Story : Meeting in the old stone cottage

Back to: The old stone cottage rebuilt
== The first ray of dawn ==
:April 21 1220
nb. if you take actions prior to first light on this day, add a section prior to this one.
The sun's rays alighted quickly upon the cottage in which the four magi and their party slept. The cottage was bathed in the light of a spring dawn while the cottages of Church Stretton, clustered at the foot of the mynd, slumbered on, deep within its shadow.
The cottage, formerly a natural part of the landscape, had become something of a distraction. Where before the weathered and tumbled stones had been a congruous part of the landscape, there now stood a vaguely religious looking structure.
It was much sturdier, the walls thickened and buttressed, the windows stopped tight by sturdy looking shutters, and a solid looking smooth barrel roof which was quite unique in the area. It was more like some bizarre foreign tomb than a residence for shepherds, though typical of the odd things magi erected for themselves.
Despite the strong sunlight, the morning air was very cold, and yet damp.
Inside and out, in the growing light, the magi began to stir.
Having spent the last couple weeks on the road with Alicia and Llewys, it had become habit for Ambrosius to wake at first light. With the result of much practice, he rose, and went about his morning routine. The sun was not thirty minutes over the horizon and he was clean and refreshed, his Parma restored to its full strength. He and Phaedrus had agreed the night before to start as soon as there was light, and they were both eager to begin.
Phaedrus wrapped up his morning responsibilities at much the same time, and the two magi put their heads together one final time over the drawings. As the more capable, or less dangerous, spontaneous caster, Ambrosius would handle the majority of the non-formulaic magic, while Phaedrus would use his superb finesse to ensure both safety and what aesthetics the situation allowed.
They'd agreed the night before that the first place to start was the gigantic stone ring which would act as a focus, timeline and trigger for many of the spells that they would cast for as long as they worked out of this rapidly transforming cottage. Ambrosius had formed the ring the night before with little difficulty, but try as he might, he was unable to bring to bear the concentration necessary to use it as a component of any spells. Phaedrus, excelling at ring magic, inspected Ambrosius' work from the day before and declared it fit with only a few minor changes. Once the ring was ready, they began in the deeper of the two rooms, behind the cottage and tunneling down into the Mynd. The work was slow going at first, each magus casting simple to pull out a single, perfectly cubed block of stone, once pace wide, and floating it to the far side of the cottage where they had determined to use the blocks to create stable walls, and, if there were enough material, another room that Ambrosius secretly hoped to turn into a make-shift forge. Ambrosius was duly impressed with the ease which Phaedrus moved the stone - it was clear that this work was making fair use of Phaedrus' art of choice...Ambrosius guessed it was Rego.
To Split out the block:
Level 1 + 1 for Stone Rego Terram 
+1 Touch, +1 Part = challenge of 4
To Move the block:
Level 2 Rego Terram 
+1 Touch, +1 Diameter = challenge of 4
Ambrosius - Stamina 5, Rego 4, Terram 6, Aura 1, Voice & Gestures 2 = 18 + roll
There is no roll for nonfatiguing spontaneous magic in 5e.
Phaedrus - Stamina 2, Rego 12+3, Terram 5, Aura 1, Voice & Gestures 2 = 25
Yhey were joined soon that morning by Geraldous who, while unable to move blocks of stone magically, set to at preparing the ground where the stones were to be placed, ensuring they were set square on flat solid ground. As the mages pulled stone out from the lower room, he started to look concerned, and periodically he would look down into the chamber they were creating, a worried look upon his face.
The going was slow - much slower than Ambrosius had hoped; particularly with the rate at which Ambrosius was failing to cast the spell without fatiguing himself. He calculated that they would have to clear or move almost five thousand cubic feet of stone to carve out the rooms, and the two mages were averaging only sixty cubic feet an hour. He knew that he was able to spontaneously move a cubic foot of stone at a time without drawing on fatigue, but wasn't sure how much more Phaedus could handle without risking Chaotic magic. But, the task was to get the rooms done as soon as possible so that the mages and their companions would have a shelter if they so desired.
Ambrosius waited for Phaedrus to emerge with his most recent carved block and stop him to talk. "Sodale, we make good progress, but I, ah, fear it is not good enough. At this rate, it will take us nearly a week of working hours to complete the rooms. We can move ten times the stone by investing a bit more energy in it. We shall have to rest between castings, but the time to do the labor will still be reduced drastically. We can pull out stone beams ten paces long, and be done by nightfall. What do you think?"
"I think I could split off larger stones," Phaedrus considered, "but moving them around would take fatiguing magic, and the amount of spells needed feels a bit risky. But if we split of a bunch of big stones I might to be able to move them with a few group spells. But does it really matter if we get only one room done today? We ought to have stone for another room above ground before we finish the first basement room anyway."
