1183

YEAR 1183

Scribed by Carwyn

Spring 1183 AD

There was littleof import discussed at the Council meeting, with the sole exception of thereport of the actions of a strange churchman along the Severn last season.I recounted the tale of how this man had driven one of the faerie Weed Witchesfrom her home by conducting some form of hateful religious ceremony by thereed banks, and I noted that the Weed Witch's former home now lay within aminor Dominion aura, which is a state of affairs that I cannot believe existedbefore the churchman conducted his ritual. If this man has the power to spreadthe Dominion through his actions, left unchecked, he might cause considerabledamage to the faerie and magical places of the Dean. There was considerabledisquiet about this possibility throughout the Council, and we resolved thatGiraldus would spend part of his season in and around Berkley in a attemptto find out more about the man and his intentions.

[Carwyn'sprivate journal: A further matter worth recording is that Medius actuallyassigned himself a covenant service for this year! From the knowing glancesexchanged between my sodales, I sense I am not the only one to have notedthat Medius is most parsimonious with his time, preferring to spend it onhis own studies, training his apprentice or with his Kaballah allies, ratherthan on building the covenant. The contrast with his predecessor, Aelfwin,could not be more stark, and Medius suffers greatly in the comparison. Still,a happy and noteworthy day! I look forward to remarking on Medius' next covenantservice, which I expect to take place at some point in 1190 or so.

Respondingto a request raised by Magus Arcanus at the last Tribunal meeting, I travelleddown to Carrion Moor with Maga Marissa to assist with his investigation ofa strange ghostly ship he had spied off the south coast of England. Marissaand I used the opportunity of the trip to experiment with the faerie bondwithin our blood; by reinforcing her control of Aquam magics, I was able toassist her to cast an amplified version of Push of the Gentle Wave, whichdrove the Saucy Weasel down the Severn at a tremendous rate. The success ofthe spell convinced us that it held the means to catch up with the ghostlyship, which Arcanus had previously reported travelled extremely rapidly acrossthe waves.

Arriving atCarrion Moor, we discussed our plans with Arcanus, who agreed with our approach.Our party decamped for a section of shoreline where Arcanus had previouslyobserved the vessel. The followed a long wait, for the ship did not appearat the appointed phase of the moon, though there was scarcely any hardshipabout this, for Kai, Eanfled, Bodkin and I spent the time fishing along thelocal rivers. All too soon, a month had passed, and we reassembled to awaitthe ship. This time, we caught sight of the craft on the horizon. We rushedaboard our own boat, and Marissa raised a great wave behind the stern to propelus forward. This worked to great effect, and the boat skipped along the surfaceof the sea, rapidly catching up with the ghostly ship. As we drew alongside,I hailed one of the sailors, introduced myself and asked about their destination.The captain invited us aboard, declaring that the vessel was named the RacingMoon and was travelling to the Island of Moonsetting. We accepted his invitation,and with the help of ropes cast down by the sailors, we were all able to comeaboard. I was momentarily alarmed when I saw the captain of our own boat pushoff into the sea, rather than securing his craft to the side of the ship,but I resolved to worry about how exactly we would make it to shore on ourreturn journey when the time came.

The journeyaboard the Racing Moon revealed some intriguing mysteries, for I soon realisedthat, though the captain and crew gave every appearance of industrious endeavour,the ship appeared to be sailing itself, and I surmised that, were the crewto down tools and sit about idly on the deck, we would make no more or lessprogress. The captain announced that the ship was sailing on the businessof Llyr, King of the Seas, and it was clear that he and his crew were stronglyfae-touched, for a powerful aura lay about the place.

Soon enough,we reached the island, where we disembarked, the captain warning us that wewould have to return within three nights if we wished to return aboard hisship. He had previously remarked that an important scholar by the name ofTressilio made his home on the island, and we resolved to pay the man a visit.As we travelled the path out of the harbour, we noticed that the buildingswere constructed in an archaic, almost Roman style, with temple-like columnsand liberal use of marble. The scholar made his home in a fine building situatedat one of the highest points on the island. We made our way past two setsof remarkably relaxed guards and one overly protective steward before Tressiliograciously granted us an audience. He seemed surprised but unconcerned thatwe had come to see him, and he offered us a tour of his residence. We wereshown all manner of strange artefacts, mainly concerned with the secrets ofthe great oceans. Remarkably, he possessed several arcane maps that seemedto show great cities, mountains and forests beneath the waves, which broughtit home to me how little we really know about Llyr's realm.

