((Do we want to have the dinner and/or meeting in this thread, or create a new thread(s)?))
((I'm fine either way))
Fiona shows up for the Council meeting at the appointed time and place, arriving a few minutes early as is her custom. She is wearing her customary Hermetic robes, but her normally curly hair is straight and is tied back with a white thong.
Korvin arrives still straightening his more formal House robes. He pours himself a cup of wine and goes to his seat. His fingers are stained with ink and it is apparent he has just come from his lab.
As Korvin arrives, Tranquillina is speaking animatedly with Fiona; she smiles when the giantess laughs and puts a hand sympathetically on the top of her head. In quite a rare occurrence, Tranquillina has not magically altered her face or hair, nor even her attire: her wolfskin cloak surrounds her form without adornment, other than her Bonisagus fibula. The two women had been speaking Gaelic, but Tranquillina switches to Latin when Korvin enters.
"... so then I just invented a name - salve, Korvin, good to see you! - I said, Barbaern or something like that, hoping he'd tell me the Bjornaer Quaesitor's actual name. But he wasn't having any of it. So I decided to give up my plan to speak to Bilera or to find the Bjornaer at all, and just sat down to watch Marcus in the finals of the Dimicatio. And that's when she sat down next to me!"
Tranquillina shakes her head and chews a deep purple grape. "I can't believe I didn't break into.... In any case, I will tell you what she said, but that is probably something everyone should hear. Along with what I managed to get from Rataxes and Cavillor."
Roberto is here somewhere
Korvins nods and grunts at the greetings but it is apparent that he is preoccupied in thinking about something. He sits in his seat with a 1000 yard stare at a knot in the table.
Fiona greets everyone with a friendly "Salve" as they enter and takes her seat, with a smile on her face. She pulls a bowl of the grapes closer and takes one at a time, sucking them slowly into her mouth through pursed lips. After a moment, she notices Korvin's preoccupation and leans over to whisper in his ear.
[color=blue]"Is everything all right, Korvin?"
((I want to keep inputting into this thread, but feel free to continue side conversations - don't worry about chronology.))
"Well, before I come to events with an even more direct impact on this council," Tranquillina announces, "I should report on what I managed to learn about the investigation into Praxiteles's death at Valerian's hands. Bilera, Prima of House Guernicus, called five Quaesitors into service to look into the event; these five were all from outside the Normandy Tribunal, and none, as far as I am aware, were of high enough standing in their House to be free from coercion by their inner circle. Two of the Quaesitors were from Houses other than Guernicus: I spoke to Rataxes ex Verditius, but was unable to learn anything about the Bjornaer Quaesitor. I also spoke to Cavillor about the investigation, and later, ahem, Bilera took it upon herself to speak to me."
Tranquillina is now pacing circles around the room's perimeter, ticking off items on her fingers. "The spell was found to be incredibly strong, stronger than almost any spell ever known to be cast. In the history of our Order, only specialists in a particular narrow type of effect, who had a life of study of the Hermetic Arts behind them, could manage such a spell. Because Valerian was 'well known' not to have such a narrow focus, they concluded that the spell must have been a mistake, an accidental unleashing of magical force beyond Valerian's intentions. They also found a trace of Valerian's sigil in the spell, but one that had been changed somehow, still in the manner consistent with an uncontrolled spell."
She frowns at the other magi in the room. "But I am not convinced. We know of one magus - our departed Apollodorus - whose Arts were far more advanced than almost anyone in our Order's history. Where there can be one, there might be two.... I did manage to ascertain that none of the Quaesitors ever questioned Valerian - at least not under the assurance of Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie. So in my mind, there is every chance still that Valerian intentionally murdered Praxiteles. If so, the dire corollary is that he is even more powerful a Terram mage than we feared."
"It is also perhaps appropriate to report that Bilera herself went out of her way to goad me, to insult me and essentially warn me that danger might befall me or those allied with me, such as Tria Trianomae." Tranquillina faces towards one wall as she says this; the psychic wounds from the encounter are still raw. "And I also found out that Valerian had been reassigned out of this Tribunal, into the service of the Guernicus inner circle. Whether this is punishment or reward, I do not ken. - Do any of you have any questions, or observations or facts to add?"
Korvin takes a short moment to snap out of it and whispers back. I was just thinking of my meeting with my Gifted Housemates and this Guernicus problem. I feel I need some better strategy to combat them.
Jacques arrives during Tranquillina's speech and takes his seat. When she has finished...
It might be rash to presume that Valerian is this epic Terram magus without some more information. I would like to ask if anyone knows if a Wizard's communion is used to boost a spell, does the sigil of the casting magus become changed or confused because another is adding to the power?
Jacques arrives during Tranquillina's speech and takes his seat. When she has finished...
It might be rash to presume that Valerian is this epic Terram magus without some more information. I would like to ask if anyone knows if a Wizard's communion is used to boost a spell, does the sigil of the casting magus become changed or confused because another is adding to the power?
[color=blue]"Have you spoken with Alips about Praxiteles and Valerian?" Fiona says almost hesitatingly.
[color=blue]"If you want to talk later, use me as a sounding board, I might be able to help."
[color=blue]"I believe that a spell cast by wizards acting in communion manifests the sigil of the lead magus," Fiona says with a touch of doubt in her voice. ((Int 1 + Magic Theory 6 + die roll of 4 = 11.))
((I held off entering the meeting until I find out what happens in the joust, it could be dangerous, and since I'm typing this before the most recent update on the Joust page, it may have already been decided...))
I will do that. Although what I need is time. As normal, we do not have enough time.
I will defer to your magical knowledge but the question was does a wizard communion blur the main casters sigil?
I do not think the spell is that high. Perhaps 6th or 7th magnitude. But to get past Praxiteles formidable Rego Terram defenses it could have a large amount of penetration. We know that a magus can mask their sigil if they are taught how. Was Valerian thus taught? And I realize that all of these together would make it a planned murder rather than an accident.
"The spell that killed Praxiteles was much stronger than that, Rataxes said," counters Tranquillina. She goes briefly into a Magic Theory digression on what she heard ((indicating that the spell was closer to a level 100 spell than a level 30 spell)). "And is it even possible for a Wizard's Communion to be cast, with no supporting magi anywhere nearby, in the view of dozens of other magi, to take effect only several rounds into a Dimicatio?"
Eyebrows raised, Tranquillina shakes her head at Fiona.
((How does Jacques know what Praxiteles' resistance against Terram was?))
Alexei enters the chamber wearing simple robes rather than his usual hauberk and tabard. He smells of incense and it's easy to see that he's walking with some pain. Since the joust he had been praying in a makeshift chapel. His beard is ungroomed and his eyes red, he looks very tired but quite pleased.
"I am sorry Sodales for the delay. I shall read the minutes of the meeting later for what I missed." he bows and then takes his seat.
((He can make a good guess that it was better than most. Even though he did not improve his arts, his ReTe was very high. High enough to frustrate someone that we are comparing to Magneto of Terram magi))
((Keep in mind that resistance is governed by the Form, not the TeFo. Praxiteles may have excelled at Rego, or been pretty good with Rego and Terram, but individually, poor without. Suppose a score in the mid teens of 15, and a Parma of 4 or 5 suggests he has a MR of ~40 against Terram. I spell this out, because this is something Jacques or any magus would know. He was a master of Finesse, of shaping magic to do his will, but he didn't overpower it, he channeled it, if that makes sense.))