Alexei is showing some facial tics as he maintains a cool demeanor. "I'm no fool, and I'm not as much a hot head as in my younger days, but I will not suffer his taunts or presence quietly. We shared a few words on the way to Castra Solis when we last met. And I'll happily engage him again if we should meet. But put simply if I am provoked over much by that blackguard he'll regret it 'ere long. He's lived far too long already since he came here."
Fiona reaches over and pats Alexei's hand reassuringly, her hand obscuring his completely.
[color=blue]"My personal opinion is that we should be gracious hosts, and give our foes no indication that we, as a covenant, pose any threat, nor that we are any more aware of the dangers we face than a babe in the woods. Meanwhile, we should use what cunning we can bring to bear to gather as much information as we can, not only about those that would seek us harm but those who are, for the nonce, mere bystanders.
"Alexie, no doubt you have a reputation, not only as a feared Miles, but as someone quick to anger. My fear is that they will use that against you, that they will provoke you into issuing a challenge that would spell your doom. And with you gone, they may feel that we would be ripe for the plucking...or whatever their scheme entails." Fiona's face shows uncharacteristic concern.
Alexei takes a moment or two to gather his wits and then pats FIona's hand. "You're right. Perhaps if I am kept busy and occupied a confrontation can be avoided. For my part I will try to reign in my humours around him, but perhaps best to avoid him."
Hand joined before him, Isen is somber
I understand Alexei. This man is our ennemy, and is mocking us. I would gladly send him suffer to the hell he deserves.
Not that you aren't right, Fiona. I just wish we could act differently
[color=blue]"If I were them," Fiona says thoughtfully, [color=blue]"I would almost expect something to happen at Tribunal, even if I weren't trying to provoke a response."
"Well, it would be a good time to get a few Arcane Connections to him."
Which makes me think. We need to be really careful with the ACs we may leave.
I've considered a simple spell, a kind of inverted Ward against Corpus, to keep one's falling hairs and sweet with him, but I don't know it it would work
Of course, this has other obvious problems, and you still need to destroy the material at some time
Base lvl 4 (move the target in any direction you please, range: Per, duration: +2 Sun, T: Ind = 10
This would still allow one to urinate (No Aquam requisite), but if taking a poop, well, the shit would cling to him.
I'm not sure if you can target yourself as a corpus individual to keep all of your corpus material together or if you need extra magnitudes equivalent to Group +1 size
Perdo Vim. +1 Touch, +2 Room, Base 5 to reduce by one step, for PeVi 20, which you could cast repeatedly, or Base 15 = PeVi30 to get rid of most connections within a few hours. Anything that it wouldn't kill the connection for, you'd notice losing.
(Using this thread for a scene with Tranquillina that is related to Tribunal Prep and introduces the character to me).
There's a knock on Tranquillina's sanctum door (where is it, by the way?). Viscaria is standing there, barely dressed, as usual, in scraps of white spidersilk and strands of silver jewelry[1]. A large wicker trunk follows her on many tentacle-like legs. Two vines protrude from the top of the trunk, holding a stylus and wax tablet.
She's a tiny (size -2), almost child-sized maga with an unnerving sense of earthiness to her[2], with her delicately pointed ears and eyes that glitter like cut amethysts.
When Tranquillina answers, Viscaria bubbles out an effervescent greeting. "Hi! How are you getting settled? Have you started working on your Diocetes duties yet? I have a wee little logistical concern that I could use your help with. Oh! I nearly forgot, I got you a present!"
She beams as she says this last sentence, and triumphantly holds out an empty hand. After a second she turns to face the trunk and repeats herself. "I said I got her a present. Present. Give. Me. The. Wrapped. Object."
On this last command, another vine seems to grow out of the wicker trunk, with a twiggy sort of hand holding a cloth bundle, which it gives to Viscaria before retracting (slowly, with a very disturbing sort of stretching noise). The cloth itself is some kind of strange mix of wool and silk (doesn't she have a giant spider for a familiar? Thing is supposed to be as big as her!), so it is both scratchy and soft at the same time. Inside the carefully folded cloth is an desk-sized silver ink pot, delicately engraved with leaf-and-vine motifs with images of Augusta Tranquillina interspersed throughout. A matching quill holder is found underneath.
