 |
Summer 1220 |  |
| Calendar for 1220 | This is the Vilicus'
personal view. |
Midsummer's day,
Sunday June the 14th:
The Magi's rituals have been disrupted,
with faeries everywhere - Oh Woe! our well running Covenant in
uproar, and the Magi so agitated.
Monday June the 15th:
The Magi have been so worked up as to emerge from their Sancta and send
their Quæsitor to Wirbelnia on the "Île
de Serq", which is part of the mundane Britannia.
Saturday June the 20th:
Iuris Perita returned
smug and satisfied, which is good and proper.
Friday July the 3rd:
Trouble in the local Villages,
according to messages sent from Plaintel. Since it touched upon
religious matters, Friar Joseph was sent to deal with the problem.
Wagons and drivers have been arranged with M. Bertrand, the Merchant, and will go to Petrusca some six weeks travel distant. At Petrusca they should meet wagons come from Septem Montes, with promised equipment for the Magi; we will expect them to return with that and the contributions from the Magi of Petrusca, in early to mid-October, all being well.
Wednesday July the 8th:
The Magi had not been disturbed by the Religious Matter. I
presented a summary from Friar Joseph to Council, although there
was little of substance excepting the small matter of a reported
Hedge Wizard.
Saturday July the 9th:
Friar Joseph has been
sounding out some of the young single men in the Turb, looking
for stable men who might settle an errant wife. I hope this will
not distract the men from their duties.
Sunday July the 11th:
Maga Saskia made another trip into the woods, and returned with
another Hive of Wild Bees, stating that I should ensure good and
proper care was taken of it, as it was to be reserved for the
breeding of more Bees.
I then had to resolve a dispute between the Cook and the Surgeon Jimena. Both had
heard of the Honey and wished to claim it: the cook wished Honey
for the Magi's supper, but the Surgeon claimed she needed the
substance for her Alchemy.
Monday July the 13th:
All now well and peaceful again,with the Covenant smooth running
and settled in. The established Grogs have integrated all the
adopted locals into the Turb.
Tuesday July the 20th:
The Magi continue to make expeditions into the Forêt de Lorge,
requiring food to be prepared, and guards to be assigned. The
Centurion rosters the guards while I must attend to all else.
Thursday July the 23rd:
Some of the guards complain of favours accorded to the Carpenters: I have to explain
the importance of the Carpenters to the Magi's plans, with the construction of an
endless series of work-benches, shelves, stands and other items I wot not.
Tuesday July the 28th:
The Sarzon brothers have absconded having stolen the best tools,
leaving Pierre Martin as the sole Carpenter. The Centurion
dispatched men to deal with them. While the Kitchen was in
turmoil over this, Maga Saskia appeared demanding food, then
departed annoyed at the ructions.
All was under control, until the Magi discovered that their
Laboratory woodwork was to be delayed, and began dispute over who was to
have the services of the remaining Carpenter. They apparently
used their Magics
to locate the villains, and determined that they had stolen other
goods, including items from the Laboratories.
Maga Saskia and her sultry grog Beate set out in personal pursuit of the thieves
as a pair of wild-pigs.
Late in the day, a single pig returned, and retired to the Maga's
Sanctum. When I enquired at the Defensor's insistence, I learnt
that it was the grog that had returned, and that the Maga would
spend the night watching the town of Moncontour for the
miscreants. The Defensor assured me that varlets were in far
greater danger than our Maga.
We had the unaccustomed sight at supper of Beate other than in
the company of her mistress.
Wednesday July the 29th:
Maga Saskia returned
still in her heart-shape, safe, but extreme ill-humour. She then
exhibited another of her sudden mood changes, and re-emerged in
human form from her Sanctum bright and cheerful, to claim food
and ale.
Thursday July the 30th:
The Centurion and his men returned with the Sarzon brothers. They
had waited until the Maga's spells faded at sunset, then roused
the sleeping miscreants, but needs must wait until the next light
to make their way home. They were cross after two nights in the
field, without proper preparation, but such are the trials and
tribulations of Turb life.
Sunday August the 2nd:
Maga Speranda continues her series of forays into the Forest,
searching for the Magical Vis, and for Mundane Silver: she
requires travel provisions for herself and two others: her shield-grog
and the Quarry-man.
Monday August the 3rd:
The Sarzon brothers have been permitted a relaxation of their
restriction to barracks, having been flogged and placed on bread-and-water.
