Prospectus Logs #18: Ex Miscellanea +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Being a random and motley collections of things that happened at | | Prospectus Locus in April and May of 1216, acting as an introduction | | to new adventures and other assorted problems. | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Dramatis Personae: Albus of Tytalus Magus (Shannon Appel) Catorse of Quaesitor Magus (Kevin Wong) Fabricarious of Verditius Magus (Chris Van Horn) Lorum of Merinita Magus (Bill Filios) Viator of Jerbiton Magus (Dave Pickering) Aubrin of Merinita Elder Magus Drake of Bjornaer Elder Magus Forticulus of Flambeau Elder Magus Dux Aquil Duke of the Beaches & Shores Fayez Egyptian Templar Jelel His Father Mortis of Flambeau Magus-Leader of Interritus Pier-Carlo Papal Scholar Terrel Lord of the Air Faeries Baron Zelipe Baron of Mantiun Zilia His Wife Zilia Their Daughter Story Guide: Chris Van Horn with help from Bill Filios and Dave Pickering - * - Albus' Dialogues April 4, 1216 Late Afternoon It seems that several months of hard work have paid off. My visit to the monastery could not have been timed better. Thus far I have been embroiled in a rather uninteresting dig. Pier-Carlo has throughout insisted we continue, saying we were drawing near something of great importance. Today he was proven right. Today we broke into a weird oval cave. I knew something was strange at once because I saw weird shifting shapes. I looked about in alarm but my fellows saw nothing. I watched cautiously as the ecclesiastical workers charged in with joy. As I advanced slowly--at the back, really only getting glimpses of what was going on--I realized there was a dominion aura in the cave. A very strong one. We had come upon something. There in the middle of the room was what at first seemed to be the remains of a man. At a closer look it was obviously only a man's outline--the shape melted into the rock in some inexplicable manner. Lying across the hollow was a staff. It may have been partially embedded in the rock; I was not near enough to see. But, it was not just an staff. It was a _caduceus_--a staff with two snakes twining around it, the very symbol of Hermes for whom our Order is named. I was hustled out of the cave quickly. But, I had learned what I wanted. Later I heard people speculate that we had discovered the resting place of a significant saint. From what the papal legate has said in the past, it was likely Joseph of Arimathea. I am scheduled to be here another few weeks. I will stay so as not to cause suspicion. I think, however, that my job here is done. - * - Aubrin's Memoirs April 12, 1216 Today we were met by yet another faerie envoy, this one a seal who came to Lorum bearing a rather water-logged scroll. Lorum passed it on to me almost at once, and I saw that it contained instructions to the "Governor of Becula" from a "Grain Agency" explaining how to properly sacrifice the white horses to Aquil. I do not quite understand the politics of this, but given the age of the agreement it is not surprising that its turns are Byzantine. In two days we will be able to conduct the sacrifice and thus fulfill our commitment to Aquil. - * - Aubrin's Memoirs April 14, 1216 Well. We went and conducted Aquil's sacrifice today and almost at once rain started to really come down. It's been wet all year, but it's becoming really abnormal now. I've decided to fly out to an old friend, Terrel, the Lord of the Air Faeries, who I haven't seen in many years, to ask him what's up with all this rain. - * - Aubrin's Memoirs April 16, 1216 Not only was Terrel unhelpful but sadly he's grown more intelligent since last I spoked to him, for my old tricks didn't work. Apparently Terrel has some old agreement with Aquil that I've never heard of before, and Terrel is holding up his end by causing heavy rain for the next month, until May 21. Terrel refused to tell me anything about the agreement, so I've decided to fly out to Aquil and chat with him too. - * - Aubrin's Memoirs April 18, 1216 I've now spoken with Aquil but only managed to learn a little bit more about what's going on. Aquil refused to tell me anything about his deal with Terrel as well, asserting, like Terrel, that he had sworn to keep it secret. He said that only the Grain Agency or the Emperor could allow the release of this info. About then I shrugged my shoulders, for he is clearly living in the past once more, talking about the old Roman Empire, now long dead. No doubt whatever Grain Agency they might have created is gone now too. It is the greatest flaw of the fay, the inability to change. So, I have washed my hands of the whole affair. We can survive a month of heavy rain; it is a natural thing. I have taken the liberty of sending a letter to Zelipe telling him about when I expect the rain to stop. He does not have the benefit of a magical statue that prevents flooding, and thus the information will likely be very useful to him. On another front Albus has returned from the monastery today, bringing