Michaelmas 1220:
The Magi take part in the Aegis of the Hearth Ritual but Tethys falls into (final??) twilight. The spell takes affect, but with no penetration. It is agreed that Gracchus and Marco would both try to learn the ritual this year in case Tethys fails to make it back. To get full penetration they will have to all learn the spell Wizard's Communion. Aristarchus of house Crimaon, having decided that it would be Apt for weeks to start on Thursdays, and for terms to only last eight weeks. Surprisingly this goes through the relevant university committee with no resistance.
Aristarchus also starts pondering about the access to the next level. He casts piercing the magical veil, and upon learning that the next level needs a "Trojan horse" to access, orders some wood to be brought to construct one. This is not really discussed with the other Magi, so the wisdom of letting a trojan horse into the covenant is not thought through...
Lent 1221: Rufus the Redcap arrives and informs them that the expected delivery of books and wine from the Covenant of Heart of the Oak in the Rhine Tribunal has been ambushed. He managed to get away with one of the volumes which can act as an arcane connection to the rest. Marco has a spell that might be able to track it down, but they need to recuit more likely lads from the town to help fill out the rank (=act as cannon fodder). Rufus continues on, and preparations are made for an expedition in Easter.
Easter 1221: With great effort Marco casts a spell to "Determine the location of the absent volume", which is a mystery that he even knows, to determine that it is being held near the river about half-way between Cambridge and Ely. Together with William, the Head porter, and some lads from the town they punt off, with Gracchus leading the way (Despite Marco's insistance that he is the natural commander).
They encounter a mist with dancing lights clearly meant to waylay travellers, but this is effortlessly (ahem) dispelled by Marco proving his utility without doubt. William then spies a knight in shining armour. After a small conversation about pledging fealty to the Empress Maud, it is realized that this is a Faerie echo of the Anarchy from 70 years ago. It demands the traditional payment of honey, which confuses everyone apart from William. Tethys would every Winter send a pot of honey from the Homerton hives via a grog. With Tethys gone this was not done....
Trying to rescue the situation the magi agree to return with this pledge of allegiance, and a few weeks later send a grog with the honey and the books and the wine are restored. The grog returns with the empty pot which smells incense. This appears to be a pawn of Imaginem Vis.
Turning thier attention to the Homerton Hives, they speak to the bees and discover that every Michealmas term the Homerton hive (I.e. the covenant of magi) deals with the hornets plaguing the master hive (i.e. the bee colony) and the master hive wonders why this has not been done yet? They are remiss in their fuedal obligations.... It is agreed that Grachhus will learn Preturnatural Shrinking and Growing so that he might deal with the hornets next year.
Summer 1221: The wood for the trojan horse arrives, and while Aristarchus is directing the caprpenters on how to assmble the horse under the increasingly concerned eye of the other magi, he has an insight from the Enigma. The wooden horse is not Apt. The key is actually a *trojan horse*, i.e. a horse from troy. He supposes that it should be an exceptional specimen, but as noone knows where troy is more research might be needed.
Currently losing £55 pounds per year
Michaelmas 1222:
Gracchus gathered everyone around to witness the annual "Defending the Bees against the Hornets" for which the Hive of Bees gives the Hive of Homerton 6 pawns of rego a year. After valiantly trying to pick of each hornet individually, he eventually manages to cast a ward against magical animals that keeps them out. The loss of so many young bees means that the Hive of Bees reduces this years exchange to only three pawns. Gracchus resolves to be more circumspect in the future.
Researches by Aristarchus have tracked down a copy of the odyssey in possession by William Langton, Rector of Theology at the University of Northampton. It was "lent" to him by Swein Hardrada before they both fled Oxford. Swein is now at Cambridge, and there is bad blood between them.
Micaiah has completed her perpetual motion wheel, and wishes to use it to start draining the fens to create more fertile land, but they need to acquire some land.
To solve both problems they decide to invite some local pliable landlords to a college feast, as well as some students. While Marco, Micaiah and Robert work on one of the students (Jocelyn de Percy) to persuade him to spend a year in Northampton and persuade the rector to allow the manuscript to be copied (They dangle a guaranteed first in front of him if he does so) Gracchus and Aristarchus ply the landowners with wine.
The student curmudgenly agrees, and a rector in the staff of the Bishop of Ely agrees to let the land out for 3 pittances a year (currently it only gives the church between 1 and 1.5 pittances per year)
Word has also arrived of the arrival in a couple of weeks of Goliard of Tremere the Exarch for the Stonehenge, Loch legan, Hibernian and Normandy Tribunals. Marco is not at all peturbed, and does not spend ages trying to make the covenant less of a chaotic mess. Goliard eventually appears, treats evryone with consummate grace, and spends a little time alone with Marco to request that he fixes an arcane connection to any local roman roads (sending thes back to Coeris) and genrally gives helpful advice that the best way he can be of serive to the house is to improve his area lore and to make sure that the tremere are seen as helpful and freindly to fellow magi.
Marco feels immensley grateful to have escaped with his life.
Just a few weeks after installing the water pump, word comes to Homerton that a couple of peasants on the newly acquired land have been gruesomely killed and partially eaten. On recovering the corpses Micaiah determines that they were paralysed before being torn apart.
Marco bravely decides to investigate alone and encounters a Boglin (see GoT page 97) which he was totally unable to affect due to its magic resistance, and flees with the pup after having shrunk it.
Careful planning later allows Marco and Micaiah to deprive the boglin of water for a onth and it dies of dehydration. They recover 8 pawns of Animal and 6 pawns of Perdo from its corpse.
In summer Gracchus notices squirrels trying to steal his stuff, and actually catches one that is trying to steal a sock of his. Investigations reveal that the squirrels were being coerced by an "evil water woman" to steal specifically from the "smelly furry human". Gracchus tries to monitor the dead-drop that they were given but finds no trace. He manages to convince the squirrels to stay in Homerton itself and they are pleased to be asked rather than commanded and joyfully accept. One of them, Ratatoskr, is constantly drawn to Gracchus and seems to be on the verge of being joined as his Familiar.
Aristarchus manages to get his copy of the Odyessy, and on reading it gains a good deal of insight into the trojan area. He goes to sleep dreaming of the Hellespoint and both Scylla and Charybdis...
Currently gaining 45 pounds per year: More expensive lifestyles better labs are now an option, but to be truely extravagant more sources of income will be needed.
End of Summer term 1224:
The Tribunal is held at Lunt Fort regio just south of Coventry (the location of the tribunal's Mercer House). Lunt fort is a roman post that looks abandoned on the mundane level.
Present are the following covenants:
Blackthorn Powerful Covenant in the Wye Valley
Sabrina's Rest Young Covenant based on the Isle of Lundy (Bristol Channel)
Cad Gau Domus Magnus of House Ex Misc: Located in the northern Welsh Mountains
Burnham Located in the North East
Voluntas Located in the North
Semitae Erebunda A wandering Covenant
The only pressing matter is a legal case brought by Blackthorn against Sabrina's rest for Interfering with mundanes/deprivation of magical power for the crime of diverting local fish from Blackthorn's puppet fleet to Sabrina's Rest's puppet fleet. It was clear from the start that the case had no legal merit but was going to pass anyway.
The Two Verditius Magi present were trying to hawk thier wares (Notably Junius of Semitae Erebunda had a *tireless servant* which costs 8 pawns of Vis and adds one point of general quality to a Laboratory) but noone took up the offer.
Instead they bought books from Sabrina's Rest from Asteria of Verditius as they were desperate to sell to accumulate the Vis that the expected to pay Blackthorn. With the pawns they had brought togther with some excellent Tractatus (copies of all they had produced so far) and they managed to exchange this for some new summae (added to library). Aristachus notices that Asteria doesn;t like his presence as a crimaon and offers to invite her Covenant mate (Antigone of Criamon of Sabrina's rest) for a visit, to relieve Asteria of her presence. This seems to seal the deal.
Upset that they did not manage to get a perdo summa, Gracchus decided to try and get it by force. He approach Goliard of Tremere (the representative from Blackthorn) offering any small service he could perform....? Goliard mentioned that the Wash was having trouble with magical being interfering with the shipping and if he could make some accomodation...?
Acting on his own initiative Gracchus composed speech denouncing Sabrina's rest (after they got the books) but it was rendered otiose by the fact that the quaesator had negotiated a settlement of some fine (not publically disclosed).
Nevertheless he felt obliged to deliver the speech to all and sundry. It was a call to march the covenant and steal all ther stuff. Goliard of Blackthorn was very polite about his support. Robert of Coventry was more scathing calling it moral obscenity, and also, which was worse, extremely badly argued. Cicero Gracchus aint. (Not even a "Requiem Sabrina Delanda est"...)
Meanwhile Robert of Coventry had acquired a copy of Historia Regum Britanniae which Aristachus is weirdly drawn to. The have leads to a master mason and a blacksmith. The Cathedral at Beauvais is jst being started and master masons have been competing to be the lead in the project, so there might be people there. For the Blacksmith Junius of Verditius suggests a contact in the London Guild.
They decide to split up as they can do more damage that way.
Robert of Coventry goes to London to acquire a blacksmith, which he does with a minimum of fuss.
Gracchus and Ratatorsk play around with crabs and get to meet a mermaid that the agree to try and negotiate with in a year.
And Aristarchus, Micaiah and William the Porter go to Beauvais and hire Jean-le-loup. A superb mason who was inexplicably passed over for the head of the catherdal. Aristachus has visions of a beautiful stone illuminated by moonlight and sliver chasing, but does not mention this to Micaiah. Every 4 weeks Jean-le-loup seems to be indisposed and odd moanings/growls are heard from his rooms, but noone seems to be bothered by that...
Michaelmas 1226
Gracchus inveigled himself and Micaiah into the court of Bishop Orris of Lynn. It is noticed that when they mention magic he stiffens and becomes more distant. However on hearing the suggestion of importing the (Papally blessed) ceremony of marrying Venice to the Sea to Lynn he become more well disposed. They agree that the ceremony will take place next Easter, and that Homerton will provide the copper ring each year for the event.
Micaiah makes some contacts with the bishop's staff, and they discuss eagerly about matters medical and philosophical.
Gracchus kindly donates a warm coat to the crab seller to show that there were no hard feelings, and he and Marco go to visit the Siren to inform the Mer-folk what had happened.
Rumours had abounded of sheep being savaged always at full moon. Marco went out to investigate, and after much thought Aristarchus tasked himself to create a spell to detect werewolves.
During the following season Micaiah was implore to visit Robert Bigod and his daughter Mary. Micaiah implored Aristarchus to attend and they found a wan child confined to bed. Micaiah could not ascertain her affliction by mundane means, but magical methods revealed that she was being poisoned. Aristarchus saw that "the poison was the remedy", and as she could only get relief from the scent of roses from the garden they immediately* saw that the rosebush whence came the blooms had been poisoning her water supply. They removed Mary to the Hospital in Homerton, and also transplanted the rosebush, whose roots were a source of perdo vis at a rate of one pawn per season.
*not actually immediately.
Lent 1227
During a lecture Aristachus wanders up having decided to test his new spell "Stranger Danger" to detect werewolves. He manages to spy that one of the students was a "beastly boy". The student (Mertin) bolted, and was tracked down by the proctors. He killed one and managed to escape to the countryside. Grachhus managed to pick up the scent and found a wolf-man at bay in a fox-den a little way dwon river. They manage to subdue him and take him back to the Covenant where Micaiah stabilizes him. They decide to chain him up for the nonce and while discussing this they discover that the blacksmith has already got the relvant chains just handy- it appears that Jean-le-Loup had comissioned him to create similar chains to prevent his "condition" from inconvenicing others. Marco pulls a few strings with his house and gets a Lawyer from London to plead for the student's life, and he is bound over to the Covenant.
