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Chapter 027 |  |
This journey starts on the day of the Autumn Equinox, September the 13th 1221.
The Fire Glade has four obvious paths leading from it: West back to the Menhir, North or South along a (roman) cobbled road to the Earth and Water Glades, or climb a tree and step out along a branch and onto a rock ledge, then East to the Air Glade. Following any of these four paths requires one of the party to hold an Elemental metal Token for the Glade your destination (or Fire/Iron for the path to and from the central Menhir); without such a Token the path turns you around so that you find yourself walking back to the Glade you just left.
There is a fifth, hidden path, a faint grass trail running North-east past a great old tree. This fifth path differs from the others in that it does not seem to require any of the Elemental Tokens. (Speculor had originally agreed to try the path subject to being allowed to take one of the Tokens, but was refused permission.) Joachus agreed to test the path, perhaps expecting it to be inactive or to turn him round again.
The other Elemental Glades share the same pattern: four paths connecting the Elemental glades, needing the Elemental Tokens to pass through, and a hidden fifth path (not yet explored).
Stepping but three paces along the hidden path, Joachus was caught up by the path, and carried forward at great speed, so that the world was reduced to an incomprehensible blur - and then dropped, tumbling to the ground and landing on some cushioning moss.
Lurching back onto his feet, Joachus cast around his surroundings, finding himself in a woodland, giving way some 100 yards to the south to open farmlands. Clearly this was not the area around the Covenant, so he gathered up a clod of soil, and asked (InTe) "what land are you a part of?" - "Normandy". Clearly the path had thrown him many score miles from home in Brittany [1].
Realising that he could not return within the agreed third part of an hour, he set to, waiting for his sodales to use the Arcane Connection he left with them to locate him and so rescue him as agreed. To indicate his needs, he would repeat over and over
"I am in Normandy, and lost: return me at once, or send grogs and supplies..."
However, he was neither returned, nor greeted by rescuers..
As he waited for their arrival, Joach managed to hear a faint distant shout - a favourable breeze carried the voice of Caspar calling out for Joach and others. Lurching off towards the voice, he found Caspar standing alone some half-a-mile away, with a pack of supplies. Caspar explained that he had been sent along with Zane and Alain, but that he was now alone - despite the precaution of holding hands as they entered, perhaps only he had been transported?
Joach disputed this and insisted that they search, while keeping track of each other so as not to become lost again. Walking so, and calling out, they found Zane - who had arrived some half-a-mile the other side of Joach's arrival point. Still lacking Alain, and fearing that he might be deduced to have arrived further away still, Joach created a Great Shout (CrIm) "Alain, come hither!".
By repetition, they were able to guide the unfortunate Alain to their location, so that he arrived some half-an-hour later, hot and flustered, having rushed towards the calling voice.
A peasant working the field beyond the woods told them that The Manor lay to the west, not far. The Lord of the Manor must have spotted them approaching for his men rushed out, hurriedly pulling on their arms over their farm gear, while the Lord followed pulling on his Robes... The man knew little beyond his own manor and the hills around, as even the nearest market town be more than a day away to the West, what with the hills. Since this was on the bearing of the Covenant, they set off reluctantly, to climb across those hills...
At Villaines-la-Juhel, they found some who knew a little of the world beyond the hills - one claimed to have been as far as Mayenne, which he swore was a huge city, unsurpassed in glory except by the Holy Land. "Four days across the hills, if you push hard, sur!".
The road was as coarse and hard as had been implied, and for the most part quiet of people. Joach, as a magus, attempted to preserve his legs (and dignity) by improvising a reduced version of Rise of the Feathery Body to take the load of his feet - but found that this also reduced his grip on the ground, so that he kept slipping on slopes, and must abandon the spell and walk (or rather lurch) as mundanes must.
By the end of this, with the walk, and the weather, and assisting Joach, the grogs were most thirsty for Ale, and demanded that they be allowed this relief first and foremost, once they reached the market. Fortunately, Mayenne is on a trade and pilgrim road and has both market and inns to stay in, so that they might rest better than the stables and barns afforded by the peasants of the hills.
Here they might also find better directions, for the folk of Mayenne knew more of the outside world then the peasant of the hills. So, then they might walk on west to Fougères, and then decide whether to walk on to Rennes, and then west along the spine of Brittany, or to head north to the coast at Mont St. Michel, and hope for a coastal boat to carry them to St. Brieuc. For now, they must make haste on to Fougères...
The road was much busier than the quiet hills - travellers came and went, and locals too. Here they encountered a Patrol, declaring themselves hunting Bandits, and must levy a Toll upon honest travellers to support their efforts. Taking a dislike to the idea of a Hunchback supported by three armed guards, these rough fellows demanded an exorbitant Toll of some twelve pennies (though some might doubt they could count that far!). Hating to be swindled by such brutes, Joachus created a spontaneous ReMe Confusion in the Serjeant of the troop, as he received the coins, so that he accepted but two coins, and was left to explain the deficit to his fellows as our party made haste to continue.
Next then, they met another band, more scruffy even than the first, with a Toll Gate of a fallen tree 'cross two piles of stones at a confined crossing of a stream. Here too Joach's magic left them squabbling over the fate of missing coins as the leader accepted scant few, and less than demanded. It seemed they felt their leader had swindled them of their rightful earnings and they set about extracting same from their erstwhile leader.
