1095

YEAR 1095

Scribed by Turold

Spring 1095AD

A new year, and a new member ofour covenant. Varsavia arrived at the beginning of spring, bringing with hera gift of 5 pawns of Terram vis and her companion, an archer named Myrvin.He bears an enchanted bow and it is already obvious that there will be somefriendly rivalry between him and our own champion bowmen. Yet she bringsmore than these things. She brings a sense that we are moving away from thespringtime of this covenant and heading towards summer. Indeed her arrivalheralded another 3 months of healthy development for Severn Temple. Varsavia,of course, immediately set about the task of establishing her laboratory,while myself, Petrus and Ruaridh all made use of the library, studying Mentem,Aquam and Rego.

To Idris fell the task of travellingfirst to Blywyddn to exchange vis with Orlania, and then on to Lear Valleyto deliver the requested plans that our new wall may be created. Sadly Orlaniahad already left, but it was possible to make a one off trade with the covenant’sremaining inhabitants. His journey was otherwise uneventful though this islittle surprise as it seems as if he is constantly roaming the country.

While Idris was away a delegationfrom the welsh came to ask his aid to rid Bryn Mawr of a Wyrm. Ruaridh andVarsavia accepted the task as it seemed likely to provide substantial reward.Taking with them a sizeable contingent of the grogs they travelled to it’slair, where after a fierce battle, during which many of the grogs distinguishedthemselves, they slew the creature. One grog was lost, another severely woundedand two horses slain but the covenant gained 1000 pennies, 5 pawns of Auramvis and further reputation around the country.

The mine also yielded 200 penniesworth of profit and, even after the construction of our new guest house, ourfinances are looking quite healthy. The guest house itself will provide agreater level of comfort and privacy to our guests, as well as separatingthem from our own private areas.

During the period there was onedisturbing event. One night the stars seemed to fall from the sky, and Varsaviainformed us that the faerie season was changing from summer to autumn. Thefirst sign of this has been sightings of Cors in the lower level of the regio,meaning increased care when we collect the Imagonem and if we try for theAuram. I hope this will not continue to reopen our troubles with the denizensof that place.

Summer

Save for one item, another seasonhas passed comfortably for us all. Varsavia continues working on her lab,while Idris studied the Terram books, a most worthwhile pursuit. Again myself,Petrus and Ruaridh seemed to have the same idea, this season choosing to studyfrom vis, in Imagonem, Vim and Creo respectively.

As I have stated one thing threatenedto disrupt our harmony. We were visited by Cassitus and Dionysus as part oftheir investigation into the activities of the un-named house. They stayedfor a fair time and it was apparent that it was primarily the activities ofIdris that interested them. The old woman Deanne was brought to the covenant,and interrogated for several hours before being found innocent of all wrongdoing. I myself fully understand the need for such measures in defence ofthe order but I must admit to finding the proceedings a little distasteful.Shortly after midsummer the two left but not before warning us that they believethere is a druid in the area, a man they very much needed to speak to. Thedescription we received was very much like the priest of Anu that Idris knows,and after they left we were able to ascertain this was the case. Petrus immediatelyinformed Idris that he must bring this man in for questioning, a stance thatI supported for the reason I have shown above. Idris would have none of it,and argued vehemently that it was persecution. The exchange grew quite heatedand it was Ruaridh who, for once, turned out to be the moderating influence.The compromise reached was that when Idris next sees the druid he will askhim to allow himself to be questioned. If not, Idris is to ask the questionshimself and we will all decide what to do. Idris accepted this and I thinkthe matter will be resolved in a manner that befits our position.

Autumn

It is hard to sit here andwrite what I now must, for it is as if the act of writing confers truth uponan event, and the news I am recording hangs heavier on my heart than any before.It is still early in the season, though the chill has begun, and residingwithin our walls for a second night is the redcap Stassius. It was he whobrought the tidings that I had believed impossible, and though I do not blamethe messenger, I would that he had not arrived. Corlear is gone, killed inhis laboratory while working on the shield that caused him to renounce anyhope of ever being Praeco. I look at those words and still find it hard tobelieve that they can be right though in my soul I know they are. The manwho took me from a life that was intolerable , instructed me in the most beautifulof the spheres of study is dead. All that I am he made, and on this nightI feel lonelier than ever before. My sodales are as kind as you could possiblywish, but I can take no comfort from them. He has left me the notes for theshield, as well as the shell that it will be created about. His faith, thatI may one day be able to follow in his footsteps, is as strong in death asit was in life. I shall miss him so very much.

