((If jebrick is saying Korvin basically repeated everything in that thread, you know whatever he knew in that thread. With the correction regarding Poena and House Tremere, everything is pretty much as you summed up.))
"Unless you are eager for death and wish to leave the rest of us diminished by your loss, we must bide our time," Laetitia cautions softly, placing a hand on Alexei's arm. "Valerian struck down Apollodorus, who was far more learned and powerful than all of us combined. It will take time and planning."
[color=blue]"I am going to Apollodorus's sanctum," Fiona says as she turns for the door, [color=blue]"if anyone would care to help look for the instructions that he left for us."
((I'm presuming that Fiona doesn't wait and just does what she's saying. Fiona probably has a newly found sense of confidence after her experience, and yes, she's still shimmering to those who look at her. I'll also presume that you sent a page for Renault.))
Fiona makes her way to Apollodorus' suite and moves through his studio directly into his sanctum. Upon the floor is the body of Regulus, and even after a week he appears remarkably preserved. The sanctum appears to be little more than living quarters, with bookshelves, a small writing desk and a display case containing the glowing book. Renault enters Apollodorus quarters. Renault had been keeping out of sight. When he arrives, he now looks to be in his 80s and despite his age he moves quite briskly. "My lord magi and magae if you'll allow me to assist you, I can find what you request and answer any of your questions." His voice is just as firm as it always has been, despite coming out of what appears to be a much older body.
Yep, pretty much.
Fiona feels a shock of grief as she sees Regulus laying there, and feels like he should be given a burial of some kind.
Fiona looks at the glowing book closely but doesn't yet touch it. I wonder if this is the book that he said was not for Tremere?
((Renault, I had assumed, looked to be in his 40s, before, am I right?))
[color=blue]"How are you doing, Renault?"
After his answer, she goes on. [color=blue]"Apollodorus said that he had left some instructions in his sanctum."
Renault appeared to be mid to late 30s before. I'd left his appearance largely undefined before now, I believe, but he'd been with Apollodorus for a long time. The change in appearance gives the magi an indication of just how long.
"I'm well enough for a dying man. I have, I expect, no more than a fortnight left in me before my time is up. Apollodorus warned me of what was to come, so I have most of my personal matters attended to, and am wrapping up my business with the covenant's books and handing it off to another capable steward[1]."
"That book," he says, indicating the one in the display case that is glowing, "is enchanted such that it may not leave the aura. It is master Apollodorus magnum opus on the Art of Rego, far surpassing anything in quality or depth of knowledge that has existed to date within your Order. " Renault moves to the writing desk and opens it and pulls out a scroll, "Here is Apollodorus will, copies to be sent to Maris, and the Greater and Lesser Secundus of House Jerbiton. I believe the maga Laetitia has another copy in her possession." At this he indicates Laetitia ((who I'm presuming follows Fiona)) who is standing outside Apollodorus' sanctum, in the studio. Despite all of her efforts Laetitia is unable to proceed within his sanctum, though others have been able to do so.
[1] Someone is free to design a capable steward here, if they should be interested in stories of commerce, grog handling, etc. Otherwise, he'll be a background character.
Alexei pulls his arm back in anger at Laetitia's touch, the sudden move is almost violent. It's obvious he hears her words but it takes a few seconds before he can finally process them. His hands cease to shake and he finally heaves a big sigh.
"I'm sorry for my outburst and I'm sorry I did not do a better job protecting this covenant. Now it seems we have more than the Covenant to protect, we have to avenge our fallen Covenmates and...and...the assasination of my Primus and the others, and more still, we need to protect the Order itself." he sighs again and then follows Fiona to Apollodorus's sanctum. He talks to Korvin along the way.
"What do you know of Garus's death? Was it the same night as Apollodorus? How was he killed? Did anyone in the MIlites give you a message for me?" he asks quietly. "I can't understand why I haven't been summoned! Where is the Herald?" he aks more himself than Korvin.
Agreed, says Isen, somber.
They could have denied his accusations. There's always the hope to silence him, or for a lesser penalty. But now, they've made ennemies with 3 houses, 2 of them the more militant and dangerous houses of the order. Sure, a good first strike is crippling, but any surviving Flambeau could prove a formidable adversary on his own, and I don't think the Tremere's organisation isn't already prepared for this kind of thing.
This was a most foolish and panicky move, unless we're missing something. But it is surely one they're gonna pay in blood.
He doesn't care about one magi or another being killed. Individuals are not important in a war, only the ideals and armies are. And this is what the guernici tried to destroy.
We need to regroup. They struck by treachery, but we mustn't let them press their advantage. We must inform every house of whatever happened, so that they are ready to defend themselves. And then, we strike back, and we strike hard.
Nods.
Spoken wisely, indeed. Our anger must be guided by our intellect and wisdom, not the reverse.
