1233, Winter
We’ve reached the end of 1233 in our Ars Magica campaign, and we need to finish off the end of the year. My maga, Pisciculus, takes her longevity potion a year before she will have needed to make ageing rolls. My companion, Jack did need to make a check, and gained another ageing point in his Perception. He’s in his mid forties, and his vision is apparently failing.
Amusingly, the point at which people start ageing in Ars Magica is similar to when they do in Traveller, where there is meant to be easy access to advanced medical technology. It might be interesting to compare what the average life expectancy is in both systems.
What Jack has been doing all year I still hadn’t decided, but it’s probably been continuing to build up his ‘intelligence’ network of children and scribes. Despite having plenty of ways of performing experiments and projects for arcane matters, Ars Magica has no defined way of running non-arcane projects. A system of ‘clocks’ like Blades in the Dark has might work, or a make skill checks and get over a defined difficulty like for magical experimentation could do also.
In the end we decide on getting experience points towards building up a reputation. Jack gains enough points to get the reputation of his scribe and messaging service to +1. Not high, but a good start. His wife, Rhona, also gives birth to another daughter who is named Emma.
Rumours for 1234
- Another great earth tremor has struck. The covenant shook but sustained no damage. The same cannot be said for the village of Leven, which has apparently been greatly damaged, and if tales are to believed now suffers from frequent attacks by ‘monsters’. A number of travellers have gone missing in the area lending credence to these tales. Strange lights have also been observed near the village.
- The King’s army has advanced to the strategic village of Lairg, which commands the landward routes to the far north of Scotland. The army has encountered relatively little resistance, but stories say that when they arrived in Lairg it was to a scene of utter devastation. The town had been partially flattened, burned and buried. Some buildings were entirely, or partially… missing. The morale of the army is high and the men have come to idolise their commander Lord Goulis, despite persistent rumours of his atrocities against the general highland population.
- A series of mysterious fires plague the Hawick area. Several woods, copses of trees and buildings have burst into flame causing significant damage. Local rumours suggest that the wee folk are angry and that a propitiatory offering is required. Apparently there is a local legend of a magical cup which when filled with water and presented to an ancient statue will bring good luck.
- Father Aodhan reports that his astrological calculations suggest that the caves beneath the covenant will likely be closed, or at least very dangerous to pass though, this year. This is apparently something to do with a disturbance of the boundary between this world and the next, or something like that.
Pisciculus ex Criamon – Spring, 1234
Leven isn’t that far from Kirkcaldy, which is where the “angels” were said to be headed. We should probably send some people there to investigate. I’m not sure that I’m best suited to such a task though. It’s probably better for someone like Jack.
Plus, I have a new book to read.
Jack – Spring, 1234
Allistor, Maedbh and myself head eastward toward Leven. We take the grogs Knox and Callen with us. We head up towards Stirling, then across to Leven. We walk, with horses carrying most of our gear.
When we get to Leven, it is in a pretty poor state. Several buildings have suffered wall and roof collapse, though repair work has started. Some of the boats in the harbour show sign of damage. There are a few hundred people here. They look suspicious of us, and for once that’s nothing to do with the Gift that Allistor has.
Maedbh tries to determine if magic was used here, and tells us that there is ‘Fey’ magic around the village, except for the church which she refuses to go in. Sometimes I think she’s afraid of bursting into flame if she sets foot in a church, or talks to a priest other than Aodhan.
The inn is still standing, and we try to arrange an inn for the night. After Maedbh gives a generous donation “for the upkeep of the village”, we are told that it is not safe to be out at night. Apparently there are strange and dangerous beasts about. The innkeeper said that travellers talk of something with the head of a big fox and big ears, and a scaly body. There were other things with long tentacles. There was also a big walking flower, which caused people to fall asleep if they got close.
He describes lots of things, and says that no-one who has seen them has lived. Which raises the question of how he can be describing them. He seems to be getting rather more poetic in his descriptions. He also describes what we think are elephants and lions. I haven’t seen any myself, but I’ve stories by those who have seen them down near the Holy Land.
Quite a few people have gone missing, both villagers and travellers. Others have reported a glowing deer, which they think is something to do with the wee folk.
After much talking though, we get a good quality room for ourselves, and try to think of a way of sneaking Allistor in without upsetting everyone. We can probably just hustle him up the stairs whilst the inn keeper is working in the kitchen.
We get some grub, which is really good stew and high quality bread.
Later that afternoon, Allistor goes for a wander around the village. He comes back later to tell us that he has found a fallen standing stone. It had ogham script on it, plus carvings of various animals – including elephants. We go out to the edge of the village and take a look at the stone. Maedbh says that it says “EDDARRNN”, which apparently is a name.
Allistor also found a place which looked like a very large animal and lain down. Something significantly larger than a horse. There are also some very large footprints, of some four legged creature. Maybe evidence of an Elephant?