 
To Split out a big block
Level 1 + 1 for Stone Rego Terram 
+1 Touch, +1 Part +1 size= challenge of 5
Move the blocks
Level 2 Rego Terram 
+1 Touch, +1 Diameter, +2 Group +1 size= challenge of 15
Ambrosius - Stamina 5, Rego 4, Terram 6, Aura 1, Voice & Gestures 2 = 18 + roll
Phaedrus - Stamina 2, Rego 12+3, Terram 5, Aura 1 Voice&Gestures 2= 25 + roll
"Agreed, sodale," Ambrosius said. "Let's finish off a stable for the animals and then, with whatever stone is left, we'll work on an additional building."
By the time the sun was high in the sky, the mages were well into the ground on the deeper of the two subterranean rooms, working it apart, piece by piece. For the most part, Ambrosius carved the blocks of stone while Phaedrus, being the more capable mage in Rego Terram, handled the more difficult magic of moving the stone out of the passage way. Ambrosius tried several times, but failed far more often then he succeeded; and though his ego was bruised, practicality won out.
== Awaiting the others ==
:April 21 1220
Bedo was not early to rise. Apart from a brief foray out of the hut to relieve himself from the previous night's water, he rested well into the morning. Once the sun was relatively high in the sky he packed himself up, called out to the other's that he wouldn't be far away, and walked up the gentle slope through the heather, to the smooth top of the hill, a few hundred yards to the north. Once there, he took parchment from his bag, and began to sketch, drawing a panorama of the skyline in all directions. Once he was happy he had the outlines of the major hills marked down, he stood, and cast the same spells he had cast from Caractucus's fort searching for traces of regios, and auras. Several times he returned to his sketch, noting with satisfaction his discoveries.
== Noon ==
:April 21 1220
Sandor and Aloysius rode up as the sun was high in the sky. As they approached the cottage, they slowed to a halt, and a moment later there was a *whoosh* and a flutter, as the invisible owl landed upon a fallen branch.
"Hoo, too-whoo."
Aloysius frumped a bit. "All right, we're here, you can get out of those filthy feathers now."
"Hoo, hoo," was the owl's reply.
The polecat glared at the seemingly empty air above where the sun cast the invisible owl's shadow. "Enough of that. You know I don't understand your hooting and barking. Change back and talk to me like a real satyr."
The shadow shook its head. "Hoo, hoo," it responded nervously.
"Oh, hoo hoo yourself," snickered the faerie beast. "I guess you lived up to your Merinita heritage and botched things up good and proper. You're stuck, aren't you?"
A moment's pause, then "Hoo... hoo hoo."
Aloysius scampered to the ground, then rose on his hind legs and shook his head, paws crossed in front of his little chest. "Once for yes, twice for no."
"Hoo," came the reply.
"Good, you CAN follow simple instructions. Now. Are you stuck in that form?"
"Hoo..." Eirlys answered reluctantly. "Hoo hoo."
"I don't understand, yes no? You mean some combination of both?" he asked suspiciously.
"Hoo."
The polecat frowned. "I see. Well, how long do you think you'll be stuck like that?"
"Hoo?" Eirlys asked.
"Oh fiddlesticks, you're limited to a two-hoo vocabulary. Bloody useless pigeon. Rat of the skies, I always said. Let me rephrase: Are you stuck that way permanently?"
"Hoo hoo," came the prompt reply, quickly followed by an odd gack gack sound. Four brown blurs the size of a mouse appeared from out of thin air, and tumbled to the ground. The invisible owl reached forward with one foot, pulling apart the pellets with a claw. When she was satisfied that all of the bones from the snake she'd eaten were encapsulated within her regurgitated pellets, she resumed her satyr shape. "Sorry about that Aly. I'd breakfasted early this morning, and I wasn't sure I could digest those bits normally." A quick Perdo Animal later, and the pellets disappeared.
Eirlys turned to Sandor and rested an unseen hand on his arm. "My friend, will you tend to the horse?"
Sandor nodded perfunctorily, and immediately began stripping the tack from the beast. His friend touched him behind the ear to signal her thanks, then lifted Aloysius from his shoulder, and approached the cottage.
"So, I'm not supposed to knock then?" she asked in a whisper.
"No, that's for public places like inns or churches. Not that you should be going into churches, you'd spontaneously burst into divine flame. That's what their god does to those who worship the Old Ones, he wants to be the only one so he kills people what know about others and revere them."
A look of utter horror crossed Eirlys' face, though Aloysius couldn't see it. "But that's terrible!" she whispered fervently. "How could anyone--"
"Greed," the polecat interrupted abruptly. "Arrogance, and greed. Anyway, you should indeed knock, as this is more or less a private residence."
Shaking the shock from her mind, Eirlys reached out and sharply rapped the door, which looked to have been made just the day before; the wood clean and fresh. The floating polecat put on his best enigmatic smile, as they awaited the response of their sodales.
