How Pyrrhus Reunited House Aethiopicus With The Order of Hermes
Dramatis Personae
Order of Hermes:
Aethiopicus:
Antagonist:
The Journey To Egypt
We set off from the covenant. I was escorted by my trusted grogs, Halgar, who is very good at talking to people and has a knack for picking up languages quickly and Asgir, my second and better set of eyes, who can spot problems well before I can. It took us about half a day to get down to Chepstow, where we went along the dockside looking for our ship. We passed a couple of English warships, but then came to a proud vessel with a flag showing Flambeau's hourglass symbol. I made myself known to the crew and was quickly led on board, where I met the captain and was assigned a cabin. The Ship was a proud vessel called the Light of the Sea and had extended fore and aft castles to accommodate the guests it carried. The Captain was a man called Calvus in his late thirties, although that could have been a longevity potion at work. I was housed in a small but perfectly reasonable cabin with two beds; my men were berthed in a cabin with four hammocks, which was much better than being in the hold as we had been in the past.
We sailed on the next dawn's tide and quickly sailed out of the Bristol Channel and into the Irish Sea. Once out of sight of land, the master called upon magics, and we rapidly picked up speed. We crossed the Bay of Biscay without incident and passed through the Pillars of Hercules heading towards the Mediterranean Sea, passing a couple of French warships in that narrow strait. It was a very busy stretch of water, and at one point I counted nearly two dozen ships within sight. Speeding across the calm waters of the Mediterranean, we flew like an arrow due east. A pirate vessel attempted to intercept, and although I was asked if we would like to engage it, I decided to make all haste for Verdi to avoid delaying our mission or getting injured by a ballista or black powder weapon. We arrived at the Port that serves the covenant, and although not run by the covenant, it had strong links, and we were met by men wearing the tabards of Verdi and escorted thence to the covenant.
I met Primus Guido first, who seemed happy to meet me. He was wearing red robes, and his black hair had a few grey hairs showing. He informed me that our travelling companions on this mission would be Redcap Magus Carus from Verdi, Primus Praesulis of Bonisagus and last and obviously in his opinion least, Magus Thadeus of House Guernicus. We met that evening for dinner, and much was discussed. I was told of the factions in House Aethiopicus and how some of them were not keen on rejoining. We would be meeting Magus Tsehay in Alexandria for the long boat trip up the Nile River, which apparently is longer than even the Severn or Thames. Guido would be taking two grogs of his own, Adrijan, a bowman, and Bernardo, a shield grog.
After a day of final preparation, we sailed east, and it was an easy journey with the sails permanently filled by summoned winds, taking just seven days to reach Alexandria.
The first thing I saw was a vast lighthouse. It was the tallest structure I had ever seen. It was heavily propped up with wooden scaffolding, and looking closer, I saw that there were deep cracks running through the stonework. Yet, still atop, there was a vast fire burning that pleased my eye greatly. This massive structure was at the harbour approach, and as we passed it, I could see up ahead this grand harbour with plenty of ships in it and beyond it a city. Near the dock, the buildings were three or four storeys high, but beyond, there were some tall towers with strangely curved tops. To the east, I could see what looked like vast quantities of palm trees in barren sandy ground. The stone here was clearly made of sand, with huge blocks carved from it. As we pulled up towards the wharf, on the warm winds, there was an intoxicating scent of spices, the likes of which I was not entirely familiar with.
The ship docked, and we waited a short time for authority to go ashore. I could see a ship from Genoa, a ship from Venice, which was odd, as in Verdi I had heard that these two city-states were fighting; I guessed that nothing stopped trade. Another ship looked like it was Milanese. Another was flying a Corsican flag, and one had the cross of Malta upon it. There were a plethora of different shapes and sizes of vessels. I recalled from my history books that the Romans used Egypt as a massive grain-growing place, and I could see the trade of grain going on all along the dockside and large warehouses powering this trade. Wherever there are busy trade areas, there are also have your hagglers selling cooked meats and various fruits, a lot of which I did not recognise by their look or smell. The aroma in the air was so pungent and exotic that I found it hard to recount in this journal, not having the words to describe these alien experiences.
We were led through this exotic city by Magus Caras to a building that almost looked like a fort, except it had slender pillars around an external veranda and opened up into a courtyard. It was called the Khan Sarihan, and we were greeted by a fairly fat gentleman dressed in a white flowing robe who nodded as he saw Caras. After a quick interchange between them in Arabic, I saw him snap his fingers, and some boys came and started to lead individuals within the party and pick up any of their packages or belongings that they might have and start taking them to the rooms set around the edge of this courtyard interior. I was led to a door on the second floor, which opened into a room which had been set up as a sort of communal space, and I could see that there were doors to two bedrooms off of it, one of which had two small beds in the room. In the other, a large, expansive, double bed and luxurious surroundings. There was a jug of clean water in there, and a little platter of fruits.
I went for a tour of the city with a lad who spoke some Italian, and we communicated, I in Latin and he in Italian. It was a fascinating city and had so many exciting vendors selling books in Arabic and elements for alchemy that I wished I could purchase from.
Private journal
Unusually for me, I spotted a man as I reentered the Khan Sarihan, clearly looking at me. He nodded in my direction and, realising this was the man my friend in Gloucester had told me to meet, I nodded back. He then went and took a seat within the courtyard, and I went and joined him after dismissing the translator. The man in the courtyard was in his early twenties, simply dressed, in just a light tunic, belted around his waist, not expensive gear and quite thin. As I sat alongside him, he said something to me in Arabic which was beyond my feeble grasp of the language. He then stood up, started walking away, stopped for a second, looked back at me and then just gently beckoned me. I followed, and when I caught his eye, I activated my device to understand the Arabic tongue. We wandered through the streets, and I noticed the light start to darken. He led me to a part of the city I had not really explored on the western edge. The houses were not quite as grand or high as in the caravanserai. There was not the same hustle and bustle or mix of people, and they were clearly inhabitants of the city rather than visitors. Many were sitting out on their front steps, just sitting cross-legged, talking to each other. I saw a donkey being driven with a stick and a load which looked like it was going to break its back. As the light fades, I saw people light torches on the sides of some of their houses to cast a little light on this area. Unlike the cities in Europe, there doesn't appear to be anyone thinking about curfew here. As dusk fell and I felt my parma drop, he led me towards a cemetery, but he didn’t take me into it; instead, he led me down an alley just to the side of it, where he opened a small door in a building and said something in Arabic. Even I recognised the words as “this way”. I reactivated the device and could understand him clearly again. He welcomed me by name and then led me through a small door into the darkness. He took a torch from the wall and lit it, and we descended down the steps into what could only be described as a catacomb. With ornate carvings, I could see architecture that I definitely recognised as Roman, Greek, and Egyptian. We headed through, weaving down narrow passageways, where the funerary recesses were, and came to a central staircase in the middle, which we descended. I could see that there was a second level below, which he didn't stop at, but I could see beyond that there were many more of these tombs and entire passages as he led me down one final level. Then, stepping through, past yet more tombs, I saw that there was a door. This door actually looked quite out of character with the rest of it, because it was clearly more modern than the rest of the place. He opened it, and within I could see a small bench and, hanging at the side, some very plain white robes with bits of rope. I could also see a jug and a basin, and he said, “You may change here and purify yourself”, and then stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him. I rewove my Parma and cast a few spells in case things turned nasty. The man returned and led me through the catacombs, then down a very short flight of steps to another door, this one far older. He knocked on it three times, then withdrew. The door opened, and I saw a small circular chamber carved out of the rock, with a central water-filled basin. Standing around it, I saw five other men in white robes, and then the one who opened the door to you, making six, beckoned me inside. Inside, I saw a small alcove and the man who had invited me in gestured for me to place my boots and bag in there. I was then welcomed in Arabic, but I quickly used my item to understand the language. The man then began a ritual, and his voice started singing clearly in Arabic. Every once in a while, his voice sort of rose and fell, and then everyone else made a sequence of gestures. They moved their arms in an orbit, then palms opened, and arms flung wide. This happened six times. Then all but one sat, and he addressed me. “You are welcome, Pyrrhus. I am Nagi. And I greet you in the name of our master. Here in Kom El Shokhafa, at the Mound of Shards, you are welcomed for the aid we have been promised. There is something that should be ours that has been lost for a long time. We know where it may be found, but we have not been able to recover. You would bring it to us. Yes?” He then continued, “You will travel south upon the River Nile. Yes? There is a city. Thebes. There is a man. Fad Barakat. A home he has on El Baraka. Within this home, he has a cube encrusted with ivory, silver, gold, emeralds and rubies. Return this item to us at the house where you first entered here. Three men have gone to recover it, and three men have not returned”. I asked a few questions but got few replies to assist me, but I placed my faith in my magics to get me through, and agreed to this task. There was a little grunt of appreciation from others around the room, and then they stood, and some more singing and gestures were performed. The one that had let me in went back to the door, opened it, and with a gesture bade me leave. The door was shut behind me, and the young man came forward with his torch and led me back to the dressing room, where I put my clothes on again and took an arcane connection. From there, I was led back to the house and thence back to my quarters.
The Journey onward
The following day, I was invited to join the other wizards in the room that had been set aside. As I headed down, I saw the others you're travelling with, but also another man. He had dark brown skin, high cheekbones, a narrow face, black hair, cropped close to his skull, a very neatly trimmed beard and moustache. He was wearing quite an ornate robe with a vivid strip of green and red in it, but it was dyed into the fabric. This, in my humble opinion, was an impressive piece of clothing. He was obviously a Magus. Tsehay was his name, and he addressed us all in perfect Latin. “You have travelled far, and you are keen to travel on. I know that with such long distances and much too much to organise, it is all well set for our onward journey. Indeed. I am sorry I was not here to greet you. The journey took a little longer than I had hoped. The barge is being reprovisioned as we speak. We'll be ready for you shortly”.