word of their relic, and so I have called a council meeting at his request which will be occurring momentarily. - * - The Council Records as recorded by Lucindia the Seneschal April 18, 1216 In attendence: Albus, Aubrin, Catorse, Drake, Fabricarious, Forticulus, Frangere, Lorum, Risus, Viator, and Xanti; also myself, Lucindia the Seneschal, and Berengarius, an associate member. Absent: no one. Quorum was achieved and Aubrin called the meeting to order. Points of Information: * ALBUS brought the council up to date with how things stood at our local monastery, explaining that the archaeologists there had discovered a high-dominion cave which contain a rock bearing the imprint of a body--as if the person had apotheosized or been immolated. Also present was a _caduceus_--a staff not unlike that borne by Hermes. Finally, Albus reported some type of strange, potentially-magic presence (or illusion) in the cave. Finally, Albus states that belief at the monastery is that the resting place of a major saint has been discovered. Aubrin was able to add that the caduceus was a symbol of a possibly mythical group of churchmen known as the black monks of Rome who are rumored (if they exist) to be kabbalists of some type. Points of Debate: * It was generally agreed that this significant religious discovery could cause troubles for our covenant and that we should make moves to resolve this problem. After a vote it was determined that we would try to introduce a spy into the monastery and then try and take or destroy the caduceus when he reports it is to be moved. - * - Letter from Albus to Pier-Carlo Scribed April 18, 1216 Sent April 19, 1216 Pier-Carlo, I wished to once again offer my thanks for the time you allowed me to spend involved with your dig. It was useful and enlightening both, and I feel it will help advance my studies concerning religious artifacts. I have talked with my fellow scholars here, and they have agreed that it would be beneficial to continue supporting your work. I presume you could still use more workers, as I have heard you say many times that you are short handed. Please let me know what specialties you would find useful and we shall be happy to either hire those men for you or provide them from our own peasants. Peter, Scholar of the Ebro delta - * - Forticulus' Hastily Scribbled Notes 21 April 1216 After months of tom-foolery and other idiocy, most of it involving ignoring the issue, it seems we will finally be coming to a resolution of the Zilia issue. We received a letter from Zelipe today saying that he would be here in a week to make final arrangements concerning the marriage. Thank Flambeau reborn! - * - Aubrin's Memoirs April 23, 1216 It seems our plan went off as we hoped, for today Pier-Carlo sent us a letter accepting our offer of help and saying that he was in particular looking for stone masons. We shall send our own mason, who should be the perfect spy, and then hire a few more from Barcelona. - * - Forticulus' Hastily Scribbled Notes 30 April 1216 My pater always said, "Breath deeply when you're angry to calm yourself down." I think that's what he was doing when he got his damned-fool head blown off. Anyway, I believe I can finally bring my annoyance over this Zelia affair to an end because it has at last been dealt with correctly. Despite the heavy rains, Zelipe and two men-at-arms arrived today looking wet and miserable--pretty much what you'd expect of mundanes. Zelipe talked with Aubrin about the marriage for a while, confirmed that Viator would be the groom, and then actually, who-would-have-believed-it, set a date. It'll be the sixth of November, the Sunday before Zilia's seventeenth birthday. Some of us magi chatted afterward and discussed a few issues of interest. Viator, showing some genuine forethought, wants to have a good mentalist on hand in case Zilia flips when she finds out that Viator is a magus. We're also going to try and get Xanti out of the main lab building and over to the new lab building once the third and final lab is done, and that will give Viator the entire top floor for himself and his wife. Finally, Aubrin is going to fly over to the Vole Queen some time to convince her to repeat her fertility ritual so that Viator's marriage should be quickly blessed, because Flambeau knows we need a gifted child out of that marriage! Viator has left with Zelipe to talk with his bride-to-be. He should return soon. Amazing planning, of surprise from my fellows; clearly Aubrin's words last September were taken to heart. - * - Aubrin's Memoirs May 1, 1216 A redcap came by the covenant today, bringing not only a magic item that Viator had requested constructed, but also most distressing news from Interritus--as bad as what I had feared; their encounter with "Flambeau" seems to have been the start of a big power play. Forticulus left at once to see how much their attitude is pride and how much it is a reflection of truth, but not before he had 8 Creo vis and 4 Perdo vis allocated for his use by Council. - * - An