So the covenant now has two (as far as we know) Werewolves!
Michealmas 1229:
Grachhus stays behind to look after the Covenant whith Robert to help while the rest of the Magi travel to Salerno to try to recuit some medical lecturers, the plan being to proceed on to try and follow up Aristarchus's vision that the Sacred Band of Thebes might be a link to Troy.
At Salerno they have dinner with Micaiah's old Tutor: Matthaeus Platearius where they discover that the Emperor's sudden increase in patronage has meant an increase in opportunities here in the south, and there are virtually no spare people. There is one though. A Grigoriy of Novgord, a surgical empriricus who has been promised employment at the Covenant of Epidauros near Athens.
Negotiating with Griogiy they discover that he is amenable to beign hired elsewhere (with better conditions...) as long as it can be cleared with Epidauros.
Travelling to Epidauros, Aristarchus leads them unerringly to the covenant delighting all the peasntry that he talks to with his charm and insightful conversation. They meet Xenias a Leper magus of House Tytalus who greets them warmly. The covenant is set in a regio the mundane level of which is a leper colony (which keeps mundane attention away), and the residents seem to hold with the old Olympian gods. The main hall hold a statue to Asklepios and prominently displayed is a snake which is bleeding into a bowl. Talking to the residents Aristachus discovers that this is from Medusa, a powerful Vis source that can heal many wounds. He promptly starts thinking how to acquire it.
While Micaiah is in negotations with Xenias, Marco and Aristarchus try to find the site of the sacred band, with Thebes being not far north of Epidauros. They find an eager young covenfolk called Leonidas who tells of the old legend of the ring being guraded by a lion (he paid attention to his granny when she told him the story because of his name), and he has occasionally glimpsed a lion whilst wandering in the hills.
They follow him, and discover that there is low level regio easily entered with the power of Aristarchus (he descibes it as hopscotch, but it is clearly some kind of military drill), and there they find a stone plinth on which is standing a broken mechanical lion. It speaks after a fashion, and tries to open the next level for them (it must leap gracefully from the plinth) but it cannot.
They decide to steal it, and with further investigation they discover it is a Mechanism of Heron, which has met Hypatia of Alexandria.
When they get back Micaiah has made a deal such that she will work for a year at Epidauras in return for Gigoriy returning to the dank and miserable fens.
Next Session Michealmas 1232
Michaelmas 1232
A couple of weeks after the start of the term, a wounded knight arrives at the covenant requesting medical assistance, it appears he Sir Gilles Estram, in service to the Empress Maud. They soon discover that they cannot move him into the Aegis and so might very well be Fae. They get tokens for Sir Gilles and his Horse (called Horse, Aristachus conversed with it in both Greek and Latin). While they magi were bickering they were informed that a group of 200 men had invested the Covenant.
It appeared that William of Aumale, Earl of York a supporter of Stephen for the throne has learnt that the covenant is habouring traitors to the crown, and they demand that they are turned over.
While Marco Aristarchus and Micaiah ponder what to do (after rejecting Grachuss's suggestion of killing Sir Gilles and haning him over, Grachhus changes tack and gets Grigoriy to help identify fast acting poisons in the apothecary, and poisons the host with ale laced with aconite and yew. Two survived and they are taken prisoner while Grachus decides to invent a mind altering spell to somehow cover their tracks.
Grachhus has the 180 corpses of the Fae placed in his lab, which gets him +3 to Perdo for a year, but with -3 Living conditions.
The rest of the Magi are horrified to discover just how "pragmatic" Grachuus can be.
In Lent Rufus arrives with three ancient folios (added to the Library) and receives information that a book on mechana of heron *might* be in the possession of a member of the staff of the papal legate in Constantinople, and so a trip there in the airship *The Invisible hand* is planned. In related develpoments Aristarchus investigates the Lion from thebes and manages to glean an insight into how it moves. He thinks he can replicate the effect as a level ReTe level 30 effect that would cause a metal object to leap from surface to surface in a dance, and that the dance can be changed later (although this will take a season ina lab, but NO EXTRA VIS) . Creating this would give 6 breakthrough points towards discovering the virtue *Mutable device* associated with Mechana of Heron. Using the Lion gives a bonus to the lab total of 6 if it is in the laboratory at all times. You do not knwo exactly but as a rough guide 45 ish points are needed to acheive the Major breakthrough of Mutable Device.
next Session Michealmas 1233.
Michaelmas 1233
After completing The Invisible hand, they decide to take a trip to Constantiople to try and find the Book on Mechana of Heron. Whilst flying invisibly across Europe the ship keeps being battered by birds. Miciah tries to scare them off with repeated castings of Charge of the Angry winds. Eventually, while over the Alps they are confronted by a massive Roc, and `invited' to attend the King of the Birds in the city of Nephelococcygia floating currently above Mont Blanc. The city sits atop a cloud with many excellent perching sites. From a distance it is made of gleaming white limestone, when they get closer it seems that the white is froma a different source. There they learn of the obsession of the all the birds with The Dance of Life, and try to ingratiate themselves by offering to discover a lost Bird, Freya, a cuckoo that had gone searching for the Eagle of the Ninth a famed choreographer. They seem to be in a bit of a flap about her dissapearance.
Obtaining some of Freya's feathers they manage to track her down to a clock tower in Bern the property of Alī Ibn Khalaf al-Murādī, a Verditius Magus normaly resident in Toledo. His Veditore, tried to distract the magi, and offered geneous terms to allow her master to be comissioned, but eventually having established that this was nto his sanctum (and thus not covered by the code) they entered and extracted the cuckoo from the swiss clock.
Arriving back at cloud cuckoo land, they are admitted to teh court of the King of the Birds. They pledge not to persist in being a hazard to navigation, and whilst in the court they notice a pair of humans scrabbling for food at the base of the perches. This is the Maga Martina and her putative apprentice Livia. They were captured whilst flying from the roman Tribunal to Coeris in the Transylvainain tribunal using magic devices. They wer put on trial for mocking the flight of birds. Martina tried to dominate the minds of the birds in the court but botched the spell, and is now just a husk. Livia has been trying to get them both to survive by eating what little the birds leave behind but is clearly starving. The Homerton Magi plead for their release, and Marco decides to conduct them both to Coeris.
On departure they manage to make the pointy bit and the blunt bit of the invisible boat have images of birds to provide actual birds something to referenceand so further bird-strike is avoided.
Arriving at Constantinople they put the boat down at night, and switch off the invivibilty sailing into the harbour. Aristachus acts a a tour guide and unerringly leads them to the Hagia Sophia, where Monsignor Bertrando de Pepoli, a memeber of the Legates staff is working.
However on the picturesque route that Aristachus takes he fails to pay a tout for the directions that he (aristachus) asked for, even though he didnt need them, and while they were deliberatly and not aimlessly wandering around an alley at night near a market square they were ambushed by a group of thugs who luered them in with the promise of scrolls, and promise of a magical talking bird!
A scuffle left Grigori on the brink of death, but they managed to recover the scrolls (now added to the Library) which seem incomprehensible other than the fact that there is a copy of the Aenead amongst them. althoug they clearly relate somehow to the supernatural. The magical bird is a Nightingale crafted from Gold and Silver with Rubies for eyes. It seems wary at first, but when they establish themsleves as philosophers it opens up, and upon learning of their mission to repair the Lion of Thebes, it is overjoyed to be able to help with recovering more of Heron's work.
However they have injured people to help, but Grigori and Ali the footpad that they managed to subdue. They asked at the Holy wisdom where to find a doctor, and were told that they could bugger off as it was late. With persistance they managed to get the address of a doctor:Hafiz Barzani who trained in Baghdad. Danyar and Micaiah geek out about medicene and he is quite in awe of her ability to Bind Wounds using magic, but she needs his help to actually make them better. Both Grigori and Ali are stabalized, and are put on the ship unconscious (Ali has been effectively kidnapped and pressed into the service of Homerton).
Back in daylight they manage to secure an audience with the monsignor who asks an outrageous sum of silver for the book, but when he finds out that they are magi he requests a cloak of Beguiling appearance (MuIm 15) in exchange, and they reluctantly agree to this swap. To be completed by the end of the year, and the book to be given after receipt of the cloak.
Session 9
On retuning to Homerton they learn that they will be visted by Lancea of Guernicus, and that she expects to be joining the covenant. In addition it seems that Antioge of Sabrina's rest has made herself reisdent in Aristophanes's lab whilst they were away. She just sits quietly in the lab doing her puzzle book, and agree to leave it behind after she is finished in a fit of generosity, Arsitophanes decides to write her a new puzzle book for her to take away as a memento.
It appears that next Michealmas the Bishops of Ely and Lincoln will conduct a vistation to Cambridge after accusations of, well not quite heresy, but possibly irregular thinking have crept into the Cambridge curriculum. On further investigation by Robert of Coventy it seems that Ely, bouyed by the increased revenues of Lynn as port and the increased drainage of the fenes as mustered the resources to try and wrest control of Ramsey Abbey which lies on their border. Miciah travels to Lincoln to find an audience with the Bishop, and discovers that is Robert Grostesste, a renowned scholar lately of Oxford. He is attended by Griselda of Wells, a noble woman from Somerset who acts as his clerk. Miciah (being jewish) declines the offer of celebrating mass and Robert G is disappointed with her lack of hebrew as he has a hankering to discuss some of the finer points of the pentateuch. He then politely dismisses her, and looks forward to investigating the curriculum at Cambridge.
At the end of Michealmas 1233 Antigone left with these words for Aristacrchus: "You would not believe who is watching this stone, she wishes you *looking at Aristachus* ill. “ When she leaves there is a cicle of hyacinths around the Homerton Stone on the regio level, where the sun shines almost imperceptibly brighter.
Next Session will be 1234 Michealmas.
Lancea brought with her a working Abulere Magica, and Micaiah installed it to provide washing for the whole University (and also another source of income...)
Griselda of Wells (attache of the Bishop of Lincoln: Robert Grosseteste) arrived in Lent having been invited by Micaiah, and was very impressed by the University especially the wash-house, as "cleanliness is next to godliness". Micaiah was very happy.
Lancea attends the Vis gathering debate, and sees that it will be ideal for her further study of Intelleo magics.
In michealmas the actual visitation occurs. The Rectors Theology of Northampton (William Langton) and Cambridge (Swein Hardrada) bicker and constantly try to trip each other up with doctrinal points but nothing heretical was uncovered. The attention turns to the addition of the curriculum, and Micaiah makes an astounding peroration on the Medical school, and even Robert Grosseteste was swayed. On a tour of the mundane level of Homerton, Ratatoskr (hiding in the trees) sees Grislda of Wells and notices that she is the woman who intimidated the squirrels to try and acquire some personal effects of Gracchus. Ratatoskr informs Gracchus who descends to the mundane level where Grislda brandishing a wand curses commands Grachus to "Repent of his Sins" and casts a spell which makes his beard fall off. She then immediately vanishes. Aristarchus (dressed in grass and painted green) attends to the fallen and Ratatoskr curls himself around Grachhus's face to try and give him a prosthetic beard. It doesn't quite work...
In the ensuing chaos Robert Grosseteste takes command. Everyone is instructed to go to their lodings and write an account of what they saw without talking to anyone else, and the accounts will be compared on the morrow. Miciah is worried by this systematic approach, but also sort of admiring.
