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Scribed by Maximus

Spring 1250 AD

I sit and scribe this journal with heavy heart, for my sodales have suffered heavily at the hands of fate. With the Pontifex losing his familiar Maelgwyn, a fine hound that always looked sleek and beautifully proportioned, and was always nice to me even when his master was annoyed with me, and now with Urbanus murdered by a monk, I hope he is not connected to the brothers in christ for if he is I do not know what the order might do. We sit in the whirlwind not knowing which way to face, punches flying in from every direction like a football scrum, we are battered but not broken, yet.

The meeting convened with the presence of magus Husam, who had gone out in the cold winter to gather information. Daedalus asked about what the possibilities of war were in the dean, Astrius seeking to reassure our sodales said several things that were assumptions and I believe we relied on luck to avoid conflict, a resource we seem not to have much of at Severn Temple. I asked about Narwold and what we can do to help Salios there but Astrius said we could do little to help our sodales and fight the creature that slew his familiar, but he said we should wait till Husam returned before we did anything. This seemed to me to be a bit defeatist but Salios warned me I could do nothing against the foe on my own and without the Archimagus Flambeau any attempt to aid him on my own would be doomed to failure. With little else to discuss we decided covenant services for the year and then divided vis and pennies for our own use.

This season Astrius learned a ward against spirits, Lysimachus studied from personal Vis, I learnt Veil of invisibility, Daedalus studied from the Vis texts and Erla studied Intellego.

A few days into the season a runner came up to the covenant from Blackney saying that a rider had arrived with news of Husam, apparently the lord had smitten him with a fever and he was coughing blood. Astrius left the covenant and rushed to Blackney where he met a king's spy, from there they rode rapidly to where Husam lay dying. The king's man was slightly suspicious as every dusk Astrius led his horse to a copse and found a new one each morn. The lord decided that Husam's time was not up though and Astrius managed to use creo magics to heal Husam.

Halfway through the season a new face appeared who was called Zepherus a gifted redcap who came and gave us news both mundane and hermetic. Of mundane news, well I say mundane news but with the king of england involved the lines become blurred, the monk who assassinated Urbanus was being transferred to Blackthorn and would be questioned this summer before handing him over to the mundane authorities at Gloucester. Aithen left for London to support De Percy, Lady Eleanor claimed the crown as Queen of England and Gascony and in a surprising twist the Duke of York was the first to swear to her banner hoping for some rewards I am sure. De Percy had grabbed London and claimed to be Regent but without prince Theo his claim was very weak. The Dukes of Somerset and Norfolk were as yet unsworn in the fight. More worrying was the news that a welsh army had been raised by Daffed who had claimed high prince of wales and now marched on the rich low lying lands near Cardiff to his south. Of Hermetic news House Jerbiton was to meet in emergency council next season to pick a new Primus. There was a letter for me asking me to attend a Concilium Quaesitori at Blackthorn early next season.

The rest of the season passed with us nervously listening for the march of soldiers coming up to our doorstep.

Summer

We had little to discuss at Council as Aithen and Husam had not returned to Severn Temple yet. We had heard rumours that Gwent was now under assault and Erla would collect the covenant's Vis as the rest of us were going to Blackthorn.

Astrius escorted me through the woods and then utilising the ability granted to me by my brilliant familiar I flew as a robin across the war torn wye and thence to Blackthorn.

