Scribed by Petrus
Spring 1105 AD
The first meeting of the year began by discussing events relating to the previous season. One of the patrols reported seeing acts of slaughter and arson being committed by the King's retinue whilst wintering in Gloucester. On the way back two of the grogs were surprised by a boar and were slain. We decided that we would offer shelter to any of the peasant folk who managed to escape as far as Blacknee or the covenant, and perhaps recruit some of the men folk to our grogs.
Lothar, successfully returned from Blackthorn with a copy of the Aegis of the Hearth, reported that he too had seen a vision during the Winter solstice. He described seeing animals in the forest running from a pack of large black wolves and a great black stag. In the dream he also espied Idris, walking determinedly towards the covenant, carrying a strange staff and wearing a look of war upon his face. Does Idris lead the wolves? Are the wolves the ones from the dell? We know not the full nature of the danger, but we agree that there is grave danger. We decide to be watchful.
To this aim, Ruaridh will spend his covenant service developing a spell which will allow him to detect Idris's location from the blood we yet retain as corporem vis. Whilst the renegade is hidden we may not detect him, but if his cover is broken we might gain warning of his approach. I shall learn the ninth magnitude ritual, also as a service, so that in future years the aegis need not be cast from text. Lothar will copy up the last of the mentem books in readiness for the Tribunal. Turold will continue his study of Corlear's notes.
Some good news, at last, came the equinox of spring; a pawn of Creo vis is delivered up to us. At last perhaps the aura here returns to its natural state. Indeed the process here is fascinating, and one worthy of further magical investigation. If my theory of supernatural auras is correct it may be possible to fortify the integrity of an aura, thus making it more resistant to the influence of other, incompatible, auras. I wonder if such work has been researched at Durenmar. Also upon the equinox I cast the new Aegis from the text. I must confess that, given we require a rook and four pawns to cast and extend the aegis to cover the grounds, I was most concerned that the ritual be a success. I would not wish to make a habit of casting such dangerous and vital rituals from text.
Archimagus Casitus and Quaesitor Dionysus arrive at the covenant - yet not without incident. It appears that the two Tremere apported to a spot upon the forest road, and surprised a grog patrol. One of the grogs opened fire with an arbalest, impaling and almost killing Casitus. Dionysus, quite understandably, responded with force, killing several of the grogs with fire magics - and when the grogs pressed the attack - killing the others with a magical item in his possession. As soon as we heard word of what had happened we sent Ruaridh to assist. Dionysus was able to use a potion to alleviate the Archimagus's wounds, and Casitus was able to finish his journey to the covenant, though he shortly returned to Holy Isle to seek further care. The Quaesitor remained at the covenant and carried out an investigation into the activities of Idris.
After his lengthy investigations Dionysus prepared to leave with much of Idris's lab notes and personal diaries. He said to us that, in his view, Varsavia had been persuaded or tricked into assisting Idris's escape and that her trust in her sodalis had been repaid with murder and betrayal. He explained that they had long been suspicious of Idris, particularly after the death of Daffyd, but because of the political tension between Holy Isle and Ex-Miscellanea they had been unable to do very much. This is why that had snatched Idris's son, so that they might have an arcane connection to Idris. Dionysus left us the sancti of both Idris and Varsavia, and also left us Varsavia's personal notes on the fae folk of the Dean. He also warned us that while his recommendation would be to leave Varsavia's name untainted by the actions of the renegade, there may be others within the Tribunal who might seek capital from our disadvantage. We also agreed to Dionysus's suggestion to arrange a spot beyond our aegis where our men might expect magi to apport to. We paid for the healing spells used upon Casitus, and assured the Quaesitor that we would inform the red caps of this location and provide an arcane connection to it - in order to avoid such incident in future. Indeed, I think we paid lightly for the assault upon such senior magi from a dedicated covenant.
The season ended with a newcomer, Antonius filius Maria discipulus Tytalus, who requested to be considered for membership to our covenant. We considered his application and, after considerable argument with Lothar, agreed to offer him a provisional membership for the rest of this year.
