This report was written by Hywald's player, with supplementary information supplied in italics by the Storyguide [back to 1225 journal]
Salvete Whitburh Frithowebba, esteemed Quaesitor for the Loch Leglean Tribunal,
Wherein your faithful servant Hygwald Veritas filius Prelum of Tremere presents his report upon the recent events in the border country: the fall of Doire Druidhan, the plague in Roxburgh and the March and slaying of the magus Damon le Mont of House Jerbition...
The situation at Doire Druidhan should by now be well-known to all at Horsingas. Whilst there might be a case for elation that a temporal enemy has been humbled, I am sure everyone is in agreement that the circumstances of the covenant's defeat are tragic and momentous. The Order has lost many worthy members at the hands of the villain leMont and the lands around have been placed in peril by dire magic. This matter should be discussed in detail, with particular attention to the direct intervention of your dedicated followers, Eric Ribecus of Tytalus, Hachim El Khalej of Criamon and my own humble self.
Our notice had been first drawn to the troubles in the north when we had heard of plague troubling the lands near Berwick; it was agreed by all at Council that the folk of Horsingas would avoid this troubled region and no further action was taken. Returning from Lux Ex Tenebris, our captain Bjorn encountered a grog from Doire Druidhan who related a tale of grievous moment: plague had struck down his covenant and no magic could prevent the terrible contagion. This much, of course, is known to all; I record it again for completeness' sake alone. It was given to our concern, being somewhat apart from the politics between our two covenants, to investigate the matter and to see how we might assist.
It was clear that the lands were troubled; we found many farms deserted and many folk dead in their homes, some still upright as if at feast. In the hand of one man was discovered an Indulgence from the Bishop of Berwick. This missive attributed the plague to Satan's servant on Earth, Damon leMont, the baron's uncle, and a warlock. That his magical art was known to the Bishop was grave cause for concern, though we did not believe any member of the Order would have perpetrated such a heinous act of diabolical evil as the summoning of the spirits of plague. We were deeply saddened to learn how false this belief could have been.
~ This letter is provided as evidence of mundane and secular recognition of leMont's magical Art, and of proof implicit of Court Wizardry. Of this, more will be presented. In collection, they will be seen to provide a persuasive and condemning case against the evil leMont.
We traveled then through the marshlands where we were attacked by bandits and zealots, followers of a figure known as Plague's Annointed. Their weapons were their own diseased spittle; we would have to return to face their leader we decided, expecting a demon or somesuch. The covenant was in grave disarray; the tower had clearly been attacked and ransacked. To our distress, we discovered the body of Bricis Devontis lying in state in one of the rooms. There were no signs of plague upon his body, nor other indications of injury; we determined that his death, at least, was natural. How his death would precipitate the fall of the covenant is a matter for speculation. Investigating further, we concluded that the brothers Vann had departed the tower with all chattels and that a new magus had recently taken up residence at Bricis' request. From this magus' notes, we deduced that he was of House Guernicus, apparently invited by Bricis to investigate allegations of Court Wizardry against Damon leMont. It was later learned that this Quaesitor was one Stratus Enor, a fellow we had encountered before. He was not to be found during our mission to Doire Drudhan and his whereabouts are still unknown to us; we suspect he has gone into hiding for the duration of the plague. His notes are of more pressing moment, wherein he described the nature of the accusations against leMont. It transpires that he is the uncle of the local baron, and that he has some manner of temporal power over the Bishop of Berwick. We concluded that he had been somehow blackmailing the Bishop, hence the Bishop's enmity and the declaration of diabolic activity. Both charges would turn out to be true, though for the moment, we erred on the side on the side of our fellow member of the Order. From Bricis' Last Will and Testament, we found that the brothers Vann had been expelled from Doire Druidhan over an argument of some undisclosed nature, and that he held in high regard the recent addition to his covenant, one Damon leMont.
~ Copies of Stratus' notes and the Will of Bricis Devontis are included also as evidence of the veracity of our tale. The original notes from the Quaesitor Stratus Enor were traded with the magi of Fire's Heart for information regarding the villain leMont.
