1224.2: Off to See the Wizards

((Absolutely, I didn't want to assume he was there, but if he can make it that'd be great, thought he might still be oot and aboot))

The Redcaps normally arrive a a day or two before the first magi normally arrive (so, four or five days before Tribunal opens), to make sure all their paperwork is in order, to see what's new at Loch Leglean Covenant, check on the lodging arrangements, and so on. The Redcaps are lodged in the main house (the same house as the four magi of LLC). Since he is one of, if not the first magi to arrive for Tribunal, he would be housed in one of the cottages closest to the center.

Quick layout: in the center of the covenant (which is a large clearing surrounded by woods on three sides, and a clearing between the covenant and the River Pattach to the south. There is an obvious boundary surrounding the Covenant House and the Tribunal Hall (a great hall where the tribunal meeting itself is held), where the covenant's Aegis is cast in years when they're not holding the Tribunal. There are several dozen cottages strewn about the covenant grounds, built to house the visiting magi; each one has two bedrooms. There is no apparent pattern to the cottages; there aren't more than three or four in a group, and there is enough open space for merchants to set up their booths and for a handful of kitchen tents. The covenant is surrounded by a low stone wall, with a couple of gates facing the river and the road which runs along it.

When the magi arrive, the Redcap manning the gate basically ask their name, if they belong to a covenant (and if so, which one), and whether they have any housing requirements.

((About to bring Aodhan into this will Ysebrand be with him initially or perhaps join him later? If he's here now he can just hop right in))

Aodhan leads a protesting jackass pulling a small handcart to the gate. His forge companion does most of the handling of the beast while Aodhan stays back so it doesn't try to bite him. At the entrance he takes off his cap and nods to the Redcaps.

"I'm Aodhan of Verdi. I come from the Canary Island...Isle of canaries..." he pauses and looks back to his forge companion who shrugs his shoulders. "Uh...well the old covenant that they call the canaries or birds or something. I'd like to set up my wares and raise high my shingle, and...this is a Tribunal right? I'd be right embarassed if it weren't, we had a Hell of a time getting that stubborn ass hooked to the cart!" he jerks a thumb back at the donkey which has now sat down, refusing to move. "Please tell me we're in the right place!"

((I see no reason for him not to be here. JL?))

The Redcap woman checking in the magi looks at Aodhan with an annoyed look on her face for just a second...then the switch gets flipped and she suddenly seems vastly more sympathetic.

[color=red]"Yes, sweetie, this is Tribunal," she says, then makes a couple of notes on her parchment.

[color=red]"If you want to set up a booth, you'll be wanting to talk to Birgit." She gives him directions on where to find Birgit, in the inner circle of the covenant. She also tells him that the stables for the animals are over yonder, near the muggles' quarters.

Aodhan let's out a breath he'd been holding and seems genuinely relieved. "Ach, so good to hear! Right, Birgit ye said? We'll see here and then stable that cantankerous animal. I need to make something that replaces them...aye, that would be worth a bit..." he begins to mumble to himself such things as 'What would a false horse eat?' as he walks in, leaving his forge companion to rouse the stubborn donkey with thrashes to its hindquarters.

After a few wrong turns and additional directions he runs into his donkey again where right he was told he could find Birgit. "Ah...Birgit? Do I see ye to set up my shoppe and shingle?"

Birgit is a tall (approaching six feet), very attractive brown-haired woman wearing a red knit cap with long tassels on either side.

[color=red]"Yes, it is. What is your name, and what kind of wares will you be selling?"

Aodhan looks up to her more than a bit as he puffs out his chest. "Aodhan ex Verditius, make of fine magical and invested items." he says proudly, a moment later his donkey begins a braying in a loud mocking way as his forge companion tries to steady the cart. Aodhan frowns and shakes a fist at the donkey. "He's not one of my favorite critics, but yes, fine magical items. I have a few samples and make commissions."

[color=red]"A Verditian, then. There's a fee of one pawn, of a form of your choosing, to rent the space until after Tribunal ends, and you are responsible for any damage caused by your wares."

Once Aodhan pays the fee, she will show him to his space, in the outer circle. Not a horrid location, but not really a good location either.

((forgot to say that, after the Redcap manning gate wrote down Aodhan's name, she gave him a casting token and the formal invite.))

Antoninus is on the lookout for books concerning 1. hereditary magic (i.e. magic abilities inherited by offspring) and 2. prominent Merceres (Mercere, Mutant, Mutantum, etc.). From a mechanical perspective, I'm guessing those would fall under Magic Lore, Order of Hermes Lore, and maybe Magic Theory or Philosophiae. He'll ask the Redcaps to let him know who is offering books for sale so he can get first review, at least for the first couple days. He will not tell the Redcaps which specific topics he is pursuing.

Since he's also looking to join Insula Canaria, I'll play out his meeting with Aodhan once the Verditius is settled.

Okay, go ahead and give me Luck Roll (stress die, no Characteristics or Abilities), and I guess a Bargain roll.

Aodhan and his forge Companion unload the cart and while the donkey and cart are taken back to the stable Aodhan sets up his table and finally plants a pole and hangs his shingle. It's a fine plaquard that shows an anvil with a carpenter's triangle balanced on it and a jeweler's hammer on it as well.

