1205 Summer - A Pilgrimage for Vis

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: The Heir of Laimunt Valley
22

Wolfgang nods, and speaks in whisper-soft Latin. "I can, but I don't think it's a good idea to start waving my hands around and speaking in Latin around these pilgrims." He looks around purposefully, pointing into the woods, and speaks a little louder, "Let me go and see to necessary business, I'll join you shortly."

He walks off into the woods, and actually does as he said he would, then wanders far enough so he won't be seen or heard, and casts a spell. He returns, quietly, and rejoins his companions. He nods at Marcus, and lets the other magus lead them into the cave.

InVi 10 Base 1 (sense vis) +4 sight +1 concentration (or sun if he rolls high enough to cast a 15th level spell)

Casting spontaneous InVi: 1D10+25 = [9]+25 = 34

23

There isn't any woods close by, but you can easily go back a few hundred meters and get away from prying eyes and ears.

After successfully casting with Sun duration you go back and navigate the people at the entrance. It's not so full that you can't enter, and they distance themselves a bit (with a frown) when you go inside. The cave is about 30 meters deep, but no one approaches the final 10 meters or so. The morning light barely illuminates it, and a few candles at the back help to illuminate the place.

Under this dim light you see a priest, maybe 160cm tall, a wide nose, a wide face. He is the one with the high pitch, and anyone with a some knowledge of the Holy Book (and Latin) recognizes that he is reading the Gospel of Luke, at the part when Gabriel appears before Mary.

At the end of the cave, a bit to the right of you, there is a stalagmite. Water drips slowly from it, and Wolfgang can see the shine of vis in each drop, and in the pound below.

The priest is besides the pool. A few feet to the left of him there is a young clerk, and a table with bread and what is likely a jug of wine.

Besides you there is an old man, 40 and some years, a strong smell in his clothes. He seems clearly displeased with Wolfgang's presence, but Marcus notes that once in a while he seems to give an annoyed look at the priest... This could be a mistake, however.

24

Wolfgang watches the sermon quietly, trying to disturb the crowd as little as he can. He doesn't want to do anything to give away the vis in front of all these people, so his plan is to just listen and wait.

[[I was going off the pic for the woods.]]

25

Marcus is also listening for a while to try and get an idea of what is going on

26

The mass goes on, and as far as you can tell it's pretty standard. As you observe, you notice that the people closer to the priest and the fountain are generally better dressed than the ones who are further back.

Wolfgang, after a few minutes you realize that the water flow has changed... no, not the flow itself, but the shine of vis on it. It's getting weaker with each minute, and you estimate that in no more than one hour it will have completely faded. This doesn't seem to have any relation with the sermon, and no one has gone nearby the pond in the mean time, not even the priest.

The pond itself is still shining as brightly as when you entered, and this has given no signal of subsiding. (I should add that due to your sigil the shine ripples through the water in regularly spaced, concentric circles.)

After a few more minutes the priest ends his sermon. Changing to German he starts talking about St. Colombe, who prayed to Mary for help on that same cave, on that same day, so many centuries ago, and had her faith rewarded. Judging by the movement of the surrounding people (almost all have made themselves more comfortable in some way) it looks like he is going to keep at this for a while.

27

[[Is there anything flammable in the cave, that's not attached to a person, besides the table?

Re the "strong smell in his clothes" just the smell of being unwashed? Or something specific?]]

28

If Marcus stood at the mouth of the cave and around the corner, could he touch it as a room target,without being in line of site of the parishioners?

29

Flammable things: There are some flower arrangements by the walls. Most of them to the end of the cave, a few close to the pool of vis/water (maybe one pace away). There are also some closer to you and the parishioners (some very close).

Smell: Not quite of unwashed clothes (they seem clean). More like entrenched in the fibers, the smell of human and animal sweat mixed together. Nothing new or uncommon, really, but this guy brings it up a notch.

