, Janos (yah-nos) is a tall, well-built young man with a runner's build. He regularly carries a greatsword over his back, but uses a longsword and shield on foot. He is very clearly proud of his wealth and privilege, and makes no bones about lording it over others.

Marie Humbert
This young woman is quite small and thin, but attractive in an intense way. A French scholar, she accompanied Marcus Wright. It is known that she walked out on an arranged marriage.

Panko Sebastien
Sebastien is a Hungarian of slightly smaller than average stature, whom many mistake for a mage. He just has that aura about him. He came to Râșnov with Theodore, who seems rather protective of the studious young man.

Aleksi the Silent
This Transylvanian is utterly nondescript, only noticeable because he's so taciturn and generally discouraging of friendship, and because of the brand on his right cheek, marking him as a convicted criminal. He has a tendency to disappear whenever you're not looking directly at him.

Ansen Heyman
Ansen is a Dutch soldier who speaks very little and carries a short bow, as well as an axe and a small shield. He is of average height and muscular in build.

Broccan the Bold
Broccan (braw-can) is an Irish warrior of enormous height and girth. Balding with a thick beard, he is loud, charming, and has a wildly inflated sense of his combat abilities. He looks to be around forty years old. He enjoys drinking, eating, and storytelling. He carries a large cudgel. Along with his friend Corccan, he acted as a caravan guard, and speaks Irish, as well as some Provencal and Romanian.

Brutar Elsa
Elsa is a master baker. A tiny woman, she seems a bit frail, but is surprisingly educated, having been raised in Coeris, the predominant covenant of the Tribunal. She is very helpful and doesn't shy away from hard work.

Constantia of Sibiu
This young woman is a startling beauty, with auburn hair and bright blue eyes. She is a seamstress, and a serf, which means she is technically the indentured servant of the Lord of Râșnov, Marcus the innkeep. However, she has been seconded to the covenant.

Corccan the Bleak
Corcann (cor-can) is a man of slightly above average height, but thickly built. He has black hair and brown eyes. He was part of Odea's accompanying guard. He is known for his constant pronouncement, "I've got a bad feeling about this," and often makes other such pessimistic comments. In fact, it's rare to have a conversation with him where he doesn't point out how things might go wrong. He carries a long sword.

Devon Carmichael
Devon is an attractive young Englishman, with coal black hair and grey eyes. Despite carrying both a mace and a hatchet, he seems to prefer to talk his way out of trouble.

Funar Balan
Funar (foo-nar) Balan (bah-lan) is a carpenter who was born and raised in nearby Brasov. He is an extremely skilled carpenter, creating works of beauty with enviable skill, despite his youth. Strongly built and possessed of clean good looks, he is nevertheless quite shy, especially around women.

Horvath Eduard
Eduard is an educated scribe, about thirty years old. Of average height and build, he has brown hair and eyes, and is only distinguished by his good manners and formal speech. A freeman, he works for the covenant for a small salary. He is clearly multilingual, speaking Hungarian, Vlach, Cuman, Greek, Latin, and a smattering of Arabic and German.

Ilse Bachmann
The wife of Jurian Bachmann, Ilse is a small boned German woman who previously served with her husband at Rotburg, the other war covenant in the Tribunal. Very socially adept, she does most of the talking for her husband, and has a knack for getting along with people.

Jurian "The Whisperer" Bachmann
Jurian (yoo-ree-ann) Bachmann is called "the Whisperer" because he can't speak above a whisper, an affliction from the wound that clearly comes from the ragged scar that crosses his throat. Solidly built, he is a confident warrior who usually carries a polearm when mounted, and a longsword and shield when on the ground.

Karl Voigt
An older man, this surly soldier has been a retainer of the Order of Hermes for most of his adult life. Of average height but thickening a bit in the middle, he carries an ax and shield.

Louise Grandpre
This plain, reserved young woman is known to be quick on her feet. She carries a short bow and a knife, and is never seen far from Marie Humbert.

