These are some examples of vis sources that can be used in your next saga. Not only do they serve as a resource for a covenant to draw from, but they can also provide story hooks for your saga.

GHOSTS ON THE MOOR
In this swampy moor there live any number of nasty, biting insects which apparently serve no purpose except to annoy travelers. The area is typically avoided by honest folk and for the same reason is something of a haven for outlaws, criminals and bandits who hide there from the local sheriff. The moor is said by some to be haunted by the spirits of those cutthroats who have met their end within, and their ghosts can occasionally be seen as brief, flickering lights out on the moor. Some say that their ethereal voices beckon travelers to join them, and they often do, for the moor is dangerous ground, with many pitfalls and some areas of quicksand. It may be that the outlaws who dwell here encourage such tales, to keep superstitious folk away from their lairs.

Magi who carefully investigate the area will find that the flickering lights on the moor are in fact a unique breed of fireflies, whose glow is an eerie blue. Each such strange firefly contains a pawn of Auram vis, but there are but a few of these insects in the air on any given summer night. They live only for about a week, but their remains still contain vis after death.

THE SHIP OF WOE
Twenty fathoms beneath the waves lies the wreck of an old slave galley.
This vessel was sunk in heavy seas and dashed to pieces upon a nearby reef. Approximately 20 skeletons remain here, still chained to the oars of this ship of woe. The galley is ancient in design, but that it has endured so long in so pristine a condition is noteworthy in itself.

The chains holding the skeletons are of interest, however, as each cubit of chain contains a pawn of Rego vis. There are about 20 cubits of chain remaining in good condition. The remainder is useless, either as vis or chain.

If the skeletons are released from their shackles, however, they will animate by the power of their own righteous hate and attack anyone nearby. They are harmless while bound, but if released beneath the sea, they could provide a curious challenge for those seeking to harvest the vis within the chains. The skeletons have no weapons, but they may try to use their chains, the rotted oars, or perhaps just their bony fists to wreak vengeance on their "rescuers". Each skeleton has a magic might of 10, but they do not themselves contain any vis.

CORPSE WAX
In an old pagan cemetery in which the dead of a local village are interred to this day, there are bodies buried from an age long before any of the local mundanes can remember. Though the local parish priest has consecrated the graveyard for the church, the hallowing did not work properly for some reason. Over time, the fat of corpses buried here, unless given a church burial, transforms into a pale gray corpse wax.

There is wax enough on each body to harvest for 2 pawns of Corpus vis. Long after burial, the corpses decay to skeletons, and the vis is no longer harvestable.

However, the local mundanes will not look kindly upon those who would steal into the graveyard in the dead of night and dig up the bodies of their ancestors. They may, at first, blame it on ghouls or some other supernatural menace, but if such things begin to happen regularly, or if interlopers are spotted in the graveyard, they will investigate and even post watchmen to keep an eye on the cemetery. Certainly, any local stronghold of "witches" would immediately fall under suspicion, since the local parish priest suspects already that such persons are trafficking with Infernal powers.

THE QUAGMIRE
A quagmire is located in the heart of a low, swampy area overgrown with thorn bushes, twisted trees and near-impassable scrub. It is easy to spot due to the black, chalky mud caked along its edges, but approaching it is troublesome since much of the surrounding terrain is difficult, with patches of quicksand lying in wait for some unlucky traveler, and slick muddy places near the edge of the quagmire itself. However, the waters of the mire have a special virtue; one gallon of the liquid contains a pawn of Perdo vis. Transporting such bulky vis back to the covenant could prove difficult.

Getting near enough to the mire to harvest the vis is a challenge of the Magus’ ingenuity (or magics,) due to the treacherous nature of the surroundings. It will require a stress roll of Dex+ Athletics against an ease factor of 12 to navigate the approaches to the mire safely.

The total amount of mire water available is up to the Storyguide or troupe, but is usually greatest just after the spring rains, or in the Autumn. Often animal carsasses, or the occasional corpse to an unwary traveler, will also be found in the mire, victims of its malignant nature.

THE GIFT OF THE OLD GOD
An ancient, worn idol half again as tall as a man stands in a small forest glade, a remnant of pagan times, when the people worshipped many gods. The old god represented by the idol was hermaphroditic, and over the course of a cycle lasting many years, the visage of the statue gradually changes, shifting from male features to female, and back again.

At times, a silvery liquid is found in the bowl held in the statue’s left hand. This liquid is quite heavy, and displaces other liquids such as rainwater, and is therefore easy to harvest. The bowl produces 2 pawns of Muto vis each year.

If someone enters the glade with her head bowed in supplication, and does not raise her eyes to meet the statue, a gift may be lain at the idol’s feet. In this case the person has actually entered a small regio, but the spell will be broken if the supplicant rasises her head, and she will be knocked out to the mundane realm.

If this is done at midnight on the Vernal Equinox, on the night of the next full moon the idol’s bowl will contain seven silver orbs each containing a pawn of Vim vis.

