Novgorod Log #18: Visitors II +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Of new plans and long-delayed preparations; a time of rest, of study | | and of learning. Also, a time of visitors, as ghosts, barons and | | redcaps all plague the covenant of Nature's Teeth. Finally, a note | | concerning the efficiency of the messengers of the the Order, | | especially with respect to the delivery of dead Quaesitors. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Agrippanilla of Jerbiton Maga (Chris Van Horn) Auditor of Mercere Magus (Kevin Wong) Ballisto of Tytalus Magus (Bill Filios) Carmen of Bjornaer Magus (Donald Kubasak) Gorm of Ex Misc Magus (Matt Seidl) Felix of Flambeau Magus (Dave Pickering) Nihil of Criamon Magus (Chad Weetman) Nova of Criamon Maga (Dave Woo) Baron Rutger Verdan German Baron (Chad Weetman) Turpis Merchant (Dave Pickering) Adrean German Grog Fluffy Cat Puppy Dog Dead Baxholmians Spirits Fritz Murderer Bishop Godfrey Bishop of Stockholm Mos of Mercere Magus Taxus of Quaesitor Magus Father Tomas Priest +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "We might be interested in a letter, explaining why people are mailing | | dead Quaesitors to us." | | -Ballisto | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus July 3, 1202 When we returned to Nature's Teeth this morning, my temper was still hot. The bitter taste of defeat still sat within my mouth; it was not one that I would soon forget. However, I had not simply spent my time bemoaning my defeat. Rather, I had been carefully considering the reasons for our flight, determined to correct them. I was remembering the lessons of tactics that Resitus taught me so long ago, lessons that I must admit I have ignored too often of late. After we had returned to the covenant, a Council Meeting was called almost at once, and by then I was ready. I suggested that too often of late, we had been found unprepared, and that we should thus spend a bit of time, training, to repair our deficiencies. I believe the others were somewhat surprised when I made my suggestion, for I complained so bitterly last time I was stuck in my lab, studying. But, that was before I had realized our inadequacies, and how study could correct them. My friends all agreed with my assessment, and so we came to a decision. Auditor shall travel to Visby, to work with Turpis to research the true location of St. Olan's relic. In the meantime, the rest of us shall remain at Nature's Teeth, increasing our arts, learning new spells and reasearching the items and vis that we have thus far gained. When Auditor returns with new knowledge of the gem we seek, we should be more prepared, more ready to take it from the weak who hold it now. For the next months, I shall be studying Imagonem, so that I can learn a spell of Nova's, which will allow me to disguise the features of others. Many others are studying their best arts, mostly from the vis that we have gained in the last year. Agrippinilla, Ballisto and Gorm are all working towards interesting spells. Agrippinilla will soon be able to cast upon herself an aura, that will cause the mundanes to mindlessly follow her, while Ballisto is planning a spell which will protect us, with great ramparts of dirt. Finally, Gorm, is extending a spell which he already knows, which pains animals greatly, so that it will work against men too. When we are done with these spells, and set out once more for Stockholm, our power should be greatly increased. Tonight, I will thank Resitus for his teachings; patience does have its place. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus July 10, 1202 Again, the very island that we call our home has intruded upon our lives in a most unwelcome way. My studies of Imagonem were interrupted this evening by a loud knocking upon my door. When I opened the door, I found Carmen outside, in quite a state. She was red faced, and seemed to be out of breath. Tears ran down her face. I tried to comfort her, asking what was the matter, but she simply motioned me away, saying that we must all meet in the council room. Then she ran on, to notify the rest of our friends of the coming meeting. After we had all gathered, Carmen told out her story. She said that for the last week, since she had returned to Nature's Teeth, there had been strange occurences in her lab. Lab equipment had been moved, sometimes broken, always in the middle of the night. Finally, Carmen had become frustrated, and turned to Gorm for aid. Using his shamanic abilities, he had looked upon Carmen's lab, and found five spirits haunting it. They were the spirits of people who had been killed in the destruction of Baxholm, a destruction which Carmen had begun, when under the influence of the dead Flambeau, Merda. Carmen had tried to explain that their deaths had not been her doing, but the spirits would not accept her explanations. Only two things would appease them: the reconstruction of Baxholm, or Carmen's death. And that was what had sent Carmen fleeing through the covenant. Confronted with an event which will probably torment her forever, Carmen was at an utter loss. She looked at us tearfully, begging us to find a cure her pain. We tried to offer Carmen our support, but there is little more that we can do. Agrippinilla has said that she will banish the spirits, but we all suspect that that will do little. Never before has Agrippinilla successfully driven a spirit forever from our island, and she is most skilled in dealing with the dead. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus July 27, 1202 It seems that there is some conspiracy, which plagues our island with visitors whenever we sit down to study and learn. This afternoon, Carmen was out, walking the island, trying to escape from the spirits which hound her still. She returned from her walk early today, saying that we had company. She had seen a ship off our island, and had investigated it briefly in the form of her heartbeast. We were still discussing what to do when Adrean interrupted our meeting to say that the boat was nearly to our shore. Deciding that the time for action had come, we all left our courtyard, heading for the cliffs. By the time we reached our cliffs, the boat was already within our cave. Felix and I headed down the long flight of steps, ready to confront them. We would have done so if Ballisto had not pushed past us at the last minute. Showing more tact than Felix or I ever would, Ballisto politely approached the leader of the boat, one Rutger Verdan, a Baron of Germany. The Baron expressed surprise at our inhabitation of the island, and shortly Ballisto's suspicion was gone. He invited Rutger and a few of his trusted men back to the covenant, which is where we concluded our conversation. After we had returned to our council chamber, the Baron revealed the purpose of his visit. He said that his father, the previous Baron, had meat his end in the waters near our island. According to the sailors, the Baron had simply fallen overboard and drowned in the freezing Baltic waters. Rutger, however, suspected foul play. He was sure that a young man named Fritz, the son of another baron, had killed his father. Rutger had come to our island because he had heard it to be closely associated with the dead. He hoped to meat his father here, and thus confirm the true manner of his death. Unfortunately, as Rutger spoke, our cats embarassed us. Ballisto had tried to shoo them out of the room, and Fluffy began to argue with him. Thus, it was revealed to the Baron that he was among supernatural beings. I thought for a moment that we would have to kill him. However, the Baron took the relevation remarkably well. Realizing the benefit that the good will of a Baron could bring, we offered to help him. There was no point to concealing our true powers by then, so we turned towards Gorm, who gestured and clucked wildly, causing the spirits in the Council Room to appear. As ever, we were surrounded by them. There was Thyra, the girl who is never far from my dagger, Odinsbane, and there were several of the dead of Baxholm, who haunt even Carmen's dream, and, even more importantly, there was a large, dripping figure behind Baron Rutger. Clearly it was his father, the previous Baron. Truly, the Baron did not need to question his father about the manner of his demise, for the shade's appearance told the story quite clearly. A huge gash cut across his throat, and even in death, his life bled from it. As the Barons spoke, it was revealed that this Fritz indeed was the culprit, and Rutger's face hardened. His father begged that he not take rash actions, but for a bit, it seemed a hopeless request. Finally, though, Rutger was convinced. Rather than striking rashly against Fritz, he decided to take the appropriate legal actions. Thus, he told us that Father Tomas, who still was upon his boat, had to speak with his father's shade, so that the story could be confirmed by one who was independent of the feud between Rutger and Fritz. Fortunately, the winds were calm that day, and so Rutger was able to take his father's shade out to the boat. There, the priest witnessed the baron's whole statement of guilt, and began to prepare a case for the authorities of Germany. Many hours later, Rutger returned to us, and we talked for a few hours more. It has been decided that we will find the body of Rutger's father, which now decomposes somewhere beyond the sea. In return, Rutger will give us a fine town house in the city of Stettit. Unfortunately, the task will not be an easy one. For, though the shade could lead us to his body, it is unlikely that he can travel far from the island. Amazingly, it was Gorm who provided us with a solution in this matter. He shall work upon enchanting a chicken for the next three months, and then he will bind the shade into it. In that way, the shade may lead us to his body without being dispersed by our island's winds. It will be a while before we can carry out this task, but there is little more that we can do now. Auditor is still in Visby, seeking information on St. Olan's Relic, while the rest of us are feverishly working upon our studies. I should note that Baron Rutger, Father Tomas and all their men will remain upon our island for a few weeks. Their boat sustained damage when travelling to our island, and they need time to repair it. - * - From the Notebook of Mos, Messenger of Hermes August the second, twelve hundred and two Although the covenant of Brosis was far away, and Lectica was quite unfriendly, none was quite as inhospitable as the newly born Nature's Teeth. This is not a comment on the magi of the Teeth, who seem fine enough, but rather the environment, which is torturous. How any could live there is beyond me. For nearly two days, I waited beyond the island of Nature's Teeth, for the time when the storms would calm sufficiently that I could dock. Truly, I must remember never to anger Insatella again, lest I be once more consigned to these Northern wastes. When I finally arrived at Nature's Teeth, I immediately found myself in the middle of some manner of political situation. As I gathered my letters, and unloaded the huge box that I was delivering to Nature's Teeth, I was quietly cautioned to say little of the magi's true nature. I would later learn that the reason was the covenant's German visitors. Among their number was a man of God, and they did not wish him to carry word of their supernatural powers back the Sourthern Church. I was able to keep quiet, as I was asked. My house has often demanded such secrecy from me. Unfortunately, one of the magi, a Tytalus named Ballisto was not quite as skilled in the art