Magda the Washerwoman
Magda is an older woman, stout and seemingly tireless, with grey hair and brown eyes. She is quite happy to express her disapproval of just about everyone and everything, and is known to be able to hold her liquor. She is a serf, and thus technically the indentured servant of the Lord of Râșnov, but has been seconded to the covenant.

Nicolescu Boris
A custos, formerly of the Lagodina covenant, Boris accompanied Nadia of Flambeau to Râșnov. Despite his youth, he comes across as sternly older than his years. He is an effective warrior with his longsword or his short bow.

Petros
Not much is known about this teenager -- he could be 12 or he could be 16. He is small, usually moving on all fours, and communicates with grunts and snorts. While he does wear normal clothes, he doesn't actually change them without being prompted to. He carries a boar's tusk, which he will frequently use to poke people. Vasile Inna refers to him as a "changeling," and he accompanied the fey woman to the covenant. He possesses the surprising ability to transform into a boar.

Ruszin Irina
Irina is the wife of Mihail, a pleasant and attractive woman in her mid-twenties, with blond hair and green eyes, with a reputation as an expert glass-blower.

Ruszin Mihail
Mihail is a tall man with the lean build of a runner. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He has a tendency to assume genial command of the labourers, and no one has gainsaid him. He is married to Irina.

Ruszin Petru
Petru is Mihail's younger brother, though many mistake him for his son. A teenager of slight build, with auburn hair and brown eyes, he is acting as the covenant's stable boy.

Szekely Dragos
Dragos is a man of medium height and strong build in his twenties, with brown hair and blue eyes. Taciturn, he is known to have a quick temper. He also apparently has some skills as a thatcher and carpenter, though he also carries a long sword, and looks like he'd be happy to use it.

Toth Felix
Felix is a very tall, strong man, with a nasty scar on his face, who fights with a pole axe. In many ways, he's like a Transylvanian version of Vasili -- except where Vasili is loud and short-tempered, Felix is quiet and calm. Where Vasili likes to compete, Felix prefers to keep to himself. He is a native of the region, hailing from Brasov.

Ungar Radovan
This boundlessly cheerful custos came with Nadia of Flambeau for Lagodina. He is a master drover, and an effective fighter with a short sword. Radovan (rah-doe-van) has a pet hawk named "Silex" (Hungarian for "flint").

Vaduva Anna
Anna is an older woman who is not weathering the years very well. She used to be part of a family scribing business based out of Sibiu, but her father died under mysterious circumstances, and the business failed. She is an expert scribe, copyist, and illuminator, working for Râșnov for pay.

Vasila Inna
Ambassador Plenipotentiary from the Moonlit Court of High King Dragan, this woman has been sent as an emissary to the covenant from the faeries. Tall and beautiful, she has silver hair -- not the silver of age, but hair that looks like it was literally spun from silver. Witty, eloquent, and carrying herself like a noble, she expects to be treated with the respect due to visiting royalty, despite her unfortunate tendency to do things like pay for meals with flower petals and her seeming inability to do anything very useful. She treats Petros like a pet for whom she has some fondness, and he treats everyone else like a potential threat to her.

Vasili Kiselev
This brawny Russian towers over most others, and is covered in scars, the most prominent of which is s slash on the right side of his face. Known for his short temper, he carries a pole axe, and one suspect he knows how to use it. He enjoys drinking and contests of strength.

Archmage Marco Vampa of Flambeau
The Archmage Marco Vampa is a famous Flambeau war wizard. He has spent the last 30 years at Râșnov, eventually becoming the most senior magus present. Vampa (Italian for "blaze") is well-regarded in the Order as a potent sorcerer, and some wonder why he never sought the leadership of House Flambeau. His presence at Tribunals has been quiet and unobtrusive. He is universally well-liked, quite a feat itself in the fractious Order of Hermes.

When first met by our heroes, he refuses to address the disappearance of the magi, and becomes incensed if pushed on the issue. This upset seems to be reflected in various changes in heat and flame -- rooms become hotter, candles burn higher, etc. He also has a visible disfigurement: his left eye moves of its own accord, becoming more frenetic as he becomes more upset.

He also seems to be obsessed with making food, and has incredible skill as a chef. He is constantly feeding people.

