Coven

The Coven is an Italian magi organization located in Rome.

### Origin

In 1212 there was the Children's Crusade led by pastor Nikolaus. The children left Germany to reach the Holy Land, the seven thousand children arrived in Italy and some stopped in Genoa while others continued to Rome. A child with a German name that's not known was adopted by a wealthy Catholic family and was called Arturo Leoni. At sixteen, Arturo had a vision where he saw Jesus Christ who told him to found a guild with the sole purpose to look for the Holy Grail.
Arturo was only eighteen years old when he founded the Coven which grew to reach about a thousand members. Apparently at the beginning the Coven had no magi among its ranks but then approached magecraft for fear of an attack by the Sons of the Serpent, a satanic sect. According to Marco Lombardo it was the Grand Master Marco Paolino I who allowed the Coven to approach magecraft, however it was Marco Paolino III who invented a new type of magecraft that's still used today by the Coven.

### Coven in Florence (1400 - 1500)

The Grand Master Arturo Leoni III was a close friend of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the two collaborated to expand the boundaries of the Duchy of Milan but both died in 1402 and so the Coven separated from the Duchy of Milan by decision of the Grand Master Giulio Croce I.
The Coven approached Florence and the Grand Master allied himself to Cosimo de' Medici in the hope of reviving a "new Rome". Relations with Florence broke down because of Marco Paolino II who allied himself again with the Duchy of Milan, with Filippo Maria Visconti. The Coven helped Milan to win against Florence but then, the new Grand Master, Marco Paolino III, decided to break the alliance with Milan. The Coven completely isolated itself and stopped taking over Italy's political issues, but in the meantime the new Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza, intended to force the Coven to abandon Rome to reach Milan. The Coven's state of isolation probably lasted twenty-four years (from 1447 to 1471).
The Coven reopened only thanks to Giulio Croce II who presented himself in front of Lorenzo de' Medici. The ruler accepted the help of the Coven in exchange for their teachings. Relations between the Coven and Florence deteriorated again with the outbreak of a rebellion that brought chaos to the duchy. The Coven asked to the Pope to intervene but it was all in vain. The Coven was forced to return to Rome and abandoned Florence.

### First Purge

At the behest of the Grand Master Carlo Logarino in 1593 the Coven started the First Purge, the intent was to eradicate Satanists and witches from Italy. During this purge the satanic sect known as the Sons of the Serpent was completely destroyed in 1600. The purge ended two years later. The victims were not many, considering the duration of the purge: 12 witches, 96 heretics, 102 satanists and 7 pagans (drowned in the Serchio river, in Tuscany).

### Second Purge

At the behest of the Grand Master Giovanni Monteverdi VI in 1813 the Coven started the Second Purge, the famous purge which then led to the birth of the current Rote Mäntel. The intent was to purge Hamburg by eliminating satanists and heretics, however it's possible that behind this act there were political reasons since the Grand Master was influenced by Jules Leveque who was Bonapartist. The purge ended in 1814 with the arrival of the Russian Empire which liberated Hamburg. The victims were: 3 witches, 126 heretics and 19 pagans.

## Characteristics

The Coven has excellent relations with the Catholic Church and cultivates the public image of an organization that defends Rome and Italy against the wicked thanks to the power of faith and benevolence.

### Customs

A peculiarity of the Coven is the way in which the Grand Master is greeted: *Beatus Leonis* is what is said when one meets the Grand Master (apparently one must also lower their head); *Benedictus Sis* is what the Grand Master says as an answer.

*Beatus Leonis* could be translated into "Blessed Lion" while *Benedictus Sis* means "Be Blessed" maybe it could be an abbreviation for "may the lion be blessed".

The disciples of the Coven wear black, the elder members wear red clothes while the Grand Master wears white.

### Relics

The Coven has several sacred relics, below is the list:

* Rib of St. Benedict of Nursia
* Skull of Saint Catherine of Sweden
* Key of St. Leo the Great
* Ring of St. Leo III
* Rib of St. Romuald
* Chalice of St. Zachary

## Hierarchy

The Coven is commanded by the Grand Master, beneath him are the elders and then there are the disciples. There are also two special categories: the Heretic Slayers who are trained to hunt heretics and there are particular disciples like Alessandro Serpi who can teach other disciples.