Scribed by Tiarnan
Spring 1213 AD
The Council meeting was a brief affair. Cormoran announced that the Erechwydd had made him a gift of one of her minions, an ice goblin, in return for attending her midwinter feast. He announced, magnanimously, that he had decided not to “break it down for vis” and the creature now acts as his manservant. Given our previous discussions about how best to defend the covenant from attacks by Ieuan, Idolon noted that he had spent some time with Captain Gilbert formulating defensive plans, and he declared that he would present the Council with a full proposal by the end of the year. There were no other items of note discussed.
Midway through the season, a Magus Fuscus visited the covenant, having travelled from Iberia over the previous weeks. After a few days planning, he left with Cynfelyn and Cormoran to travel to the far north of Novgorod on House Flambeau business. The Magi spoke little of their intended mission, though I believe it is connected to a similar journey they made some years ago, which concerned rumours that an organisation of Norse magicians known to some as the Order of Odin might be turning their eyes southwards.
The rest of the season passed without further incident.
Summer
Marius returned from the English court a few days before the start of the season, bringing news of the mundane realm. The Pope had formally declared that King John had been deposed, and he invited any who wished to take the crown to do so. King Philip of France had begun to muster his forces for a possible invasion of England, and the Earl of York had withdrawn his support for John, with the clear implication that he might either assist the French or take advantage of the King’s weakness to launch his own bid for the throne. Marius indicated that John’s position was so tenuous that he had little option but to try to reach an accommodation with the Pope, presumably by acceding to many of his demands.
We also discussed our activities for the season. Marius returned to court to help John muster troops; Idolon was tasked with investigating the towns in the south of the Dean for any signs of infernal activity; Fabius created an item to ward the noxious fumes that make recovery of vis from the Ignem site hazardous; and Cormoran and I spent time on our studies.
[Tiarnan’s private journal: Early in the season, I spoke briefly with Archimagus Radeuc using the bowl enchanted with Haunt of the Living Ghost. I was deliberately vague about the reasons for contacting him, as I wanted to discuss my vision of the split in House Merinita with him face to face, but we agreed that I would journey to Crannagh Tomb in early winter to pursue the matter.]
Shortly before midsummer, Fabius, Idolon and I made the journey north to Blackthorn for the Tribunal meeting. There was a market held before the meeting proper, and I was able to exchange some vis with the newly arrived Magus Laurius of Flambeau, who had recently been appointed to act as a Hoplite to Quaesitor Faelon of Holy Isle. He is, I believe, the first member of that covenant who is not a member of House Ex Miscellanea, though whether this shows that Prima Amanita has relaxed her grip on the covenant or represents some deal between Amanita and Laurius’ pater, Primus Motus, is unclear. I do not know whether my sodales also took advantage of the market, though I spied Idolon in discussion with Ildanach of Trevalga, which suggests that some sort of trade for iron goods may have been on the cards.
The Tribunal meeting itself began with the election of a new Praeca following Ponrius’ recent passing. The election was a curious affair that was heavily influenced by political dealmaking and intimidation. The two eldest candidates, Prima Amanita and Archimagus Jolyon had reached an agreement that neither would stand, presumably to avoid splitting the Ex Miscellanean vote and also because the election of their rival would significantly limit their influence over the direction of the Tribunal. Ten of the next thirteen candidates followed their lead, either because they genuinely had no interest in the post or under unspoken direction from Amanita that standing would damage their status within the House. In the end, three willing candidates stepped forward: Lorrimer of Merinita, Moravius of Verditius and Edith of Ex Miscellanea.
