Events:
Discussions on salt panning:
· Invent spell to make ½ ton salt
· Employ 2 labourers - a lumpman and a waller - to heave water into the salt pans and then load the salt into moulds. Gerwas will be the lumpman
· Set up business on the edge of the Salt, new building to house equipment
· Storing the salt in a new warehouse by the gatehouse
· Employ merchant to shift salt through Voigt.
Midsummer Night's Dream — Massacre at Horn's Hill: Sarimarcus returns to Vidua Vasta to invite them to a ritual at Stonebridge, where he will accept the position of priest to an ancient power. Elaine and Orsinio accept, accompanied by Branoic, Aescwynn, and Lochlann. There is feasting all day with the villagers before ascending Horn Hill (and into a regio), where an ancient Celtic hall stands. In walks a Faerie Lord - Helveniann of the Wood - wearing a remarkable shawl. He and Sarimarcus begin a ritual, but at that critical moment, soldiers burst into the hall. The leader, on horseback, orders his men to bolt the doors and kill everyone. He particularly singles out Sarimarcus and Helveniann. Elaine spears the captain with a spell, which prompts him to ride at her. A quickly-placed Wall of Thorns separates the hall in two, and the captain goes crashing into it. Orsinio attacks the soldiers with flames. Most of the soldiers are on the other side of the wall, but six advance on the characters while others menace the villagers. Elaine places another Wall of Thorns to give them just three opponents. Aescwynn kills one of the soldiers and grabs his weapons, whilst the other two grogs use their daggers. Unfortunately, this is not enough; the furious attacks of the mercenaries slice deep into Branoic's neck, whereas Lochlann is disembowelled. Leaving their fallen companions, the survivors escape through the window and flee the scene.
Returning on the next day, they discover that the villagers have been massacred and burnt. The village of Stonebridge has been razed. Lucas later returns to the site and identifies the bodies of the two grogs, and that of the magus. Francis later hears that Captain Hagen claimed responsibility for massacring a coven of witches. He desires to capitalise on his success, but Nicholas Giffard (concerned at the slaughter) insists instead that he builds a church in Stonebridge and bring the word of God to the region.
Work on chapel in Paddesham starts
Actions:
Elaine: Study Creo
Hygwald: Teach Andreas Mentem
Lucas: Study Herbam (Jocelyn reading Magic Theory)
Orsinio: study Auram
Vis: 1 Aq (Inner Farne), 1 Vi (Giant's Heart), 1 Au (Eildon Hills)
Events: Richard brings a message from Whitburh, demanding that they attend her at Horsingas at the earliest convenience (specifically Elaine). When they arrive there are two visitors also present: Caitlin and Trutina of Burnham. They meet in the council chambers of Horsingas. Whitburh speaks:
"I presume that you know why we are here. Burnham has lodged a protest against Vidua Vasta, accusing them of poaching from their vis source."
Burnham insists it is their vis source. Vidua Vasta can claim that it was never registered (which is true), so they could not have possibly known. Whitburh is forced to concede that no penalty can be levelled against them.
Burnham claims they had precedence, whether or not they registered the source. This oversight has now been corrected. Vidua Vasta can counter that Cierella invited them to take part and approved of their actions, and to do otherwise would risk angering the Fae. Nevertheless, Whitburh decides this is specious, and demands that Vidua Vasta returns the vis they won. If they want to contest this, they will need to convene a tribunal.
Caitlin also insists on discussing the matter of future harvests. Whitburh will state that now the vis source has been registered, Vidua Vasta is bound over not to disturb the valley, which is considered the fief of Burnham. They are entitled, of course, to contest this. Whitburh has no authority to make such judgments, regardless of her manner (Int + Code of Hermes of 9+). If Vidua Vasta refuses, Whitburh will be furious, but offer to convene an ad hoc tribunal, or defer the issue to 1256. At this news Trutina touches Caitlin on the arm, and Caitlin immediately protests — they can't wait 4 years.
There are six magi currently in Horsingas (Edwin, Guiseppe, Ealwynn, Jehan, Caxton, Braecgd), two from Burnham, (presumably) two from Vidua Vasta — all they need is another three magi from another covenant to be legal. Unfortunately, the closest options are Fire's Heart, the House of Vann, and Arbroath; none of whom are friendly to Vidua Vasta. (Whitburh neglects to mention Teachdair Tigh, which is an ally; but only Bricis will vote).
Caitlin Ex Miscellanea: young, heavily freckled, heterochromatic. Dressed smartly.
Trutina of Guernicus: very beautiful with long dark hair, wearing dark blue robes and a silver triangular pendant with the symbol of House Guernicus. Never speaks (Focus in Silence).
Vidua Vasta pays Burnham 5 pawns of vis, and 2 more in way of an apology. Burnham claims the Valley of the Mists as a fief, and that Vidua Vasta will stay clear.
Midsummer Night's Dream — Vengeance of the Fae (The Curse): Elaine, Aescwynn and Orsinio all suffer from a curse of weakness; when under stress, they must make Stamina rolls of 9+ or lose 3 points of Strength and gain a Long-Term Fatigue level. The Strength is regained when the Fatigue is recovered. Even if the Stamina roll is successful the character loses a normal Fatigue level. If the Stamina roll botches, the character is left permanently infertile, and anyone he comes into contact with is similarly barren, for a year.
Fields are left barren, as are animal. Wide scale abortion of pregnant animals. Fruit rots on the trees, and corn comes up empty. The worst hit is Tweedale between Melrose and Norham — the breadbasket of the North.