Mouth of the cave: You can do that without being seem by anyone inside the cave, but now and them a few more people arrive. I'd say you would need to time it to a moment when no one is approaching from outside (an Awareness roll to notice). On a failure you are spotted by someone outside the cave that was approaching from a blind spot, on a botch someone inside the cave notices you.

30

Does what you said about the shine in the pool mean Wolfgang thinks the vis is still there, but in the pool instead of dripping? If so, he will just wait.

31

Marcus will head gesture to his companions to meet him outside of at all possible. Edwardo waits a moment and then leaves, as indicated. Marcus is waiting so they are not all leaving at once, but with a minute between people.

32

(Wolfgang is sure there is vis in the pool. There is some still dripping, but in diminishing quantities. In a general sense, in the beginning one pawn dripped with every gallon of water, now it's one pawn every 10 gallons, and Wolfgang gets the sense that soon there will be no more vis dripping (the numbers are just to exemplify).)

As soon as Edwardo moves, a young woman with a baby in her arms steps ahead, occupying the place he was in. She realizes that she is too close to you, and Marcus, you notice when she thinks of going back, hesitating. She takes a deep breath and stays, doing her best to ignore your presence. You can barely hear (and barely understand) as she prays, a few seconds later:

"Thank you Lord, this place, that man's heart, desire to leave. If will, allow we move closer."

33

Marcus will wander backwards as well, to the door of the cave and out of it. When he does so he has a quick conversation with Edwardo about his plan.

"I am going to convince them all to go worship in church. I need you to cover for me while I cast a spell"

Edwardo smiles at its nature and how it links in to their day, and nods. He has always enjoyed a bit of drama.

Edwardo stands in the cave mouth and starts going into a fake holy ecstacy, crying with happiness on his knees and shouting haleluja while throwing is hands up and praising God in Spanish.

Marcus uses this moment to slip round the corner of the mouth of the cave and cast a spontaneous spell, pulling out his golden thread for creo and his horn made into twine which stands for the gate of horn and mentem magic. Quickly weaving a shape of them, he hisses in pain and tries to place a thought in the minds of those in the cave

(Base 3, +1 touch, +2 room +1, duration as I can manage)

Creo 11+mentem 10+ magic aura (?) + Stamina (-2) he will spend a fatigue level to only half the total

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34

Unless I'm misunderstanding your intent with this spell, I think this would be Base 4 (put a thought or emotion in another's mind)? Marcus would know this, so if this somehow would change his decision, feel free to act accordingly. ^^

As for Edwardo's actions I think no one inside the cave will pay attention to you now, but I still need that awareness roll for you to see if there is anyone approaching from the outside. =]

I'll assume Base 4 didn't change your considerations and go ahead.

35

As Edwardo draws attention Marcus looks around and, after making sure there is no one around, tries to spont the spell. Unfortunately the magical energy he manages to muster is insufficient to make the people leave the cave. He grimaces due to the too familiar jolt of pain.

The priest briefly stops his sermon due to Edwardo's "ecstasy" and exhort the parishioners: "Look at this brother! How far has he traveled to reach us? And still the first thing he does when arriving is to fall on his knees and praise the Lord! Oh, Father, allow that us, your people, can have this same resilience. Come closer brother. Your faith is going to be rewarded."

He gestures for the clerk to go ahead and bring Edwardo further inside.

"Good people, as St. Colombe prayed, let us also pray to the Virgin Mary for her divine intercession and humbly approach the fountain. You may approach, but make way for our friend."

The people inside the cave quickly try to organize themselves. There is a silent struggle as they push and pull, trying to get closer, but it doesn't look like it will escalate into violence.

The clerk approaches Edwardo and helps him to his feet, talking in High German in a soothing tone, trying to guide him towards the priest. Edwardo tries to glance at you Marcus, unsure of what to do.

Wolfgang, you jump to your feet. Besides you, the young woman seems to have trouble going ahead with the baby in her arms, and you should have no trouble getting ahead of her and a few others - unless you intend to do something else. What do you do?

