1170

YEAR 1170

Scribed by Astrius

Spring 1170 AD

Although last year had broughtgrim tidings, the new year began more positively with the return of Aelfwin,who happily reported that his researches with his pater Erin had gone well.Such research promises much and with luck we here shall be able to benefitgreatly from it. Theo had less promising news, reporting that his investigationshad revealed that the Grandfather Wolf was even better protected in the Otherworldthan in the real one, so it seems that avenue of attack, our only one giventhe recent vote, is now closed to us. Furthermore, the Huntley werewolveshave told him that their watchers have seen no sign of any spies from MynyddMyrddyn, though they did hear the wingbeat of a raven. This Theo says meansthat the Morrigan is definitely involved and that the Mynydd Myrddyn werewolvesare likely to think that they're being hunted and so may not attack. Theoclaimed that this meant we would be able to broker a peace deal with them.Given his statements last Autumn about the werewolves being likely to launcha pre-emptive attack, fearing what we might do to them first, this seems somewhatcontradictory to me. 'Tis true that werewolves have the mentality of wolvesand thus are brave when they are the hunters but cowardly when they are thehunted, but while the Morrigan threatens, who is actually doing the huntinghere? If we are agreed not to attack, then who is making them fearful andeager to seek a peace once more? While I am ever eager to see the Morrigan'sworks thwarted, if we remove the one thing that Theo says is cowing them thenhow does that help keep the peace?

Theo suggested that we could tryto invoke the Anu to counter the Morrigan and thus, to his mind at least,avert a war. After another contentious debate, Theo proposed that we shouldplant the acorns we receive from the Anu's oak in the Heart of the Forestin the Mynydd Myrddyn forest instead of our own. By invoking the power ofthe Anu, it will remove the malign influence of the Morrigan He says thatthis should show Jack of the Green and the werewolves that we genuinely seekpeace. The logic of this seems shaky at best to me, but the council thoughtotherwise, voting 3 to 2 in favour of the motion, with Theo, Tiarnan and Aelfwinfor, myself and Cormoran against and Medius abstaining. As such the fulfilmentof the plan will have to await the autumn when the acorns are ripe, we movedon to our seasonal activities. Cormoran shall study some personal vis, I willread further on the nature of werewolves, Medius shall study the Imagonembooks, Tiarnan will undertake a personal enchantment, Aelfwin will extractvim vis for the covenant and Theo will journey to Cad Gadu to try and obtaina sixth magnitude copy of Ward Against Beasts of Legend and if possible persuadesomeone to enchant such an effect into an item for us.

Summer

Theo began our Summer meetingwith excellent news. Not only had he been allowed to copy a sixth magnitudecopy of Ward Against Beasts of Legend for free, but he had also struck a dealwith Maga Cara who will create an item enchanted with such an effect for atome containing the sum of Viremos' knowledge on werewolves. As a copy ofsuch a tome would be invaluable to our own library this seems like an extremelygood outcome. My spirits were much raised after this, for now it seems thatif the efforts to reforge the pact with the werewolves fail, as I sus[ectthey will, then we will finally have the means to safely prosecute a war toexterminate them once and for all.

There was no other news of noteto report from the other magi regarding Spring so we proceeded with our individualplans for summer. Theo will travel to his holding at Skenfrith and from there,on to the Welsh court once more, Tiarnan will again journey to the fey regioas is his wont during midsummer, Cormoran will read from Corlear's notes,Aelfwin will teach his apprentice, Medius will extract vis for himself andI shall study from the last three pawns of animal vis.

As this was the last of our reservesof this form of vis, I asked Cormoran about the deal struck between the covenantand his amicus, whereby in return for access to our forest and the magicalanimals within it, not to mention supplies and the construction of a warmcottage to live in, he would endeavour to provide us with a regular supplyof magical hares. However, after 5 years we have yet to receive a single animal.Cormoran was his usual evasive self when pressed on why we have had nothingand instead of vowing to make good the deal, tried to distract us with theprospect of a pawn a month when he has been able to establish his own sourceof magical food. Although this would obviously be very welcome, it was impressedupon him that he should speak with his amicus on this matter and he promisedto do so. I hope he does so, for if he thinks that I will let his amicus renegeon his side of the deal he is very much mistaken. Nor should he forget thathe is still excordis as a result of his previous deceits.

