The Gate of Alath: Realising that having numerous unexplored Gates in close proximity to the covenant is not a wise course of action, Hygwald sets out to explore the Gate of Alath. He passes through, accompanied by Grim, Halfgrim, Simon and Aaron. He finds himself in a darkened pit, with a large, unidentified animal which is snoring loudly. Deciding it would be best not to awken the beast, he steps back through the gate and finds himself - not at Manor Head - but in a volcanic landscape patched with snow. Further excursions through the gate take him to a mountain ledge, a tiny island, a flower meadow, and other locations which start to feel familiar - he is in the regio of Cad Gadu. Finally, Hygwald passes through a gate and arrives at the covenant itself.
Upon being alerted to his presence, the magi of Cad Gadu give Hygwald an excessively elaborate greeting ritual under the auspices of Gwrhyr, a magus who seems to have risen to prominence in the covenant. Speaking with Findabhair later, Hygwald discovers that Gwrhyr is preparing for Immanola's inevitable decline into Twilight and seeks to become primus, despite the fact she has already chosen an heir. Euan Bonisagi has recently joined House Ex Miscellanea, and is the chosen of the current prima. However, he returned to his sanctum on Lundy Island to retrieve some valuable items, and has not returned. Findabhair asks Hygwald if he will travel to Lundy and check up on Euan.
On Lundy, the cave-sanctum contains a funereal bier bearing the body of Euan, however, this crumbles to dust and dry twigs when it is touched. Hygwald also finds a book about faerie regio, and the remnants of a ritual to enter one, which seems to consist of burning an enchanted wicker man. A fresh, unburnt effigy is in the sanctum, and Hygwald decided to burn it and enter the regio. This proved to be a bone-dry land inhabited by snakes and lizards. A massive stone column in the middle of the landscape held some sort of faerie prince at the top, conversation with whom revealed that he had been 'paid' to keep a human captive here - and Hygwald assumed that this was Euan. The languid prince was persuaded that for a higher price, he would tell Hygwald where he was keeping his captive. The price agreed was the retrieval of a golden ball which had fallen down the hollow central core of the column. The grogs lowered Aaron down into the pit, and he found water at the bottom. Beneath the water was a passage way leading into another chamber. As soon as his head breached the water, Aaron was attacked by a creature which possessed the worse qualities of a bear and a shark. The battle was long and bloody, and Aaron lost his shield-arm to the serrated teeth of this terrible beast. Nevertheless, he was eventually victorious. Worried about the time it was taking him, Halfgrim entered the pit and rescued Aaron, applying a temprory wound-dressing to his severed limb and helping him escape the chamber - with the golden ball.
To fulfil his part of the agreement, the prince lent them the ball. Placed on the ground, it started to roll, and they followed it. As they proceeded, the air chilled more and more, until they eventually entered lava flats, with pools of boiling mud and pathes of snow. Sure enough, there was Euan, trapped on a rock by several huge serpents. Nearby was a trilithion gateway that looked very familiar; and, upon rescuing Euan and entering the gate, they arrived back in Cad Gadu's regio. Gwrhyr didn't appear too happy at Euan's return, but Hygwald, as a guest of Findabhair, remained at the covenant for the rest of the season and studied in their library.
The Fires of Beltane: Oswin convinces Lucas to allow him and Flatus to visit Paddesham for the May Day celebration. They take Francis and Fariq with them. On May Eve, the unmarried members of the village retreat to the woodland for drinking, dancing and more early pursuits. Oswin manages to attract the attention of Johanna Marianne, a childhood crush of his, and they spend the evening together. The other three bachelors have less luck, as there are more men than women present. However, the arrival of six lovely ladies sparks competition between the ten unpaired men, and each of the ladies proposes a trial. First comes a hunt to find a bird's egg, next is a balancing test across the river. Fariq impresses all with an acrobatic display, finding company for the evening. Flatus and Francis are left trying to make a bower, then a song, but Flatus excels at the task to make a token with a fantastic garland made of spring flowers, and wins a maiden's affection. The last trial is a wrestling match, totally unsuited to the scholarly Francis, and he returns to the village alone and bruised.