We were then escorted to the barge called “The fruit of the river”, and it was like no barge I had ever seen. It was a long vessel, which had quite a narrow lower part, from which banks of oars were sticking out. It then rose up to a deck that overlapped the lower deck. On the top deck, there were a couple of masts with flags on, and canvas-covered compartments. The whole barge was brightly painted, and in the central area, there were thick, rich cushions laid out around low tables. There were palm trees in pots on the deck. I was shown to my own compartment on deck, and there was a curtain I could pull for privacy. There was a bed, a basin, a jug, and a locker within it. On board we met Magus Tsehay’s familiar, a huge lion, called Ayele.
The Crocodile
A day or so upriver, a hue and cry went up from the ship's company, and there on our starboard bow a creature lay semi-submerged in the river, watching us with evil intent. It was a crocodile, thirty or forty feet long, with thick armour plates covering it from head to tail. Teshe told us that these water dragons were common in these parts and asked if any of my men wished to try to best it; there is a good prize to be had. Looking over at Guido in particular, he challenged, "A man who can slay a crocodile and take one of his teeth and wear it will be forever stronger". I asked my men, but neither saw fit to join the crocodile in the water and fight it at such a disadvantage, and I guessed that if I destroyed it with fire, it would be frowned upon. We sailed past the waiting beast onward upriver.
Thebes
A few days later, we came to another city, not as big as Alexandria or Cairo but with temples that dwarfed even our cathedrals back home, with roads up to them lined with huge pillars that narrowed from base to tip. We had arrived at Thebes, and there we stopped to refresh supplies and sightsee. Once again, arrangements had been made for a place to stay, and we were led off to a building like a small palace. Based again, around a central courtyard with a quite lush garden in it. We didn’t have the entire building to ourselves, but there was a private wing. We were invited to a feast that night. Organising a translator, I went on a tour of the city and saw many amazing buildings. The temple of Luxor was like a massive fortress, and I wondered to myself what it must look like from the sky. It was a vast, imposing building with huge ancient Egyptian sculptures, a tall needle-like pillar at its entrance. Asking the guide, I was told it was a temple to many gods that the ancient Egyptians worshipped. We wandered around a bit more and saw some of the rich merchants' houses from the outside. My guide told me that if I could spend another day in Thebes, he would take me to a valley of kings where many of the ancient ones were buried, but I told him I would be moving on in the morning, so I would have to say no to his offer. We returned to our quarters, and he left me. I went to the feast, and it was luxurious, with fruits, vegetables and meats I did not recognise.
The Temple of Karnak and Luxor
Dramatis Personae
Order of Hermes:
- Primus Praesulis of Bonisagus
- Primus Guido of Flambeau (Hoplite)
- Quaesitor Thaddeus of Guernicus
- Magus Carus of Mercere (Redcap)
- Magus Pyrrhus of Flambeau (Hoplite & Narrator)
- Adrijan [Slav] & Bernardo [Portuguese] (Flambeau grogs)
- Halgar & Asgir [Norse] (My grogs)
Aethiopicus:
- Tsehay (A Lion familiar called Ayele)
- Primus Aberash
- Oshi
- Tariku (the Curator of the Covenant)
- Meklit
Antagonist:
- Tamrat
The Journey To Egypt
We set off from the covenant. I was escorted by my trusted grogs, Halgar, who is very good at talking to people and has a knack for picking up languages quickly and Asgir, my second and better set of eyes, who can spot problems well before I can. It took us about half a day to get down to Chepstow, where we went along the dockside looking for our ship. We passed a couple of English warships, but then came to a proud vessel with a flag showing Flambeau's hourglass symbol. I made myself known to the crew and was quickly led on board, where I met the captain and was assigned a cabin. The Ship was a proud vessel called the Light of the Sea and had extended fore and aft castles to accommodate the guests it carried. The Captain was a man called Calvus in his late thirties, although that could have been a longevity potion at work. I was housed in a small but perfectly reasonable cabin with two beds; my men were berthed in a cabin with four hammocks, which was much better than being in the hold as we had been in the past.
We sailed on the next dawn's tide and quickly sailed out of the Bristol Channel and into the Irish Sea. Once out of sight of land, the master called upon magics, and we rapidly picked up speed. We crossed the Bay of Biscay without incident and passed through the Pillars of Hercules heading towards the Mediterranean Sea, passing a couple of French warships in that narrow strait. It was a very busy stretch of water, and at one point I counted nearly two dozen ships within sight. Speeding across the calm waters of the Mediterranean, we flew like an arrow due east. A pirate vessel attempted to intercept, and although I was asked if we would like to engage it, I decided to make all haste for Verdi to avoid delaying our mission or getting injured by a ballista or black powder weapon. We arrived at the Port that serves the covenant, and although not run by the covenant, it had strong links, and we were met by men wearing the tabards of Verdi and escorted thence to the covenant.
I met Primus Guido first, who seemed happy to meet me. He was wearing red robes, and his black hair had a few grey hairs showing. He informed me that our travelling companions on this mission would be Redcap Magus Carus from Verdi, Primus Praesulis of Bonisagus and last and obviously in his opinion least, Magus Thadeus of House Guernicus. We met that evening for dinner, and much was discussed. I was told of the factions in House Aethiopicus and how some of them were not keen on rejoining. We would be meeting Magus Tsehay in Alexandria for the long boat trip up the Nile River, which apparently is longer than even the Severn or Thames. Guido would be taking two grogs of his own, Adrijan, a bowman, and Bernardo, a shield grog.
After a day of final preparation, we sailed east, and it was an easy journey with the sails permanently filled by summoned winds, taking just seven days to reach Alexandria.
The first thing I saw was a vast lighthouse. It was the tallest structure I had ever seen. It was heavily propped up with wooden scaffolding, and looking closer, I saw that there were deep cracks running through the stonework. Yet, still atop, there was a vast fire burning that pleased my eye greatly. This massive structure was at the harbour approach, and as we passed it, I could see up ahead this grand harbour with plenty of ships in it and beyond it a city. Near the dock, the buildings were three or four storeys high, but beyond, there were some tall towers with strangely curved tops. To the east, I could see what looked like vast quantities of palm trees in barren sandy ground. The stone here was clearly made of sand, with huge blocks carved from it. As we pulled up towards the wharf, on the warm winds, there was an intoxicating scent of spices, the likes of which I was not entirely familiar with.
The ship docked, and we waited a short time for authority to go ashore. I could see a ship from Genoa, a ship from Venice, which was odd, as in Verdi I had heard that these two city-states were fighting; I guessed that nothing stopped trade. Another ship looked like it was Milanese. Another was flying a Corsican flag, and one had the cross of Malta upon it. There were a plethora of different shapes and sizes of vessels. I recalled from my history books that the Romans used Egypt as a massive grain-growing place, and I could see the trade of grain going on all along the dockside and large warehouses powering this trade. Wherever there are busy trade areas, there are also have your hagglers selling cooked meats and various fruits, a lot of which I did not recognise by their look or smell. The aroma in the air was so pungent and exotic that I found it hard to recount in this journal, not having the words to describe these alien experiences.
We were led through this exotic city by Magus Caras to a building that almost looked like a fort, except it had slender pillars around an external veranda and opened up into a courtyard. It was called the Khan Sarihan, and we were greeted by a fairly fat gentleman dressed in a white flowing robe who nodded as he saw Caras. After a quick interchange between them in Arabic, I saw him snap his fingers, and some boys came and started to lead individuals within the party and pick up any of their packages or belongings that they might have and start taking them to the rooms set around the edge of this courtyard interior. I was led to a door on the second floor, which opened into a room which had been set up as a sort of communal space, and I could see that there were doors to two bedrooms off of it, one of which had two small beds in the room. In the other, a large, expansive, double bed and luxurious surroundings. There was a jug of clean water in there, and a little platter of fruits.
I went for a tour of the city with a lad who spoke some Italian, and we communicated, I in Latin and he in Italian. It was a fascinating city and had so many exciting vendors selling books in Arabic and elements for alchemy that I wished I could purchase from.
Private journal
Unusually for me, I spotted a man as I reentered the Khan Sarihan, clearly looking at me. He nodded in my direction and, realising this was the man my friend in Gloucester had told me to meet, I nodded back. He then went and took a seat within the courtyard, and I went and joined him after dismissing the translator. The man in the courtyard was in his early twenties, simply dressed, in just a light tunic, belted around his waist, not expensive gear and quite thin. As I sat alongside him, he said something to me in Arabic which was beyond my feeble grasp of the language. He then stood up, started walking away, stopped for a second, looked back at me and then just gently beckoned me. I followed, and when I caught his eye, I activated my device to understand the Arabic tongue. We wandered through the streets, and I noticed the light start to darken. He led me to a part of the city I had not really explored on the western edge. The houses were not quite as grand or high as in the caravanserai. There was not the same hustle and bustle or mix of people, and they were clearly inhabitants of the city rather than visitors. Many were sitting out on their front steps, just sitting cross-legged, talking to each other. I saw a donkey being driven with a stick and a load which looked like it was going to break its back. As the light fades, I saw people light torches on the sides of some of their houses to cast a little light on this area. Unlike the cities in Europe, there doesn't appear to be anyone thinking about curfew here. As dusk fell and I felt my parma drop, he led me towards a cemetery, but he didn’t take me into it; instead, he led me down an alley just to the side of it, where he opened a small door in a building and said something in Arabic. Even I recognised the words as “this way”. I reactivated the device and could understand him clearly again. He welcomed me by name and then led me through a small door into the darkness. He took a torch from the wall and lit it, and we descended down the steps into what could only be described as a catacomb. With ornate carvings, I could see architecture that I definitely recognised as Roman, Greek, and Egyptian. We headed through, weaving down narrow passageways, where the funerary recesses were, and came to a central staircase in the middle, which we descended. I could see that there was a second level below, which he didn't stop at, but I could see beyond that there were many more of these tombs and entire passages as he led me down one final level. Then, stepping through, past yet more tombs, I saw that there was a door. This door actually looked quite out of character with the rest of it, because it was clearly more modern than the rest of the place. He opened it, and within I could see a small bench and, hanging at the side, some very plain white robes with bits of rope. I could also see a jug and a basin, and he said, “You may change here and purify yourself”, and then stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him. I rewove my Parma and cast a few spells in case things turned nasty. The man returned and led me through the catacombs, then down a very short flight of steps to another door, this one far older. He knocked on it three times, then withdrew. The door opened, and I saw a small circular chamber carved out of the rock, with a central water-filled basin. Standing around it, I saw five other men in white robes, and then the one who opened the door to you, making six, beckoned me inside. Inside, I saw a small alcove and the man who had invited me in gestured for me to place my boots and bag in there. I was then welcomed in Arabic, but I quickly used my item to understand the language. The man then began a ritual, and his voice started singing clearly in Arabic. Every once in a while, his voice sort of rose and fell, and then everyone else made a sequence of gestures. They moved their arms in an orbit, then palms opened, and arms flung wide. This happened six times. Then all but one sat, and he addressed me. “You are welcome, Pyrrhus. I am Nagi. And I greet you in the name of our master. Here in Kom El Shokhafa, at the Mound of Shards, you are welcomed for the aid we have been promised. There is something that should be ours that has been lost for a long time. We know where it may be found, but we have not been able to recover. You would bring it to us. Yes?” He then continued, “You will travel south upon the River Nile. Yes? There is a city. Thebes. There is a man. Fad Barakat. A home he has on El Baraka. Within this home, he has a cube encrusted with ivory, silver, gold, emeralds and rubies. Return this item to us at the house where you first entered here. Three men have gone to recover it, and three men have not returned”. I asked a few questions but got few replies to assist me, but I placed my faith in my magics to get me through, and agreed to this task. There was a little grunt of appreciation from others around the room, and then they stood, and some more singing and gestures were performed. The one that had let me in went back to the door, opened it, and with a gesture bade me leave. The door was shut behind me, and the young man came forward with his torch and led me back to the dressing room, where I put my clothes on again and took an arcane connection. From there, I was led back to the house and thence back to my quarters.