As it turned out, Cormoran's amicuswas to have more pressing matters than his failure to honour our deal. A fewweeks into the season a slight faerie bearing a sword a good head bigger thanhe, who went by the name of Jack, met Robert and Edward in the woods nearthe giant's cottage. He told them that he was a giant killer and that he washunting a giant who he had tracked to this area. After some discussion, Robertand Edward managed to persuade him that the giant was hunting in the forestbut they didn't know where so while the faerie set about trying to find Cormoran'samicus, they were able to make it to the covenant to warn Cormoran. Cormorancame at once to me to inform me of this threat to his amicus and while I wouldnot wish to interfere with any magus' right to fully defend his amicus, givenCormoran's excordis status I thought it best we brought the matter beforethe Pontifex, who in turn called an emergency council meeting. After somelong discussion about what constituted legitimate defence and what could beconstrued as molesting the fey, Cormoran was given two potions imbued withthe Leap of Homecoming and he left to fetch his amicus within the Aegis ofthe Hearth.

Meanwhile, Jack had made his wayto Blackney where he displayed some preternatural acrobatic skills in leapingto the watchtower and threatening one of the grogs at sword point. Havinglearnt that Cormoran dwelt at the covenant he then set off in our direction.The sergeant at Blackney sent a swift grog after him to bring message of whathad happened and despite Jack's head start she arrived first. The covenantwas immediately put on full alert and it was not long before we felt the Aegisof the Hearth resist something. From what one of the grogs saw it seems likelythat this was Jack attempting to vault the walls in search of his prey. Unfortunatelythere was no sight of the fey himself, despite Cormoran's rash shouts to thefaerie to come and have a go, which risked being construed as an invitation,though the faerie did not attempt further egress. Instead the creature repliedwith an arrow shot, which was also repelled by the Aegis of the Hearth. Thearrow had a message on it, a challenge no less, from Jack to Cormoran, tomeet him in three nights time to do battle in the forest near his amicus'abode. There then followed another emergency council, this time somewhat moretempestuous as Medius told Cormoran that given his excordis status he couldnot legally meet Jack's challenge, despite Cormoran's strong desire to doso.

After much argument, it was agreedthat Cormoran would not be permitted to leave the covenant to meet this challenge,but would be allowed to leave with his amicus to hunt for the magical haresthat sustain them. Interestingly, given his earlier prevarication about howlong it took for his father to track down these magical hares, when askedhow long they would need outside the Aegis to hunt, he said just one week.In any event, as I put quill to parchment, the two of them are off gallivantinground the woods hunting the hares. Despite all that lies he has told and thefrustration and anger that he has caused me, I hope that no harm comes tohim at the hands of this faerie. He is after all still my sodales, and ifthe fey strike at him then they will discover that vengeance is a trait notunique to their kind.

Autumn

With Tiarnan returned from thefey regio the council room was full as we met at the start of autumn. OurMerinitan had interesting news relating to the fey creature calling itselfJack the Giant Killer. He met Sir Turold at the Nynniaw's court on Midsummer'sEve and learnt from him that Sir Turold had worked with Gofynwy to forge agreatsword enchanted with magicks to slay giants. This was in revenge forthe defeats Cormoran inflicted upon those two faeries during his service withthe Erechwyth. Sir Turold also told Tiarnan that the court of stone had capturedand "remade" the Palug, presumably giving him the sword too. Given their pastanimosity it was not surprising, though still somewhat disappointing, thatTiarnan made no attempt to Sir Turold to call off his assassin, especiallygiven how dangerous he believes the sword will be to Cormoran.

Cormoran, clearly not happy withwhat he had heard, suggested there would have to be a mortal involved forthe fey to able to change the Palug from the court of ice to the court ofstone. Tiarnan did not disagree, though he didn't have any ideas as to whothe mortal might be. Fortunately discussion moved on quickly as to how wemight best deal with this threat before any hasty accusations were made andthe fragile truce between Cormoran and Tiarnan broken once more. We will howeverneed to find the mortal behind all this and deal with him quickly. It wasto clear, to me at least, that by far the most efficient way of removing thethreat to Cormoran was to lure out Jack and slay him. If we then take thesword, but do not break his corpse down for vis, then he will not be permanentlydead and will henceforth pose little danger to our sodales, yet will remainalive. Naturally Tiarnan preferred a less martial approach, suggesting insteadthat Cormoran make individual reparations to both Sir Turold and Gofynwy tofix the problem. Cormoran was surprisingly amenable to this approach and saidthat he will travel to Lear Valley to seek Archimagus Jolyon's wisdom as tohow he might treat with the court of stone.