Each gave a short speech outlining how they would carry out their role. Lorrimer stated that one of the chief duties of the Praeco was to hold back the Dominion within the Tribunal and protect faerie and magical places from its corrosive influence. He also noted that, if elected, he would encourage open debate on all issues, reversing Ponrius’ previous approach whereby the Praeco could essentially veto proposals before they had been heard by the floor. Moravius stressed that he would act in a neutral manner, for he had no desire to meddle in politics. If elected, he declared that he would promote markets and announcement of trade opportunities, and he would judge all matters even handedly. The solemnity of his speech was somewhat shattered by a crack about whether such an approach would really survive his fondness for vis; I hesitate to accuse my sodales Fabius of being behind such an interruption, though it was clear that he approved of the sentiment. Finally, Edith gave by far the most inflammatory of the speeches, declaring that the greatest threat to the Tribunal came from within, not without, the Order. She argued that House Ex Miscellanea had suffered greatly at the hands of other Houses, and that it was only right that Ex Miscellanea now took charge of the Tribunal. She was most strident in her language, implying that Stonehenge belonged to Ex Miscellanea and other Magi were merely guests.
There was a brief pause before votes were tallied, but it was clear from the makeup of the room that Edith stood a strong chance of success. I noticed several members of Ex Miscellanea from outside covenants who had not attended previous Tribunal meetings, and I learned later that Amanita had pushed strongly for all such Magi to attend. In the end, Edith received almost all of the Ex Miscellanean sigils plus those from a few others, and she carried the day with 26 total votes, compared with 12 for Moravius and 8 for Lorrimer.
Edith’s first action as Praeca was to declare that established covenants had for too long hoarded the best vis sites, preventing those from outside covenants from gaining access. She said that she planned to reverse this unfair practice, and she put a choice before the Tribunal: either covenants could voluntarily give up an unknown amount of their vis sites, which would be distributed amongst those from outside covenants, or she would levy a heavy tithe on covenants, with those deemed to be rich paying more than those less well off. Her proposal caused much consternation, for Edith made little secret that those covenants that displeased her, presumably by having the temerity to be either rich or Latin, would bear the brunt of the tax, but Serenea confirmed that Edith’s actions were legal, even if they were partisan. After much grumbling from the floor, a vote was taken, and the option of a tithe was chosen. Edith declared that there would be an audit of all covenants’ vis sites before the next Tribunal meeting, at which time she would levy the tithe. Contested vis sites would count half as much as uncontested sites when tallying income, and vis arising from Magi themselves would be factored into the calculation. This last matter caused Idolon no little consternation, and he threatened to take the issue to the Grand Tribunal if necessary. I would be surprised if an academic point of principle would have provoked such an outburst, which suggests that he has some skin in this particular game.
Edith’s second (and, thankfully, final) action as Praeca was to propose that the position of Praefecta be abolished on the basis that any of the tasks assigned to the Praefecta could be handled by Holy isle or the Tribunal, depending on their nature. I was somewhat conflicted here, for I have voted against the position in the past, yet I have seen that a motivated Praefecta can be a considerable force for good, and I believe that Kira should be given the chance to show how she could carry out her duties. I also suspect Edith’s actions were prompted by the fact that Praefecta was one of the few positions of authority in the Tribunal not held by a member of Ex Miscellanea. The vote was carried, with the Ex Miscellanean votes once again proving the deciding factor. Moravius attempted to call a vote of no confidence in the Praeca, but Serenea informed him that he did not have the authority to do so; in any event, such a motion would almost certainly have been defeated.
With Edith’s work done, she turned the meeting over to reports from each of the covenants. Borri-tor provided news of potential uprisings against King John amongst the Scots and Yorkists, though it had not yet come to open war. Cad Gadu announced that any members of House Ex Miscellanea were invited to use their libraries at no cost, though members of other Houses would be expected to pay for the privilege. Carrion Moor provided news of infernal and Christian sects operating in the south of England. Holy Isle announced that they had been tracking a ship believed to be used by the Unnamed House along the coasts of Hibernia, Loch Leglean and the south of Stonehenge. They also announced that two members of the Unnamed House - the one we know as Zekiel and also another with the sigil of an oily sheen on stone who is believed to be skilled in Terram magic - were operating in Wales, possibly in concert with Ieuan. At that point, Kira stood up and declared that, as she was no longer Praefecta, she felt in right that she should share some of the information that she had been privy to in that role with the wider Tribunal. She began to describe some of the activities of the Unnamed House, including the possibility that information had been passed to them from within the Order, but she was soon drowned out by Faelon and Serenea. She was escorted from the hall, and I understand that she will be subject to some form of legal charge. Lear Valley then announced that Edith would leave to take up her seat at Blackthorn. Narwold had nothing to raise. Scarfell asked Magi who were willing to share trade connections in western ports with them to do so, for they were struggling financially. For Severn Temple, I provided news of the defeat of the infernalists in Gloucester and our suspicions that Bristol was the source of their power. Finally, Trevalga indicated that House Jerbiton had become concerned about the increasing power of monastic zealots given the waxing power of the Pope, and they asked all to be wary of knights bearing red or white crosses.