== A break for lunch ==
:April 21 1220
It wasn't long after that Ambrosius came our from around the left side of the house where he'd been using one of his few successful castings to move stone from the cave to the growing stable wall. He was impressively dirty and covered with a layer of dust centuries thick, but smiling broadly. Clearly the whatever he was doing was pleasing him. His mind absorbed in other thoughts, he didn't see the polecat until he absentmindedly made to brush it away as he made to step through the door. When he realized what he was seeing, he stopped dead in his tracks.
The image of Aloysius rotated around to face Ambrosius. Eirlys stood quietly, however, peeking at the elementalist's attire, searching for the telltale glint of dreaded iron.
"What have we...ah, you are the polecat Aloysius! And you're floating..." Ambrosius stuck out a hand and swept it gently under the ferret, feeling for the arm of the maga. "Maga? Ah! Maga Eirlys! Welcome to our home away from home! Please," he gestured to some conveniently sized rock cubes in front of the cottage, "sit and rest. I will gather the others to let them know of your, ah, arrival! Come to think of it, where did Alicia and Llewys go...?" He looked around absentmindedly. "Ah, well. I'll let the ones I can find, know anyway!" He chucked quietly at some private joke, and then stepped into the cottage and disappeared down the cave that appeared to have been dug from the back wall of the cottage. A few seconds later, Eirlys and Sandor could hear Ambrosius yell, "Sodale! Maga Eirlys has arrived! Come and see...er...well, take break with us, anyway!"
"Coming," Phaedrus answers. Then he took a few seconds to spell himself clean and tie Eirlys kerchief around his arm, before picking up the latest stone block and following Ambrosious outside.
 << OOC Does Phaedrus see Eirlys? Seccond sight + Perception = 2, 
 magical invissibility Ease 6+magnitude =10, a simple die should give him 30% >>
"It was a long journey. I don't expect Longinus to arrive until some time tomorrow-- he wished to make an early camp in a dark place, while I opted to travel through the night and make our three-day's-time appointment." Eirlys rested a hand on Ambrosius' shoulder in greeting. "I apologise for my appearance, or lack thereof. I am strong with Perdo- not so much with Rego. I do still have some dried pears for this break."
Mnemosyne had been sitting outside, enjoying the spring weather and getting on with her notations. From time to time she would retrieve a long scroll from her bag, unrolling it to a certain point and then very carefully and precisely write something onto it. It was then carefully packed away again. However, when she saw the arrival of a man on horseback who she vaguely thought she recognised. A bit irritated with herself that she had not spotted him from further away, she packed up her things and made haste down to the cottage.
When she got closer she recognised Sandor as one of the other magi's grogs. Eirlys or Marcus, she rather thought but was not sure. "Why are you here alone?" she asked Sandor in English, concern making her voice sharp. "Has something happened to one of the other magi?"
Sandor turned and faced the maga, his expression unconcerned, even a little relieved. He knew the maga was speaking to him in English, but he did not understand it. All Sandor could do was smile slightly and shake his head to indicate that he did not understand.
The little polecat turned his head about to the grating sound. "He speaks not, O most beauteous and justicial Guernicus," he called out in English. "And he understands only Welsh, besides. But come and sit with us while we await the return of our good Verditius, who even now gathers the other magi from within as we speak." He stood up, then walked a circle atop the stone block upon which he had been reclining, before settling back down and curling up into a ball.
The invisible Eirlys sat waiting beside; could one but see her, they would think her deep in thought, though in fact she was running her tongue along her teeth, trying to rub off some imagined serpent scales with the tip of her tongue.
Mnemosyne looked at the polecat in surprise. She had overlooked the faerie creature in her focus on Sandor. It told her for sure which magi were missing though. Eirlys and Longinus. "Ah... Aloysius, is it not?" she asked.
"I do have the pleasure of being known by that appellation, most effervescent scholar," the polecat replied with a bow.
"Where are Eirlys and Longinus? Has something happened?" She glanced around to see if the two magi were trailing along behind some way. The fact that Sandor did not look worried and the polecat's tone was calm was slightly comforting.
Aloysius licked himself lazily. "Eirlys is right here; it's just that her Perdo Imaginem effect has yet to expire. Magus Longinus stayed behind with Llewelyn as he wished to dally at the location we found. The three of us travelled through the night to make it here in time for our agreed-upon meeting date."
Eirlys' disembodied voice spoke then, making a poor effort to conceal her annoyance: "I don't expect they'll make it here until some time tomorrow, traveling on foot, and needing to sleep every time the sun dips near the horizon. I don't see how the man gets anything done when he is incapable of using even half of a day-cycle. But enough of that. How have you fared these past few..." Her voice trailed off as she turned to the door, where the Verditius was approaching.