The discussion then turned toa broader threat, the werewolves and what precisely Theo will do with theacorns from the Heart of the Forest. His initial plan was to just plant themin a circle in a clearing just inside the forest's edge, shed some of hisblood and invoke the Anu. After a lengthy debate as to both the safety andwisdom of this, he retired for a short while to speak his owl about Jack ofthe Green. Emyr, the talking magical owl in question, had been sent to advisehim on such matters some years ago by a pagan spirit, I forget which one.When he returned to the table he told us what he had learnt. Jack of the Greenis apparently a creature of the wild woods and is antagonistic to man and"spirits of man" like the Anu and the Morrigan. This means that he will probablybe set against the ritual to invoke the Anu, even if it works and removesthe Morrigan's influence. One alternative to the proposed ritual would beto persuade the Nynniaw to act as a mediator 'twixt the covenant and the werewolves,though this would leave us with little control as to the exact nature of anydeal made which makes it clearly unacceptable. Another option would be todo a deal with Nynniaw to get him to reveal one of the secret paths throughthe forest that could lead us quickly and silently to where the GrandfatherWolf dwells. Once there we could slay him before he can summon any spiritsto protect him. Given that the pack leader is likely to be acting as his bodyguard,we could thus effectively end the conflict in one fell swoop. Aelfwin suggestedthat such talk of killing was Morrigan-inspired, which unsurprisingly sparkeda further argument about who exactly he thought was under her influence. Certainlymy position with regard to the werewolves is clear and has been so for manyyears, as a perusal of this journal will show, not the result of any suchpagan witchery and malign influence. After tempers had cooled somewhat, Mediusrestated his concern about placing our faith in pagan spirits, which whilecertainly not invalid, seems somewhat hypocritical given his willingness toplace his fate in the hands of his Jewish God in the Levant. Eventually concilliumdecided on an alternative and more hermetic course of action. Medius willtravel to Lear Valley to speak with Maga Raeriania of House Bjornaer aboutacting as a mediator with the werewolves. Although Cormoran is already goingto Lear Valley to speak with Jordael, Tiarnan pointed out that he is not thebest person to carry out any delicate talks, given his current official "witless"status.

Although the two of them werenow set on heading up to the same covenant, Medius refused to travel withhis sodales until he could be assured that Cormoran had adequate suppliesof magical hare meat to suppress his cannibalistic urges. Cormoran went tospeak to his amicus to see if he could find him some hares. Lo and behold,next day he had three hares to see him through the season. Clearly his amicushas plenty of spare hares or can catch them with little difficulty, yet stillwe have been given none. If this failure and blatant and deliberate faithlessnesspersists I will have no option but to raise further sanction against Cormoranand there is only one sanction still remaining, given his current excordisstatus.

Autumn passed quietly and largelyuneventfully, with nothing else of note occurring until my sodales returnedfrom their travels in the North of England shortly before the season's end.First, Cormoran told us what advice the Archimagus had given him on his predicament.Jolyon travelled to the court of stone to speak with the Gofannon and wasable to confirm much of what Tiarnan had said. To make amends, Cormoran willhave to carefully submit to Sir Turold, retrieve some of the mushrooms takenfrom the Palug's glade and give something of great value to Gofynwy. The identityof the mortal involved remains unclear as all the Archimagus could learn wasthat he was a mysterious stranger from Hibernia. We discussed the matter,but with little realistic chance of Cormoran being able to safely fulfil theserequirements, no decision was reached.

Medius then spoke of what MagaRaeriana had said. Based on what she was told of our dealings with the MynyddMyrddyn werewolves, she thought it unlikely that the werewolves would raisebloodwerewolves against us and that they are unlikely to attack us unlesswe enter their territory. She also thinks that while it would be difficultto persuade them of our sincere intent it may not be impossible to strikea new deal with them. Raeriana added that she would be willing to negotiatesuch a pact on our behalf, for the princely sum of half a queen of vis! Sheapparently has some urgent need of vis for she will travel down here in afew weeks to learn of our decision. Given the previous biased actions of herfilius I was markedly unenthusiastic about backing such a deal and given thesize of her payment there was some debate about whether it was worth it. EventuallyAelfwin put an end to the matter by saying that he would pay the vis out ofhis own personal supplies.

As the council returned to consideringthe Anu ritual and how this might best fit in with Maga Raeriana's entreaties,tempers flared once more as Aelfwin restated his belief that opinions of someof the magi at council were being influenced by the Morrigan. With myselfand Cormoran continuing to back a martial solution to the werewolf problem,this was clearly aimed at us and naturally was vehemently contested. Sensingthe anger that he had raised by such statements, Aelfwin moved matters swiftlyto a vote on whether we should go ahead with the ritual to invoke the Anu.Tiarnan, Aelfwin, Theo and I voted in favour, with Cormoran and Medius against.There was then a further vote as to whetherto perform the ritual before Raeriana's visit. The same four of us voted infavour, with Cormoran against and Medius abstaining. Therethen followed yet another contentious and lengthy debate as to who shouldbest go and perform this ritual. Theo did not help matters by seeming to changehis advice as the debate drew on, but eventually it was agreed that Theo,Tiarnan and I would travel down to Ysgywd Fawr and from there just Theo andTiarnan would proceed on into the woods to enact the ritual. Apparently myhostile feelings towards the wolves would hinder the ritual or some such,though quite how escapes me.

