1186

YEAR 1186

Scribed by Astrius

Spring 1186 AD

There was little news arising from the winter,save a report of the sickness with Blackney, which I had investigated alongwith Medius's apprentice and found it to be nothing serious or sinister innature. Yet although my fears that the affliction might in some way be relatedto the village's proximity to Lydney proved groundless, the incident remindedme that the Fells remain active in the area. With this in mind I proposedthat we undertake an expedition to Snigs End, which has long been a placeof unholy worship. Three magi will go, myself, Medius and Cormoran, the latteren route to Cad Gadu where he intends to access to their extensive tomes onpagan rituals. Giraldus will venture out into the Dean once more to investigatewhat Edwin of Huntley and Oswald are up to. He will also deliver a small quantityof sulphur from the ignem caves to Magus Tewdric in the hope of obtainingsome animal vis in return. While this may help our reserves a little, withthe hefty levy placed upon us by Holy Isle, Medius is keen to further boostour vis stores and suggested that we revisit Mynydd Myrddyn. Although I havenot yet had time to develop the spells needed to bring down the wyvern, aftersome discussion we agreed that an expedition might still be safely undertakenif we use the forests as cover. Wyvern's hunt primarily by sight so with useof conjured fog to cover us as we cross open ground the risk of being attackedby that creature again should be minimised. I agreed to go in Summer, alongwith Cormoran and Tiarnan.

At dawn the next day we set out forSnigs End, taking a sizable party with us, including Marcus, Medius's apprenticeand three grogs. As we approached the by now familiar mist-shrouded wood allseemed quiet and there was no immediate sign of anyone nearby. Cautiouslywe pressed on in, senses straining to detect any would-be ambushers or infernaltraps. The woods were as dank and gloomy as usual, with no birdsong or breezeto break the clammy atmosphere. We had not gone far when Drudwhil scentedstale blood up ahead. A careful search revealed the corpse of an armouredman in Huntley's colours lying face down in the bushes just off the path.My initial hopes that it might be Edwin were soon dashed, but neverthelesswhat was one of his men-at-arms doing lying dead in what had always been asource of power for the Fells? Was there some sort of feud or power struggleamongst their number? Medius's magics having identified a first magnitudeinfernal aura about us. We cut the head from the body in case we needed toquestion the spirit later and pressed on, now even more uncertain as to whatwe might find.

A couple of hundred paces on from the first corpse, we found two more of Huntley'smen-at-arms lying dead in the long grass of a shadowy clearing. There wereclear signs that some sort of a fight had occurred there and also drag marksof something heavy, which Wybert confirmed had happened after the fight. Thepresence of an unshod hoofprint suggested a mule dragging something. Therewas no sign of any active magics about the place, nor any malign spirits sowe continued on. As we neared the central clearing the likely explanationfor what we had found became clear. Nailed to a tree by the side of the pathwas a wooden crucifix, but not an inverted one as might be expected in sucha place. As I cast my sight into the world that lies beyond this one, I sawthat the tree appeared to be illuminated by a solitary shaft of sunlight,as though free from the taint that afflicts these woods. This was confirmedby Medius's magics, which were unable to detect an aura about the tree. Aswe walked the last few yards to the edge of the central clearing, where oncewe had found a powerful infernal regio, we saw that similar crucifixes hadbeen nailed to every tree surrounding the glade such that they all faced inwards.There was no aura where we stood, nor in the clearing itself. Wybert foundsigns of an old campfire in the middle of the clearing, presumably where thechristians who had clearly come here had camped.

With neither infernal nor dominion auras present to interfere with our magic,Medius had the head of the first fallen soldier brought out and interrogatedthe man's spirit using 'Whispers Through the Black Gate'. The man, who claimedhis name was Karl, was rude and surly, openly contemptuous of the questionning,though the threat of being buried in consecrated ground appeared to loosenhis tongue somewhat. It appears that he and his companions had been "goingabout his master's business" when they were attacked. Their foes wereled by a monk from Huntley Priory with white tonsured hair and brown robes.From what Karl said, it seems that the monk had organised an ambush of sortsfor Karl said that at first he thought he and the other men-at-arms had theupper hand, but were caught unawares by archers hidden in trees. The fellstried to use the devilish powers they had pacted for and called upon theirdemonic allies, but the monk had some sort of magic that banished or destroyedall infernal spirits and prevented any such powers from working. Karl alsotold us why they had come here. It seems that Edwin has been cursed with leprosyand he was seeking some sort of diabolic aid for his affliction. He has notdisappeared as the local rumours say, but instead lurks in the tunnels beneathHuntley manor. He and the other fells grow desperate and hide their businessfrom the prying eyes of the church.

It seems highly likely that this is the work of the same Christian cult thatthreatens the magical and faerie sites in the Dean also seeks to do battlewith the infernal. We can only hope that such a fight results in the destructionof both sides, though for now it seems that the Fells are being bady beaten.

We decided to remain in the woods to see what effect the fall of night wouldhave on the aura. Medius could detect nothing in the first few hours afterdusk, but in the darkest hour, near midnight a small infernal aura did manifestnear the heart of the clearing. There was no sign of the regio that once stoodthere, with luck it has been permanently destroyed. The next morning we thenreturned to the covenant to report what we had discovered. The rest of theseason passed uneventfully.