of deception. In full view of the priest, he proudly proclaimed that they had recently brought a new member into the Order, a shaman named Gorm. Only by the reactions of those about him did Ballisto realize his mistake. Quickly, the magi rushed Ballisto off, but I suspect the damage is already complete. I do hope that the covenant of Nature's Teeth can repair the harm that they have done, before more of the Order is endangered. Shortly, we were all in the covenant proper, and I began to pass out the letters that I had brought to Nature's Teeth. It was an interesting selection, containing letters from the Rhine Tribunal, mostly. However, the magi turned quickly from the letters, for they, like I, wondered as to the contents of the large crate that I had brought. If only we had then known the box's gruesome contents, we would not have been as eager. - * - The Book of Nature' s Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus August 2, 1202 A loud gasp escaped from the Mercere's mouth when the box was opened, and at once, I rushed forward, desperate to see what was inside. Even I was shocked. Within the corpse, there was a corpse, perfectly preserved. Upon it, there was but one sign of violence. The right hand of the man within the box was gone. Simply having a body mailed to us was bad enough, but a few seconds later, I realized that the situation was much worse. Looking upon the body, Ballisto declared it to be Taxus of Quaesitor. It was the Quaesitor who had blackmailed us several months ago. The poor Mercere was confused for several minutes. It was clear that he was quite unused to the sight of death. Finally, though, he regained his senses, and began to comport himself admirably. After shutting up the box once more, he began to question us all, asking us if we knew anything about the death of Taxus. As we spoke, he carefully took notes, explaining that he was preparing a report for Magvillus. Tomorrow morning, the Mercere will be leaving us, taking the late Quaesitor with him. I worry about the repercussions that this death could bring us. I fear that our covenant could not stand up to a full inquisition from the Quaesitors of magvillus. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus August 4, 1202 Troubles always seem to run together. Yesterday, we had yet more bad news, this time from Carmen. In the late evening yesterday, Carmen called a council meeting. She said that she had been spying upon Baron Rutger's boat, and learned a most disturbing fact. It seems that due to an ill-considered comment that Ballisto made, the Priest, Father Tomas is now convinced that we are all magi. We were all faced with a bit of a dilemma. Normally, we would have just killed the Priest out of hand, lest he reveal our secret. Unfortunately, the Priest is the only witness to the guilt of the German, Fritz. Without him, the Baron Rutger would not have a case, and all of our carefully cultivated friendship would be gone. So, we called the Baron in, and proceeded to plot with him. I am pleased to say that he was quite willing to aid us in this deed, as long as we did not harm his plans of vengeance. >From the Baron, we learned that Father Tomas had already signed and sealed a set of documents that includes the complete testimony of the Baron's dead father. He felt that the delivery of that document to the Bishop of Stetton would probably be sufficient, as long as the manner of the Father's death was not too suspicious. And thus, we were given our plan. On the night before the Baron leaves, he and his entire retinue, including the Priest, will be invited to a dinner in our courtyard. As the Priest climbs the winding staircase up from the cave where the boats are docked, Gorm will ensure that one of the Priest's legs abruptly breaks, and thus he will plunge to his death. The death will thus be in the full view of the entire crew, and clearly an accident, and so Rutger's testimonies against Fritz will be untainted. - * - From The Scribings of Father Tomas August 14, the year of our lord 1202 It was over a week ago that I first learned the true nature of the hermits of this island, of how they were devil-spawned mages, servants of Lucifer himself. Since that day, that awful day when their red-capped servant came to visit, I have lived in terror. I was sure that my time upon the world were nearly done, and that shortly I would be sitting at the right hand of my God. Finally though, my terror was brought to an end today. We have all received a summons to dine at the wizard's coven. No doubt, they will try to tempt us there, but against that I can stand. It seems that there is no longer a reason to fear death from these wizards. I thank you, my God, for preserving my life this day. Truly, you are all-seeing and all-powerful. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus August 14, 1202 The priest is dead. All went precisely as planned. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus August 15, 1202 This morning, our German visitors finally left the island. After they had said a final farewell to their lost compatriot, Baron Rutger Verdan and his crew sailed South once more. In a few months, when Gorm is ready to recover the late Baron's body, they will return, but until then, I hope that our island will be quiet, so that our studies may continue. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus August 20, 1202 Today, our friend, Auditor, finally returned to us. He seemed most happy when he returned, bringing gifts from Visby and beyond. I think that his time away from the island has been good for him, and that, at last, he has shaken off the effects of that damned mask. The word that Auditor brought on St. Olan's Relic was somewhat indeterminate, and thus we have decided to wait a bit more before seeking it, continuing the studies that we began many weeks ago. According to Auditor, Bishop Godfrey of Stockholm had at first tried to sell St. Olan's Relic, planning to cut it up into pieces and distribute it among the faithful (and wealthy). Unfortunately for him, the gem showed strange powers, resisting even the sharpest blade. He called it a miracle, and quickly decided to cut up the Saint's body and distribute it instead. Now, the Bishop plans to mount the relic in a huge gold and silver cross. It will rest in the great new cathedral that is being built in Stockholm even now. Many years remain before that church is complete, however, and Auditor was unable to learn of the gem's current resting place. And that was all the news that Auditor returned with. I should note that the gift that Auditor brought me was a most beautiful dagger, the perfect mate for Odinsbane. I thanked him greatly for it, and even overlooked the forged letter that he brought for Nova. It is good to have our old Auditor back. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus August 21, 1202 There was a most unfortunate occurence as the covenant today. I suspect it all began yesterday, when Auditor was handing out gifts. To Una, he gave a handsome doghouse, for the puppy that she rescued several months ago. When Fluffy saw the gift, he grew somewhat irate, for no presents had been brought for the cats. Auditor looked quite apologetic, and was quite prepared to travel once more to Visby, to find something nice for the cats. Fortunately, Felix stopped him, mentioning that our carpenter could make pleasant houses for our cats. Then, this morning, Una came running into the council room, screaming of murder. Sure enough, her puppy lay out in the corridor, his neck broken. I can not say that I am unhappy about the death, for dogs and I have never gotten along. Still, I was quite sad, for Una was. Also, I shall have to remember not to anger the cats in the future. Although they have claimed innocence, it is quite clear that they are behind this vindictive slaying. - * - From The Writings of Jenna Autocrat of Nature's Teeth 2nd of September, 1202 The vis stores of Nature's Teeth continue to increase. Yesterday, the magi's magical faerie bed produced two more pawns of vis, upon the birthday of Carmen and Nova. When the birthdays of all of the magi are finally known, the resources of this covenant should be quite spectacular. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus September 28, 1202 The last two days have not been the greatest that our covenant has ever known. Rather, they have been days of disappointment and conflict. Our troubles began yesterday, when Nova and Andron gave their reports of the magic items that they had been studying. Andron began with a most discouraging tale. He told us that the gem that we had recovered from Trollwise was just barely magical. The only enchantment that it carried was a small magical glow, as if an attempt to enchant it had been botched. I am not too terribly surprised. As soon I realized that the gem was not one from our door, I was sure that Trollwise had duped us. He shall have to be hunted down and destroyed. Nova knew even less of the mask that she had been studying. She said that she had learned that the metal of the mask could mutate, to match the face of its wearer, and that was all that she had discovered in her three months of work. Clearly, we should have had her study the mask for a long time. Although the results had not been the greatest, I expected that they would bring our research into the two troublesome magic items to an end. Nova, unfortunately, was unwilling to accept that fact. That night, while hidden away from the rest of it, she slipped the mask of the Old Ones onto her face. I suppose the bones of Criamon are worth less than they used to be. This morning, Nova came to breakfast as if everything were normal. However, there were two anomalies. The mask still rested upon her face, and she glowed bright blue. Not surprisingly, we noticed. Without a word, Nihil snatched the mask from Nova's face, and then he was encanting a spell to destroy metal. Seconds later, the blind king's mask, a treasure of the Old One's, perhaps the greatest artifact that we will ever see, was rusting away into nothingness. I nearly applauded Nihil, for I had almost done the same the other month, when I first took the mask away, into the night. I believe that Nihil was right in his actions, for, according to Nova, the mask had caused both herself and Auditor to Twilight. Who knows what else it might have done to them? Even now, Nova has been returned to her room, for she is quite incoherent, even more so than normal. I dearly hope that time cures her as it did Auditor. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus October 2, 1202 I must add a short epilogue to the events of September 28 that I have already chronicled. This morning, when Nova approached the breakfast table, she seemed to once more be possessing her senses. Her skin had also returned to its normal hue, another indication that she had returned to normal. Looking across the table, she shouted "Certamen!" at Nihil. It was the first such duel that this Covenant has ever known. The battle dragged on for moments; it was clear that neither participant was particularly skilled in the fake combat of Tremere. Finally, though, a victor emerged. Nihil slumped to the ground, never again able to destroy artifacts of the Old Ones. For a year, our covenant has been a peaceful place. We have had our conflict, yes, but it has always been beyond the walls of Nature's Teeth, and that is how it should be. Our home has been unifed, and thus we have been stronger. Today's events have been disturbing, for our unity has been broken. It worries me greatly, for we have been weakened, and the weak are destroyed.