With a decision finally takencouncil was brough to an end and the three of us headed down to Blackney topick up Diarmuid, who knows the exact site where Conrad died. Diarmuid hasnever been the most enthusiastic or loyal of men, but seems that living inBlackney has corrupted him still further and he initially refused to go withus. As I was rebuking him for such disgraceful disloyalty, Cormoran's amicus,who was surly and drunk in demeanour, strode over to where we were arguingand threatened me. Were he not an amicus I would have taken measures thereand then, but as it stood my hands were somewhat tied and in the end, withTheo having bribed Diarmuid with the sum of 10d, we left with our man. I shallnot however forget the actions of either man. If Diarmuid thinks he can continuereceiving food and fair pay for service to this covenant and yet refuse tojourney forth with us when called, then he is in for a shock as such willnot be tolerated while I am Imperator.

The journey to Skenfrith on boardthe barge was uneventful, though the bargeman's incessant prattling was somewhatwearing after a while. Beyond that town, on the road to Ysgywd Fawr that skirtsthe edge of the forest we saw the first sign of what lay ahead. Lying in thedirt was a dead wolf pup with a raven pecking out its eyes. The symbologyof this sight was obvious even to me. That night as we camped, a few hoursafter dark we heard a wolf howl. Since binding Drudwhil I can understand thelanguage of beasts and could make out the wolf warning the rest of his packthat 'he' came, with the fire sorcerer and others. As I peered out into thedarkness I saw a pair of yellow eyes off in the forest. I then realised tomy horror that the eyes were at least seven feet off the ground. Was thisa bloodwolf? Would the sixth magnitude ward that Tiarnan had put up hold againstsuch beast? As I strained my vision to try and confirm my fears I was distractedfor a moment by one of our group and lost sight of the beast. Try as I mightI could not see anything else, but no attack was forthcoming, so after a longwait the others went to sleep again while Theo and I kept watch.

Maybe an hour or so later, Tiarnansuddenly leapt to his feet shouting that his parma was being assailed. Fearingan attack by wolf spirits controlled by the Grandfather wolf, Theo stretchedhis sight into the Otherworld and I conjured flames about my sword. Sure enough,as Theo looked over to Tiarnan he could see savage bestial spirits crowdingabout him. A vociferous argument then ensued 'twixt Theo and these spirits,though we could only hear Theo's words. The wolf spirits apparently refusedto believe that we were on a peaceful mission and stated categorically thatif we so much as stepped beneath the boughs of the trees then it would betreated as an act of aggression. Typically, they attempted to persuade Theoto come alone and unarmed to speak with them, but thankfully my sodales nowknows how untrustworthy these creatures are now and he declined. He did howeverask for some guarantee of his safety if he were to attempt such, suggestingan oath or exchange of hostages, but this too was refused. As the aim of ourjourney was to seal a peace not start a war we were left at something of animpasse. Tiarnan came up with one possible solution by offering Theo his cloakof flying so that he could fly swiftly to a far part of the forest and enactthe ritual before the wolves could get there. Theo was unsure as to whetherthis was a viable plan, given the potential threat from Jack of the Green,who Theo said could potentially appear anywhere within the forest in an instant,so he once more called on his owl, Emyr, for advice. After some debate withhis avian advisor and then another interminable argument about whether itwas worth Theo risking his life to forge a peace deal with the werewolves,we decided to return back to the covenant without any further action.

Once back home, I learnt thatthe Magus Lauretius had visited the covenant while we were away, bringingan urgent plea for help from Narwold covenant, which has been assailed byvampiric spirits that possess the bodies of the slain. Although thus far nomagi have fallen, the magi of Narwold are afeared that they might not be ableto hold out and have sent a plea to the magi of the tribunal for help. Naturally,with the leave of the Pontifex at the forthcoming concillium, I shall travelthere to offer what aid I can.

Lauretius also brought troublingnews from the Dean. It seems that recently there have been a series of attackson local tax convoys. Lauretius investigated these and found that the bodiesof the slain guards and collectors had no marks on them. Given the uncannysimilarities to the actions of Guyere some years back, this sounds uncannilylike the work of the Fells.