With the laboratories of Idris and Varsavia now free for use, I decided to move into the tower, whilst Lothar moved into Varsavia's old laboratory. Antonius will thus occupy my old laboratory, and inherit the equipment of Idris.
Summer
The summer warmth is made unbearable by the heat of the magical fireplace in my new laboratory. For this season I shall endeavour to investigate it, with the hope of finding the command required to turn it off during the hottest months. Ruaridh will continue his studies of Perdo, and Turold will press on with his studies of Corlear's notes. Lothar will turn his energies to sorting out his new laboratory and our new member Antonius shall study English with Pierre so that he might communicate more easily with the grogs.
The season passes with little disruption for the first month with only a messenger arriving from the Reeve, demanding the usual taxes. At mid-summer Ruth is sent into the faerie regio with Pendaran, Eanfled as a guide, and a couple of grogs led by Varein. Their trip passes peacefully, if a little disappointingly, with the collection of but a single tear of the Ruadan. The winter season in the faerie realm grows deeper, and the snows become so thick that even Pendaran's strength was tested. It seems that Ruth stole a diamond from the Faerie stone smith, Gofynwy. He discovered her theft and cursed her so that everything she ate or drank tasted of earth and stone. Faced with starvation the greedy girl took back the diamond and convinced Gofynwy that she had mended her ways.
The worst news reached us at the end of the season. It appears that Osric, our Steward, and three grogs which accompanied him, became trapped in Bristol when the city gates were closed on report of an outbreak of plague. Osric and Thurkil, one of the veteran grogs, were able to bribe a member of the Watch and make their escape by coracle. However, the tiny vessel was spotted by a member of the guard upon the city walls and in the subsequent arrow fire Osric was struck. Thurkil tried his best to tend his wounds, but the hardship of travelling cross-country proved too much for the Steward, and he died a few days later from infection.
Having investigated the enchantment in my laboratory I have discovered that there are commands to raise the fire hotter as well as lighting and extinguishing the flames. Indeed I was able to raise the heat to a degree whereby it would melt iron. Surely this must be part of a laboratory intended to be specialised to the art of Ignem. 'Tis a shame perhaps that my own interests lie elsewhere. With some time spare at the end of the season I perused some of the notes Varsavia had made upon the local fae. I must confess that the memory of her still moves me, and it is with sorrow. I find myself recalling her carefree manner and her laughter, and like the others I find myself missing her. Our grief for Varsavia is matched only by our anger towards her murderer. That Idris should have betrayed our trust and consorted with the unnamed house is a crime worthy of renouncement in itself, but to have abused Varsavia's trusting spirit and to have murdered her ... Of this I can write no more.
Autumn
The concilium of autumn met to discuss our activities for the season. Ruaridh will continue his studies of Perdo, whilst Lothar will use three pawns of Animal to study from. By way of covenant services Turold shall extract Vim and Antonius shall scribe some of his spells for our library. I shall study the Creo books.
It appears that Turold has been less than forthcoming regarding his seasonal activities. Whilst claiming to have been studying from Corlear's notes, he was in fact creating an item for an unknown patron. He explains his secrecy and it comes to light that he had been concerned that by informing council he might have broken a promise of discretion. He hands to the covenant 4 pawns of the vis that made up his profit from the transaction, and we advise him that we shall respect any patron's privacy so long as he simply informs us that he is enchanting. To this Turold agrees, seemingly relieved that we have understood the difficulty of his position.