[1] Quite probably containing vis. I can describe the jewelry in detail, if you'd like.
[2] Imbued with Spirit of Terram, not sure how/if Traquillina reacts to her soul counting as Terram vis.
((For some reason I picture this scene being after dinner, even though it was never specified.))
Tranquillina answers the door dressed in a pale green gown that somehow seems to be suited for receiving guests even while clearly comfortable enough for sleep. Although she not infrequently changes her visage magically, tonight she looks like her usual teenage-faced self, with straight brownish-red hair ending just above the shoulders. In other company she would be considered slight, even frail.
[color=magenta]"Salve, Viscaria. I'm beginning to feel somewhat at home, thank you. As for the Diocetes duties ... did you know, it's true what they say: counting sheep surely does make one want to sleep," she quips. [color=magenta]"Oh, organizing it all will take a few months, but I foresee nothing horrible coming to pass."
Tranquillina watches the trunk's presentation unfold with a practiced smile on her face. But the smile instantly spreads to her eyes as she takes in the personalized detailing on the ink pot and quill holder. [color=magenta]"My goodness, Viscaria!" she gasps. [color=magenta]"This, this is truly lovely - and so thoughtful! Oh, I'm sorry, I have no present to offer in return, right now, I barely...." She looks around for a moment, then walks towards the door on the other side of the room. [color=magenta]"I should put this in the laboratory right away. Come in, come in - I can arrange for a bit of a drink for -"
She stops suddenly, realizing the import of the moment, and looks back at Viscaria, standing on the other side of a sanctum marker which no magus has yet crossed. Turning to face her directly, Tranquillina tilts her head downwards and declares softly, [color=magenta]"You are welcome to enter, sodalis."
Viscaria responds to the invitation with a delighted smile and a seemingly ritualized response. "Sister, do I name thee. Back to back shall we stand against thine foes."
Just for the fun of it, let's see how that inkpot was made:
Dex -1 + Silversmith 5 + 1 specialty (fae style) + 1 dwarf bonus + 2 affinity = 8 + die 5 = 13, so by City & Guild rules, that makes it a Superior item, which would give some kind of +1 bonus. Let's say instead that it is of a quality capable of enchanting.
"Have you met Jormungand Vor Si’r? He was a resident here for a short while before his Longevity Potion business took off. He shares your....youthful outlook on life."
When she steps into the sanctum, her trunk grows some vine-like legs and follows after her. It might even be waving the tablet ever so slightly, to get her attention.
"Oh, but you must be tired. Please forgive my arrival at such an hour. Let me get to my point. I need four men, possibly 8. I'm enchanting some devices which will allow them to quarry and transport stone very easily, and we need them to begin as soon as the ground thaws, really. The quantity of stone we need is vast, but these magics should make it childs play. They should be loyal and used to our mythic ways, for the work they need to do is on the regio side, and much mixed with Tribunal affairs. Can we spare them? Have you met enough of the covenfolk to help me select someone appropriate?"
((When is this scene taking place? Tranquillina will have arrived at Mons Electi no earlier than 1223.2 - that's summer, right? And Viscaria mentioned the ground needing to thaw; would that place this conversation in winter perhaps, 1223.4?))
After a moment, Tranquillina bows respectfully to Viscaria, and then smiles and motions her to follow. They exit the receiving room into a short hallway, passing two doors on the right, and go through a third door at the other end. They find themselves in a spacious laboratory, fully equipped in a standard fashion; however, the arrangement has been partially realigned and seems to be in flux. Either the lab was not properly prepared when the new mage arrived, or (more likely) Tranquillina has her own ideas as to what "proper" is.
[color=magenta]"No, in fact I know very little about Jormungand, other than that these used to be his chambers,"[sup]*[/sup] she replies over her shoulder. She strides over to a writing desk and playfully bounces its ink pot to a corner of the surface, placing her new presents in its place and propping a quill up in the holder. [color=magenta]"And not to worry about the hour - a late conversation is nowhere near as taxing as late nights poring over some ancient magus's poorly composed notes." Clucking her tongue in consideration, Tranquillina moves her hands and whispers over the writing desk, and the ink from the old pot rises up and snakes its way into the superior silver one.