Ambrosius stepped out of the cottage with a sack of rough-hewn stone cups, tough bread and a thick slice of some hard cheese. "Ah, Mnemosyne. Good of you to join us. Please, take some and pass it along, while I get some water for us." Ambrosius handed the bread and cheese off to Mnemosyne without even waiting to see if she was interest, and turned away to fill the cups at the well. As he did, he spoke. "I have to admit, I was hopeful that Longinus and Marcus would arrive today, but that seems less and, uh, less likely as the day wears on." Ambrosius brought the first two cups back, handing one of, rather awkwardly, to the invisible Eirlys, and the other to Mnemosyne. After going back for more water, He set handled a cup to Phaedrus, who'd just stepped out of the cottage and set a shallow bowl of water down for the polecat. "And...Ah, blast! I forgot Bedo!" Ambrosius straightened and looked toward the top of the mynd where Bedo had been sketching all day, thus far. He shook his head wistfully and turned to where his younger brother sat working on his lessons and switch to English. "Llewys, would you run up and invite Magus Bedo to join us for a meal and discussion, please?" When Llewys was away, Ambrosius turned back to the discussion at hand. "Ah, well. Now that we know Longinus is a good day's journey out, well, I guess we cannot begin our discussions until tomorrow. Frankly, I'm, um, anxious to get back to that incredible regio and explore!"
Eirlys cleared her throat. "I have not the leeway to remain until tomorrow to report upon Hockestow-- Beltane is soon; it is a long journey, and I must make haste, am I to collect supplies from Crun Clach and then attend my Lady. I've offered to assist in preparing the Feast. Quite a hectic responsibility, in the midst of an archery tournament, sword dances, and rounders." She laughed. "I should like to make my report and then be on my way, and return in approximately two weeks' time. Traveling through the fae realm is quite slow..."
Water sloshed from Ambrosius cup as he spasmed slightly, as if startled. His eyes wide and face slightly blushed he said, "Two weeks? By Mercury, Maga, you could miss everything...the final site selection, the building of the, ahhhh, um, buildings...everything!"
"Beltane is midway between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice, which would be nine days hence. The celebrations begin the night before, and the preparations at least two days in advance. Though my arts are not so inclined towards creation or building, so I doubt what use I might be in the construction process."
"But Maga! This is to be your home! Are you not worried that your desires or needs may mistakenly be overlooked?"
Eirlys giggled. "All I need is a hammock to sleep in, and a copse of trees to shelter a laboratory. Any other needs I can see to myself."
Bedo had arrived during the exchange, and stood there waiting for a quiet moment to speak. Eventually, he cut in, "I, er, I think it most important that we all take part in the discussions. I know we said we would speak today, but we are not all here together. Eirlys, cannot you delay your departure one more day? There will be a Beltane every year, but we found a covenant only once. I am sure once we have made our decision you can be spared during the time of building - it seems we have experts here who can guide the rest of us."
A low growling noise emerged from the satyr's throat. "Yes, there is a Beltane every year. That does not diminish its importance in the slightest. It is my duty, to my Lady, to the land, and to my parens. Even were it not a matter of social importance that my parens not have my skin for leaving him with the feast preparations alone--" she groaned-- "There are still fruit groves which must have the proper blessings laid upon them, to ensure a bountiful crop. Would you see people go hungry? A priestess does not shirk her responsibility to the land and to her people simply to indulge a narcoleptic Mercere."
Ambrosius jumped back, looking in the general direction that he believe Eirlys to be. "Isn't there someway we could use Rego Corpus to speed you along your way? Something in the vein of that spell...what was it called? Ah yes! Seven League Stride! Surely one among us is talented enough in these arts to give you fleet feet...or, um, wings...for a day or two?"
There was an odd thumping sound, as Eirlys tapped a hoof upon the ground, in thought. "I do not believe such magics would be of assistance, traveling through the realm of Faerie," she stated. "Travel through Arcadia is-- particular, to say the least. Although, come to think on it..." She paused, thinking. "I suppose the journey would be made much faster if I travelled overland to Kintyre... through the mundane world. But I have never travelled in such a manner, and I confess I would am somewhat... apprehensive at the thought." Had she been visible, a sly smile would have been seen spreading across her face. The satyr moved to place one arm through Ambrosius'. "Perhaps if a worldly and knowledgeable magus were to accompany this hapless fae pilgrim, I'd be more inclined towards the prospect of mundane travel..." She leaned in close, so that the scent of the flowers in her hair might aid her in her attempt at enticement.
Ambrosius dropped the stone cup and sat up straight, startled at the invisible arm through his. "Wha...I, ah," he stuttered. "No, I'm sorry Maga, but Llewys, Alicia and I have given up far too much for me to step out now, even for a little time, or for something as important to you and your people as Beltrane. I'm, ah, sorry."
Eirlys removed her arm quickly from Ambrosius'. "Well then, I shall need to be on my way at the morrow's first light, to travel through Faerie, as planned."
Ambrosius shook his head, resolute but confused. "I do not understand, Maga - you gave up as much as the rest of us, if not more, for I know little of your past. I understand that the Beltane Celebration is important to your people, but surely there must be a way for you and your man Sandor to stay for the discussion!"
