Tandaline smiles at the young magi's eagerness. She points to a large hill south of the river and southeast of the town, "The cavern is under that hill, which is one of the higest in the area. Although it is a bit less than a mile from town by flight, it takes quite a bit longer to reach by foot. The northwest side of the hill is very steep, with an impressive rock cliff facing the town. The base of the hill is wooded, the top more sparsely so."
"To reach the top, where the cavern's entrance is located, one has to go around the hill, either north-northeast where the land slopes more slowly, or from the south-southwest following a stream. Speaking of stream, there are several small ones flowing down to the river in the area. There are fields all along the river's valley, but when you move away from the river you soon reach forested land."
"I don't know much about the monastery. It is named Banz, the monks are benedictines and take only members of the nobility."
"A few days at least," replies Tandaline. "I still have to secure a suitable transportation device for three or four of us. Plus see if I can get... well, someone who can investigate the matter of who can provide you use of the land. Let's say a week from now?"
Emericus is not going so on his free time he will try to spend some time with the Redcaps to get an understanding of the magi they might need to influence.
Borealis agrees readily, and will start preparing for a journey in a week's time. He makes sure his travelling boots don't have holes in, and that he has a warm enough blanket, and that he has some preserved food ready.
OOC: We'll see what spells Alice has ready. The plan had been for only a couple to go, so Alice would stay behind. However, she may be able to send something along with them for communication purposes and the like.
The next day, Morrigan and Emericus meet up in the eating hall. After a delicious breakfast of pastries, blackberry jam, cheese and ham, they make their way to the basement of the Tower of Trianoma, where the Mercer House if located. A young man with red hair and freckles greets them, a bit nervously perhaps, "My name of Sigmund. What can I do for you?"
Unsure if Sigmund is only a servant or a redcap, Morrigan "tests the water".
Good morning Sigmund, I'm Morrigan and this is my sodales Emericus. I'm new to the tribunal and I was wondering If one of the member of the Mercere House could spare some time to talk to us.
"Well, yes, of course sir. As I said, what can I do for you? If I am unable to help, I will try to find someone who can." The young man looks even flustered by the insinuation the he might not be a member, or too young to address their needs. It is then that Morrigan notices the pin he wears, showing the symbol of House Mercere. It is small, and was hidden in a fold of clothing when she and Emericus first addressed Sigmund.
I'm glad you're able to make time for us on such a short notice. Well, as I told You I'm new to the area and I'm planning a trip to an area we must explore.
Being such an experienced traveler and well aware of magi limitations when It comes to social interaction I was wondering If you'd have information to share about the area, It's located near Staffelstein, in the North East of Bamberg...
"Bamberg, you say? Hmmm... there are no covenant there, or close to there, correct? Hmmm... I also don't think we have much in the way of travel through the region. Let me check with a few of the others. Can you come back in a few hours?"
Indeed, the closest covenant would be Roznov, but It's quite far away. Have you ever visited the covenant ? Should anything dire happen they would be our closest allies. It's always nice to know how to contact them but of course I know you can't reveal anything sensitive.
about the delay Morrigan adds
Of course, thank you for your help. Take your time we won't be living before a few days anyway.
ooc : I don't know If Emeric wants to ask about the local magus before the redcap leaves though
"Yes, Roznov would be the closest, but it is under the territory covered by the Fengheld Mercer House. I don't think they go through Bamberg to reach Roznov. In any case, I think that unless you can fly, Durenmar is actually faster to reach from Bamberg than Roznov. The Bohemian forest isn't an easy one to cross. Quite hilly and rough, from what I've heard. Never been there myself, at least not yet."
"Oh, what kind of information are you looking for? Travel routes and such?"
"I see, what are the Covenants covered by this Mercer House ?
Nah, We're not really looking for traveling routes specifically, though It might be useful to know in the long run. We'll probably use magical transportation this time.
In the short term, any informations that would help us make the best of the trip : a decent place to stay for a few days and what to look for. We're considering a settlement there, so we're trying to evaluate locate ressources to be developed, so any clues could be valuable. It would lead to less aimless roaming, less chance to be mistaken for marauders, making the local Lord mad, behind noticed by the population or the Church...
In the long run we would also need to know who owns the land, what's the influence of the local monastery and of course any magical phenomenon to investigate."