Oh-- I had mis-read that.
Well, if the catalog is an Arcane Connection to the books then vice versa. Though at the point the books became warded he likely destroyed the catalog to avoid being followed that way.
He stole a book on spell mastery, granting several mastery abilities typically associated with the Cult of Mercury. In addition to the book on Rego, he stole a couple of primers, sufficient to bring one's arts from 0 to 5. There were also books on Philosophae and Artes Liberales taken, tractatus, not summae. However, the book on Parma Magica had been borrowed extensively by Duncan as Faileas during the last year, about 6 months. It's a L5Q10 Book, a not insignificant work.
So we do or do not still have any books that are linked to the catalog? He's probably destroyed it by now but we still have to try.
After she's recovered, Laetitia will cast Sight of the Molting Magus to find any Corpus material in the false Faileas' sanctum, and collect everything it picks up. She'll try to separate out whatever hairs look like they belong to Fiona, hand them to Fiona, and ask her to cast a Perdo Corpus on herself at Arcane Connection range specifically to destroy only those hairs belonging to her (wait, that CAN work backwards, right? If I'm on crack then ignore that). She'll take whatever AC's she finds that don't seem to belong to Fiona, go outside of the nasty room, and fatigue herself to spont "The Whole From the Part" (looking for an InCo of 20; CT is 21+12+1+7+aura, = 41+aura, halved is ostensibly sufficient to cast the spell. The description states that it doesn't need to penetrate the real subject's MR because the spell probes only the physical object of the arcane connection itself, so she should get a mental image of "the essential nature" of whomever the AC belongs to).
This course of action is ill-advised. Iterating through different ACs until one is found that hits is going to take hours, of casting and then waiting. Starting with a book, which would be an AC to the catalog (I believe connections go both ways), though yields nothing...
I do not recommend iterating through as it is quite likely that Laetitia will eventually botch. Such a botch is likely to be Real Badsize=50[/size].
An awareness check taken on the players behalf suggests that this individual had over a year to plan, since Faileas had his alleged lab accident, it is likely he was able to plan multiple contingencies once he acquired his last piece of information. Taking books and items from the lab was just gravy.
Incidentally, no one has really done a careful assessment of the lab, except for casting magic in it, repeatedly... Since everyone will now be interested, the lab is configured for teaching, with a prominent desk, and a large chair where the instructor would reside. The chair is covered with a heavy layer of dust. The desk looks recently and heavily used.
It shouldn't be that big of a risk with -2 to botch dice and casting outside the room to avoid the possibility of a pocket infernal aura.
Regardless, I'm still waiting on the spell information Laetitia got earlier from Impression of the Faded Sigil:
"If more than one effect trace is present on the touched object, the magus can identify one per casting" (and it's Mastered at 2 and with a gold cord score of 2, so -4 botch dice down to 0). "In the case of Hermetic effects, this spell gives the Technique and Form, the rough details of the effect, and the casting sigil of the wizard responsible. It can also detect if a Hermetic effect was generated by a spell or invested device. If the effect was non-Hermetic, similar information is provided, but a Quaesitor without knowledge of that sort of magic may not be able to interpret it."
To clarify, immediately after having cast Restore the Faded Threads, she would have used Impression of the Faded Sigil, however many times was necessary to identify the effects that had been cast on all the concentric circles.
I think I basically did that, and extrapolated out multiple castings... Which is how you came across the faint infernal taint on three spells, you can reasonably link those three spells to Wizard's Communion spells used to ward Fiona into the summoning circle.
So TeFo information is three castings of MuVi, consistent with a Wizard's Communion the other Laetitia can't determine, as she has no infernal knowledge... Might've been a summoning of some sort, but can't be certain.
She'd do it three more times to get information on the spell effects generated by the Wizard's Communions.
No need Ion and Drystan will tell you they communed to ward Fiona because of her lycanthropy scare. Their traces as well as Fiona's are there. Fiona also has a MuTe trace where she broke the summoning circle, and the wards.
Laetitia has enough information to file a report. I'm hand waving that you can suss out the events as they've transpired in the thread and are able to portray them accurately in a report to the presiding Quaesitor.
She can also confirm with Luna, from Blackthorn, the Lycanthrope Fiona engaged in certamen with at the Normandy tournament, that Luna did not change at the full moon this past month. This corroborates Fiona's concern that she had somehow traded supernatural energies with her opponent.
Laetitia's apprenticeship was at Blackthorn (and her Hermetic and vulgar pater still lives there). Does she know Luna?
Not personally, but she knows of her. She is exceedingly careful with her condition, and hasnt kept it hidden.
She is concerned that "Duncan" may have had accomplices. She will probe the nature of the spells (TeFo and spell effect) generated by the Wizard's Communions.
Also, was there a Hermetic sigil attached to the spell effect on the outermost ring, the one whose effects she couldn't interpret?
The spells were are wards, ReAn, ReCo and ReVi, done by Drystan and Ion. Ion did the Co and Vi wards, while Drystan did the An ward. Communing was necessary to overcome form resistance bonuses Fiona possesses. They neglected a ReHe ward which allowed her to use her talisman, and the ReVi ward was the weakest of the three.
Ther Hermetic sigil was probably the smell of Brimstone. It might be Hermetic or something else.
Has Laetitia previously found "magical signatures" for creatures with Might? Or only Hermetic magi?
What was the effect of the ReVi ward? Was it intended to block spells that came from within, or to keep creatures with Infernal might within, or something else entirely?
I'll let Fiona explain...
[color=blue]"It was to interfere with any lingering bonds between me and Luna. And, considering that I did not change at the full moon like we thought I would, it seems like it might have worked."
Is that explanation consistent with the InVi?
Yes.
Laetitia can conduct whatever tests she likes, and unless I see Fiona offer up an obvious falsehood I won't interject. If I see her make what I consider to be a mistake, I'll PM Peregrine and have him correct it IC. Barring a wrap up, a return trip home, I consider this story to be in the epilogue. Neither Laetitia or Fiona will be required to stay until Tribunal. They may certainly do so, if they want to get into any other Trouble, but it won't be exciting, as I, as SG, have no desire to operate another Tribunal so soon.
OK. L drafts and signs an affidavit detailing all her findings, and testifies that the magi of Insula Canaria cooperated fully with her investigation. She makes two copies of the affidavit, sending one to Magvillus and the other to the local Redcaps. She promises Drystan that she will represent them if necessary, "...but if you send for me, please send an arcane connection this time."
She turns over the original affidavit and all the Arcane Connections she collected from Faileas' sanctum to the local Quaesitores.