Private Journal

Once I had arrived at Blackthorn I was made comfortable and then summoned to the council. It appeared because of the troubles in the land Veretius had not been able to make the journey from Holy Isle covenant but I wonder if there is not still some needle between him and my pater. I was informed of the sorry story of Urbanus’ murder, whilst they were feasting in the welsh town of Builth Wells a man dressed as a cistercian monk stabbed him with a weapon made of human bone, the wound was not lethal but drew blood, this allowed entry to a vile poison that stopped Urbanus from breathing and thus he expired. On examination the bone was over 400 years old and of no note, the poison would be examined by an alchemist and I offered the help of Constantius if the Archimagus Carnifexus wanted his help. The supposed monk was unconscious and I cast from text probe the mortal mind on him and after about an hour i had visions of his childhood and life as a young adult, he was born and raised as a child in a rural environment but then moved to a city and was a ne'er do well on the streets there, later in life he became a sailor or ship worker and thence to a monastery where his memories then became indistinct and I could read no more. This led me to a suspicion that he could be associated with the brothers in christ. I devised a plan and with the agreement of my superiors executed it, I got a servant to dress me in robes which in the dark would look like monks' robes and had a servant shave my head in a tonsure. He awoke when I was in the room and I bathed his hands feet and brow. We talked and once I had divulged to him I was from Tintern abbey and explained the devilry that had happened there he asked me what chapter I was from , not understanding this but assuming it meant that the Brothers in Christ were divided into chapters, I explained that I had not been inducted yet. He then went on to tell me that I must pass the news of Tintern on to another monk, Brother Athelard of the priory of St Jermayne near the town of Bude, I agreed to leave him but return with poison so he could take his own life. I reported this information to my quaesitorial sodales and was congratulated for the execution of my plan. The monk was then moved to Gloucester to await trial and execution for the murder of the king.


The symposium was very good and Lysimachus gave an excellent talk on his breakthrough and how the theories of magic and the theories of Aristotle might intersect. Archimagus Astius gave a talk on his breakthrough of the Parma magica which Edith and Liberata listened to with intent.

The rest of the season passed without incident and we managed to return to the covenant without incident.

Autumn

I remember Urbanus round the covenant at this time of year commenting on how the trees turning from green to gold leaves looked almost on fire. I miss our sodales terribly. I also remember Maelgwyn rooting through the piles of leaves looking for anything to eat, he was a good hound. This covenant has suffered so much already. Is it cursed by god or is it just we live at the fulcrum of events in this tribunal.

We met in full council and Husam apologised for the meetings he had missed which was not really needed as for one he was dying of the evil winter humours and the other he was trying to gather as much information about what was occurring in the land. He reported that Eleanor would be queen and that Earl De Percy of Gloucester, the Duke of Somerset and the Duke of Norfolk had all humbly agreed to her claims, more worrying was the news that Aithen had not yet returned from his travels. We agreed at Council that any Information gathered about Aithen would not be passed onto others without council's permission. Astrius also asked if a ruling of tribunal could be overruled by the Quaesitorial rule of silence, I explained slowly to him that during an investigation it is necessary to gather all the information without interference and thus information can sometimes be kept from others until the investigation is complete. Erla reported a worrying fact that the Vis collection during summer had been very bad, indeed of the Vervain by the spring there was none to be found there. To confirm this Astrius agreed to go to the heart of the forest and we would meet the next day to discuss this. He also said he would discuss with the water spirit which can be summoned to the spring using his pagan rituals.

The next day to all our dismay Astrius returned with devastating news, The heart of the forest is in autumn a situation no one at this covenant has ever seen and for all his powers he could not converse with the spirit there, Later he spoke with the Lladra spirit at the spring but she was weeping and all she would say was “he is lost and the crown taken”. With this information I volunteered to see if I could dream about what might have happened to our friend Aithen.

Private Journal

I dreamt asking the question what had become of Aithen but the dream I could not remember and was not vivid, the next night I tried a different tack. I tried to dream of what had become of the crown of Math, this time I was rewarded by the lord with a visionary dream. I saw a great red scaled serpent struck low by a lance and a celtic cudgel, blood flowed from the wounds and withered the grass it fell on. From my point of view I was flying over a huge cathedral of important religious significance. I flew down the nave and at the altar I saw it resting there, the crown of Math. There were three people dressed as monks around it, they were discussing its fate. There was one that looked like an old monk with grey eyes who stated “It must be destroyed”, then one who looked like a young man with old eyes and was wearing chainmail and a strange mace at his belt, said “I was promised reward I demand this”, The last monk who was actually a woman with flaxen hair and brown eyes in monks robes stated ”I will take it overseas with me” , concentrating on this woman she looked like a fighter I had a glimpse of her on a horse carrying a lance and the tone of her skin reminded me of people from Iberia and if my intuition did not let me down both younger monks reminded me of members of the order!. Maybe these were the Cudgel and the Lance from my visions.
I awoke and reported my vision to Astrius, wishing it not to be common knowledge that I had accidentally scryed upon members of the order. He said to cut out the latter parts of the dream to prevent any problems.


