Prospectus Logs #24: A Righteous Air +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | How the Lady of the Wind demanded repayment of a favor. Of mistaken | | identities, Barcelonan magi, and diabolist crusaders. Also, the trials | | of the liminals. | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Dramatis Personae: Albus of Tytalus Magus (Shannon Appel) Fabricarious of Verditius Magus (Chris Van Horn) Fraxima the Faerie Flambeau Maga (Donald Kubasak) Larissa of Mercere Maga (Kevin Wong) Lorum of Merinita Magus (Bill Filios) Aubrin the Evil Elder Magus of Merinita Drake the Liminal Elder Magus of Bjornaer Forticulus of Flambeau Elder Magus of Flambeau Andre Grog Hufar Grog Jean-Claude Grog Jean-Patrice Grog Michelle Grog Roger-Tien Grog Torp Grog The Child of the Winds Air Spirit Farusca of Jerbiton Leader of Barcelona Covenant The Lady of the Winds Air Spirit Kepa Basque Elementalist Story Guide: Shannon Appel - * - Albus' Dialogues September 2, 1217 Early Evening I'm afraid that the turtle's quest up in Germany might have left Drake a few feathers short of a fluffy pillow. I was awoken this morning by loud quacking. Looking outside I saw the central tower surrounded by swarms of ducks. Drake was atop the tower, shouting about becoming "King of the Liminals." Then he did his heart-beast-transformation thing and went flying off with his feathered fellows. But, he didn't turn into a duck. He turned into a seagull. Drake--and the ducks--returned late this afternoon. Fraxima and Fabricarious both talked to him. Fraxima learned that he had gained a second heartbeast due to certain knowledges he learned at Crintera the other year. Fabricarious somehow talked him into minting coins now that he's "King of the Liminals." My labmate is even now working on some hideous designs featuring ducks and Drake. I'm not sure who is madder. - * - The Council Records as recorded by Lucindia the Seneschal September 6, 1217 In attendence: Aubrin, Berengarius, Catorse, Drake, Fabricarious, Forticulus, Frangere, Lorum, Risus, and Viator; also myself, Lucindia the Seneschal, and Fraxima. Absent: Albus, currently unable to enter the covenant; Xanti, currently questing after the river Lethe. Points of Information: * AUBRIN has received a letter from the Vole Queen stating that many of her subjects, including otters, ducks, seagulls, and beavers, have recently disappeared. He has agreed to go and look into the problem, though he suspects it is due to the Lord of the Sea Turtle's recent ascension. In return, the Vole Queen will renew her blessing upon our land this September 21. * DRAKE insists he now be called "Drake the Liminal." * FRAXIMA suggested that we investigate whether other "Liminal" Bjornaer have been acting... oddly... since the Lord of the Sea Turtles drank from the Well of Knowledge. Aubrin shall write letters to address this issue. Points of Debate: * AUBRIN presented FRAXIMA, seeking to become an associate member. There were no objections, and so she was welcomed into our covenant. She will be acclaimed as a full member after she finishes her season of Moorish study. Aubrin asked I repeat that in big letters: MOORISH STUDY * BERENGARIUS suggested that all members of Prospectus Locus be required to name themselves "the Evil" when interacting with other members of the Order of Hermes. This issue failed. * AUBRIN offered a letter from former member DOCILLI of Bonisagus. The letter requested that former covenant members be allowed to present issues for council. This was later ammended to say that former covenant members could present issues for council provided that they pay an alumnus fee of 1 pawn of vis during any season in which they present issues. This issue passed. +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "It is not proper for Liminals to be controlled by Bonisagus!" | | -Drake, on protocol | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ - * - Forticulus' Hastily Scribbled Notes 7 September 1217 I miss Calefacto. This place is swarming will fools now, and ducks dammit, and everything seems to be falling apart. I was woken by quacking--again!--this morning, but also the pleasant sound of avian bodies pounding against the covenant walls. Looking out I saw there was some type of hurricane and the ducks were in the middle of it. +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |"This is the first time I've ever wanted a circular ward against ducks."