TEXT: Copyright  2001 – Thyrsus Games and Jason Roberts 
   
   
  CHAPTER IX
  CHAPTER IX
  CHAPTER IX
  CHAPTER IX: ARCANA
  ARCANA
  ARCANA
  ARCANA    
   
   
      
  X  
  THE MARSIAN 
  THE MARSIAN 
  THE MARSIAN 
  THE MARSIAN 
  MAGICIAN
  MAGICIAN
  MAGICIAN
  MAGICIAN 
  [Magus Marsicus] 
   
     Before the rise of Rome, the Marsians 
  [Marsii] inhabited strategic mountain passes 
  in central Italia. The Marsians were allies of 
  Rome during the Samnite and Punic Wars and 
  were granted Roman citizenship after staging a 
  minor uprising in the Marsic War. Although 
  the separate nation of Marsi has disappeared, 
  the Marsii retain many of their local traditions, 
  including snake magic. Marsian magicians 
  possess potent healing and water spells using 
  snakes and their venom. While most Marsians 
  remain near their ancestral homeland, some 
  magi travel throughout the Imperium as 
  itinerant healers, soothsayers and mystics. 
   
  SNAKE MAGIC
  SNAKE MAGIC
  SNAKE MAGIC
  SNAKE MAGIC    
     Legend maintains that the Marsians are 
  descended from Telegonus, the son of Circe 
  and Ulysses, which accounts for their magical 
  powers. The Marsii, however, attribute their 
  abilities as a gift from Angitia, the goddess of 
  snakes and healing. The Marsian magician 
  learns how to charm snakes into a docile 
  slumber. Through their venom, snakes have 
  the power to harm or heal. In the Aeneid, Virgil 
  relates how Umbro, a Marsian warrior-priest 
  from Marruvia, has the “gift of soothing vipers 
  and vile-breathing watersnakes by a sung rune 
  or stroking into sleep: he calmed their 
  rabidness and by his skill relieved men bitten 
  by them.” 
    Marsian magicians perform the Rite of Snakes 
  [Serpentalia] in honor of Angitia, Mistress of 
  Serpents, on May 1. The magi solemnly walk 
  through Marsian villages carrying writhing 
  handfuls of poisonous snakes to the shore of 
  Lake Fucinus. At the water’s edge, the Marsian 
  magicians proceed to cover a cult statue of 
  Angitia with the living snakes. In return, the 
  goddess renews her sacred pact with the 
  Marsian people to grant them the spiritual gift 
  of healing. 
   
  VENOMOUS SNAKES
  VENOMOUS SNAKES
  VENOMOUS SNAKES
  VENOMOUS SNAKES    
   
  Aegyptian Cobra [Aspis] 
  A resident of hot dry climates, such as Aegyptus and 
  the North African provinces. When threatened, it 
  raises itself into the air and spreads its dull black, 
  unmarked hood. Its venom will stop a man’s heart. 
   
  Blood Viper [Haemorrhois] 
  An enormous snake whose venom immobilizes and 
  causes uncontrolled bleeding from all parts of the 
  body. It is said that the creature likes to drink the 
  blood from its victims. 
   
  Dust Devil [Prester] 
  An aggressive desert snake not afraid to use its 
  fangs. Its bite causes the skin to turn a bright red, as 
  if the blood were boiling. The body then swells into 
  a bloated mass, producing a horrific death. 
   
  Horned Viper [Cerastes] 
  This poisonous snake has jagged markings on its 
  back and hornlike projections above each eye. 
  Relatives include the sand viper [hammodytes] and 
  the hawk snake [cenchris], which possesses a 
  spotted underbelly that resembles polished marble. 
  The cenchris always slithers in a straight path. 
   
  Rot Snake [Seps] 
  Deceptively tiny, the seps could be the most 
  dangerous snake in the Imperium. Its venom 
  putrefies flesh and bone; as the corruption spreads, 
  the body withers into a sticky black puddle. 
   
  Thirsty Snake [Dipsas] 
  While its bite causes little initial pain, the venom of 
  the dipsas quickly invades the victim and dries up 
  the body’s moisture. The poison burns deep inside, 
  creating an unquenchable thirst with fatal results. 
   