Later in the season Stassius arrives bearing news. It appears that Black Hugh's campaign against his uncle in Normandy bring him victory. Indeed it seems that Duke Henry is besiged at Evreux. It also seems a new Archbishop has been appointed, one Geroul du Lac. This Geroul is the cousin of Duke Edmund of York, one of Black Hugh's most dangerous potential enemies. Of Hermetic news, Du Clerc has sent a healer to aid Duke Edmund of York, who was sick after defeating the last Archbishop's assassin. The Praeco, Garius, has kindly offered to test my magical breakthrough within Faerie auras. Venius and Darius of Tremere have captured a druid in the Tribunal of Loch Legaen, much to the consternation of that tribunal's Praeco, McGreine and Primus Urien. The latter has requested that Tyriania investigate the conduct of the two Tremere in their interrogation of the man. Archimagus Casitus has announced that survivors from the fight within the unnamed house at Y Llethr may have met with a bard named Stephen who has been seen at Cad Gadu and Carrion Moor (indeed, our own covenant also). Casitus is concerned that this bard may be assisting the renegade Idris, he is to be captured or killed if encountered.
Around the equinox wolves are sighted at the spring, and Ruaridh spies that image of the Morrigan in the spring. The omens are followed up by an attack upon the aegis. Each of us felt, save Antonius who was not a part of the ritual, the aegis touched by some unknown, and invisible, force. This force travelled around the covenant widdershins, touching the aegis occasionally as it travelled. During this period Ruaridh and myself sought to identify the source of the trouble, but to no avail. Indeed Ruaridh was struck by some fluence which drove him mad with fear. Indeed no comforting from myself or Turold could pull him back to himself. Eventually this force had circled the aegis, finally touching the aegis one and twenty times. Upon this final touch the aegis appeared to lift, as if a Wind of Mundane Silence had struck it - tho' I could sense no such magics in the area. Fortunately the aegis held, though for a short time its effectiveness was reduced by some five magnitudes (enough to have destroyed the original aegis we used to cast). Ruaridh shortly recovered himself and we met as council, talking late into the night, to understand what had happened and decide what to do. It seems possible that Ruaridh was affected by some infernal force, which Antonius called psychomachia. It appears evident that an attack is imminent, and each of us must be prepared.
Another incident blighted, quite literally, the season. A devil was spotted in the fields around Blacknee, causing mould and black spot rot to infect the wheat ripening for harvest. The devil managed to kill a girl from the village and two of the grogs before Godwin and his servant Andrew were able to slay it. It appears that the insane priest and his warrior side kick may prove more use than we had expected. As a result of the loss of food, and combined with the waste caused by the King's retinue last winter, we were forced to pay an extra one hundred and two score pennies for food. It is a sign of our mundane stability that the cost did not ruin us as it would have done in many previous years.
Finally, it appears that Ruaridh suffered an accident in the laboratory whilst studying from Perdo vis. The experiment became unstable and as he sought to rectify the error, the magic flashed across his face and destroyed his eyes. By virtue of his powerful spontaneous magic, Ruaridh was able to create some new, but temporary eyes, but he will need to develop a formulaic spell in order to permanently heal his vision.
Winter
This season I shall assist Ruaridh in attempting to design a spell that may heal his sight. Whilst Antonius shall continue to develop his understanding of English, Turold and Lothar shall study from the Creo and the Corporem books respectively. Shortly into the season a cart arrives carrying Jordael of Ex-Miscellanea and a large number of books from Cad Gadu. It appears that the traitor Idris had arranged, and paid for, a number of mundane texts to be copied and transported to our covenant. Thinking that the deal had been commissioned by the council of Severn Temple, the scribes of Cad Gadu had completed making copies and brought them down to us. There are some three score and six tomes many of which are written in Welsh Cymric, which none of us can read. They appear to relate to the pre-Christian religion which Idris followed, and may still be of some use in trying to ascertain some of the powers and weaknesses of those followers. We managed to store the few Latin and English texts within the library (some thirteen books), the others have been distributed in piles on the library floor. Though it pains me to leave any book uncared for, we are forced by lack of space to store them in this way until we decide where to put them. We really need to separate the mundane and magical libraries and store the mundane texts somewhere else.
