 |
Summer 1221 |  |
| Calendar for 1221 | This is the Vilicus' personal view. |
Note: Speranda's and Joach's travels are recorded in a short separate diary, which crosses the Season boundary.
Summer Solstice, June
the 14th:
For the second Summer Solstice of our time here, we were better
prepared, firstly as to the inner beings we could expect to meet,
and secondly to keep out intruders. In the latter we were
fortunate in that no challenges were repeated.
As last time, the Regio expanded to cover much of its former glories, and the Menhir and Five Trees showed their Faces, and regained animated life. Once again I was called upon to regale the central Menhir with tales of the outside world, while the magi went around trimming beards and gathering clippings and trimmings in their cloaks - for these form precious Vís.
While engaged in my story-telling, I could observe some of the
other activities, which seemed to comprise magi hunting for
flowers (none of any significance) and walking determinedly into
bushes, until they re-emerged with clothes and hair entangled
with twigs and leaves. (The coarser grogs made cracks about Hedges
and Wizards that evening.)
It is my guess that they were hoping to find the Four Paths,
which they discovered at the Spring Equinox, but without much
success it seemed!
Sunday, June the 20th:
Courtship in the air! Brother Joseph has been working for some
time to introduce some of our young single men, to single maids
in need of settling down into marriage. The good Brother has been
particularly concerned for the wayward daughters of the Hedge
Witch Eclair de
Lanvia, which linkage meets the approval of the Magi (who
hope for future apprentice material, perhaps?).
This month three of our young men have made several journeys to Lanvia: Zacharias, from the Turb, who is a solid young man and will make a good husband for Amelle; Gilles Tregon, the Quarry-man, who will also look well after a young bride (Ana); and the oh-so-handsome Pierre Martin, wood-worker, who many feel should be firmly tied to some apron-strings (Guen), lest he stray further into any other beds!
Thursday, July the 1st:
Departure for the Normandy Tribunal: Maga Speranda leaves, to
walk to the Brenne Marshes. She takes with her, her personal
shield grogs Ignatius and Julius, the Turb grogs Caspar and Yves,
and Jimena la médecine. It seems that Jimena is to serve not as
medic, but as guide and negotiator, for she has walked these
parts of France before, and has a good way with words and with
money.
Saturday, July the 3rd:
Nuptial Blessings, with a proper Priest, for Father Albertus (of
the Hermitage) was persuaded to come over and officiate over the
Ceremony. These young people are honoured to have a proper Priest
make the effort to come to them, as we have no Priest ourselves.
A more cynical voice might say that Fr. Albertus showed no
hesitation in coming, but almost proffered himself; and is known
to have an interest in observing the ways of Wizards...
Tuesday July the 6th:
Warfare: Two Spanish Magi - Flagrare scholæ
Flambonis ad Jaferiya in Hispania and Morigero scholæ
Flambonis ad Arcuí Aureo in Hispania - announce themselves at
the gate, and send in a grog with formal declarations for Maga
Saskia - she pales at the sight of these, for they declare Wizard's
War upon her. From the next Full Moon, on the 5th of August,
these two will wage all out open warfare upon our Maga.
And, peril too upon ourselves who might intrude upon their firing
line!
It seems these two were observers at the Rhine Tribunal, where many called informally for Saskia Apera and Joachim Castor to be included in the proposed Wizard's March upon Commune Priscus, and to have been dissatisfied with the amendment wherein Saskia and Joachim were commended by the Rhine Tribunal for their assistance to the Quæsitores. Since these two rascals were not bound by that agreement, they have struck out on their own, and turned up here breathing fire.
Wednesday, July the 7th:
Maga Saskia and Beate have hurriedly packed up what they consider
most important and valuable, and have left the Covenant, heading
(they tell us) for Taurus Candidus, where they hope to find
shelter with "real wizards": indeed it should be quite
possible for her to hide safely in such a wilderness, with the
assistance of senior sodales from House Bjornær, and the Bjornær
knack of disappearing from magic.
We mundanes breathe a very hearty sigh of relief at their
departure, for that will take the attention of the Fire Wizards
with them to the Camargue Marshes.
The other magi complain non-stop, for Saskia was due to work on Covenant Service this season, and she has abandoned the work... they leaf through the rough outlines of spells she was to have copied, and count their losses page by page, day owed by day owed.
Thursday, July the 15th:
Some of the Grogs have been complaining that the first of the new
stone-based cottages - made with blocks carved with the Stone-Cutting
Knife has gone to the three newly married couples, leaving the
single men still in the rougher wooden cottages. They complain of
damp - but truly, this is their own problem. They were set to
build their own cottages and any damp is of their own
construction.
Next we shall build a proper Barracks for the Defensor, and have a redoubt for the men and their Arms. They can then sleep in the Barracks, and refurbish the cottages for the (hoped for) families.
Tuesday, July the 20th:
Our thoughts go out to Maga Speranda, at the official start of
the Normandy Tribunal, far
off in the Brenne Marshes and Covenant Petrusca.
Saturday, July the 24th:
The Arch-mage Probus Malignis scholæ Tytali ad Fudaro dropped
in to convey regards to us, especially for the satisfactory
resolution of the Vis rights to the Valley of the
Mists, and to re-iterate an offer of a Vís loan.
It was also an opportunity to show off the way that an Arch-mage
can return swiftly from a Tribunal, as soon as the formal session
ends, with hardly a disruption to their studies. Our magi smiled
politely and offered light refreshments before Probus flew on.