Winter

With much to discuss, we met againas formal council. The meeting began with an explanation of what had occurredwith the werewolves of Mynydd Myrrdyn and whether it would be worth payingRaeriania to strike a pact if the Morrigan's influence was not removed. Theothought that given the strength of her influence, it would not be worthwhile.While I was not in favour of the deal to start with, I was somewhat confusedas to how a so-called "spirit of man" could influence a spirit of the wildlike Jack of the Green, given Theo's previous pronouncements on the subject.Maybe I am misunderstanding what he says but I could swear that their interrelationshipschange every time they are discussed. Anyway, Theo will now check and seeif he can use the Myrddyn stone to change into a bird and then fly undetectedinto the forest to enact the ritual. We agreed that he should do this andthen return to the council, thus the meeting was adjourned. After a shortabsence, Theo came back saying that flying as a bird would conceal his trueidentity to all but the most powerful watchers so he was confident enoughto attempt the ritual.

With the details of the Anu ritualfinally agreed, Tiarnan wisely reminded us that we have not yet investigatedthe ruined tower that we believe the diabolists who guard Snigs End come from.Although we agreed that this is very important, events at Narwold and thewerewolves must take immediate priority, though it is vital that we do notforget about this, especially given Lauretius's warning. Tiarnan then admittedto having failed in his duties as Ministrator to arrange for the collectionof the ignem vis in Autumn. Cormoran will travel there this season to seeif we can still harvest that vis.

I then stated my desire to journeyto Narwold to assist that covenant and was given permission to leave the covenant,taking whatever potions and grogs I needed with me. With that the meetingwas done, save for yet another attempt by Cormoran to weasel out of fulfillinghis amicus's bargain regarding the animal vis. The next day, I set off forNarwold, with detailed directions from Medius who has travelled to that covenantbefore. Drudhwil of course accompanied me, along with my consors Owain, atracker and a grog, Cuthbert, who shares Theo's ability to be able to perceivespirits. Medius's directions were as good as he promised and the journey tothe fenlands was relatively straightforward. Heading East past the town ofOxford, we then struck out NorthEast until we entered the marshlands and reachedthe town of Downham Market where Narwold has a man who acts as a point ofcontact for the covenant.

The next day as he led us outto the covenant I realised why they offer a guide to visitors, for the placewas hard to spot amongst the mists. Taking care to heed the warnings aboutnot leaving the path, we made our way towards the covenant's tall single tower.As we drew nearer, we could see that it was surrounded by a long wooden stockadethat was in the process of being replaced by a stone curtain wall. Once wereached the gate, we were greeted by an edgy Fulgaria. Apparently the creaturessometimes attack from the road and she informed us once we had been usheredinside their Aegis of the Hearth that we were fortunate not to have been ambushedwhile travelling on the causeway.

Once inside, I found that I wasthe third magus to have answered Narwold's plea, with Magus DuCamp from CarrionMoor and Magus Constantine from Trevalga already present. Unfortunately PraefectaOrlania is currently outside the tribunal and Magus Fergus, the young Ex Miscellaniancovenant member, is away at Cad Gadu checking through that covenant's vastlibraries for any information that might help them. Alarmingly Narwold nowhas only six fighting men left.

Fulgaria swiftly briefed me onthe nature of the foe. It seems that some of the creatures can breach theirAegis, even though it is of the seventh magnitude and as a result of suchrepeated attacks they have very few men left to guard the walls. As to howthis all started, there seems to be no apparent cause that can be ascertained.It began nigh on a season ago when a patrol escorting a food wagon was attackedon the road. Three men were slain, though one other survived by hiding ina ditch. The dead bodies were subsequently brought within the Aegis to beinvestigated. They had died from claw wounds, though Intellego spells suggestedthat the claws did not belong to a beast, but a young woman. That night thethree corpses rose up and attacked, slaying several coven folk and grogs beforethey were finally stopped. Those slain by the claws that had grown from thefingers of these undead were also to reanimate later, just as those who hadslain them did. The magi of Narwold quickly realised this and the bodies ofall the people slain by the creatures were burnt to prevent them rising. Apparentlythe purifying touch of fire will put a permanent end to them, as does decapitation.