The next day brought the May Day feast. Father Abelard, Paddesham's priest, took Francis to one side to discuss placing the village under the protection of Manor Head, now that Br. Robert had been made abbot of St. Marcellus's. Francis promised to bring this matter to the attention of his masters. The feast was interrupted by a strange event; Bernard the Miller, upon finding the bean which declared him the May Fool, was turned into a goat, and ran off into the forest. Oswin tried to follow him, but realised that he was being pursued by wolves, and decided not to continue.
On the second of May, a delegation from Paddesham left for the Chillingham Fair. What then ensued is perhaps best described by Francis, as he explained it to Lord Aethelbald some days later:
"Although it pains me to report, a matter has come up which demands your urgent attention. Forgive my presumption, but it is necessary for me to lay out the facts (as far as they may be determined), deeds, and consequences of those deeds of yesterday eve. Your Sergeant Flatus, one of his men Oswin, your Moorish servant Fariq and myself all had occasion to visit the Chillingham May Fair. I cannot personally attest to the events which ensued, as I was not present at the time, but several witnesses report that the Moor used his sorcerous powers to set fire to a temporary housing for horses; the flames then improbably spread to several stalls at the fire, which were an impossible distance from the original fire. "When challenged by the authorities at the fair, the blackamoor tried to flee; not stinting at the fact that he was surrounded by both people and flames. Witnesses report him leaping fearlessly into the raging inferno behind him and laughing like the very devil as the flames embraced him like the softest down.
"However, Fariq was cornered by the crowds. He yelled for assistance, and Flatus and Oswin (hitherto trying to extinguish the flames) leapt to his defence, wounding two guardsmen before submitting to arrest. Naturally, I enquired as to whose authority the three men were being held under, and proceeded to speak with him, Sir Thomas Heton of Chillingham, a vassal of the Baron de Ros. Unfortunately it had been noted that Flatus was wearing your armorial bearings, and this fact had not escaped the sharp eyes of the town's bailiff, and I was forced to admit that they were your employees. Flatus and Oswin were being held on a charge of wounding, a crime punishable by flogging. As they were both sorely wounded in the fight against the guardsmen, the punishment was to be deferred until their wounds had healed. In a gesture of compassion and respect towards your good self, Sir Thomas released the men into my custody (as a representative of Faverloch and Fast), so that their wounds could heal in an atmosphere more wholesome than the miasma of a town gaol; nevertheless they must return to Chillingham within two months to receive their punishment.
"The charges against Fariq were more severe; arson is punishable by hanging, regardless of the involvement of sorcery. Once more, Sir Thomas was inclined towards magnaminity; as a bondsman, Fariq is legally your chattel rather than your sworn man, and his death would not serve justice, nor restore the businesses of those who had suffered under the flames; praise God that no man was killed by the fire! Consequently, Fariq was also remanded into my custody for the duration of the negotiations with you regarding the payment of compensation to the people of Chillingham. As he too has sufferend from both serious burns and from the blows of the guardsmen (both preceding and following his arrest), it will be a long time before he is capable of acting as a physician. As an aside, I believe the charge of sorcery to be born out of prejudice; in the time I have known Fariq I have never known him to employ magic other than the natural magic of his marvellous medicines. I have made a brief assessment of the damage caused in the fire, and believe that compensation will amount to about five pounds of silver; a large sum I admit, but the fire was great and the damage extensive.
"I hope I have done right in my negotiations on your behalf with the knight of Chillingham. What remains unresolved is the disposition of the men currently under my custody, and the burden of payment. Are you content for them to reside at Manor Head for the duration of their custody? Do you wish to level any further punishment upon them for the way in which they acted? And from which estate do you wish the financial renumeration to be paid from? May I humbly remind you that the Fast estate is much more profitable than the meagre pickings available at Faverloch. I await your pleasure."
And Aethbald's Reply:
Your news cannot be said to be anything but grave indeed. I thank you for you efforts. You have acted Wisely and sensitively in this matter. It is high time that the 'Fools of Faverloch' be held responsible for their actions and Sir Thomas was well within his rights to Arrest these men thusly. This Moor has long troubled me and it seems that Age has addled what little brain Flatus had. Oswin is nought but a lad with all the will of a blade of Grass. So it is hard to believe that what they did, they did without Guidance from others. There is no mention in your report of Drunkeness so I can only assume they were acting on Instruction. Herewith are my instructions:
Point the First) Bring Flatus and Oswin to Fast forthwith. Here I shall keep them for two months before getting Beotric to escort them to Chillingham for their Punishment of flogging. In the meantime I shall deal with them accordingly. After their Punishment send them to High Farm where they shall be put to Work as Beotric sees fit for the rest of the year.
