The 'moat' was completed, creating a 100' gap between the covenant and the mainland. Within a day, Treacher's Marsh had also been flooded by the incoming sea, creating a substantial gap to the south. Work is now starting to neaten up the area.
Paedella is pregnant, and the cat that she was given by Eric has recovered from its ailment.
The Scist Fish contribution has dropped dramatically. Faverloch's fishermen have had very poor catches recently, and many of the fish have been brought in dead. In practical terms, this increases the deficit of food for Vidua Vasta by 50s (to 210s), and means that about a tenth of the village will have to move away or face starvation. Lucas, Eric and Hygwald spent a lot of time catching fish to try and discover what was going on. Eric summoned some water spirits, who told him that the water around Manor Head was polluted, and had been for the last "score and ten full cycles of the tides". This time corresponds with three events: Hygwald's summoning of the demon, Lucas's acquisition of Automatic Magic and the arrival of Azenis. Another spirit was asked for the source of the pollution, and it pointed both at Manor Head and at the ruins of the gatehouse. Plans, plots and paranoia rule supreme. Currently the plan is to investigate the aura as a season of work, much as one would investigate an enchantment. The council is hoping that Hachim will allow himself to be volunteered for this, as they believe him to be the most adept at Intellego Vim.
Eric has got himself a seagull (well, a skua actually) that he wants to make into a familiar. The egg has now hatched, and the cries of the hungry chick are driving everybody in the covenant spare...
Hachim has been persuaded to spend this season performing a magical investigation on the covenant's aura, to see if there really is an aura of decay.
The Missing Grog: Ogmund Red-Shirt, one of the Danish sailors, wakes to find himself in gaol with no memory of how he got there. He gets a message to Aelfhere, who informs the covenant. Lucas discovers that Azenis sent Ogmund on a mission to obtain some exotic components for a spell. Meanwhile, Aelfhere discovers that Ogmund entered Berwick's cathedral during Mass, whilst wearing no clothes, and proclaimed himelf Christ. He made lewd comments to the wife of Baron de Ros, and assaulted Bishop Guillet. He is therefore pending transferral to the ecclesiastical court for heresy, and as he commited his crime before the Bishop (and is thus a 'notorious' heretic), is likely to be crucified. Father Calum makes the journey to Berwick while the magi plan. They have no great desire to aid Ogmund specifically, but are worried about what he might confess to the bishop. Hygwald and Lucas therefore descend upon Berwick gaol masquerading as the bishop's soldiers come to collect the prisoner. Ogmund is already outside, having found the door to his prison mysteriously open. At the precise same time, Father Calum is within the gaol taking Ogmund's confession and promising him all the aid he can offer. Unfortunatley, Calum's efforts are insufficient, and he watches Ogmund being crucified, before claiming the body and taking it back to Faverloch. When they hear of this, the Magi are naturally confused - they rescued ogmund some days beforehand. However, he has not been seen recently by his bunk-mates...Eric and Lucas go down to Faverloch to inspect the corpse (and practice some necromancy) before it is buried, but for the third time this week, Ogmund has vanished again. This time he does not resurface.
Towards the end of the season, Scrobba notices that the vulture familiar of Azenis has been making daily trips from the covenant. Hygwald decides to follow him, and witnesses a meeting a few miles from the covenant between the familiar and a scruffy man on a horse. After speaking, the man heads north-west while the vulture returns to home. Hygwald follows the man, noticing that he seems unconcerned about his surroundings. Eventually it is clear he is heading for Lux ex Tenebris (but not before stopping to buy a goat). In the ruins of Lux ex Tenebris, Hygald witnesses the man perform a rite involving the goat's blood and a trencher of milk to summon the ghosts of the covenant. In Azenis's voice he commands the ghost of Benvolius to appear, and converses with him at length about magic Theory. When done, Benvolius's ghost is destroyed, and the controlling presence of Azenis leaves the man. Hygwald then rifles through the ruins. He discoveres the ghos of Triandin, one of the former members, who harbours a grudge for Azenis, blaming his single-mindedness for the destruction of Lux ex Tenebris. Triandin shows Hygwald Benvolius's former laboratory, and tells him of the covenant's vis sources. He also tells Hygwald about Azenis's recent travels to other covenants.
Lucas decides to follow up on the leads that Hygwald discovered last season, concerned about the research that Azenis is performing, and suspecting that he is responsible for the aura of deay which Hachim has discovered. He heads first for Blackthorn (as he needs to repay a vis obligation to his master anyway), and discovers from the anally-retentive librarian which books Azenis studied from. He seemed to be researching the interaction between supernatural auras (which was Benvolius's speciality) and also longevity. Lucas decided to study from the same books that Azenis had used to try to understand his research (after all, he had paid for a whole season's work). While at Blackthorn, Lucas met the quaesitor Severine, who immediately suspected that Lucas was doing research for Azenis, whom she clearly hates. After convincing her of his innocence, Lucas explains his true mission, and Severine invites herself to Vidua Vasta to conduct an investigation of Azenis.
At Midsummer, Hygwald goes to Coquet Island to collect the vis from the mysterious singing lady. Because of Halfgrim's obsession with her, he is not sure that he has collected enough vis. Infuriated with the grog he casts a spell to find out if he's made a mistake - and botches. Suddenly, where there was once a cave is now a cottage. behind the cottage are two graves, and Hygwald sees, kneeling before them, the beautiful maiden. Falling deeply into her marvellous eyes, he promises to do everything in his power to ease her grief over the loss of her sons.
Hachim reports back last season's research. The ageing effect that the covenant is experiencing is natural, but the speed at which it is occurring is not. This accelerated ageing effect seems to be enemating from the Manor House.
After three months at Blackthorn, Lucas moves on to Schola Pythagoranis in the city of Cambridge. Here he gets a warning from the quaesitor Fredigisa about Severine and her motives, and help in finding the text which Azenis studied. He was interested in the story of Sir Erald, a 9th Century knight who claimed to have found the location of the Holy Shroud, and mounted an expedition to the Holy land to reclaim it. He never made it as far as Dover. Upon returning to Vidua vasta, Lucas found out why from Hygwald - the latter had seen the corpse of Sir Erald in amongst the treasure of Wiht, the Dragon of Wight.
In the remaining month of this season, Lucas makes a short trip to the Covenant of Arbroath, to meet with Solomon Verditii, reputedly an expert on Holy Relics, as it seems clear that Azenis is interested in the Holy Shroud.
At the beginning of Winter, Severine arrives, accompanied by her hen-pecked filius Stratus Enor, and a rather ravashing hoplite by the name of Igraine. She immidiately demands to speak with Azenis, and posts guards to prevent anyone from overhearing their conversation. Nevertheless, Eric is able to hear them trade insults with each other. On the following day Severine interviews each of the covenant's magi. On the third day she speaks with covenfolk and inspects the grounds, casting spells as she does so. By the morning of the fourth day, the magi are wondering what she will do next. Nothing, it seems, as she was killed during the night. There are unmistakable signs of magic around her withered corpse, and Stratus Enor is devastated. Azenis asks to speak to the council of Vidua Vasta, and delivers the following speech: I am the Greatest Magus alive. In my long life I have faced many enemies and many challenges. I have now overcome every challenge, every rivalry, andall those who have opposed me are dead. I am supreme. If I so choose, I could kill all of you right now. Severine sought to harm me. She had no idea of my power. She was stupid and pathetic, and like all failures, she deserved her death, Her petty investigation is now over, and you, Stratus Enor, have no reason to remain at this covenant. As he left, he issued a warning to Hygwald.
Stung by Azenis's derision, Stratus Enor leaves. The magi have a huge debate on what to do with Severine's corpse; much to Hachim's disgust, they decide to bury it on Manor Head. Much to Hygwald's disgust, they decide not to rape it of vis first.
They then enter discussions on what to do with Azenis. Clearly he has committed a High Crime in the murder of Severine, and it is their duty to do something about him. They can expect little assistance from Stratus Enor in the near future. Working on the hypothesis that the Holy Shroud which Azenis wears will lose its power between Good Friday and Easter Day (a theory forwarded by Solomon of Arbroath), the council decide to stage their attack then.