Delving further, we found that Julia Genevensis of Bonisagus and a contingent from her turb had retreated into the caverns beneath the covenant, hiding from the plague and from an erstwhile fellow covenant member, the magus Aramin, Damon leMont's former apprentice, who had attacked and nearly killed her. The group were barely surviving on the food created from the Creo vis of their font. They were pleased to be rescued but still too fearful to allow our company close in case of infection. We supplied what rations we had and promised further aid when we could. In return, she gave us healing potions for our wounded, and information about the fall of her covenant. Julia related that Bricis had died of a heart attack and the covenant was plunged into politicking over the choice of their new leader - then the Iron Plague struck and the covenant disbanded abruptly. The townsfolk had gone into a frenzy after the plague struck, that they had sent lynch mobs after others of her sodales when they had gone into the town for supplies. Somnifer and Thomas Verus were caught and burned at the stake, and Stratus Enor barely escaped alive.
The culprit at this time appeared to be leMont's apprentice, Aramin, whom we found to be masquerading in the nearby swamp as a certain Plague's Annointed, a bandit leader and priest of an invented cult of Froech, the demon fought during the early years of Doire Druidhan. Froech's parting message in his defeat against Herculus of Tytalus was that "If the town of Roxburgh should fall, Doire Druidhan's vis source would dry up and the covenant would fall". It seemed that Froech's prophecy was coming true. While Eric and myself investigated the situation in the town, Hachim went to meet with Aramin of Jerbiton. Plague's Annointed promised that he was not the source of the contagion and that he had surrounded himself with bandits for protection only, and offered Hachim several flasks of an ameliorative potion from some herb called bitter cane. It was with this herb that he held domain over the bandits. He also requested that he be reconciled with his master leMont and bequeathed to the Moor two articles of note, the first an artefact claimed from his raid upon Doire Druidhan and the second a sealed letter. We chose to open neither for the moment until more information had been uncovered. Whilst Aramin might have been truthful in his statement of innocence regarding the plague, his actions since had clearly brought him into direct contravention of the code, offering himself in worship to a demon and attempting to kill Julia Genevensis, a fellow member of the Order. We agreed to challenge him once more had been uncovered, and the true extent of his power was known.
~ The letter, once eventually opened and the extant trap survived, announced that Aramin's master was the summoner of this demonic disease and that he desired its cure, in exchange for something known as The Token of the Star, the artefact also placed in our care. This letter is further provided as yet another exhibit of Damon leMont's culpability.
[what Hygwald fails to mention here is that Eric managed to cause a lot of trouble in Roxburgh by stealing a cart, loading it up with bodies that were choking the streets, and taking them outside the walls and setting fire to them. While he thought he was doing the right thing, Brother Triemus was most upset that he was depriving the dead of their bodies, leaving them nothing to return to on Judgement Day
While Hachim stays in town, Hygwald and Eric make a night raid on Kelso Abbey, following up on a lead that the monks have a cure to the plague. There are no monks, however, just a frightened family living in the long-abandoned abbey. Hygwald and Eric leave them even more frightened. That night Hygwald discovers buboes all over his body, and realises that he has been infected with plague.
Hygwald and Eric return to Doire Druidhan. On the way they are attacked by a group of bandits, lead by one called Mazain, carrying a magical shield. Julia later tells them that Mazain is the same person that Hygwald used as a decoy on his first (more aggressive) visit to Doire Druidhan, after slaughtering his family (detailed here). They then return to town, meeting up with Hachim and persuading him to open the letter given him by Aramin. A magical trap on it opens a pit beneath their feet, which Hachim falls into, breaking his arm]
In the town, it was found that leMont did indeed have grounds for blackmail against the Bishop of Berwick; the man had bought his mitre, which is apparently a crime under Canon Law. How much the Bishop knew of leMont is unknown, though it can be inferred that the magus' nature was well-known, since he had a sanctum within the castle. We learned that the folk of the castle - whose number included the Bishop and leMont as well as the baron and his vassals - had abandoned the town and were accepting no visitors except the local vicar, Brother Triemus. Aramin's request was forwarded via Brother Triemus, though whether it was received is not known. Word had clearly reached our antagonists of our activity during this time, as a mob was sent to burn Hachim, who had been disguised as a Franciscan Friar travelling from Spain. The ringleader was killed by one of our grogs, who was able to escape and alert Eric and myself of Hachim's capture; our sodalis was taken prisoner and dragged to the castle for trial and likely burning.
[Hachim tried to protect himself from the mob by making the illusion of a face in a wall, boom out his innocence. This blatant magic does not go down well with the crowd. He follows this up with the face of the Devil on another wall, commanding them to leave the 'Friar' alone. With the Dvil turning up to save his own, the mob just got more frantic, and Hachim was in danger of being crushed alive; he therefore surrendered to them.]