On the table he places the pair of boots, the rolled up bedroll, the hat and next to ii on a tree stump they brought he has the anvil. He brought several bars of iron to make demonstrations with. From there he waits for any to approach.

(( Let me know when it's OK to bring Leandra wandering in, guys. ))

When Trimalchio arrives, he will tell the person at the gate,"Trimalchio, Insula Canaria, and my housing requirements are quite modest. I insist on a well-heated room, with a bed laid with feathers, NOT straw, south-facing with reasonable daylight to read by, and a clean towel provided. I trust your rooms are tastefully decorated as well?"

Given the opportunity, Trimalchio will examine rooms and reject them one-by-one until eventually he finds one up to his standards.

Did Aodhan arrive early, and if so, how early? (And is the covenant traveling as a group, or each coming whenever?)

((Whenever works for me.))

The redcap raises a brow but says nothing (although with obvious restraint), makes a couple notes on her parchment, and gives Trimalchio directions to a cottage on the outer ring, that looks like it might have a view of the river if you stood on the roof. It does meet all of Trimalchio's requirements but one – it's undecorated, but a quick glance into the other room in the cottage, and in the shared room, show that they're undecorated as well. Which stands to reason, if the cottages are only used for a few days every seven years.

((Donnchadh Dubh is not coming early so I'll wait until it get rolling.))

Aodhan is pretty scatterbrained, he likely came early just by not checking when it starts.

Sorry for the delay, I was traveling over the extended weekend. Luck roll is 6, Bargain total is Prs/Com 1 + Bargain 1 + roll 6 = 8.

The first day or two, Aodhan gets very little traffic. An occasional early arrival that seems more interested in a quick peek during their scurrying around. The day before Tribunal actually starts, traffic picks up and he does get a few people who seem genuinely interested in what he has to offer. One or two seem serious enough that they make overtures as to what he can do and for how much.

Antoninus's best bet would probably be to speak with someone from Fithich Spòg. He does find a tractatus entitled Magic in the Blood, which (at a a quick glance) seems to be an analysis of whether the Gift can be passed from parent to child versus whether it's seemingly random.

Aodhan is not much of a barker (that's hopefully where Ysebrand might be able to help, but I know JL is busy). Plenty of time he's scribbling on a wax tablet some of his ideas and fancies. Those that stop though:

"Good day to you! Ye have the look of a fine eye for quality, why else would ye be here? I'm Aodhan ex Verditius, and I make fine items of magic. Here before ye are a sample of the wares I've made in the past. This hat will keep ye dry in a storm atop a ship in the middle of the ocean! Like water off a duck's back it is! This bedroll, kings in their castle don't sleep so well as this when ye lay it on hard clay! Makes it as soft as duck's down...duck? No, I have no obsession with ducks...they just make fine examples and soup, yes soup as well. And these boots, say the word and ye shall leave no trail in dirt, mud, sand or snow. Or leave a trail if ye want, sometimes that's needed. Aye...just like a duck I suppose, that...leaves no tracks unless it wants to.

"Enough about ducks, this is an anvil, my Anvil of Vulcan! I could have called it the Anvil of Aodhan, but that name is not as famous...yet. But with it ye can smith fine quality items as if ye had a blacksmith at your beck and call." he takes a rod of iron he keeps for demonstration purposes. "An ordinary rod of pig iron, aye? Pig...not duck, see?" he takes it to the anvil and places it at the rounded tip and murmurs 'Vulcan, horseshoe' and then let's go of the rod. A few moments and creaking later and the rod has been magically shaped into a horseshoe. "See? Easy! I could do the same to make a sword, nails, armour, if it can be smithed, it can do it!" ((What Aodhan neglects to say is that the actual quality of the item is based off the user's Int+Finesse like any craft magic, Aodhan's beefy Int and Finesse with the crafting specialty makes him pretty much an expert in the use of these types of effects. 'Mommy! I can't make it work like that guy at the store did!'))

"It also is a gem cutter, do ye have any gems ye wish cut? No? Ach! Me neither, too damned expensive. Ah well, as I said it cleaves them expertly as well. So, what do ye think? Are these not wondrous? I work on commission mind ye. In fact after the Tribunal I shall be making an item for a Flambeau monster slayer, who was quite impressed with my skill. Who? Uh...he's in the Theban Tribunal, ye wouldn't know of him. And I know how to make items that are only minorly magical, do ye ken? Barely show to the eye of a magus, but they help so much in your work. A sword that cuts deep without bouncing off the Parma or Might of the target! A bridle that calms the most spirited horse yet doesn't Warp it. Would that not be worth something?"

At almost any cost Aodhann will try to avoid admitting any relationship with his Pater Tintavius.

Interesting. I assume it's a book he's never seen before? Is the author someone of prominence? Has an asking price been set or is it 'make an offer'? If the latter, can I get an estimate of its quality?

As for Fithich Spog, he's going to ask around (probably among the Redcaps) about how they handle visitors to their library. If they publicly compare themselves to Durenmar, I assume they have some reasonably standard procedures in place for perusing the library. He won't approach anyone from the covenant directly until he knows what they expect. I suppose I should start with an Order of Hermes Lore check to see what Antoninus already knows...Int 3 + OoHL 2 + roll 6 = 11.