Night of the Goat: Sir Heriot of Marygold comes to Aethelbald. One of his farmers has found a demonic skull in his field. Aethelbald orders the magi to investigate, and Lucas does. He finds no skull, but instead a odd-shaped rock. Heriot invites him to dinner for his trouble, and he accepts. That night, Giselle (the fiancée of Heriot's nephew Reymart) wakes everyone with her screaming, she has apparently gone mad. In the morning she is sent to Berwick, and Lucas notices that for a moment her left arm becomes a hideous furred claw. During the morning Madame Heriot goes missing. Lucas helps, but to no avail. He asks about local faeries, and are told of the Henhole, a local place where the Good Folk converge. He heads there and has a conversation with 'Robin', who seems to multiply himself several times during the conversation, filling the Henhole with copies of himself. Lucas later discovers that these were trooping faeries, who can be exceedingly dangerous in large numbers.
Lucas decides to go back to Vidua Vasta to fetch Elaine, believing faeries to be involved. He finds the way home difficult, since the road has been littered with potholes and the woods trapped with spring-traps. He meets some children from the village who are acting very oddly. When he returns with Elaine on the next day Madame Heriot is still missing. A young boy has been murdered in the woodstore, and his corpse mutilated by the removal of his foot and his tongue. Lucas questions his spirit as to what happened — he was playing with the other children at the old church, but he was blindfolded and doesn't know what happened. Lucas and Elaine find tallow made from human fat and a rat's skull at the old church. At the boy's wake, a girl called Angel confesses to Sir Heriot that she was molested by Father Jaran when he was supposed to be schooling her. The knight orders that the priest is arrested, while he rushes back to his manor to attend another emergency — his nephew has cut his own hand off. It is about this time that Reynard notices a patch of coarse black hair growing on his arm, which spreads downwards as the day progresses. The wound is cauterised by the characters, but it will be several days before he can answer questions. Meanwhile Lucas visits the priest in the stocks. He professes his innocence, and Lucas is inclined to believe him, even after finding a heavily-pregnant woman hiding in his house. This woman (Nichole) was seeking confession and absolution before giving birth, and claims to be hiding from an unnamed pursuer. Lucas and Elaine return to the old church and discover the village children — Angel included — assisting in the rape of one of the girls by one of the boys. Most of them are captured by Elaine and Lucas's magic, but Angel escapes.
Upon returning to Heriot, Lucas and Elaine discover he has sent a messenger to Etal castle for Captain Hagen's help, and is persuaded to chase down the man and intercept him on the road before the butcher is notified. That night, many members of the village start to converge on the old church, all of them bearing some deformity with curly black hair.
Jaeger incapacitated in the fight against the goat-demon
Angel and her compatriots escape
10 villagers take incapacitating wounds from Elaine's Wall of Thorns, they are taken into the covenant to recover.
Midsummer Night's Dream — Massacre at Horn's Hill (Hunting the Beast): Nichole's testimony at Stonebridge brings the characters to investigate sightings of the beast. Coll and Halfgrim, meet Golla, who is in charge of the 8 people now at Stonebridge.
Waimie caught and used for vis.
Actions:
Elaine: Study Creo from vis (provided by covenant)
Hygwald: Extract vis CW
Lucas: Opening Jocelyn to the Arts
Orsinio: Study Auram
Vis: 1 Cr or An (Oak or Waimie) , 1 He (Llawen's Heart)
Events:
Midsummer Night's Dream — Vengeance of the Fae (Growth of the Forest): if the characters go to inspect the chapel at Paddesham they may find unfamiliar growth of the forest, expanding around — and into — the village.
Birth of Lise's Children: on the fourth day of November, around sunset, a cloud hovers in front of the sun turning it the colour of ash. The moon, already in the sky, is the colour of blood. Then the stars start to fall (leonid meteor shower). Francis recognises this from the Breaking of the Sixth Seal from the Apocalypse of St John (Rev. VI, 12–17)
Bathild has a baby girl, Gunnhild
Work on chapel in Paddesham finishes at beginning of season.
Converting one side of the gatehouse into a grain silo.
Hygwald's spell to create grain is cast, filling the silo. It is deliberately underpowered, since it potentially could create 100 times as much grain, however, the covenant is content to have a 'mere' silo full. They are able to sell 2 tons per year without breaching the Silver Consensus, and can consume 2 tons each year (1 peasant requires 8 bu p.a. ® 119 inhabitant points = 952 bu = 1.5 tons = 8£).
Last year's grain: 0 tons
Consumed: 0 tons
Sold: 0 tons
Charity: 0 tons
Spoilage (10%): 0 tons
Balance: 34 tons
Actions:
Elaine: Invent a wall of wood spell (Give Me a Palisade). - base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 Group - 30 sharpened wooden stakes, each 1 foot in diameter and 6 foot high.
Hygwald: Inventing spell (Filling the Capacious Silo) to create 34 tons of grain (20 bu grain = 1 Individual) (base 1, +1 Touch, +2 Group, +2 size, Ritual) CW
Lucas: Helping Hygwald CW
Orsinio: Investigate Sphere — the sphere of Jupiter allows one to see contagion between objects. Causes a warping point, since the range is Personal; the penetration is 30. InVi 30 (like Sense the Lingering Magic) CW Fails to discover anything
Vis: 1 Vi
(Giant's Heart), 1–3 Pe (Basilisk Tree)
Events: Francis now has a natural magic laboratory next to the schoolroom.
Actions:
Elaine: study Aquam from vis (paid)
Hygwald: Invent Posing the Silent Question
Lucas: Invent the Inexorable Search
Orsinio: study Intellego
Vis: