Vardian Log #48: A Trip to Literatus -- "It was a wooden sword at that. Awful ineffective AND violent." --Arridere -- Season: Fall, 1212 Dramatis Personae: Angus of Bonisagus Magus (DonP) Arridere of Jerbiton Magus (Dave) Becky Maiden Bolo Warrior (Dave) Certus of Bonisagus Magus Demoror of Quaesitor Magus (Billy) Drake Black Dragon Dubius of Criamon Magus (Woo) Franco Ghost Gamion of Quaesitor Magus Gotho Grog Guido Grog Irena Grog Italo Autocrat Katarina Alchemist (Doug) Luigi Drakesbane Grog Magister of Jerbiton Magus Marcelo Grog Mercutio Grog Milano Grog Pietro Grog Raul of Ex. Misc. Magus Rupes of Tremere Magus Sadie Peasant Girl Servola Autocrat (Eric) Smaragdus Student Specula Girl Theophilus of Criamon Magus Tolas of Tremere Magus Turbator of Tremere Magus (Scott) Turry Kitchen Boy Velox of Mercere Redcap Verdan of Bonisagus Magus (Shannon) William of Ex. Misc. Magus ** ** From the Journals of Certus ** Late Summer, 1212 This morning, Luigi came running to me, screaming the Becki was gone, and that it looked like she had been taken by violence. To shut him up, I finally agreed to cast Eyes of the Past, blowing vis on the fool grog. What we discovered was quite tragic, for Luigi at least. With my spell, I found that Becki had been eaten by Drake, a black dragon who had been at the Covenant, dealing with the younger magi. Luigi became quite impassioned, at once began to swear vengeance upon the beast. I was quick to offer him supplies, so that he could go off and kill the ancient dragon, as he had sworn. With luck, Luigi shall be slain in this mission, and I shall never have to deal with the fool again. ** ** From the Journals of Certus There was a minor comedy at the Tomb today. It seems that Arridere's brat, Franco, escaped from the monastery where Arridere was holding him several days ago. Then, the child procured a wooden sword, and came down to the Tomb, planning to kill Arridere. Somehow, Franco managed to find his way back to the Tomb. However, he had an unfortunate encounter with Bolo's lizard, who has been acting as a guardian for the last several year. Franco's bloody clothes and toy sword were all that we found. Unfortunately, the "tragedy" has not caused Arridere to leave the Tomb, as I had first thought that it might. Two deaths in the Tomb so recently, and both so funny. ** ** From the Annotations of Gamion of Quaesitor In Fall of 1212, some of my fellows and I came to Vardian's Tomb to investigate Arridere of Jerbiton. A recent attack upon Magvillus, the heart of our beloved Order, had left us suspicious of him, for the attack had been incited by the Church, and his connections with that organization were well known. However, our investigation was rudely interupted by Demoror, one of the greatest fools to ever be taken into our house. I was forced to cruch Demoror in a Certamen, proving my supremacy. And then, we had to end the investigation upon Arridere, for Demoror had spoken in his defense. The whole fool trip was quite maddening. ** ** From the Secret Diary of Tolas Servola has been doing research for us, in regard to the poem that Demoror got from Drake. Today, she reported to us that she had found mention of the Upas Tree. Apparently, it is an extremely poisoisonous plant, so toxic that if a bird flying over it allows it's shadow to touch the shrub, it shall fall down dead. I think we have nearly enough information now to decipher the poem. Quite soon now, we shall have to hunt for the treasure that the poem speaks of. ** ** From the Diary of Verdan of Bonisagus It was seven weeks into Fall, 1212, that Certus came to tea. After a bit of pleasant conversation, he revealed that danger threatened a member of our Covenant. It seemed that, Servola, our autocrat, had been sent a threatening note. When Certus had spoken with her, he had learned that the note had come from diabolists at Literatus. Apparently, these evil people were what had caused Servola to flee Literatus in the first place. So, Certus wished people to go to Literatus and find what evidence they could. Additionally, he suggested that they do what they could to protect Becky, a friend of Servola's who had also been threatened. I felt obliged to go, for it was Certus making this request. Angus, Dubius and Turbator also volunteered to help, each for their own reasons. After we collected Bolo, Gotho, Guido, Irena, Marcelo, Mercutio, Milano and Pietro (for we knew that many people could better help us discover a diabolic conspiracy), we set off for Literatus, prepared to discover those who had threatened our autocrat. As we marched towards Literatus, we began to form a plan. We decided that we would go in in two groups, to be less suspicious, for Certus had asked that we not reveal our intentions to Magister, the leader of Literatus. Then, we would divide up, and immerse ourselves in the activities of Literatus. Each night, we would meet, and speak of our findings. We hoped that this would eventually lead us to the diabolists that we were looking for. The first several days of our investigation were unfruitful. Italo, the autocrat, was unable to give us any information about the paper that the note had been written on, and Becky, who Servola had been worried about, simply pointed out an annoying kitchen boy when we asked her about diabolists (and it was quite clear that although Turry was a mean person, that was nothing more to him). Bolo and the grogs joined random groups at the University, such as the German Club, but they likewise learned nothing. Only Dubius proved to be useful in those first few days. He started the Riddle Club, which would eventually bring in some interesting information. After we had had several days to settle in, and we had removed Becky to Ancona, where