A trophaeum is a monument to military victory. For example, if you killed a hundred enemy warriors and piled their armaments together, that hill would be a trophaeum. I’m struck that in the modern Order, there are no trophaea to the Schism War.
It may be that the Guernicus demand for Damnatio Memoriae, which led to the destruction of cultural artefacts which contained Diedne material, prevented the creation, or led to the destruction, of commemorations of their defeat. I imagine that some magi resisted the damnatio memoraie.
Much as Australians who fought in various wars smuggled guns, and in one case an entire tank, home, so magi took souvenirs in the Schism. When told their momentoes were dangerous, and possibly even diabolic, some would have destroyed their keepsakes. Members of House Tytalus, however, love resisting authority, and would prefer the things they collected to be challenging and dangerous.
Granatum of Tytalus kept the skulls of the Diedne magi he killed. As they lacked sacramental burial, the ghosts of these magi were still, initially, able to manifest, but Granatum used necromancy to bind, trick and torture them. The ghosts have been replaced by something monstrous, drawn by Granatum’s delight in causing the ghosts of his enemies to suffer.
Granatum died centuries ago, but his trophaeum has been passed down his lineage. The Hermetic expectation of privacy in the sanctum has allowed this sin to fester. Now, it has come into the light. Do the player characters destroy it? Question it? Study it?
The Trophaeum
The Trophaeum is a minor demon that makes magi feel more competent, to encourage the sin of Pride, and the excesses that come with certainty in one’s actions.
Order: Enervators
Infernal Might: 20 (Corpus)
Characteristics: Int +1, Per +5, Pre +2, Com +1, Str +3, Sta +3, Dex +3*, Qik -2* (* armless)
Size: 0
Confidence: 2 (6 points)
Virtues and Flaws: Weak-willed
Personality Traits: Selfish +5
Reputations: Enervator +1.
Combat:
Each Bite: Init -5, Attack +17*, Defense +10*, Damage +5**
* Includes specialisation
** does not include Hell fire power (+5 Dmg)
Soak: +8, literally made of hardened bone. Weapons which do damage due to bleeding out have their Damage reduced at the SG’s discretion.
Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)
Abilities: unclear, but assume Brawl 6 (ambush), Infernal Lore 6 (Order of Hermes).
Powers:
Coagulation: 1 point, Init -1, Corpus: Can manufacture a solid body out of ambient matter. Unusually, it has taken the form of a pile of druid skulls, and never appears out of that form in the material world.
Deceiver’s Boost: 1 or more points, Init +3, Vim: When a demon uses this Power, its target is a spell cast by a mortal. The demon must spend at least one Might Point on the effect, but can choose to spend more. The demon must also penetrate the Magic Resistance of the spellcaster, if any. For every point of Might spent by the demon, the magus gets +2 to his Casting Total. However, spells enhanced by this Power may be manipulated in minor ways by the demon, such as changing the target of the spell, ending concentration at the whim of the demon, and the like. The spell must remain within the rules for Similar Spells (ArM5, page 101), and can’t be more powerful than the spell level + Might Points spent, but the demon is free to manipulate any one aspect of the spell otherwise. If a spellcaster’s player rolls a zero while being influenced by this Power, he must roll an extra botch die. (RoP:I, p.61)
Envisioning 1 or 5 points, Init 0, Mentem: Can enter dreams and cause waking dreams. When using this power, the trophaeum is careful never to hint at its real-world shape. It often appears as the spirit of a druid.
Hellfire: 1 point, Init -2, Ignem: Makes the creature’s bites do +5 fire damage for the rest of a battle.
Obsession: 1 point, Init -5, Vim: Can impose Selfishness.
Equipment: None.
Weakness: Salt.
Vis: 4 pawns, Rego
Appearance: A blackened, glassy pile of skulls in a broad, copper dish. Candles have been melted on the skulls at some point. The Trophaeum rarely moves. It is so slow that if it needs to kill someone, it finds it most useful to wait for them to sleep, or to attack them by surprise.
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