[Astrius's private journal: My feelingsabout the situation at Snigs End are intensely conflicted. The Fells and theinfernal powers they serve are anathema to all right thinking magi and theirfoulness and corruption should be fiercely opposed wherever it is found. Yetthe enemy of my enemy is not my friend for to my mind the dominion representsthe single greatest threat to the future of magic, and thus the Order, Sodespite seeing the infernal taint apparently cleansed from a site we havelong watched and which has claimed the lives of several from the covenant,I am left disquieted. The power of the church in these lands is greater thanI thought. Will the christian magics that were so devastatingly effectiveagainst the Fells work against hermetic magic? The cult is clearly both wellinformed and well orrganised. We would do well to consider the possibilitythat they will set a similar ambush against us. Harvesting vis may becomemore dangerous in the years to come for a similar attack against a solitaryand unsuspecting magus as they visit one of our vis sites could quite easilyprove fatal. We must take the battle to them somehow. But how would we winsuch a fight without grave risk of breaching the Code?]

Summer

The Council was one short when we met for the second meeting of the year asGiraldus had not returned from his travels around the Dean. Given his statedintent to continue his investigations into Oswald and the cult, there wasno little concern for our sodales, especially with what we had learnt fromSnigs End. Marius said that he will ask around mundanely to try and find outwhat has become of 'Gerald of Briavel', any search being somewhat complicatedby the strict legal issues surrounding tracking Redcaps. Let us hope he isjust delayed in one of the many taverns he enjoys spending his time in. Ona more positive note, Dialectica announced that she had found a creature,a barn owl, which she intends to bind as a familiar and will start the bindingritual this winter. There was some discussion about the events at Snigs End,it seems that the monk was not Oswald as I had assumed. Apparently brown robesare worn only be a certain type of monk and as a magistrate Oswald wears differentcolours. This is even more troubling for it suggests that there are at leasttwo members of this cult out there who can wield some form of magic. The factthat the monk whom Tiarnan slew could also wield such power suggests thateither the cult is focussing its resources on the Dean or the gift they bearis not uncommon. Neither possibility bodes well. But with Marius set to histask there was little else for the rest of us to do so we made our plans forthe expedition to Mynydd Myrrdyn and set out on the morning after council.

As I write this, it is but one day since my last entry and my mind is stillreeling with all that has gone on in that short space of time. How could arelatively trivial matter spiral so quickly out of control into somethingthat threatens the very survival of this covenant? I will do my best to committo parchment all that has gone on in the hope that we can ensure such neverhappens again.

Yesterday, as I discussed details of the journey with Tiarnan in the greathall, it became clear that his faerie menagerie would be accompanying him.Although his familiar Kai can of course be trusted to act appropriately ina potentially very dangerous regio, the same could not be said of Eanfledand Bodkin, his two faerie companions. I expressed my concerns and while hedid not disagree, he said that he was unable to prevent them from coming withus. After some immensely frustrating discussion, I found myself agreeing tohis plan to deceive the two faerie creatures by sending them down to our bargein Blackney while we journeyed down to Chepstow and hired a barge to takeus up to Skenfrith. Tiarnan seemed convinced that this would be a simple enoughtask so I reluctantly agreed. Next time I will not be so amenable.

At first all seemed to be going well, the faeries trotted off trustingly toBlackney while the rest of us made our way down to the ferry that leads toChepstow. We waited in a small copse of trees near the bank while Wybert headedinto Chepstow to arrange passage for the five of us the next morrow. Wybertreturned successful and so we all took the ferry into town to seek lodgingsfor the barge was to depart at dawn the next day. Once in the town, amidstits stinking streets and the ever-present onerous weight of the Dominion,we heard that there was a series of trials being conducted in the town square.Wybert was sent to arrange a room in a inn for us, but as we awaited his returnI wondered whether the trials were in any way linked to Giraldus's disappearance.Wybert returned after a short while, having failed to secure a room.

Before we moved on to seek alternative accomodation for the night, we decidedthat we should make sure that "Gerald of Briavel" was not one ofthe prisoners, for if he were he could face execution that same day. Tiarnanagreed to go to the market square to try and find out if our sodales was indeedbeing held. Unfortunately in the meantime, although we had done our best toappear as inoffensive as possible and had hidden the weapons and armour weneeded for Mynydd Myrddyn as best we could, we attracted the attention ofa guard patrol. Seeking to avoid a confrontation that was not likely to gowell given mine and Cormoran's gifts we hastened away, pushing our way throughthe crowded streets. What precisely happened to Wybert is still unclear. Hemust somehow have got separated in the throng of people, though we only noticedhe was missing when Drudwhil spotted a confrontation between him, a townsmanand the guards. It was clear he was being arrested, but rather than leap into rescue him through force of arms and risk repeating previous mundane bloodbaths,we deemed it best to simply leave the town as quickly as possible and go andfetch Dialectica with her greater subtlety and mundane expertise. We quicklyleft the town gate and as soon as we were out of sight of the wall, Cormoranapported back.

Meanwhile, Drudwhil, Marcus and I made our way back across the river to waitin the copse where we had initially rested.