With that, the Tribunal ended, and we made our way south to Severn Temple.
Autumn
Cormoran, Cynfelyn and Marius returned shortly before the Council meeting, and so we met as a full group on the first day of the season. I recounted the events of the Tribunal meeting, and we decided that Comoran should approach Edith informally during the year to try to ascertain more about her plans for the tithe and her attitude to Severn Temple. Cormoran admitted some sympathies with Edith’s position, so we hope that she may take him into her confidence on the matter.
Cynfelyn and Cormoran did not speak at length about their journey to Novgorod, though they indicated that they had found evidence to support the rumour that the Order of Odin had become more active.
Idolon explained that he had discovered signs of activity by the Black Knives in many of the towns and villages in the South Dean, notably Berkley, Stone and Hawksbury. In addition, he had encountered two spirits set to watch the crossroads at Berkley and Stone, presumably to carry news to their infernal masters. Marius mentioned that he had given orders for the leader of the Black Knives in Hawksbury, a man named Mark, to be arrested, though the brigand had somehow learned of the matter and fled before he could be clapped in chains. We resolved to follow up on Idolon’s discoveries next year, though taking account of Kira’s warning about the potential dangers associated with the cult.
Early in the season, Alannus arrived with news from across the Order. He confirmed Marius’ news about the quarrel between King and Pope, though he noted that the threat of invasion from the French had lifted for this year at least. On a different note, at the House Bonisagus meeting earlier in the year, Maga Punicia had been executed and her research impounded after it was discovered that she had inadvertently summoned several demons by accident in an effort to find out why Hermetic Intellego magic is of so little use against them. Alannus also brought us news that Quaesitor Ludovidicus had been appointed by Edith to conduct the audit of our vis sites. He would visit us next summer, and we agreed that I would prepare suitable accounts, which Fabius would then present to the Quaesitor as I would be away that season.
The final item of note that season is that Magus Laurius of Holy Isle visited Cynfelyn, presumably to discuss his perceptions of the threats facing the Tribunal. The two Magi appeared to get on well, which bodes well given that they both serve as permanent Hoplites.
Winter
We held a short Council meeting before conducting the ritual of the Aegis of the Hearth. Marius informed us that King John had met with the Pope’s legate in an attempt to have the interdict placed on his kingdom lifted. John has apparently offered to recognise Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury and provide free movement for monastic cults within his kingdom. The legate has returned to Rome with the offer, and Marius thought the Pope would be minded to accept, as John’s ally, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto, has secured his throne, which makes an invasion from France less likely. We discussed our activities for the season, with all save Cormoran conducting laboratory work. For his part, the giant was tasked with visiting several of the vis sites in the faerie regio that we believed had been lost to ascertain whether they remained unproductive. There were no other items of note that season.
[Tiarnan’s private journal: Kai and I made our way to Crannagh Tomb to speak with Radeuc. I told him of my vision regarding the House, and I speculated that one possible source of division might be those who follow Myanar’s teachings. He claimed to be unaware of any tension emerging from that sect, and I believe that he spoke sincerely. He was also unaware of any unusual tensions emerging from the core of the House, which means that the vision remains something of a mystery. Radeuc did reveal that he has an offer from Primus Bjornaer for the Myanarans to join that House in the future if there is great trouble within House Merinita, but I sensed that this was something of a fallback plan, rather than anything he intended to use in the near future. So, relieved to know that any split was not going to come from this quarter, yet still with a concern about the meaning of my vision, I returned to Severn Temple with Kai.]
