"Vida, a powerful samodiva, a female nymph, of the Pirin mountains, accidentally shot and killed the beautiful male singer, Ivë. When she saw what she had done, she cried a single tear, which formed an enchanted lake." - Myth of Vida's Tear Lake

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Introduction to the Covenant

The journey to the Covenant of Vida's Tear is a long and demanding one. Having arrived by ship at the bustling port of Varna, you take the road south following the warm waters of the Black Sea. At the mouth of the Kamchia is a small fishing village, from there follow the river upstream; first through orchards and vineyards, then into rising hills of forest and stone. Sadjin, the last village on your journey, is little more than a collection of farmhouses. Here the river forks into two streams; follow the one leading south, then west as it climbs into the forested mountainside.

Here the passage becomes more arduous as you climb higher into the Balkan Mountains. The air here is cold and fresh, as you follow the river upstream. Eventually, after several days travel, you find a small fishing village nestled amongst the trees on the north bank of the river. The villagers here will recognise wizards, and treat you well; offering you a guide for the last part of the journey.

Then you climb, near enough a thousand feet, following a steep path that winds forever upwards through the trees. Eventually, you emerge at the top of the path and look down across a small valley carved into the mountainside. Here is Vida's Tear, a small castle built upon a rocky island surrounded by the cold, blue waters of the lake that shares its name. To the north and east, thick, dark forests crowd to the edge of the waters; to the west lie the snow-capped crowns of Kolyada's Retreat.

Welcome traveller, to the Covenant of Vida's Tear, a community of magi that survive in this isolated mountain wilderness. The covenant is the focus of an Ars Magica campaign set in and around north-western Bulgaria in the years following the Bulgarian uprising of 1185. These pages contain information on the covenant, its inhabitants and the surrounding lands.

For more information on Ars Magica, try Atlas Games and Project Recap