The morning of the solstice we met at a council to discuss our plans. Given that either today or tonight we may be attacked, a battle plan was hastily arranged. We had only just finished our meeting and returned to our sancti when the alarm was raised. Storm clouds were rapidly gathering from the north, as in Ruaridh's dream. The men were ordered by Thurstan, the archers would keep to the north battlements joined by Ruaridh, Lothar, Thurstan and Lucien (Antonius' Amicus). Meanwhile the rest of the men and magi would hold the great hall. The sky darkened to such an extent that it seemed as night. Thurstan ordered fires lit in the compound so that the archers could see. One of the archer's thought he heard Idris' voice over by the spring, but his attention was drawn back to the north by the eerie howls of wolves and the appearance of shadows approaching along the ground towards the covenant. Then we started feeling impacts upon the aegis, like the ones felt in the previous season.
Suddenly, Ruaridh was struck by the psychomachia, in unnatural fear he fled from the battlements back to his sanctum. Then great wolves started materialising from the shadows on the battlement walls, surprising the men there. Thurstan and the archers fought valiantly, but many of the men died at the teeth of the wolves or from the weeping wounds caused by the wolves bite. Between Lothar, in his heart beast form, and the surviving grogs it seemed that the first tide of shadow wolves might be turned back, but then a new and greater enemy appeared. Unseen by Thurstan, a shadow of a great black stag was at his back. Though Lucien and one of the archers tried to shout warnings, this infernal stag moved some enchantment against Thurstan. As our Castellan finished off one of the wolves, his heart suddenly burst in his chest. As he fell like a rag doll from the gatehouse, Lothar and Lucien could now see the stag materialised. Though Lucien battled valorously against it, it was too strong, and Lucien was eventually forced to flee for his life.
Meanwhile, the first of the shadow wolves had reached the keep. The candles and fires lit within were suddenly extinguished and we were plunged into darkness and confusion as the shadows of wolves started to materialise around the hall. The fighting was confused, but Varein led the men despite their fear against the infernal foe. Pendaran launched himself into the fray, casting his great axe to and fro and slicing through the wolves dark hides. The grog's champion, Triawc, slew several wolves in single blows, until a wolf tore out his throat. The men were hard pressed, and as we sheltered at the back of the hall within the influence of the amulet enchanted with a circular ward against demons, the battle did not look good.
Outside a new creature had arrived, a Griffon. Coming from the direction of the spring it fell into the courtyard and attacked many of the shadows making their way across the compound. Then at the command of a voice, which was reported to belong to Idris, the Griffon turned back to the spring. There one of the grogs espied a man carrying a staff holding out against the wolves and the great black stag. To his aid came a boar and the Griffon. Between them the Griffon and the boar attacked the stag, whilst the man tried to defend himself against the ravages of several wolves. The man fell, torn apart by the infernal wolves, but the Griffon had better luck in slaying the black stag. Upon the death of the stag the wolves began to vanish, and even the storm clouds began to break apart and reveal again the light of day. With the man dead, the Griffon took up the staff he had carried and flew away into the air and over the forest.
We lost many good men that night, not least our trusted Castellan left vulnerable by the fact that Ruaridh was possessed by the infernal fear and fled the battlements. However, the covenant survived - and what is more - we discovered that the body of the man was indeed Idris, now slain. We found a note upon his body. The note claimed that he had not known about Varsavia's death, and beseeched us to protect the spring in the future now that he was dead. We took his claim as lies, after all, who else upon the boat could have taken her life. None of us were fools enough to believe for even a moment that it was the Quaesitor or Ruaridh who used a stone to smash in her head. I for one believe it was a disingenuous ploy by Idris to put suspicion upon the others.
We quickly took the news to Blackthorn, and with a few days Dionysus and Casitus arrived to investigate the body. They confirmed Idris's identity and did shortly leave with his remains. As the season and indeed the year came to a close, we could rest in the satisfaction that the traitor Idris was at last now slain. Though the reason of his return, and his apparent aid in the battle, remains a mystery.
After the burials and a rather sombre feast, we recast the aegis that night. We elected Varein to act as Castellan. The grogs also elected a new champion, and chose Pendaran. The rest of the season passed with further incident, much to our relief.
