1130

YEAR 1130

Scribed by Antonius

Spring 1130AD

So with the dawn of this new decadeI feel that we have regained the strength that we had lost with the deathof Ruaridh and the disappearance of Edith. Our council now numbers five againand in maga Audacia we have a martial vigour which even Ruaridh could nothave hoped to match. This point was reinforced at our meeting when Audaciadecided to develop a Perdo Animal spell to break the Pybaw’s legs.

I set off for Lindisfarne to continuemy researches into the history of Guyere for at the very least if I can geta birth date for him then Caelestis can put his divinatory skills to gooduse. I know not exactly what but I have a feeling that there is somethingof great significance in Guyere’s past that he does not want us to know.Why else would he go to such lengths to destroy church records of his formerlife as a priest? All this was so long ago that no mundane would ever eventhink of connecting him to this murderous priest and yet he risked incurringthe wrath of the church by destroying a sizeable proportion of their churchrecords in Hereford. Yet whilst I could speculate on this at great lengthhere is not the place for that so I shall proceed before this becomes moreof a philosophical treatise than a historical record. At the great monasteryof Lindisfarne I was able to search through their quite magnificent collectionof church records and histories under the disguise of a lay clerk. I was unfortunatelyunable to find anything specifically referring to Guyere or Sniggs End butI did learn that it had been the fashion in the Anjeux diocese in Normandyaround the beginning of the eleventh century to send priests to serve in England.I shall have to journey to Normandy to see if I can track down any recordsof priests sent for if I can then it should lead me back to Guyere’splace of origin and with luck, a record of his birth.

Summer

I returned from my investigationsin the North to find that all had not gone well whilst I was away. Meredithhad had a troubling dream in which he saw Jordael in a large city or townbeing pursued by two serpents. From talking to him Turold was able to ascertainthat this place was most probably Bristol and feeling that Jordael’slife was in grave danger he set out at once with Meredith to rescue Jordael.Tragically Audacia was out of the covenant at the time, visiting her paterCaisus at Blackthorn and Turold felt that he could not spare the time to askher to accompany him so immediate was the threat to Jordael. From the imagesthat he saw in his dream Meredith was able to guide Turold to one of the poorestquarters of Bristol to a room where Jordael was staying. Troublingly oncehe was there, Meredith with his sight noticed a cat-like creature lurkingin a corner of the room. From his description and what little I have readon the subject, I think that this was a Sekerhoph, a daemon set to followand watch someone who has been marked. After quickly apprising Jordael ofthe situation the three of them made haste for the city gate. Bristol thoughis a dangerous place and the Fells hold sway there and so they were ambushedin a dark, winding narrow street before they had even managed to leave thepoor quarter. A crystal dart which Turold sent at one of the assailants glancedharmlessly off a mail vest that the man wore under his clothes and beforehe could cast another spell Turold had his belly slashed open with a singlevicious stroke.

Jordael was able to best the menwith magic but was then left with a badly wounded man and no means of gettinghim out quickly or healing him properly. He got Turold to an inn where hetried his best to heal him but the wound was too severe for the spells thathe knew and there was a poison at work in Turold which he could stall butnot cure. Turold’s life was in the balance for several days apparentlybut eventually when he regained consciousness briefly Jordael was able toleave to fetch help at Severn Temple. Blodwyn was brought from Scafell andwas able to heal Turold but only with great difficulty. The poison was veryresistant to Creo Corporem magicks and she had to use a ritual to purge itfrom his system. This leads to the alarming possibility that the poison wasdesigned with a magus in mind as the victim. What exactly are the Fells planning?The blades that were used was unusual for a native of Bristol to be carryingas it is very much of a style common to Italy. As for Turold, sadly even Blodwyn’sskills were insufficient to wholly heal the wound and he will bear some infirmityfor the rest of his days.

