With the spring came Stratus Enor, the Quaesitor formerly of Doire Druidhan. His stated purpose is to examine the charter of Vidua Vasta before it gets ratified at the Tribunal next year, but he claims that he will be staying some time, and demands rooms at the covenant. He says he has other matters to discuss with the magi, but will not be drawn immediately.
A Freeman's Revenge: A group of 12 freemen turn up at the covenant. They are a jury of presentment, here to take Lucas to the Eyre Court being held at Berwick. He comes peacefully and without fuss, even though he is not told what the charges are. When he arrives at Berwick, he is detained, waiting for the case to come up. Meanwhile, Aeddi returns to the covenant and tells the magi what has happened, fetching Father Callum who has legal skills. Eventually, the case is heard. The Royal Justices, Sir Ralf Hareng and Thomas of Heydon announce that a charge of Sorcery has been placed upon Lucas von Bec. The Justices decide that Lucas will be attached to the court (that is, held in a cell) until the case can be heard fully - the charge is serious enough to warrant this.
Eric, Father Callum and Badda went to work trying to discover more about the charges against von Bec. Assa and Abba lurked nearby in an inn, ready in case they were needed to affect a breakout. Lucas is approached by a couple of advocates, fortunately he hears the reputation of he first before giving him any money, and employs the second, a southerner by the name of Nigel. This proves to be costly - Nigel commands a fee of 25s, but Badda manages to determine that he is one of the best advocates in town. Nigel informs the characters that it is Dremic who has laid the charges of sorcery at Lucas's feet. He also knows that the jury that will be uncovering the evidence against Lucas consists of 6 men from Faverloch (including Focla Smith), who will likely as not be under Dremic's thumb. Badda also manages to locate Dremic after several nights - he's staying at the White Boar, coincidently the same pub as Assa and Abba, who have been drinking so much, they hadn't noticed! Dremic is staying with two 'nephews', and hasn't left the room since he arrived.
Eventually, after 3 weeks in prison, Lucas's case comes before the Royal Justices. The weeks of squalour have played havoc with his health, but he manages to look presentable to the eyre court. The market place is packed - this is a case of great interest - and the Bishop of Berwick asperses the court, Justices and defendent with holy water before the trial commences. Dremic arrives late to the court - he didn't get a good night's sleep (Badda and his mates were partying all night on the roof of the inn), and he's also covered in egg and mud (Badda again!) The session begins with Dremic describing his encounter with a demon summoned from the depths of Hell, who bore his own face, and who commanded him to hand over a valuable urn to Lucas von Bec. He was heckled throughout his testament (guess who?) After hearing his testimony, and the refutation from Lucas, the Justices decided. They stated that they believed that Dremic had a good reason to bring false charges against Lucas - he had lost two valuable items to him at a fraction of their worth, and had decided upon revenge. Lucas was exonerated.
While all this was going on, Badda had discovered something of interest to Eric. A peddler in town had for sale a small glass bottle, apparently empty and tightly stoppered. It caused a feeling of deep sorrow in all who touched it, and so the peddler was pleased to be able to finally get rid of it to Eric. The magus discovered it to contain 2 pawns of Mentem vis, but was unable to find out what caused the emotional effect. He left the bottle unopened, and brought it to the attention of Vidua Vasta's council.
This season began with a long meeting on raising funds for the covenant, as the Magister Lucri announces that there are not enough funds to feed the covenant next year. A number of plans are discussed. Eric announces his decision to commence a life of piracy this summer, naming a few potential targets (such as Incholm Priory in the Firth of Forth). Gaining land seemed the next option. Lucas is to speak with Beorhtric about marrying Paedella, Aethelbald's ward, who is a wealthy heiress. It is assumed that the profit will come to the covenant. Aethelbald is to begin training in mounted combat under Luc-Paul, in preparation for being a professional tourney-entrant, which can be most lucrative. He will also look for melee lists he can enter this year. The final plan involves Baron d'Umfraville. He, as yet, has no heir. Eric will find out who will inherit his estate, and look to marrying off Aethelbald. As the baron currently owns the lands once held by Aethelbald, the latter has no problems with this plan.