| | -Fabricarious, on the utility of spellcraft | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ With Aubrin off playing off with the Vole Queen and Drake still gone after having flown off in a huff after the council meeting, I was left as elder. So I waited for a bit to see what our young incompetents would do. Fabricarious managed to suss out that the cause of our aerial disturbances was an air spirit--the Lady of the Winds by name. She'd come seeking the return of some favor from Xanti, who was of course gone too. Fabricarious did something to piss her off, so I decided it was only proper that he resolve the problem. One of the Lady's children has been kidnapped from the Grove of the Winds. Fabricarious is taking some grogs, and also Fraxima, Larissa, and Lorum, and they're going to rescue it. I've told Fabricarious he'd better not come back without the child. - * - From The Book of Exile As Dictated by Michelle du Provencal September the Seventh, Third Year of Exile (1217 AD) "Put one foot in front of the other and eventually you'll walk a league." Those words were spoken by Bernado, a _prefecti_ I once knew, now dead. They outlined a simple and straightforward manner in which to live out your life, only looking one minute forward, and expecting that the next hours, days, and years will follow. We set out from the covenant today with little idea of our goals. We were tasked to find a kidnapped air demon--I sometimes wonder, what have I done in joining this place?--and only knew the place of its kidnapping. The Grove of the Winds was what the lords named this place. A nice little clearing that was indeed abnormally windy. Looking carefully around Lorum discovered a hair and was able to use his powers to call up a fuzzy image of the person who shed it. It was a Knight of Santiago, like those who I saw in Barcelona, years ago now. Torp glanced around the grove a bit and discovered a few tracks. We will do a more thorough search tomorrow. - * - From The Book of Exile As Dictated by Michelle du Provencal September the Ninth, Third Year of Exile (1217 AD) "Perseverance brings success." More wisdom from the _prefecti_ Bernado. Yesterday was uneventful enough that I did not write. Torp and the lady Fraxima spent the day tracking. Torp confirmed that three men had recently been in the grove--two in heavy armor, one without--and that they left to the northeast, toward Barcelona. He also saw signs of a number of people living in the area. We tracked down the locals today and found a family of peasants. The wife was terrified, but Larissa was able to talk to her. She learned that a wizard and two Knights of Santiago came through about a week ago, demanding directions to the Grove of the Winds. So, it seems that we have found our culprits. Now we only need find them again, somewhere in Barcelona. But first we must make a brief detour home. Barcelona apparently imposes some tax upon sorcerers, and so the lords must collect magical power to offer before they travel to the city. - * - From The Book of Exile As Dictated by Michelle du Provencal September the Sixteenth, Third Year of Exile (1217 AD) "Preparation is the heart of any victory." It was Pierre who said that, a good friend and companion, now dead, like so many I knew in Provencal. It is in part why my fellows and I have come here, why we consort with the sorcerers of this land. We know that a holy battle is brewing, that a time for Cathar vengeance will come, and we must be ready. So we place ourselves here, at a locus point in Iberia, where church meets sorcerer, where Christian meets Moor, where faerie meets mundane, where water meets land, and by doing so we hope to strengthen ourselves, through battle, through knowledge, through victory, through defeat. It was not so today. Instead, we sat around and acted bored. +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "We have a messenger." | | "Who would that be?" | | -Fabricarious and Lucindia, on job descriptions | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The magi were unwilling to give up their magical power in order to enter the city. So they sent the lady Larissa in to negotiate with the local sorcerers. Lucindia later went in too, but I'm fairly certain Larissa did most of the work. Larissa made nice with the local lords and learned from them that there was indeed a sorcerer--a "hedge wizard" she called him, and I take it that means he is not a member of my lords' fraternal order--who was working with the Knights of Santiago. She said his name was Kepa. +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "It looks to me like it's burgundy." | | "You've got a girl's name!" | | -Fabricarious and Michelle, on sexual dimorphism in color perception | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Larissa then went to talk with Kepa. What followed was a long series of negotiations. Kepa was apparently afraid of us, and so unwilling to speak with us in the open. When it was all said and done, Larissa finally agreed to give the magical power that the lords had brought in trade for the wind child. They will finish the deal tomorrow morning. I was actually stunned. I expected the magi to bring us into the city and have us hold off crusaders while they fought with this Kepa-thief-wizard. 'Twas not to be, though. Somewhere, the lords have learned diplomacy. - * - Addendum to the Book of Exile September the Seventeenth, Third Year of Exile (1217 AD) As expected, all went well. We reclaimed the air spirit this morning and are now taking it back to the Grove of the Winds, where we shall set it free. No great battles for us this day, no lessons learned, but at least our mission was successful. We should be home in a week's time.