Novgorod Log #26: Visitors III +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Of the shaman Arnodd and how he ultimately dealt with the flame | | spirit, Weris. Also, the tale of three Jerbiton, and their visit to | | Nature's Teeth. Finally, the departure of a maga. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Agripinilla of Jerbiton Maga (Chris van Horn) Andron of Bonisagus Magus (Eric Rowe) Ballisto of Tytalus Magus (Bill Filios) Carmen of Bjornaer Maga (Donald Kubasak) Carolinus of Tremere Magus (Chris Frerking) Felix of Flambeau Magus (Dave Pickering) The Gorm ex Miscellanea Magus (Matt Seidl) Ivarr of Tremere Magus (Sean Mattheis) Nihil of Criamon Magus (Chad Weetman) Nova of Criamon Magus (Dave Woo) Torris of Tremere Magus (Kevin Wong) Una of Tytalus Maga (Clayton Springer) Turpis Merchant (Dave Pickering) Dustie Horse of Dust & Thunder Fredo Grasshopper Arnodd Fish Shaman Complures of Bonisagus Magus of Brosis Drassus of Criamon Wandering Magus Edward Shaman Emron of Bjornaer Magus of Lectica Ignacious of Jerbiton Magus of Iceland Inchusa of Jerbiton Quaesitor Magus Levis of Mercere Redcap Martha of Jerbiton Magus of Captus Agrippus Ottar of the North Great Hero Sally Boat Weris of Flambeau Ghost +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "Maybe Gorm will take me under his wing." | | -The Shaman, Edward | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ From Arnodd's Charred Diary August 29, 1204 As I write this journal entry, I am in the village of Visby, resting in the residence of an ugly merchant named Turpis. Nature's Teeth is now very near; I am almost at the end of a long journey. When Gorm first contacted me, over a year ago, I was somewhat leery. He begged me to rid his home of a ghost of flames, and I told him that I would consider the matter. But, in truth, I promptly pushed it to the back of my mind. It seemed a dangerous task with little real reward. Gorm, however, continued to bother me, regularly disturbing me as I wandered through the spirit realms. And, I began to think again of the ghost of fire which dwelled within the devil's teeth. Then, when Edward wrote to me, everything came together. He told of how he would soon be a full shaman, and that he was preparing to seek his fetch. He asked for my aid in finding a spirit of adequate power, mentioning specifically that he hoped to find a spirit of flames. I went to Edward at once, saying that I would be happy to help him. And that is how the two of us have come to Visby. The merchant, Turpis, is in the pay of the magi of the Devil's Teeth, which is why we have come to him. This afternoon, he sent a messenger to his masters. Very soon, we should be upon the island where I hope to help Edward acquire his fetch. - * - From the Book of Edward September 1, 1204 When Arnodd and I first set off for Nature's Teeth, I had the highest hopes. I thought that I would acquire my fetch and finally become a full shaman. But now, everything has ended terribly. When we arrived at Nature's Teeth, the magi of Hermes were most polite. The leader, Andron, showed Arnodd and myself to the lab where the fire ghost had died, and then left several of his warriors with us to help. Shortly afterwards, Arnodd had climbed into a tub of water. The warriors poured water over him, and he began to focus upon his ritual, projecting himself into the spirit realm. But, the fire ghost, Weris, was stronger than we had thought he would be. When Arnodd met him in the spirit realm, they battled fiercely, and the fire ghost was angered. And then the battle moved, returning to the realm of man. Arnodd was still recovering his wits when Weris appeared. As Weris encanted a spell of flame, Arnodd tried once more to control the shade. And then, lances of fire shot from the ghost's fingers, once, twice, thrice. Arnodd's blackened corpse crumpled quickly to the ground. Afterwards, the fire ghost turned, and began to cast flames all about him. I ducked into the hallway as Weris turned the lab into a blazing inferno. - * - From the Book of Edward September 20, 1204 As September draws to an end, I find myself still at the island of Nature's Teeth. I begin to wonder if I shall ever leave this place. Shortly after Arnodd's death, I was approached by the magus Andron, who asked me if he would like to join his Order. I had heard of the rules of the magi of Hermes, and so I answered very quickly, saying I would be happy to join. I became a member of the clan called Ex Miscellanea, and have been given the Hermetic name Cinis Ludibruim. And now, I have studied the books of Hermes for three weeks. Andron insists that I must become a good magus. However, at least one good thing has come from my extended stay at Nature's Teeth. I have dallied long enough to realize that Andronn was probably successful in his last action. Arnodd had said that he would banish the shade if it was too powerful to control. Now, the ghost of Weris has not been seen for three weeks. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus September 29, 1204 Today, we finally returned to Nature's Teeth. Nearly at once, it became obvious how much time had passed. The winds were already cold, and it was clear that Winter was nearly upon us. Andron greeted us in the Council Room, and we soon learned that the world had not remained still in our absence. The great shaman Arnodd had come, and gone, in a burst of flames. But, it seems that he banished Weris with his dying breath, for the Flambeau has not been seen in over a month. A new magus now resides at our covenant, one Cinis Ludibruim, former shaman. I don't understand why Andron didn't just kill him. The shamans were not the only ones who visited Nature's Teeth while we were gone. We also missed a redcap, one Levis of Mercere. Most of the letters he brought consisted of the usual tripe which passes through the hands of the messengers of the Order. Felix was most disappointed to learn that he had not yet received a reply from House Jerbiton on the matter of the Icelandic covenant of "Jerbiton". There was, however, one letter of note, a letter from our friend, Una. - * - Una's Letter to the Covenant of Nature's Teeth Sent August 14, 1204 Received September 27, 1204 My friends, Three years ago, I left my home covenant of Brosis with a heavy weight upon my heart. Throughout my apprenticeship, my Master was distracted, working upon secret studies the he spoke of, but little. They were great studies, but dangerous ones too, and that was ultimately his doom. I was just more than half way done with my apprenticeship on the day of the lab fire, the day that my Master died. And that was the day that the weight first lay upon my heart. Rather than speaking well of my late master and continuing his studies, which promised to expand the magic of Hermes itself, the magi of Brosis condemned him. They called him a reckless fool, and it seemed that his great discoveries would be ignored. I finished my studies as best I could on my own, and then, when Ivarr began to speak of Nature's Teeth, I joined him. There was nothing left for me at Brosis. But now, having returned to Brosis, I have found that everything has changed. The magi here have looked at my late master's theories, truly looked at them. Half of the covenant is now toiling away upon the work that my master once did alone. Complures, the head of Brosis, has asked me to remain, to help work upon my master's spells. I am sorry, but I will not be returning to Nature's Teeth. Please, do not think that I have utterly abandoned you. I have done the research that you requested while here, and I will continue to watch for new information on gems of magic, ancient rituals, and other things that might interest you, but now, my place is here. First, about Ivarr. It appears that when he left Nature's Teeth, that dark evening two years ago, mumbling of vengeance, Brosis was his destination. He came here, to study certain books, researching Hermes Lore, Hermes History and Odin Lore. I believe he learned some word of Enervo, who has always been as much his enemy as yours, and that he when he studied the books of Brosis, he was looking for something to aid him against the Tremere. I do not know how successful Ivarr's research was, but by the time Winter was done, he was preparing to leave. He promised he would return before the year was done, and then he was gone into the wilderness of the North. It has been a year and a half, and Ivarr has not yet returned. I fear he is dead. You asked me to look for information on two gems, the green gem of Faeries and the purple gem of Teirdre. I am sorry to say that I have found no reference to fay gems. However, my research into Teirdre has been a bit more successful. Apparently, he is a merchant mage, not of the Order. He travels to North selling certain items of magic, and offering those secrets of the lore which he knows. According to Complures, he has visited the Covenant a few times in the last years. When he next comes to Brosis, I shall ask him to detour to your covenant. While looking through our books of lore, I have also found reference to two more gems which might be the magical door gems which you seek. A book on the gods of the Norsemen told the story of the great hero Ottar. It recounted the tale of how he saved all of Sweden from the giant black Troll who controlled the night. Their battle was a fierce one which lasted weeks. Finally, Ottar struck a mighty blow, and the Troll fell to the ground dead. But Ottar fell too, for he had been mortally wounded hours before. Ottar was buried seven days later in a huge tomb. Around his neck was hung the great stone of night, once the greatest treasure of the awful troll. It was a tremendous gem, THE SIZE OF A MAN's FIST! I believe the tomb is located in Norrland. I have included a rough map which accompanied the story. I found the other gem reference in a book on the far east. A single paragraph told of a magus of Blood and Death named Slovisky, who lives far to the east in a house made of crimson ice. It is said that he holds a gemm of blood. Complures is sure that he has heard the name before, and he has asked a redcap to gather some information. As soon as I know more, I will send a letter to you. Finally, there is one last matter. When I was telling Complures of Nature's Teeth, I happened to mention the store of Odin artifacts that you have acquired. He became very excited, for the studies of the Northerner's magic is at the heart of the investigations here. He has asked me to offer you a deal. The magi of Brosis will be willing to help Nature's Teeth, by studying the items you have accumulated if, in return, they are allowed to keep half of them. I assure you, their interests are quite different from yours, and I do not think that they will take those items that you would find the most useful. I would urge you to accept the deal, for I think it would benefit both our covenants. Please remember, that although I have retired from Nature's Teeth, and rejoined Brosis, my old home, I remain your friend. Una - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus September 29, 1204 We were all saddened by Una leaving Nature's Teeth, but still, she did give us much good news. Happily, we filed her information among the notes