Meanwhile the Magi try to comfort Grachhus, and he reveals that Griselda of Well is known to him as the Witch of Wookey Hole, with whom he has had a feud for many years. He is not forthcoming about the exact trigger for the fued, but assures everyone that it was entirely her fault, and anyway nothing he has ever done in his life deserves repentance.
The next day the accounts are presented and Robert Grosseteste clearly can see that something is up. He confides to Micaiah that he is now unsure of exactly how Griselda of Wells actually became part of his staff. In view that it was a member of his staff that was the aggressor and a poor patient of the the Medical school was affected the Visitation will decide that there is currentley no case to answer. However he would like to correspond at a later date to try and discover what exactly happened at Homerton....
Spontaneous Magic is tried to recreate Grachuss' beard, but nothing seems to stick, it just falls off again. Lancea determines that Grachus is under some sort of curse, and she is able to divine that it neither Hermetic of Fae in origin. Repentance is suggested as a course of action, but as Grachus clearly has lead a blameless life that idea is rejected. Aristarchus and Robert of Coventy decide to try to invent a general dispelling spell in the hope of removing the curse, meanwhile Grachhhus mopes in his room and writes bad poetry.
Next session Lent 1235 when Grachus's lead on Vis sources might turn up.
Lent 1235
Aristachus manages to dispel the curse on Grachus, and Micaiah provides him with a temporary beard. Whilst talking to Grachus Aristarchus seems to get an insight into the vis hunts that he has been going on. Kindly offering to take the lead on the hunt because poor Grachus wasn't making much headway. Lancea also decided to join them as she was also very concerned about poor Grachus.
Eventaully midway through february (on the Cusp between Pisces and Aquarius) Aristarchus leads them to where the Via Devana cuts through the Gog-Magog hills. There as the Constellation of Pegasus was rising a chalk outline of a horse that then came to life as a winged horse trialed by little copies of itself. Lancea flew up disguised as a (non-winged) horse managed through the medium of interpretative dance to intrigue them. The head horse alowed one of the flock to tarry with the Magi for a year to discover who these non-winged flying horse people are. Communication is at a basic language but the small flying horse and the wizards agree that "Friendship is Magic".
When arriving back at the Covenant the presence of the horse unlocks the next level of the regio!
The next level consists of a small glade with a magic 5 aura. Within is a fine marble tomb which claims to contain the bones of Homer the poet. Grachhus notices that it has been magically repaired and the sigil of the person who perfomed this seemed to be a bord of prey, specifically a Merlin... Also in the regio is a sunken monolith on which is carved both the Illiad and the Odyssey in Greek and two other languages unknown to the Magi, however Lancea establishes that one of them might be related to Gaelic. (Mechanically this acts as a rosetta stone for the two new languages. Each epic poem separatley counts as a quality 9 tractatus in each unknown language.
Talking to the horse they discover that Poseidon placed them in the Gog-Magog hill to mark the grave of the City of Troy. Which was actually in the Fens not as near to greece as was supposed.
Upon redescovering the location of Homer's Tomb the Covenant of Homerton now has the mystical effect that all books written there have +1 Quality. Valid From Lent 1234.
Easter 1235
Gracchus, Lancea and Aristarchus prepare to head out to Wookey Hole to confront the witch once and for all. Gracchus notices that he’s received a lot of attention from the covenfolk, who appear to be trying to befriend him. He also receives a magical book, made by Lancea, telling a story about a wise wizard who thinks he’s alone, but whose friends truly care about him. The book is enchanted, but he is too suspicious to let down his parma magica. The party, along with Mertin (at Micaiah’s insistence) and a porter, take the Invisible Hand and set it down in Chew Valley Lake. Leaving the porter to guard the ship, the party head directly to Wookey Hole. They find the witch’s cave guarded by some armed men of the Bishop of Wells – Lancea was able to order them away with aura of rightful authority. They search the cave, but find little of interest – it is clear that the witch had meticulously made sure no arcane connection to her was left (furniture is destroyed or burnt, everything else of value is gone). However, due to the high-quality magic lighting conjured by Aristarchus, they are able to find a book hidden in an alcove: Vita Merlini by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It bears the seal of the priory of Bath.(edited)
More of the bishop’s men return to the cave, led by a somewhat more strong-willed officer. After establishing they have a common enemy in the witch, the bishop’s men take them into Wells. Aristarchus takes the helmet and gloves from one of the bishop’s men, for some reason. Lancea is able to discover using magic that the officer believes the witch is responsible for sabotaging the construction of Wells Cathedral, and has heard rumours of the witch poisoning the bishop’s brother, Hugh of Wells, previous bishop of Lincoln. The party are presented to Bishop Jocelin of Wells, who seems to be aware of who Gracchus and Aristarchus are (it appears he’s read Bobby G’s report). He has no issue employing the party to bring the witch to stand forward on canon trial (or be killed if she refuses, she will answer to God one way or another), in reward he offers the party his immense political support. Gracchus is keen to hunt down the witch, so happily accepts the bishop’s offer. He also inspects the wooden crane and scaffolding supposedly sabotaged by the witch, and identifies it was done by non-hermetic magic. The party follow their lead to the priory at Bath, bearing a letter from the Bishop requesting their cooperation. After arriving at the priory in Bath, they are received by Brother Lloyd, an eccentric welsh monk who regales the party will stories of King Arthur and Bladud (he seems to have been taught by Gerald of Wales, an expect on Geoffrey of Monmouth). He recognises the description of one Griselda of Glastonbury, who had booked a private room at the Bath of Alron. He leads them to the baths, where the party are shown around by a friendly, innocuous woman named Anne. She tells the party quite plainly that Griselda is expecting them, at the white spring at Glastonbury Tor at night. They also inspect the witch’s room, where Lancea is able to identify a hair they believe belongs to the witch.
The party also bathe in the waters, when they realise (by the effect on Mertin) that it suppresses the effects of the Gift, in addition to soothing injuries. Aristarchus also has a vision of a full moon setting when Mertin enters the pool, and the full moon rising again when he gets out. That night they return to the ship to spend the night, during which Gracchus manages to steal the witch’s hair from Lancea. They wake up to find Ratatoskr missing. They go to Glastonbury Tor, a conical hill with a timber church on top. During the day there is a strong dominion aura, but come nightfall the mist comes in and the hill has a strong faerie aura. Aristarchus is able to cast pierce the faerie veil, and identify a strong faerie regio here. Aristarchus sees Glastonbury Tor as a wooded island, topped by a castle, surrounded by the ocean. Gracchus makes a futile attempt to hide in wait. The witch comes, accompanied by her cat, Ali and Ratatoskr in a cage. Lancea and Aristarchus mediates the talks between Gracchus and the witch. The witch attempts to confront Gracchus with his sins, and reveals she has cursed Ratatoskr to not feel loyalty or affection for Gracchus until he accepts his wicked deeds. With that she promises her feud will be over, despite Gracchus being unrepentant, she is content with his punishment. The party fail to convince her to stand trial before the bishop, but do manage to get her to fake her own death and leave the country (on Gracchus’ insistence). She leaves them with a blood-stained dress, as proof of her demise for the bishop.
The party return to the bishop, content that the witch is dealt with. He offers them his support with securing a royal charter for the university (being one of the King’s closest courtiers), and with any other endeavours they have in the local region. He also gives them a letter addressed to Micaiah, requesting assistance with the construction of the cathedral. Finally returning to the ship, Aristarchus has one final vision: a young man (12-14) in a small town with a bridge and priory, walking down a path when it splits into two – one toward a town Aristarchus recognises as Cambridge, another towards an unidentified city with a spire. In the Cambridge path, the man is dressed as Bonisagus, on the other path, he is dressed in a dark hooded robe, wearing an amulet and holding a vial of a mysterious substance.
Easter 1235
After their adventures in the west country, Gracchus and Aristarchus remain in Wells (roaming the woods looking for Ratatoskr, and reading Vita Merlini respectively, neither speaking to the other) while Lancea and Mertin return to Cambridge, in order to share their discoveries with the others. Aristarchus has many insights into King Bladud from the Geoffrey of Monmouth books, and realises there’s something missing in Bath. Back home, Micaiah tests the water they bring back from Bath, but finds that it has lost its magic. She implores the party to investigate further, for she is fascinated by the waters medicinal qualities. Furthermore, Mertin confides in Lancea that Mary is pregnant (oops)*, but he daren’t marry her while still a werewolf and put her and the child at risk. He begs Lancea to investigate a cure (Micaiah says that wolfbane and surgery are reputed to work but extremely risk), remembering Aristarchus’ insight about the baths. Micaiah gives Lancea a letter for the bishop, promising the assistance of her stone mason and his team in exchange for permission to (and assistance with) pursuing the legend of King Bladud, as well as the right to rent a private room at the Bath of Alaron for ten years.
Lancea gathers the team (Aristarchus, Gracchus and Mertin) and they return to Bishop Jocelin. Despite Aristarchus’ antics, the party get the impression he’s not even the most difficult man the Bishop has had to deal with (who was an advisor to King John). The Bishop, pleased with Gracchus in particular for dispatching of the witch, and thrilled to have the covenant’s help in his construction, is more than happy to give the party leave to purchase a private bathroom and investigate in the town. He does warn the party that the King is coming to stay in Bath this summer, and to steer clear. In Bath, the team split up – straight to the point, Gracchus (with Mertin) takes the letter to Brother Lloyd at the priory. After relating the information contained with Geoffrey of Monmouth’s books, and asking about Glastonbury Tor, Brother Lloyd tells Gracchus that there is a local poem about the engine of King Bladud which imbues the baths with their magic, and that Piers de Metz, a local French physician, and Water?, a nobleman who has been in trouble for expositing troubling ideas about the bath might no more. Meanwhile Aristarchus speaks to the servant of the bath, Anne (who Lancea doesn’t seem to recognise), who relates the local poem (including the seven salts described within) and warns Aristarchus to beware of Walter Mortimer. She doesn’t answer any more of their questions, but says she believes in Aristarchus to figure it out. Its then that Aristarchus figures out there are four baths, with the last located deep underground. Locating the centroid of the three baths in the city, he spends some time drawing on the streets with chalk while Lancea runs damage control.
Gracchus heads straight to the Hot Baths, the lavish noble baths of the city, and sends Mertin to round up the others. Arriving first, he greets Walter Mortimer, a charming, handsome man with a glass of wine and a fluffy towel. He relates the local poem, describes the baths as a pagan temple (dedicated to Minerva Sulis), and promises to show Gracchus something he’ll find very interesting if he meets him in his suite later that evening. Aristarchus and Lancea arrive, and Walter extends the invitation to them, although they are much less receptive. Aristarchus manages to identify a small innocuous simple that he deduces to belong to King Bladud, set above the entrance to the private rooms. Aristarchus and Mertin dress as servants, and Lancea as a noblewoman, and easily convince the doorman to let them through. They avoid going into the wrong room, and end up in a quite lavish suite, where Aristarchus identifies the symbol once more above a locked door. Mertin fetches Gracchus, who had been enjoying the high-quality food on offer. Gracchus breaks the lock after Aristarchus fails to do so (he insists he weakened it for him), and together they descend down a long corridor.