Spring 1105 AD
The first meeting of the year began by discussing events relating to the previous season. One of the patrols reported seeing acts of slaughter and arson being committed by the King's retinue whilst wintering in Gloucester. On the way back two of the grogs were surprised by a boar and were slain. We decided that we would offer shelter to any of the peasant folk who managed to escape as far as Blacknee or the covenant, and perhaps recruit some of the men folk to our grogs.
Lothar, successfully returned from Blackthorn with a copy of the Aegis of the Hearth, reported that he too had seen a vision during the Winter solstice. He described seeing animals in the forest running from a pack of large black wolves and a great black stag. In the dream he also espied Idris, walking determinedly towards the covenant, carrying a strange staff and wearing a look of war upon his face. Does Idris lead the wolves? Are the wolves the ones from the dell? We know not the full nature of the danger, but we agree that there is grave danger. We decide to be watchful.
To this aim, Ruaridh will spend his covenant service developing a spell which will allow him to detect Idris's location from the blood we yet retain as corporem vis. Whilst the renegade is hidden we may not detect him, but if his cover is broken we might gain warning of his approach. I shall learn the ninth magnitude ritual, also as a service, so that in future years the aegis need not be cast from text. Lothar will copy up the last of the mentem books in readiness for the Tribunal. Turold will continue his study of Corlear's notes.
Some good news, at last, came the equinox of spring; a pawn of Creo vis is delivered up to us. At last perhaps the aura here returns to its natural state. Indeed the process here is fascinating, and one worthy of further magical investigation. If my theory of supernatural auras is correct it may be possible to fortify the integrity of an aura, thus making it more resistant to the influence of other, incompatible, auras. I wonder if such work has been researched at Durenmar. Also upon the equinox I cast the new Aegis from the text. I must confess that, given we require a rook and four pawns to cast and extend the aegis to cover the grounds, I was most concerned that the ritual be a success. I would not wish to make a habit of casting such dangerous and vital rituals from text.
Archimagus Casitus and Quaesitor Dionysus arrive at the covenant - yet not without incident. It appears that the two Tremere apported to a spot upon the forest road, and surprised a grog patrol. One of the grogs opened fire with an arbalest, impaling and almost killing Casitus. Dionysus, quite understandably, responded with force, killing several of the grogs with fire magics - and when the grogs pressed the attack - killing the others with a magical item in his possession. As soon as we heard word of what had happened we sent Ruaridh to assist. Dionysus was able to use a potion to alleviate the Archimagus's wounds, and Casitus was able to finish his journey to the covenant, though he shortly returned to Holy Isle to seek further care. The Quaesitor remained at the covenant and carried out an investigation into the activities of Idris.
After his lengthy investigations Dionysus prepared to leave with much of Idris's lab notes and personal diaries. He said to us that, in his view, Varsavia had been persuaded or tricked into assisting Idris's escape and that her trust in her sodalis had been repaid with murder and betrayal. He explained that they had long been suspicious of Idris, particularly after the death of Daffyd, but because of the political tension between Holy Isle and Ex-Miscellanea they had been unable to do very much. This is why that had snatched Idris's son, so that they might have an arcane connection to Idris. Dionysus left us the sancti of both Idris and Varsavia, and also left us Varsavia's personal notes on the fae folk of the Dean. He also warned us that while his recommendation would be to leave Varsavia's name untainted by the actions of the renegade, there may be others within the Tribunal who might seek capital from our disadvantage. We also agreed to Dionysus's suggestion to arrange a spot beyond our aegis where our men might expect magi to apport to. We paid for the healing spells used upon Casitus, and assured the Quaesitor that we would inform the red caps of this location and provide an arcane connection to it - in order to avoid such incident in future. Indeed, I think we paid lightly for the assault upon such senior magi from a dedicated covenant.
The season ended with a newcomer, Antonius filius Maria discipulus Tytalus, who requested to be considered for membership to our covenant. We considered his application and, after considerable argument with Lothar, agreed to offer him a provisional membership for the rest of this year.