The Journey onward
The following day, I was invited to join the other wizards in the room that had been set aside. As I headed down, I saw the others you're travelling with, but also another man. He had dark brown skin, high cheekbones, a narrow face, black hair, cropped close to his skull, a very neatly trimmed beard and moustache. He was wearing quite an ornate robe with a vivid strip of green and red in it, but it was dyed into the fabric. This, in my humble opinion, was an impressive piece of clothing. He was obviously a Magus. Tsehay was his name, and he addressed us all in perfect Latin. “You have travelled far, and you are keen to travel on. I know that with such long distances and much too much to organise, it is all well set for our onward journey. Indeed. I am sorry I was not here to greet you. The journey took a little longer than I had hoped. The barge is being reprovisioned as we speak. We'll be ready for you shortly”.
We were then escorted to the barge called “The fruit of the river”, and it was like no barge I had ever seen. It was a long vessel, which had quite a narrow lower part, from which banks of oars were sticking out. It then rose up to a deck that overlapped the lower deck. On the top deck, there were a couple of masts with flags on, and canvas-covered compartments. The whole barge was brightly painted, and in the central area, there were thick, rich cushions laid out around low tables. There were palm trees in pots on the deck. I was shown to my own compartment on deck, and there was a curtain I could pull for privacy. There was a bed, a basin, a jug, and a locker within it. On board we met Magus Tsehay’s familiar, a huge lion, called Ayele.
The Crocodile
A day or so upriver, a hue and cry went up from the ship's company, and there on our starboard bow a creature lay semi-submerged in the river, watching us with evil intent. It was a crocodile, thirty or forty feet long, with thick armour plates covering it from head to tail. Teshe told us that these water dragons were common in these parts and asked if any of my men wished to try to best it; there is a good prize to be had. Looking over at Guido in particular, he challenged, "A man who can slay a crocodile and take one of his teeth and wear it will be forever stronger". I asked my men, but neither saw fit to join the crocodile in the water and fight it at such a disadvantage, and I guessed that if I destroyed it with fire, it would be frowned upon. We sailed past the waiting beast onward upriver.
Thebes
A few days later, we came to another city, not as big as Alexandria or Cairo but with temples that dwarfed even our cathedrals back home, with roads up to them lined with huge pillars that narrowed from base to tip. We had arrived at Thebes, and there we stopped to refresh supplies and sightsee. Once again, arrangements had been made for a place to stay, and we were led off to a building like a small palace. Based again, around a central courtyard with a quite lush garden in it. We didn’t have the entire building to ourselves, but there was a private wing. We were invited to a feast that night. Organising a translator, I went on a tour of the city and saw many amazing buildings. The temple of Luxor was like a massive fortress, and I wondered to myself what it must look like from the sky. It was a vast, imposing building with huge ancient Egyptian sculptures, a tall needle-like pillar at its entrance. Asking the guide, I was told it was a temple to many gods that the ancient Egyptians worshipped. We wandered around a bit more and saw some of the rich merchants' houses from the outside. My guide told me that if I could spend another day in Thebes, he would take me to a valley of kings where many of the ancient ones were buried, but I told him I would be moving on in the morning, so I would have to say no to his offer. We returned to our quarters, and he left me. I went to the feast, and it was luxurious, with fruits, vegetables and meats I did not recognise.
The Temple of Karnak and Luxor
Private Journal: The Robbery
After the feast, I returned to my room and cast various magics about myself and then used my talisman to float to the ground from my balcony. I rapidly retraced my steps to the pink stoned house that I had spotted during my tour. Standing by the walls of the compound, I again used my talisman to raise myself, stepped over the top of wall, and then back down to enter the compound. Entering the main building, I went from room to room listening carefully at each door and entering, seeking the cube. But after extensive searching, I did not find it; however, I did find a key in the merchant's office and took it. This took me some time to accomplish, and I had to hold my breath a few times as members of the household retired to bed, but because of my enchantments, they could not see or hear me. I then went out into the main courtyard, in the corner of which was a secure building with a sunken iron-bound door and bars at its windows. I guessed this was a treasure room of sorts and was determined to approach it. Then, to my dismay, I observed two large sleeping hounds, stepping back into the house and with a quiet voice, I cast a “disguise the putrid aroma” on myself with spontaneous magics. Then I quickly crossed the courtyard, confident the hounds would not detect me, and then, using my mastered spell, unlocked the door and entered the building. Turning quickly, I closed the door and locked it. I was in a single room, with a spiral staircase leading up in the corner. It was piled high with sacks from which quite exotic smells emanated. Not seeing my target on the ground floor, I ascended the stairs, creating a cantrip of a candle flame from my finger.
Immediately, I saw right in front of me, coiled in a position to dart forward, A lizard with bright red scales with licks of yellow in it, almost like flames. It leapt forward and tried to attack me. I felt my Parma resist and was grateful for the years and years of practice I had put into learning that fine art. I admit I made a mistake then and cast a fire spell against it. I know now that was the wrong tactic, but it was my natural reaction to danger. The flames washed over the creature with no effect, and I then realised that it must be a salamander. It attacked again and I felt again my parma protect me, learning from my mistake I brought up alouisous’s wand and lightning streaked from its tip and hot the lizard right between the eyes and it flew into a thousand pieces, however a lightning bolt is not a subtle weapon and with my ears ringing I could hear the hounds baying at the door of the strongroom. Scanning around quickly after lighting the room with a cantrip, I did not see the cube and began a methodical search. Now, I heard Arabic being shouted from the courtyard and realised I had been detected. I continued my search and realised that as I had the key, they could not get in to challenge me. Eventually, I discovered the cube hidden under a sack and in a plain wooden box. I could see a cube about a fist size, made of ivory, banded with silver and gold patterns, and with gems of green and red fitted in it. It looked incredibly intricate and very old. Putting it in my bag, I recast the spell of invisibility about myself and then descended the stairs. Realising I had two choices, kill everyone or flee without confrontation, I chose the latter and, weakening the bars of the windows with the rusty decay of the ten score years, broke the bars and fled, calling the winds about me to lift me into the sky just as a hound's jaws snapped at my invisible heels.
I again admit to making a mistake, probably because the thrill of my achievement temporarily dulled my wits. I flew back and landed on the barge rather than at my apartment. As I got onto the boat, I was aware of the curtain at the back moving aside and a large lion's head peering out. Realising it had probably detected me, I dropped my Invisibility spell, and it saw me, and the tension in its muscles slackened. It asked me what I was doing there, and I stated I had been flying around the city and wanted somewhere safe to land. It looked quizzically at me and informed me it would inform its master. With that potential disaster avoided, I returned to my apartment. I planned to go invisible and rise to the balcony, but when I cast the invisibility, I noticed the magic had gone awry, and only half my body was hidden. Waiting till the road was clear, which did not take long, as it was now the middle of the night, I crossed the road quickly from my hiding place, ascended via my talisman's spell and retired to bed, hoping the failed spell effects would wear off at dawn, which they did.
Onwards From Thebes
About fifteen minutes after dawn, there was a knock at the door to inform me that breakfast was served, and afterwards we returned to the barge. Some orders were shouted, the barge was disengaged, and then the oars started once more.
Private Journal
Tsehay made his way over to me when I was alone, staring at the landscape pass by. He said, “My familiar has told me that you came aboard this vessel alone, and you were invisible last night?” I explained my error that I was out exploring last night, and I had thought I had to come back to the boat, so I landed by the dock, and then I realised that I should have gone to the house. And I came back on the boat invisible, and your familiar detected me somehow. I don't know how, but maybe it shouldn't have been able to hear me, but somehow it detected me. He is well attuned to the movement of this boat. Ah, that's possibly it then. Anyway, he detected me and challenged me. I lowered my invisibility instantly and asked what I'd been doing. I told him I'd been flying around the city. And then I went back to the palace that we were staying in. I saw him contemplate me for a moment, and then said, “An easy misunderstanding. I thank you. I hope I have caused no offence by my question.” I assured him he had not and said that I hoped that I did not startle his familiar, and with that, he left me alone.
Journey onwards: Cataract
I saw the river narrowing a little and observed several rocky outcrops and men watching out for them on the bow of the barge. The oars slowed significantly, and a man at the front used a plumb line to determine the depth of the river. Soon, we approached what can only be described as a cataract, the water tumbling over submerged rocks, ready to rip the keel from our vessel.