They come out in a central chamber, with a similar corridor heading up in the opposite direction, a bricked-up archway and a staircase down. They explore the corridor up and find it leads to a trapdoor in the Bath of Alaron, and Aristarchus is unable to gain any insight into the bricked-up archway, other than it is solid stone behind it. They choose to descend, and come out in a fourth bath lit by magical balls of smokeless flame. They meet Richard of Hempstead (“Dickie”) there, who seems annoyed they are early for the party (there are many wine barrels stacked against the side, and musicians tuning their instruments). The party ignore him, so he seems to just assume they’re rude nobles (who he seems quite used to). Aristarchus is quickly able to identify a magical regio in the room upstairs (the source of the waterfall), and sees two levels, with the great engine of King Bladud as described by the poem in the upper level. The entrance is blocked by some powerful presence, however. Rather than wait for the party like polite guests (or players), Aristarchus wants to speak to Piers, so they go and do that (Gracchus stays). There is talking about medicine and stuff, which the party direct towards Micaiah, and Piers reveals he is aware of a group of nobles who practice debauchery in the city, but does not know where – it certainly isn’t any of the baths, for the monks watch over them. He is agreeing to correspond with Micaiah, but a pale well-dressed man bursts in, clutching a knife…
As he lunges towards Piers, Mertin pushes him out the way, and he seems to collapse. Lancea reads his mind, and finds nothing but mist and a vision of Piers lying dead and bloody on the floor. They put him in the water to revivify him, who is shocked and dazed and has no recollection beyond a certain point. He describes walking down a spiral staircase, with his friend Walter who offered him a business opportunity and a great party. Piers identifies the man as William Bacon, a local wool merchant. Now Alastair is dying inside because it’s midnight and he still hasn’t got to the climax yet because the party are managing to explore pretty much every possible circumstance I had prepared plus more (also Alastair is dying inside again the following morning because this synopsis is way too long). The party rush off to get Gracchus, they deduce Walter is an infernal presence, and they decide to take a season to prepare for the encounter to learn relevant spells to defeat it.
They return a season later, in the evening, to meet Walter, who leads them down to the fourth baths, where there is clearly a wild party going on involving lots of singing, dancing and drinking (the Latin drinking song: in taberna quando sumus is currently on and the party agrees it is pretty banging). When the party don’t agree to join in, Walter takes a form of pure sin (party filled with horror and temptation claws at the soul), but their magic resistance protect them. The revellers are not so lucky, and the revelry gets more intense, and some of them are forced to attack the party. Fight happens, Walter is defeated by Gracchus’ magic, a man is killed by Mertin, party disperses, the fourth bath is now theirs, the end. Ha-ha no. Resolution now. Brother Lloyd joins party as a grog, helps to sanctify the area to clear the infernal aura, copies up Piers research papers on the medical effects of the Baths, Aristarchus enters the first level of the regio, and finds a book written by King Bladud, and notes that he’ll need a certain magical device invested by King Bladud to access the next level and hence reach the engine.
Summer 1235 -> Summer 1236
Mary and Mertin got married at Framlingham Castle, Suffolk. All the magi are invited, and are received warmly by Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk, and Mary’s nephew. After a joyous ceremony and a great feast, the magi manage to leave a good impression on the young Earl, despite the gift, with Gracchus in particular impressing the Bigods with his hunting prowess. Aristarchus wanders the hall at night, collecting misplaced clothes, including Mary’s wedding veil. Earl Roger, seeing the good having a prestigious institution and a place of healers in East Anglia, becomes a patron of the University. He approves of Mertin, but doesn’t seem thrilled with the arduous work Mary does at the infirmary.
At the end of Michaelmas 1236, Mary gave birth to Isabela Bigod without incident (helped by Micaiah’s medical knowledge and her magic device, Aristarchus attempting to dull the pain using his arcane connection via the veil, and Lancea providing emotional support). The child is instantly identified as gifted, and Lancea and Aristarchus discuss who should take the child as an apprentice (Micaiah reminds them both that the child is but one and would hardly have a fitting student).
Lancea is able to bind her winged horse as a familiar, naming her Caoimhe. Together, they negotiate with the Pegasus and come to an arrangement – the magi will protect the band of horses and the City of Troy, in return the Pegasus offers a single one of its feathers (one pawn of auram vis) and the lesser horses each provide a feather (total of three pawns of animal vis) per year.
The party are reminded of a conversation they had with William Bacon, back in Bath after his recovery. While mostly an unremarkable wool merchant from Ilchester, he spoke with pride about his son, Roger, who is apparently something of a genius according to the friars. Apparently, Roger has been studying for his first year at Oxford, and is set to return home in the summer. Aristarchus identifies this young man as the one from his vision.
Come the summer, the party journey to the Bacon’s home in Ilchester. Gracchus purchases cheese, and doesn’t share it with Aristarchus. He also checks in at the Friary, to confirm Roger Bacon’s supposed genius. The Friar confirms that Roger Bacon is a prodigy, with a superb grasp of Latin and Astronomy. Meeting Roger Bacon at his family home, Aristarchus uses a spontaneous spell to confirm the boy is (gentle) gifted. They learn from Roger that he has a natural aptitude for alchemy, and the “Learned Masters” of Oxford were planning to induct him into their ranks next year. However, after demonstrating their most powerful magic, they convince him that they are in fact more powerful, with greater resources (Micaiah offers the latest Arabic and Greek texts, from Constantinople). Roger is eager to learn from the magi, and will be joining them in Cambridge come Michaelmas.
Aristarchus and Brother Lloyd come to a breakthrough in their investigation of Arthur’s legends, concluding that they should be able to enter the Island of Avalon by boat. Despite the latter’s keen interest in pursuing the lead, the party instead agree to investigate Bladud’s University at Stamford. Now familiar with King Bladud’s symbol (a small stylised carving of a wolf with a skull in its mouth), they are able to identify that beneath the gutted “All-Souls Church” is in fact a set of catacombs, which they find (after Gracchus clears a rockfall) leads to the heart of the University there. They find a great underground auditorium, a bricked-up passageway (like in the Baths, Aristarchus is able to ascertain they are connected in some way) and a library, as well as a maze of submerged tunnels. If only they brought Micaiah and her stingray…
In the library the party find a wealth of Greek and Latin texts of varying rarity, some older more arcane tomes in scripts they don’t recognise. They also find two texts written by King Bladud himself, one concerning alchemy, the other necromancy, as well as a brass rod with a wolf head. Aristarchus is able to identify that the item should allow him to access the final level of the regio, and the Great Fermenting Engine of King Bladud itself. The party now have everything they need to recreate the device, except a permanent source of “natural magics” (Ignem and Terram vis) and of course the seven mystical salts.
Okay now things take a turn towards shenanigans, as I made everything up to this point too straightforward. The party go off searching for “Wayland’s Well”, another entrance to the University. Unfortunately, it has subsided into the surrounding lake. For some reason, this resulted in Aristarchus explaining the concept of evaporation to Gracchus, who responded by very effectively drying a puddle. Gracchus then tried to get him wet using Creo Aquam (but fails to penetrate his parma magica), failing that he pushes Aristarchus into the lake. Aristarchus could have drowned! (It was about a foot deep however).
After drying himself off, and spurred on by Nidhogg, the two continue to argue, with Lancea also joining the argument. They argue all the way back to Cambridge, with Lancea apparently shouting in Irish the whole time. When they get back, Micaiah attempts to soothe things over with wine and food. Nidhogg lives for the drama however, and succeeds in worsening things.
Lancea returns to her room to vent, Aristarchus returns to his to cry himself to sleep, leaving Gracchus and Micaiah to have dinner where Gracchus relates his story. Micaiah (very overworked trying to single-handedly run a medicine course, and lonely at missing out on all the adventures) ends up getting tipsy, knocks on Aristarchus’ door, where she is turned away by Nidhogg, and getting drunk and collapsing in the second level of the regio.
The ***players*** decide that Robert of Coventry is the only one who can resolve this carnage, who collects the upset Aristarchus, angry Lancea, hungover Micaiah and unrepentant Gracchus, attempts to cook them breakfast (but unfortunately burns the sausages, sorry but d10 decided…) and calls a council meeting. And that’s where the next session will start.
At the council meeting, the magi and Robert of Coventry discuss how to get hold of the mystical salts (Micaiah and Lancea are interested in recreating the Engine of Bladud, and Robert of Coventry thinks they may hold the key to fixing his Gift). Aristarchus unearths a recipe for Sal Albrod in his studies of King Bladud’s texts, and Micaiah and Robert are able to collectively identify Sal Gemmce, Sal Petrae, Sal Armonak and Sal Alkine. For the remaining two: Sal Almelke and Sal Conim, they are but two flimsy leads:
· Sal Almelke means “salt of the king” in a Semitic language (from the Levant)
· Conim is a biblical term for the plague of lice that afflicted the Egyptians.
The council decide that the Library of Alexandria or the House of Wisdom in Baghdad are their best bets for ancient knowledge. The nightingale chirps in when Alexandria is mentioned, and tells the story of its creator – Hypatia, a learned scholar and the librarian, as well as an expert on the Mechanica of Heron. Hypatia (a pagan) was torn apart by a Christian mob in the streets of Alexandria, and laid to rest beside her father at the Temple-Library of Serapis. With an interest in finding Hypatia’s tomb, the party decide to set off to Alexandria via ship in Easter 1237.
After eight days of travelling via the Invisible Hand, the party arrive at port in Alexandria. Gracchus turns himself invisible, and Robert of Coventry deals with the harbour official. Aristarchus selects the Greek Inn, the Caupona, as a place to stay, and they are set up with a room above the stables of the Inn. In the morning they travel to the sooq, and spend some time bartering at the market, in particular Gracchus fails to get a discount on some cheese. They also pick up all four common salts (Sal Gemmce, Sal Petrae, Sal Armonak, Sal Alkine) from the alchemist, Abu Bakr, at the market for a considerable sum, although Gracchus manages to bargain the total down with an incredibly (hehe) sob story. Robert of Coventry inquires about Sal Almelke, and persuades him to consult with his colleagues, giving him the location of their ship.
A young guide called Cyril approaches the party, and offers to show them around the city. A (self-proclaimed) expert on languages and the city of Alexandria, the party eagerly agree to his employment. When asked about alchemical salts, he takes them to the wisest men he knows, the monks at the Monastery of Saint Cyprius, just outside of Alexandria.
At St Cyprius, they are greeted by Father Menassa, who is able to identify an instance of Sal Conim in “the ancient texts”. Unfortunately, for the recipe there is but a recipe to “Cleopatra’s book”. It is here that Father Menassa offers a venture for the party. If they make safe the ruined pilgrimage site of the Monastery of Saint Mina, in the ruined city of Abu Mena, he makes vague promises about lore regarding the pagan rulers. He also offers them the opportunity the pray at their church, where the skull of Saint Cyril of Alexandria (a contemporary of Hypatia) is held.
Hesitant as to the legality of such an endeavour, the party instead choose to investigate the Temple of Serapis. Robert of Coventry is able to use the Nightingale’s information to locate the precise location of the tomb, but find nothing but a maze of apartments. Cyril reveals that this area of town has a local legend – the Wailing Woman, an apparition seen infrequently, who haunts the streets wailing in an unknown language.
After extensive interrogation of the locals by Aristarchus, they identify a pattern in the sightings of the apparition, and with the help of a local Imam (Aristarchus and Gracchus are fortunately absent on a shopping trip during this particular conversation) are able to associate this with the final Wednesday of every month in the Islamic lunar calendar, the next of which will be occurring in six days.
As they wait, the party decide to set out for Abu Mena, a four-day round trip for which Cyril prepares the necessary provisions, as well as hiring a trusted hired hand – Rebin, a freed Kurdish Mamluk. Micaiah chooses to remain in Alexandria, and attempts to make progress with the scholars of the madrasa. After two days of travelling, the party arrive at the Monastery of Saint Mina just after sunset. Located at the top of a hill, in the sandstone ruins of the monastic town of Abu Mena, the party make their way up to the monastery. The keen-eyed Gracchus and Lancea pick out lights flickering inside, and Gracchus chooses to make himself and Robert invisible.
The party make their way into the monastery, where they find a young man dressed in extravagant but damaged bishop’s garments, surrounded by three crusaders. The crusaders proclaim the glory of the Saint Mina reborn. The young man however begs the party for assistance – apparently, he is just a “pilgrim” by the name of Mina who the crusaders seem convinced is the Saint, and will not permit him to go free. Using magic to sense a Faerie aura, Aristarchus and Lancea attempt to convince the crusaders to go into the world to seek the Holy Grail (rescuing an potentially dangerous situation when an invisible Gracchus whispered “make a sacrifice” into the ear of a crusader). After some negotiation they are successful, the crusaders charge off, leaving Saint Mina to thank the party. He admitted himself to be an adventurer in the employ of Mu’ayyad al-Din al-Urdi, a scholar in the court of As-Salih Ayyub, Emir of Alexandria and Damascus and eldest son of the Sultan. He apparently had reliable information that the Tomb of Anthony and Cleopatra was found by walking west for an hour from the Temple of Osiris, half a days travel from Alexandria, and would only appear on the anniversary of her death, on the 17th of August. He and his friends had no such luck, so eventually came here seeking for more accurate information. Unfortunately, scavengers had long since taken anything of note.
The party return to Alexandria, and await the date of the Wailing Woman’s appearance. Arriving just after dusk at the precise location of the Temple of Serapis, they find an archway, which slides open for the Nightingale’s song. Inside they find the Temple, laid out like a classical roman temple, with a grand statue of a bearded man at its centre and a curtain behind. It is then that they hear the thunder of a mighty trumpet, stunning all four of them as they hear a soft wail behind them…
· Aristarchus, Gracchus, Lancea and Robert of Coventry negotiate with Hypatia in the Temple of Serapis. While not consumed with the rage she once was, she still desires revenge on Saint Cyril of Alexandria, and wishes the party to destroy his skull. Aristarchus is amenable, but the other three are not.
· Upon leaving the Temple, the party are arrested by soldiers as “Frankish spies”. Aristarchus scares them away with a ghostly illusion, but Gracchus turns himself in. Micaiah is also rounded up, and the rest are betrayed by Aristarchus’ lover Herakles.
· While imprisoned in a room in the Citadel, the party are visited by Saint Catherine. She convinces the party to talk with Hypatia, if they can forgive each other for the actions’ of the other killers’ religions, there souls can merge and Hypatia will be free. Lancea resolves to do this, by letting St Catherine possess her body when they return to the Temple of Serapis.
· They are visited in the cell by Mu’ayyad al-Urdi, Sahir of the Order of Solomon and unorthodox astronomer. He apologises for imprisoning the magi and Robert, but confesses that Hermetic magi are unpredictable. Having learned of the magi through his adventurer Mina and alchemist Abu Bakr, he wishes to negotiate – the recipe for Sal Almelke in exchange for the magi (and their allies presence) at the Baghdad Maglis, as the Order of Solomonic seek allies against the Mongol threat.
· After their release by al-Urdi, the party engage in various activities in Alexandria, as they await the next month to visit Hypatia once more, and then the 12th August in order to visit the tomb of Cleopatra.
o Robert of Coventry continues his exploration of the city. Micaiah gives a generous donation to the local synagogues, and persuades the Beth Midrash to teach her Hebrew and Aristarchus Aramaic. Gracchus speaks with the creatures of the desert, and Lancea practicing using her staff to sculpt ice statues.
· The party are rewarded by Father Menassa of the Monastery of St Cyprius with alchemical recipes for cement, preservative and smoke oil, pots of Greek fire and fire damp and 5 doses of tincture of parsley.
· On returning to the Temple of Serapis, the party convince Hypatia and St Catherine that they can resolve their differences, for their deaths were political, not religious. Robert of Coventry promises to tell their story properly, only then perhaps might their souls merge and be freed to teach them Hypatia’s secrets. The party also find Heron’s mechanical theatre, and a collection of damaged mechanica.
· The troupe finally go to the Tomb of Cleopatra at the Taposiris Magna, on the anniversary of her death. They assist the Mongoose Monarch in his defence of the tomb from a horde of asps. They then explore the tomb, artfully avoiding all the traps, and gain “Cleopatra’s Book” (exchanging it for a pot of Greek Oil), as well as other texts. They leave Gracchus behind to learn battle strategy and leadership from the mongoose king. They ignore the treasure chamber.
The Magi take the Invisible Hand to Alexandria to pick up Gracchus from his sojourn with the Mongooses, and Micaiah takes the opportunity to buy presents for everyone. These are appreciated as being particularly thoughtful, especially by Lancea. Gracchus's gift of a chess set is charming and he and Aristarchus bond over the game. Aristachus doesn't seem to pick it up that quickly, but Gracchus soon becomes quite an expert.
On returning to Homerton and wanting to give Robert of Coventry his gift of fine scribing materials, it is discovered that he has not been seen for two terms..
Discussions with the staff indicate that he left with Rufus the redcap to go back to Coventry to deal with a family matter. They visit the Mercer House at Coventry (the regio at Lunt Fort) and discover that Robert, after attending a funeral proceeded on to Bath. In passing they gave a copy to Rufus of "The Curious History of Hypatia of Alexandria" a tractatus of surpassin quality. They asked the redcap network to let it be known that they were open to providing scribal hospitality to people wishing to benefit from the ineffable quality of being close to Homer's Tomb in exchange for a local copy of whatever was written.
On towards Bath they are accosted by some Fae knights who challenge them to give information about the Grail. An incredibly perceptive Lancea notices that these are the same Fae that they met in Alexandria who Gracchus encouraged to "make sacrifices" and Aristachus encouraged to "Find the Grail".
After Gracchus deafeats them at Chess, Lancea manages to bargain with them for information. It seems that they have been charged to put to the question all that enter the diocese of Bath and Wells to discover the location of the Holy Grail. With a breif detour to the baths (where they discover that the infernal aura has not decayed as much as it should have done) and discussions with Bishop Jocelyn (who informed them that Robert of Coventry passed through here on his way to investigate the wells of Wells after the Baths of Bath [the suggestion that he was also investigating the Wookies of Wookey hole was met with stoney silence]). The Bishop was eager to see them casting *The Inexorable Search* but to him it just looked like a lot of chanting and then someone pointing on a map.
They manage to Discover from the knights that the were bound into service *Until* someone had completed her sacrifice, and then she would tell them all that she knew about the Grail. Lancea managed to convince them that they could fulfil this oath by merely spreading the story of the grail to all who passed, rather than challenging them to a duel to the death. This acheived the roads are no longer blocked, and (dear to bishop Jocelyn's heart) the stone can once more be carried to Wells to complete the Cathedral.
On ingestigating the wells of Wells Faetere noticed at the bottom of the market well that there was an entrance to an aquatic regio. Faetere and Micaiah swim doen and after a short swim in teh dark they emerge into a dank corridor. The others are summoned and they find an ancient brazier (now extiguished) with carvings around. The carvings have been defaced, and Lancea notices that they are written in the same script as *Unknown Language number one*, and Aristachus notices that the Brazier was once supposed to be an eternal flame, but that it was deliberately extinguished.
Aristarchus creates light rocks from some light rocks that were lying about. and the yproceed down the rough cave tunnel. After a while they hear chanting, and while they bicker about what to do, the chanting stops. Gracchus truns himself invisible, and they charge into a chamber lit with candles. . They find a Coweled figure arranging props around Robert of Coventry chained up clearly ready to be sacrificed. Robert himself is clearly pleading with the figure pointing out that sacrifcing a person was not only imorral but inefficient, and that a magic animal was traditional for a reason. A muffled voice replies that they are sacrificing him, because they *want* to.
Our heros charge in:
Gracchus tries to use his wand of impassivity on the figure, but it fails to penetrate. However Robert on hearing a familiar voice, calls out to "Quaesitor Lancea, thank the Lord you have come to march the Maga Laverna of Merinita!". Micaiah picking up on the ruse implies that Lancea is backed up with a whole bunch of Hoplites. Lancea herself makes a perfect dismount from Caoimhe and everone is impressed by her athletic grace, and Aristachus traps Robert within some vines for a reason that made sense to them at the time. However before anyone can try anthing else, the figure disappears.
In the after shock Robert lets them know what he has discovered while he was being held captive. The Maga was going to use him as part of a mystery cult initiation to gain the Virtue "Consumate Talisman" and that an aspect of a Daimon "Briganti" was to be summoned, using Robert as the Vis source. This has made him even more aware that his gift was still present as a mundane human would not work, and made him even more dedicated to getting the purging baths up and running at Cambridge. He thanks them profusely for their most timely rescue, and was even more grateful for being given Lancea's energency sausage sandwich. Shamefacedly he admits that he wandered off on his own to avoid the dieteary regimen that Micaiah seemed to be imposing on him.
And so back to the santiy and sanctity of Homerton.
It seems that Robert of Coventry’s tractatus on the History of Hypatia, and its arabic translation, have had sufficient impact to allow Catherine and Hypatia’s spirits to merge. The newly merged spirit visits them in Homerton, and make good on her promise to instruct Roger Bacon and Robert of Coventry in the art of mechanica of heron.
Having initiated the scholars into the Mechanica of Heron, Aristarchus, with the help of Robert of Coventry and “stories of the hearth”, a piece of research by Cornelia of Bonisagus, is able to open the gift of Roger Bacon, and Micaiah opens Robert’s gift the following season.
After a year of instruction from Micaiah, Robert is eager to complete his gauntlet and be accepted as a full magus. Seeking to rejoin House Bonisagus, Robert intends to seek out Cornelia for the purposes of his viva, and the covenant are eager to join him in his endeavour (Gracchus definitely has no other reasons to seek a Vim specialist archmage). Micaiah stays at home to hold the fort (Hibernia definitely doesn’t scare her at all) and continue her projects at the University (which 100% isn’t just the synthesis of lemon flavoured beverages).
In the final days of the Summer of 1240, the party set off for Circulus Ruber, the oldest covenant in the Hibernian Tribunal. Lancea uses the journey to fill the others in on the strange customs and complex politics of the tribunal. When they arrive they meet Conán Derg of House Mernita, the oldest magus in Hibernia, who advices them to tread lightly and shows off the covenant’s cathach - the Cauldron of Llasar Llaes Gyfnewid. They then are received by Cornelia of Bonisagus, who is flattered and intrigues by Homerton magi’s usage of her research. She does however, propose a deal - a viva for a viva. Her protége, one Connla, is a magus on macgnímartha has gotten himself in trouble for killing another magus from his covenant in self defence. Lacking the protection of the code, he is hiding from the “English magi” in Connacht, somewhat protected by the Cnoc Maol Réidh (a treaty signed him with hedge wizards and non-human races of Ireland). Cornelia wishes for Lancea’s assistance to complete his Bonisagus viva so that he might return to her.
Agreeing to the exchange, the party decide to seek out Connla in Connacht, using Cornelia’s powerful magic and an arcane connection to pinpoint his location - not where he was meant to be, which was in a Fir Bolg monastery on the Isles of Aran. They set off, while Gracchus gains a sidequest - fulfil a favour for Lugardis of Guernicus, Lancea’s parens and a quaesitor Cornelia is indebted to, of Elk’s Rest. In exchange, she will try and lift the curse afflicting Gracchus.
The party go to Connla’s approximate location, but some clever thinking from Robert of Coventry and specialised magic from Gracchus enable to make contact with Connla. They meet Connla on a cliff overlooking Glencara Lough - the red-haired young man is dressed in the garb of a traditional Irish warrior hero, wielding many weapons. They discover he has no interest in a viva, but is instead intending to unite the people of Connacht, and later the Hibernian magi, in a bid to renegotiate the Cnoc Maol Réidh, so that Ireland can be freed from the English yolk and shared by its many people.
The party have mixed feelings towards Connla, but all in all they decide to help him. Corenlia on the other hand, recognises when she isn’t wanted, but agrees to fulfil her end of the bargain when they return to Circulus Ruber. Connla asks the magi to seek out Tamas Lin, a man, or maybe a faerie, or my some legends a half-faerie, who leads a faerie band of warriors in the Connacht-Munster border region, so that they might join him in battle against Lugaid and his army of Fachan - faeries of the court of Queen Maedhbh who need to be defeated to prove oneself worthy of the legacy of Cú Chulainn.
Lancea takes the party to Elk’s Rest, near the location of Tamlin’s wood, her home covenant, where they discover things are in shambles. Oswald of Bonisagus has left for Durenmar under a cloud of mundane interference, taking his research with him. Igneous Drake of Flambeau was killed in self-defence by Connla (Oswald’s former apprentice). Oswald’s other apprentice, Geoffrey of Bonisagus, seeks to join the covenant of Praesis to hunt down his “brother”. Lugardis, the only remaining member of the covenant, asks Gracchus to cértamen Geoffrey, to prevent him from exacerbating strife between the English and Irish magi with his quest for vengeance. She also privately informs Lancea of some things.
Gracchus challenges Geoffrey to cértamen, on the condition that on his victory Geoffrey will abandon his attempts to hunt down Connla, but should he lose, he surrender 10 pawns of vis for every art (Geoffrey is aware he is likely to lose against a much older magus, but decides it is worth the gamble for 150 pawns of vis). The arts of chosen - Perdo Corpus - allowing Gracchus to win nearly effortlessly, humiliating Geoffrey by making his hair fall out for the day.
Next, the party go to the Tamlin’s wood, located effortlessly by Lancea (but after all she is local to these parts). Despite Aristarchus’ eyes of a hawk and Gracchus’ ears of a fox, the party are ambushed by Tamas Lin’s warriors. Tamas greets Lancea with familiarity, and the charming, attractive, slightly ethereal man, swoops into all the party’s hearts… At Lancea’s dear request, he agrees to join Connla in battle.
Lancea wishes to meet Connla again in Glencar, and reveals why: Connla is the child of a dalliance with Tamas Lin (cf. the tale of Tamlin). She convinces the party to accompany her to Glencar, where they witness the battle, Connla learns of his heritage, and demonstrates some badass fighting techniques - the Clesrada, learned from his lover Úathach on the Isle of Skye during the first three seasons of his macgnímartha.
Finally, they return to Circulus Ruber, Robert of Coventry completes his viva with flying colours, seriously impressing Cornelia. Robert swears the Oath and is now a full mage of the Order. Cornelia also casts a powerful dispelling charm on Gracchus (one specifically adapted for non-hermetic magic). When they return to Homerton, Gracchus is reunited with Ratatoskr and it is all super wholesome.
Lancea and Micaiah definitely do not get drunk on Micaiah’s project.
Currently the King, Henry III is campaiging in France with his brother (richard of Cornwall) and father-in-lawn Hugh X of Lusignan against the King of France. Henry is not doing well.
Lancea and gracchus have been frosty with each other after Lancea discovers the m,asscre of the faerie host at the hnds of Gracchus.
Session starts proper:
After corresponding with Bishop Robert Grosseteste for many seasons, Micaiah has now gained his trust. It is clear in his correspondance that he respects Micaiah as a scholar, but he makes no attempt to hide the fact that he considers those who follow the Jewish faith to be in error. However he does not proselytize. He now askes her to investigate a disturbance related to the Catherdral at Lincoln. He asks for her to bring an expert on investigation.
The whole team rock up to Lincoln where His Grace recounted the misfortunes that had befallen the cathedral. A few years ago (1237) the main tower had collapsed, and since then there had been minor mishaps. The false-work had been improperly set and caused someone to fall and be injured, stone for the rebuilding had cracked, and now a master mason, Tomas of Pisa, had been found dead with no mark as to how he had died. Alas the common people had started to think that it was all the fault of the local jewish community, as they would be able to charge for the loans taken out by the craftsmen for longer. The Bishop is not so sure, and asks Micaiah to help
On inspecting the Body Gracchus immediately notices that with its belongings are the coat that he encanted to kill the wearere by filling their lungs with sand. He does not hide this fact from Lancea who is very angry with him. Micaiah talks to the local Rabbi:Elazar ben Levi, and they agrre to correspond. Both try to out do each other in hospitality. After a lot of investigation they manage to track down the person who gave the poor mason the coat, a Fr Peter of Ely. he had been refused a benefice (prebend of a Manor in Market Deeping) by Bishop Grosseteste, and held a grudge against him. A minor demon had formed a pact with Fr Peter and together they had been trying to undermine bot the Cathedral and the bishop.
Confronting the Fr in an inn on the outskirts of the town (suspiciously in a lacuna of the Divine Aura) Grachhus managed to expel (but not destroy) the demon possessing Fr Peter, and Lancea managed to make hin fall asleep and read his mind as to his past behaviour.
This allows them to find witnesses that can prove Fr Peter's involvement. With these mundane witnesses Bishop Grosseteste has enought to both try the miscreat and displel the foul slanders against the Jewish Community.
Gracchus makes note of the owner of the Inn (Geoffrey) that lies in a suspicious lacuna of the divine, and who did not seem fazed when the exorcism was made.
Having finally read and digested Mechana of Heron Robert of Coventry manages to finally repair the Lion of Thebes. A message from Mu’ayyad al-Din al-Urdi inviing them to the Majlis in Baghdad this August, so they decide to drop off the Lion on the way.
Miciah and Robert think to make sure they provide guest gifts to the Covenant of Epidauros for trespassing on thier time. Robert a copy of his Creo tractatus, and Micaiah surpasses herself by taking a cutting of the rose from which Homerton gets their Perdo Vis.
Xenias is touched by the gifts, and provides welcome hospitality
When the Lion is installed on the intermediate level of the Regio it manages to perform the necessary heroic leap to open the next level.
There they find a pitched battle between many fighters. They wear the same uniform by sport clooured sahes of either red or Blue. Hailing the Blue commander (Solon) Gracchus manages to warn him of a flanking manoeuvre of the reds. Solon takes the advice and the reds are routed. Many corpses lie about the battle field and Micaiah tries to tend to them.
After much confusion they discover that the Sacred Band each day draw lots to see which side they will fight on (lovers always drawing the same colour) to keep the fight going. They are surprized to see visitors as they had been cut-off for so long.
Discussion reveal that they are worried that they have not progressed to the Elysium fields as they hoped for. Previously they had asked visitors to seek out the spirits of Patroclus and Achilles to give tem guidance, but no mortal sent on this quest has ever suceeded. Meanwhile they boast of their Martial prowess, and reveal that anyone who demostrates a warriors heart ( weapon skill of 5+ or leadership of 3+) will be allowed to jion them in training. The training lasts a year and grants the minor virtues Puissant <weapon>, Cautious with <weapon>, and Puissant Leadership, and they gain the Major Flaw True Love as one of the Sacred Band bonds with them and travels with them into the mundane world (getting them into scrapes as much as they can). They state that in the past many used to avail themselves of this training, one of the first being Alexander the Great
Aristachus has a relevation and understands that all the previous seekers for the Spirirts of Achilles and Patroclus were looking in the wrong place. The Illiad states that they were interred at the Hellespoint, but now that Troy has been discovered to be in England, the Hellespoint has been mis-identified for years. It is in fact the Pillars of Hercules at the gates of the Mediterrainian (a much more appropriate resting place for warriors).
He also has an insight into possibly founding a mystery cult, and that the sacred band might provide a "Red" band in some sort of rainbow...
The magi continue on to Baghdad, stopping in Alexandria to offload a copy of Robert's Curious History of Hypatia and to get directions. When in Baghdad, the party explore the Grand Bazaar. They spend some time at the marketplace shopping, Robert of Coventry purchases a non-functional armillary sphere toy, Gracchus some cheese, and Lancea found a Persian selling a curious hot beverage called "tea", which she quickly became extremely fond of.
Aristarchus also had a vision of a city of Baghdad, however it was clearly Alexandria, and concluded that "Baghdad is Alexandria". Using piercing the faerie veil, he identified a faerie regio present throughout the whole city. By walking through a certain arch, Aristarchus and Gracchus are able to enter the faerie regio, which turns out to be Golden Baghdad, a more grand and exotic version of the real city, paved with marble and roofed with gold. There they meet faeries claiming to be Caliph Harun al-Rashid, his vizier Jaffar and his eunuch executioner, who reprimand them for attempting to vandalise the city. They are then able to leave the regio by stepping back through the arch.
Finally, the magi make it to the Dar al'Hikma - the House of Wisdom, an impressive mosque-like building with impressive geometric designs all around the walls. Inside they find al-Urdi, in a grand courtyard at the centre of which is a giant golden armillary sphere, which fascinates Robert. They are then introduced to Niya, the young gifted asala of the House of the Heart (the family specialising in Solomonic Storytelling). A prodigal scholar and firm advocate for the power of the gift, Niya headed a faction within the Suhhar to work with the "Frankish Warlocks" against the Mongols, and was able to select an... amenable Grand Vizier. She is joined by the much older and more wizened Yasira, un-gifted asala of the House of the River (specialising in Solomonic Travel). An eccentric and well-travelled woman, Yasira has a pet Criamon called Spiral, and quizzes the magi about regiones. She also demonstrates a spectacular grasp of languages, using Arabic, Greek, Latin and English, and is even familiar with the University of Cambridge. Like Niya, she desires to work with the Hermetic Magi, and is particularly looking to incorporate some of their inventions.
Having met their sponsors in Baghdad, the party are allowed to rest in preparation for a lively Majlis. (The Magi also present gifts to the Majils, including various useful texts including a copy of Cleopatra's Book, the works of Robert Grosseteste, King Bladud's books, and Robert of Coventry's Curious History of Hypatia.
The party are led by into a tent at the centre of the crowded Bazaar. Shielded from the eyes of mundanes, the Majlis takes place in a six-sided grand hall in the centre of the market. The magi are impressed by a transparent roof that shows the sky above. Niya explains that the Majlis will take three days and three nights, with the grand vizier hearing progressively more significant complaints and requests. Niya explains that they intend to raise the issue of dealing with the Mongols, and seeking formal aid from them (and perhaps other Hermetic magi in the future), after dinner on the second day. In the meantime they are free to mingle:
Al-Urdi, and his friend and fellow astronomer al-Abhari, great the magi. Al-Urdi promises to construct an armillary sphere for Robert of Coventry, while al-Abhari wishes to discuss Cambridge as a centre of learning. Al-Abhari argues with Aristarchus regarding the Almagest and cosmology. Later al-Abhari is fetched by the young astronomer, ad-Din al-Bukahri, on behalf of the asala of the House of the Star (specialising in Solomonic Astrology), Majd al-Dawr. Al-Urdi explains that Majd al-Dawr opposes the brining in of Hermetic magi, as he believes that Baghdad is doomed to fall, and wishes to relocate the wisdom of Baghdad to Cairo. Al-Urdi also tells the party of al-Bukhari, explaining he is a young astronomer who teaches in Mongol-occupied Persia. To most sahir's disbelief, the ruling Mongols there have an interest in learning and religion, and employ al-Bukhari to that end.