The road proving still more crowded, they were stopped by yet another disreputable fellow, but of more pleasant demeanour. He confessed to having watched their progress past various Bandits (as he described them) and suggested they might appreciate being guided past such in the future, and that he himself was a certain source of useful detours. So, then, they met Abel.
As they walked, Abel explained that many of the honest travellers they passed [3] on the road were Pilgrims heading for Mont St. Michel for the Feast of the Archangel St. Michael [4]. If they were heading that way too, he might be able to help them secure passage on a river boat down the Couesnon from Fougères. And so it was that Abel began to convince Joachus that he was useful... And too, he was good to his word at avoiding legitimate Tolls on the road.
Here they rested in an Inn, which was happy to take coin from even a Hunchback with guards and smuggler... They were busy, but not exorbitantly expensive considering so. The thought of so much more walking was easily enough to encourage thoughts of a restful trip downstream, so Joach encouraged Abel to seek passage for them all.
Abel did indeed secure passage, on a boat filled with pilgrims. Some of the pilgrims volunteered to offer prayers for Joach, since he was so clearly suffering and in need of God's Blessing [Hunchback with The Gift]. Abel passed the time recounted plausible sounding details regarding the river down which they sailed.
There's a small port on the mainland up the estuary from the Mount, which sits proud in the sand, and the end of a causeway which is submerged at high tide. Here they sought passage back to St. Brieuc: Joach sent Caspar and Alain to buy fresh supplies, Abel down to the boatsmen, while he and Zane observed from the quayside.
As Abel worked across the boats, one boat approached the quay and pulled in, allowing its passengers to observe the quaysiders: a Hunchback with The Gift, and a Soldier also with The Gift [Magical Air actually]. Disembarking, one of them approached this pair, and in best Hermetic Latin greeted them. Joach was surprised at this, as the newcomer bore no taint of the Gift [Gentle Gift] and travelled with a Priest - but soon they had exchanged bona fides and Joach found himself talking to Constantinus Flambonis, recently Gauntleted at Burnham, in Britannia, his travelling companion Father Edwin Fairchild, and his two personal Grogs.
Abel reported that some were willing to transport them, but there was no wind, the next day being Sunday and the feast, there'd be no travel. They must needs wait until Monday.
So, the grogs were permitted to visit the Fair which had come to entertain the pilgrims, and to spend some of their cash wages (dispensed now by Joach) as they saw fit. Here, among the many stalls selling pastries and sweetmeats, badges for pilgrims, or ribbons, and sellers of Relics, they found a fellow calling out for a tent in which he displayed Curios To Astonish. Tempted by his cry, the grogs decided to pay up and enter. While the grogs played, Joach set up his puppets to practice his old tricks...
Within they found
Caspar and Alain were much impressed, and inclined to test the Bearded Lady, and to call back to the caller's patter, but Zane, who has Second Sight, and sees things others do not see, saw different to the others: he gasped in awe at the raw Beauty of the pearly Horn, grimaced at the evil of the Hag, and was rendered sick and insensible at the sight of the Devil's Tail. Caspar and Alain had to carry their friend out of the tent into fresh air!
Hearing of Zane's peculiar reaction to the otherwise "fake" curios, Joach was curious as to whether this meant there was real Magic involved, and determined to investigate personally - specifically to check for the presence of Raw Vis. Unfortunately, he Botched his spell - and was struck down.
This being the Feast of St. Michael himself, Joach was blessed with a Vision of the Archangel Michael in person, who reproached him for his impiety at casting spells at his Feast - and commanded Joach to abase himself before the high Altar in the Church on the Mount, and to offer prayers for forgiveness. Filled with this thought, Joach found himself driven to rush up to the Church, where he obeyed the Archangel, and spent his time in Prayer.
In that Church, Constantine saw Joach, and was much impressed by his pious observance - for Constantine himself is a most pious magus, and employs Fr. Edwin as his personal Confessor so that he might atone for any sins he might commit as a (Flambeau) Magus. So, when Joach finished his prayers, and was released from his vision, he found himself again with Constantinus. They fell talking about the state of the Normandy Tribunal, of the relative merits of the various Covenants, and of the loss of Maga Saskia from Saxum Caribetum. In the course of this Constantinus agreed to travel back to Saxum Caribetum, to visit their prosperous new Covenant and meet other magi of the Normandy Tribunal.
Joach also explained about the peculiar properties of the curios in the tent in the Fair, and debated this with Constantine and Fr. Edwin, and reached the conclusion that the proper course of action was to report this Infernal Artefact to the Church Authorities who would dispose of it properly...
On the Monday morning, a fresh breeze sprang up, and the boatman happily took his passengers across to St. Brieuc - a short, speedy if choppy passage.
There, Joach was able to use his Twist The Living Tree spell to form a safe passage through the magical thorns around the Tour de Cesson, and make a safe stay overnight there, in a Magical Aura. The Tower still stands, although the rubble core has collapsed again from the hole cut through the base (held up by a long-faded Moon duration spell) and the roof is still missing. The Thorns have regrown from any damage suffered in previous episodes, and remain a fearsome deterrent to any lacking magical means to bypass them.
From St. Brieuc it takes but a day to reach Quintin, and then
half a day again to the Covenant.
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