Shahay came forward and called something out in his strange tongue, and I heard the oars stop moving. He went to his cabin and collected a rod, which he plunged into the water after muttering a few words to activate the magics contained within. Immediately, water gushed up from the submerged part, and after a time, the river levels rose, and Shahay once more went to the rod and reached down, pulled it from the water. It stopped producing water, and with a shout, the oars dipped in the river again, and we proceeded upriver with the rocks now covered by the water.
Journey onward: Aswan and Beyond
We arrived at a city called Aswan. There were tolls and customs checks made there. But there was little to no delay. The stonework of this city was a tan colour, all with a similar architecture. Some monuments and minarets poked above the roofs. On the west bank of the river, I could see a vast mound of sand, which, beyond and underneath, lay a necropolis where many great kings were buried over the years.
The vessel continued to make its way, beyond Aswan, the land to the west was even more arid than it had been. The rocky shores of the river seemingly render the area less fertile as the high banks prevent flooding and the deposits of rich river mud. For the next three weeks, we continued upriver, passing through small towns. Midway, we passed a larger town called Dongola. We were now in Nubia, which was still a nominally Christian country, although Islam was growing in strength.
Eventually, we came to a much larger town whose architecture looked very different from the Egyptian and Arabic styles we had seen before. Here, the buildings are much squarer and have a sort of darker hue. They still have a variety of sizes and appearances, but the folk that I saw upon the banks had much darker skin. This was the city of Soba. It was built of red bricks of mud that had been dried in the air and made solid. I saw no minarets and did not hear that yodel of the call to prayer, although I did see churches, many with ornate crosses. There was clearly wealth in this city, I mean, no small amount of it, particularly the decorations of the churches, and clearly symbolic of a very wealthy city. We took on supplies and made our way a little south. The river split into two, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, and we travelled southeast upon the Blue Nile.
The landscape began to change as we continued. The river narrowed with more greenery apon the banks. Southeast, I could see in the distance huge mountains, rising above the clouds, that were covered in green. This was a strange land, it was hot beyond compare, the sun bleached the soil, to yellow and white. Yet, I looked over, and I saw great green mountains. This part of the Nile was really meandering. There were stretches of a day or two at a time when we were definitely going in completely the wrong direction as it looped through the ground, getting ever higher and more narrow. There were other places where the behaviour was similar to the cataracts that we had encountered on the Nile. Here and there, small towns that were briefly stopped at to gather supplies made of a pale stone with a slightly different design, many of the buildings have domed tops. The architecture is still quite impressive, and there's still a reasonable amount of height. This is not some primitive backwater. We were now in Abyssinia, the heart of Aethiopicus. This is where it was founded. It was within these borders that the Order of Hermes first came, spoke with Aldergosh, leader of Ethipoachus, and joined the Order.
We had headed north for a few days, and I saw and heard in front of us a vast waterfall, in fact not just one, but several falls ahead of us with a huge roar and spray at the bottom. Greenery ran down the cliffs in between the various falls. I could see a town which I was told was called Ghisabay and it was here that we docked. We stayed there overnight and then set off on foot towards the mountains. We crossed the river on a bridge made of vines, and on the other side, there was a path, not a wide path, but clearly enough marked, which trekked away east from the river and then turned northeast. The going was quite hard with the path being almost relentlessly up. I summoned horses and saddles for those who wanted, and that eased the toil up into the mountains. Three days of this trekking, camping at night on the side of the path, finally ended when coming over a summit, we saw a large castle made of quite light coloured stone, although in places it had been weathered quite dark. It had four round towers on each corner that were domed at the top. There were crenellations also, and I saw several outbuildings. As we approached, there was a moment where once more the view revealed itself to us, and it was truly like we were on the top of the world; we could see for miles. The green verdance of this land was quite apparent.
The Covenant in the Clouds
As we approached the covenant, I saw other grogs come forth who led the wizards within. A man approached. He looked younger than Tsehay, and his hair was longer and wrapped. He wore a headdress of coloured feathers wrapped into his locks, and his eyes were an intense burning amber colour. This was Aberash, Primus of Etheopicus. We were introduced, and I must admit I stammered over my introduction as the journey had tired me considerably. We were presented to Kariku, a man who looked about thirty-five years of age. His hair was long and curled into ringlets. He was the curator of the covenant. Next was Oshi, a man with darker skin, like the Nubians that we had passed earlier on in our journey. His hair was tightly cropped at the sides with a tall, tightly curled crown of hair and two thin tails of hair sticking out of the sides. Even though it was hot, he was wearing trousers, but no shirt or top; he had quite an elaborate necklace on. Next, Maga Meklit and I saw a woman, her hair long but with a beaded headpiece. She was attractive. Finally, we were introduced to Eskinder. He looked younger; he didn't look like he needed his longevity potion yet. His hair was cropped, but a little unevenly; he had a thin beard and moustache. We were invited to take refreshments and were informed of a feast in our honour that night before the important matters began on the morrow.
We were led through into the main building, and towards the back, there was a square tower, and it was within that that the guest chambers were found. After a briefing about where we could go freely and where we would have to ask permission to go by the steward, we were left to our own devices. Later in the evening, we were presented with a grand feast in the great hall. A large, low table had been set and cushions for seating, which I had become used to on the barge trip. A vast number of platters were brought out. After we had fed Primus, Avarash said, “I welcome you here to Seme Betemn, which in Latin translates to the Castle of the sky. I would like to thank Margus Tariku, the curator of this covenant, for hosting us here. I have a home some fair distance from here, but it seems this would be the easiest place for you to reach. It is more than one hundred and thirty years since the Order of Hermes first came to these lands and spoke with the then leader of the Order of Aethiopicus and invited them to join the Order of Hermes. Knowing well the magical practice that we brought to the Order, there was grave disappointment amongst our wizards when one of your Quaesitor ruled almost one hundred years ago that Djinn may be infernal in nature. I will say now this decision was wrong. They are not devils. Less than eighty years ago, the Order then, against our Council, decided to admit the creation of a new house, Corpus Domini. I'm sure all here present know what a poor decision that was. With our voice unheard, it is perhaps no surprise that engagement between ourselves and the rest of the order upon the European continent declined. But I am well aware that actions and decisions were made that further angered the church and led to the ruin of Durenmar. We suffered something of this here, emboldened priests, pouring words of poison into those who rule this land in a temporal sense. And Magi here also lost their lives, and covenants were forced to retreat or move. And yet, I recognise well enough that there is benefit to the sharing of magical practice and responding to the threats that face all wizards. I will say that I will hear your words. I will hear them with an open heart. But I have yet to decide on where we stand”.
I was then asked to explain how we came to know about the infernal plague that would come to our doors. I explained its probable origin and how, through vision and seers, we had come to recognise its import. I explained about how the Fey had left the world, fearing for their own existence. I explained how House Tremere had developed a variant of the aegis of the hearth and how they had tested it on a minor infernal plague in a place called Transylvania. The feast concluded with minor chitchat, and Primus Presulis and Primus Avarash would meet on the morrow to discuss and iron out details.
The following day, the conference started, and it was a slow start to a long process. We took it in turns to guard the door in shifts to ensure the safety of the Primi. On my first break, I found Maga Meklit and asked her to show me the Djinn she had made an offer of at the feast. I told her that the Quaesitor had permitted me to find out what they are if I could. She cautioned me against casting any magic upon the Djinn.
She led me outside the Covenant, up a little rocky path to where there was a little plateau. The view from up there was sensational. I could actually see some wisps of cloud beneath me, just covering a little of the valley below. She reached into her bag and started enchanting a ritual, some parts of which were not hermetic, but at one point I did see the familiar flare of vis from her hand. After about half an hour of watching her, I saw a whisper of smoke arising from the ground and gaining solidity, becoming larger and larger until it was about the size of a man and then the smoke coalesced into a humanoid figure. A skin of absolute ebony colour, bright eyes, almost as if they're flaming, and a broad smile which is both friendly and unfriendly at the same time. In Latin, Meklit said, “Djinn, I wish to show that you are not a demon”. He smiled. “I am of the Djinn. Long, long, long have I lived. But I am no demon. I am no fallen angel. From the fires of the world was I formed”. Looking over at me, it said, “Do you have questions, wizard?” I asked, “Do you exist in this land or have you travelled to many other lands as you have been summoned there or existed there? Have you travelled to the land of the Levant, where I've heard there are djinn? Or is this your land and you know the history of this place?” It replied, “I have been called here, but I have been called also in other places, in other times. But it is Meklit who currently holds my name. Now what knowledge do you seek? And will you pay my price, Meklit?” She looked over at me and said, “If you have a question, then I am happy to meet it”. The Djinn then said, “Then what is your question? What knowledge is it you seek, wizard?” I replied “There have, in history, existed men who have been able to mix various elements to make wondrous concoctions. And I am one of them. And there is a recipe which has been lost to time. Many have said that they know how it is created. But the Byzantines had a recipe for a thing called Greek fire”. The Djinn replied, “Do you wish then to come study such with me?” and I saw Meklit very gently shake her head at me. I replied, “I am oath-bound to protect here and stand guard here. I have no time to go and learn, unfortunately. I thought maybe you might be able to give me a clue as to its ingredients and therefore I could on my own time, experiment and come up with a formulae”. The Djinn then said “part of what you will need, you will find in the stone from a volcano”. “You say you were created when the earth fires were first created. You are ancient. How beyond your imagination. Who created you? I cannot answer what I do not know. But I believed it must have been God. Or did he not create all things? One final question I will answer. When you are not here, where do you exist? In my realm, a realm of fire and heat. It is an elemental realm. It is the land of fire. And what else exists in this realm, or have I exceeded my questions? If you wish to ask a fourth question, there will be a cost to you also, wizard. Are you willing to pay it? Again, you'll see Meklit very gently shaking her head. He looked over at Meklit, and she said, “Then be gone”. I saw that the shape dissolved into smoke, which then gradually diminished. Meklit then explained that that was a Djinn from the tribe of Djinn, and that there were different tribes amongst the Djinn. She asked me, “Did I think it was a demon?” and I replied in the negative, stating I thought it was some kind of elemental creature. I then asked, “What would have happened if I had asked the fourth question?” She said, “The price is that the Djinn would look into your mind. To give secrets to the Djinn can be dangerous”. I then offered my one bag of black powder, which I had brought, and explained its use as an exchange for the experience she had shown me. Later in the evening, I gave my report of the Djinn to my Primus and the Quaesitor. Primus Presilus stated that the precedent regarding the Order of Suleiman was quite clear. It did not matter if it was a demon or not. The mere suspicion of it being a demon was sufficient that the Order of Hermes did not admit the Order of Suleiman. Therefore, he suggested that the precedent is clear that we cannot admit the order of Aethiopicus to the order of Hermes in these circumstances. But he then said he did not seek to admit the order Aethiopicus; he sought to reaffirm that house Aethiopicus was part of the order, and therefore any action of any individual margus within that order would be investigated under the code. He went on to say there was no precedent for kicking out an entire House from the Order for one or two of its members being involved with infernal matters. For if it were, House Tremere would have been kicked out, would it not? Quaesitor Thaddeus grumbled at this but admitted that he could not overrule the grand tribunal ruling to admit the house without his primus raising the issue at the next grand tribunal. The negotiations were as dull as dishwater, and I thought this was the Primuses strategy to bore the opponents into submission. One person with whom I got on best was Magus Oshi, who was fascinated by the things I had fought, and he told me his tales as well, which brought back fond memories of the bragging feasts I had had with my friends.