Bedo sat back and sighed, "We grow as mages over time, and part of growing is breaking away from those who have taught us. All of us have left our true parents, in some way, and as we passed out gauntlets we broke, a little, from our parens. By coming searching to found a new covenant here, we break a little further, and again, as we break, we grow as mages. If I were to have stayed at Durenmar, I would have had direct access to the greatest magical theorists, and the most knowledge of how our magic can develop, in the order, but I do not believe I would become half the mage that I intend, should I have stayed there. My parens, and the other mages there knew that, and blessed me as they had been blessed in their time, to leave, to break away, and to search elsewhere."
He stopped, and looked seriously across the table at where he judged Eirlys had spoken, "Maga・irlys, you are not apprentice Eirlys. Your parens, and the rest who know you there, must have accepted that you were leaving them, when you set off to this place. I am not saying abandon them, lose contact with them, or forget them. I am saying that as a mage, you need to accept that by joining a covenant you must also break, in part, from where you were before. You have chosen to come, as we all have, and find a new home. For your own sake, do not forego your part in deciding on, and building that home," He sat back quietly, looking slightly surprised at the force behind the feelings that he had expressed.
A cold silence passed. Finally, Eirlys cleared her throat. "I find it deeply insulting that you consider my religion to be on par with one's apprenticeship, as some passing phase to be outgrown-- I suspect you would not be so openly flippant towards Christianity to a priest of the Roman church. Regardless of your utter lack of respect for my faith, I will not abandon the traditions of my people. Not for any magus, nor any covenant." She paused for emphasis. "While I am certain Drystan is quite understanding of the desire for independence in fledgling magi, my Lady is not so forgiving; nor, for that matter, am I. When I have had the time to scout these lands more fully, I may find others of the faith with whom to congregate in observance of our Sabbats, amassing sufficient belief that my Lady may manifest here-- but that time is not now. We seven had an accord, to meet and speak of our findings today. One of us -- or two, if Marcus is not within-- chose not to respect that agreement. I will not violate my beliefs or customs on behalf of the one who broke our compact. Should you care to hear my report on Hockestow Forest, or inform me of your own findings, that is at your own discretion. Should you care as little for my counsel as you do for my religion, then state so plainly and I shall be on my way." Eirlys took a deep breath, grateful that the lingering Perdo Imaginem effect hid the outrage and hurt on her face. Not waiting for a reply, she stomped off toward the spring, hooves scuffling the topsoil in a tiny flurry.
( Eirlys Explores )
The reply was short and loud enough to be heard outside as she left, "First, I would expect a priest to warn us before it was urgent if they had a service to conduct; second, I would expect them to have the humility not to believe the sun and stars revolved around them; and third, if they had come to help found a covenant, I would expect them to found a covenant, not to run off as soon as anything does not run to their private schedule."
Ambrosius shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a spoke softly in English. "Magus, I don't mean to offend, but, um, aren't you concerned that might have been overly harsh? I...well, I would much prefer this, ah... effort not collapse before it has even begun." 
"It may have been", Bedo conceded, "but I see both the following as required: that all of use who are to be sodales are involved in the initial discussions about the covenant; and that we are all committed to the covenant, and aware what living as a covenant would entail. It is, of course, up to Mnemosyne, who called us together to lead these discussions, and to decide how they are to be conducted. It does seem to me though that Eirlys has put Marcus and Longinius in an impossible position - either they are to be excluded from a meeting because they are delayed, for whatever reason, or they talk knowing that one of their would-be sodales has left the meeting, and in Longinius's case has abandoned him for a second time."
"While we wait to see if she returns, I can tell a little which may be of interest of what I have confirmed this morning. Caractucus's fort may well not be of use as the location of a covenant, although that is to be decided by all of us. It is though an interesting place, of some power, that we may wish to revisit. While I was walking on the hill I confirmed that we can see te fort, both from close by on the Portway outside this cottage, and more easily from the hilltop a few hundred paces to our north. From there too, there are good views of some rocky outcrops on hills that stand over by the great forest to the northwest. I think that may be the Hockestowe Forest which the others have visited, so if they find something there we way have the means to reach it more quickly in time. At least, if we have one who can cast the Seven League Stride, we can."
Mnemosyne had listened to the three magi arguing back and forth with a fairly neutral expression on her face. It seemed as if the gift was working its subtle effects already and she wondered if this was an ill omen or a good sign. True, bickering usually was a sign of tension. However, all too often it was part of the daily warp and weft of life in the Order and underscored only too well one of the duties of her House.
She raised her hands to call for a halt to the heat. "Pax, Sodales," she said calmly. "Let us discuss this calmly and with level heads." She looked around as if hoping to suddenly spot Eirlys. Instead her eyes fixed on the polecat.
"We will discuss this further with your mistress when she is visible. It is not seemly to be conversing with people who you cannot see and does not help matters. At that time, we would be delighted to hear her report in full and confer on further matters."
She swung around to fix first Bedo, then Ambrosius and then finally the polecat who was standing in for Eirlys as the recipient of Mnemosyne's steely gaze for now. "We should also all bear in mind that despite whatever intent we may have currently, we have not formed a covenant as of yet or sworn ourselves to any significant undertaking. That is something which we must decide on yet. As such, we are bound together as fellow members of the Order and our decisions are our own."