We met in emergency council the next day. Astrius reported that the Morrigan had withdrawn and that Bethwin her human agent had stated that this is the end of days and that all the fae and pagan powers in this realm had been reduced (I hope she meant for her pagan ways). With the information about the crown and the information that the spirits had given us we determined that our friend Aithen was no more and declared him dead. I also cast magics to determine the Aura and it had shrunk to the fifth magnitude! Zepherus arrived and we informed him that we had found this information out by being informed by the fae and spirits that inhabit this locale. He told us that the Archimagus Carnifexus had ruled that it was the brothers in christ that had assassinated Urbanus with a human bone weapon and poison which was created by someone with knowledge of hermetic abilities. House Jerbiton had now also declared the Brothers in Christ enemies of the house and there new Primus was a magus called Conradus from the rhine tribunal where he was a baron. The welsh apparently have an immortal warrior assisting them in battle who was struck down and rose three times, there is a grave suspicion that this could be the spirit warrior Barak. Narwold is reported as fallen and my friend and sodales Salios is dead, he predicted this and I am very saddened by the news that he was right. However there were a lot of dead bodies lying around the covenant but through his self sacrifice the other Magi and coven folk did not suffer his fate. May God gather up his soul to heaven for his selfless deed.

Of mundane news Queen Eleanor was crowned in Westminster abbey. One of her first actions was to offer clemency to De Percy on condition he presented his son as a hostage but not trusting the Queen he refused and was executed, This must have been a tragic blow for Husam who has lost a close personal friend and Amicus, but at least his apprentice, De Percy's son, is not locked away somewhere in a dismal tower. This also meant that all of the king's men that we had relied on to supply us information had now been lost. The seventh crusade in Egypt had been defeated and King Louis of France had been captured with a one million dinar ransom on his head.

Finally Husam reported that he had found Kernow who seems to of lost his sight and needed assistance.

With Aithen’s death now confirmed we examined his belongings but there was not much there bar a box of coin and some fine clothes.

We spent the rest of the season in our sancti trying to work out the ramifications of the blows we had been dealt.

Winter

Now is the winter of our unhappiness for with our attachment and association so closely linked to the mundane powers by our links through the king and De Percy and our magical allies no longer bound over by treaties done with the bearer of the crown of Math we are undone.

At the council Erla reported that her herb garden does not thrive as it once did. Husam reported that his scrying of the gang in Bristol that he had set up had gone awry, it appeared that Dougal could detect the scrying of the mirror and the left the target of the scrying, Roger, very quickly. Astrius stated that he had asked Archimagus Syrentia to investigate through the fae if she could discover where and when Aithen had died. Without the direct and easy patronage of the King, Lysimachus warned that his prestigious political position as chancellor of king's college could be at risk. Also it had been discovered that with the lessening of the magical powers of the spirits that guard the covenant, the walls did not protect the covenant as they used to do with people able to walk easily up to the gate house and able so see easily over the walls to the tall tower standing eighty feet tall. We discussed what might be done to avert disaster but came to no conclusion. We went about our studies hoping that the disasters that had befallen us so far would be the last, but I had to remind the council that we had effectively lost the rights to Lydney and Blackney our sources of income and food, and even the covenant itself was in a royal forest and therefore belonged to the crown.

The cold season passed and we shivered in our cold tower, if not from cold then from fear for our future and all that we had built up over a hundred years that had been lost. To make matters worse we were awoken and alerted to the arrival of the Erechwyth and her minions at the gate, she declared that the remnants of the king's council were going to extract vengeance for the murder of their king. She invited us to join them and gave us until an ice shard she created melted to decide. We discussed our options and decided that we could have no part of this but that if they discovered, as we suspected, that hermetic magi had been involved in the death of Aithen then they might attack members of the order.

We remained in our covenant for the remainder of the season, too shocked and stunned to take effective action, hoping that the new year a solution to some of our problems might appear, we need the spirit of the forest called Anu to be restored to power, We need to reestablish our spy network, we need to ensure Lysimachus’ position as chancellor continues, we need to establish a new source of money and food for the covenant and finally we need to establish ownership of the covenant in perpetuity to magi of the covenant.
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