We had a big meeting, and it seemed everything was already agreed and satisfied, and we were then told about a magus who had learnt the parma and then ignored the House and Order. A magus called Tamrat the Unaided, a man who had many years, and he was there when the house was first formed. It appeared that over the last few years, he had caused some problems for this and another covenant. Perhaps events of some of the church's persecution here had fuelled his anger and his belief that it was the order of Hermes that had brought this upon them. Abarash had decided that enough was enough and wanted him gone. But he could not go to the place where Tamrat lived, for it was a mountain called Rastegh, which was apparently the tallest mountain in the highlands of these parts. For some reason, the wizards of Etheopacus were forbidden to venture onto it. Primus Guido volunteered to deal with this wizard. Apparently, this wizard was not a member of the Order but had the Parma Magica. This all felt familiar to me for some reason, but as before, I would follow my Primus and pay the consequences later. We gathered intelligence on the rogue magus and discovered he had power over elementals and was old. Approaching by air would be highly dangerous due to his powers over the winds that might bear us up, and so a ground assault was decided upon. We decided that Guido would charge forward to combat the magus whilst I and the grogs defeated the mundane and elemental minions he had, then I would join Guido as soon as I could.
It was at dawn the following day that we followed our guide and started the long walk through the peaks of the Ethiopian highlands. It was thus on the morning of the fourth day after we had left the covenant that we saw a peak rising above all the others around, and we could see that it looked like there was a ridge that led towards the large bowl, and there was a narrow pathway along it. So we began the climb, and it was hard going right from the off, and we had to be careful with our footing. As we climbed, the temperature fell, getting cooler with each step upwards we took, and here and there we saw patches of ice and snow. We crested a rise and saw in front of us a little levelled area that had obviously been scraped clean of vegetation. On it, we saw a small outbuilding, sitting around just in front of it, near a small fire, were four armed guards. There was a momentary pause as they looked around in our direction. Our archers, who were in front, raised their bows and loosed arrows at the men. One man took the arrow on his hide armour, but the other took the arrow in his neck and fell to the ground. Our grogs charged into melee to finish off the guards quickly before the alarm could be raised. Blows were exchanged, but the gift of Achilles protected our men from the guards' weapons and with that, it seemed a one-way battle. I crested the rise, took in the situation and cast multiple balistae of fire at the targets. Obviously, I hit all three and weakened by the arrows and blows of the grogs, they each succumbed to my fiery bolts.
Fight on the Dark Mountain
We continued up the mountain and came to the lip of the crater or plateau. Proceeding with a plan of my leading the grogs and distracting the defenders whilst Guido goes forward to engage the renegade magus, we advanced as stealthily as we could down from the lip and into the crater. In the distance, I could see a tower, probably magically summoned, as it appeared to be a single stone with some huts by its base. As we proceeded down the path, it was not long until we were spotted, and the grogs spotted half a dozen men moving in our direction, at which point I felt a very gentle vibration in the ground, and I saw ahead on the path, emerging from the ground, two stone figures. Not as large as a man, but broad and bulky, the stone grinding against it as they started to march directly up the steep slope, ignoring the path towards us. As they were still at some distance, I chose bolts of abysmal flame as my weapon of choice and cast three bolts, two at one elemental and one at the other. One flew wide, but I did hit one elemental with two bolts. The first burst of fire cracked a large chunk of rock from the elemental, searing it and slowing its progress. The second one slams immediately afterwards. The rock is badly scorched, but the damage was not quite as profound; the thing was staggered badly by the damage, rocked back, and its inexorable progress slowed for a moment. It then started almost limping forward. The other one was still moving inexorably, though, and closed the gap quite easily. One had now closed to near range, and our archers tried to stop it,t but the arrows glanced off harmlessly. Now within near range and figuring Auram was the best weapon against Terram, I used my wand, gifted to me by my Primus, to smite the closest Elemental. The lightning struck, and there was a crack, and again I saw stones splinter and disintegrate. Despite that damage, it continued to advance towards us. Bernard the grog stepped forward as a good shield grog does to intercept it and give me a chance to destroy it with magic. Bernardo brought his shield up, but the clenched, clubbing hand of this thing was quicker perhaps than Bernardo expected. The punch slammed into him. I saw him just pushed back a couple of inches in the dirt, but he did not fall or cry out in pain at all. The grogs attacked, but the weapons' effects on the stone body were negligible. Then my magics unleashed, and three ballistas of fire reached out and closed the five-yard distance between the creature and myself. I felt the shower of rock and dust against me as the thing shattered where it stood, collapsing to the ground. Our attention turned to the previously injured one, still limping up the hill. Again, the archers fired, but again their arrows bounced off as if fired at a castle wall. Using my wand again, I aimed carefully and struck it in its torso. As the lightning hit it, I heard a crack and a half of it just sheared away, and the other half toppled, and just little boulders were rolling down the slope of the hill.
Moving forward, again, we looked out for the six enemy warriors. As we made our way forward, we heard another crack of lightning from up ahead and then saw a vast explosion of fire. We made our way down and could see up ahead, ripples in the air, almost as if there was something within the air, like a visible wind moving rapidly in our direction. Forewarned by my sharp eyes, I prepared to cast multiple arcs of fiery ribbons and formed my grogs into a line to meet these wind elementals. A wave of wind smashed into your line. My parma resisted their attacks, and I blessed Bonisagus for his protection, and the men protected by the ward against wind and lightning also suffered not apart from Bernando losing his footing. Five castings of fiery ribbons lashed out, and I could see three roaring balls of fire with arcs of fiery ribbons running all over them as they dissolved in the glorious flame.
We continued down the path and were finally confronted by the six enemy grogs. Our archers hit a few, and they charged forward in, to my eye, an untrained and ill-disciplined line. One fell to arrows, and I cast four bolts of abyssal fire at the two in the lead of their charge. Both were hit by one bolt, and one instantly fell; the other staggered onward, attempting to put out the flames in his hair and clothes,but the flash of the bolt had blinded him, so he stopped. Some of the enemy grogs broke at this point and ran from the trees. Two brave fellows charged on at us, and arrows rained down on them to reward their courage. I decided to end the mad charge with five bolts of fire, two each against the men charging us and one against the fellow I blinded in the last volley. I hit with every bolt of flame, and all three dropped to the ground in an instant, exploding in fire and just collapsed to the ground. One of the running men took an incredibly shot arrow at long range and fell, leaving one enemy grog who had disappeared into the treeline. I charged forward now that all the enemies were dealt with, leaving the lone survivor to my grogs to finish off. I charged towards the sounds of the two magi fighting, hearing the crash of lightning and the roar of flames ahead of me. After running for probably about a little over a minute, I came through the trees and saw the tower before me. In front of the tower, the two magi were going at it hammer and tongs. Guido looked in bad shape, his robes were shredded, and he looked tired. It looked like claws had ripped them to shreds, but I could see no creatures that could have done it. Tamrat was a man with a slightly lighter skin than the rest of the men I had seen here, of a fair size but clearly aged, his hair closely cropped short, with a short grey beard. From a distance, I saw that perhaps one finger had been torn off by a blast of Guidos, and blood ran down his hand. It looked to me that the combat was right on a knife-edge. I was about sixty paces away and prepared to cast a powerful single bolt against my target.
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I heard Aloisious's voice in my head, “Now is your chance”, he said.
The grog, Bernando, fired an arrow at Tamrat, but at that distance it went wide, maybe pushed wide by a small air elemental. My bolt just missed and exploded harmlessly behind. Tamrat and Guido cast their powerful magics again, but it seemed that Tamrat's spell finished a moment before Guido's, and the earth underneath his feet exploded, shards flying up. I saw his parma fail, and as the shards came up, one of them struck through his back, emerging from his chest armour. The spell died on his lips as he fell back, struck with what looked like a mortal wound. Takrat turned to the new combatants and prepared his magics to strike me. Bernardo charged toward Primus Guido, obviously seeing if he could be saved. I stuck my hand in my pouch, grasping two rooks of Ignem Vis, and hoping the Tamrat's parma had been ablated, but the combat with Guido cast five bolts at him.
This time I did not miss all five bolts slammed home, the first enhanced with vis stripped him of his parma and hit with full force the other four followed in, in a cacophony of explosions, each one doing some damage to him past his magical protections, each flaying more flesh from his body and there was a moment when he looked back directly at me and then just fell forward, hitting the dirt. I rushed him and, with my grog's encouragement, beheaded the enemy magus to ensure his death and as evidence of our deed. I then rushed over to Guido to see if anything could be done, but there was a massive stone spike where his heart should have been, and I gently lifted him off the spike with Bernardo's help. Bernando was inconsolable and wailed to the sky for his loss. He recovered his wits quickly, and we gathered Guido's body up, and I took what trinkets were left on Tamrat's body. He has a staff and some Vis, which I took. I ordered the men to gather Guido’s body, and with Tamrat's head in a bag, we retreated to the original hut at the base of the mountain before darkness made travel dangerous.
