Season: Winter, 1218 [From THE ROLLS OF DRAGON'S RISE]: Full Members: Angus of Bonisagus Lab Worker (Don) Marlon of Tremere Hunter (Philip) Nicholi of Jerbiton Chancellor (John) Tolas of Tremere Leader Members: Ahmed of Flambeau Associate Member (Scott) Arturo of Mercere Associate Member (John) Lysander of Jerbiton Associate Member (Chris) Malcolm of Jerbiton Associate Member (Matt) Pumilio of Erimor Associate Member (Dave) Mundanes: Andre, Silver Grog Covenant Guardian (Matt) Bolo, Golden Grog Covenant Guardian (Dave) Guiseppe, Mercury Grog Guardian of Angus Jaques Covenant Guardian (Philip) Nickoli Story Teller (Eric) Paulo, Silver Grog Covenant Guardian (Shannon) Pellami Fisherman (Scott) Pietro, Golden Grog Guardian of Nicholi Reginald, Mercury Grog Guardian of Malcolm Samson, Silver Grog Guardian of Lysander Turati, Mercury Grog Guardian of Ahmed Turelli, Golden Grog Guardian of Marlon Victorio, Mercury Grog Covenant Guardian (Don) Others: Durus Ghost Tonare Horse * * * [Dramatis Personae]: Ardour Quaesitor Apprentice Jaques Merchant Lutus Quaesitor Apprentice Nigel of Ex. Misc. Magus Prolato of Quaesitor Magus Sergi of Mercere Magus * * * [A Timeline of Nigel of Ex. Misc.]: Summer, 1207 Nigel first seen, at the Roman Tribunal. -Vardian Log #32 Fall, 1209 First word of the destruction of Portaclera, a Covenant in Germany, by the Church. -Vardian Log #37 Summer, 1214 Nigel recognised to look very similar to church man who led attack against Portaclera. Gaps found in his memory. Forbid to leave Covenant of Carmania. -Vardian Log #52 * * * [From THE RISE LOGS OF TOLAS OF TREMERE]: It was at the Council Meeting of Winter, 1218, that my new Covenant of Dragon's Rise first saw guests. I was quite pleased, for one was a Mercere, named Sergi, while the other was a Quaesitor, named Prolato. It is good to have my new Covenant known by those important houses. After Sergi presented news, and Prolato mentioned that he had just come from Carmania, where he had named Nigel of Ex Miscellanea a Quaesitor, we proceeded on to our normal matters. The good labs were allocated and my thralls were all given their assignments for the season. It should be noted that Pumilio will be investigating some vines that have begun to grow within our caves. I believe that they might be magical, but it will take some study to find out for sure. Surplus vis for the year was divided before the end of the meeting. Each magus was only allocated one credit in the vis pool, but I believe it is a good start. After the meeting, I was approached by several farmers from my village. They told of a merchant in Vienchiza who was selling what he called a magical horse. They asked for six hundred silver pieces to pay for it. I have sent Nicholi, Malcolm and Lysander to see if the horse is tryly magical, and take it if it is. With them went their grogs, and that obnoxious story teller, Nickoli. With any luck, this tidbit of knowledge will be profitable to my Covenant in some way. Before I end this log, I should mention that Prolato of Quaesitor is staying at our Covenant for a time, in one of our three guest labs. I have asked the other magi to show him every courtesy. It is imperative that he, our first guest, bring a good report back of my Covenant. * * * [From Pietro's Personal Report to Tolas of Tremere]: After Nicholi came and spoke to me, explaining that we were heading over to Vienchiza to examine some horses, I said a quick goodbye to Maria and my seven children. Then, I gathered together my leather hauberk and my short sword, and joined Nicholi and the others, who had already finished their preparations. Perhaps I have been a grog too long. Looking at the young grogs from Postestas, or that storyteller, Nickoli, I sometimes feel so slow. However, I won't bore you with such details, Sir. On our way out of the Covenant, we noticed that strange woman sitting just outside the wall. You'll recall that we sent word back and you had Marlon investigate her. Afterwards, we trekked out to Vienchiza. The journey was an uneventful one. * * * [From THE RISE LOGS OF TOLAS OF TREMERE]: When Nicholi sent word back about the strange woman sitting outside our walls, I became wary at once. The walls around my Covenant, also mark the edge of our Aegis of the Hearth. Thus, it seemed quite clear that the entity outside the walls was a supernatural one. I sent both Marlon and Ahmed, as well as their grogs, Bolo and Paulo to investigate this woman. Marlon soon returned with a bag full of red apples. He said that the woman had claimed to be a friend of Inidinan, a Faerie that caused us problems back at Vardian's Tomb. The apples were alledgedly a gift from her for Flamma. I must say that I am happy that Flamma is away at Literatus, for she is too trusting, and would have eaten the apples at once. I plan to investigate the apples during the next season, to see if their are good or bad. Simple spells have already shown them to be magical. * * * [From THE ADVENTURES OF PIETRO]: And thus was begun my first adventure at Dragon's Rise. It was not a great and epic one, as some of the stories of my youth, but I am not the same young man that I was then, and so it was proper. When we arrived in Vienchiza, we quickly saw that we would not be the only ones involved in this epic. Almost as soon as we arrived, Nicholi spotted another magus. He said the magus' name was Nigel, who was named a great villain at the last meeting of the magi of Italy. We were all somewhat suspicious and decided to try and avoid him. Very soon, we were speaking with Jaques, the man who had earlier talked with our villagers. He bragged of his horse having the very wind in it's breath. The magi were curious, for they wanted to know the source of this