STAR IRON
Each November, stars fall from the sky beyond a nearby mountain range. The stones which can easily be found are typically about the size of a large man’s fist, and contain an alloy of iron and unknown materials from beyond the lunar sphere. The stones have several virtues, but the most readily obvious is that they contain a strange, unique form of vis, the type of which is not easily ascertainable. They might also possess a Material bonus toward the forging of enchanted weapons, at the Storyguide’s discretion, or even innate magical powers. Some of the stones might also have some of the properties of lodestone.

Investigation of this vis might well lead to significant advancements in Hermetic Theory. Since it comes from beyond the lunar sphere, the realm of God alone, however, it is tainted with a Divine Aura. It may be this which makes it difficult to determine what Art the vis is associated with. It might also mean that any qualities it has fall outside normal Hermetic limits. When worked by a blacksmith, the star iron makes a sound like the ringing of a heavenly chime; after it has been forged, whatever is made of it gleams with a cold, dark brilliance, like the vault of the clear night sky.

THE CAT OF FOUL DISPOSITION
A black whisker, almost a span in length, is found clinging to the clothing of one of the Magi of the covenant. Upon investigation, it will be found that whisker contains a pawn of Intellego vis. If the Magus retraces his steps, the cat from which it came from might itself be found. It may be that the Magus encountered the seemingly-innocuous feline during his travels, or that a feral cat now inhabits the covenant grounds.

The cat itself is rarely seen and has six toes. It was once the familiar of a local witch, now long-dead. A curse wrought by the witch’s will might afflict those who would seek to kill the cat and harvest it for vis, or who would capture and confine it for other purposes. The cat, while not intelligent in the same manner as a man, is quite cunning and has the skills to elude all but the most determined pursuers. Local mundanes or covenfolk may be aware of the legends of the dead witch and her malevolent cat, and will seek to warn Magi to whom they are friendly against attempting to seek it out.

If the witch was in fact in league with the dark powers, the cat may be evil and the vis in its whiskers tainted with Infernal influence. Or it may in fact be a demon bound into the form of a cat.

THE LOST CHILDREN OF THE STEALERS OF SHAPES
A local legend tells of a clan of skinchangers that have interbred both with normal humans and with animals of varying sort. The descendants of these skinchangers have all but completely abandoned their humanity and live as wild beasts in the wilderness, far from human civilization, a bizarre commingling of beasts and men, with many of the best (and worst) features of each. Most of these wretches have Magic Might scores of 10 or higher, and though they can no longer alter their shapes at will, they may have magical abilities appropriate to the types of creatures their ancestors were. If they can be killed, the hearts of these creatures contain three pawns of Muto vis.

They are quite intelligent, however, and very wary of humans. They will not fall prey to traps, snares or pits, as the ways of mortal hunters are well-known to them. They also will use their entire pack to overcome adversaries which confront them.

Some of the original skinchangers, progenitors of the line, may remain alive. If so, they will be just as intelligent as normal humans, and are far more powerful than their debased offspring. Certainly, they will not be well-disposed toward those who would hunt their descendants and slaughter them for their organs.

WITCHWOOD OF THE UNSEELIE FOREST
On the outskirts of a faerie forest a black wood can be harvested from stunted, foul trees. The wood is nearly as hard as bronze, can be cut only with the sharpest steel, burns with great difficulty, and is used by the local Unseelie to make weapons and various other items. It contains Herbam vis, tainted with Faerie power.

These faeries will do their best to thwart the attempts of Magi to harvest the useful wood. However, they have an arrangement with an Eremite Verditius to trade some of the wood annually for enchanted devices. This Verditius, a black-hearted diabolist, makes small, cherubic dolls from the wood, which he then animates as servants or gives to local children as playthings. Some of the dolls, his most prized servants, even have demons bound within, making them undetectable by Hermetic methods, a feature the toymaker frequently finds useful.

Long ago a Wizard’s March was called against the Verditius, and the Order believes him to be dead. In truth, he survived and has been in hiding for many years. In the event he is discovered, he has built a wooden simulacrum of himself, a duplicate down to the tiniest detail, with which he can confound those meddling in his affairs, or to "perish" in his place, that he might escape again. If forced to relocate he will find some other remote place in which to continue his wicked studies, but not before leaving some new toys for the children of the covenfolk...

THE DAGGER OF WOMAN'S WRATH
This is a dagger carved from obsidian, used in pagan times by a cult of witches to cut the hearts from their wretched victims. The secrets of performing this dark ritual have been lost, but dedicated research might reveal them.

If the ritual is performed properly on the correct evening, six pawns of Corpus vis can be gathered from the heart of the victim. This vis may well be tainted with the Infernal, and is certainly ill-aspected, being the wicked gains of the act of murder.

Only women were called to the cult which made the dagger, and it was never meant to be used by male hands. Males who possess it will soon find themselves adopting female trappings and mannerisms, and will eventually be driven to emasculate themselves. If a man actually attempts to enact the ritual, it will succeed as normal, but he will be driven mad for a moon, and will attempt to slay additional victims with the dagger, without regard for personal loyalties or for the fact that such additional victims will not produce any vis.

If the knife is left in storage, it will call out subtly to nearby females, who will be driven to take the knife and use it for its intended purpose.