On hearing the news Dialectica hurried down to Chepstow as fast as she could,walking down the hill to Blackney and taking our barge down to Chepstow. Unfortunatelyfor Wybert and the covenant, it appears that when a magistrate is in townwhat passes for justice in the mundane realm is arbitrary and extremely rapid.Before Dialectica had even reached the barge, Wybert was standing before themagistrate, the infamous Brother Oswald. As Tiarnan watched from the anonymityof the crowd, Wybert was dragged up onto the wooden platform and publiclyinterrogated by Oswald. Tiarnan later reported that he believed Oswald wasusing some form of magic to make people tell the truth, as well as quietingthe noisy, baying crowd. Wybert held his tongue at first, but when threatenedwith being hung, drawn and quartered he started blabbering about how he wasin service to wizards who dwell on Briavel Hill. At this Oswald seemed greatlysatisfied and had Wybert led away to Chepstow castle for further interrogation.

Several hours later, as the afternoon was drawing to a close, Dialectica,Cormoran, Tiarnan and I assembled on our barge to discuss how best to proceed.Clearly the first priority was getting Wybert out of the gaol before he couldfurther compromise us. Cormoran took a 'Leap of Homecoming' potion and assumedthe form of a raven in a bid to drop it through the grate which lies overthe main public gaol so that Wybert could drink it and apport home. Sadlyhowever there was no sign of him in there, clearly Oswald had had him takendeeper within the castle. With the first attempt having failed, Dialecticaset out to infiltrate the castle herself, using the 'Veil of Invisibility'andher formidable array of mentem magics. Next morning, having had to wait forthe town gates to open before she could leave, Dialectica rejoined us, thelook of dejection on her face telling us that she had failed before she spoke.Wherever Oswald had had him held it was nowhere in the normal castle dungeons.

With all that Tiarnan had heard Wybert tell Oswald in a few moments in themarket square we had to assume that with over eighteen hours to work on him,Oswald would have extracted all that Wybert knew about the covenant and itsmagi, possibly incriminating Blackthorn to. Clearly this represented a seriousdanger to the covenant for even as we sat and talked, Oswald might be arrangingan armed force to assail the covenant with the backing Baron of Chepstow,who we also believe to be a member of the christian cult,. Cormoran was thusdispatched to warn Medius so that necessary precautions could be taken. OnceCormoran had apported back, the remaining three of us took the barge to Monmouthto find Marius and alert him to what had happened. Fortunately Dialecticawas able to locate him quickly and he immediately made preparations to travelto the Earl's court at Gloucester to pre-empt Oswald and with luck, amelioratesome of the political damage Wybert's betrayal could wreak. Marius's newson Giraldus was somewhat sparse. He had managed to trace him from Chepstowto Monmouth, where he had found a lead suggesting that Giraldus may have journeyedto Ross on Wye after Monmouth.

Back at the covenant, having been brought up to speed on events by Cormoran,Medius used an arcane connection to Wybert to cast the 'Ear for Distant Voices'.To his alarm Medius heard latin voices. A quick casting of 'The InexorableSearch' confirmed his suspicions as he learned that Wybert was in TinternAbbey. Recasting the 'Ear for Distant Voices' to eavesdrop on Wybert's interrogation,Medius was somewhat surprised to hear sounds that suggested Wybert was havingbreakfast with the monks and not undergoing torture or similar forceful interrogation.Oswald was asking questions about the wizards who dwell on Briavel Hill. WhenOswald heard about Medius, the "Jewish necromancer" he became particularlyinterested and pressed Wybert for details about Medius and his travels withinthe Dean. To Medius's horror, Wybert told Oswald that Medius knew a jew inChepstow whom he oft-times visisted. Realising the danger Zedekiah was nowin, Medius let the spell drop and hurried off to warn his Kaballah ally. Cormoranwa able to apport Medius close to the walls of Chepstow from where Mediusmade his way into the city only to arrive just in time to see first-hand thefull horrors of an anti-Jewish pogrom.Amongst those who perished in the flameswas Zedekiah, who defied Oswald to the very end.

Although Zedekiah followed a separate path to the Order, he was a good allyto the covenant who provided us with invaluable aid in our fight against theinfernal. For that he deserves to be remembered well by this covenant andperhaps if Wybert had shown similar courage we would not find ourselves inthe dire situation we now face. I understand that it is unrealistic to expectthat all of our grogs will give up their lives rather than betray us, butMedius's scrying revealed that Wybert spoke freely and openly while enjoyingbreakfast in the abbey. He can expect summary justice if I see him again.

As I write I am once more returned to my sanctum, though it now feels as thoughthere is a chill in the previously warm summer air. I have instructed theveterans who make up the Blackney watch to send urgent word should any mundaneforce approach that settlement, but in truth I am unsure as to what we cando if Oswald and the Baron send an army against us. I do not doubt that wecan withstand any mundane attack they can muster, but what of the code andits strictures? What consequences might use of blatant magics in the sightof a Baron of the land have? I must speak urgently with Medius on his returnand in the meantime think on what can be done with less visible spells. Wemust also have a care that the Oswald and his minions do not take more subtleaction against us. A permanent guard must be set on the spring for a start.Given Wybert's knowledge of the grog turb that too should also be reorganised.In any event that will doubtless come as a relief to the poor wretches whoI see on perpetual night watch. There is much to be done, but whatever furtherills come to pass as a result of all this our foes will not destroy this covenantwithout a bitter fight.