Their labours are needed by the Magi, and without greater
sustenance and healing they cannot effectively return to
Carpentry.
Wednesday August the 5th:
Maga Speranda has made another foray but has returned
excitedly with samples of Silver, obtained some two hours away
from the Covenant: she has retired to her Laboratory to
investigate them further. I presume she means to make Divinations
to determine if this bodes for a workable mine.
Thursday August the 6th:
Gilles the Quarryman, and three grogs returned to the Cave,
wherein Maga Speranda had determined the source of the Silver:
Caspar returned in panic, to declare that the Cave had eaten the
other three grogs!
Such is the wonder of Magic, that at this point the Maga Speranda
emerged from her Laboratories to pronounce the Silver to be
unreal, and of Fæ Glamour. Over the course of the afternoon four
of our five Magi were drawn into the Contest with the Troll,
but before the Sun set, the Magi and all the Grogs had returned
home, bruised but triumphant.
Friday August the 7th:
The Doctora Jimena has examined yesterday's wounds sustained by
the Maga Speranda, and pronounced that she must take Bed Rest for
some two to three weeks, then no more than light work until
healed. The Magi would work their Magics to Heal her, but they
have no store of the Vis known as Corpus which is required for
that spell.
I must ensure that the Cook is properly instructed as to the
feeding and care of an injured Maga.
Sunday August the 16th:
The story has gained in the re-telling. It now seems that the
Sarzon brothers not only heisted tools, but also raided the
treasury of gold and gems (would that it were so!), then stopped
in an ale-house in Plœuc to boast of their exploits. Then,
too, a tale that young Caspar went to enquire at the same ale-house
under guise of travel to seek some fortune from a supposed
inheritance coming from the death of a fictitious cousin of his.
And, that the recalcitrant thieves, en route to Moncontour ,suffered
a Vision, that they cannot speak of, even trembling to think ont',
and following the Vision passed into a deep and unnatural slumber
from which they woke surrounded by the grogs of the Covenant.
Talk within the turb confirms that it was the Maga Saskia who caught the thieves, and that it was her enchantments that captured them. The other Magi of the Council granted Saskia some extra use of the Carpenter brothers, who work extra hours in punishment of their misdeeds.
Thursday August the 20th:
Speranda has come badgering me to spend silver to purchase parchment from town
(despite our having employed a Percamenarius) and
a Holy Bible of good quality. It seems the magi have decided to dedicate the
time of one of our scribes, from season to season, to producing illuminated
copies of the Book, for sale to wealthy purchasers such as nobles. She tells
me that two of our three scribes have uncommonly good penmanship, and their
works should sell well.
I think it improper - we are here to serve the magi not to work for vulgar silver: what is the Order coming to?
Wednesday August the 26th:
Jimena has released her temporary authority over the Maga
Speranda and allowed that Speranda may rise and return to light
activity, but that she must continue with the Cordials that she,
Jimena, has prescribed. I have heard a rumour that disparaged
these Cordials on the grounds that they were clearly of no
Magical value, but I understand that Speranda has nevertheless
faithfully followed the instructions of our Consors.
Tuesday September the 1st:
Jimena has again examined Maga Speranda and now pronounced her
wounds clean and healed, although she must still not tax herself
unduly.
For all that Magi work to exhibit considerable self-control, I
believe I witnessed some relief on the face of our Maga after
this.
Tuesday September the 15th:
As the Tower becomes furnished by the efforts of the Carpenters,
the Council chamber becomes more comfortable: this is of some
personal matter to mine self, as I lay my pallet there. The
scriptorium is to be the topmost level of the Tower, where there
is most light, and shutters have been let into the walls to
accommodate this. The books themselves (when not in use), and
what other treasures we accumulate, such as the magical treasure,
(or Vís) are to be kept secure in the basement level: this is
the Library according to the Magi, but I would call it our strong-room.
Since her recovery from her wounds, the Maga Speranda has been
personally organising the commission of both this Library, and
the high Scriptorium. All of this places yet more demands on the
services of the Grogs.
Vernal Equinox, Tuesday September the 15th:
The Equinox and the turn of the Season. We served a small feast
for the Magi to honor the Season, though in truth I am unsure
that they noticed.
Following the practice of our masters, I shall begin a new volume of my Journal.
Up to the diary link page, or move on to Autumn.
Comments, feedback or problems