Finally she turned back to Bedo and spoke a little more softly to him. "Eirlys has told me that Longinus elected to dally behind and has made his choice to arrive to this meeting late. We shall hear more from him when he arrives. Until he does then let us not make judgements on Eirlys' motives."
She fell quiet and looked out across the Mynd, perhaps hoping to spot Marcus approaching. Coming up from Church Stretton the only reason for a delay from him could be trouble.
Bedo looked around, listened carefully, and hearing and seeing no sign of Eirlys spoke quietly, "Mnemosyne, I am aware that so far we have no commitment made to form a covenant, and it is at that time that I believe we need all who might be involved to be present for the discussions. Longinius is not the only one late arriving - I feel we owe it to all you invited to attempt to meet with all of us together."
"If we can then come to an agreement as to founding a covenant, and where, and of what form it should be, then is the time when those who have other commitments should leave to carry them out. I would expect at that time that at the very least I shall be writing a letter to an old friend in Chester, and it may well be that I shall visit him, but that can wait until we are doing things, not deciding them. I have few skills that can help with constructing buildings, as I suspect Eirlys has, so then my skills may be best put to gaining us a friend who knows the people and the politics of the land, but until then I see it as our duty to ensure that whether and what we build is something with which all you have invited can agree."
He sat back, a little more relaxed, then spoke again "With my talk of politics, and local friends I am sounding like one of house Jerbiton. I need to get back to studying before I am my normal self again, so the sooner we can assemble all and make our decisions the better."
Mnemosyne laid a hand on Bedo's arm in a friendly way. "We are in agreement then, Bedo," she smiled at him with her mouth. "I am pleased that your own dedication to the prospect of settling the important matters of the covenant's foundation and its attendant affairs is of paramount importance is an echo of my own - and I am sure for all of us here. I would indeed prefer to wait till we were all gathered here to discuss this together, even if it means waiting a day or two further for Longinus. Marcus is not yet late, and I hope he will yet reach us before the day is done. Alas, I fear that the Redcap Reynaldus will not be coming as he promised and something must have delayed him. I suggest that his absence is something we cannot wait for indefinitely, but Longinus and Marcus are a different matter."
She looked at Eirlys' polecat. "However, as we have yet to actually agree to form any covenant together as of yet, we owe each other very little. As such, if Eirlys has obligations elsewhere which she believes to be of greater importance, then we must respect that. We agreed to meet here today and if Eirlys insists and finds that her obligations elsewhere outweigh those here, then we shall have a meeting and make what decisions we can. Everyone must walk their own path. Hopefully, our paths can be together. I am sure you will agree that forcing Eirlys to do anything is counter productive to the kind of long term harmony we will require if our covenant is survive with us all a part of it."
She smiled once more Bedo and patted his arm reassuringly. "Patience."
==Once more the Four==
:April 21 1220 (still?)
Mnemosyne approached the male magi sometime later at some time they were gathered together. Her face was frosty and her expression was one of who had made efforts to maintain their patience. So much so, you could probably freeze water by pouring it over her.
"Gentlemen," she started in frigid tones. "I have been informed by Eirlys's rat - apparently she has not even the grace to show herself figuratively or literally - that she has decided to depart immediately to seek others to celebrate her pagan rites with. She seems to believe that she will find some fellow worshippers and return before the sun has set, despite the nearest village being Church Stretton, several hours below us. As such, there will apparently be no meeting tonight to discuss anything, not even what was was discovered in the forest, if indeed anything was."
She looked grimly around the group. "Quite frankly, I am appalled by the careless disregard which Eirlys has shown for this venture, not to mention her general disrespect for the her fellow magi and indeed the repute of the Order as a whole. Given her antagonistic and suspicious ways, an element of doubt now enters into my mind about the safety of Longinus and indeed, perhaps even Marcus who was left back in the village. Longinus seemed to be a reliable man, but he is not here and neither is Marcus. The fact that Eirlys has been rather aggressive in her faith and this seems to clash with Marcus' beliefs worries me, along with the statement that she specialises in Perdo."
She looked at each magus' face somberly. "I am probably reading too much into the situation, but too many small things have felt wrong about this Meritina since I have met her to make me feel comfortable or trust her. As yet we know nothing, but I would caution you all to be on your guard for now."
"Ambrosius. Would you mind asking Alicia if she could take wing and scout out the land and see if she can catch any glimpse of Longinus or Marcus on their way. It would take a great deal off my mind to know that they were in fact safe."
Ambrosius nodded and walked over to where Alicia sat with Llewys, eating some hard cheese and bread. He kneeled down and spoke softly with Alicia, relaying the maga's request. He then awaited an answer. Alicia nodded, then withdrew to find a place to transform which would not challenge her modesty.
"I am safe, meo sodales," said Marcus, stepping in toward the group. [assuming that he doesn't kill himself using his Seven League Strides to arrive:-) It should be only two castings? One to the Fort, from which spot this place is visible.] "I arrived a mere moment ago, and some of the tidings I bear are ... unpleasant. And they concern Eirlys, did I hear correctly that she has departed?
Mnemosyne gasped in surprise at Marcus' dramatic entry. She tried to recover with a flustered greeting and letting Marcus know that she was pleased to find that he was safe. Before she went on to tell him how worried they had begun to become over him his words broke through to her. "Eirlys, you say?" she asked sharply. "Yes, she has gone looking for pagans to conduct some rite with, I believe." Her voice was hard. It was not that Mnemosyne actually cared less about Eirlys' beliefs. Rather she was not impressed at the lack of regard she was showing to her sodales.
"Well, at least she is safe for the moment, which may be more than can be said for us," said Marcus. "The escapades of the missing maga have roused the countryside. The bishop rides abroad with an armed force searching for a demon. Word of Eirlys' arrival at the inn, and her behaviour, were sent to the bishop that very night. After you all departed, he rode in with his men and ransacked the town looking for her. At the moment, no one seems to have connected me with her in any concrete fashion, but she may have endangered our relationships with the town, and if she returns and is seen again, we may well find ourselves attacked by a large force of demon hunters and an overenthusiastic bishop."
Mnemosyne stood in silence for a long moment after Marcus had dropped his metaphorical Ball of Abysmal Flames on the group. "She is wanted by the Church for matters relating to demons... In fact, for 'being a demon. This is incredibly bad. In fact, I can think of few things which could cause us greater problems. This may go beyond damaging our relationship with the town and be more of a matter of damaging the Order's standing with the Church, if we do no act with great caution and prudence on this matter."
Mnemsosyne paused in thought, looking off into the distance and she ran through various scenarios in her mind. "It is more important than ever that we ascertain if Longinus is indeed safe. If something has happened to him..." She did not finish her sentence, but rather trailed off grimly.
Ambrosius, who had returned and quietly taken his seat, said, "Perhaps we are blowing this out of proportion. I know for a fact that the Order of Hermes is not unknown to the Church. Indeed, I would likely be destitute or dead, if not for the kindness of the Abbot at Shrewsbury Abbey, and his introducing me to my first Parens. Can we not approach the Bishop with the truth, and depend on his common courtesy to help us sort the issue out?"
"I am no expert in the local church" Bedo joined in "but I can see that it will be difficult for the Bishop. He has come up in person, preached fire and brimstone about demons, and sent his men searching through the village looking for anyone who might shelter one. Even if he knows about the Order, and is willing to ignore us, he still has his position to look after, and he has acted. Suddenly stopping acting would look wrong." He paused, looked worried, then continued, "Assuming of course that Eirlys is what she says she is, and not a demon, and assuming that she has not harmed Longinius, and assuming that she returns, and wishes to be involved in this covenant - and I know that these are all large assumptions, I think the best that we can hope for is that she is never seen by the people of Church Stretton in a form they can recognise again. If she cannot agree to that, I would consider that she comes too close to endangering the Order through her actions for us to trust her."
Mnemosyne nodded in silent agreement with Bedo. It seemed unlikely that the situation would be resolved with simple pleasantries and a word in the right ear.
Ambrosius cleared his throat and spoke, "I know this question has been left unasked, but I think, based on Sodale Bedo's comments, and now might be the time to ask it..." Ambrosius looked specifically at Mnemosyne. "It seems to me, through my, ah... very basic understanding of Hermetic Law, that Eirlys may have, through her actions, endangered the Order - a specific violation of our Oath. More specifically, her naivety？as specifically endangered our future covenant. While I know it was all unintentional..." Ambrosius stopped and shook his head. "I just...I just don't know what to think. I just wish to make a home for my brother and myself."
Mnemosyne nodded again, this time in agreement with Ambrosius. "That is definitely one side of the situation and it could be argued that Eirlys has willfully endangered the Order to one degree or another and has risked its reputation. On the other hand, as yet the Bishop has no reason to believe that Eirlys is connected with the Order, or indeed any of us are. So, it could be argued that Eirlys has not actually endangered the Order yet. However, the Bishop's ignorance will not last when establish our covenant and friendly relations with the Church are essential. As such, Eirlys' presence could, and probably would be a negative influence."
"This matter will take much discussion and it would helpful if Longinus were here as well, presuming he is indeed coming," Mnemosyne said grimly. "Let us wait before confronting Eirlys with this though, I suggest. It will do no good to provoke an argument before we have a full gathering."
"Now, do we have any means of knowing where Longinius should be? If so, do we have means of reaching him?" asked Bedo.