Spring 1213 AD
The Council meeting was a brief affair. Cormoran announced that the Erechwydd had made him a gift of one of her minions, an ice goblin, in return for attending her midwinter feast. He announced, magnanimously, that he had decided not to “break it down for vis” and the creature now acts as his manservant. Given our previous discussions about how best to defend the covenant from attacks by Ieuan, Idolon noted that he had spent some time with Captain Gilbert formulating defensive plans, and he declared that he would present the Council with a full proposal by the end of the year. There were no other items of note discussed.
Midway through the season, a Magus Fuscus visited the covenant, having travelled from Iberia over the previous weeks. After a few days planning, he left with Cynfelyn and Cormoran to travel to the far north of Novgorod on House Flambeau business. The Magi spoke little of their intended mission, though I believe it is connected to a similar journey they made some years ago, which concerned rumours that an organisation of Norse magicians known to some as the Order of Odin might be turning their eyes southwards.
The rest of the season passed without further incident.
Summer
Marius returned from the English court a few days before the start of the season, bringing news of the mundane realm. The Pope had formally declared that King John had been deposed, and he invited any who wished to take the crown to do so. King Philip of France had begun to muster his forces for a possible invasion of England, and the Earl of York had withdrawn his support for John, with the clear implication that he might either assist the French or take advantage of the King’s weakness to launch his own bid for the throne. Marius indicated that John’s position was so tenuous that he had little option but to try to reach an accommodation with the Pope, presumably by acceding to many of his demands.
We also discussed our activities for the season. Marius returned to court to help John muster troops; Idolon was tasked with investigating the towns in the south of the Dean for any signs of infernal activity; Fabius created an item to ward the noxious fumes that make recovery of vis from the Ignem site hazardous; and Cormoran and I spent time on our studies.
[Tiarnan’s private journal: Early in the season, I spoke briefly with Archimagus Radeuc using the bowl enchanted with Haunt of the Living Ghost. I was deliberately vague about the reasons for contacting him, as I wanted to discuss my vision of the split in House Merinita with him face to face, but we agreed that I would journey to Crannagh Tomb in early winter to pursue the matter.]
Shortly before midsummer, Fabius, Idolon and I made the journey north to Blackthorn for the Tribunal meeting. There was a market held before the meeting proper, and I was able to exchange some vis with the newly arrived Magus Laurius of Flambeau, who had recently been appointed to act as a Hoplite to Quaesitor Faelon of Holy Isle. He is, I believe, the first member of that covenant who is not a member of House Ex Miscellanea, though whether this shows that Prima Amanita has relaxed her grip on the covenant or represents some deal between Amanita and Laurius’ pater, Primus Motus, is unclear. I do not know whether my sodales also took advantage of the market, though I spied Idolon in discussion with Ildanach of Trevalga, which suggests that some sort of trade for iron goods may have been on the cards.
The Tribunal meeting itself began with the election of a new Praeca following Ponrius’ recent passing. The election was a curious affair that was heavily influenced by political dealmaking and intimidation. The two eldest candidates, Prima Amanita and Archimagus Jolyon had reached an agreement that neither would stand, presumably to avoid splitting the Ex Miscellanean vote and also because the election of their rival would significantly limit their influence over the direction of the Tribunal. Ten of the next thirteen candidates followed their lead, either because they genuinely had no interest in the post or under unspoken direction from Amanita that standing would damage their status within the House. In the end, three willing candidates stepped forward: Lorrimer of Merinita, Moravius of Verditius and Edith of Ex Miscellanea.