Point the Second) I know little of this Blackamoor and would readily believe that he is prey to unwholesome fits of Madness. Why does not that other Moor, that strange one who stares at seagulls, 'inquire' into this Fariq's state of Health? If that does not suit then bring him too to Fast where I shall 'inquire' into his health in my own way.
Point the Third) The amount of silver you mention is a vast Sum indeed! One that we can little spare from our Coffers at present. Young Aelfhelm needs a new Pony this year and we are having the library window enlarged as well. It was fully my intention therefore to allow the Burden of payment to fall fully on the erstwhile occupants of Manor Head. However, The Lady Cecily is of a more Forgiving nature than myself and has talked me out of this course of action. She is a most Gracious soul indeed, she barely mentions the lack of gifts upon the birth of our dear Children. Nor does she begrudge the fact that they are living at Manor Head rent-free! No, she Informed me that she pays not the slightest heed to such matters. Nonetheless she has persuaded me to be Generous so here is the action to be taken.
I shall forthwith pay the sum owed to those whose chattels have been Destroyed, townsfolk and guards who suffered injuries and costs to Sir Thomas. It is a sign of my Wife's Christian nature that those at Manor Head need not meet these costs. Furthermore, considering the amount of Time that they have been living rent-free at Manor Head I am sure they shall agree that a yearly rent of 1 pound in Silver is most generous. This rent shall be collected at Hallowmass this year and shall be collected for the ...oh shall we say...next 5 years...after which time we shall reconsider the situation. Finally, once I have spoken to these three Miscreants I shall call upon Sir Thomas to offer an explanation. If neither he nor I are Satisfied then we shall investigate this matter further. I shall also write to Father Callum to enquire as to what he knows of this matter and why his flock is straying. If he does not seem satisfied then it may be wise to ask those at the new monastery to take more of an interest in the Spiritual awareness of Manor Heads' inhabitants. I trust you will follow my Instructions to the letter and give you full authority to act as my agent in this matter. If any obstacles stop you from doing so, inform me forthwith and I shall Remove them. I will expect Flatus & Oswin to be escorted here immediately and Fariq once he has been Questioned as mentioned above and is fit to travel.
Lucas receives official notification that Thibalt Tytali has published a Case of Deprivation against him. The Case claims that, by making false accusations that Thibalt had imperiled the Order by stealing the Rosewood Crown from the dragon Goch, Lucas had prevented the Tytalus from gaining membership in several covenants, and thus he was deprived of his magical power.
A Wolf's Moon: Lucas goes down to Paddesham to announce the decision of the covenant to take the village under its protection. Whilst there, he meets with Robert the Forester, who is one of the few who is currently entitled to harvest wood and small game from the forest (which belongs to St Marcellus's Priory). Robert, famed as a hunter of wolves in the local villages, has a problem. The wolves of Paddesham have never attacked the villagers, nor vice versa - at least, until recently. Bernard the Miller was killed in May, and there have been several other deaths; the most recent being Robert's own daughter: the wolf crept into the house at night and stole her away. Naturally, Robert has a few personal issues with this wolf, but has been unable to find it. He asks if Lucas, with his 'unusual knowledge', might be inclined to help. Upon agreeing, Lucas and the grogs (Grim and Halfgrim) are feted by Robert and his family, during which time Halfgrim is given a bottle of oil of monkshood by Alice, Robert's daughter. They set out next morning.
Robert takes them to a barrow, which seems a likely location for the lair of the wolf. It is empty, but Lucas notices that the decoration within has Hermetic overtones, and finds a single crimson rose within. They spend the night here, and Halfgrim notices that Robert is absent for much of the night. The next day they penetrate deeper into the forest, and encounter a Destroying Angel, a potentially deadly faerie herb. On the second night, the camp is found by a large animal, who prowls around the edges but does not make itself seen. It is seemingly called away by a bird-like whistle.
