1147

YEAR 1147

Scribed by Astrius

Spring 1147 AD

This is the first season whosehistory I have scribed in this journal and I hope that I shall see many morehere, for I am optimistic that, despite all the previous troubles that haveafflicted this covenant, it can move forth into a glorious summer. But I digressfrom my main task here, that of recording the actual history. All six magiassembled after the turn of the year to discuss the forthcoming season. Itseems that Dionysus has interviews four of us thus far, Madoc, Aelfwin, Ruaridhand Theo. Ruaridh in particular appeared quite angered by the line of questioningthat Dionysus took, wondering whether Holy Isle's Quaesitor was using theattack of the UnNamed house as an excuse to gather information for futureactions against House Ex-Miscellania.

After some debate on this issuewe moved on to decide our seasons activities for the season: Aelfwin wouldstudy the Creo books; Ruaridh to complete the spell he is developing; Madocwill journey to our allies at Blackthorn to learn a spell; Turold will investigatea personal magical item; I shall begin the construction a spell to projecta ball of flame out to a distance of 100 yards; and, Theo will go out intothe Dean on the covenant's business as his season's service.

So we all went about our business,but it the day had not ended ere Theo called a second council meeting, itappears that he mentioned to Dionysus that he needed to venture forth andcould not perform the service that Dionysus had apparently asked of him earlier.Dionysus requested that the council release Theo from his service, there wassome argument about what should be done but concerns about the consequencesof refusing the Quaesitor's request led to a compromise under which Theo wasallowed several days to help Dionysus before heading out into the mundaneworld. So, after a few days Theo was finally able to venture forth to investigatesome of the contacts listed in Antonius's notes, all however was not to gowell as things went badly wrong with the first of these contacts that he tried.It seems that with hindsight, perhaps unsurprisingly for a Tytalan, Antonius'sdealings may have been more complex and shady than we imagined. Theo triedto talk to a cooper by the name of Martin in Mitcheldean and although he encounteredsome early difficulty, despite dropping the name of Anthony, what we believedto be Antonius's mundane guise, he was able to strike a deal. Next day hewas accosted by a young lad who asked if he was looking for Anthony, theonaturally said yes and the boy offered to take him to speak with some friendsof Anthony. Theo and the steward who was accompanying him were then led intothe village's tavern where they were assaulted by three men, one of whom wasthe cooper, Martin, whom Theo had spoken to previously. Theo was beaten unconsciousand robbed of over a hundred pennies and the steward, an elderly man, threatenedwith death should either of them return to Mitcheldean again. Luckily though,these brigands then departed without further violence and they were able tolimp back to the covenant.

Obviously this assault on a maguswas not something we could tolerate and so we assembled a small group to headdown to Mitcheldean to retrieve the money and teach this thug a lesson. CastellanJared decided that this was a mission that he could usefully come along onand so with our urban scout, Martin and one of the guard, a stout fellow namedAlbert, Theo and I set off. We encountered the first sign that the missionwould not be straightforward when we entered the cooper's yard to confrontMartin and discovered he was not the master of the yard. This fellow believedthe lies of his employee over our protestation and threatened to call theknight if we did not depart. Not wishing to cause a scene we did so, but thenwe espied the lad who had led Theo into the ambush. Theo, whose visage wasmagically disguised called the boy over and into a side alley to try and getthe names of Martin's accomplices from him. The lad tried to run but I grabbedhis arm, unfortunately he then started to bawl. There was an unfortunate incidentand I had to discipline Jared but then things really started to spiral outof control as a woman from a neighbouring house saw what was going on andran for help. Before we knew what was going on, a hue and cry went up andwe found the entire village raised against us shouting about witches and child-nappersmuch to our puzzlement. Clearly something had befallen this place before andour intervention could not have come at a worse time.

We tried to retreat but Jaredcould not move quickly and we were forced to back-up with him holding themob at bay with his crossbow. Albert and I managed to get the gate open butit became apparent that running away was going to be impossible. Ducking behindthe palllisade I conjured a sword and went to join Jared and Albert in holdingoff the peasant rabble that threatened us. At this time I noticed to my dismaythat the knight of the village was riding down from his manor house towardsus. After initially being held back by fear of Jared's bow it soon becameclear that the mob were about to rush us. Fearing for our lives, with threeof us facing several dozen furious men I cast Blade of Virulent Flame uponmy newly conjured sword in the hope of keeping them at bay long enough forus to make our escape. However the mob had reached fever pitch and they surgedforwards. To make a bad situation even worse it seems that in my haste toconjure my sword my magic must have gone awry and instead of a flaming steelsword I held a rapidly melting lead one. Several peasants were rushing towardsme and then I knew that drastic measures were going to have to be taken ifwe were to escape this with our lives. I ran back out of the gate trying tobuy myself enough time to get a spell off, but the peasants were not as slowas I would have hoped and it was only Theo's brave intervention which gaveme sufficient time to summon forth a ball of flame. It was at this point thatthe knight rode out of the gate and saw us. I made a last attempt to parleywith him to prevent more blood being shed but with a cry of "Demon!" he spurredhis horse down the slope towards me. At the same time Theo was struck in theshoulder by an arrow from an archer by the village gates. I sent the ballof flame towards him and it struck his horse square on, sending the beastrearing up and back over, crushing him beneath it's body as it fell. I movedto put the horse out of its misery and as I did so noticed that the knightstill lived, not wishing to leave any important witnesses behind I finishedhim as I had done his steed.

Having dispatched the knight,I then strode towards the village gate calling a fresh sword to my hand andsetting flames about it to scare off any who might seek to challenge me. Itseems that with the death of their lord the folk of the village needed nosuch encouragement and I saw them fleeing into the woods nearby. I was ableeventually to force the gate but to no avail. The mob in its fury had beatenthe Castellan and Albert to death. An ignoble end for two brave men, and hadI espied any village folk at that point it would have gone ill for them indeed.As it was the village was deserted and somehow several thatched roofs wereablaze. I picked up Jared's body and bore it away from that cursed place,and back to a peaceful rest at the covenant. I would that I could have donethe same for Albert but that alas was not possible. Once Theo and I had returned,what happened to Martin our scout I cannot say for I lost track of him sometimein the confusion, I made sure he went to the infirmary to have his wound treatedand then I made my way to Ruaridh's sanctum to report the sorry tale and thepossible breach of the code which I had committed. What will happen next Icannot say, to a certain extent it is out of my hands but this I will say,if I come across Martin the cooper or the person responsible for the missingchildren of Mitcheldean then they whose actions lie at the root of this unhappytale will pay for it with their lives.

After I had informed Ruaridh ofwhat had happened in Mitcheldean, a council was swiftly called to inform allthe magi and discuss the situation. Thomas, the new castellan was summonedand informed of his promotion and the grim reason behind it. One of his firstactions was to raise an issue concerning the low council, where as thingsstood, the two amici sitting on that body, Helene and Aledd, were treatedas magi and thus could overrule the castellan and effectively render his roleineffectual. The council ruled that amici could not overrule that castellanand whilst they are entitled to the same protections as magi, do not havethe same authority. Madoc and Aelfwin, the two magi with amici, were bothcontent to agree to this solution, though Aelfwin did look a little apprehensiveas he went to inform his wife of this decision.