With the laboratories of Idris and Varsavia now free for use, I decided to move into the tower, whilst Lothar moved into Varsavia's old laboratory. Antonius will thus occupy my old laboratory, and inherit the equipment of Idris.
Summer
The summer warmth is made unbearable by the heat of the magical fireplace in my new laboratory. For this season I shall endeavour to investigate it, with the hope of finding the command required to turn it off during the hottest months. Ruaridh will continue his studies of Perdo, and Turold will press on with his studies of Corlear's notes. Lothar will turn his energies to sorting out his new laboratory and our new member Antonius shall study English with Pierre so that he might communicate more easily with the grogs.
The season passes with little disruption for the first month with only a messenger arriving from the Reeve, demanding the usual taxes. At mid-summer Ruth is sent into the faerie regio with Pendaran, Eanfled as a guide, and a couple of grogs led by Varein. Their trip passes peacefully, if a little disappointingly, with the collection of but a single tear of the Ruadan. The winter season in the faerie realm grows deeper, and the snows become so thick that even Pendaran's strength was tested. It seems that Ruth stole a diamond from the Faerie stone smith, Gofynwy. He discovered her theft and cursed her so that everything she ate or drank tasted of earth and stone. Faced with starvation the greedy girl took back the diamond and convinced Gofynwy that she had mended her ways.
The worst news reached us at the end of the season. It appears that Osric, our Steward, and three grogs which accompanied him, became trapped in Bristol when the city gates were closed on report of an outbreak of plague. Osric and Thurkil, one of the veteran grogs, were able to bribe a member of the Watch and make their escape by coracle. However, the tiny vessel was spotted by a member of the guard upon the city walls and in the subsequent arrow fire Osric was struck. Thurkil tried his best to tend his wounds, but the hardship of travelling cross-country proved too much for the Steward, and he died a few days later from infection.
Having investigated the enchantment in my laboratory I have discovered that there are commands to raise the fire hotter as well as lighting and extinguishing the flames. Indeed I was able to raise the heat to a degree whereby it would melt iron. Surely this must be part of a laboratory intended to be specialised to the art of Ignem. 'Tis a shame perhaps that my own interests lie elsewhere. With some time spare at the end of the season I perused some of the notes Varsavia had made upon the local fae. I must confess that the memory of her still moves me, and it is with sorrow. I find myself recalling her carefree manner and her laughter, and like the others I find myself missing her. Our grief for Varsavia is matched only by our anger towards her murderer. That Idris should have betrayed our trust and consorted with the unnamed house is a crime worthy of renouncement in itself, but to have abused Varsavia's trusting spirit and to have murdered her ... Of this I can write no more.
Autumn
The concilium of autumn met to discuss our activities for the season. Ruaridh will continue his studies of Perdo, whilst Lothar will use three pawns of Animal to study from. By way of covenant services Turold shall extract Vim and Antonius shall scribe some of his spells for our library. I shall study the Creo books.
It appears that Turold has been less than forthcoming regarding his seasonal activities. Whilst claiming to have been studying from Corlear's notes, he was in fact creating an item for an unknown patron. He explains his secrecy and it comes to light that he had been concerned that by informing council he might have broken a promise of discretion. He hands to the covenant 4 pawns of the vis that made up his profit from the transaction, and we advise him that we shall respect any patron's privacy so long as he simply informs us that he is enchanting. To this Turold agrees, seemingly relieved that we have understood the difficulty of his position.