Returning Home
We set a camp and set our watches for the night, and the night passed peacefully with no hint of trouble. The following morning, we started on the track back down the mountain. Our guide was still waiting below when we got there. He guided us back to the covenant, and we arrived after another three days. Both Primus Prisoulis and Quasitor Thaddeus came and sought me out, and I recounted the tale as I have truthfully recorded in this scroll. Over the course of the remainder of that day, the grogs of the covenant and his grogs built a pyre, on which his body was laid. I was given the honour of lighting the Pyre, and after a few words, I did so. The following day, the negotiations were completed, and I believe our sacrifice and efforts on the top of the mountain swayed the Primus Aborash, for we were invited to the Great Hall for a feast. There, Primus Aberash stood and said,” I am saddened by the events that have led to the death of a great Primus of the Order of Hermes, but I am glad to report that I have confirmed that the House of Aethiopicus remains a part of that order and will work closely with the order to face the threats that are to come. I say here, to the magi of this covenant, I have been given a right that has been developed by House Tremere, and I will establish a haven within our lands that all shall be invited to, to take refuge when this evil comes. And when it has passed, we shall reforge and renew our bonds with our brethren to the north, and we shall see a better future together united. At the feast, I talked with Magus Oshi and returned the item he had lent me. He said he would send me a letter and that we might discuss some spells we could exchange, and I agreed.
The following day, there was a short farewell where once again the Primus Avarash said how sorry he was for the loss, and how glad he was for the fact that the bond had been renewed. We then started our return journey. As is the tradition, I will not discuss every stage of the journey back as we passed once more the sights that I have described earlier in this scroll.
Private Journal
In Alexandria, we paused again to wait for our boat to arrive. I went to the building where I was taken before. It was easy enough to recall my route and find the door. I knocked upon it, and after a short while, I saw the man who led me into the catacombs below. He looked at me and beckoned me in. Using my tongue of the folk device, I asked if he wanted the item here or if I should give it to the masters below. He said he would take it, and so I gave him the cube I had stolen and returned to our lodgings, my mission complete for the dark one at Gloucester College.
It was not long before the Mercere ship arrived, initially travelling to Verdi, and then heading round on the long journey home before I eventually found myself pulling into the harbour of Chepstow.
After the feast, I returned to my room and cast various magics about myself and then used my talisman to float to the ground from my balcony. I rapidly retraced my steps to the pink stoned house that I had spotted during my tour. Standing by the walls of the compound, I again used my talisman to raise myself, stepped over the top of wall, and then back down to enter the compound. Entering the main building, I went from room to room listening carefully at each door and entering, seeking the cube. But after extensive searching, I did not find it; however, I did find a key in the merchant's office and took it. This took me some time to accomplish, and I had to hold my breath a few times as members of the household retired to bed, but because of my enchantments, they could not see or hear me. I then went out into the main courtyard, in the corner of which was a secure building with a sunken iron-bound door and bars at its windows. I guessed this was a treasure room of sorts and was determined to approach it. Then, to my dismay, I observed two large sleeping hounds, stepping back into the house and with a quiet voice, I cast a “disguise the putrid aroma” on myself with spontaneous magics. Then I quickly crossed the courtyard, confident the hounds would not detect me, and then, using my mastered spell, unlocked the door and entered the building. Turning quickly, I closed the door and locked it. I was in a single room, with a spiral staircase leading up in the corner. It was piled high with sacks from which quite exotic smells emanated. Not seeing my target on the ground floor, I ascended the stairs, creating a cantrip of a candle flame from my finger.
Immediately, I saw right in front of me, coiled in a position to dart forward, A lizard with bright red scales with licks of yellow in it, almost like flames. It leapt forward and tried to attack me. I felt my Parma resist and was grateful for the years and years of practice I had put into learning that fine art. I admit I made a mistake then and cast a fire spell against it. I know now that was the wrong tactic, but it was my natural reaction to danger. The flames washed over the creature with no effect, and I then realised that it must be a salamander. It attacked again and I felt again my parma protect me, learning from my mistake I brought up alouisous’s wand and lightning streaked from its tip and hot the lizard right between the eyes and it flew into a thousand pieces, however a lightning bolt is not a subtle weapon and with my ears ringing I could hear the hounds baying at the door of the strongroom. Scanning around quickly after lighting the room with a cantrip, I did not see the cube and began a methodical search. Now, I heard Arabic being shouted from the courtyard and realised I had been detected. I continued my search and realised that as I had the key, they could not get in to challenge me. Eventually, I discovered the cube hidden under a sack and in a plain wooden box. I could see a cube about a fist size, made of ivory, banded with silver and gold patterns, and with gems of green and red fitted in it. It looked incredibly intricate and very old. Putting it in my bag, I recast the spell of invisibility about myself and then descended the stairs. Realising I had two choices, kill everyone or flee without confrontation, I chose the latter and, weakening the bars of the windows with the rusty decay of the ten score years, broke the bars and fled, calling the winds about me to lift me into the sky just as a hound's jaws snapped at my invisible heels.
I again admit to making a mistake, probably because the thrill of my achievement temporarily dulled my wits. I flew back and landed on the barge rather than at my apartment. As I got onto the boat, I was aware of the curtain at the back moving aside and a large lion's head peering out. Realising it had probably detected me, I dropped my Invisibility spell, and it saw me, and the tension in its muscles slackened. It asked me what I was doing there, and I stated I had been flying around the city and wanted somewhere safe to land. It looked quizzically at me and informed me it would inform its master. With that potential disaster avoided, I returned to my apartment. I planned to go invisible and rise to the balcony, but when I cast the invisibility, I noticed the magic had gone awry, and only half my body was hidden. Waiting till the road was clear, which did not take long, as it was now the middle of the night, I crossed the road quickly from my hiding place, ascended via my talisman's spell and retired to bed, hoping the failed spell effects would wear off at dawn, which they did.
Onwards From Thebes
About fifteen minutes after dawn, there was a knock at the door to inform me that breakfast was served, and afterwards we returned to the barge. Some orders were shouted, the barge was disengaged, and then the oars started once more.
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Tsehay made his way over to me when I was alone, staring at the landscape pass by. He said, “My familiar has told me that you came aboard this vessel alone, and you were invisible last night?” I explained my error that I was out exploring last night, and I had thought I had to come back to the boat, so I landed by the dock, and then I realised that I should have gone to the house. And I came back on the boat invisible, and your familiar detected me somehow. I don't know how, but maybe it shouldn't have been able to hear me, but somehow it detected me. He is well attuned to the movement of this boat. Ah, that's possibly it then. Anyway, he detected me and challenged me. I lowered my invisibility instantly and asked what I'd been doing. I told him I'd been flying around the city. And then I went back to the palace that we were staying in. I saw him contemplate me for a moment, and then said, “An easy misunderstanding. I thank you. I hope I have caused no offence by my question.” I assured him he had not and said that I hoped that I did not startle his familiar, and with that, he left me alone.
Journey onwards: Cataract
I saw the river narrowing a little and observed several rocky outcrops and men watching out for them on the bow of the barge. The oars slowed significantly, and a man at the front used a plumb line to determine the depth of the river. Soon, we approached what can only be described as a cataract, the water tumbling over submerged rocks, ready to rip the keel from our vessel.
Shahay came forward and called something out in his strange tongue, and I heard the oars stop moving. He went to his cabin and collected a rod, which he plunged into the water after muttering a few words to activate the magics contained within. Immediately, water gushed up from the submerged part, and after a time, the river levels rose, and Shahay once more went to the rod and reached down, pulled it from the water. It stopped producing water, and with a shout, the oars dipped in the river again, and we proceeded upriver with the rocks now covered by the water.
Journey onward: Aswan and Beyond
We arrived at a city called Aswan. There were tolls and customs checks made there. But there was little to no delay. The stonework of this city was a tan colour, all with a similar architecture. Some monuments and minarets poked above the roofs. On the west bank of the river, I could see a vast mound of sand, which, beyond and underneath, lay a necropolis where many great kings were buried over the years.
The vessel continued to make its way, beyond Aswan, the land to the west was even more arid than it had been. The rocky shores of the river seemingly render the area less fertile as the high banks prevent flooding and the deposits of rich river mud. For the next three weeks, we continued upriver, passing through small towns. Midway, we passed a larger town called Dongola. We were now in Nubia, which was still a nominally Christian country, although Islam was growing in strength.
Eventually, we came to a much larger town whose architecture looked very different from the Egyptian and Arabic styles we had seen before. Here, the buildings are much squarer and have a sort of darker hue. They still have a variety of sizes and appearances, but the folk that I saw upon the banks had much darker skin. This was the city of Soba. It was built of red bricks of mud that had been dried in the air and made solid. I saw no minarets and did not hear that yodel of the call to prayer, although I did see churches, many with ornate crosses. There was clearly wealth in this city, I mean, no small amount of it, particularly the decorations of the churches, and clearly symbolic of a very wealthy city. We took on supplies and made our way a little south. The river split into two, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, and we travelled southeast upon the Blue Nile.
The landscape began to change as we continued. The river narrowed with more greenery apon the banks. Southeast, I could see in the distance huge mountains, rising above the clouds, that were covered in green. This was a strange land, it was hot beyond compare, the sun bleached the soil, to yellow and white. Yet, I looked over, and I saw great green mountains. This part of the Nile was really meandering. There were stretches of a day or two at a time when we were definitely going in completely the wrong direction as it looped through the ground, getting ever higher and more narrow. There were other places where the behaviour was similar to the cataracts that we had encountered on the Nile. Here and there, small towns that were briefly stopped at to gather supplies made of a pale stone with a slightly different design, many of the buildings have domed tops. The architecture is still quite impressive, and there's still a reasonable amount of height. This is not some primitive backwater. We were now in Abyssinia, the heart of Aethiopicus. This is where it was founded. It was within these borders that the Order of Hermes first came, spoke with Aldergosh, leader of Ethipoachus, and joined the Order.
We had headed north for a few days, and I saw and heard in front of us a vast waterfall, in fact not just one, but several falls ahead of us with a huge roar and spray at the bottom. Greenery ran down the cliffs in between the various falls. I could see a town which I was told was called Ghisabay and it was here that we docked. We stayed there overnight and then set off on foot towards the mountains. We crossed the river on a bridge made of vines, and on the other side, there was a path, not a wide path, but clearly enough marked, which trekked away east from the river and then turned northeast. The going was quite hard with the path being almost relentlessly up. I summoned horses and saddles for those who wanted, and that eased the toil up into the mountains. Three days of this trekking, camping at night on the side of the path, finally ended when coming over a summit, we saw a large castle made of quite light coloured stone, although in places it had been weathered quite dark. It had four round towers on each corner that were domed at the top. There were crenellations also, and I saw several outbuildings. As we approached, there was a moment where once more the view revealed itself to us, and it was truly like we were on the top of the world; we could see for miles. The green verdance of this land was quite apparent.
The Covenant in the Clouds
As we approached the covenant, I saw other grogs come forth who led the wizards within. A man approached. He looked younger than Tsehay, and his hair was longer and wrapped. He wore a headdress of coloured feathers wrapped into his locks, and his eyes were an intense burning amber colour. This was Aberash, Primus of Etheopicus. We were introduced, and I must admit I stammered over my introduction as the journey had tired me considerably. We were presented to Kariku, a man who looked about thirty-five years of age. His hair was long and curled into ringlets. He was the curator of the covenant. Next was Oshi, a man with darker skin, like the Nubians that we had passed earlier on in our journey. His hair was tightly cropped at the sides with a tall, tightly curled crown of hair and two thin tails of hair sticking out of the sides. Even though it was hot, he was wearing trousers, but no shirt or top; he had quite an elaborate necklace on. Next, Maga Meklit and I saw a woman, her hair long but with a beaded headpiece. She was attractive. Finally, we were introduced to Eskinder. He looked younger; he didn't look like he needed his longevity potion yet. His hair was cropped, but a little unevenly; he had a thin beard and moustache. We were invited to take refreshments and were informed of a feast in our honour that night before the important matters began on the morrow.
We were led through into the main building, and towards the back, there was a square tower, and it was within that that the guest chambers were found. After a briefing about where we could go freely and where we would have to ask permission to go by the steward, we were left to our own devices. Later in the evening, we were presented with a grand feast in the great hall. A large, low table had been set and cushions for seating, which I had become used to on the barge trip. A vast number of platters were brought out. After we had fed Primus, Avarash said, “I welcome you here to Seme Betemn, which in Latin translates to the Castle of the sky. I would like to thank Margus Tariku, the curator of this covenant, for hosting us here. I have a home some fair distance from here, but it seems this would be the easiest place for you to reach. It is more than one hundred and thirty years since the Order of Hermes first came to these lands and spoke with the then leader of the Order of Aethiopicus and invited them to join the Order of Hermes. Knowing well the magical practice that we brought to the Order, there was grave disappointment amongst our wizards when one of your Quaesitor ruled almost one hundred years ago that Djinn may be infernal in nature. I will say now this decision was wrong. They are not devils. Less than eighty years ago, the Order then, against our Council, decided to admit the creation of a new house, Corpus Domini. I'm sure all here present know what a poor decision that was. With our voice unheard, it is perhaps no surprise that engagement between ourselves and the rest of the order upon the European continent declined. But I am well aware that actions and decisions were made that further angered the church and led to the ruin of Durenmar. We suffered something of this here, emboldened priests, pouring words of poison into those who rule this land in a temporal sense. And Magi here also lost their lives, and covenants were forced to retreat or move. And yet, I recognise well enough that there is benefit to the sharing of magical practice and responding to the threats that face all wizards. I will say that I will hear your words. I will hear them with an open heart. But I have yet to decide on where we stand”.
I was then asked to explain how we came to know about the infernal plague that would come to our doors. I explained its probable origin and how, through vision and seers, we had come to recognise its import. I explained about how the Fey had left the world, fearing for their own existence. I explained how House Tremere had developed a variant of the aegis of the hearth and how they had tested it on a minor infernal plague in a place called Transylvania. The feast concluded with minor chitchat, and Primus Presulis and Primus Avarash would meet on the morrow to discuss and iron out details.
The following day, the conference started, and it was a slow start to a long process. We took it in turns to guard the door in shifts to ensure the safety of the Primi. On my first break, I found Maga Meklit and asked her to show me the Djinn she had made an offer of at the feast. I told her that the Quaesitor had permitted me to find out what they are if I could. She cautioned me against casting any magic upon the Djinn.
She led me outside the Covenant, up a little rocky path to where there was a little plateau. The view from up there was sensational. I could actually see some wisps of cloud beneath me, just covering a little of the valley below. She reached into her bag and started enchanting a ritual, some parts of which were not hermetic, but at one point I did see the familiar flare of vis from her hand. After about half an hour of watching her, I saw a whisper of smoke arising from the ground and gaining solidity, becoming larger and larger until it was about the size of a man and then the smoke coalesced into a humanoid figure. A skin of absolute ebony colour, bright eyes, almost as if they're flaming, and a broad smile which is both friendly and unfriendly at the same time. In Latin, Meklit said, “Djinn, I wish to show that you are not a demon”. He smiled. “I am of the Djinn. Long, long, long have I lived. But I am no demon. I am no fallen angel. From the fires of the world was I formed”. Looking over at me, it said, “Do you have questions, wizard?” I asked, “Do you exist in this land or have you travelled to many other lands as you have been summoned there or existed there? Have you travelled to the land of the Levant, where I've heard there are djinn? Or is this your land and you know the history of this place?” It replied, “I have been called here, but I have been called also in other places, in other times. But it is Meklit who currently holds my name. Now what knowledge do you seek? And will you pay my price, Meklit?” She looked over at me and said, “If you have a question, then I am happy to meet it”. The Djinn then said, “Then what is your question? What knowledge is it you seek, wizard?” I replied “There have, in history, existed men who have been able to mix various elements to make wondrous concoctions. And I am one of them. And there is a recipe which has been lost to time. Many have said that they know how it is created. But the Byzantines had a recipe for a thing called Greek fire”. The Djinn replied, “Do you wish then to come study such with me?” and I saw Meklit very gently shake her head at me. I replied, “I am oath-bound to protect here and stand guard here. I have no time to go and learn, unfortunately. I thought maybe you might be able to give me a clue as to its ingredients and therefore I could on my own time, experiment and come up with a formulae”. The Djinn then said “part of what you will need, you will find in the stone from a volcano”. “You say you were created when the earth fires were first created. You are ancient. How beyond your imagination. Who created you? I cannot answer what I do not know. But I believed it must have been God. Or did he not create all things? One final question I will answer. When you are not here, where do you exist? In my realm, a realm of fire and heat. It is an elemental realm. It is the land of fire. And what else exists in this realm, or have I exceeded my questions? If you wish to ask a fourth question, there will be a cost to you also, wizard. Are you willing to pay it? Again, you'll see Meklit very gently shaking her head. He looked over at Meklit, and she said, “Then be gone”. I saw that the shape dissolved into smoke, which then gradually diminished. Meklit then explained that that was a Djinn from the tribe of Djinn, and that there were different tribes amongst the Djinn. She asked me, “Did I think it was a demon?” and I replied in the negative, stating I thought it was some kind of elemental creature. I then asked, “What would have happened if I had asked the fourth question?” She said, “The price is that the Djinn would look into your mind. To give secrets to the Djinn can be dangerous”. I then offered my one bag of black powder, which I had brought, and explained its use as an exchange for the experience she had shown me. Later in the evening, I gave my report of the Djinn to my Primus and the Quaesitor. Primus Presilus stated that the precedent regarding the Order of Suleiman was quite clear. It did not matter if it was a demon or not. The mere suspicion of it being a demon was sufficient that the Order of Hermes did not admit the Order of Suleiman. Therefore, he suggested that the precedent is clear that we cannot admit the order of Aethiopicus to the order of Hermes in these circumstances. But he then said he did not seek to admit the order Aethiopicus; he sought to reaffirm that house Aethiopicus was part of the order, and therefore any action of any individual margus within that order would be investigated under the code. He went on to say there was no precedent for kicking out an entire House from the Order for one or two of its members being involved with infernal matters. For if it were, House Tremere would have been kicked out, would it not? Quaesitor Thaddeus grumbled at this but admitted that he could not overrule the grand tribunal ruling to admit the house without his primus raising the issue at the next grand tribunal. The negotiations were as dull as dishwater, and I thought this was the Primuses strategy to bore the opponents into submission. One person with whom I got on best was Magus Oshi, who was fascinated by the things I had fought, and he told me his tales as well, which brought back fond memories of the bragging feasts I had had with my friends.
We had a big meeting, and it seemed everything was already agreed and satisfied, and we were then told about a magus who had learnt the parma and then ignored the House and Order. A magus called Tamrat the Unaided, a man who had many years, and he was there when the house was first formed. It appeared that over the last few years, he had caused some problems for this and another covenant. Perhaps events of some of the church's persecution here had fuelled his anger and his belief that it was the order of Hermes that had brought this upon them. Abarash had decided that enough was enough and wanted him gone. But he could not go to the place where Tamrat lived, for it was a mountain called Rastegh, which was apparently the tallest mountain in the highlands of these parts. For some reason, the wizards of Etheopacus were forbidden to venture onto it. Primus Guido volunteered to deal with this wizard. Apparently, this wizard was not a member of the Order but had the Parma Magica. This all felt familiar to me for some reason, but as before, I would follow my Primus and pay the consequences later. We gathered intelligence on the rogue magus and discovered he had power over elementals and was old. Approaching by air would be highly dangerous due to his powers over the winds that might bear us up, and so a ground assault was decided upon. We decided that Guido would charge forward to combat the magus whilst I and the grogs defeated the mundane and elemental minions he had, then I would join Guido as soon as I could.
