Novgorod Log #20: Preparations for War +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Of the return of Weris from the lands of the North, and the tale that | | he brings of a gathering army. In response, preparations for war, in | | which many old friends are consulted. The death of a man older than | | the Order itself. Finally, how a Mercere may become a Tremere. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Agripinilla of Jerbiton Maga (Chris van Horn) Auditor of Mercere Magus (Kevin Wong) Ballisto of Tytalus Magus (Bill Filios) Felix of Flambeau Magus (Dave Pickering) Nihil of Criamon Magus (Chad Weetman) Nova of Bjornaer Maga (Donald Kubasak) Pacifer of Tytalus Magus (Shannon Appel) Torris of Tremere Magus (Kevin Wong) Una of Tytalus Maga (Clayton Springer) Jenna Autocrat (Kevin Wong) Baron Rutger German Baron (Chad Weetman) Turpis Merchant (Dave Pickering) Adrian German Grog Jarl Nordic Grog Dotta Sea Trollette Lord Elgan Lord of Harnosand Old Marcus Sage Ulf Sea Troll Walter Thug Weris of Flambeau Magus +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "Most wars are fought for vengeance" | | -Weris of Flambeau | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus January 29, 1203 This morning, I finished my study of Nova's spell of Imagonem. However, Ballisto is still working upon his spell of protective earth, and so it will still be two months or so before we return to Stockholm. In the meantime, I have extracted Imagonem vis from our stores. Thus, I will be better able to cast my new spell when we are finally ready to leave. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus March 15, 1203 This evening, Nihil emerged from his lab with a smile upon his face. At the dinner table, he was actually friendly, telling us of how well his Perdo studies have been going. It is the first time that he has been truly social since his return last year from that adventure with the sea troll, Ulf. Thankfully, I think that Nihil has finally broken free of the spell laid upon him by that troll bitch, Dotta. Unfortunately, it appears that Nihil's infatuation has transferred to Felix. After Nihil spoke of Dotta in the worst terms this evening, talking of how he had been the victim of black sorcery, Felix began to wonder about freeing her from her husband, Ulf. I hope that we do not lose our Flambeau in some moronic attack upon a demi-god. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus March 16, 1203 Ballisto has now finished his spell, but still, Auditor, Carmen and Nova have not returned from the work they are doing on the mainland. We don't really wish to leave before the Spring thaw, and so we have decided to wait until our friends return before we leave for Stockholm. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus March 20, 1203 This morning, bad news came, disrupting all of our plans. It all began when Agripinilla called a council meeting. When she announced that Weris' ship had appeared upon the horizon, we were all shocked. We had not ever expected to see the damned traitor upon our island again. For nearly half an hour, we sat in our council room, plotting ways to kill Weris. Finally, it was decided that Felix would offer Weris the additional bed in his lab. Then, Felix could kill Weris at his leisure, for the traitor would be in his sanctum. Even better, it would all be perfectly legal by the code. When Weris stepped onto our island, we all had cunning smiles upon our faces. We were sure that he was doomed. Then, he began to speak, and suddenly everything was changed. Almost as soon as he saw us, Weris spoke of how he had spent the last yaer and a half moving through the lands of Odin. There, he had exacted vengeance, killing sixteen of the northerners responsible for the destruction of Flambeau Marinus. Weris said that he would have remained in the Northern lands longer, for there were still many there who deserved to die, if it were not for the disturbing events that he had seen in recent months. According to Weris, members of the Order of Odin are preparing troops for war. Very soon, they will be moving south. I must admit that Weris' announcement greatly surprised us. I think we had expected Weris to sit at our council table and gloat of his betrayal. But, not a mention was made of it. In fact, when he was later questioned on the matter, he claimed that he had never even heard of the Quaesitor Taxus. Instead, Weris brought this notice of the Order of Odin preparing for war. We spoke of it for a time, and we came to the obvious conclusion. Clearly, there can only be one rational target in the South. Us. So, we have begun making preparations of our own. Pacifer, Felix and I are going to speak to the old sage Marcus. We hope that he will be able to point us towards magical knowledge which will aid us in the coming struggle. Ballisto and Una are going to Germany, to request aid from our new friend, the Baron Rutger. I believe that both his troops and tactical knowledge will be able to help us greatly. Finally, Jenna is setting out as well, to speak with Turpis, and try and gather whatever additional knowledge that she can. While she is out, she will also collect our three wayward magi. I should note that Weris had agreed to aid us in the defense of the island. I guess we'll have to wait until later to kill him. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus March 21, 1203 When we first spoke with Old Marcus this afternoon, it was just like the many talks that we have had with him before. We asked him questions, first of the troll Ulf, then of the berserkers heading towards our island, and Marcus provided us the most evasive and annoying answers. Finally, after much negotiation, Marcus agreed to help us protect our covenant. But then, he only offered the most unacceptable solutions. He suggested that perhaps we could talk to a certain nearby merchant, who might sell us killing beasts. I was ready to kill the fellow, so angry was I at his suggestion that we ally ourselves with the Master of the Killing Beasts. Fortunately, Nihil maintained a cooler head. He cast a spell upon Marcus, to make him very helpful and informative, and then he had Marcus lead us through his house, pointing out all his most interesting items. We collected a magical glass which makes wine from water, and a chest full of weapons before we returned to the front room. Finally, we decided that Marcus could be no more help to us, and thus we made a decision that we should have years ago. Adrian stepped up to the ancient sage, and clove his skull in two with one blow. When he saw his coming doom, Marcus quickly tried to activate some magical talisman, but thankfully, he was unsuccessful. Honestly, we were surprised by the ease with which we had slain Marcus. In fact, we had gathered together those magical weapons and such before hand because we were sure that we would have to leave in a hurry. We had not expected to find ourselves with the opportunity to loot Marcus' entire house. Felix collected our sailors from the boat, and I used my new spell to change all of their appearances. Then, we spent the entire night carting our loot through the town. The villagers cowered in their huts, afraid to approach us. When all was done, Nihil began to destroy Marcus' house piece by piece, determined to ensure that no treasure was left behind in the walls of Old Marcus' hut. We did not find any new items, but still the task was most satisfying. When we left Marcus' villa behind, the only sign of his existence was a patch of sickly looking grass. Of his house, not a single hint remains. Our take from Marcus was quite good. I believe that there is sufficient wealth here to supply our covenant for a year or more, and we still do not know how many items might be magical. I do not know why we didn't kill Marcus when we first saw him, two years ago. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus March 23, 1203 Andron spent a few hours today picking through the loot that we brought back from Old Marcus. Only a handful of items are actually enchanted, but still I am sure that they will be quite useful. Of the weapons, only two were magical, the dwarven axe and the broadsword. The dwarven axe has been placed in the covenant stores, while I have taken the sword for myself. I am not sure exactly what it does, but I know when I first held it, I felt a magical strength flow through my body. There are also a pair of magic boots, three jars of some magical dried plant and a set of cups. One of these cups is the one that transformed water to wine. I am sure that the others have similar properties. Unfortunately, the majority of this magical loot has been thrown into our covenant stores, along with our magical runesticks, that odd amber stone and so many other items. It is really a shame to have so much magic simply gathering dust, when we could use it to advance the war. When this skirmish with the order of odin is done, we shall have to talk about ways to better study the things that we gain. I should note here that almost as soon as we returned to the island, Felix left once more. He is heading far North, to speak with the troll, Ulf. Hopefully, he too will help us in the coming conflict. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus March 24, 1203 Our preparations continue. Today, Jenna returned to the covenant, along with Nova and Carmen. Unfortunately, Auditor was nowhere to be found. Jenna learned in Visby that Auditor had left several months ago, for the Roman Tribunal. I must admit that I am somewhat worried. I hope that his sudden flight has nothing to do with the coming assault. Jenna also brought with her information that she had collected from Turpis. We have learned that the attack is being headed by Lord Elgan of Harnosand, the evil ruler who Hobble fled from several years ago. Apparently, his warrior, Walter, somehow survived our last encounter with him, and is even now gathering men for the attack. It seems that the raiding force is quite large. Turpis has heard word of Walter collecting close to a hundred men, and these are in addition to whatever forces are usually at his disposal. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus March 29, 1203 This evening, more good word came, this time from Ballisto and Una. I must admit that I am amazed at how well everything is going. The two returned Stettin, bearing word that Baron Rutger is gathering troops. He will bring fifteen knights to aid us, as well as tacticians well versed in sieges. They should be here within the week. I believe that we will be totally ready before the spring thaw comes. As a side note, Ballisto has commented that our townhouse in Stettin is quite pleasant. I shall have to convince Agripinilla to visit it with me, sometime when the situation is less tense. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus April 5, 1203 Finally, all of the pieces of our defensive plan are in place. Yesterday, Felix returned home, bringing promises of friendship from the sea troll, Ulf. Apparently, Ulf is still grateful to us for restoring his wife to him, and so he has promised to watch the entirity of the Baltic Sea for the forces which will be assaulting us. When he sees us, he will send great whales to our island, to give us warning. Then, this morning, Baron Rutger showed up, bringing with him all the men that he promised. We welcomed him ashore, and served him and his men a good meal. Then, we all began to talk of our tactics. A constant watch will be maintained about our island by our grogs. Even in night, they will be vigilant, for they will be aided by spells to see in the dark. The cats that infest our island have also agreed to help maintain the watch. It is good to know that the lazy pests aren't entirely useless. When the attack actually comes, we will retreat to our covenant, and bar the gates. They have stood up to the magical winds of this island, and thus I doubt that there is much that a mundane army can do to harm them. From the walls, Weris and Felix will cast great arcs of flame, killing dozens with each spell. Nova too will aid in the attack, by turning the rain which falls constantly upon our island into a hale of deadly stones. Ballisto shall be the last element of our defensive plan. He shall cast his newly learned spell, Rampart of Protecting Earth, and thus divide the army. The leaders and followers will be seperated, and there will be great confusion which we shall use to our advantage. I do not fear the army heading our way, for now, we are ready for them. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus April 17, 1203 When the two great whales began to circle the island today, I was sure that the attack was finally at hand. I was actually relieved, for I have been very jumpy lately, waiting for the coming assault. Unfortunately, I was to be quite disappointed. Only one boat approached our island. It bore a magus of Hermes named Torris of Tremere. Almost at once, I was suspicious of the man, for I have heard ill tales about him. Still, Ballisto and I invited him back to the covenant. Back in the council room, Torris told us that he had come from the covenant of Literatus in the Roman Tribunal. There, he had run into Auditor. Apparently, Auditor has decided to spend some time in the far South, to increase his powers, so that he may return, more prepared for the war. However, he did not wish to leave us short-handed, so he certamened Torris, and demanded that the Tremere take his place in our covenant. We were all somewhat leery when Torris said that Auditor had beaten him in Certamen, for Auditor is not precisely skilled in that magical duel. So, we demanded that Torris prove his ineptness. Thus, Nihil and Torris fought a certamen, the second at Nature's Teeth. Not only did Nihil defeat the Tremere, but he did so very quickly. Clearly, Torris is incompetent enough for Auditor to have beaten him at Certamen. I'm not too sure that I'm happy with Auditor deserting us, leaving this young firebrand in his place, to act as an honorary redcap for our covenant. Still, I am sure that he had our best interest at heart when he made the decision. Torris has admited that he is skilled at Ignem, thus, in the coming conflict, we shall place him near the front, and see how he fares. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus April 24, 1203 Another council meeting was held this evening, to welcome Torris into our covenant, now that he has spent the prerequisite week upon our island. And still, the attack from the North has not come. Could Weris have lied to us, attempting another betrayal? I wish I understood the foreign Flambeau better. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 3, 1203 It seems that we have been tricked, or, at the least, misled. Today, word came from Turpis that the attackers had left Harnosand over a week ago. However, it now appears that they are not heading to our island, as we all assumed. Rather, they are attacking lands to the south of Harnosand, raiding in the ancient Viking tradition. We argued for some time, angry that all of preparations were for nothing. Finally, though, we decided to take strong, decisive action. Lord Elgan has been a thorn in our side in the past, and, we are sure, he will continue to irritate us in the future, as long as we hold his blacksmith, Hobble. Thus, we are going North, to raid his raiding party, and cripple his military strength once and for all. Seven magi are making the trip: myself, Felix, Weris, Torris, Ballisto, Agripinilla and Nihil. Agripinilla will befuddle the mundanes with her newly learned aura, while the rest of us wreak magical destruction upon the army. With us, we will have over a score fighting men, including all of our german Grogs, and Baron Rutger's retinue of knights. There is no way that the barbarian army will stand against us. Perhaps on our way back, we will take Stockholm as well.