Meanwhile, Badda is tracking down the origin of the bottle of vis. The tinker who he go it from bought it for a merchant named Dorta in Craster. It turns out that Dorta is a fence for a thief named Aelric of Alwinton. Badda has to resort to some burglery in Belford to stump up the cash to buy this information from Dorta. Upon arriving in Alwinton, Badda discovers that Aelric has been caught poaching and is due to be hanged. Badda manages to get to visit the thief, who promises to tell him everything in return for escape. Accordingly, Badda sets fire to the castle's hay-loft, and the two make their escape over the walls while the guards are putting out the fire. Badda and Aelric return to Vidua Vasta, where Badda convinces Aethelbald to employ the thief.
Between them, Badda and Hygwald manage to find out the origin of the bottle. Aelric stole it from a drunken apprentice by the name of Everard, who claimed to have collected it on an island due east of Rothbury on St. John's Eve (Midsummer's eve). Julia identifies Everard as the apprentice of the late Somnifer. While Hygwald takes a team to Rothbury to find Everard, Eric heads for Coquet Island at Midsummer to locate the vis.
Between them, Eric, Grim and Maynard managed to severely creep out the small fishing community (centred around a chapter house) on the island. It started badly (they rowed to the island while singing "I like to drink the blood of virgins"...), and they singularly failed to impress (Grim announcing Eric as "My master, Lord of the Waves and Sovereign of the Oceans"). Despite this, they did discover evidence of Somnifer's presence in the past (disguised as a troubadour, he visited every St. John's Eve). Eric headed up the hill after dark, and heard an uneartly song of sorrow. They trailed this back to the source, a cave in the side of the hill. Halfgrim crept forwards, and locked eyes with a beautiful woman who was singing the song of sorrow, tears streaming down her cheeks. She then vanished. The bottle that Eric had previously placed in the cave did not contain any vis. and they left empty-handed.
The covenant was visited by a nobleman from Normandy by the name of Arnulf. He owns the workshops that have provided most of the specialist laboratory equipment from Berwick, and has deduced that, knowing somewhat of the Order of Hermes, that they are members. He claims to dabble in alchemy, and has a proposal for the covenant. He has discovered some information about a viking clan, the Beogarts, that raided Scotland and England many years ago. One of the places they raided was a covenant called Suil Graine, which dedicated itself to copying the major texts of the Order. Arnulf has discovered that descendents of the Beogarts, now calling themselves Beauregards, have settled in his home town of Cherbourg. He believes that they know where their ancestor's treasure hoard is, but can't reach it due to the might of the Order of Odin whch protects it. He proposes that they pool their abilities and retrieve the gold. The magi, Hygwald in particular, are suspicious of Arnulf, but after much debate on how to discover whether or not he is a magus, and whether or not he should be allowed to live, considering what he knows about the order, they agree to ally with him. Hygwald negotiates a one third / two thirds split of everything they find in the treasure, other than any books of Hermetic origin, which will all go to Vidua Vasta. They agree to set off for Cherbourg at the end of the Summer.
Deadly Legacy: Hygwald sets off for Cherbourg in the Golden Ship, taking Bjorn and his crew, Father Callum and Maynard as translator. He heads straight for St Cyr's, the home of the Beauregards, but is somewhat rudely rebuffed by a servant who has some rather uncmplementary things to say about Beauregards. Hygwald orders Bjorn to break down the door. Once inside, Bjorn takes the servant as hostage when men come to repel the invaders. Hygwald enters dialogue with the master of the house, finding him to be Charles Odcar, Master of the Merchant's and Trader's Guild. Hygwald agrees to return on the following day in a more civilised manner. However, he encounters a flock of crows on the way back to the town, who speak to him in Latin, warning him that Odcar plans to have him arrested. He does not discover why the crows want to warn him of this.
Callum visits the rather ostentatious church in Cherbourg, and discovers that the Canon there is a Beauregard. he also finds out that Canon Beauregard's pupil is Odo Beauregard, the current lord since the recent murder of his father, Jacques. Hygwald and Callum pay a visit to Odo Beauregard, who is currently residing in a cramped boarding house having been thrown out of his ancestral estates by the political machinations of Charles Odcar. Sir Odo is a learned man, but a bitter one. he places the blame firmly at the feet of a witch called Marguerite, who is in collusion with the Odcars. He claims that she is a worshipper of evil powers, evidenced by the manner in which his father was killed, with his back split open and his lungs pulled out.
On the following day, Hygwald makes a visit to Fengheld House, where he has been told that Marguerite can be found. He discovers her to be a magus of House Flambeau, then promptly accuses her of meddling with mundanes. Her honour besmirched, she challenges him to certamen. However, luck was not with her, and from the look on her face, she marshalled the magical energies of the duel with little skill. Hygwald pushed home his advantage, and rendered her unconscious. While waiting for her to revive, Hygwald manages to insult the Polish nobleman who owns the house by treating him like a servant, and is threatened with a duel of steel. Meanwhile, Bjorn has met up with some MacKars in Fengheld House, and works out that it was they who killed Jacques Beauregard. When Marguerite comes round, she fills in the rest of the details, as per the agreement of the certamen. The Odcars and the Beauregards have been feuding for many centuries. Branches of the family fight in Scotland (as MacKars and Boggarts), and the original clans still exist in Norway (as Odd-Karnors and Beogarts). Kate Boggart, family magician of the Scottish clan, has studied in Norway and therefore knows where the clan originates from - which is what Hygwald needs to know. In return for this information he agrees to sneak the MacKars out of Cherbourg and back to Glascarnoch, which is where he is heading next. The one question he never answered was what Marguerite was up to.
Hygwald leaves Cherbourg on the following day, but not before learning that the boarding house in which Odo Beauregard was staying has burnt down, with no survivors. in addition, Lord Arnulf has been arrested for witchcraft. Father Callum, concerned about the stories regarding the witch Marguerite's ability to enchant men, and linking this to the sudden change of heart in Hygwald (first he was looking for Beauregards, now he is taking up with their enemies, the Odcars), writes a letter to the local Bishop. Its just as well he didn't hear the talking crows...
Deadly Legacy: At the end of Autumn, Eric makes a trip to Glascarnoch, taking with him the longevity potion that he has brewed for Caroline MacKar, along with the four MacKar brothers whom Hygwald brought back from Cherbourg. Aethelbald accompanies him, with a group of grogs. Arriving at the MacKar stronghold, Eric hands over the longevity potion to Caroline, who immediately hands it to Dhugal, the clan chief, and orders him to drink it. She explains that Eric may not have made one for him, therefore she had to trick Eric into thinking it was for her. A war council is called, plotting the end of the Boggarts. Attacks have become more frequent recently, and the MacKars have suffered many deaths. They are now down to only 30 fighting men. The Boggarts, always a smaller clan, have no more than a dozen fighting men, but they also have the magics of Kate Boggart on their side. Aethelbald takes charge at the council, and is soon plotting the best tactics to eliminate the Boggarts. During a break in the proceedings, Aethelbald takes Dhugal aside and reveals that he knows about Dhugal's recent affair with Kate (something he divined from Dhugal's reaction to her name). Eric is visited by a group of crows, who warn him that Kate is watching them - she could be aware of all their plans.
A lot of plans were tried, and rejected. Scouts were sent out to gain warning of any Boggart attack. Caroline had a vision about some Boggart scouts, and Dhugal set off to capture them. Two of the four were killed, but the others were brought back as hostages. Aethelbald and Eric quizzed them, but learnt little (they weren't going to betray their families). However, Aethelbald did discover something interesting - one of the men was actually a woman, and was Kate Boggart's sister. He learnt from her that the family was more important than the feud, as far as the Boggarts were concerned. The other captive, Patrick, was sent back to his clan, carrying a message to Kate from Eric - he wanted to meet with her and make a deal. Meanwhile, the Mackars were mobilised for war. Eric's meeting with Kate did not go well, for he had nothing he could offer her. However, Aethelbald did. He told her that he knew about her and Dhugal, and tried to hammer out a truce based on the love that they still felt for each other. Dhugal was brought to the meeting; at which point he drew his sword and tried to kill everyone. Quick-thinking Eric realised that it was probably the sword causing this - the first time he was with the MacKars it was he who was possessed by the MacKar's ancestor - and rattled off a spontaneous spell, augmented with five pawns of Terram vis. Bluidhand was shattered, and Dhugal was released from its thrall.
The MacKars and the Boggarts returned to their homesteads. Dhugal told the MacKars about his affair with kate, and they were shocked and outraged, but agreed to support their clan-chief and try to put aside the feud. The Boggarts came to a similar decision regarding the MacKars, but it was mainly due to self-preservation in their case. The Clan chiefs met, and agreed a temporary truce. Eric got the information he wanted from Kate, from a book called The Hanged Man's Saga, about the location of the Beogart clan-home in Norway.