Open Letter to the Order of Hermes Drafted by Mortis of Interritus Scribed March 24, 1216 Delivered May 1, 1216 My Brethren, Val-negra is over a year gone from this world, and lost to us much longer than that. The time has come for House Flambeau to select a new Domus Magnus, and so we have. It is the site of the miracle of Flambeau's rebirth that has been chosen for this honor, and so I may now announce to you: Interritus of Iberia is the new Domus Magnus of Flambeau We invite all magi of Flambeau to come and visit this new heart of our House, so we may reaffirm our oaths of loyalty to each other and prepare for the times of tribulation that our founder has predicted. Mortis Primus of Interritus Primus of House Flambeau - * - Aubrin's Memoirs May 3, 1216 With Viator's return this evening we held another short council meeting, this time to make an agreement about how we would get a mentalist to help out at the wedding. It had become clear to me that our best possibility for a mentalist, without big strings attached, was one of the Jerbiton at Plateau, so I offered the council the possibility of us asking for a mentalist to come from Plateau in return for our agreeing to vote for the movement of the Plateau covenant to the old Andalusia location, which will doubtless be an issue in 1221. The council agreed and we shall use that bargaining chip to keep our vis expenditure with regard to this mentalist to a minimum. - * - Albus' Dialogues May 13, 1216 Early Evening No sooner am I done with one artifact than another beckons. I received a letter today from Jelel. He is the father of Fayez who in turn is the Templar that was involved with Judas' coins. The letter made five main points: FIRST, Jelel stated that my visions were proof that God was still watching over his son. Right. SECOND, Jelel said that his wife still had some of Fayez's childhood toys. He did not send any, however. So much for an arcane connection. THIRD, Jelel recounted that his son has passed through his house some time before my vision. He was accompanied by seven other people, three of them Templars. They also had a trunk and a map that showed an area near Carthage. FOURTH, Fayez had implied when he was at home that he was hunting for something and that it was a race. FIFTH, Jelel stated that he hoped I could come to help and also said that his son will join in the search next summer. I am unresolved about what to do. I had hoped for more information but this talk of a race sets my nerves on end. Tomorrow or next summer, which shall it be? - * - Albus' Dialogues May 14, 1216 Mid-Morning It will be today! No more procrastination! The boat is in dock. Aubrin can use his magics to clear us a path through the storm that still beats down upon our land. There is nothing stopping us. I have talked with those who accompanied me to Oviedo. Catorse and Viator have both agreed to join me. Fabricarious is unwilling. He thinks the coins will be a bad relic. So? I will quiz the other magi briefly to see if any wish to join us. Then we will be off. We plan a stop in Valencia tomorrow. Then it is off to Carthage! - * - Aubrin's Memoirs May 21, 1216 As Terrel promised, the rain stopped early this morning and finally we can begin to dry off. - * - Aubrin's Memoirs May 24, 1216 We had some new business today as a result of those storms. A big ocean-going ship pulled up to Bercula, unwilling to brave the still-swollen river up as far as Mantiun. So we had our peasants help them unload and port, offering a little in the way of additional finances for the covenant. - * - Aubrin's Memoirs May 26, 1216 Another ship came through today to unload their goods, and about then we clued in that a lot of the garbage must have been blown out of Bercula's harbor to allow this. Lorum was kind enough to go for a swim, and he reported that the river does indeed now run a lot deeper in our area because of tons of refuse being cleared out. He also went exploring, looking for Aquil's aprocryphal throne. He didn't find it but there were a few other things of interest, namely a number of stone pylasters which have been exposed on the seaward side of our covenant and even more important a big statue of an Egyptian white lion. Drake became quite infatuated when he heard of it and had it dragged up to his lab. - * - Drake's Diary 28 May, 1216 AD My friend the gremlin rock had grown stale and boring, for there is only so many ways you can vivisect a rock, so I was quite pleased when Lorum brought word of the lion statue two days ago. This morning I learned it lived up to my expectations, because when I awoke I found it moved, down to the entrance of our tower! Moving statues, what fun! - * - Drake's Diary 30 May, 1216 AD The statue moved again today, but I'd laid down flour to trick it, and sure enough I found little lion footsteps in them. No teleporting lion you, just a sneaky puss who moves when no one is looking. What great fun we will have together! Note to myself: don't let the Egyptian white lion eat the villagers.