Ruaridh agreed to fly to Blackthornto warn them of the situation, lest any trouble spreads to include them, andto seek advice from Dialectica, who has some experience in dealing with mundanes.Upon his return, acting on her advice which Ruaridh relayed, Theo set forthfor Monmouth to find out what was being said about the knight's death. Matterswere moving quickly though, as a local knight, Justin of Coleford arrivedat the gates of the covenant to collect the taxes and request the help ofthe "scholars" here in finding out more information about the fire sorcerorwho slew the knight. Ruaridh spoke with the man and promised that someonewould travel down quickly to see the Baron of Monmouth. Ruaridh tried to findTheo in Monmouth, but it seems that that place has more taverns than couldbe searched in the few days that he had to spare and so Ruaridh went to seethe Baron himself. After some consultation he promised to travel with BaronMartin to read what auguries he could in Mitcheldean. So dressed as one ofthe Baron's scribes, for this Baron did not want to be publically associatedwith any hint of magic (it seems our guise of scholars is not believed inmany quarters), he travelled down to the village. Despite having been providedwith some alchemical powders by Aelfwin and using some of old astrologicalcharts belonging to the treacherous and diabolic Bonisagus who once residedhere (whose continued freedom from justice makes my blood boil every timeI read his name in this journal), the Baron was not fooled. Whilst he remainedpolite, Ruaridh is afeared that he may not be quite so friendly to us in thefuture. Still, the fault for this is ultimately mine not Ruaridh's and inany event he is a Quaesitor not an actor so cannot be expected to have anyskills at pulling off such a charade.

Happily though in the councilmeeting that followed Ruaridh's return, we were able to make use of our combinedwisdom and come up with a solution which appears to have resolved the problem.Ruaridh and Turold flew down to the woods near Mitcheldean and made up a campas though several men had stayed there for a couple of nights. They took careto make sure there were tracks leading to and from the road and then Ruaridhconjured a corpse that looked like me that would last for a moon, more thanenough time to allay any suspicion, and placed it in a bedroll near the campfire.With a crossbow taken from the armoury, Turold then shot the body in the backand they scattered belongings and the like about the camp as though the sorceror'smercenary guards had betrayed him and murdered him for his goods. The firewas left to burn itself out to a plume of smoke which would be visible fromthe village. The Baron took the bait and shortly after dawn set forth witha body of men to investigate. It seems he was satisfied with what he found,for the body was taken back to Gloucester and he received some monies in rewardfrom the Earl.

Summer

Everyone had returned for thesummer meeting, with more news from the mundane world hereabouts. Ruaridhsaid that Baron Martin had mentioned to him that the Knight of Skenfrith'swife was sick and wondered whether we might be able to help. Whilst of coursethis could help build favour, there was some concern that if this woman diedthen any magus who was trying to help might get the blame put on then. Aelfwinhowever thought this unlikely and he is to journey in the guise of Aelfwinof Blackney to see what aid he can proffer. Theo had also heard news, it seemsthat the famous historian Geoffrey of Monmouth has written an extensive treatiseon the history of Britain. The council was very keen to make attempt to tryand get an exemplar of this work as it would make a very valuable resourcefor the Order. Madoc took advantage of the fine weather to go off with hiscompanions on another vis hunting expeditions on the council's behalf. Happily,his uncanny knack of finding vis did not let him down. When investigatingthe boar tide, a large wave which travels from the sea up the river, he foundthe crest of the wave contained a pawn of aquam vis. Ruaridh and Turold lookedsomewhat startled at this, for in the long history of this place, no one hadthought to check this phenomenon. Rather than regard it as vis lost of theyears though as I suspect Turold does, I believe we should be pleased thatwe have gained what I hope will be a fresh vis site.

Theo travelled again to Monmouthto meet Dialectica, who had kindly agreed to introduce him to her mundanecontacts. As is to be expected from a Bonisagus of the Trianoman tradition,she is very knowledgeable about what is going on in the country and talkedabout the grave situation up in the North of the country. That most foul traitorMagreine may well be active yet and aiding the Scots forces who fight theEnglish King's armies around York. My pater Garius has talked about headingup there in the hope of putting an end to he who has disgraced the officeof Primus Ex Miscellania and I can only hope that he is successful in hishunt.

Autumn

Madoc had not yet returned froma foray into Mynydd Myrrdyn so our council was one short, though in truththere was nothing of great import to discuss in his absence. Aelfwin's glassworking has gone well and he showed us one of the couple of dozen panes hehas made. Even to my untrained eye, it does appear to be remarkably clear,'prentice Clifford's sieve has obviously worked well.