we were sure she would be safe, we finally began to find a few clues to the possible diabolism at Literatus. The first suspect that we discovered was Theophilus, a Criamon who lives at Literatus. On the third day of our investigations, I noticed him studying a book that listed the names of many demons. Dubius later affirmed that Theophilus was indeed a diabolist, and had told him so at a meeting of the Riddle Club. Unfortunately, that information came from a Criamon, and I am not sure how much faith to put into it. The next day, our investigations continued. Turbator learned that the Occult Club often caused problem for others. Apparently, they did things like leave chicken parts under beds, and other pranks. Even more interesting was the fact that the members of the Occult Club knew, and disliked, Servola. At the same, I found a second person overly interested in the Occult. His name was Smaragdus, and I became suspicious when he picked up a book that I had created, labeled 'Lucifer, our Lord.' He seemed quite interested in it, and took it off to study. That night, I told the others of my findings, and Turbator and Dubius volunteered to watch Smaragdus that evening. I let them, which turned out to be a mistake. After an Occult Club meeting, at which William of Ex Miscellanea had spoken, Turbator approached Smaragdus. He tried to drag him off to meet Dubius, but Smaragdus refused. So, Turbator, and his grog, Marcelo, followed Smaragdus, and when Smaragdus ran, Turbator had Marcelo chase after him. Fortunately, I was sitting on the roof of one of the buildings, as I had been for the last several nights (I had been watching for suspicious movements at night). So, minutes later, I was able to see Marcelo being chased down by the two guards who Smaragdus had screamed for. Fortunately, I was able to prevent the poor fellow from being beaten. Unfortunately, Turbator had become involved by the time, and he rapidly became angry at the guards. He and I both began to cast spells. He was trying to harm the guards, and I was trying to prevent. It was enough to cause the guards to flee, and I hoped that the incident was over. Several hours later, when I was once again sitting upon the roof, Magister came to see me. He began to question my reasons for being there, and I was forced to tell him that we would looking for diabolists in his Covenant. He angrily denied any diabolists at his Covenant, and then left. The next day, Magister informed us that we would be leaving (except for Dubius, that is, for he had decided to spend his year there). Before he could throw us out, however, I insisted that he answer several questions under Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie. Fortunately, he was somewhat tolerant of the matter, and assured me that there were no diabolists in his Covenant, while under the influence of that spell. When we returned to the Covenant, with Becky in tow, we all still had questions in our minds, for both Theophilus and William seemed too involved with things diabolic, as did the student, Smaragdus. Still, against that, we weighed Magister's outright denial, and decided that he might indeed be right. So, when we returned to Certus, we suggested that the threats to Servola were all a prank, started by the Occult Club. Certus did not seem pleased with that result, and was even less pleased by the fact that we had told Magister of our mission. At the least, I did not waste my season entirely, and was able to return to lab, and continue my studies of Intellego. With a tiny bit more work, I should be able to make a fine longevity potion for myself. ** ** From the Diary of Verdan of Bonisagus ** Spring, 1213 On the 3rd of January, in the year 1213, my new wife, Sadie, gave a beautiful daughter to me. We have named her Specula. She does not have the talent for magic, but I am sure that she will be gifted in many other ways. ** ** From the Diary of Verdan of Bonisagus ** Spring, 1213 The Council Meeting of Spring, 1213, was quiet a strange one. After we had all sat down, to prepare for the usual bureacracies and formalities, Velox of Mercere was brought forward. However, Velox did not simply bring the usual letters and news. Rather, he carried with him the burnt and bloody form of our grog, Luigi. What made the sight even stranger was poor Luigi's coloration. From head to toe, he was covered with light blue spots, just like the birds that Calios so much liked to kill. When I tried to heal Luigi, with the Chiurgeon's Healing Touch, my spell failed. We discussed this for a bit, and all became very suspicious, for none of has made magical protections for Luigi. Certus woke the grog, and began to question him, and we soon learned that his sword and dagger were of diabolic origin, and thus they were destroyed. Afterwards, Luigi told us the amazing story of his quest for Becki's killer. Of course, he exaggerated the story quite a bit. ** ** From The Epic of Luigi, As Told To His Beautiful Wife Becky I still don't remember leaving the Tomb. All I recall now is heading north out of Rome, thinking of the uselessness of life. Becki was gone, and he who had been Luigi was destroyed along with her. All I was then was a name, and that name was Drake. I followed that name north into the Po valley. The journey was lonely and desperate. Fortunately, kind peasants along the way would remind me to eat when I stopped to question them of Drake. The information came slowly throughout the season, but I had all the time in the world. I lived but for my revenge. Eventually, I found myself heading into the Alps as the snows of winter began to fall. It was in the village of Turanoa that I first confronted him. The mighty Black Dragon was in the human shape of Drake, standing