The creatures are cunning andcapable of sophisticated communication amongst themselves, though they donot speak. Although the message spoke of vampiric spirits, they do not drinkthe blood of their victims nor feast on their flesh. All they appear to beinterested in is killing. Even those who manage to escape with just a wound,despite the creatures' preternatural strength and agility, do not survive.The claw wounds fester, even if purged with fire. The blood itself is infectedwith a spiritual sickness and the victims die within hours. They are unaffectedby sunlight and attacks come just as often during the day as they do at night.They emerge from the marshes surrounding the covenant, but the boggy groundmakes it nigh on impossible to track them back to their starting point. Hermeticillusions are useless against them for they ignore illusionary guards seton the walls as decoys and head unerring for living prey. They even have somesense of magi hidden with the veil of invisibility. Magus Constantine, whois a necromancer of sorts, says that in his experience they are a quite uniquetype of undead.

Then, even as Maga Fulgaria describedthe foe, the alarm bell went and a shout went up from the walls that threeof the creatures had attacked the covenant, two of which had breached theAegis. Fulgaria, DuCamp and I rushed outside at once, with Drudwhil of course,as well as my two grogs. We tried to corner one of the creatures in a barn,but it was too quick and agile and we were forced to make pursuit betweena gap in the houses near the walls. As we pursued, it became clear that itwas attempting to lure us in to a trap whereby the second one could catchus from behind. It almost worked but we were able to spot the second one justin time and a furious fight then ensued. The creatures were every bit as terrifyinglyquick and strong as Fulgaria had described and I was lucky to escape withjust a bruised rib from one vicious swipe of a claw. Thankfully my armourheld and my skin was unbroken. DuCamp's sword appeared to do little seriousharm to the one that he and I fought, and even with the Blade of VirulentFlame cast upon my blade it was much less effective than I had hoped. Butbetween us we were strong enough to be able to slay it. Fulgaria meanwhilemanaged to fend off the one she battled for long enough to get a spell off,incinerating it almost completely once she managed to do so.

Cuthbert, who had been watchingevents in the Otherworld, reported that after the bodies had been destroyedspirits rose up from them and floated off back into the marsh. Meanwhile,Constantine investigated the now headless, but otherwise largely intact, corpsethat remained. Apparently the man had died of drowning years ago, though thebody had not decayed as much as would be expected. The eyes were white andfilmy, clearly blind, confirming that they perceive the world through preternaturalmeans, mayhap as Theo and Cuthbert can see things in the Otherworld? Constantinethinks that the claws allow part of the spiritual essence of whatever foulthing animates the corpses to enter a victim's blood. As such, normal hermeticpotions to counter diseases are likely to be useless.

Fulgaria explained that not allthe creatures are as powerful. The ones that generally attack during the dayare weaker and cannot usually penetrate the Aegis, nor are their claws assharp. She also mentioned that despite the grave situation the covenant wasin, Magus Sallius has refused to even keep watch, preferring instead to carryon with his studies in his laboratory. It seems that that cur Madoc's selfishnessand disloyalty may be shared by others members of his house.

The next morning, with Fulgariaand I set to defend the walls, Arcturus and DuCamp sallied out to investigatethe nearby villages to see if they had been attacked or whether the attackswere solely directed against the covenant. Shortly after noon, Owain's kite,Araf, a magical, if haughty, bird that possesses the power of speech, reportedthat he could see two more of the creatures coming across the marsh to attack.As I watched, I saw that they were not walking through the marsh, but stridingalong on top of the water. Cuthbert also reported that he could see a darkmiasma about their bodies. As soon as they came within a hundred paces ofthe walls, Fulgaria and I began to conjure bolts of flame against them. Yetalthough we were able to slay them both before they got within thirty pacesof the covenant it took repeated strikes to bring each of them down. Theywere certainly tougher than the blood werewolves that I have faced before.

Fortunately there were no moreattacks that day and Arcturus and DuCamp returned shortly before dark. Thetwo magi reported grimly that the closest three villages were all deserted,though the villagers' belongings still remain, suggesting that they had beenslain and reanimated as the creatures that plague Narwold. Arcturus plansto visit a town some two days away to see if that too has been afflicted.It is much more populous that the village, so if that has been overwhelmedthen there will be a plentiful supply of bodies yet to be sent against us.The town also has a church, so if there are any survivors from the local villagesthen it is likely that they will have fled there to seek sanctuary.

Arcturus and DuCamp set out thenext day and were gone for five days in total. In the meantime there wererepeated attacks and a few more frightening moments when some of the creaturesmanaged to get into the covenant again, but Fulgaria and I were able to slaythem all between us. Arcturus had better news this time when he returned.The town has been unmolested and its inhabitants were unaware of the attackson the villages. Accordingly, Arcturus seeded rumours about the town thatthere was plague in the villages. As well as keeping the populous out of danger,this ruse should also provide a plausible mundane explanation for the desertedvillages when they are finally discovered.