Later in the season Stassius arrives bearing news. It appears that Black Hugh's campaign against his uncle in Normandy bring him victory. Indeed it seems that Duke Henry is besiged at Evreux. It also seems a new Archbishop has been appointed, one Geroul du Lac. This Geroul is the cousin of Duke Edmund of York, one of Black Hugh's most dangerous potential enemies. Of Hermetic news, Du Clerc has sent a healer to aid Duke Edmund of York, who was sick after defeating the last Archbishop's assassin. The Praeco, Garius, has kindly offered to test my magical breakthrough within Faerie auras. Venius and Darius of Tremere have captured a druid in the Tribunal of Loch Legaen, much to the consternation of that tribunal's Praeco, McGreine and Primus Urien. The latter has requested that Tyriania investigate the conduct of the two Tremere in their interrogation of the man. Archimagus Casitus has announced that survivors from the fight within the unnamed house at Y Llethr may have met with a bard named Stephen who has been seen at Cad Gadu and Carrion Moor (indeed, our own covenant also). Casitus is concerned that this bard may be assisting the renegade Idris, he is to be captured or killed if encountered.
Around the equinox wolves are sighted at the spring, and Ruaridh spies that image of the Morrigan in the spring. The omens are followed up by an attack upon the aegis. Each of us felt, save Antonius who was not a part of the ritual, the aegis touched by some unknown, and invisible, force. This force travelled around the covenant widdershins, touching the aegis occasionally as it travelled. During this period Ruaridh and myself sought to identify the source of the trouble, but to no avail. Indeed Ruaridh was struck by some fluence which drove him mad with fear. Indeed no comforting from myself or Turold could pull him back to himself. Eventually this force had circled the aegis, finally touching the aegis one and twenty times. Upon this final touch the aegis appeared to lift, as if a Wind of Mundane Silence had struck it - tho' I could sense no such magics in the area. Fortunately the aegis held, though for a short time its effectiveness was reduced by some five magnitudes (enough to have destroyed the original aegis we used to cast). Ruaridh shortly recovered himself and we met as council, talking late into the night, to understand what had happened and decide what to do. It seems possible that Ruaridh was affected by some infernal force, which Antonius called psychomachia. It appears evident that an attack is imminent, and each of us must be prepared.
Another incident blighted, quite literally, the season. A devil was spotted in the fields around Blacknee, causing mould and black spot rot to infect the wheat ripening for harvest. The devil managed to kill a girl from the village and two of the grogs before Godwin and his servant Andrew were able to slay it. It appears that the insane priest and his warrior side kick may prove more use than we had expected. As a result of the loss of food, and combined with the waste caused by the King's retinue last winter, we were forced to pay an extra one hundred and two score pennies for food. It is a sign of our mundane stability that the cost did not ruin us as it would have done in many previous years.
Finally, it appears that Ruaridh suffered an accident in the laboratory whilst studying from Perdo vis. The experiment became unstable and as he sought to rectify the error, the magic flashed across his face and destroyed his eyes. By virtue of his powerful spontaneous magic, Ruaridh was able to create some new, but temporary eyes, but he will need to develop a formulaic spell in order to permanently heal his vision.
Winter
This season I shall assist Ruaridh in attempting to design a spell that may heal his sight. Whilst Antonius shall continue to develop his understanding of English, Turold and Lothar shall study from the Creo and the Corporem books respectively. Shortly into the season a cart arrives carrying Jordael of Ex-Miscellanea and a large number of books from Cad Gadu. It appears that the traitor Idris had arranged, and paid for, a number of mundane texts to be copied and transported to our covenant. Thinking that the deal had been commissioned by the council of Severn Temple, the scribes of Cad Gadu had completed making copies and brought them down to us. There are some three score and six tomes many of which are written in Welsh Cymric, which none of us can read. They appear to relate to the pre-Christian religion which Idris followed, and may still be of some use in trying to ascertain some of the powers and weaknesses of those followers. We managed to store the few Latin and English texts within the library (some thirteen books), the others have been distributed in piles on the library floor. Though it pains me to leave any book uncared for, we are forced by lack of space to store them in this way until we decide where to put them. We really need to separate the mundane and magical libraries and store the mundane texts somewhere else.