Aristarchus finally gets a chance to speak with Spiral, the Criamon magus in Yasira's employ. Spiral tells Ari that he has been studying Solomonic magic and Sufi mysticism, but struggles to communicate his understanding. As a master of Intellego Vim magic, Spiral has a powerful understanding of the spirits and vis used in Solomonic magic, and explains this in detail to Aristarchus, who manages to extract the smallest amount of insight from it. Spiral wishes to establish an embassy here in Baghdad, encouraging a Guernicus maga to take the lead to give the interaction with the Suhhar legitimacy. The magi promise their support. Spiral also lets slip that a Criamon frater, Arash, can be found amongst the Jews of Baghdad.
An alchemist, and follower of Navid Arashpur, the asala of the House of Stone (specialising in Solomonic Alchemy and warfare in general) who had been opposing collaboration with "Frankish Warlocks", challenges Gracchus to duel, should he fail to teach him the dread art of Parma Magica. Gracchus accepts the duel before Niya can intervene.
A young sahir named Sarah offers to trade rego vis in exchange for herbam vis, for a very handsome exchange rate (after attempting to befriend Lancea with talk of botany). After a great deal of suspicion from the magi, they eventually settle on a deal, and Micaiah uses Leap of Homecoming to facilitate the trade.
Talk then turns to the mongols, raised by Navid Arashpur, who argues in favour of pooling the resources of the Suhhar, the Caliph and the Sultan and marching out against the Mongols. Gracchus refutes this strategy however, using his military expertise to argue for the fortification of urban centres, while Robert and Yasira successfully influence the Majlis into delaying military action until the Mongols are better understood. When asked for their aid, Robert and Gracchus pledge the construction of devices to help in scouting, magical investigation and the defence of the city. In exchange Robert and Micaiah ask for access to the House of Wisdom's texts, to copy them (the argument that learning needs to be distributed and decentralised is popular with Majd al-Dawr and Yasira's houses), as well as establishing the right for an embassy covenant to be established in or around Baghdad.
Content with their interaction with the Majlis, the magi call it a day, and all go home wiser and more worldly. Except Micaiah, who stayed behind to "sort things out with the embassy" (she actually spent six months living in the House of Wisdom library). Lancea convinces Lugardis, her parens who had been hanging around in Homerton after leaving Hibernia, to take the role and move out to Baghdad.
Micaiah befriends fellow physician and Sahira of the House of the Hand (the House specialising in Solomonic Physic), Penninah, while studying at the House of Wisdom, who teaches herself and Gracchus Arabic, and Grigoriy spends time studying anatomy alongside the prodigal Sahir Ibn al-Nafis.
A number of issues are brought to the attention of the Dean of the University - Robert of Coventry - over the course of the past two years.
· Students are leaving the University (especially many of the young arts students in their second or third year).
· There have been a few conflicts between students and townies when the King came to visit. Cambridge has denied a royal charter.
· Richard of Chichester, former chancellor of Oxford and recently elected Bishop of Chichester, has apparently taken up a stance against Cambridge – apparently it is too wealthy, scholars should be ascetic.
· At the exams at the end of 1244, all candidates failed their MA exams except Roger Bacon.
· Robert of Coventry (or perhaps the Nightingale) receives a complaint as the dean from Master Eneko Gartzea before his public examination. Eneko claims that Roger Bacon is a poor student despite his success, he doesn’t keep term and misses mandatory university meetings and lectures. He also claims that Gilpatrick, another student has been led astray by Roger Bacon, and now pursues heretical theological ideas.
· The lupus of the dorm, Graham, confirms.
Roger Bacon's good friend Gilpatrick
The Feast of the Gastronomers.
Robert Of Coventry has created the Homerton Griffin, which shimmers as it flies. At the moment it only has teh power of Flight and speech, but other powers could be invested in time. He notes that in heraldic terminology it would be a "Girffin d'or".
At the end of Michelamas Lancea recieves a visitor. Her Son, Connla has sent an emmissary witha gift. Mescal has brought with him a cauldron that turns water into clabber (fermented milk), that gives the imbiber the personality trait "Brave +3" forsun duration. Mescal presented as a gift as Connla knew his mother was going to the gastronomer's feast, but under Lancea's piercing gaze he reveals that it was "liberated" from the english Magi trying to colonize Ireland, and they needed somewher to hide it. Mescal is quite a hit with many people and spends the next couple of months working as a gardener in the nascent Botanical Gardens. Aristachus suddenly discovers an interest in Botany...
At the feast they meet up with old friends:
William the White from the Cologne Chapter house of Fengheld in the Rhine tribunal who asks Lancea's advice on a legal case involving "Molesting the Fae". She seems to give advice that William sees as favourable.
Immanatos of Oculus Septentrionalis located in Lubeck, on the Baltic Coast of Germany, who is just having fun.
Alī Ibn Khalaf al-Murādī of Toledo, whose lab they broke into in the alps (the cuckoo)
Aeliophanes of Hose Flambeau, of the covenant of Favonius, a floating covenant of ships that normally wanders around the eastern mediterrainian. He is just there for the kill.
Lexora of House Bonisagus from Jardin in Provence who was also here for the hunt, and to get away from her Covenant leader, Joia de Lua, of Jerbiton who is doing her head in.
Gracchus gives an amazingly inspiring speech of gratitude to the host. and is thanked profusely by the host.
In the morning each team is given an arcane connection to a tabel where their quarry was stabled. Lancea and Gracchus start disagreeing as to kill or not to kill the Unicorn. After a great scuffle, the chaste Micicah manages to charm the unicorn and Gracchus strides into the feast atop the captered unicorn. The unicorn seems obsessed with crunchy balls (apples that Aristachus has in his non-citrus pocket)
On returning to Homerton they discover that the hyacyths had been plucked by a scullery maid to try and seduce Mesacal. The Mason, Robert while helping Robert of Coventry set up his Lab in the higher level has the idea "don't fix the rosetta stone from sinking further down as bad things will happen". Clearly this is nonsesne so he decided to fix it, whilst doing so he accidently broke a merlin shaped polder.
The next night the Magi hear that the Town of Dunwich on the suffolk coast was swept away by the sea.
aristarchus Finally realized that the Hyacyths were trying to distract the attention of Cassandra, whose prophecies were always ignored.
End of Easter 1248
18 months after the incident at Homer's tomb, a messenger from Robert Grosseteste summoned Micaiah to investigate a mysterious malediction inflicting the people of Spalding - downriver from Stamford. Mundane doctors seem to be having little impact.
Meanwhile, Gracchus' monthly check for his nemesis, the witch of wookey hole, yielded a worrying result. She was once again in the British isles, and bribes a wren to reveal her location to him - Spalding Marsh.
Gracchus immediately informs his sodales, who agree to accompany him on the condition he doesn't immediately strike down the witch. They take a trip down the river Cam and then the Ouse to King's Lynn into the Wash, before turning back up the River Welland. With their immense perception and skills of magical investigation, the magi identify that the water contains vis, which Aristarcus identifies with the infernal realm by... tasting it. Aristarchus identifies the trail of the water as upstream, but the team are distracted when Gracchus keen eyes pick out a well in the middle of a flooded fen.
Aristarchus has the insight to check for a regio, and Robert of Coventry's use of eyes of the eagle allows him to pick out the path of the trees, following a winding path through the mist between alder and willow trees. After thirty minutes of trudging through marsh (with Gracchus losing a boot in the process of attempting to appear more athletic than Lancea), they arrive in a faerie regio, a magical stretch of fenland, surrounded my mist but with wisps of light flitting through the reeds and willow trees, and the moon and stars shining despite it being day outside the regio.
They are soon ambushed by some blue-cloaked archers, who greet them with suspicion as "christians". They agree to take them to the Witch of Wookey Hole, who is in their village. The archers lead them to a circular wooden hut, the largest of many in a small village surrounded by pastures containing wooly deer, which Robert recognise as Ceiru. Inside two women are bent over an unmoving form on the ground, the older instantly identified as the Witch.
After some negotiation between the Witch, Gracchus and the other magi (Lancea in particular mediating), the magi agree that they will assist Orianna (the Witch's former apprentice) and the people of the village - the Iceni - who are suffering from the poisoning. The figure on the floor, Lace, was the only scout to return from an expedition to the ruins of the Wolf-Lord's temple (a deity who the Iceni venerate), which had been revealed when the water level changed 18 months ago. In her hand was a shard of mirror coated with black slime. Fearing it has something to do with the illness, Orianna has avoided touching the shard, but Aristarchus licks it with no fear, identifying it with the magic and infernal realms (spicy and bitter). Attempting to clear away the slime is ineffective.
Orianna directs the party to the Wolf-Lord's Temple, which the party identify with an alternative entrance to Stamford University which had previously been to. According to Orianna the temple was desecrated by a cruel Saxon King, Wayland the Smith, who used it for his own ends, and they are welcome to anything of his (marked with a wynn).
The party return to the site of Wayland's Well, and slide down a chimney to enter a stone passage. Inside they find a cloak of feathers; a set of magical tools; a shattered mirror coated in black slime (it softly sings in the magi's heads); and some valuable trickets (skulls with jewels for eyes, a broach of human teeth). They also hear a familiar chugging from underneath...
Beneath the chamber is a Bladud engine, working overtime. In the partially flooded room, there are three corpses (in blue cloaks) which are possessed by demons which seem to be tied to the engine. Robert of Coventry is able to realise not only that the demons are intrinsically linked to the engine, and keeping it from exploding by providing it with their power, however this is also tainting the vis and causing the poisoning down river.
The party have no time to dwell on these implications, as the animated corpses bear down on them. Aristarchus and Gracchus banish the demons, starting Robert's countdown until the destruction of the engine - four hours twenty three minutes and seven seconds. Robert uses the magical tools of Wayland and his expertise of mechanica of heron to attempt to fix the engine. He is rather successful, buying them an additional four hours to try and evacuate the city.
Aristarchus and Gracchus explore the city of Kaerbadon, Bladud's capital, which was beneath Stamford the whole time (and the reason for Stamford University), but don't find a great deal of value (Aristarchus picks up trinkets). Lancea looks at her options, and decides to not interfere, but Robert of Coventry is not able to live with that decision.
Robert manages to convince the priests to encourage the people into the churches and pray for a miracle, and despite appearing mad somehow manages to convince most people to take shelter in the churches. Lancea helps in this.
Eventually Aristarchus recovers from an existential crisis, and intervenes. Making himself appear as an angle, he persuades yet more people to take shelter in the churches, he also uses his mysteroius rego terram rods to reinforce walls, dig ditches to drain the fens into the river to cool down the engine, and use vines to support the buildings. Gracchus on the other hand absconds with the goods, and watches from a nearby hill.
BOOM! The engine explodes, shattering Kaerbadon and sending debris all over the place. The town subsides into the now flooded river, but miraculously the churches are spared. Unfortunately, a few dozen people who failed to take shelter were killed by debris. The party disappear in the chaos, perhaps for the best. The destruction of Stamford cannot be overlooked, and the number of refugees, first from Dunwich, now from Stamford, may overwhelm the region.