A fortnight or so after the councilas the first mists of autumn were settling down in the woods hereabouts theredcap Lauretius came bearing news. Of news mundane, the war between the Scotsand the English has intensified, with the Scots pushing into Yorkshire. Consequentlythe English king is likely to send his forces there rather than to supportsome ally or other in France. Of news hermetic, the news from the Levant soundsgrave. The tribunal is split and there is fighting there, with a number ofwizard's wars, and even talk of a crusade. Nycestus of Verditius has beenaccused by Quaesitor Lorm of aggravating the situation, however, Primus Verditiushas said that he will blacklist anyone casting further accusations againsthis house. On a more positive note, the troubles in House Tytalus have lesseneda little, however, this has only been achieved through Primus Guernicus rulingthat all wizard's wars must be approved by the Senior Quaesitori. My househas unsurprisingly objected to this additional restriction on the right towage wizard's war and from what Lauretius said a Grand Tribunal may have tobe convened to resolve it. The redcaps have also been to Moorstow at the requestof House Tytalus, but could find no trace of Primus Tytalus there, the covenantbeing utterly deserted. In the absence of any information concerning his whereabouts,the Senior Quaesitor has declared him to be officially missing and PrimusGuernicus has been asked to investigate the matter.

Soon after Lauretius departed,Madoc returned with news of his investigations in Mynydd Myrrdyn. Apparentlyfive years had passed in the regio since our last visit there, though thatwas only last summer. The celt's village has been destroyed by the Merlin'sbrood, with the chieftain and the druid dead. Whilst any victory by thesesavage creatures is to be abhorred, at least the druid is no longer a sourceof concern for us. The survivors fled to the settlement surrounding our towerand they and the grogs that guard that place have become close. Although thebrood are now seemingly more numerous than ever and more troublesome, thesettlement has not been attacked thus far and Madoc saw no sign of them whilsthe was there. The council discussed a possible hunt to cull these creaturesand teach them to fear men once more. From all that I have heard tell of thesebrutes, I think that that violence is the only language they will understand.Madoc also told council how he had made it through the awakened forest withoutencountering the great bear that dwells there and had been able to harvestthe intellego vis from the circle of standing stones that lies beyond it.Whatever esoteric knowledge he seeks, it is clearly of great help when itcomes to collecting vis! One slight note of concern though, Madoc and hisconsortis reported that as they left the regio at the full moon the werewolveswere watching them closely. I sense that our conflict with these devious creatureshas a way yet to run. With his tale told, Madoc set off to return once moreto the regio to continue his exploration in his own time.

Not long after Madoc had departedagain, a couple of weeks before the autumnal equinox, one of the grogs sawa shadow moving where the graveyard used to be. He was attacked by it whenhe went bravely to investigate and briefly rendered unconcious. The alarmwas raised and we set about hunting it down, however, it swiftly became apparentthat whatever this shade was it was too powerful for our men-at-arms as acouple were rendered insensible and nearly slain by it. We gave the orderfor everyone to retreat to the great hall, where torches were set about allthe entrances and windows to keep it out. Sadly though, one of the servinggirls was caught and drained of life before we could get everyone to safety.Ruaridh thought that it was the same as the shadows that had emerged fromthe infernal alcove in the basement of the old keep so we went to the sitewhere that place had stood. Boldly, Ruaridh went a little ways ahead to tryand lure this thing into attacking him. The plan worked and the creature attemptedto assail him, but his parma held firm and he was able to dispatch it backto hell with the 'Demon's Eternal Oblivion.' With the nature of the creaturenow horribly clear, Ruaridh opened up a pit in the earth some twenty feetor so deep to access the area where the alcove had once been. Although hecould ascertain naught but a magical aura there with his magics, we decidedthat the ritual from Durenmar to suppress infernal auras should be cast oncemore. So, carrying the tome containing the ritual in his arms, Ruaridh floateddown to cast the enchantment. I went down to join him in that dark pit toward him lest something tried to interfere with the casting of the spell.The spell seemed to take forever to cast, more due to my pounding heart Isuspect, rather than any tardiness on Ruaridh's part and I was mightily relievedwhen the ritual was completed and we were able to climb back up into the freshair again. I am glad to say that since that was done no sign of any of theseinfernal shades has been seen since.