Also during this time, it was discovered that a group of magi were hiding out in a nearby farmstead, waiting for formal charges against leMont, so that they could execute the Wizard's March and claim the villain's chattels. The three Flambeau magi from Fire's Heart had apparently learnt of leMont's villainy following an encounter with Stratus Enor and were awaiting proof of the Jerbiton's guilt. We agreed that we would provide their proof for whatever information they possessed. It was from them that we learnt that Damon leMont was still resident at the castle of his nephew; before this time, we had thought the magus killed also by lynch mobs in the town, alongside Somnifer and Thomas Verus. We gave into the care of the Flambeaus the eventual execution of leMont, as is their responsibility as the enforcers of the Order. The diabolist's chattels would be ample payment, we decided, although they should not require it for the just execution of their duties as members of House Flambeau.
Hachim, a prisoner of the baron, managed to gain the favour of the Bishop, who believed him innocent of the crimes of diabolism and even asked our good Criamon to assist in the ceremonies at Mass to prove his innocence. I suspect the Bishop's opinion might have been very different if he knew that Hachim is both a magus and a Moslem! Hachim's disguise was exceptional and all in the castle were convinced. He was given chambers in the keep and bonesetters tended to the arm he had broken - from the enchanted trap upon Aramin's letter, though this was certainly not explained to the physicians. Eric and myself were able to gain entrance the castle also, by posing as Brother Triemus and a guard - with all the bandits about, I was able to cover a sudden need for a guard upon the roads, something that Triemus had never required before. After our visit, and confirmation that Hachim was alive and well, I left the castle to confer with our turb, and signals were arranged for Hachim and Eric to relate the next stage of their investigations within the castle. After my departure, Damon leMont was seen to ride quickly from the castle himself, heading Roxburgh, presumably to locate the Token of the Star, as per the message Aramin had sent him, and which was thought left behind when Hachim was captured.
Taking advantage of this, Hachim, exploring the inner keep, located Damon's sanctum and found therein his library and laboratory; this comprised the entire uppermost floor of the keep and could not have been unknown to the baron and the men of his keep. A large tome and ritual equipment were laid out upon a central table, along with other texts upon contagion, decay and the possession of demonic spirits of disease. Hachim appropriated the largest text and Eric managed to smuggle it from the castle so they he and I could study it at our own leisure.
[Eric exited the covenant using the middens, even though he did get stuck in the dog-leg half way down...]
leMont accosted us on his return journey, bearing the severed head of his apprentice Aramin and promising that we would be next were we to get in his way. He had confirmed to us his guilt in this matter, so we went at once to the Flambeau magi at the farm for them to stage their attack.
[Hygwald glossing the truth again! He set a trap for le Mont, hoping to get him to fall into a pit and be slaughtered by the grogs within (aided by Eric, who'd done his 'change into a bear' act again after botching Gift of the Bear's Fortitude) Unfortunately, Damon le Mont easily saw through the illusions, and confronted them
He also hasn't mentioned that before leaving the area, they returned to Aramin's place in the marsh and took all of his belongings, including a few magical items and some books]
~ The book, taken from leMont's own sanctum, is the next exhibit in our case; this is the Liber Morbi Mortui, which contains the spell of the Iron Plague, a Perdo Corpus Ritual of the Eleventh Magnitude, as well as many other treatise upon disease and death. Aramin's head is our final piece of proof against Damon leMont, for the words of his own apprentice condemn the master and can be measured with the Art for the truth of all he says. He has agreed to testify against his murderer at the Tribunal as long as he is sent to his final rest upon the trial's completion.
~ From Fire's Heart, we have since learnt that the March was successful and that Damon leMont of Jerbiton, diabolist, mage-killer and court wizard, is dead. Sadly, however, we must report also that Curwen was killed and Daniel Tonatris is grievously injured; we are joined in prayer that Tonatris will make a swift recovery and in sorrow and gratitude for Curwen's brave sacrifice for the Order. This then is the metre and mettle of our argument against the diabolical Damon leMont. By the evidence that we have gathered, he has condemned himself and proven himself wholly deserving of the Wizard's March that instigated by the magi Eric of Tytalus, Hachim of Criamon and myself, and executed by the three Flambeau magi of Fire's Heart.
In the service of truth,
Hygwald Veritas of Horsingas, filius Goliard of House Tremere