Two weeks after Midsummer Mathusarrived bringing news of the Grand Tribunal though in keeping with traditionhe first informed the council of mundane events. Canterbury has been consecratedand DuClerc had more news on the synod’s debate on the nature of magiand magic. There was some discussion about whether there was some relationto the magi who brought gifts to the new-born Christ and some loud voicesagainst magi but thankfully the Archbishop dismissed such talk. Mathus thenmoved on to the rulings of the Grand Tribunal, would Wizard’s March becalled on Ex-Miscellania? Would the Order face a second Schism?

Primus Magreine did not appearat the Grand Tribunal and so was held to be in contempt and a Wizard’sMarch was called against him. No new Primus will be elected until all magiof the house have been investigated by the Quaesitori, each of whom shallhave two hoplites. Any magi who refuse to submit to such an investigationwill be expelled from the Order and any who have not been investigated within10 years will be automatically cast out. What will Edith do now I wonder?Of other events, Prima Tytalus disappeared on the fourth day of proceedingsand was discovered to have entered final twilight at the age of 157 yearsby Primus Bjornaer. This means that Praeco Eloria is now also Prima Tytalusand one of her first orders as Prima was that Blackthorn will now be the DomusMagnus of my house. On the motions that Stonehenge brought the Grand Tribunalruled that tribunals are determined by geography and thus Scafell cannot secedeand also that Narwold must join Stonehenge. This ruling had clear implicationsfor the second motion concerning vis raiding across tribunal borders and Normandywere ordered to pay Stonehenge four queens of vis and Loch Leglean to paytwo and a half queens.

Autumn

Audacia and I travelled to SniggsEnd to investigate that place more thoroughly and try and ascertain its nature.Having looked about and cast magicks there Audacia was of the opinion thatit was an infernal aura of only the first magnitude and after reconsiderationI am relieved to share her opinion and admit to being mistaken in my earlierassessment. Later in the season as I was passing through some of the villagesoutlying Bristol I was attacked in my room by an invisible assailant. I hadbeen attempting to establish as series of contacts and spies surrounding thatcity so we might get a clearer idea of the comings and goings from that city.I was not injured in the attack though I did feel my parma challenged, I thinkmy attacker was surprised to find me awake and once I too had rendered myselfinvisible he fled. I was forced to leave swiftly afterwards also for the innkeeper,who I had been cultivating as an informant, has been murdered, presumablyby the same person or possibly creature who tried to assault me. Curiouslythe only weapon that was used against me was an improvised one, a wooden candlestick,suggesting that the means of ingress might involve some sort of shapeshiftingperhaps or maybe a spirit? Both door to the room and the shutters were wellsecured and I am certain that there was no one within before. The remainderof the season was largely uneventful though towards the end of it Turold reportedthat he believed he had been successful in fixing the Ruadan’s wand.

Winter

Thanks to Audacia we were ableto maintain an aegis of the ninth magnitude which it was felt was of greatimportance given the threat that the likes of the Pybaw and the Fells stillpose. Serenia arrived shortly after our council meeting in her formal roleas Quaesitor as it seems that accusation has been made about the activitiesof my spy network by Prima Praeco Eloria. I refuted most strongly an allegationof misconduct and declined to allow Quaesitor Serenia to interrogate any ofmy contacts on the grounds that it would compromise my network as I am perfectlywithin my rights to do so. Indeed when challenged Serenia was unable to sayhow I had broken any aspect of the peripheral code and it seems that thereis little or no evidence other than what Eloria herself has said. I fear thatdespite her demanding roles as Praeco and Prima, Eloria is still not aboveplaying games with me. There was other news from Blackthorn as Eloria calleda vote as to whether it was appropriate Blackthorn as the new Domus Magnusof House Tytalus to remain allied with Severn Temple. The alliance still standsstrong though as there was just one vote against it continuing.

After some initial difficultiesin conquering his fears about coming even close to Sniggs End I was able topersuade Caelestis to get a fix of the place and make a divination about whenit would be used next by the coven that we believe meets there. He has predictedthat there will be a meeting at the first new moon after midwinter so we shallbe there then to see what we can learn.