The covenant barge was sent down to Chepstowto meet Medius but there was no sign of him and the sight of Chepstow's men-at-armsthronging the docks clearly indicated that something was amiss. Although Ihad thought that, short of all-out war with the Christian cult and its nobleallies, the situation could not get worse it seems that I was wrong, for Mediushad been captured by Oswald's men. Apparently, after having witnessed thepyres upon which Zedekiah and dozens of other jews who refused to convertto christianity were burnt alive, Medius returned to Chepstow's Jewish quarterto see if anything of use could be salvaged from Zedekiah's belongings. Hehad managed to reclaim an elaborate copy of the Torah, the Jewish 'holy' book,when he encountered a young Jewish lad, named Josef, a sometime protegeof Zedekiah. Medius quickly sensed that the boy was Gifted and thus resolvedto help him escape the town so that he could be offered formal hermetic training.However, although the pyres in the town square had burned out, Oswald wasnot yet finished and everyone seeking to leave the town was being closelyquestioned by the town guard. Medius used imagonem magics to make Josef looklike a regular town urchin but despite this the lad was turned back by theguard. As Medius, who had rendered himself invisible, tried to help JosefOswald appeared at the gate and somehow picked out Josef as the boy coweredin the shadows of a nearby alley. Medius later reported that he believes Oswaldis somehow able to sense the Gift at range. In any event, a desperate chasethrough the town alleyways ensued as Josef fled for his life with Medius followingclosely behind. Then, as Oswald and the guards closed in, Medius's invisibilityfailed him. Whether this was a result of Oswald's accursed divine magics isimpossible to say, but given their known power against other illusions theymust be the most likely cause. Whatever the reason, Medius felt no challengeto his parma. In any event, it proved to be disastrous for Medius as he wasquickly captured by Oswald's men and gagged and blindfolded he was draggedoff to the castle.

Once inside the castle, Medius was taken to the Baron's court. There he wasintroduced as "Medius, the Jewish necromancer" and the Baron waswarned not to look into his eyes. To ensure that Medius had no chance to makethis happen, the Baron ordered one of his guards to stand behind Medius withhis sword on Medius's neck and explicit orders to decapitate him if he triedto look up. Unsurprisingly Medius did not try to test the Baron's resolve.The Baron was obviously delighted with Oswald's latest captive and offeredhim whatever resources he needed to continue his "good work". TheBaron asked a few questions but when it became clear that Medius was not goingto crack was easily as Wybert, Medius was hauled off to the dungeons for morerigorous questioning. The torture my sodalis endured was extensive and thorough,clearly Oswald was aiming to break his will down over a long period of time.Fortunately for Medius, after a failed first attempt Dialectica was able topenetrate the castle's defences and rescue him, but not before he had hadall his toes and the little finger of his right hand cruelly severed. Lesshappily, Dialectica was unable to recover Medius's personal effects whichhad been stolen by Oswald and stashed elsewhere. These included several enchanteditems and his talisman.

After Medius had made it safely back to the covenant and had had time to resta little after his ordeal, an emergency council was called. At that meetingwe urgently discussed our position. There had been no reports of unusual activitynear the covenant and Dialectica reported that she had spoken with Mariuswho had managed to secure an audience with the Earl of Gloucester. Happily,the Earl still holds to our deal and Dialectica stated that with the Earl'sapproval our status was secure for neither the word of a magistrate nor eventhat of a baron would be sufficient to threaten our position here. For thisreason a massed mundane attack is out of the question and so the primary threatthat we face is that of the monks themselves. If only they would be so obligingto launch a direct assault themselves while I am in the covenant. Dialecticaalso noted that the magics she had used to effect Medius's rescue were notall as subtle as she might have liked and it will likely easily deduced thathe was freed by another wizard. We also debated what we knew of Oswald andthe troubling amount of knowledge he seems to have amassed on our spellcasting,for instance his specific instruction to the guards to strike Medius is hespoke in either latin or hebrew. Does he have some inside source? Could therebe a traitor within the tribunal or has he forced such information out ofGiraldus through torture? In any event, we agreed that the Praefecta and indeedall other magi across Stonehenge needed to be informed about the current dangersof passing through Chepstow. Cormoran agreed to bear such message to Blackthornonce more. The ongoing implications of Wybert's confessions were also thoroughlyreviewed. The main threat lies with the future safe movement of individualmagi, for Wybert's skills meant that he accompanied several of us on journeysacross the Dean and beyond.

Yet, in all of this the most pressing matter, that of Giraldus's disappearance,still remains unresolved. Although we have no proof of his location, it seemsincreasingly likely that the Christian cult has seized him. We need to findout if the monks have indeed kidnapped him or whether some more mundane accidenthas befallen him on the road. To achieve this, I suggested that we captureone of the monks and interrogate him. The priory in Huntley is small and isolated,and the surrounding woods make ambushes easy to execute. Marius will speakwith some of the nearby charcoal burners whom he has been building as contactsand see if he can build up a good picture of the movements in and out of thepriory. On a positive note, Cormoran was able to rescue Josef from Chepstowand Oswald's clutches. He is staying with Medius until the autumn councilmeeting when we will decide how best to deal with the lad. I agreed to devotemy time to developing a spell to restore Medius's missing digits, while Tiarnanwill extract vims vis for the covenant and Cormoran will guard the orchardslest the cult seeks to attack us through our mundane resources. Thankfully,after such a torrid start to the season, the rest of summer passed withoutincident.

Autumn

The first matter to be discussed at the autumn council was he issue of whatto do with Josef, the Gifted Jewish child from Chepstow. After his Gift wasformally determined by Medius we debated how best he might be trained in theways of the Order. Medius already has one apprentice so he is legally unableto take on Josef's training and of the rest of the council, only Dialecticahas the depths in the arts to be able to train him. Although the maga saidthat she does not have the time in the longer term to take him on, she wasprepared to do so in the short term while we try and find him a more permanentparens. Although Giraldus was still sadly absent from the council chamber,Marius was returned and reiterated in full detail what Dialectica had reportedat the emergency meeting last season. While our situation remains relativelysecure, we still must be cautious in our dealings so as not to give our enemiesfurther grievances to present before the Earl. Marius also reported that hiscontacts amongst the charcoal burners had agreed to watch the road in returnfor coin and with luck he will have some details of the monks movements laterin the season. He has also spoken with the Sheriff in Monmouth with a viewto persuading him of the importance of the Jewish community's contributionto the town's economy and he hopes that this will lower the risk of the pogromsspreading to Monmouth.

This season he will aid our new ship in changing its registered home portfrom Chepstow to Caerdydd, as well as continuing to search for any trace ofGiraldus's passing in Ross. Dialectica will begin Josef's training beforebeginning the year-long process of binding her familiar in winter. The restof us will be undertaking laboratory work of one form or another. Dialecticasuggested once more that Arcturus might be able to help in the search forGiraldus, but Medius bade her wait until Marius reports back. If necessaryhe said he would journey to London again in early winter. After council wasconcluded I cast the ritual that I had developed and was able to restore Medius'stoes, although he will bear his missing finger as a permanent reminder ofhis sufferings.

A fortnight or so into the season Praefecta Orlania arrived at the covenant.She was greatly disturbed by the possibility that the cult may have abductedGiraldus and the growing threat that the cult poses to the safety of the covenant.The Praefecta recommended that Arcturus be contacted as soon as possible givenhis role as an investigative hoplite for the tribunal on this very matter.She also suggested that Praeca Yania might be able to assist us rescue Giraldusas she has extensive experience in mundane interactions. Orlania stressedthat if a magus were confess all they knew about the Order and tribunal itcould be extremely damaging, particularly if the magus in question were aRedcap. Indeed she views the situation as the single biggest threat to thetribunal right now. The Praefecta will travel to Blackthorn to speak withthe Senior Quaesitor to get the necessary authority to kidnap and interrogateone of the cult. Meanwhile, at her direct request, Medius agreed to travelto London to seek the assistance of Magus Arcturus. Orlania returned the nextday with the agreement of both the Praeca and the Senior Quaesitor. PraecaYania also agreed to lend her aid to Medius's mission in London and she willset off to find him there.

Meanwhile we discussed our plans to kidnap one of the monks from Huntley Priory.Although Orlania was happy with the essence of the scheme, she thought itbest to enact it solely with mundane agents if possible. Dialectica reportedthat Marius had been unable to obtain any fixed pattern to the monk's movements,but he will alert Dialectica if any word of a white-haired monk is broughtto him. As we waited in the Dean for the chance to grab one of the cult, eventsin London took place that may yet have huge ramifications for the future ofthis tribunal. At first, all went well. Medius was able to meet up with hisKabbalah contacts and learn of the death of then King's eldest son and nominatedheir Geoffrey. Ordinarily this would seem to be of little import but apparentlythe next-in-line, Richard, is a pious man. No doubt the cult will try andcurry favour with him if he ascends to the throne. A few days after Medius'sarrival, during which time he and his Kabbalah allies undertook some religiousritual which supposedly divines the future, he was joined by Praeca Yania.Incredibly, Medius told the Praeca that as a result of the divination he wasno longer prepared to meet with Arcturus. Apparently the divination suggestedthat if he were to meet Arcturus there would be a risk of a pogrom in London.Medius would not budge on this issue so Yania determined to go and meet withArcturus herself. Unbelievably this was not good enough for Medius and hechallenged the Praeca to certamen, attempting to forbid her from meeting Arcturuslest their meeting similarly result in another pogrom. The Praeca won theintellego vim contest comfortably and left to meet with Arcturus.

[Astrius's private journal: As I had feared, Medius's religious prioritiesare now coming before his duties to the Order and indeed his sodalis. Wherein all his justifications about his fear of a pogrom was any thought aboutthe real reason for seeking to meet Arcturus, namely our sodalis Giraldus?What about him? It seems that Medius was prepared to risk losing a real chanceto find our sodalis so as not to risk the lives of Jews in London. How canthat be viewed as anything less than a betrayal? I am gravely concerned that,like many of our Order who have succumbed to the siren song of religion, Mediusis on a path which ultimately can only lead to his Renouncement.]

When Yania did not return as arranged, Medius went to the inn which had beendesignated as the meeting place to find her. He found the room dark and quietas he cautiously entered and to his horror found three bodies on the floor,Praeca Yania and her two bodyguards. But even as he took in what he had foundhe heard movement from the corridor outside. He could see nothing as the dooropened but moments later he heard Arcturus's voice incanting a perdo corporemspell of some sort. His parma withstood whatever malign enchantment Arcturushad aimed at him and he swiftly drank his 'leap of homecoming' potion. Fortunately,this time whatever aura was present in the city did not interfere with thepotion and he was apported safely back to his sanctum.