Though wehad already seen enough to have made the journey worthwhile, towards the endof our tour, we passed a mosaic that showed a scene that could only have beenthe covenant of Irencilia. Marissa, Kai and I all noticed this, and Tressilioexplained that he had been there many times, though not for a very long while,since he had given up the pursuit of magic to concentrate of his studies ofthe ocean realm. When Marissa announced that, as a member of House Merinita,she knew Irencilia well, Tressilio said he had fond memories of the placeand asked her to pass on his good wishes to Merinita next time Marissa sawher! Equally strangely, Tressilio declared that he had not heard of HouseEx Miscellanea. If he is to be believed - and there is an equal chance thatthis is really some faerie game - this means that he was a member of the Ordermany hundreds of years ago, when Merinita was still the Prima of the Housethat bears her name, and before Pralix of Tytalus founded House Ex Miscellanea.I suppose this is not impossible, for he was based in an extremely powerfulfaerie Regio that cannot be far from Arcadia, yet it seems tremendously unlikely.Still, an intriguing mystery made all the more real by the fact that he handedMarissa a shell that he said Merinita once loaned him, asking her to returnit the next time she met the founder. By this time, we began to be concernedabout how much time had passed, for we sensed that the scholar's dwellinglay closer to Arcadia than the rest of the island. We thanked him for hishospitality and made our way rapidly towards the harbour just in time to seethe Racing Moon casting of its ropes and making ready to depart. The thoughtof being left behind spurred all save Kellen into action, and we made it onboardsave for our laggardly companion, who seemed to be wading through treacleas he struggled to gather speed. I attempted to glamour a faerie rope thatcould snake through the air and hoist him onto the ship, but the magics provedbeyond me, and we were forced to watch from the deck as he was left on thejetty. Still, I am sure Kellen will do well for himself, and I do hope wemeet him again.

Back at CarrionMoor, Marissa and I agreed that she would research more into this mysteriousTressilio using the libraries at Irencilia, while I would spend some timeinvestigating the shell that he gave her. We resolved to meet up in the nearfuture to compare notes. What a refreshingly strange encounter!]

Summer

The Council metto discuss news from the previous season. Giraldus reported that he had learnedmore of the churchman who had polluted the river near Berkley. He is apparentlya friar - some form of wandering priest - by the name of Bertram. He has becomepopular with the local peasant folk for allegedly helping them out with theirills, though the nobles and other priests sensibly have a lower opinion ofhim, regarding him as something of a nuisance. Interestingly, he has somelinks with the abbey at Tintern - this is not the first time we have heardtroubling news about the activities of the monks there, and I do wonder whattrouble that place will cause us in the future. No one proposed to take anyfirm action at this time, though Giraldus agreed to listen out for furthernews of the friar's activities when next he was abroad.

Astrius and Cormoran also recounted the tale of their trip to Mynydd Myddynlast season. The journey to the Regio proceeded without incident, though forthe first time the werewolves demanded a price - a share in any food obtainedthrough hunting - for safe conduct across their territory. Much more ominously,Astrius and Cormoran found evidence of a great slaughter among the celts withinthe Regio, with their settlement now lying abandoned amidst signs that theyhad fled to the forest to escape a powerful enemy. It seems that many, orperhaps even all, of the celts met their ends in the woods, for the Magi encountereda grisly scene redolent of a charnel house. While they were investigating,the party were attacked from the air by a ferocious wyrm known as a wyvern;said to be cousin of the dragon, the wyvern stands as tall as a building,with fearsome claws and a wickedly barbed tail. Despite the creature's greatsize and strength, the Magi and grogs managed to beat it back, though Astriuswas at one point lifted high into the air and then left to plummet back toearth. The party wisely decided to return back to the covenant to bring newsof the creature, which had not previously been spied within Mynydd Myddyn.It is not clear whether its appearance may in some way be linked to the UnnamedHouse, since wyverns are said to be a favourite ally of powerful occultists,or whether the creature may have simply travelled from some deeper part ofthe Regio. We suffered the loss of only one man, the scout Diarmuid, who waswidely known for his sharp eyes, enormous gut and foul tongue, to the wyvern,so things could have been much worse. Regardless, journeys to Mynydd Myddynhave now become much more perilous than before, though at least we are forewarnedof the danger.

Later in theseason, Cormoran reported that he had tracked a party of bandits who had molestedon of our bargemen to their camp in the woods near the village of Stone. Heand his grogs ambushed the group, managing to slay two out of five of them,but the others fled. Cormoran lost interest in the chase at this point, thoughAstrius and his familiar, Drudwyl, took up the scent and managed to trackdown and slay one more of them. Intriguingly, Astrius managed to track oneof the men as far as Bristol, which is well known as a centre of the Fells'nefarious activities. Whether this was mere chance or evidence of a connectionbetween these groups remains unknown, but we would be wise to remain alertfor any resurgence in the activities of the Fells, which have been quieterin recent years following the deaths of several of their leaders.

The final eventworth recording is that, towards the end of the season, I felt the Aegis ofthe Hearth resist an attempt to cross its boundary. Investigating, I foundthat the north gate was open and a giant of deformed and loathsome appearance,as are all of his kind, stood beyond, a puzzled expression upon his face.Guessing immediately that this was one of Cormoran's companions, I awaitedmy sodales' return, and it was not too long before he appeared at the footof the tower, laden down with bags, sacks and furs of all description. Heannounced that he as off of on an expedition to the "Land of Snows"and, with Astrius and Drudwyl in tow, he departed the covenant. I am not surehow long he will be, and I doubt he knows himself, and the event underscoresonce again the peculiarities of our charter, since Medius may no longer leavethe covenant in the meantime without causing Cormoran, as Imperator, to bein breach of his duties. Shaking my head at the ridiculousness of the situation,I retired to my sanctum to carry on my studies.

