Laetitia seems embarrassed. "Forgive me, I grew up among those for whom maintaining such a long-term deception would be a trivial matter."
"I think we should make it a priority to seek them out. Do any others have opinions on this?"
"...May I have some time to think about it?" she replies in a tiny voice.
[color=blue]"Of course. But remember...my house is your house. In more ways than one."
After Fiona reaffirms her offer of House membership, there is another earthquake, this one lasts for about a diameter.
Reynault appears pained, slightly embarrassed as he reveals a tidbit, "Ahh, there is the matter of Apollodorus final bequest, which it appears you'll find out about first. The chess game. The one with the gnomes? I'm sure you're familiar with it?" He says each sentence with a pause and a question, to make sure everyone understands what he's referring to, "It happens more frequently than Apollodorus originally informed you. He would often take himself down to the chess board and wait for them to be ready and begin play as soon as they were, so as to not cause an earthquake. He felt, justified to keep this from you, as this largess was essentially his before. The game occurs every season, not just in the spring, and the harvest is always the same amount. Please don't be too harsh in your judgment of him for keeping these things from you. Being controlling, ever since his accident as a young magus was his nature."
[color=blue]"I take it that they don't like to be kept waiting, do they? Well...unless anyone else would like to play, I'll go down and see how I fare."
So saying, unless anyone says anything, she will head down to the caverns. If nothing else, this will give her some time to try to wrap her head around everything that's going on. It feels to her like her whole world has come crashing down around her ears, and she finds herself starting to doubt everything she's ever been taught.
"There's no rush, you can conduct the rest of your meeting. They'll cause the ground to shake each day, around this time. The character of this quake was different from the one where you returned, Fiona. I'm going to retire to my quarters. I've said all that needs to be said. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask me, but don't wait too long." He gets up and leaves, returning to the manor house/mundane side.
((Any info Alexei might have on Lucius?))
"So you're saying that Lucius is working with the traitors in Guernicus? Did he help them kill Garus? I'm not counciling an immediate attack, as much as I want their blood. But we should attack sooner rather than later, they will strengthen their defenses, strengthen their case to make us look the traitor. We need the Milites, we need the Tremere, and we need the sterling reputation and loyal service that the Mercere have always shown. While we do need to look to our defense, I agree, but they have more to work with, the more time they have before reprisal works in their favor not ours. If we put them on the defensive they'll have to present such case that they have and we can press our case as we continue our attacks. We chip away at their advantage. I believe our first step is to consolidate with the Milites. They will want blood as much as I, but not have the...restraint I have. Nor are they privy to what we know." he folds his arms across his chest.
"We'll need an army...we may be able to get one."
((I'm trying to figure out how what I wrote would color Lucius as you wrote. I thought I was quite clear that whomever opposed Lucius for the role of Primus was probably a Guernicus puppet.))
"You would march off to war, when the law, not to mention public opinion, is on their side? You propose suicide Alexei-- for your entire House, not just your own.
"Valerian cannot be charged with murder. This is the Inner Council we are dealing with; it would have been a very simple matter for them to have declared a Wizard's March before setting Valerian off. As he was only carrying out his duties as Chief Hoplite, he cannot be held accountable for Apollodorus' murder.
"We cannot argue that the Wizard's March was unjustified, because they can and will produce any amount of manufactured "evidence" they wish.
"There is only one thing we have on them-- Apollodorus' research into the Duresca Scrolls. They will do anything to keep that knowledge squelched. Anything. I suggest we employ scribes immediately and circulate copies around the entire Order. Once the House loses the respect it thusfar commands, they cannot abuse the law without further damaging their own position. Only then could we mount a military strike... I doubt any would like to see the same happen to Flambeau as befell Diedne.
"Meanwhile, I think we should mount an expedition into the regio to try and find the Diedne, and win them to our cause."
((Woops! I have bad ears...while I read.)))
[color=blue]"But not scribes of the Order. As it stands now, I'm not sure who we can trust anymore. The one thing that we have working in our favour is that keeping the Duresca Scrolls hidden, keeping their agenda secret is more important to them than anything."
Fiona starts to pace as she thinks. [color=blue]"We might be able to use that against them, to buy us time. It's possible that in their fevered desire to keep their secrets hidden, they believe that Apollodorus, or Xenophon, would behave as they would. So, they may believe that we know nothing of his research. I don't know how long, or even if, we can play the innocent, though."
She stops and turns to look at Alexei and Jacques. [color=blue]"One thing I'm fairly certain of, though, is that we cannot survive a frontal assault. I hae no doubt that you are both formidable warriors, and that under normal circumstances the Milites would come to your aid at a moment's notice. But these are not normal circumstances...and do you honestly think that the Milites would be swayed to attack an entire House of the Order, based on the word of a handful of magi who knowingly built their covenant on the ruins of a powerful Diedne temple against the advice of the Quaesitores?"
She shakes her head sadly. [color=blue]"We must bide our time. We must," she smiles at Theraphosa, [color=blue]"weave our web, use it to encircle our foes, and wait for them to trap themselves."
[color=blue]"I hope that I will be able to access the Realm the same way I was able to last week, and that Iosephus did last year. And, once we're there, there's still the task of trying to find the Diedne. I'm assuming that they don't particularly want to be found, and I'm not sure that they would want to be bothered to help any part of the Order that tried to destroy them. I'm not saying we shouldn't try, mind you...but that there are going to be considerable obstacles no matter which course we take."
"Why play innocent then? Let them believe they have bought us... We will name demands-- self-serving ones, those are the kinds they best understand-- and they may feel that they have secured their interests here. I want Cavillor's job and a lab text for Sight of the Sigil, Alexei named as a Hoplite, an item for the transportation of large humans, someone to teach Korvin the secrets of Hermetic Alchemy... They think of people as chips that can be played or traded or bought. Let them think they have bought us. Let them believe our value less than it is."
