1092

YEAR 1092

Scribed by Petrus

Spring 1092 AD

The wet and bitterly cold startto this season will delay the resumption of hostilities between the Normansand the Welsh. It is rare that I find myself hoping for bad weather, but longmay it continue. With regard to the fact that we are losing a grog each mid-summer(tho' our Castellan's attitude appears to adapt to this change), Ruaridh andIdris are to cooperate in the production of a Rego Herbam spell to ward awaythe entangling undergrowth which surrounds the dell of the precious Amaranth.Idris and Eanfled are of the opinion that nothing but this flower will placatethe faerie, tho' Eanfled seems quite pleased to have some company of his ownsize. I shall investigate the potential of three pawns of Intellego vis, kindlyspared to me from our frugal supply by council. As his covenant service, Turold,will develop an item to assist us in locating a new site for an iron, or perhapssilver, mine. His insights into the construction of devices are remarkable;he truly is the filius of Corlear.

We hear that Clydoc has been declaredthe High King of Wales, but his new station has not made him any more clement.He is rumoured to have imprisoned vassals sent by King Robert to parlay. Indeedhe has vowed never to let another Norman foot tread on Welsh soil. Let ushope it is a vow he can keep. Certainly we appear to be better off under thisWelsh King. Rather than pay taxes, Clydoc has sent us weapons and goods inthanks to Idris. These more than make up for those weapons lost at the fallof Monmouth. It appears that Idris is now formally wed in the ways of hisPagan Gods. I heard little of the ceremony, save that there was none. It isall too sordid for these pages, and I apologise for even mentioning such facts.It is the duty of a good scribe to keep all the facts writ and proper, evenif they are not items of great taste or delicacy. On a positive note, Idrisbelieves that his 'wedding' will go some way to reset the balance of the Springtowards Creo again.

Summer

After a sudden storm which almostpunctuated the end of Spring, the weather has cleared. War will follow thesunshine I fear. Nevertheless, Ruaridh and Idris will endeavour to reach thefaerie bloom, and thus end the mid-summer curse. Thereafter Ruaridh will furtherhis study of the Mentem book, whilst Idris investigates what became of a Paganpriest he met in Wales. I shall study the Aquam books, as I wish soon to takeon an apprentice. Turold has wisely chosen to read of the Vim texts. He willneed more practice in that art if he is ever to rival his Pater.

The foray into the faerie regiodid not go as well as hoped. Although our intrepid Sodales were able to breachthe entangling bracken, they were stalled by a woodland spirit which animatedthe trees against them. After some deliberation they opted for caution, butdid not escape the dell without injury befalling one of the grogs. Thus atmid-summer, Pybba, our oldest grog, indeed one of the members of the firstincarnation of Severn Temple, was transformed into a bear. We are surroundedby furry forest animals now. However, Oscytel continues to take things inhis stride.

From Wales we heard that Clydocand Robert have declared a peace. Perhaps the new King of England has troublewith his Dukes and Earls, or simply wishes to wait for a better chance tostrike. Nonetheless Clydoc has agreed to surrender Gloucester to the Normans,and the treaty states that all the land west of the Severn is Wales. Let ushope that each party keeps their word.

Autumn

After a delay, while we waitedfor Ruaridh to attend council, we met for our regular meeting. I shall extractVim Vis for the covenant, while Turold has taken the Mentem books. Ruaridhdecided to invent another spell. Indeed that magus must know over a scoreof formulaic spells now; strange given that his spontaneous magic is so powerful.Idris, as well as spending time with his swollen wife, will try to find timeto study Corporem vis.

Later in this season two ridersventure to our covenant. They are keen to ensure that the Saxons among ournumber recognise their King, and we allow our grogs to swear allegiance toClydoc and Wales. They will tolerate those Saxons who will live here peaceablyit seems. Ruaridh is very good at the Parma Magica; indeed there seems littleat which this able magus does not excel. Our practice session are provingvery useful.

Winter

Ruaridh shall add to his alreadyformidable number of formulaic spells by inventing a Rego Corporem spell ofthe fourth magnitude. Idris will stay in the covenant and read from the Intellegobooks. I shall extract Vim Vis for Turold as repayment of the favour he paidme last year. I look forward to seeing the fruits of his endeavours, he speaksenthusiastically, tho' a little slowly, about the item he intends to makefor his House meeting. There is so much planning involved when designing anitem for a House meeting of Verditius, it is good to see such dedication ina magus. In the meantime, Turold will press on with his studies of Mentem.Stassius arrived with the tomes from Durenmar.

The Perdo Vim ritual is complex,perhaps too complex for me to learn at present. However, after some effortI was able to sucessfully cast the spell and break the Infernal aura. I donot even wish to consider what might have occurred if the spell casting hadgone awry. We have written a letter to Cad Gadu, it is addressed to Sylvaniaof Merinita, who we hope will offer us some advice regarding this faerie curse.We cannot afford to lose grogs each year. I would imagine it might damagethe morale of the men. On a side note, Stassius appears to visit us more oftenand sometimes stay overnight, perhaps this is a sign of our growing recognitionwithin the Tribunal.

Some of the men visited Monmouthfor mid-winter. Brydioc, the new Welsh Earl, invited some of our folk forthe feasting. We sent Thurstan along to watch for any trouble, but apparentlythere was no sign of any hostility towards them. It appears that Idris isgreatly respected by these Welsh. Speaking of my Sodalis, I must report thathis vulgar relations have borne him good fruit. His wife has given birth toa boy. This child has the Gift, a rare prize. Still it seems a rather unorthodox,not to mention troublesome, path to finding a future apprentice. So anotheryear draws to a close.