Well, since it was on his "to-do" list, Isen will follow her, quite puzzled by her strange glow, but putting interrogations to a later date.
(Am I the only one with buggy forum reply windows?)
Ok. It's official: Isen is salivating.
He has 3 main interests, all of which he has trouble pursuing his studies: Rego, Finesse, and Parma.
(Quite funny to see Alexei and Isen reactions, similar yet so very different. Thanks, Qcipher! 
)
When I arrived at Castra Solis, in what would have been no more than two or three hours after Apollodorus sent me on my journey, it was locked down. We were held in a guard post about a mile from the Covenant proper. Lucius told me of the assassination. He said that some of there men were missing and the assassins were lying in wait. He said something about them been with them for many years but now they are gone.
When Reynault sees the magi's eyes light up. He adds, "There is a slight wrinkle to all of this. Master Apollodorus did almost all of his writing in Ancient Greek. All of the tomes penned by his hand here in his sanctum are in Greek. There are a few translations of works he did as Xenophon he translated to Latin himself, these are in the covenant's common library. These are less controversial works on the times of the Schism. He pulls out a chair and sits, catching his breath, it's almost as if one can literally see him wasting away. "As some of you may have noticed, Laetitia is unable to enter Apollodorus sanctum, I believe I can explain the how to some extent. He has warded this room against entry by any member of House Guernicus." At this, the magi will note the circular nature of the room, and then at the threshold and along the perimeter of the room there is a band of gold encircling the room.
((Taking color out of this, because this is quite a bit of text to read, and red on yellow isn't the best for the eyes.))
"Apollodorus wasn't afraid of dying, but he was afraid of the light of truth being snuffed out as House Guernicus has done in the past. Xenophon was a student of the Schism, but as Apollodorus, he became a student of the House as a whole. He thought it odd that the judges of the order attempted to snuff out evidence, as it would be a useful tool in teaching others what not to do. He thought it odd that the House always seemed to be part of all the troubles of the Order. The only true crisis the Order faced was the creation of the Ordo Miscellanea, it was the only crisis that didn't involve House Guernicus in some way. Consider the alleged Domination of Tremere and the Sundering, Apollodorus has evidence that this was largely manufactured, while it is true that Tremere had developed an extensive network of allies, it wasn't due to certamen.
"No, think about it. The manufactured history of the Sundering was that Tremere used Certamen to goad and secure himself as an overlord of the Order. What was really happening was a massive expansion of the Order into unclaimed lands and House Diedne and Tremere were extremely competitive in the process. House Guernicus elected to side with House Diedne, because they felt House Tremere was too well organized and the added strength from new covenant sights would make them too powerful and the Sundering and Domination of Tremere was allegedly exposed. For a time this satisfied House Guernicus, then the Corruption of House Tytalus occurred, but that really occurred as a response to the Duresca scrolls that surfaced. Again, this was largely manufactured by House Guernicus to cement their hold on the Order and as a distraction to their ultimate goal. Next there was the Schism war, which is when the enmity between House Tremere and House Diedne blew up into a war between both Houses. House Tytalus had been weekend from the previous Corruption, House Diedne had grown too powerful for House Guernicus' control, and House Tremere decided to declare war, which suited House Guernicus's interests perfectly. The most powerful House in the Order was destroyed, no one really trusts the Tremere, and no other House is well enough organized for conflict and war. Forgive me, my lord Magi of House Flambeau, but your House isn't well enough organized to conduct a war, individual battle, yes, but war no. With no one willing or able to conduct a war, House Guernicus has been slowly tightening its grip, building their forces and consolidating power. When my master assumed a new identity he began working quietly against that. He focused on House Jerbiton, quietly organizing it, he became close with Garus and was instrumental in getting him elected Primus of House Flambeau. He encouraged Murion to begin organizing her House and preparing for trouble. He was unsure of the role of House Mercere, as they are close with House Guernicus, money and politics go hand in hand. A peaceful Order is necessary for the long term survival of House Mercere."
The entire time that Renault is speaking, Fiona is half-distracted by the fact that he's almost visibly fading away, and she's wondering whether there was some kind of magic binding his life with Apollodorus. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was almost like watching a familiar who's partner had died.
At this, Fiona regards Renault with a definite "Excuse me?" expression...doesn't even bother to hide her chagrin at her House joining the Order being termed a "crisis."
As the story goes on, Fiona becomes more and more incredulous. Shaking her head in disbelief. [color=blue]"This is impossible. If what you say is true...if Guernicus has manipulated the rest of the Order into destroying, or crippling, the Houses that they saw as a threat to their plans, if they've started waging war on the rest of the Order to try to conceal what Apollodorus learned? We're doomed. It would be almost impossible for the Order to continue."
She shambles over to where Laetitia stands and looks down on her, a confused, almost pleading look on her face. [color=blue]"Do you know anything of this, sodalis? Could this be true?"