Each gave a short speech outlining how they would carry out their role. Lorrimer stated that one of the chief duties of the Praeco was to hold back the Dominion within the Tribunal and protect faerie and magical places from its corrosive influence. He also noted that, if elected, he would encourage open debate on all issues, reversing Ponrius’ previous approach whereby the Praeco could essentially veto proposals before they had been heard by the floor. Moravius stressed that he would act in a neutral manner, for he had no desire to meddle in politics. If elected, he declared that he would promote markets and announcement of trade opportunities, and he would judge all matters even handedly. The solemnity of his speech was somewhat shattered by a crack about whether such an approach would really survive his fondness for vis; I hesitate to accuse my sodales Fabius of being behind such an interruption, though it was clear that he approved of the sentiment. Finally, Edith gave by far the most inflammatory of the speeches, declaring that the greatest threat to the Tribunal came from within, not without, the Order. She argued that House Ex Miscellanea had suffered greatly at the hands of other Houses, and that it was only right that Ex Miscellanea now took charge of the Tribunal. She was most strident in her language, implying that Stonehenge belonged to Ex Miscellanea and other Magi were merely guests.
There was a brief pause before votes were tallied, but it was clear from the makeup of the room that Edith stood a strong chance of success. I noticed several members of Ex Miscellanea from outside covenants who had not attended previous Tribunal meetings, and I learned later that Amanita had pushed strongly for all such Magi to attend. In the end, Edith received almost all of the Ex Miscellanean sigils plus those from a few others, and she carried the day with 26 total votes, compared with 12 for Moravius and 8 for Lorrimer.
Edith’s first action as Praeca was to declare that established covenants had for too long hoarded the best vis sites, preventing those from outside covenants from gaining access. She said that she planned to reverse this unfair practice, and she put a choice before the Tribunal: either covenants could voluntarily give up an unknown amount of their vis sites, which would be distributed amongst those from outside covenants, or she would levy a heavy tithe on covenants, with those deemed to be rich paying more than those less well off. Her proposal caused much consternation, for Edith made little secret that those covenants that displeased her, presumably by having the temerity to be either rich or Latin, would bear the brunt of the tax, but Serenea confirmed that Edith’s actions were legal, even if they were partisan. After much grumbling from the floor, a vote was taken, and the option of a tithe was chosen. Edith declared that there would be an audit of all covenants’ vis sites before the next Tribunal meeting, at which time she would levy the tithe. Contested vis sites would count half as much as uncontested sites when tallying income, and vis arising from Magi themselves would be factored into the calculation. This last matter caused Idolon no little consternation, and he threatened to take the issue to the Grand Tribunal if necessary. I would be surprised if an academic point of principle would have provoked such an outburst, which suggests that he has some skin in this particular game.
Edith’s second (and, thankfully, final) action as Praeca was to propose that the position of Praefecta be abolished on the basis that any of the tasks assigned to the Praefecta could be handled by Holy isle or the Tribunal, depending on their nature. I was somewhat conflicted here, for I have voted against the position in the past, yet I have seen that a motivated Praefecta can be a considerable force for good, and I believe that Kira should be given the chance to show how she could carry out her duties. I also suspect Edith’s actions were prompted by the fact that Praefecta was one of the few positions of authority in the Tribunal not held by a member of Ex Miscellanea. The vote was carried, with the Ex Miscellanean votes once again proving the deciding factor. Moravius attempted to call a vote of no confidence in the Praeca, but Serenea informed him that he did not have the authority to do so; in any event, such a motion would almost certainly have been defeated.
With Edith’s work done, she turned the meeting over to reports from each of the covenants. Borri-tor provided news of potential uprisings against King John amongst the Scots and Yorkists, though it had not yet come to open war. Cad Gadu announced that any members of House Ex Miscellanea were invited to use their libraries at no cost, though members of other Houses would be expected to pay for the privilege. Carrion Moor provided news of infernal and Christian sects operating in the south of England. Holy Isle announced that they had been tracking a ship believed to be used by the Unnamed House along the coasts of Hibernia, Loch Leglean and the south of Stonehenge. They also announced that two members of the Unnamed House - the one we know as Zekiel and also another with the sigil of an oily sheen on stone who is believed to be skilled in Terram magic - were operating in Wales, possibly in concert with Ieuan. At that point, Kira stood up and declared that, as she was no longer Praefecta, she felt in right that she should share some of the information that she had been privy to in that role with the wider Tribunal. She began to describe some of the activities of the Unnamed House, including the possibility that information had been passed to them from within the Order, but she was soon drowned out by Faelon and Serenea. She was escorted from the hall, and I understand that she will be subject to some form of legal charge. Lear Valley then announced that Edith would leave to take up her seat at Blackthorn. Narwold had nothing to raise. Scarfell asked Magi who were willing to share trade connections in western ports with them to do so, for they were struggling financially. For Severn Temple, I provided news of the defeat of the infernalists in Gloucester and our suspicions that Bristol was the source of their power. Finally, Trevalga indicated that House Jerbiton had become concerned about the increasing power of monastic zealots given the waxing power of the Pope, and they asked all to be wary of knights bearing red or white crosses.