"Ambrosius' companion, Alicia has a talent for shape shifting it transpires. She has gone to scout out the land around from aloft, I believe." Mnemosyne glanced over to Ambrosius to check that this was correct and continued. "Clearly Marcus is with us now, which is a good sign I feel. But perhaps she can spot Longinus on his way too, which would be a great relief. I myself doubt that I could make contact at all easily with him from here, but perhaps Marcus' skills with translocation could be brought to good use if Alicia can give him a location, or at least a direction to move to. I presume that throwing yourself around the countryside willy-nilly without knowing where you want to be is less than useful and potentially dangerous? And would you be able to transport others as well?" The last two questions were directed to Marcus.
"You are correct that without a clear idea of my destination, my mode of transport is dangerous. I came from the fortress there," he pointed to the fortress some miles in the distance, "which is admirably located for such things with a good view of the countryside. Sadly, I cannot transport others. That is one of the first things I intend to work on once we have established ourselves."
==Longinus arrives(?)==
:April 21 1220
A falcon dove down toward the magi, pulled up short and then circled their heads. Ambrosius recognized the bird as Alicia. Landing, Alicia turned back to look at the magi, then hopped a step or two back in the direction of the cottage on the Mynd and let out a cry. Then she turned and flew back toward the private place where she had changed shape. A few moments later, she stepped out in human form. "I've found Longinus," she said without preamble. "He's down that way, coming through the forest."
Ambrosius perked up. "Excellent! I am glad to know he is at least well enough to travel. If he is, ah... still in or near the Hockestow, then he is, as Eirlys reported, still more than a day's travel on foot. It would be preferable that he has the chance to join us today, though..." Ambrosius' voice trailed off, as he seemed to get lost in thought. "What if...Alicia, do you think your falcon form could carry something the size of a rabbit, or a squirrel?"
"Not very far," said Alicia doubtfully. "I mean, I can carry it after a hunt, but not for a long distance."
Ambrosius replied in Latin, "How small,er...ah, lightweight, do you think Longinus would have to be in order for you to carry him from where he is now back to here?"
Longinus arrives, or doesn't, at this point.
==With the setting sun, the wanderer returns==
:April 21 1220
As the sun cast it's last rays, Sandor and Aloysius appeared, walking amidst the grass upon the Mynd as they picked their way across the rough ground toward the cottage. A snowy owl appeared just as the sun dipped below the horizon, and just as abruptly as it had appeared, its form blurred into that of the satyr maga.
Geraldous doffed his helmet as the maga approached, and held the door open for her, as befitted a lady and magus. 
"Evening Maga Eirlys, I'm glad to see you made it back safely. The others are waiting in the lower chamber for you, where they have been awaiting your return before partaking of the evening meal. Now, if you, and your servant place any food you have obtained on the table (as he said this, he glanced from one to the other looking for signs of the contribution they had promised to the evening meal), I'll see that it is prepared and brought down directly."
"A fair eventide to you as well," she replied, clearly pleased to be addressed in Latin by the man-at-arms. "Begging pardon, however... Sandor is not a servant, but a friend," she corrected gently. "You didn't just say 'lower' did you? As in, hmm... underground? Ah, I must have heard you wrong. Anyhow, I'd like to aid in preparing the meal myself, as I improvise some ingredients not readily available by using the magic of change. Some would consider that cheating; myself, if it tastes good, then I don't mind knowing I stewed the rabbit in magically-created wine, nor do I care if it that wine turns back into water before I've done digesting it." She grinned broadly, clumsily swinging about the long stick slung over her shoulder to hold before the older man, revealing the covey of coneys hanging by their ears. "If you could aid me in starting the cooking fire, I'd be happy to get us started. Are you well versed in cooking?"
A soft, English-speaking voice from behind interjected. "Oh! I can take care of those, miss," Nenya offered.
"Pardon?" asked Eirlys in Welsh.
"Not to boast, of course, but I'm known for my skill in the kitchen," the chef replied, also in Welsh now. "I can dress those up and have dinner ready in no time."
The satyr grinned and handed her burden to the other girl. Retrieving her waterskin from its sling at her back, she muttered a few quick words, then dribbled a bit of the now-red liquid into a cup before tasting it. "Ah, that spell turned out to make a decent wine this time. You can use that to stew it in if you wish." The girl nodded before taking the wine and the rabbits off to make her own brand of "magic."
Eirlys walked down the corridor into the lower chamber, gulping with trepidation as she felt the earth swallow her up.
Geraldous smiled at her grimly, evidently glad that he could finally rejoin the others within the warm hut now that the light was failing fast. As she passed close by him, he couldn't help but notice the smell of flowers in her hair, and the way her hooves dragged slightly on the ground. Evidently, the maga had travelled hard to return while there was yet light, and looked like she could do with a good rest.
I could use a rest and a glass of ale myself he thought as he watched her disappear into the gloom.
==Continued==
Next page: Magus Congressus
Category:1220
1220Q2
12200421
Category:Ambrosius
Category:Phaedrus
Category:Sandor
Category:Aloysius
Category:Eirlys
Category:Alicia
Category:Llewys
Category:Mnemosyne
Category:Geraldous
Category:Bedo
Category:Blathmac