we had collected on gems of the North. And then, we began to talk of the offer that she had made us. In truth, Una's proposal excited us all, for none of us are too skilled in the study of magic items, and so many artifacts sit on our shelves, gathering dust. If we accept the offer of the covenant of Brosis, at least we can put half of them to use. After discussing the matter for quite some time, we finally came up with an alternate offer. We will give Brosis fourteen different items of magic. They shall be allowed to keep the seven items of Odin which we give them, and they will return to us the other seven items, after they have learned what they do. Thus, Brosis will gain seven new Odin items while we will learn the true nature of seven things that we are truly interested in. Felix will carry our counter-offer to Brosis, riding his new horse, Dustie, there. Several of the others are also taking advantage of these last weeks before winter, making their final voyages of the year. While Felix heads North, Agripinilla and Carmen, along with the shaman Cinis and the Criamon are heading South. Agripinilla plans to journey to Germany, where she will winter in the manor house that Baron Rutger has provided us. Cinis too is heading to Germany. He wishes to return to the German village which he guards, and leave the frozen North forever behind. Finally, Carmen is going to Poland, to the covenant of Lectica. She wants to speak with the lemming magus, Emron. Apparently the scoundrel hasn't written her in a year! I'm tempted to go down there with her, to teach this Emron a lesson about courtesy. Oh, and there's the Criamon. Tytalus knows why he's going with the southern group. Curiosity, he says. Damned Criamon. I wish I could go South with my friends, but I have promised Fredo that I would fix his leg. As soon as I have bid my friends goodbye tomorrow, I plan to start working upon that spell in earnest. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus October 8, 1204 It has been an interesting day. It's amazing what happens when we just sit at home and let others come to us. First of all, Felix has returned. It appears that Dustie is just as fast as promised. A trip to Brosis and back in ten days is an amazing feat. Even better, Felix brought good news. He said that Complures had accepted our counter-offer with just one stipulation. Complures said that it might be years before his covenant had studied all fourteen of the magic items that we gave him. However, he agreed to have his magi alternate between working upon our items and theirs, so we are not too worried about the delay. Our magic items will surely be studied quicker than they would have been in our own covenant! However, Felix's return was not the true event of the day. Just hours later, a whale began circling. Soon, we saw a Roman Trireme approaching. Three magi were upon the ship. The first was Martha of Jerbiton, a reknowned Jerbiton and, also, Agripinilla's mother. The second was Inchusa of Jerbiton, the Quaesitor of her house. The last was Ignacious of Jerbiton, the former Flambeau who we had met upon the island of Iceland. We quickly invited the three to our council room. There, Martha began to speak of Iceland. It seems that there is great magic in Iceland. She fears that if this becomes common knowledge before the next Grand Tribunal, there could be great conflict within the Order. The reason for this potential conflict is rooted in the stupid bureacracy of the Order. Iceland is part of no Tribunal, and thus none may lay claim upon it, except by sheer force. When Martha asked us all to make an oath of silence, to swear that we would say nothing of Iceland, I agreed at once, for I saw the benefit of having a powerful Quaesitor as a friend. Ballisto, Gorm and Carolinus were all equally intelligent. Felix, Nihil and Nova each took a slightly more mercenery attitude. They agreed to swear only after they have been given a sufficient offering. Felix got some vis, while Nova collected a useless nick-nack. Nihil will be sent a protective amulet in the next couple of months. Finally, Andron and Torris were plain stupid. They refused to swear, and thus were certamened into unconsciousness by Ignacious. Before Martha and the others left, we all had a long discussion about our recent visit from Paulus of Quaesitor. We were quite honest about the whole matter of Paulus, Gravito and Old Marcus. I am delighted to say that Martha was as angered by Paulus' actions as we were. With any luck, she will bring the issue straight to Magvillus, and then straighten out the young brat. The three Jerbiton have now left us, for they still have many stops to make. Una, Agripinilla and Carmen must all be found, for if they talk of Iceland, our oaths are worthless. I wish them luck in their quest, for I would very much like to retain the new friends that we have gained. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus October 14, 1204 Today, Carmen and Drassus returned from their visit to Poland. Unfortunately, the journey was not the best of trips, as their unhappy faces showed upon their return. It appears that Carmen's friendship with Emron is done. Drassus mumbled something about the bastard being most unkind to our Bjornaer, and Carmen nearly knocking him out. I wonder if Felix would like to join me in a little visit to our traitorous ferret friend. Carmen did bring some good news back with her, however. In Germany, she ran into our old friend Weris. It seems that though Weris killed him, the shaman Arnodd did succeed in banishing the Flambeau from our island. I shall think of Arnodd fondly when I burn his vis.