The morning of the solstice we met at a council to discuss our plans. Given that either today or tonight we may be attacked, a battle plan was hastily arranged. We had only just finished our meeting and returned to our sancti when the alarm was raised. Storm clouds were rapidly gathering from the north, as in Ruaridh's dream. The men were ordered by Thurstan, the archers would keep to the north battlements joined by Ruaridh, Lothar, Thurstan and Lucien (Antonius' Amicus). Meanwhile the rest of the men and magi would hold the great hall. The sky darkened to such an extent that it seemed as night. Thurstan ordered fires lit in the compound so that the archers could see. One of the archer's thought he heard Idris' voice over by the spring, but his attention was drawn back to the north by the eerie howls of wolves and the appearance of shadows approaching along the ground towards the covenant. Then we started feeling impacts upon the aegis, like the ones felt in the previous season.
Suddenly, Ruaridh was struck by the psychomachia, in unnatural fear he fled from the battlements back to his sanctum. Then great wolves started materialising from the shadows on the battlement walls, surprising the men there. Thurstan and the archers fought valiantly, but many of the men died at the teeth of the wolves or from the weeping wounds caused by the wolves bite. Between Lothar, in his heart beast form, and the surviving grogs it seemed that the first tide of shadow wolves might be turned back, but then a new and greater enemy appeared. Unseen by Thurstan, a shadow of a great black stag was at his back. Though Lucien and one of the archers tried to shout warnings, this infernal stag moved some enchantment against Thurstan. As our Castellan finished off one of the wolves, his heart suddenly burst in his chest. As he fell like a rag doll from the gatehouse, Lothar and Lucien could now see the stag materialised. Though Lucien battled valorously against it, it was too strong, and Lucien was eventually forced to flee for his life.
Meanwhile, the first of the shadow wolves had reached the keep. The candles and fires lit within were suddenly extinguished and we were plunged into darkness and confusion as the shadows of wolves started to materialise around the hall. The fighting was confused, but Varein led the men despite their fear against the infernal foe. Pendaran launched himself into the fray, casting his great axe to and fro and slicing through the wolves dark hides. The grog's champion, Triawc, slew several wolves in single blows, until a wolf tore out his throat. The men were hard pressed, and as we sheltered at the back of the hall within the influence of the amulet enchanted with a circular ward against demons, the battle did not look good.
Outside a new creature had arrived, a Griffon. Coming from the direction of the spring it fell into the courtyard and attacked many of the shadows making their way across the compound. Then at the command of a voice, which was reported to belong to Idris, the Griffon turned back to the spring. There one of the grogs espied a man carrying a staff holding out against the wolves and the great black stag. To his aid came a boar and the Griffon. Between them the Griffon and the boar attacked the stag, whilst the man tried to defend himself against the ravages of several wolves. The man fell, torn apart by the infernal wolves, but the Griffon had better luck in slaying the black stag. Upon the death of the stag the wolves began to vanish, and even the storm clouds began to break apart and reveal again the light of day. With the man dead, the Griffon took up the staff he had carried and flew away into the air and over the forest.
We lost many good men that night, not least our trusted Castellan left vulnerable by the fact that Ruaridh was possessed by the infernal fear and fled the battlements. However, the covenant survived - and what is more - we discovered that the body of the man was indeed Idris, now slain. We found a note upon his body. The note claimed that he had not known about Varsavia's death, and beseeched us to protect the spring in the future now that he was dead. We took his claim as lies, after all, who else upon the boat could have taken her life. None of us were fools enough to believe for even a moment that it was the Quaesitor or Ruaridh who used a stone to smash in her head. I for one believe it was a disingenuous ploy by Idris to put suspicion upon the others.
We quickly took the news to Blackthorn, and with a few days Dionysus and Casitus arrived to investigate the body. They confirmed Idris's identity and did shortly leave with his remains. As the season and indeed the year came to a close, we could rest in the satisfaction that the traitor Idris was at last now slain. Though the reason of his return, and his apparent aid in the battle, remains a mystery.
After the burials and a rather sombre feast, we recast the aegis that night. We elected Varein to act as Castellan. The grogs also elected a new champion, and chose Pendaran. The rest of the season passed with further incident, much to our relief.