He was correct. There seems to be at least two branches of my House and perhaps three. I will have to try and learn of those that support the Order and those that support Guernicus.
"I-- We-- well, yes. A few years ago, my father told me the Order would soon face a great threat-- he implied the Order of Odin, but he is skillful at speaking deliberately misleading truths. He taught me a ritual involving a human sacrifice, which places a horrible curse upon an organization the victim belongs to. The fate of the lost Diedne representative at that fateful, historical tribunal. The fate that would have been mine, had Moebius not rescued me."
"But no, we are not doomed. Their power lies in the faith the rest of the Order places in them. To remove their power, we need only stay alive long enough to quietly undermine the respect they command throughout the Order. Key phrase there being the 'stay alive' bit, easier said than done." Laetitia is speaking disjointedly, and has a haggard appearance. She looks to have aged a few years in the last week-- which is noticable, because she looked about 19 last they parted.
"There can be peace of freedom or peace of the sword. I think some of your brothers may be comfortable with a peace enforced by the sword. The strength of your House is commercial, and is has never exercised political might, so it believes it has none. This is a mistake you should endeavor to fix."
"It might interest you to know, Laetitia, that Apollodorus found a ritual of a similar source to the ones your House has been rumored to keep. It is the foundation on which the ward that prevents you from entering exists, he redesigned it to operate under current Hermetic Theory. He put it in place not long ago. Last summer, when Murion and Andru were here, and Valerian was nosing about. They along with Garus, who arrived unannounced, all acted together to fashion this ward. It prevents any member of House Guernicus from entering this room, and has withstood even Valerian's vaunted magic, as he attempted to destroy or pass the ward. I think he blew out the parapet in frustration."
Fiona leans against the wall and slides to a seat as she tries to process everything that she's just learned. At least when Apollodorus died, she had time away to deal...and she did have something to help take her mind off of it for a while.
[color=blue]"Was I gone so long," she says, her voice little more than a whisper, [color=blue]"that our world could have fallen apart so completely?" (ooc – she still has no idea how long she's been gone. She knows how much time passed where she was, but not here, and as near as I can tell, nobody's answered that question yet.))
[color=blue]"Reynault...have you found anything else that Apollodorus left for us?"
[color=blue]"To what end? Who would have been destroyed with your sacrifice?
"Oh...and the Diedne are not completely lost."
Alexei shakes his head at Laetitia's suggestion. "No, I disagree, war was declared. The conspirators in Guernicus are now consolidating their strengths even further. Their main enemy is dead, but they know this was overall a failure, thus we should not wait." he holds his hand up and begins counting off on his fingers. "Garus is slain, but the Milites are alive and will organize. That was their fear of Garus, that he could turn the prideful warrior Princes that the Flambeau are often accused of being into a cohesive force. The Mercere are hurt but not dead, and treachery was revealed to some of their members, they will get the word out, it is our duty to make sure it is the right word. I don't know the status of the Tremere, but they are no doubt still intact. Most likely Guernicus will do to them what they did to Tytalus and Diedne; destroy their reputation and turn the Order against them, they..." he turns to Laetitia.
"Wait, this Ritual you mentioned. The one to attack an Order, it involves the sacrifice of one of that Order? How is it conducted? Did they cast the Ritual on the Tremere with the assasination of Apollodorus?!"
"All of Apollodorus' research and writings are in this room. It hasn't been cataloged, for reasons I'm sure you can understand. There is one wrinkle to all of these. Most everything important or that Apollodorus thought would be considered dangerous by Quaesitores, including that book on the Art of Rego is written in ancient Greek. It was thought that I might have time to instruct someone in ancient Greek, but it appears that is one thing that Apollodorus miscalculated."
Reynault answers Fiona's question about how long she's been gone, "You've been gone about a week Fiona."
Staring Alexei down as if he were an equal, "Master Alexei is correct to some extent, they are consolidating their power. In some ways the discovery of Xenophon being alive was a bit of a surprise. While Apollodorus knew the day was coming and had a good idea when that day was coming, House Guernicus as a whole did not. He predicted that they would act rashly. If you'll take my counsel, it would be foolish to attack House Guernicus openly, even if you feel they did start a war. It will play precisely into their hands and they will begin laying out a case for all of your crimes, and if you don't believe they aren't capable of manufacturing them against each one of you, then you haven't been listening to what I have been saying. Yes, a war has been started, but really neither side is ready for a battle. If someone goes off all hot-headed and tries to attack, expect that to be used viciously against you at your trial and everything you hold to be valuable will be laid to waste before you as you're hunted down like a dog. There is a reason why Lucius was chosen to be a lieutenant of Garus. It is precisely to prevent the warrior Princes from going off on a spree of revenge. In due time a call will go out for a new Primus of House Flambeau. Lucius will have a challenger, and he will not be friendly to your cause or continuing Garus' mission, and you can guess who his real benefactors will be."