1229, Winter

This week’s Ars Magica session was a bit more rules focused than normal, and not a lot of actual story got completed. At the end of our previous session, we had obtained some flying sheep from a farmer, and Pisciculus had headed off to perform a quest to kick off the start of her mystery initiation.

We haven’t quite figured out exactly what the quest is, and though the GM has asked me to come up with ideas, I haven’t really had much in the way of spare time to figure out the details. It involves going to Fingal’s Cave, to possibly aid the spirit of a Criamon magus unable to reach Twilight. To be honest, I’d rather that the GM came up with the details of plots rather than the players, but he’s pushing back on me to detail something.

So far, we’ve assumed that “something happened” during Autumn and that Pisciculus is back at the covenant in time for Winter. Exactly what happened though is still to be detailed.

By the time the group get back to the covenant (with their sheep in tow) during Autumn, a new book has arrived for them. It was sent by Domnhull Beg ex Bonisagus, called “Lectiones Mentis”. It is a summa on Mentum (which we had been asking around for), level 12 quality 10. It seems like quite an old book, and he isn’t in a rush for it to be sent back. He’s also not currently asking for anything in return, though I’m guessing that he may want a favour at some point. We may also have done something that he approved of back at the last Tribunal.

Otherwise, there was a lot of discussion about questing, and also some around magical research and how best to improve upon books. Maedbh offers to write a new copy of the book, as long as she gets first refusal on learning from it.

By the end of the Winter season, it is time for another set of rumours:

• Another year, another earthquake. But this time there is no need of rumour to alert you, as on the winter equinox the entire covenant shakes violently. There is some damage but this appears to have ‘mysteriously’ been fixed by the next day. Coincidentally, earthquake-induced food spills from your storehouse and larders have disappeared along with the mess. Rumours suggest that much of the south-west of Scotland has been affected.
• The fighting in the north continues. On the verge of victory against ‘the lidless’ the camp of the King’s army was assaulted at night by a ravening horde of cannibalistic madmen. Apparently these ‘cannibals’ withstood blows no man should, and were about to destroy the King’s army when Lord David Goulis of Monksend took the field against them. Songs suggest that Lord Goulis rallied the King’s men and on his mighty steed drove back the seemingly endless cannibal horde (albeit there is a bit of embellishment with the horse breathing fire, and Goulis personally dispatching hordes of enemies despite sustaining several mortal injuries). After the battle a stalemate appears to have developed between the rebels and the King’s forces who hold the area near Inverness. Mass executions have been carried out on those supporting the rebels, with stories telling of torture, disembowelment, slow hanging, crushing with rocks, burning and other methods calculated to cause horror and fear.
• Catastrophe has struck the isle of Arran. It is unclear exactly what has happened but refugees have arrived on the mainland babbling of violent earth tremors, burning villages, wild animal attacks and people disappearing in the woods and fields.
• One of your covenfolk has disappeared and no-one has heard from him in over a week. He was last seen heading into the woods bearing a bag of nuts. Apparently he was off to ‘appease the King of the squirrel-folk’.

The earthquake disturbs Maedbh, whilst she was making a copy of our new book, and almost caused her to ruin a page. She is intrigued enough to cast some spells, and notices that the magical aura of the covenant fluctuated shortly after the quake.

We weren’t the only magi to notice the quake, and following it there is some general chatter between the covenants (courtesy of our red caps). Elsa Craeg apparently had some accidents during an experiment, but is otherwise unharmed. Crun Clach covenant though is somewhat more heavily affected, and nobody has been able to get into it to find out how the inhabitants are.

Also, the terrain around the covenant had gone ‘strange’. It was shifting, and was populated by odd beasts.

Maybe we need to investigate, but next up we probably need to see what has happened to our covenant member.