miraculous beast. And, after careful questioning, there were able to discover it. Jaques revealed that he had bred a fine mare with a sea horse, in a secret place, and thus this mystical beast had been born. By that time, the magi had decided that the magical horse should be theirs, and that they would take it from Jaques when he left the town. So, I sent Samson to run back to the Covenant. He retrieved Angus, a magus of death and destruction, for we needed his help in quietly ambushing this mundane. While we waited for Samson and Angus to return, we were approached by Nigel, the villain we had hoped to avoid. He began to speak of his new status, as a Judge of Magi, in the most grandiose of terms. He mentioned that his first act as a Quaesitor had been to forgive himself of past debts and judgements. Finally, Nicholi invited Nigel back to our Covenant, confident that Tolas could deal with him. More importantly, it quieted the magus down, so that we could return to our own business. As the sun set, Samson returned with Angus. And from there, it was just a small step to the conclusion of our business. When Jaques left the town, Malcolm put him to sleep with a simple spell. Then, Angus removed Jaques' memories of us, and we quickly absconded with the magical stallion. And that is the complete tale of my first adventure at Dragon's Rise. No epic battles. No great contests of magic. No extended negotiations. Rather, we had a goal, and we quickly and efficiently accomplished it. I can only feel that I am in the right place, here at Dragon's Rise. It is as if the magi have all matured as I have, resulting in this new Covenant, so calm and fine, so unlike the Tomb, so perfect. * * * [From THE RISE LOGS OF TOLAS OF TREMERE]: When Nicholi first return to my Covenant with Nigel, I was confused and worried. I thought that some subtle manipulations might be going through House Quaesitor. I was afraid that Arliandus was breaking his promise, and scheming some master plan to ruin my new Covenant. So, I was not surprised when Angus came to me, the evening that we had set Nigel up in our second guest lab. He told me that his dog had been watching Nigel, and had seen the new Quaesitor snooping about in places he did not belong. So, I collected Ahmed, and the three of us went to speak with Nigel. I soon learned that Nigel was no part of a Quaesitor plot, but rather something stranger. When we came upon him, he was arguing with Prolato, who had made him a Quaesitor. Suddenly, Nigel pulled out a dagger, and stabbed Prolato, seemingly wounding him greatly. And then, the three of us were intoning spells, for clearly Nigel had tried to kill a magus, violating the Code. They were spells of death, for that is the only way to deal with those who kill their fellows. Angus, Ahmed and I struck in unison, and Nigel fell, burned to death before he could cast a single spell. As we carefully approached the smoking remains, we realized that something very odd was going on. As Nigel had fallen, he had become mud and dirt. Only a foot remained flesh. Even worse, there was no vis within Nigel's remains. I can only think at this time that he must have been some magical construct, like the automatons at Verdi. Having assured myself that Nigel was indeed dealt with, I turned to Prolato. Surprisingly, he was unhurt. However, an arcane spell lay upon him, for he was not moving, and in his eyes, I could only see white. Ahmed dragged Prolato back to the Council Room, while I collected Nigel's remains for further investigation. Then, Angus banished the spell upon Prolato, and we began to talk. We were all quite suspicious of Prolato, and we questioned him mercilessly. The whole time, however, he proclaimed his innocence, claiming that he could not recall what had happened. Finally, Angus grew frustrated, and he drew Truth from it's sheath. As it's magics were released, we were all bombarded with spells. Prolato reacted poorly. He attacked me, chanting Perdo Aquam. The spell bounced off my magical charm, but I took it as a good excuse to collect vis. Together, Ahmed and I threw pilums of flame, and Prolato fell to the ground dead. This time, there was no odd transformation. A dead magus lay before us. So, we pulled his black soul back from the netherlands. Soon, I learned that my execution had been entirely appropriate. Prolato admitted to being a diabolist, and after several threats, we managed to pull the names of two more diabolists from him. They are Ardour and Lutus, both apprentices at Magvillus. After some unfruitful questioning, Angus released Prolato's soul, and he was sent screaming back to Hell. After I collected Prolato's vis, I called a Council Meeting. For a long time, we argued about how we would tell Magvillus of what had happened. Some of the fools wanted to try and blackmail Magvillus, or to demand rewards. Fortunately, I was able to convince them of the stupidity of those courses of action. Arturo will take a letter to Magvillus that simply tells what happened, and makes no threats and no demands. I know perfectly well that this will show Magvillus that we are their friends. Things would have been so much easier if Flamma were here, or Marlon were more of a Tremere. Afterwards, Nicholi brought up the matter of Tonare, the horse that he had been sent to Vienchiza to investigate. He told how he had investigated it, found it to be quite a fine horse, and stolen it from it's owner. Then, he went on to explain that it's father was a magical sea horse. We were all quite interested, and so decided that Nicholi and Lysander, along with a large group of warriors would try and find the horse's birthing place. Nicholi announced that he had already spoken with the horse, using Intellego