Autumn

With Astrius and Cormoran away on their journeyto the icy north, the four remaining members of the Council met at the startof Autumn. Medius' first decision was to ask me to take on the role of Ministratorand, after a brief pause while weighed up his limited options, Giraldus asImperator. Although we both accepted, it seems to me that the way these titlesare swapped around regularly for the convenience of their holders means thatthey have little inherent worth; indeed, their main role appears to be simplyto allow us to remain in compliance with our imposed charter. The Councilmeeting itself was relatively short and to the point. Medius announced hewould be away from the covenant conducting an investigation of some sort;Dialectica would spend the season at the court of the Prince of Powys; andGiraldus decided to further his studies of the texts in the mundane library.For myself, I resolved to conduct a survey of the impact of the dominion onlocal magical and faeries places, as specified at the last Tribunal meeting.

Kai, Eanfled, Bodkin and I left to carry outthe survey shortly after the meeting. It proceeded with relatively uneventfullyfor the first few weeks until we travelled to the Wye Valley to investigatethe site of the Trellech stones. As we approach, we spied the light of a campfireclose to the stones, which seemed most peculiar, as the stones are so wellhidden that they receive hardly any visitors. Creeping up to learn more, wewere alarmed to spy a group of four peasants led by the accursed friar Bertramcamped by the stones. Bertram was conducting some form of Christian ritualclose to the stones; though I did not recognise the meaning of the shapeshe made with his hands and the words he uttered, it seemed clear to me thathe was up to no good, so I resolved to chase him an his band away. Remaininghidden, I conjured the phantasm of an angry boar and sent it charging towardsthe group. The peasants all turned on their heels and fled, yet Bertram wasentirely unmoved by the scene. Concentrating for a moment, he raised his handsbefore the boar, which promptly disappeared, which prompted his companionsto return. I know not how Bertram dispelled my illusion, but his display ofpower convinced me that he must not be allowed to complete his rituals, sograbbing a handful of vis from my satchel, I incanted the words to Transformationof the Slithering Eel, hoping to turn him into an inoffensive worm. To myshock, although I put considerable force behind the spell, Bertram remainedentirely unaffected. However, he had become alerted to my presence, and hecast a spell of his own, which dramatically increased the amount of lightflooding through the branches of the trees, which threatened to give my positionaway. With this, I retreated down the hill to consider my options.

I was in two minds on whether to return tothe covenant to consider my options when I decided to see if Bertram's ritualsat the stones had had any affect on the magical aura. To my horror, the aurahad dropped a full magnitude from its normal level, and I became concernedthat, left to his own devices, he would render the place as sterile as hedid to the Weed Witch's former home several seasons ago. With my resolve strengthened,I returned stealthily to the clearing once more. Seeing the group of men clusterclosely together, I let fly with the Weavers Trap of Webs, and I could hardlysuppress a cheer when I saw the bonds entwine all of the men, including thismost meddlesome priest. With a little more time on my side, I once again produceda handful of vis and tried the Transformation of the Slithering Eel once more.This time, the enchantment took effect, and Bertram was transformed. Kai immediatelyraced into the webs after him, while I cast the same enchantment on each ofhis men, With Eanfled's help, we swiftly caught all five, snapped their necksand threw their bodies into the fire. Taking care to hide the evidence oftheir camp, we left the place, which is now safe from the church's maliciousgrip. Though I am hopeful that news of Bertram's disappearance will not betraced back to this place, if it is, then perhaps his demise will serve asa warning that the church's ambitions will not go unopposed.

Winter

I recounted my tale of the encounter with Bertramat the Council meet at the start of the season. Gratifyingly, my sodales seemedto agree with my actions, though Medius asked me to scribe a report for SeniorQuaesitor Serenia. Giraldus agreed to keep his ear to the ground for new sof Bertram's disappearance during his travels, in case any rumours of his demiseconnected him with the covenant. There was little else discussed, and we soonreturned to our studies.

Midway through the season, I was glad to hearthat Magus Marius, formerly Dialectica's apprentice Aeddan, had retuned tothe covenant, and I spent a few happy evenings discussing his recent adventureswith him in the Fox and Chicken.

[Carwyn's private journal: I spent the seasoninvestigating the stranger shell handed to Marissa by the scholar Tressilio.It was a strange device, for the magics of its construction were not of Hermeticorigin, though I could see parallels with some of the concepts used in faeriemagic. Still, an intriguing problem that I slowly resolved over the courseof my studies By the end of the season, I had discovered three separate enchantments:the first allows the wielder to speak with any sea creature; the second fosterssome form of agreement with such an agreement; and the third allows the understandingany languages of the sea. All three had a range equivalent to an entire sea,making long distance communication possible. I sensed that there might bea fourth enchantment present, but I could not discern its nature. Given thatthe ones I had discovered ranged between the eight and eleventh magnitudesin power, the final enchantment must be beyond even that. A fine device indeed!I wonder what Marissa will do with it?]

The rest of the season passed without eventsof note, though I noticed that the few remaining apples had all shrivelledon the branches of the bare trees or had become homes for wasps.