A couple of days later, Araf,who had been sent out to scout the marsh from the air during the daytime,saw a small wood a league or so to the north of the covenant. He flew towardsit and espied a silver-haired young woman standing just outside the treeline.Something about her spooked Araf and he believed that she somehow sensed thathe was no ordinary bird so he flew swiftly away. After learning of this finding,Arcturus swiftly called a council meeting to discuss the news, with DuCamp,Constantine and I also invited. The wood in question is apparently littlemore than a large copse and nothing of note has ever been found there before,though Arcturus admitted that it has been nigh on twenty years since he hadlast investigated it. As I write this now I am forced to wonder if there areany such similar sites near Severn Temple and whether any similar evils mightnow lurk there. Given the probably rise in Fell activity we should conducta search to be sure.

Of the woman that Araf had seen,nothing was known, though it seemed highly likely that she was the one behindthe first attack back in autumn. Given that the ability of some of the creaturesto breach the Aegis, if she is responsible then she must be a powerful enemyindeed. It was decided that she had to be dealt with and thus a force comprisingDuCamp, Fulgaria, myself, Drudwhil, Owain, Cuthbert and a Narwold trackerwho could lead us safely across the marsh was organised. There was of coursethe possibility, however unlikely, that she could be a member of the Orderso we agreed on a simple strategy. On meeting her we would straight away announceourselves to be members of the Order and if she did not immediately do likewiseshe would be slain.

We set off at first light thenext morning, grim but determined. It took us a couple of hours to cross themarsh and reach our destination. Once there, Cuthbert reported that he couldsee the same dark miasma hanging like mist about the trees that he had seensurrounding the creatures. Drudwhil could also scent something foul aboutthe place, growling that it stank of death. Nevertheless we pressed on andfound a dell in the centre of the copse, with a cave entrance at the bottom.Fulgaria took the lead, with me following behind, then the grogs, with DuCampguarding the rear. The entrance led down a narrow passageway perhaps twentyfeet long before opening out into what can best be described as a torturechamber. There was a stained wooden table in the centre with an array of evil-lookingknives set upon it. All around the rest of the room were hanging a varietyof animal and human body parts.

As we entered we heard a femalevoice that seemed to come from out of nowhere mocking us and talking aboutthe trouble we'd been having with "her children". Fulgaria challenged thespeaker to come out and show herself, but she merely asked why we had comehere. When Fulgaria stated that we had come to put an end to the threat tothe covenant, there was a sudden blur of movement as a figure appeared outof thin air, right beside Fulgaria. Moving with preternatural speed the figureslashed Fulgaria's throat wide open before disappearing again before I couldbring my sword to bear. I shouted for DuCamp and went to check on Fulgaria,but it was quickly clear that she was beyond help. DuCamp swiftly pushed pastthe grogs and entered the room. The creature then taunted us both once moreand DuCamp decided that it would be wisest to retreat and reassess the situationfrom a safer place. He did not however want to leave Maga Fulgaria's bodyin such a dark place so he bent down to pick it up. As soon as he touchedthe body the figure appeared out of nothingness again and once more movingtoo swiftly for either myself or DuCamp to react, she drove a narrow daggerdown through the base of his skull and he collapsed lifeless to the floor.I swung my sword at her but she vanished before the blade reached her andit passed through naught but empty air. With two such experienced and battle-hardenedmagi lying dead before me I decided not to tarry in that place any longerlest I shared their fate. Before I left I asked if I could take the bodiesof my sodales back to the covenant, but the mocking female voice replied thatthey were hers now and I could not have them. So with heavy heart I beganto back carefully out. As I did so, the voice told me that she "still honouredmy friend's peace, but when he returns I shall not be here".

I had no idea who she was referringto, but I had little time to ponder her words for I saw to my horror thatFulgaria's body had already been animated and was getting to its feet. Shoutingfor the grogs to get out I ran out of the cave and took up position at thetop of the dell to try and buy us enough time to get across the marsh. Asthe creature that had been Fulgaria appeared at the cave entrance I threwfire at it, burning it but not slaying it. It charged up the top of the dellwhere I met it with flaming sword and Drudwhil harried it from behind. I struckit a couple of hefty blows but while it was perhaps slowed a little it stillfought fiercely. To my horror, as I battled the creature I saw over it shoulderthat DuCamp's body had been similarly animated as it too emerged from thecave mouth. Cuthbert bravely charged down the hill to hold it off as I realisedthat we were not going to be able to defeat the two creatures through forceof arms for the bodies were still embued with the magicks that Fulgaria andDuCamp had placed about themselves before setting off. I was able to use theWeaver's Trap of Webs to immobilise Fulgaria's corpse and then swiftly didthe same to that of DuCamp which had pinned down poor Cuthbert and was clawingsavagely at him. When I had a moment to look more closely I saw that Cuthbert'svalour had cost him his life, though his sacrifice almost certainly savedthe rest of us. Let his courage and selflessness be remembered here.