in front of a merchant and arguing over the price of some small bauble. When I called out to him by name, he whirled about, sword already in hand, the bauble forgotten. I named myself as his death and leapt towards him with my magic sword blazing. I will give Drake this: he was a master swordsman, but I fought him still, for I had nothing to lose. Further and further through the snow covered alleys of the village I drove him until, at last, I cornered him against the local church. Giving up all pretenses of humanity he began to enlarge and transform, grasping a large section of wall as he grew. This he hurled towards me as I charged, knocking me across the street and into another building. As I arose from the rubble I heard the screams of the villagers. They had just noticed the mammoth beast sitting atop their church. I studied it briefly, but I perceived nothing from its cruel, evil eyes as I advanced yet again. The beast let loose a great blast of flame against my charge, but as you well know, I fear no fire, be it the flames of dragons, or the infernoes of hell. I then struck the suprised dragon as it crouched upon the flattened church, my blade sinking deep. Bellowing a great roar of pain, the beast leapt past me, into the village, flame pouring from it in all directions. I chased him through the flames and smoke, but to no avail. As the view cleared I was able to make out his distant shape receding into the northern sky. After demanding a new pack and supplies from the village, I followed Drake once again. It was the cackle of ravens that first warned me of his presence several weeks later. I removed part of my headwraps to improve my vision, despite the biting cold. There in the distance, atop a small hill, sat the Black Dragon. This time I approached cautiously, the snowdrifts slowing my movement. When I grew near he addressed me, saying, "Luigi of the Tomb, why do you still pursue me?" I replied, "I seek you for you are he who destroyed me, who devoured all that I held dear. You are he that slew my dear wife, Becki." Drake then attempted some excuses, claiming that Becki had truly been a Demon, but I was not listening as I approached. In retrospect, it would have been a lot less painful if I had actually listened to that stupid dragon. As it was, he had allowed me within striking distance, and I did not hesitate. My blade crashed into his armored hide several times while he responded by clawing at my body. Rupes and Flamma are twice thanked in that fight, for the perfect armor that they provided me with. Whenever he set his fiery breath upon me, I replied with flame of my own. This led to the unfortunate problem of the snow melting in the immediate vicinity. I soon found myself trapped in the mud. The dragon was greatly amused. As I tried to escape, the Black Dragon flew to a nearby peak and ripped off the top of the mountain. I could picture his vile smirk as the great shadow enveloped me. Looking up, I saw nothing but rock, and I knew that even my sword might not be enough to save me this time. It hurt. It hurt a lot. It was also very dark. And...I couldn't move. All I could feel was rage. Rage at being unable to avenge my love. Her image appeared in my head, more radiant and beautiful than ever. Then I pictured the dragon eating her. And, I felt rage again. After that, I could move a bit. More rage, and I found myself digging upwards through the heavy soil. After an eternity I found myself breaking free into the cool, fresh air. I ached all over, but I still had my sword and my rage. The dragon, I sensed, was nearby. However, the beast had one last trick up his claws. He had friends. Two ferocious griffons hurtled though the sky towards me as I struggled to regain my bearings. I had scarcely enough time to draw my sword again when they struck. We wrestled along the ground, a great blurry pile of metal, fur and feathers. Finally, I beat them off. It was then the dragon chose to show himself again. Obviously afraid of me, he had snuck behind me during the fight and when I stood up he attacked. Both enormous claws wrapped about me in a grip of impossible strength. I struggled all I could, but I was helpless as he flew me higher and higher into the air. "Goodbye, Luigi of the Tomb" he said, the last words that I remember. Then, he dropped me. ** ** From the Secret Diary of Tolas That fool, Demoror, has done it again! Last year, we were given a poem and a key by a man named Drake. He claimed that the poem led to great treasure, and I had been eager to gain it. Unfortunately, the other fools were busy with other things, and by the time Spring, 1213 had rolled around, I had still not convinced them to help me search for the treasure that the poem spoke of. Then, in Spring, one Raul of Ex. Miscellanea came to speak with Demoror. He claimed that he was a seeker and that the key would open great knowledge. Then, he Certamened Demoror for it's possession. Rather than do something sensible, like ask Certus or me for help, Demoror simply got mad. He returned to his lab, destroyed the key, and handed the dust to the seeker, claimed that he had handed over the key, just as had been requested. I do not know what knowledge that fool lost us with act, but now, the poem seems useless, and our efforts of last year useless as well. ** ** From the Journals of Certus ** Late Spring, 1213 Luigi has healed from the worst of his wounds, and once more headed off. This time, he went with some Seekers, who said that they were looking for an Old One's Tomb. Apparently, the spots that Luigi had been covered with provided some clue for them. We certainly must get Luigi out more often; it is so much more pleasant when we do not have to listen to his whining around the Tomb.