Once back, Medius quickly called another emergency council meeting and informedus all of the grim news. A number of things were immediately obvious. Firstly,the ruling from the last tribunal was wrong, Arcturus is clearly a traitorand must be regarded as such. With this in mind he must also be regarded asa clear and present danger to this covenant. An invisible assault of the covenantin a similar fashion to that of the lich Dionysus is an all too real possibilityand Arcturus is not a young magus. With the mentem and imagonem magics heundoubtedly possesses I dread to think what he could do within this covenantif he were to make a covert attack. Clearly Cormoran and I must remain withinthe covenant lest such an attack is made. Yet the murder of the Praeca ofthis tribunal is tantamount to a declaration of war by the christian cultand we must strike back.

Tiarnan and Dialectica will journey down to Huntley with a couple of grogsto speak with our spies amongst the charcoal burners and lie in ambush fora monk. We simply must have some intelligence on what they are up to, Arcturus'sbetrayal means that they must know a great deal about the Order, its structures,covenants and magi. We cannot afford to sit back and wait for things to getworse before acting. If this new heir to the throne is as religious as Mediuswas told, what if the cult suborns him to their cause? The time to hurt themis now.

The kidnap had mixed results. Two of our grogs were able to abduct a white-hairedmonk fitting the approximate description of the man who had led the Christianraid on Snig's End, but when Dialectica probed his mind with her mentem magicsit became quickly clear that he had no knowledge of the cult, Giraldus orthe fight with the Fells. However, although he could provide us with no directintelligence on the cult, he was able to shed further light on the set-upat Huntley Priory. The priory is led by Prior Yorath, whose description seemssimilar to that of the silver-haired monk at Snig's End, and houses a scoreor so monks. From the rough layout we got it seems unlikely that Giraldusis being held there, it is simply too small for a prisoner to be held in secretfrom those monks not part of the cult and there is only a small food cellar,certainly not room for a dungeon. Tintern Abbey is a much bigger site thoughand could certainly have room for such a place. It is a large rambling estatewith more than fifty monks and while Huntley is relatively isolated with fewvisitors, Tintern has many. The Abbott there holds a senior position withinthe Christian monastic orders and is reputed to be a most holy man. Our captivehad heard that the Abbot had not long ago healed a man of a terrible palsy.He must be a prime suspect to be the leader of the cult hereabouts. The monkhad heard tales of wizards in the Briavel, but these sounded little more thanthe old folk stories about the "Welsh war wizard", presumably theRenounced Magus Idris who once dwelt here and was convicted at tribunal ofaiding the Welsh army in its capture of Gloucester castle. There was nothingmore of interest that could be gleaned from the man's mind so he was leftin his cell lest the Senior Quaesitor or Praefecta wished to speak with himat a later date.

After a few weeks of tense waiting, Magus Alannus arrived at the covenantbearing the news that we had expected - Senior Quaesitor Serenia has calledfor an emergency tribunal meeting at the end of the season. At the meetinga full report into the death of the Praeca will be made, along with the trialin absentia of the traitor Arcturus and the elections for the new Primus.From what I can recall of those candidates who stood last time and the agesof the other likely elder magi of the tribunal, the choice will probably bebetween Prima Fenriata of Ex Miscellania, Archimaga Sylvania of Merinita andQuaesitor Ponrius of Flambeau.

A couple of days after Alannus had departed to take the news onwards acrossthe tribunal, Serenia came to the covenant to speak with Medius and I. Witha month left of the season, she wished us to accompany her to London to investigatethe inn where Arcturus had murdered Praeca Yania. The journey to that stinking,dominion-dominated city was without incident and although our small partygot a few suspicious looks from the guards manning the gate, we were ableto enter the city unchallenged. Inside the city as we passed by the Jewishquarter we could see that as Medius's mystic had foretold, there had beena pogrom and clearly very recently too, for smoke was still rising from theruins of some of burnt out houses and the acrid smell of smoke hung in theair. We had a frustrating two day wait in the Inn of the Red Shield beforethe room where Arcturus had murdered Praeca Yania became free, but finallySerenia was able to begin her investigation. The 'Eyes of the Past' ritualrevealed that on the night of her murder, Yania, disguised as 'Abraham', Medius'sJewish identity, had indeed met with Arcturus. She had sent her guards outof the room while she met with him and he had done likewise with his. If Arcturussaw through her disguise he hid it well for her addressed her as Abraham,but then, as he apparently stood before her, her throat was suddenly slit.Further intellego magics revealed that the treacherous cur had cast a versionof 'Image from the Wizard Torn' and while Yania's attention was focused onhis image, he had crept behind her and cut her throat, his blade slicing throughthe protection she bore. Satisfied that 'Abraham' was dead, Arcturus droppedthe illusion and cast a spell of some sort upon the corpse. He appeared shockedby the results, presumably because the spell had revealed to him that hisvictim was not Medius but the Praeca. Acting quickly, Arcturus called Yania'sguards back into the room and swiftly slew them with further magics beforehurriedly leaving. Serenia confirmed that all the spells cast bore Arcturus'ssigil and unsurprisingly declared herself satisfied that she had firm evidencethat Arcturus was indeed the murderer. The Senior Quaesitor was also ableto shed a little more light on the attack on Medius. She determined that Arcturushad tried to blind Medius, probably believing him to be naught but a mundaneif Arcturus's curses when Medius apported away were anything to go by.

