Tribunal meeting: Vidua Vasta arrives at Loch Leglean ready for a busy tribunal. Both members of the covenant are involved in case rulings, and Hygwald is also pursuing a proposal ruling. However, before the covenant starts, they are approached by a magus wanting to join the covenant. His name is Calum Anfadh of House Bjornaer, and he is a friend of the two Bjornaer magi at Horsingas. He is quite open in admitting that the reason he wants yto join the covenant is that the feud in which he is involved - with magi from Fire's Heart - is now becoming quite dangerous, and he desires the protection of an aegis. Hygwald and Lucas have no reason to love Fire's Heart, and are amenable to the suggestion - Calum offers to bring his vis source and a few books with him to the covenant.
Hygwald is desperate for an invitation to Caitlin's party, knowing that this would be a perfect opportunity for him to press his proposal case.
Lucas's initiation
Private Hearings
Trial of Ganbhan Sgarbh
Proposal Case
Hygwald vs Prelum
Calum sets about renovations to Hachim's old laboratory, primarily involving removing the roof to expose it to the elements (and make it easier for him to get in and out!)
Underworld Rivalries: Calum returns to his old sanctum to pick up a few items he left behind. He takes a couple of grogs with him, for the opportunity of getting to know them a bit. However, all is not well in the nearby village. Firstly, they spot the animals acting oddly. The chickens are writing words in an unknown language in the dust, and a normally-placid cow tries its damnest to kill them all (and seems resistant to Calum's Incantation of Lightning). A child rescued by Aeddi attacks him, seriously wounding him in the leg. Getting into the village itself, the menfolk are prowling from house to house, devouring all the food they can find. Calum's attention is drawn to the water-trough in the centre of the village: to the Second Sight of his heartbeast, it is swarming with flies. He orders the grogs to empty it - and they immediately become infected with the same ravening hunger as the villagers.
The Court of the Rye King: Hygwald dips in to the covenant vis to retrieve that which he needs for casting the Aegis, and discovers that much of the vis has converted to mushrooms, specifically, the mushrooms found at the Hill of Mushrooms near Paddesham. Each is worth 1 pawn of vis, but over 40 pawns of vis of other Arts has become Herbam vis. One of the mushrooms is animate - a tiny puffball faerie which has enacted this transformation; believing that that was what they wanted - afterall, they turn up to take this mushrooms every year, don't they? That means that they must like it! Reigning in their tempter, they discover that this 'helpful' faerie was sent to them by the King of the Hill of Mushrooms, who wanted to find out what was happening to his subjects each year. Lucas and Hygwald make a trip to Paddesham to see the King, guided through the regio by the tiny faerie.
They only get a glimpse of King Robigus before one of his counsellors guides them away, saying that the king is not receiving any visitors. This counsellor takes them to a place of safety, and introduces himself as Hygelac. The PCs guess him to be a member of the Order, but he will not reveal what House he belongs to. Hygelac tells them that King Robigus has become somewhat addled over the years, and is dangerously mad. He probably won't remember why he summoned the PCs, and, if they want to retain possession of their vis source, should claim they are here to renew their agreement with him. Hygelac stresses the importance of not trying to renegotiate the deal, claiming that any change in the situation might tip the King over the edge. Comments that Hygelac make cause the magi to suspect his lineage might descend from House Diedne. Later that night, they also get a visit from another of the counsellors, Candidus (who claims to have been born mortal, but is now more fae than human). Candidus also offers advise, suggesting that they should renegotiate their deal, for a king is required to be generous to his vassals. He says that Hygelac's advice is false, to try to preserve the vis for himself.
On the morrow, the magi are still undecided what to do. Having been formally introduced to the king, he takes them to a field outside Paddesham and tells them his story; how he was once worshipped by mankind, but is now forgotten. He asks some cryptic questions, then asks what the magi want from him. When they explain, he says that this field is filled with his 'foyson', and they should gather of it what they will, then return to him. Between them, Lucas and Hygwald gather about twenty pawns of Creo, Rego and Terram vis. However, the king asks them to give him what they believe to be his by right, and they hand over all the vis immediately. He seems pleased, and asks them to stay a second night. That afternoon, Candidus speaks with them again. He offers his services to persuade the king to their favour, but also names his price. He has no eyes, and asks them to make some eyes for him. Following the cryptic questions of the King, the magi have become suspicious as to the consequences of a failed negotiation. The deal they eventually agree is as follows: Hywald will provide Candidus with some eyes within a year and a day; in return, Candidus will provide the information that he has about the king, do his utmost to sway Robigus's opinion in their favour; and, should negotiations fail, do everything in his power to lessen the consequences which the King imposes upon them. Candidus immediately tells them that the king's memory was once preserved in song; and that the last sheaf of grain to be harvested was named for him, marked with menstrual blood, and left to rot in the fields. Hygwald decides the best way to get people to remember Robigus is in a folk-song, so he takes a tune he already knows and sets about reworking the lyrics in praise of King Robigus.
On the third day, Hygelac arrives to show them to Robigus's court. The king's mood is furious (for an unknown reason), and he orders two truffle-trolls to attack the "filthy mortals". Both of the king's advisors seem to be in frantic argument with each other to influence the king, while the grogs form up to defend the magi against the massive trolls. Hygwald attacks Hygelac with some Mentem spells tro try to confuse him, but they seem to have no effect. He instead falls to his back-up plan; singing his song . However, the stress of the situation is clearly too great,and in horror he realises that he has sung the original words of the song - and the chant which he'd chosen as his base was a flyting song. Not only has he hurled insult after insult at the King, he had described him in the most unflattering terms possible; and what's worse, the grogs (intoxicated on the fumes given off by the trolls) know the song and have taken up the refrain [[OOC: with three botch dice, Camo rolled a triple botch!]] As is the way with faeries, this song actually enacted a transformation in the king, and he actually became the very things of Hygwald's foul-mouthed song.
Fortunately for them, Hygelac saved them. In the stunned silence following this massive disaster, He hurriedly showed them from the regio. He explained that it was Candidus, not himself, who had persuaded the king to attack - before any negotiation could occur - and that he would do his best to remedy the situation. He asked the magi to give his regards to Lady Isabelle Cospatric, then returned to the regio.
Aftermath: upon returning, the magi discovered that all 46 pawns of transformed vis had become dust, devastating their vis supplies. Having talked with Richard, they discovered that there used to be a Hygelac of House Ex Miscellanea, who was a member of the otherwise Diedne covenant of Holy Oak, destroyed in the Schism War in 1008. Lucas had a flash of realisation - Paddesham's dominant feature is an immense oak tree; perhaps the covenant was located there.