Returning to the Iceni, Gracchus finds the Witch dead, having transferred her life to Lace to cure her of the poisoning of the vis. Lancea is upset by this, but Gracchus is suspicous, but after some investigation is reasonably confident that the Witch is truly dead.
Micaiah eventually arrives to help heal the Iceni, and in gratitude for all they have done, Orianna agrees to keep an eye on the mirror (as it cannot enter the aegis), and looks forward to working with the covenant further, seeing they are "much more tolerant than other christians". Lace signs on to the covenant, she blames herself for bringing the poison to her people and for the loss of her fellow scouts, and Orianna thinks this will help her move on.
Gracchus is finally free of his past, the covenant has a new scout captain, the magi have collected a bunch of mysterious and useful toys and a new ally in the Iceni. But both Hermetic and mundane eyes now turn towards the East of England, and our magi know of at least one Bladud engine still out there, discounting their own facsimile.
After a Hiatus within the Confines of the "mind" of Aristarchus, normal life resumes.
Robert of Coventry decides to take a look at the mundane finances.... and discovers that they are in a terrible state.It appears that someone has been siphoning off the funds…. It is Alric a monk seconded from the Bishop of Ely’s staff. He has been “persuaded” by the bishop, Hugh of Northwold that the University had signed over 9 tenths of the income to the See of Ely, and he was just implementing the order...
Lancea is delighted by a visitor from her house. It appears Livia ex Guernicus is moving to the tribunal to take a position in Sabrina's Rest (Lundy in the Bristol Channel) Livia ia an expert in Aquam, and the proximity to the Severn Bore amongst other things will suit her admirably. She is effusive in her support for Lancea, and not patronising in any way. Though she did just enquire about rumours of a new covenant founded in the north east, and wondered if the proper proceedures were followed...
The head porter(William) comes to Miciah with a tale of a teamster (wulfgan) who was transporting wine to the college and was attacked by a boglin (he is being tended to in the infirmary) . This is similar to the one marco killed all those years ago. The draining seemed to have been making their attacks rarer, but the increased flooding over the past few years seems to have riled them up again. Anyway the wine shipment is lost, and it is difficult to persuade people to go on the supply missions.
1254:
They manage to Invite the Bishop to graduation, and ask him to preside over the Ceremony. He seems well satsfied that Cambridge is not a bastion of heresy, but is not moved to go back to the old order of the chirch only taking 90%. Chatting about mundane politics brings news of Simon de Montfort's efforts to call a parliament to bring the king to heel, also the Jewish population has been slowly expelled from the towns of england since the 1253 “statute of Jewry” This was from direct encouragement of the vatican (Jews should were a yellow badge, no christian should work for a Jew, etc) Some are petitioning Miciah to grant them sanctuary, currently only christians are allowed to enrol in the university as students, and they must take mass each day.
Lancea discovers that the northern covenants (including one new one called Sanguinis Vento) are only contactable through the redcap network, and they are very closed lipped about their locations (the new head redcap is Lisa of York, and she is very much a stickler for the rules)
Livia sends a letter that she has been asked to settle a little difficulty between Blackthorn and sabrina’s rest, and she is delighted to help take the burden off Lancea’s shoulders. She is sure that the rumours of interfernce in the mundane economy of Lynn (booming due to the Marriage of town and Sea ceremony) and Dunwich (sunk) are just gossip.
Soon after presiding over Graduation, the Bishop of Ely dies and the Magi manage to put in place the original agreement about tithing to the church before the new bishop (and ally of the King) is installed.
1256:
Lancea has been trying to discover more about the covents through mundane (non scrying) means
Sanguis Vento is on and island near the tyne. It only accepts visitors on the night of the full moon. The mundane supliers are wary of the “raiders”, The covenant has ships that seem to travel far away during the summer,
Burnham is almost in Scotland (vaguely close to Sanguis Vento, but there is no hint of rivalry between them). They were given their Grant of Immunity from local marcher lords during the Anarchy of Stephen’s reign, and keep themselves very quiet, and do not accept visitors. They trade very sparsely with the local community, so it is difficult to get info.
Cad Gau (north Wales, in the mountains) is chaotic as normal, noone seems to want to keep any sort of order, again doesn't trade much with the locals. [note this is the Domus Magnus of House Ex Misc]
Semitae wanders all over the place, the redcaps agree each time where to meet them next. It is impossible to find them otherwise unless by prior agreement
Voluntas is near scarborough, and is welcoming. Julia of Jerbiton leads here, and she is glad to see Lancea, She is very correct about not conspiring, but you can tell that she resents blackthorne. Is concerend about the coastal erosion. Would very much like a new longevity ritual in the coming years (she has one, but upgrading while she can is useful). Very charming. Other Magi are Corvus Ex Bjorner, Kirist ex Flambeau (very young) Phessallia ex Merinta (away atm), and Desideratus of Verditius specializing in wands.
Sabrina’s Rest (Isle of Lundy ish) gets supplies shipped in from most places in the Severn Estuary, but mainly trade with Bristol. This is Where Livia is based, so Lancea was extra careful in what she pried into, but it seems that the roster is unchanged, there is Antigone of Criamon, Asteria of Verditius (specializing in Bronze) and now Livia. Fidelius of Boniagus seems to have passed into final twilight.
1257: Michelmas
A visitor arrives at Homerton. Jutrowuj of house Criamon, has been asked by his parens to deliver a book and beg for some others to be sent in return. However he is waylaid ont the river by a Farie knight (Sir Gilles estram) who exorts Jutrowuj to help him free Sir Gilles's squire from a bog-beast. Jutrowuj helps, and (guided by a vision from Aristarchus) the rest of the Covenant turn up to watch the Knight dispatch the beast. Sir Gilles seems quite taken with Jutrowuj, and begs a favour to wear..
Jutrowuj brings a folio (forum.atlas-games.com/t/thirty-for-november-bonisagus-folios/12102/18?u=rgd20
with him and asks for the Comedies of Plautus, and The Curious History of Hypatia of Alexandria, by Robert of Coventry. He is an elementalist, and he was advised by his parens that he will not settle down until the earth flows like water, the air burns with a fierce intensity and you see the joy in the hearts of those who are chained.
These he decided were all metaphorically true when he arrived at Cambridge with the earth sinking into the sea, the air burning with intellectual debate, and most shocking of all to him two free acknowledged werewolves, who voluntarily chained themselve up every full moon, but otherwise were closely integrated members of the community.
Robert and Miciah are keen to add him to their community, (even though he is a criamon) as his vote at tribunal would be helpful, and he seems not too crazy.
Michealmas 1258
Hayyim ben Moshe (chief rabbi, based in London) has written a letter to Miciah warning her of more anti-jewish sentiment.
Julia request that in the Season before the tribunal in Easter 1258, she has longevity ritual upgraded by Miciah. Miciah Gracefully assents
Hygwald veritas, ex tremere, has requested an audience with Lancea of Guernicus, and has suggested the port of Lynn as a meeting place. He was apprenticed at blackthorne, but now is a member of waddensee covenant on the island of teschelling in the northern netherlands. He is worried about tales of piracy involving magic and rumours that this could be traced back to his covenant, even though they are normally very pernickety about leaving no witnesses. They worry that somone in the greater british isles is being less than discreet, and beg leave to attend the stonehenge tribunal.
Tales have been discovered from the sailors they… rescue from their missions, and they find that they are not the only piratical ships in service.
Incidents include seeing a black ship at the centre of a lighting storm chasing another ship.
A sea monster reaching out to destroy fishermen
a black ship racing very fast on a windless day.
Lancea takes Lizzie to the meeting, as it is good for an apprentice to see how Quaesetors act. Lizzie is shocked that piracy is not a Hermetic crime, and that Hygwald is being perfeclty correct in everything he does. Lancea carries herself with aplomb, and, after discussing all the pros and cons contacts him later to inform him that he may address the Stonehenge tribunal.
Start of Michealmas: Mary Bigod is visited by her Father, en route back from oxford where a parliament has been taking place, where the king has been exacting taxes to try and pay off his various debts.
The king has been placed under the control of a Council of 15 of which Roger Bigod is part and Hugh Bigod was made Justicier (a ressurected post). The King is not happy.
One notable event at the Parliamnet is that -despite the King's need for funds it was decided that uninversities would not be subject to exactions.... Bigod cannot recall why as it seems dashed odd. He did recall some silly knight called Estram banging on about everyone should consult the great sage Jutrowuj, as he was apparently the wisest man in all the lands, with such a gentle soul to boot.
On her way back from meeting Hygwald, Lancea is diverted by Caoimhe, by the whinnying of her herd.
A foal had been taken by peasants using a purple net. After tracking down the pesants, it seems they had been driven to taking the foal, as they had been texed so sorely that they no longer had any horses to plough their fields. Gracchus discovered that the purple nets that a "passing preist" had sold them were probably something to do with Architectus, the Devil who created the fast road from Northampton to Oxford.
At tribunal Livia hopes that the decision not to tax universities was not anything to do with Homerton as well as the unfortunate death of the Bishop of Ely, she (Livia) reassures Lancea that she (Livia) has been doing all she can to quash such wicked rumours...
The covenant of Sanguinus Vento announces itself tersely, without giving much detail. It is represented by Clementia of Flambeau who brings with her two voting sigils. She has many mundane scars and seems quite the battle-hardened maga.
There is not much to talk about at tribunal. other than choosing delegates for the Grand Tibunal.
The Delegates chosen are Gracchus, Goliard and Clementia.
Miciah Finishes inventing "Gift of Sublime Eloquence", which has the ability to raise the recipient's Communication by +1 per casting to a maximum of +5! Both Gracchus and Jutrowuj pay the cost and have their communication improved.
Jutrowuj starts excavating a lab on the +5 level of the regio, but stops when he discoveres what appears to be an Earth elemental, that seems to be moderately old (approx 500 to 900 years old), work stops until they figure aout a way to talk to it.
Meanwhile a student (William of Chester, son of a knight in service to the Earl of Chester) has been sent down for keeping his room in such a state, that it started leaking into other rooms. In his effects is discovered what is clearly a magical pelt. A white beaver pelt that has one pawn of Rego Vis. Spells indicate that the beaver was killed by a mundane trap, but was severely emaciated beforehand. After many discussions they discover a colony of white beavers in the fens near Brancaster on the north Norfolk coast. The are refugees from Gotland, where suddenly the local wizards have started hunting them. Gracchus uses his ability to talk to animals to reassure them, and they offer to relocate them to the Regio with the Iceni, which has both Willow trees and a magic aura, both of which they need to survive. So we now have contact with a clutch of magical beavers.
Easter 1259 (with a bit of back hack to Lent 1258)
Flashback: After discovering the Earth Elemental whilst excavating for his new lab, Jutrowuj asked Aristarchus to help communicate with it.
After long time they invent a spell to talk to the earth elemental.
They have a not at all confusing conversation and then decide to talk to the rock of Homerton. They find that it is a conduit set up by (presumably merlin given the rock's description) to channel "earth" energy to somwhere north east.
Lancea manges to spont a spell to see through the earth, and follows the "ley-line" of earth power from the stone. It persists for quite a while, and they decide to take the invisible hand. Actually it takes a very long time, they get to the coast and it keeps on going, under the sea-bed. Eventually the ley line abruptly stops, and Fatere investigates and finds an under-water regio boundary. She reports that beyond is a watery vista with marble columns...atlantis?
They decide to get tooled up and investigate with care...