At the midwinter itself the Ruadanarrived to talk with Turold about the wand. Audacia accompanied him and heldthe wand herself lest Turold be in some way enspelled for we know how trickyan opponent the Ruadan can be. A fortunate precaution as it turned out forTurold’s bargaining with her did not go well. Once she had establishedthat he had fixed the wand and that he was not going to hand it over withouther promising to use it to destroy the Pybaw and not raise one like it again,the Ruadan, who clearly did not want to agree to do this, used magic to alterTurold’s mind. Audacia realised this and told the Ruadan in no uncertainterms that this was not acceptable and she would not get the wand that way.Angered the Ruadan then set her shadow to attack Audacia but it merely flailedharmlessly at her, unable to penetrate her parma. This did however bring Audacia’spatience to an end and she swiftly killed two of the nearby Corrs with Perdomagicks before turning on the Ruadan herself. She broke the Ruadan’sarm with magic and then grabbed her and ripped off her mask. Holding thisshe then proceeded to bargain somewhat forcefully, restating that the onlyway the she would get the wand back as if she agreed to Turold’s conditions.Cowed and shocked the Ruadan accepted the terms and taking the wand departedhurriedly with Audacia keeping her mask as a guarantor of good faith. If onlyI could use her in some of my negotiations with the local nobles!

Eight days after these eventsat the new moon, myself, Audacia and Ospectus flew to Sniggs End to watchfor the meeting of the coven that Caelestis had foretold. We saw thirteenriders arrive at the bottom of the small wooded hill and set to wait for theirdeparture, hoping to follow them back to see from whence they came. The weatherthough conspired against us as a fog rose from the river that quickly grewso thick that I could see nothing about me. Indeed the darkness was very nearlyabsolute and I was forced me to return to the covenant, wondering if the fogwas merely an unhappy meteorological coincidence or whether it had some moresinister origins. Fortunately Audacia and Ospectus fared better, Ospectuswas able to follow the last man to leave, who we had taken to be the leaderof the coven. The man rode to Mitcheldean and retired to the priest’shouse there so it is I think a safe assumption that this is Silas, who wealready know to be one of the masters. Audacia followed a group of three,who after seemingly getting lost in the mist themselves journeyed Southeastbefore splitting up with one going to Ashleworth and two heading to Gloucester.Caelestis says that the next meeting will be at the first new moon after theSpring Equinox so we will I think try again then. If the pattern continuesthen I hope we will eventually be able to track down the identities and homesof all members of this coven.

A fortnight later there was astrange green fire which lit up the night sky. Could this be some ill portent?Caelestis certainly thinks so and I am inclined to agree. I journeyed to Bristolto ensure that our famine provisions were still in place, taking great carethere, using a new magical disguise and leaving the city before nightfall.On my third day of dealings there however in broad daylight I felt my parmaresist an attack upon it. I left the city as quickly as I could, flying invisiblyout over the city walls back to the safety of our aegis. My parma was testedagain as I flew home and shortly after I landed within the grounds of thecovenant I felt the aegis resist an assault though the attack was not pressed.I learnt later that Idris’s shade who watches over this place had apparentlyshot and banished the spirit that had followed me here. At least now we knowhow they have found me and what we need to look for, as if they are usingspirits as opposed to demons then we may be able to detect them using magic.Encouragingly as well both my parma and the aegis have been able to withstandthese spirits. One other upshot of this though was that the position of Bledwyn,our erstwhile spiritmaster, was discussed at council. Although I had previouslyargued that he could be more use alive than dead I now believe that he posesa serious threat to us should the Fells ever get to him. As we have foundno real use for him so far it seem to be prudent to have him executed. Audaciais happy to perform this unpleasant task though she did raise the possibilitythat being what he is he might have a persistent and possibly powerful shadeso we will wait and consider how to get around that one though surely a Christianburial will solve the problem?

So as this eventful season drawsto a close so does my sojourn as chronicler of this covenant and I hand overmy duties to my learned Bonisagus sodalis, Caelestis.