magics, and thought that it could lead him to the farm where it had been born. Andre, Bolo, Jaques, Paulo, Pellami and Victorio were the warriors who went with the two magi when they left (along with their personal grogs, of course). I am hoping that we will be able to breed horses, as Jaques apparently did, and so bring more money into the Covenant. After the Council Meeting, I spent a few hours investigating the remains of Nigel. It was most unproductive. I finally decided to leave them for Demoror. I expect that when he returns from Literatus, he will be happy to have them to continue his Corporem research. I have returned to my work on those apples that the strange woman brought. What I have found so far is somewhat disturbing, but more research is required. * * * [From Paulo's Personal Report to Tolas of Tremere]: For nearly a week we followed Tonare. He followed an erratic course which cut here and there across the island of Sardinia. Finally, we arrived at a farm on the west coast of the island, a bit North of our Covenant. As we neared, Nicholi was able to point out Jaques, the man that they had earlier stole Tonare from. Andre and Bolo were sent down to the farm to speak with him. When the two rejoined us, they told us that they had gained the information from the fellow. Apparently, they had made him some fine offers of money and employment, in exchange for what he knew. But, the fellow had tried to bargain for more than was possibly reasonable. Thus, they had finally claimed the information by intimidation. There was a nearby flat, just a bit to the North. During storms, it was flooded, to four or five feet. At the first storm after the Winter Solstice, Jaques would take his mares to the flat, and tie them down. When the water came in, sea horses would ride upon the tide, and mate with the mares staked there. Jaques did warn that there were dangers. Last year, he had lost his son and a mare to an awful beast which had followed the horses into the flat. At that time, Andre and Bolo were ready to take the two remaining mares from Jaques, for our own use in a few months. I convinced them to let Lysander purchase them, so that we would not leave the man utterly destitute. Afterwards, Jaques showed us exactly where the flat was. Finally, we returned to the Covenant. * * * [From THE RISE LOGS OF TOLAS OF TREMERE]: The Winter Solstice has now passed, and this year's horse breeding attempt does not seem to be as successful as we might have wished. As was agreed at Winter's Third Council, Ahmed and Pumilio were responsible for the expedition. A bit worried about the uncertainty of the situation, they also took Nicholi as well as a slew of warriors. On the way to the flat, they stopped at Jaques' house, and found it utterly deserted. I have claimed it for my Covenant. By the time the group got to the flat, it was already raining. Thus, the magi staked the horses out and waited for the night to pass. At midnight, Pumilio summoned a storm up. Several hours passed, and finally the magi saw three horses coming in from the sea, rising from the foam as the waves crashed into the flat. And, as Jaques had promised, two began to mate with our mares. Apparently, our warriors were a bit hasty when they went to collect our mares. Jaques, the Covenant clown, was attacked by one of the sea horses, who had not utterly left, as the group had thought. Andre was able to save him. Then, the group was bright enough to simply wait. Finally, the mares were recovered, and the whole group returned home. However, neither mare was pregnant, and for a time we were all disappointed. We had thought we had a new monetary source for the Covenant, for such fine horses are quite valuable. However, we did not realize that the chances of the mares becoming pregnant were actually quite low. I was ready to have the magi kill the sea horses for their vis next year. Then, Angus spoke. He said that Durus had mentioned that he had heard of such sea horses before. Apparently the very water around them turned magical as they moved through it. Next year, we will return to that flat at the Winter Solstice. This time, the magi shall extract the vis from the water while the sea horses mate with our mares. And, if another magical horse is born of that union, all the better. It is good that our time has turned out to have been spent well. I am actually quite surprised that none of us thought about the magical aspects of the business at the start. * * * [From THE RISE LOGS OF TOLAS OF TREMERE]: I have finished my investigation of those apples and am a bit disturbed. There were two enchantments within them. The first was very general, and gave one who ate of the apples magical visions for a year. The second was specifically keyed to three people, Flamma, Rupes and Parco. If they had eaten the apples, they would have been cursed with awful nightmares. I am not sure what to make of the whole affair. My guess is that Sagino, the Wizard Marched Arch Mage is behind this affair, for he is the only I can think of who would hate those three. I can not believe that the Quaesitors are so incompetent as to have not killed him yet. In any case, I have sent warnings to Parco and Rupes. I am sure they will be grateful to me. And, I plan to eat of the apples, since they seem to be useful to all but those three. Hopefully, the visions will be helpful to my Covenant. I should note that Pumilio managed to finish his investigation of those vines in the caves. They are quite magical, as I had suspected, and during Spring, they will entirely fill the cave, if we let them. At the end of the season, we will be able to extract five pawns of valuable Creo vis. I expect that those labs will not be used in the coming season.