THE THORNS OF REPULSION
A rose bush grows within the covenant’s walls. The perfume of its flowers repels insects and other pests within a wide area. Combined with improvements to the covenant grounds, this may cause an increase in the entire covenant’s standard of living. The pollen can be collected as Rego vis each Summer.

The petals of the roses can be crushed and combined with alcohol, then repeatedly distilled to produce a lustrous red ink particularly suited to illumination. This ink can be stored indefinitely. At the Storyguide’s discretion the ink may grant a Material bonus for use in appropriate enchantments.

A particular, aggressive variety of bee will be drawn to collect pollen from the roses, and seems immune to the repellant effects of the flowers. They may even nest nearby, which could make the harvesting of the vis or the flowers problematic. However, the honey produced by the bees from the pollen might contains Muto vis and can be gathered with even greater trouble. A dedicated person (by using the Profession:
Beekeeper Ability,) could set up an apiary for the bees, making it much more convenient to gather the honey. What sort of mead could be brewed from this virtuous honey is left to the discretion of the Storyguide.

THE CAVES OF RESTLESS SLEEP
Several stagnant pools connect to the underground streams which flow through a network of caves once inhabited by an Eremite Magus. The entire cave complex has a magic aura of +2, and the remains of the dead Magus’ lab can be found spread across several chambers, including a number of curious devices, the details of which are left to the troupe’s discretion. A phosphorescent moss found throughout the caves dimly illuminates the whole place, but has no magical properties other than its soft, ghostly green light.

The mineral sediment which is deposited at the bottom of the stagnant pools contains Aquam vis. These alkaline salts glow gently when seen in darkness, and are quite toxic. They are dangerous to collect or handle, as they prove to be highly corrosive. In addition, the caves contain a number of rock formations, built by the slow action of the mineral-laden waters, which contain Terram or Aquam vis is equal measure. The tiny, blind fish which dwell in the pools and streams might also have some magical property.

The ghost of the dead Eremite haunts the caves. He is not necessarily ill-disposed to visitors, but will not be pleased that interlopers are making off with his vis, though being dead, he has little use for it himself.

THE BLACK CHAMBER
The cellars of the ruined Covenant of Insulus Valens lead into an area of natural cavern. The portal to the caverns is sealed with an iron door inscribed with sigils and ensorcelled against passage from the other side. If the seals are breached it will be found that the tunnels lead into a complex of chambers, most of which are about five paces across.

The thirteenth hallow is fifteen paces across and has a pentagram inscribed on the floor, iron braziers at each of its points, and sconces on the walls. In this chamber nearly a century ago, the diabolist Inumbrus met his end against a Wizard’s March of Hoplites and Quaesitores while completing his vilest ritual. The walls of the chamber bleed a reddish-black, viscous ichor every All-Hallows’ Eve, the anniversary of Inumbrus’ demise. This contains Vim vis, but is tainted with the Infernal. Possession of it will draw the attention of demons, and deeds completed or spells cast using it will inevitably be turned to evil ends.

The deeds of Inumbrus were many and ghastly, and it is possible that some of his works survive to trouble the world to this day. Some of these works might be found hidden within the tumbled walls of the ruined covenant.

THE TREES OF MEMORY
Ages past, in the days before the rise of Rome, a storyteller of a long-dead tribe spun for his clan tales of their own mighty deeds. In an ill-fated year of drought, pestilence and war, the entire tribe perished, save for the storyteller, who endured for many years. In solitude he went mad, and continued to tell his stories, but those who listened were not his dead kinfolk, but the lonely trees among which he made his home. His people were gone, but through his tales their memory lives on, for the trees remember.

Today only ten of the elderly, graceful conifers remain, in the deepest part of the forest. On nights when the wind blows in a certain way, the swaying of their aged branches seem to those who listen like soft, sonorous voices, repeating again the glorious tales they first heard long ago.

The trees can be harvested for Mentem vis, but must be cut down to do this. The entire stand contains 30 pawns of vis, 3 in each of the ancient pines. Those who do this, however, might earn the enmity of the rest of the forest, or of the faeries who occasionally gather to listen to the memories of the trees.

THE BRIMSTONE FONT
A narrow crevice in the rocky foothills of the mountains continually exudes foul, sulfurous gases from deep within the earth. About thirty paces inside the crevice brimstone which contains Ignem vis collects on the walls. The crevice is so narrow that a even a small person can only negotiate it with difficulty, and the fumes and heat are so potent that an unprotected person will die in minutes. A simple Perdo Ignem spell should protect against the heat but the gases are a different matter. Creo Auram will provide breathable air, but even so, it will be difficult and dangerous to collect the vis. The fumes are also highly flammable, and those who attempt to penetrate the crevice using any kind of open flame as a light source will be in for an unpleasant surprise.

Breathed in small quantities, the fumes from the vent might induce visions of the past, or even of the future. Their deadly virtue might be collected in some manner by a crafty magus for use in the creation of poisons. The superstitious mundanes who live nearby regard the crevice as a gateway to Hell, and will be deeply suspicious of those who dither in the vicinity.