The remaining three of us thenhurried off as quickly through the marsh as was safely possible. For reasonsI know not there was no immediate pursuit, though the webs surely cannot haveheld them for so long, and we were able to regain the relative safety of thecovenant. I then broke the sad news to the magi, who were greatly grievedand shocked that a magus with DuCamp's martial defences could be slain witha single knife stroke. As I took to the walls to watch for any further assaults,Arcturus and Sallius discussed what should be done now, with the covenant'sprime defender slain. While they debated, the animated bodies of Fulgariaand DuCamp came towards the covenant, though I was able to lay them to a permanentrest with further ignem magicks before they reached the walls. Arcturus cameout soon after to inform me that he and Sallius had reached the sad decisionthat Narwold would be abandoned. They would pack up the libraries and otherprecious resources and depart after dawn the next morning. Arcturus set thesurviving coven folk to packing, save two who had the grim task of journeyingout into the marsh to retrieve the bodies of Fulgaria and DuCamp, for thebottom of a marsh is no fit resting place for two such valiant magi. Thesewere found, returned to the covenant and burnt, lest they rise again.

That evening as I stood on thewalls staring out over the dark marsh I heard a commotion at the gate andhurried across the courtyard to see what was going on, as did Arcturus. Tomy great surprise, Theo had arrived, though his countenance was grim. As heexplained the reason for his visit, it became quickly clear why he was lookingso discomforted. Apparently after dealing with the werewolves he had realisedthat the creature behind all the attacks was very probably one of the threeevil spirits that he had inadvertently released into the real world duringhis journey into the Otherworld. Arcturus was naturally greatly aggrievedat this and even though Theo is my close friend I was sorely tempted to takea swing at him. Theo did have some good news though, by simply saying outloud that the covenant was under his protection the attacks should stop. Apparentlythe magical crown that he wears gives him some authority over magical beings(though clearly not that much over the werewolves). Thus this female creaturewill not attack any whom he says are under his protection, which makes moresense of her parting words to me, that she "still honours my friend's peace".This creature seems to have been true to her word for there were no more attacksand when Theo went to try and find her, the cave was empty.

Later, as we sat in the covenant'sgreat hall, Theo told me what had happened when he tried to enact the Anuritual in the forest of Mynydd Myrrdyn. He was able to assume the form ofa hawk and flew to the forest where he enacted the ritual. However, as hewas completing it Jack of the Green intervened and entangled him with vinesso that he could not move. He was held thus until the werewolf pack arrivedand challenged by the pack leader to battle. The vines withered and Theo thenbested the pack leader in a contest of wills, forcing him onto his belly.The Grandfather wolf was greatly angered by this and stove in the pack leader'sskull with his staff. He then challenged Theo himself. Their battle was longand arduous with each invoking allied spirits to aid them, though in the endit seems that Theo's pagan allies let him down for he was forced to submitto the Grandfather wolf and formally cede all claims to ownership of the forest.Henceforth we will have to ask their permission before entering the forest,though the Grandfather wolf apparently doesn't care what happens in what hereferred to as the "hidden realm" so the regio itself should be safe enoughfrom these damnable beasts.

When he returned to the covenantwith news of what had gone on, there was a long debate as to the implicationsof what had happened. It is hard to judge the implications of this with regardto Praeca's politicking but I am sure that she will try to use it to takeour vis site away from us. It was also decided that there was little pointin asking Raeriania to negotiate a deal on our behalf any more.

I spent the rest of the seasonat Narwold, watching over it while Arcturus ventured forth to buy in freshsupplies of food and the like. There was no sign of any more undead and allwas quiet, much to the relief of all, though their anger towards Theo didnot abate. Although they will need to find another magus with some martialskills, now that the threat to the covenant is gone, I hope that Narwold willbe able to rebuild and recover its prior strength before too long.

So it is that another eventfulyear comes to an end. Doubtless next year will provide further challenges,especially at the tribunal. I believe that Narwold will almost certainly levelcharges against Theo for what happened there and he should not take them toolightly, for two senior and widely respected magi died as a result of hisactions, however unintentional they might have been. The perpetual problemof the Fells will also have to be addressed, there is much still to be done.