Tuesday, August the 3rd:
The Redcap, Aversus, arrives post-haste from Mummolides, having
returned from Petrusca. He carries the Redcaps' report of the
Tribunal, including their notes on the efforts of our Maga
Speranda.
It seems our Maga read out a statement on the Fudarus issue, and another statement on the Menez Bré, but that the Welcome Vote was passed without problem. The statements did not seem to meet the full-scale approval of the local magi, and it seems Speranda may have some explaining to do when she returns!
Wednesday, August the 11th:
Maga Speranda returns from
Petrusca. All settle down to rest after a long and trying journey - it seems they spent their
coin early on, and had to scrimp and struggle for most of the journey.
Thursday, August the 12th:
Speranda has to explain herself to the assembled magi: not only
has she rescinded all rights to the Valley of the Mists, but has
also invited Glomerulus Criamonis ad Mummolide and Marpesius
scholæ Criamonis ad Odela to attend the Autumn Equinox on
account of some Criamon Vision he suffered whilst at the Tribunal:
something about the Path of Fire, a Roman Temple, and Water.
Speranda also brought with her a battered old Statue, some 18 inches tall, in stained white stone. She bought it off an unwitting merchant in Chinon - apparently it is magical, although she does not know what it does, nor where the merchant obtained it.
Friday, August the 13th:
Speranda went out with Caspar and a couple of others, to find Old
Mai Coray. She has been consulted for her knowledge of local
Legends, since none of the Magi have taken the time to read up on
tales of Magic. (They are so full of their real
magic!). Old Mai offered her opinion that it is a statue of a
Water Fairy, which does not please the Magi who are firm that it
is tied to their own Realm.
Saturday, August the 14th:
The Magi went up the hill, to the spring where our stream rises.
They sat the new statue down on the grass, and then spent several
hours in intense observation of the statue. (Perhaps they thought
it might move?) They have cast spells upon it and deduced that
where the maiden carries a pitcher of water, and a cloth flows,
or drapes, over her, that this symbolises Water (yes!), and so
must investigate it in the presence of water.
Once they tired of having the statue stand upon the grass, they stood it in the pool. However, the pool is shallow, and the statue stood too far out for the magi, so the made a hole in the base of the pool, that the statue's hands should touch the water. Now, they could again stand around the pool and observe the statue for some several hours more.
Eventually they tired of this, and brought it back to the Tower, where they have stood her in the Council chamber, and decreed that all who enter must offer her a sip of wine, placed into her hands (where she - or rather the stone - will drink it in.)
Monday, August
the 16th:
Maga Speranda caught her breath from the excitement of watching
the statue sit there, and came to speak with me...
She tells me that one of the Assistant Under-Stewards at Petrusca approached her during the Tribunal, and asked after ourselves, our growth and stability, our Senior Steward (me!), the number of magi and grogs, and all manner of details. I do not know how well she accounted herself (I try to keep my magi well educated on these matters!), but I fear she may have just felt bothered by the level of questioning.
It seems he (Jean Clouard) feels unappreciated at Petrusca (among all the more senior Stewards) and is looking for a place where he might find better employ, and is interested in ourselves. He is sure that Petrusca will let him go. (I suspect it would be a while before they noticed he had gone, were it not for the efficient keeping of their senior Stewards.)
Now, normally I am all in favour of stability, and keeping to ones place in Society, but I cannot complain as I myself have left Mummolides for the adventure of this Tower... I have been asked about Jean, and what I know of him, and whether we should employ him. I confess I do not know him well, but have heard his name in passing (Petrusca is a large, busy, wealthy establishment and has many Stewards!). For my own part - we have grown so fast, and now have so many people to supervise, and the fields are so far away for my old bones to walk to (and I must needs be on hand to attend to the Magi!) - I could use an assistant...
I have said that I will welcome M. Clouard and stand him as my Under Steward. Let him be summoned!
Thursday, August the 19th:
After 5 days of libations of red wine, the Statue has gained a
rosy-hue, and a polished sheen. Maga Speranda now tells us that
this is how she first saw the statue, but that it faded on the
journey back.
Although it now shines, it does nothing else, and the magi have moved the statue, and declared that grogs must come in and make the offerings, as the magi have other business to attend to.
Tuesday, August the 24th:
After 5 days of libations from the Grogs and myself, the Statue
has started talking to us, telling us to return it home -
wherever that might be!
Wednesday, August the 25th:
The Magi have resumed their interest in the statue, and spent the
day casting spells on it. They have decided that it is in some
way tied to Elemental Water, and to the Magical Realm.
Thursday, August the 26th:
Their investigations continue, now that Magus Speculor's spell-induced
headache has faded away. They have found images or visions of
rushing water inside the statue, and a description of a courtyard
with fountains and mosaics, and of a temple on a headland
overlooking a large river (the Loire?).
Friday, August the 27th:
Maga Speranda leaves again,
to search for the magic of the Statue...
Tuesday, September the 14th:
Magus Glomerulus Criamonis ad Mummolide and Marpesius Criamonis
ad Odela arrive, at the invitation of Maga Speranda, to spend the
Equinox nosing around. They start by demanding baths of water,
not for themselves, but for the Regio itself! I never did
understand my old masters at Mummolides.
Thursday, September the 16th:
The Autumn Equinox, and a new journal.
Up to the diary link page, or back to Spring 1221, or on to Autumn 1221, or out to the Travel Diary
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