On the third day the caterva finally encounter the wolf; which attacks them from ambush. Again, the bird-like whistle is heard. The twins make short work of the immense creature, and examining the incapacitated creature, notice it has one forepaw missing. Preparing to drag it back to Paddesham, it turns into an uninjured but naked man; who Lucas identifies as Felix Tain of Fire's Heart. He escapes without conversation using Leap of Homecoming. To add to the whole mystery, as Lucas returns to Paddesham, he spots Domongart, also of Fire's Heart, limping through the forest. Naturally, the curmudgeonly old magus refuses to explain his presence in Berwickshire, and the two part company.
Upon returning to Vidua Vasta, Lucas publishes a Case of Imperilment against Felix Tain.
Declaration of War: Mazain, Richard and Bledri turn up at Vidua Vasta to enact a ceremony - they are dressed as fetiales and are here to issue a declaration of Wizard's War between Domongart and Lucas. He has a month to prepare, and then the war will last a month. Richard also secretly warns Lucas that Domongart has an arcane connection to him, and palms him an arcane connection to Domongart, just to even things up.
Lucas prepares for battle, suspecting that he cannot win (or rather, suspecting that whoever gets the first strike will win). He prepares stone similacra of Domongart to use as sympathetic connections, and receives advice from Horsingas, who have combatted Domongart before. He is counselled by Hygwald to run and hide, and then publically shame Domongart for declaring a Wizard's War on someone who is clearly less powerful; and shaming Felix for hiding beneath his master's coattails. Neither of these things are in Lucas's character, and he decides to make a stand. He occupies Beacon Isle with two grogs, having asked Hygwald to care for Drusilla. He also pays for his sodalis to erect an Aegis on the island; unfortunately, Hygwald botches this spell and enters Twilight (only for a couple of minutes, and he is able to control the effects). However, this inverts the protection, surpressing all magic cast on the island, a 'glitch' that is very nearly Lucas's downfall.
The assault begins with Wreathes of Foul Smoke, although no caster was evident. Lucas rose above the smoke, only to be pelted with multiple Pila of Fire. He dropped to the ground, realising that his magic was impeded on the island, so rowed for the mainland. A firestorm appeared in the boat, so quick-thinking Halfgrim capsized the boat, extinguishing the fire but nearly drowning his master (who can't swim). The threesome just made it to the beach on Manor Head before the aggressor himself showed up, using a Seven League Stride. He offered Lucas a get-out: he would call off the War if Lucas withdrew the charges against Felix. Lucas was somewhat insulting, but refused to do so. Another volley of Pila nearly killed Lucas, and Domongart gave him another chance to recant. Lucas persisted in asking questions rather than agreeing to give in, and got one answer (basically indicating that Felix was a lycanthrope rather than a shapechanger), before agreeing to withdraw the case of imperilment. Domongart then left the way he arrived. Lucas was sorely hurt by the spells, and will be unable to study effectively for this season or the next; but he arraigned himself with satisfaction in the conflict, neither running nor caving in too quickly.
Banning of Coquet Island: On the way back from Coquet Island, Hygwald hears that a priest (who lives up the "Holy Mountain", one of the hills in the Cheviots) is planning to bann the island, because he has heard of all sorts of unholy goings on over there. Naturally, Hygwald is not happy about this news, and resolves to have a 'word' with the priest (much like he had a 'word' with the last priest who interfered with his activities on Coquet Island!) However, upon climbing the island (against the advise of the villagers, who say it is haunted by a monstrous Barghuest), he fails to find the priest. On his way back down the hill, the barghuest (a huge dog-like monster) attacks, and Hygwald is grievously wounded. While the grogs manage to fight it off, Hygwald is in a bad way; he is bleeding heavily and the grogs have no knowledge of chirurgy. Consequently, the magus is at death's door by the time they get him to the relative safety of a barn, and he much worse off by the time Halfgrim has dashed up to fetch Fariq. Fortunately, the master physician arrives aon the nick of time, and although Hygwald is fading fast, manages to bring him back from the shadow of death.
Lucas resolves to make some healing bandages at the first opportunity.