It was at dawn the following day that we followed our guide and started the long walk through the peaks of the Ethiopian highlands. It was thus on the morning of the fourth day after we had left the covenant that we saw a peak rising above all the others around, and we could see that it looked like there was a ridge that led towards the large bowl, and there was a narrow pathway along it. So we began the climb, and it was hard going right from the off, and we had to be careful with our footing. As we climbed, the temperature fell, getting cooler with each step upwards we took, and here and there we saw patches of ice and snow. We crested a rise and saw in front of us a little levelled area that had obviously been scraped clean of vegetation. On it, we saw a small outbuilding, sitting around just in front of it, near a small fire, were four armed guards. There was a momentary pause as they looked around in our direction. Our archers, who were in front, raised their bows and loosed arrows at the men. One man took the arrow on his hide armour, but the other took the arrow in his neck and fell to the ground. Our grogs charged into melee to finish off the guards quickly before the alarm could be raised. Blows were exchanged, but the gift of Achilles protected our men from the guards' weapons and with that, it seemed a one-way battle. I crested the rise, took in the situation and cast multiple balistae of fire at the targets. Obviously, I hit all three and weakened by the arrows and blows of the grogs, they each succumbed to my fiery bolts.
Fight on the Dark Mountain
We continued up the mountain and came to the lip of the crater or plateau. Proceeding with a plan of my leading the grogs and distracting the defenders whilst Guido goes forward to engage the renegade magus, we advanced as stealthily as we could down from the lip and into the crater. In the distance, I could see a tower, probably magically summoned, as it appeared to be a single stone with some huts by its base. As we proceeded down the path, it was not long until we were spotted, and the grogs spotted half a dozen men moving in our direction, at which point I felt a very gentle vibration in the ground, and I saw ahead on the path, emerging from the ground, two stone figures. Not as large as a man, but broad and bulky, the stone grinding against it as they started to march directly up the steep slope, ignoring the path towards us. As they were still at some distance, I chose bolts of abysmal flame as my weapon of choice and cast three bolts, two at one elemental and one at the other. One flew wide, but I did hit one elemental with two bolts. The first burst of fire cracked a large chunk of rock from the elemental, searing it and slowing its progress. The second one slams immediately afterwards. The rock is badly scorched, but the damage was not quite as profound; the thing was staggered badly by the damage, rocked back, and its inexorable progress slowed for a moment. It then started almost limping forward. The other one was still moving inexorably, though, and closed the gap quite easily. One had now closed to near range, and our archers tried to stop it,t but the arrows glanced off harmlessly. Now within near range and figuring Auram was the best weapon against Terram, I used my wand, gifted to me by my Primus, to smite the closest Elemental. The lightning struck, and there was a crack, and again I saw stones splinter and disintegrate. Despite that damage, it continued to advance towards us. Bernard the grog stepped forward as a good shield grog does to intercept it and give me a chance to destroy it with magic. Bernardo brought his shield up, but the clenched, clubbing hand of this thing was quicker perhaps than Bernardo expected. The punch slammed into him. I saw him just pushed back a couple of inches in the dirt, but he did not fall or cry out in pain at all. The grogs attacked, but the weapons' effects on the stone body were negligible. Then my magics unleashed, and three ballistas of fire reached out and closed the five-yard distance between the creature and myself. I felt the shower of rock and dust against me as the thing shattered where it stood, collapsing to the ground. Our attention turned to the previously injured one, still limping up the hill. Again, the archers fired, but again their arrows bounced off as if fired at a castle wall. Using my wand again, I aimed carefully and struck it in its torso. As the lightning hit it, I heard a crack and a half of it just sheared away, and the other half toppled, and just little boulders were rolling down the slope of the hill.
Moving forward, again, we looked out for the six enemy warriors. As we made our way forward, we heard another crack of lightning from up ahead and then saw a vast explosion of fire. We made our way down and could see up ahead, ripples in the air, almost as if there was something within the air, like a visible wind moving rapidly in our direction. Forewarned by my sharp eyes, I prepared to cast multiple arcs of fiery ribbons and formed my grogs into a line to meet these wind elementals. A wave of wind smashed into your line. My parma resisted their attacks, and I blessed Bonisagus for his protection, and the men protected by the ward against wind and lightning also suffered not apart from Bernando losing his footing. Five castings of fiery ribbons lashed out, and I could see three roaring balls of fire with arcs of fiery ribbons running all over them as they dissolved in the glorious flame.
We continued down the path and were finally confronted by the six enemy grogs. Our archers hit a few, and they charged forward in, to my eye, an untrained and ill-disciplined line. One fell to arrows, and I cast four bolts of abyssal fire at the two in the lead of their charge. Both were hit by one bolt, and one instantly fell; the other staggered onward, attempting to put out the flames in his hair and clothes,but the flash of the bolt had blinded him, so he stopped. Some of the enemy grogs broke at this point and ran from the trees. Two brave fellows charged on at us, and arrows rained down on them to reward their courage. I decided to end the mad charge with five bolts of fire, two each against the men charging us and one against the fellow I blinded in the last volley. I hit with every bolt of flame, and all three dropped to the ground in an instant, exploding in fire and just collapsed to the ground. One of the running men took an incredibly shot arrow at long range and fell, leaving one enemy grog who had disappeared into the treeline. I charged forward now that all the enemies were dealt with, leaving the lone survivor to my grogs to finish off. I charged towards the sounds of the two magi fighting, hearing the crash of lightning and the roar of flames ahead of me. After running for probably about a little over a minute, I came through the trees and saw the tower before me. In front of the tower, the two magi were going at it hammer and tongs. Guido looked in bad shape, his robes were shredded, and he looked tired. It looked like claws had ripped them to shreds, but I could see no creatures that could have done it. Tamrat was a man with a slightly lighter skin than the rest of the men I had seen here, of a fair size but clearly aged, his hair closely cropped short, with a short grey beard. From a distance, I saw that perhaps one finger had been torn off by a blast of Guidos, and blood ran down his hand. It looked to me that the combat was right on a knife-edge. I was about sixty paces away and prepared to cast a powerful single bolt against my target.
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I heard Aloisious's voice in my head, “Now is your chance”, he said.
The grog, Bernando, fired an arrow at Tamrat, but at that distance it went wide, maybe pushed wide by a small air elemental. My bolt just missed and exploded harmlessly behind. Tamrat and Guido cast their powerful magics again, but it seemed that Tamrat's spell finished a moment before Guido's, and the earth underneath his feet exploded, shards flying up. I saw his parma fail, and as the shards came up, one of them struck through his back, emerging from his chest armour. The spell died on his lips as he fell back, struck with what looked like a mortal wound. Takrat turned to the new combatants and prepared his magics to strike me. Bernardo charged toward Primus Guido, obviously seeing if he could be saved. I stuck my hand in my pouch, grasping two rooks of Ignem Vis, and hoping the Tamrat's parma had been ablated, but the combat with Guido cast five bolts at him.
This time I did not miss all five bolts slammed home, the first enhanced with vis stripped him of his parma and hit with full force the other four followed in, in a cacophony of explosions, each one doing some damage to him past his magical protections, each flaying more flesh from his body and there was a moment when he looked back directly at me and then just fell forward, hitting the dirt. I rushed him and, with my grog's encouragement, beheaded the enemy magus to ensure his death and as evidence of our deed. I then rushed over to Guido to see if anything could be done, but there was a massive stone spike where his heart should have been, and I gently lifted him off the spike with Bernardo's help. Bernando was inconsolable and wailed to the sky for his loss. He recovered his wits quickly, and we gathered Guido's body up, and I took what trinkets were left on Tamrat's body. He has a staff and some Vis, which I took. I ordered the men to gather Guido’s body, and with Tamrat's head in a bag, we retreated to the original hut at the base of the mountain before darkness made travel dangerous.
Returning Home
We set a camp and set our watches for the night, and the night passed peacefully with no hint of trouble. The following morning, we started on the track back down the mountain. Our guide was still waiting below when we got there. He guided us back to the covenant, and we arrived after another three days. Both Primus Prisoulis and Quasitor Thaddeus came and sought me out, and I recounted the tale as I have truthfully recorded in this scroll. Over the course of the remainder of that day, the grogs of the covenant and his grogs built a pyre, on which his body was laid. I was given the honour of lighting the Pyre, and after a few words, I did so. The following day, the negotiations were completed, and I believe our sacrifice and efforts on the top of the mountain swayed the Primus Aborash, for we were invited to the Great Hall for a feast. There, Primus Aberash stood and said,” I am saddened by the events that have led to the death of a great Primus of the Order of Hermes, but I am glad to report that I have confirmed that the House of Aethiopicus remains a part of that order and will work closely with the order to face the threats that are to come. I say here, to the magi of this covenant, I have been given a right that has been developed by House Tremere, and I will establish a haven within our lands that all shall be invited to, to take refuge when this evil comes. And when it has passed, we shall reforge and renew our bonds with our brethren to the north, and we shall see a better future together united. At the feast, I talked with Magus Oshi and returned the item he had lent me. He said he would send me a letter and that we might discuss some spells we could exchange, and I agreed.
The following day, there was a short farewell where once again the Primus Avarash said how sorry he was for the loss, and how glad he was for the fact that the bond had been renewed. We then started our return journey. As is the tradition, I will not discuss every stage of the journey back as we passed once more the sights that I have described earlier in this scroll.
Private Journal
In Alexandria, we paused again to wait for our boat to arrive. I went to the building where I was taken before. It was easy enough to recall my route and find the door. I knocked upon it, and after a short while, I saw the man who led me into the catacombs below. He looked at me and beckoned me in. Using my tongue of the folk device, I asked if he wanted the item here or if I should give it to the masters below. He said he would take it, and so I gave him the cube I had stolen and returned to our lodgings, my mission complete for the dark one at Gloucester College.
It was not long before the Mercere ship arrived, initially travelling to Verdi, and then heading round on the long journey home before I eventually found myself pulling into the harbour of Chepstow.