Given the possibility that Arcturus or other cultists might be watching thetavern I suggested that we leave swiftly now that Serenia's investigationwas complete. As we walked away, Drudwhil's keen eyes espied just such a watcher,a scruffy, surly-looking fellow. Deeming a potential confrontation with thecult, and potentially Arcturus too, inside London's city walls and in a powerfuldominion aura to be unwise we hurriedly made for the nearest gate. Happilywe we were able to depart the city unmolested and once out of sight of thecity walls Serenia apported home. Medius and I made camp a good ways off themain road and next day made our way to the tavern to collect the grogs Mediushad left there on his last visit, along with some of his Jewish compatriots.That done, our group was able to return to the covenant safely and we sawno sign of any attempt to follow us.

Winter

On the last day of autumn, Medius, Cormoran and I made the short journey toBlackthorn to the emergency tribunal meeting, Dialectica having started bindingher familiar and Tiarnan and Marius electing to remain behind, though theirsigils were passed on so that their votes might still count on the key issuesto be discussed. As has become custom now, we kept a careful eye on the phaseof the moon before taking the road from Skenfrith that winds its way pastthe forests that extend into Mynydd Myrddyn. Although we have had no troublefrom the fickle and treacherous lycanthropes who plague the lands thereaboutswe must maintain our guard lest they prove faithless once more. It is onlya matter of time before we have trouble with them again and I merely hopethat it is not before we have dealt with our current problems. Then they willfind out just how much our arts have improved since their first attack. Nevertheless,there was no sign of any wolf or wild man and before long we were ascendingthe steep mountain road which leads to Blackthorn covenant. There was a fairturnout of magi from across the tribunal already present, but given the necessarilyshort notice a fair few were missing, including most of those who dwell withoutcovenant and thus, many of those from House Ex Miscellania.

Quaesitor Ponrius came to speak with me before the meeting began, it seemshe does indeed expect to stand for the position of Praeco and had come toask for my support, but I told him that I would not commit to voting for anycandidate before the meeting. Somewhat disgruntled, Ponrius then shared hisconcerns with me about the lack of communication between Stonehenge and LochLagleann. Apparently the Order of Odin once threatened the Orkneys, a smallgroup of islands which lie in the wild seas beyond the northernmost shoreof this isle, and he fears if what Cormoran and I learned from Magus Atroxusis true then the Orkneys could once again come under threat when that agedmagus finally succumbs to final twilight. Ponrius fears that they may seekto set up a base there from which to launch attacks against the mainland.The covenant's purchase of an ocean-going ship now looks like an even moreprescient purchase, but if it is to be used to take battle against such magicalfoes as the Order of Odin then we will have to ensure that both the ship andcrew are well protected. We have regular sources of both herbam and aquamvis and should make good use of them in the creation of enchantments to aidour vessel and hinder those of our enemies. I myself must also consider whatmagics I can develop to overcome the ships of our foes, as well as any hostileshore-based settlements.

At dawn the next day the meeting began. As expected the three candidates forPraeco were Prima Fenriata, Archimaga Sylvania and Quaesitor Ponrius, themagi Kara and Raeriania declining to proffer themselves for election. Fenriataand Sylvania gave broadly similar speeches to those they had made a few shortyears ago when Yania was elected, though Sylvania suggested that a more proactiveand martial approach was needed to combat the ever-growing threat of the ChristianChurch. Ponrius's speech was exactly what you would expect from a traditionalistQuaesitor and member of House Flambeau. He argued that as our enemies werenumerous, the Order of Odin, the UnNamed House, the Fells and the Christiancult to name the prime ones, a much more proactive and aggressive strategyhad to be adopted than those proposed by Fenriata and Syvlania. With eachof the candidates having made their case for election, I asked what to mymind at least was one of the key issues, namely whether if elected they wouldcontinue to support the position of Praefecta. Ponrius confirmed that he would,as did Fenriata, but the Archimaga was somewhat equivocal in her answer. Whileshe would back Orlania to continue in her role in the short term, she clearlyhad doubts as to the value of the position in the longer term, a short-sightedand dangerous view in my opinion. After some further discussion a vote wascalled for and after a recess to allow magi to further consider their choice,the election went ahead, which Ponrius won by just two votes.