Despite all that, he has also demonstrated great kindness, good humour, and generosity to the new covenfolk.

It is said that he once took on a small army of Arabs flanked with a pair of Moorish sorcerers, and was the only survivor.

Caspar the Subtle of Mercere
Unlike many of his Gifted brethren, this Redcap spends half of each year in the traditional Mercere role as a messenger. He is extremely well-regarded in the Transylvanian, Novgorod, Greater Alps, and Thebes tribunals, where he does most of his work.

Caspar is friendly, competent, and approachable. He clearly possesses the Gentle Gift, as he is able to ride a horse and peasants seem entirely comfortable with him.

He seems unusually close to his constant companion, Salim.

Salim ibn Mohammed al-Waziri
Salim is an Arab, which is somewhat unusual to be seen in Christian Europe. He is friendly, gregarious, and polite. He moves with noticeable grace. He is unusually close to his friend Caspar. He speaks Latin fluently.

Alin of Râșnov
Alin is a local boy, the twin to Ihrin. Unlike his sister, he is a stolid sort, not as surly as his father, but he is wary of the magi and quite protective of his sister.

Ihrin of Râșnov
Ihrin is a local girl, the twin to Alin, and daughter of a surly farmer who is a cousin to Marcus the Innkeep and has no great love for the magi. She is a dreamy sort who is unafraid of the magi and hungers for tales of the broader world.

Marcus the Innkeep
Marcus is a local to Râșnov, where he manages the largest building in the hamlet, the inn. He lives there with his family, and indeed, is related to everyone in the hamlet. His wife is Elena, a matronly woman in her late 20s. He has a son, Vlad, who acts as a stable boy and is about 12 years old; a daughter, Anna, who is about 9 years old, and is quite shy; and a baby, Filip.

Despite technically being the owner of Râșnov and the surrounding lands, he considers himself a humble innkeep. He receives rent for the covenant from the Order, and is friendly with magi. He is also clearly a devout Christian of some variety.

Radu of Râșnov
Radu is an enormous, ugly man, towering seven and a half feet tall, and broad as a barnyard door. He is a simpleton with a kind manner, and is Marcus' brother. It's hard to tell if he's younger or older than the innkeep.

Desislav Dumi (Elder Shaman of the Mrŭsna Usta)
Desislav (dess-ee-slah-v) Dumi (doo-mee) was an old and highly respected shaman of the hedge tradition of Bulgaria, the Mrŭsna Usta (dirt mouth). Exceedingly potent earth wizards, his people played down their abilities when the Order of Hermes was being formed and went into hiding, only to emerge hundreds of years later during the establishment of the Bulgarian kingdom. When the Bulgars attempted to expand into Hungary, they were met by stiff resistance from Râșnov, and many were killed in single combat with Marco Vampa.

About 15 years ago, Dumi started a cautious correspondence with Vampa, broaching the topic of his people joining the Order. He finally travelled to Râșnov with a group of Bulgarian warriors. He was killed on the trail leaving the covenant and heading to the hamlet on February 7th, 1200 AD.

Doina the Hermit
A hermit who is also apparently a healer, living somewhere in the forest hills to the northwest of the covenant. She apparently has visions.

Albertus of Lycaneon, Praeco of Transylvania
The Praeco (Tribunal leader) of Transylvania is an old and powerful magi, nearly 120 years of age in 1200 A.D. It is rumoured that he's become obsessed with his mortality. Despite that, he retains a strong hold on the Tribunal. It was he who put out the call for magi to replenish the covenant at Râșnov.

Aurel Balan of Tremere
One of the missing magi of the covenant.

Bogdana of Bonisagus
A maga currently unknown to the players. She wrote a book in the library.

Cateline de Provence of Tremere
One of the missing magi of the covenant.

Dominica Creatorus of Verditius
One of the missing magi of the covenant. Known to have been a rival of Gerlach.

Duraz
The leader of the wild folk who live in the mountainous woods somewhere to the southeast of Râșnov.

Edric the Bold of Tytalus
One of the missing magi of the covenant.

Flavius Magnus of Tremere
One of the missing magi of the covenant.