With that, the Tribunal ended, and we made our way south to Severn Temple.
Autumn
Cormoran, Cynfelyn and Marius returned shortly before the Council meeting, and so we met as a full group on the first day of the season. I recounted the events of the Tribunal meeting, and we decided that Comoran should approach Edith informally during the year to try to ascertain more about her plans for the tithe and her attitude to Severn Temple. Cormoran admitted some sympathies with Edith’s position, so we hope that she may take him into her confidence on the matter.
Cynfelyn and Cormoran did not speak at length about their journey to Novgorod, though they indicated that they had found evidence to support the rumour that the Order of Odin had become more active.
Idolon explained that he had discovered signs of activity by the Black Knives in many of the towns and villages in the South Dean, notably Berkley, Stone and Hawksbury. In addition, he had encountered two spirits set to watch the crossroads at Berkley and Stone, presumably to carry news to their infernal masters. Marius mentioned that he had given orders for the leader of the Black Knives in Hawksbury, a man named Mark, to be arrested, though the brigand had somehow learned of the matter and fled before he could be clapped in chains. We resolved to follow up on Idolon’s discoveries next year, though taking account of Kira’s warning about the potential dangers associated with the cult.
Early in the season, Alannus arrived with news from across the Order. He confirmed Marius’ news about the quarrel between King and Pope, though he noted that the threat of invasion from the French had lifted for this year at least. On a different note, at the House Bonisagus meeting earlier in the year, Maga Punicia had been executed and her research impounded after it was discovered that she had inadvertently summoned several demons by accident in an effort to find out why Hermetic Intellego magic is of so little use against them. Alannus also brought us news that Quaesitor Ludovidicus had been appointed by Edith to conduct the audit of our vis sites. He would visit us next summer, and we agreed that I would prepare suitable accounts, which Fabius would then present to the Quaesitor as I would be away that season.
The final item of note that season is that Magus Laurius of Holy Isle visited Cynfelyn, presumably to discuss his perceptions of the threats facing the Tribunal. The two Magi appeared to get on well, which bodes well given that they both serve as permanent Hoplites.
Winter
We held a short Council meeting before conducting the ritual of the Aegis of the Hearth. Marius informed us that King John had met with the Pope’s legate in an attempt to have the interdict placed on his kingdom lifted. John has apparently offered to recognise Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury and provide free movement for monastic cults within his kingdom. The legate has returned to Rome with the offer, and Marius thought the Pope would be minded to accept, as John’s ally, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto, has secured his throne, which makes an invasion from France less likely. We discussed our activities for the season, with all save Cormoran conducting laboratory work. For his part, the giant was tasked with visiting several of the vis sites in the faerie regio that we believed had been lost to ascertain whether they remained unproductive. There were no other items of note that season.
[Tiarnan’s private journal: Kai and I made our way to Crannagh Tomb to speak with Radeuc. I told him of my vision regarding the House, and I speculated that one possible source of division might be those who follow Myanar’s teachings. He claimed to be unaware of any tension emerging from that sect, and I believe that he spoke sincerely. He was also unaware of any unusual tensions emerging from the core of the House, which means that the vision remains something of a mystery. Radeuc did reveal that he has an offer from Primus Bjornaer for the Myanarans to join that House in the future if there is great trouble within House Merinita, but I sensed that this was something of a fallback plan, rather than anything he intended to use in the near future. So, relieved to know that any split was not going to come from this quarter, yet still with a concern about the meaning of my vision, I returned to Severn Temple with Kai.]