  Turtle Snakes [Chersydros and Chelydrus] 
  Amphibious serpents native to North Africa. Often 
  mistaken for submerged turtles, these snakes can be 
  recognized by a telltale trail of bubbles they leave in 
  their wake. Kin to turtle snakes is the river adder 
  [natrix] or “polluter of water” which strikes 
  underwater without warning. 
      
  
  Copyright  2001 – Thyrsus Games and Jason Roberts 
   
   
  CHAPTER IX
  CHAPTER IX
  CHAPTER IX
  CHAPTER IX: ARCANA
  ARCANA
  ARCANA
  ARCANA    
   
   
      
  X  
  LAKE FUCINUS 
  LAKE FUCINUS 
  LAKE FUCINUS 
  LAKE FUCINUS     
  [Fucinus Lacus] 
     A grove sacred to Angitia called Lucus 
  Angitae is near the Lake Fucinus, a mystical 
  freshwater lake lacking a visible outlet. The 
  lake was known for its sudden and sharp rises 
  and falls in water level (often exceeding 40 
  feet), resulting in flooding and displacement of 
  local 
  populations. 
  However, 
  resettlement 
  would occur after each flood since the soil is so 
  fertile. 
  Numerous 
  large-scale 
  engineering 
  projects to drain the lake using artificial outlets 
  [emissaria] have failed. The drains have 
  managed to stabilize the lake’s water level. 
     The emperor Claudius was fascinated by the 
  peculiar 
  lake 
  and 
  often 
  staged 
  50-ship 
  naumachia with over 19,000 combatants on its 
  waters, despite the protests of the Marsii. A 
  silver Triton remains in the center of the lake. 
  The Triton holds a seashell to its mouth; the 
  shell is connected to underground pneumatic 
  pipes and machinery so that it can signal blasts 
  during the naval games. 
      Because of their link to water, Marsian 
  magicians receive bonus magic points based on 
  the nature and proximity of natural bodies of 
  freshwater: 
   
  Body of Water 
  Bonus MPs 
  Stream or Pond 
  1 
  River or Lake 
  2 
  Lake Fucinus 
  3 
   
  Proximity 
  Bonus MP 
  Multiplier 
  Within one mile 
  x1 
  Within senses 
  x3 
  Physical contact 
  x5 
   
  MARSIAN SPELLS
  MARSIAN SPELLS
  MARSIAN SPELLS
  MARSIAN SPELLS 
  [Carmina Marsica] 
   
  “You are about to shed many tears, and you will 
  hurry back to me, drawn by extraordinary drugs 
  and even the recitation of Marsian spells will not 
  help you recover your sanity” 
  - Canidia the venefica, from Horace 
   
     The 
  Marsians 
  have 
  passed 
  down 
  the 
  following spells as secret lore: 
   
  Dew of Angitia 
  Type: Transform 
  Power: 3 
  Origin: Marsian 
  Complexity: 3 
  Ritual: Mix the venom of a water snake with a 
  secret blend of mild Marsian herbs. Soak a 
  clean cloth in the solution. Mutter the sleepy 
  charm of the Mother of Serpents while 
  squeezing the cloth into the mouth of the 
  poisoned one. 
  Effect: Creates a potent anti-venom effective 
  against snakebites, stings and deliberate 
  poisonings. 
   
  Fucinus’ Mirrors 
  Type: Transform 
  Power: 2 
  Origin: Marsian 
  Complexity: 4 
  Ritual: Stare at your reflection in water 
  cupped in your hands. Let the water trickle 
  slowly from your fingers while imagining the 
  cool, quiet waters of Lake Fucinus. 
  Effect: Allows the magus to calm others as if 
  he had a temporary Harmony skill rating of 10. 
  This augmented skill lasts for fifteen game 
  turns. 
   
  Snake Charm 
  Type: Bind 
   
  Power: 1 
  Origin: Marsian 
  Complexity: 2 
  Ritual: Stare at the serpent until you are 
  mimicking its movements. Softly sing the 
  wedding hymn of Angitia. For larger or 
  enraged snakes, stroke the creature’s scaly 
  head or belly. 
  Effect: Calms a snake, rendering it harmless. 
  The snake may be handled without fear until 
  the magus releases his hold on the serpent. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Fvlminata/Fvlminata The Marsian Magician.pdf