"Fiona is right. Milites are by definition soldiers, and the defining characteristic of a soldier is not his bravery or valor, but his ability to follow orders. Alexei is but another soldier, while Valerian is their general."
"I will accompany you. I can prove that the betrayal they suffered came at Fenicil's hands, not Tremere's. I also seem to have a knack for finding things which wish to be left alone," she adds sadly.
Laetitia knows that public and prominent discussion of the Duresca scrolls is treated extremely harshly, with those discussing it getting a warning, and then getting charged with a crime, and the penalty will be immense, most likely being renounced.
Remember that the Primus of Bonisagus, Mercere, Jerbiton and Tremere all have copies of the work. I'm sure that Murion has seen that the other Primus will be informed in due time. I would guess that it will be an open secret that is known by many but not spoken about. May I recommend that we all look to our own Houses to make sure they have the knowledge and to try to strengthen them to resist Guernicus. It will not be easy but we do have vast resources if we can marshal them. Guernicus' political power is based on keeping the magus divided. Think of the votes that Mercere and Ex Miscellanea could sway if they would organize.
Alexei is shaking his head still. "I understand your intent, manipulating them, subtleties. I am not adverse to them, though I do have preferences. Setting those preferences aside, you say that they would be prepared to fight off a frontal assault, and we should try subtleties. How then? This is the House that has deceived the ENTIRE Order for centuries and manipulated the desttuction of one House, and the downfall of one House and the disgrace of another. Subtelties? In that we are truly outmatched. The frontal assault though...have they even been tested in this? This is not vain glorious talk. There is no castle that cannot fall with the proper application of force. I think they'll be far more prepared for subtelties than the attack, though I'm certainly not saying the attack would be easy. In the history of Magvillus, has it ever been attacked? Even during the Schism War?"
[color=blue]"We must reforge ourselves," Fiona says almost absently from the hall (where she still stands next to Laetitia).
Laetitia laughs. "Magvillus is the greatest stronghold in Europe, carved entirely of a single contiguous block of granite. It had never been attacked until Moebius tunnelled through from beneath, and collapsed a segment of the fortress. So, no, Alexei, they are far more prepared for direct frontal assault than they are for subtleties. indeed, they have been prepared for frontal assault so well, for so long, they think themselves..." her voice trails off, and she completes her sentence in a whisper: "invincible."
Her face clouds in thought. "Of course. Out best defense is that they believe themselves untouchable, invincible! Perhaps you should prepare a frontal assault, Alexei-- but as a feint. Let them repel your attack easily.
"I remember once, I lied to Valerian-- I was filing paperwork in secret, but I told him I was there to get his autograph on my copy of his magnum opus. I had no reason to be there, and less reason to look for him there, yet he asked no further questions, signed my book on its title page, and let me go on my way. Do you see? The best lie is not the most plausible one, but the lie your audience most wants to believe." She speaks excitedly now. "It's like flirting with someone who knows quite well that you're out of his league-- he wants it to be true so badly that he buys it, even though he knows better. Alexei, if you attack Confluensis, and take a small force, not representative of our full strength... Let them repel your attack. Let Valerian think he has broken us. Most importantly-- let him believe we see this as a matter only of personal vedetta between the two of you, man to man. Let him believe we are too weak and too short-sighted to pose any real threat to the House."
The power of House Guernicus is not military but political. Why do you not think that the other Houses that know do not rise and declare a war on them like they did with House Diedne? Even that war did not happen over night. There were many meetings and Tribunals that took place before the hostilities really began. Once you get to a Tribunal then you go right into their power base. I would weaken that power base by strengthening our Houses.
Alexei, if you were to attack them without approve from your own House. Without the backing of most of the other Houses. We would have to denounce you to survive. Your House would have to denounce you and hunt you down. Because if you do not cripple Guernicus politically they will turn the rest of the order against anyone who is deemed a threat to them.
I know you are a man of action but right now your actions must appear to be not against them. For now we must ignore them because they are looking at us very hard right now to see if we will rise up and threaten them. If i may be so bold Alexei, your first action is to rally support for Lucius. It is paramount that he becomes the next Primus of your House. Because we know that if it is not him than it will be a lackey of Guernicus.
This is why I say to strength our own Houses first. It works against Guernicus but indirectly so it might not be noticed.
"I have had... some passing friendliness with Proctor's filius, Aristarchus. He is a Traditionalist, meaning he favours fewer powers granted Quaesitores, but he enjoys a close relationship with his pater, Valerian's chief lackey. I could contact him, and try to suss out where Confluensis stands."
Having become somber and somber as the story progressed, Isen nods.
Aye. The order rests on the code, but also on the faith that justice will be upheld. That one can trust his sodales, and can trust the quaesitores.
This... This could easily end it all.
Nonetheless... We must stop them, for the alternative is worse. These conspirators are a tumor, and should be excised from the order before they corrupt it all. Nonetheless, we shouldn't engage in mindless retribution. At least part of the house is innocent, and they shouldn't pay for their bethren. Also, they represent our only hope to salvage something from this mess.
But we should act quickly, warn every prima, and let the truth be known far and wide, before they embroil the rest of their house, and the order, into their web of lies and deceit
Isen looks at laetitia calmly
You showed fortitude, and dedication to justice over personnal gain, at great risk to yourself. You could join House Flambeau, should you desire it.
For the moment, it might be better if Laetitia did not renounce her membership with her House. We would lose any first hand information. But we would have to withdraw her membership from Mons Electi. It would be very dangerous.
Laetitia, the ritual you spoke that would destroy a Covenant, it needs a member of the Covenant to sacrifice. Is that correct? Could it strike at a Covenant through it's vassals?