Autumn has now ended, and I canlook back and see the grief which began this most disturbing of seasons witha clearer eye. I shall write no more of Corlear’s death save that Pendarran,his old consortis has come to the covenant and joined my service. It is thefuture we must look to, and it holds many fears.

At the autumn equinox a strangedreamlike state came upon me, and the covenant disappeared from view. Idriswas present, as were several of the older grogs and there was the sound ofchanting by the spring. As we approached we could see a great fire surroundedby hooded figures. One bore a staff with a rams head on it. He approacheda headstone with grooves in front of it and there was a young soldier, cladin strange armour who was shouting in latin. The lead figure raised a stonemallet and smote the soldier with it, killing him with the one blow. Thena mist arose from the ground and I was returned to my own pallet. The nextday Idris revealed he had shared my experience, and the grogs with us also.Idris believes it was a vision of the past brought on by Morrigan’s holynight. He thinks that the spirits have awoken and demand a sacrifice. It isPetrus’ interpretation that scares the most however. He believes we mayhave passed through a regio, far from impossible in an aura as strong as ours.He tried to locate one though without success, and intends to try again atthe next equinox. If he is right, could it be that the covenant itself isdangerous to us. If so then we may have some difficult times ahead.

It remains for me to write ofthe other news that Stassius brought us during his stay here. Sylvania confirmedthe changing of the faerie season. The truce between England and Wales lookssolid, though among themselves the English seem less neighbourly. The countrydid however pay tithe to the pope for the first time in many years. Stassiusstayed for two full days this time so it seems that we are increasing in station.

Scribed byRuaridh

Winter

As my breath turnsto ice in the freezing Winter air, I keep reminding myself that recordingthe history of the covenant is supposed to be a privilege rather than a chore.After all, should those who follow us ever wish to know about the formativeyears of the covenant, it will be my words that they turn to. With thisin mind, I will try to keep this record as factual, direct and unbiased asI can. Besides, the sooner I finish the damned thing, the sooner I canretreat to the warmth of my sanctum.

The season beganwith a somewhat heated debate in council about whether we should increasethe strength of the aegis that protects the covenant. I would have thoughtthat the benefits of doing so would have been clear to all given the frequencywith which our existing aegis had been breached in recent years. Varsavia,however, expressed the concern that a more powerful aegis might have a deleteriouseffect on the nearby faerie regio. Idris concurred, and argued thatthe fae might even regard it as some sort of challenge. I said thatthese arguments all seemed highly speculative, and that a better aegis wasneeded to protect ourselves against more than just the fae. In the end,we agreed that Petrus would obtain a copy of a seventh magnitude aegis whenhe travels to Durenmar next year.

Close to Midwinter,our aegis was breached once again. Idris and several of the grogs hadseen what appeared to be a black, eight fingered hand stretching out throughthe air to touch the covenant. We reasoned that this was the work ofRuadan, the dark faerie sorceress, but we were perplexed as to why she wouldact against us now given that the previous few years had been peaceful andquiet. Varsavia and Eanfled discovered that the wine we had put asidefor the Midwinter festival had somehow been tainted. Although we wereunsure of the nature of the enchantment, it was clearly not benign, and welost little time in throwing the wine away.

Bryghtwold attended the festivalof Saint Beresford in Gloucester. I know little about this saint, buthe must have been an unusual sort given that men dress as women and womenas men when they honour him. Still, to each his own. In the deadof night, Bryghtwold was attacked by the serving wench he had earlier bedded.As he staggered back, bleeding from a gaping chest wound, he saw the womenassume a twisted, demonic form. How he drove the creature off I do notknow, though he muttered something about 'beds' and 'improvised weapons'.He was rescued by a local jew, Simon, who tended his injuries. However,the wound in his chest seemed so deep that it would probably never heal properly.With this in mind, and with Bryghtwold's agreement, I used the faerie artifactgifted to us by Llyn-y-fan on him. The wound vanished, and Bryghtwoldreturned to health with great speed. The only noticeable side effectwas that his hair became longer and thicker, rather like the mane of a lion.The silver hair (presumably Llyn-y-fan's) that powered the device was usedup by the faerie magic; perhaps it will be possible to obtain more atsome point in the future.

And another year passes....