Winter

Madoc had not made it back intime for the Winter meeting and with the aegis needing to be cast, Ruaridhwent to look for him as had been arranged. Unfortunately, Ruairdh could notfind Madoc and was forced to return without him. He journeyed to the towerwhere he spoke to a guide who had taken Madoc through the forest once again.The guide said that Madoc and his companions had passed through the stonecircle and had disappeared, curiously though this fellow did not seem tooconcerned at this for he said that they had done the same thing last time,though Madoc had not mentioned this at council. However, this time they didnot return within the allotted time so the guide returned to the tower. Themagical regio there is very deep and Ruaridh judged it wisest not to ventureforward himself lest he be lost in the same way Madoc may be, so he returnedto the covenant. As council meet, we decided that it would be best to waitfor Madoc a little while longer before sending a rescue mission, for it couldsimply be the time dilatory effects of that regio that have caused his absence.Also he has Petrus's dagger with him, so if he is trapped he should be ableto cut his way free. The matter of the pit and the possible infernal sourceat its bottom was long debated and in the end it was decided to build a stonebuilding around the pit, but to use Aelfwin's glass panes to create a clearroof so that the sun can shine down into that dark hole. In time, we may alsocreate enchantments to further ward that place. Aelfwin informed us that Helenahas returned from Skenfrith as the knight's wife has died. In return for therelief she was able to bring the lady in her last months, the knight shownhis good character by rewarding Helena with the sum of 50d. At Aelfwin's requestwe will use these monies to found an infirmary at Blackney. Ruaridh told councilof the new Senior Quaesitor who he met while at Blackthorn. Magus Iannos isapparently a personable man, and coming from the Roman tribunal is well versedin the art of politics. Then as is traditional, we cast the aegis, thoughI confess it did seem a little strange without Madoc and his horse Arian followingat the rear.

In the midst of a perishinglycold spell towards the end of the year, the cor who claims to owe allegianceto Ruaridh approached the covenant and told that magus about a minor demonwhich was sneaking round Blackney, seemingly looking for something. Ruaridhflew down at once and thankfully was able to slay it before it found whateverit was seeking. An emergency council meeting was called to discuss this happening.Was it the Fells reasserting their authority? In truth no one knew, for mostof our intelligence on Guyere and the infernal cults in the surrounding areawas gathered by Antonius and since his death, that foe has been neglected.This is an obvious source for concern, for we cannot afford to simply assumethat whatever malign schemes they are hatching will not affect us. Indeedas magi, I feel that we have a duty to put an end to such villainy. It wassuggested that Ruaridh might use the miner's mask to see if he could findwhat the devil was looking for, so he returned invisibly to the village andafter some searching found a small iron figurine of some grotesque creatureburied a foot or so deep behind one of the houses. It appears to be a bottleof some sort and Theo said that it seemed almost as it it were alive to hisSight. The decision was made to destroy this foul artifact and so it was placedoutside one of the gates, a yard or so from the edge of the aegis. I clovethe item in two with my sword and Ruaridh cast the Demon's Eternal Oblivionupon it as my blade connected. Theo said that as it broke in half hundredsof tiny demons flew out, not threatening spirits, merely the sort that canbe seen on an evil man's grave on the witching hour, but a sure indication,if any were needed, of the figure's origins. A viscous black fluid flowedout of the broken figurine and began to seep into the soil. I tried to burnit away but the fluid merely caught fire and even grew a little. Ruaridh destroyedthe contaminated soil and before any more could be corrupted I called fortha stream of water to wash away the taint. Theo could see no trace of any illremaining after that and there were no further sightings in the remainderof the season, but this is I fear a reminder of the evil lurks out there inthe world beyond these walls and seeks to destroy us if we are not vigilant.We should not be dispirited however, for we have survived another year andgrown stronger, and as the year draws to an end, my confidence in the brightfuture of this place remains undimmed.