With violent storms lashing the coast all winter, Eric goes mob-handed to Inner Farne on St Cuthbert's day to collect the yearly vis thrown up onto the beach. He is surprised to find another boat drawn up onto the beach; and consequentially is less surprised to find no vis on the shore. Moving up to the grassy top of the island, the caterva is mobbed by the many thousands of sea birds that dwell there. They come across the catatonic body of a soldier, and soon find out why he is in this state. The birds attack, not only physically (seriously wounding Abba the cook), but their screeching has a mind-numbing effect. Within minutes, the caterva is confused and can't remember which way they need to go. Fortunately, Eric, after feeling spells brush against his parma, is apparently unaffected, and leads the group to safety back down to the shore. There they discover the soldier is on of Doire Druidhan's grogs. Eric, apparently immune from the screaming of the birds, heads back up to the top, and finds Julia of Doire Druidhan trapped inside a Circular Ward against Demons with 2 other grogs. She begs him to help her off the island. He agrees to do so, as long as she returns his vis. Using shields as wards against the birds' attacks, Eric leads his men - tied together - over to the trapped maga, and leads them off the island.
On the way back, Aethelbald spots a red light on the top of Dod Law, and he and Eric go to investigate. They find an abandoned village, and while exploring ouside it, Eric is hit by a swiftly-moving ghostly flame, and starts suffering with a mild fever. Returning to the village, they find something in the centre that was not there before - five bronze braziers marking out the corners of a pentagram marked in a rusty brown. Within was an old man, who claimed to be Flavius of Tytalus, bound here by his master Herculus soon after apprenticeship. He called his master a diabolist, who had trapped and fought the Díedne of Doire Druidhan, then becoming corrupted by the spirit they worshipped. Eric used an Intellego Vim spell to determine that he was indeed a Hermetic Magus, very strong in the Perdo Art. He broke the pentagram, setting him free. Flavius picked up the skull that had been his only company for the long years he had been imprisoned, and went off to pay a visit on Doire Druidhan, who he said owed him much.
Hear that War has been declared on France. Jehan asks Hachim to help him in the laboratory to invent a spell, that will curse a man to face the ghosts of the men he has slain. They agree on a price of 2 pawns of Mentem vis and 2 seasons of copying from Horsingas's library. The work takes two seasons, and Hachim is asked to make astrological calculations. He notices some distinctly non-Hermetic elements to the spell, which makes an 11th magnitude spell only 8th magnitude.
Edwin decides to pay a visit on Lord David de Soulis. He explains the importance of the Seneschal of Scotland, and his hostile relations with Horsingas.Edwin wants to find out what he is up to, and to gain an arcane connection to him. Hygwald and Eric, along with Aaron, accompany him, posing as his servants. They arrive at Monksend Castle at dusk, posing as a knight who has lost his way. They are admitted, and while Edwin is taken in by de Soulis, the others are taken down to the kitchen. The first thing that strikes them is the lack of servants - no-one to impede their investigations. Aaron and Eric head down to the cellar, where they find cells, one of which is occupied by a young girl with no tongue. Hygwald heads upwards, finding the lord's chambers, and finally, on the roof, his workshop. It is set up somewhat like a Hermetic laboratory, with an astrolabe in pride of place in the middle. He finds vis in a chest, and under a wobbly flagstone, a case containing a star sapphire in a silver mount. Just as he swipes this, he spots a movement - a black cat with a red flash on its head. He tries to kill it, figuring that a familiar would be an arcane connection, but it jumps at him, increasing greatly in size. With a massive paw it swipes at him, severely maiming his left arm, leaving it useless. He beats a retreat, improvising a Bind Wound to stop him bleeding out. Eric and Hygwald return to clear up the blood, but the beast has vanished. Still, they have an arcane connection (the jewel is enchanted), so they leave the next morning.
Hygwald's arm is healed by Jehan, at the cost of an unspecified favour. He will always have the deep scars, however.
Sins of Wrath: Edwin tells Eric about some problems that a local baron is having. A dragon is reportedly ravaging his lands, and he has offered a reward for its head. More importantly, the baron is aware of the existance (but not the extent) of the Order of Hermes, and might make a valuable ally. Eric and Aethelbald, along with a handful of grogs head off for Elsdon Castle. Eric only realises his mistake in bringing Aethelbald too late - not only is Richard d'Umfraville a Norman, but his barony of Redesdale encompasses the lands once owned by the Saxon thegn. It is quickly determined that the Umfravilles were not responsible for the demise of Aethelbald's family, but he still spends the night quizzing the captain of the garrison as to the military might of the baron. D'Umfraville seems an affable young man, and Eric sets out the next morning, investigating the damage done by the dragon. He finds claw marks and signs of burning, but also a set of human footprints. These lead them to a young maga of House Flambeau by the name of Maequilla. She demands that Eric departs and leaves this matter to her, but refuses to explain why. Her and Eric fight certámen, which the Flambeau loses, and she is bound to help Eric find and fight the dragon. After following some tracks and finding some truely appalling smelling faeces, the caterva comes face to face with a monster which attacks them, wounding Aethelbald. Maequilla, instead of assisting, casts Flash of the Scarlet Flames on Eric then interposes herself between the monster and Aethelbald's sword. It turns out that this creature, actually a herbivore called a bonnacon, is Maequilla's familiar. When it became pregnant, the familial bond between the two was broken, and it ran away, confused. She has been tracking it for many months. Unfortunately, the strain of the fight has caused the onset of labour. Using an Intellego Animal to try to help, Eric botches and becomes psychically linked to the bonnacon, feeling its labour pains as acutely as Maequilla herself. He manages to co-ordinate the grogs to assist the birth, and with Creo Animal helps the calf breathe. In the aftermath of the birth, the true culprit for all the killings in the area enters the clearing - a long-legged, spotted beast with abeautiful coat and bewitching voice. It manages to converse with the caterva long enough to persuade some of the grogs to put down their weapons, and gets close enough to Eric for an attack. Fortuantely, Sean is ready with his bow, and manages to put an arrow straight through the creature's eye. Maequilla finishes it with a powerful Ignem spell. As the slayer of the diabolic beast, she claims the tongue (and thus the vis) of the leopard (for that is what it was), something which Eric takes exception to. They argue, but Maequilla has the tongue, and there is little Eric can do to stop her, without breaking the Code. He decides to leave it to the Tribunal. He takes the head of the leopard back to the baron.
Returning to Horsingas, he discovers that both he and Aethelbald, both wounded in the fight with the leopard, have poisoned wounds. Once again, Jehan has the appropriate spell, but they do not have sufficient vis. Jehan tells Eric of an 'emergency' store of vis, that he must never visit again, in the crypts beneath the new cathedral in Durham. He sneaks in there at night, and uses Intellego Vim spells to find the vis, which is found in the long bones of the priests interred in the crypt. After gathering five pawns he boches the spell, while searching the crypt containing the bodies of former bishops. He sees before him the ghosts of the vengeful bishops rise from their sepulchures and close in on him. He runs as fast as he can, and manages to avoid them, only stopping running upon reaching Horsingas. At the cost of a favour, Jehan removes the poison from both Eric and Aethelbald.
Bjorn is dispatched to Lux ex Tenebris with an offer to rebuild their turb. Ælfhere is sent off to Norham to set up a business and to keep an eye on the inhabitants of the castle, particularly the d'Alsantes. Ælfhere is not overly happy about this, feeling that he has been sent away for some reason.