[Astrius's private journal: What a dilemma about who to vote for in the election!I harbour grave doubts about each of the three candidates and it was verymuch a case of picking the least worst option. Given what I know about theextent of House Tremere's treachery could I really take the chance that Fenriatawas not playing some deep undercover role? It seems most unlikely but if theywere to gain the positions of both Praeco and Prima of the dominant houseof this tribunal then all could be lost. It is a chance I dare not take, especiallygiven her startlingly naeve response to the threat of the Christian cult.As I rode to Blackthorn en route to the meeting I had thought that I wouldcast my vote for Archimaga Sylvania, even though I have not forgotten herrole in Theo's "council" where she demonstrated quite clearly thather loyalty lies first to the courts of the faerie not our Order. However,Sylvania's overt dislike of the role of the Praefecta and her obvious reluctanceto take the necessary steps to curtail the growing threat of the Christiancult, despite her very disingenuous speech, makes it impossible for me tocast my vote for her, no matter who her rivals are, for to my mind her inactionwould lead Stonehenge to naught but defeat and disaster. So I was left reassessingmy suspicions about Ponrius. Long have I suspected him of being a diabolistand in league with his former hoplite, the Renounced Magus Venius, but intruth upon what evidence is such suspicion based? The fearsome flicker ofrage in Ponrius' eyes I saw when I told him that Venius was a diabolist? Mypater's warning to have a care when dealing with him? There can be no doubtthat he is an odious, hate-filled and rigid traditionalist who believes thatthe lives of 'latin' magi are worth more than those of non-'latins', but doesany of that make him a diabolist? Of course had there been another optionI would have gladly have taken it, but given the choice I had I believe Imade the best decision, though only time will tell whether my reassessmentof Ponrius was correct. If I am wrong, I can only hope that the increasedattention he will come under in the role of Praeco will uncover any such treason.]

The new Praeco's first act after resigning his position as a quaesitor wasto call upon Senior Quaesitor Serenia to present the results of her investigationof the murder of Yania and to call for a Wizard's March against the vile traitorArcturus. The tribunal listened intently to Serenia's account of the eventsleading up to the assassination of its former Praeca. There was widespreadshock at Medius's decision to challenge Yania to certamen over her refusalto acquiesce to the concerns raised by his Jewish diviner's 'revelations'.When the obvious guilt of Arcturus became clear, there were some hard questionsasked of my sodalis regarding his handling of his previous investigation intoArcturus's dealings with the Christian cult. Maga Ursula was particularlyscathing concerning Medius's willingness to use scrying magics inside Arcturus'ssanctum but not to use magic to break into his cupboards and in a heated exchangeaccused him of letting the tribunal down. Tempers further flared when thetalk returned to events in London and Medius's refusal to meet with Arcturusbecause of his fear of sparking an anti-Jewish pogrom and as the tribunaldescended into acrimony the Praeco was forced to call the debate to order.

With a measure of calm restored, the Senior Quaesitor made formal accusationagainst Arcturus and he was duly renounced by a near unanimous vote and aWizards' March called against him. Thus the Renounced Magus Arcturus, formerlyof House Tytalus and Narwold Covenant, is to be slain if encountered, or ifthis is not possible his location must be reported as soon as is possible.With the formalities settled, Ponrius called for strategies for action againstthe monastic cult. Praefecta Orlania stated that she wished to assemble aposse of magi to hunt down and execute the Renounced Magus Arcturus. Oncethis initial objective has been achieved, Orlania wants to gather detailedinformation on the cult, its extent, lead members, connections to importantnobles and the like, and then deal it a hopefully terminal blow by assassinatingits leaders. The Praefecta restated her greatest fear in all of this, thatof the Pious Magi. The thought of Gifted monks learning the parma magica andthen combining it with the awesome power of the Dominion is too fearful aprospect to permit even the smallest risk of it coming to pass. Orlania madeit quite clear that any and all members of the cult must be hunted down andslain to a man, no matter who they are for they represent a grave threat,not just to Stonehenge, but to the Order as a whole. Ponrius requested a singlestipulation to the Praefecta's proposals, that the posse must have at leastone quaesitor with it at all times to ensure that its magi remain within theCode. Orlania readily acceded to this request. It seems likely that if Orlania'sproposal is approved then Medius will have the chance to redeem himself inthe eyes of the tribunal.

With a proposal for the hunt set, Ponrius asked if any other magi had alternativesuggestions to deal with the cult. Prima Fenriata stood up and stated herbelief that no direct action should be taken and the tribunal should conductno more than an investigation. Apparently Prima Ex Miscellania believes thatto act risks open war with the Christian church and potentially the widermundane world. Fenriata requested that before any action is taken it mustfirst be approved by vote of tribunal. Unsurprisingly Orlania objected tosuch a stipulation saying that it would dramatically reduce our chances ofachieving success and rightly pointed out the time it had taken to organiseeven an emergency tribunal meeting. Orlania stated bluntly that she will needthe power to use her discretion to take action at short notice and set ambushesand the like. In the time it would take to garner approval for an act, thechance would most likely have been lost. Although this seemed like simplecommon sense to me, Prima Fenriata did not agree, openly insulting Orlaniaby suggesting that she did not have sufficient understanding of the mundanepolitic to recognise a situation which would likely result in serious mundanerepercussions and thus a potential breach of the Code. A fierce debate thenensued, with tempers growing increasingly frayed on both sides until the Praecobrought matters to a head by calling for a vote on which strategy the tribunalshould adopt. Fortunately Orlania carried the vote by a half dozen sigilsand so we can at last take the fight back to those enemies who murdered PraecaYania and all-too probably our sodalis Giraldus too. With the decision made,Ponrius called the emergency meeting to a close.

Before everyone set off back to their respective covenants, Orlania held somequick discussions about the make-up of her posse, selecting Medius as itsnominated quaesitor. I must wait for my chance for revenge, for her initialaim is to garner further information and with this in mind she made her initialplans with a number of the Jerbiton. Orlania is also still awaiting word fromHarco as to whether a thorough investigation can be made into what has happenedto Magus Giraldus. With that I returned to the covenant with my sodales, wherethe rest of the season and the year drew to a close.