36

Wolfgang tries to get close to the fountain, but he's at a bit of a loss. He fears that repeated prayer will destroy the vis, but he doesn't know how to stop it. Desperate, knowing how short on vis the covenant is, he rushes forward, using his small size to get between people, and hoping that his gift will encourage them to get out of the way. As he rushes, he shouts, "I hear you, holy mother! I obey!" He rushes forward to the edge of the pool, drops to his knees, and begins praying

a consecration to Mary

"My Queen and my Mother, I give myself entirely to you; and to show my devotion to you, I consecrate to you this day my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, as I am your own, keep me, guard me, as your property and possession. Amen."

As the prayer ends, he waits a moment, kneeling in silent meditation, partly out of respect for his genuine faith, then he casts Mien of Helios, silent and still. His body suddenly glows, as bright as the sun, and he stands, erect, shouting, "To the church! She has instructed me, blessed me, we must go to the House of God, and give worship there!" He will try to lead the group away, if they are following him, back to the village and the church.

[Mien of Helios is a mastered formulaic spell, and he rolls 27 against 15, so assuming I don't need a roll, let me know if I do.]

37

People are clearly dissatisfied as Wolfgang advances, taking advantage both of the Gift pernicious effect and of his small frame. The people around you, closer to the pool are in general well dressed and well fed.

The priest approaches Wolfgang, but before he can tell anything the magus fall to his knees. The onlookers look gets even worse (one would say this isn't possible at all).

After a few moments Wolfgang shines with blinding light as he commands: "To the church! She has instructed me,..."

Everyone was looking at Wolfgang at that moment. Everyone.
The priest covers his eyes, screaming in pain, as many of the surrounding people. Most of the ones who were close were blinded by the sudden light, and the ones who weren't are confused and afraid.

Panic ensues. A few people start to flee the cave, passing by Marcus. On the way they push to the ground the clerk that was approaching Edwardo. Many people are still inside, but they are starting to mobilize towards the exit.

@Plot_Device I will need either a Charm or a Leadership roll to reassert these people that this is, indeed, a miracle, and to try to guide them to the church on peaceful terms...

Of course, you could further develop the chaos and try to profit from it (the milk is already spilled after all).

Or anything else.

38

Wolfgang vastly overestimated how easy it would be to sway people. He continues his original plan, to see if anyone at all will follow him.

got a 6 on Leadership before gift penalty

39

(TBH, if not for Mien of Helios being a blinding light it would have been easier.)

Despite trying his best, Wolfgang don't manage to lead the people. Instead, it is more as if he chases them away. The closest ones (the ones who can see, at least) turn around and flee as he gets closer. The ones blinded by the light try to make their way to the exit, with variable degrees of success.

Wolfgang and Marcus notice:

  • The clerk that was getting closer to Edwardo and fell to the ground as the first people to exit pushed him? He is about to be trampled by the other people exiting the cave. No way to tell how hurt he will get. He is closer to Edwardo and Marcus, but Wolfgang might also be able to do something.
  • The light from Mien of Helios doesn't illuminate the maiden with the baby (usually a sign that MoH failed to penetrate MR). She has retracted as far away from Wolgang as possible, with her back against the wall, and is praying with her eyes closed. Wolfgang catches words such as "protect us", "deliver us from evil", "by Your grace, save this child" among others, uttered in Low German. It doesn't look like she is going to move from there soon, but she isn't posing an obstacle either.

Wolfgang, with a look to the pool you ascertain that the vis is still there. As soon as the rest of the people who are fleeing leave the cave it should be a good moment to collect the water.

40

((really sorry.bmissed a reply and thought I was waiting on you and stopped getting notifications. My bad entirely))

41

Wolfgang tries to move so that the presence of his light, that's causing people to run, will drive people away from the fallen clerk instead of toward him.