[sup]*[/sup] Is this a reasonable happenstance?
((ReAq, gently control liquid 1, +2 very unnatural, Ind, +2 Voice, Mom = level 5. Re 9 + Aq 0 + Sta -3 + aura 5 + simple die 3 = 14/2 = Casting Total of 7, with Fatigue. Finesse roll to aim: Int 3 + Finesse (moving things) 3 + simple die 3 = 9, should be decent. Due to Tranquillina's sigil, Viscaria would feel a mild nausea for a moment ... unless Parma cancels sigils?))
Turning her attention back towards Viscaria, Tranquillina seems to inhale quickly at the trunk's presence in the room, but then tilts her head away with a quick raise of her eyebrows. [color=magenta]"That's an interesting enterprise, and presumably much aided by your magical work. Would these men need to have particular knowledge of quarrying, or construction? Would they need to be extremely strong? - or will your enchantments render any common peasant suited to the task?"
She paces aimlessly for a moment as she thinks. [color=magenta]"We should certainly choose for loyalty - and, probably it's worth it, to use some mental magic to verify that loyalty. Who among us would have such skills? And as for the laborers themselves, among the many covenfolk I haven't yet had named to me, I don't have immediate suggestions...." She stops, and a slow smile forms as she catches Viscaria's eye. [color=magenta]"But I do know whom to ask."
Yes, and sure.
"Really? He had left by the time I arrived, so I never knew where his quarters were, and of course, my own sanctum is much uphill from here, so I don't spend much time in the mansion itself. She glances through an open door at Traquillina's bed. "Have you received fresh sheets? she asks innocently.
OOC: Aura 10. You're using a Rego spell. The Parma would probably block a magical sense of nausea, but not a nauseous smell/shiver. In addition to being 6 pawns of Terram, Viscaria is wearing about 5 pawns of vis.
"No, the rings do all the work. One command cuts out a square block, while a second allows them to move it as easily as an empty, oversized trunk. They must have a measure of common sense about them, and be able to follow directions well, for we will be excavating in an architectural manner -- that is, the shape of the holes they make is important."
"I'm afraid I haven't kept track of our sodale's strengths. I can't recall seeing anyone engage in Mentem magics."
[color=magenta]"That all seemed in order ..." Tranquillina responds cheerily, and then sees the door to her private quarters open. With a casual air, she concocts a quick Rego Herbam spell to ease the door shut.
((If you make an Ease Factor of 9 with an Int + Awareness roll, I'll give you an Easter egg here 
))
[color=magenta]"Ah well," she shrugs while arranging a couple of papers on the writing desk, [color=magenta]"I suppose I'll do the best I can in that regard."
((Tranquillina is being a bit coy here, maybe because she's irked at having someone look into her bedroom (even though it was her own fault): she's actually pretty good at Mentem. Guile roll: Prs 2 + Guile 3 + stress die 2 = 7.))
[color=magenta]"If you have the time to spare, would you like to meet after we break fast tomorrow? I think I can begin inquiries then that will lead to a proper quarrying team for you."
"You've become quite used to the aura here, I see. Perhaps I should consider redesigning my Rego wand into a ring or something to make it easier for me to do the same."
Int 3 + Awareness 0 + die 5 = 8. Close but no cigar.
Meanwhile, Viscaria is probably too busy recalling her brief "encounter" with Jormungand to realize she may have been impolite. Per 0 + Folk Ken 1 + Specialty:body language 1 + die 10,1 = 2/no botch if stress.
He was really good. Of course, you get a tent full of sexually repressed wizards and a bag of that herb, you're going to have a good time. Viscaria wonders if she'd be able to grow that herb locally....
"I'll be breaking my fast in my sanctum, as I have a concotion brewing that will need tending for the first handsbreadth of sunrise, but I could meet you shortly thereafter."
Something about the outfitting of Tranquillina's bedroom tried to claim Viscaria's attention as the door closed, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it before the conversation moved on.
[color=magenta]"An hour after sunrise, then; we can reconvene here in my receiving room," Tranquillina agrees, as they walk back over the sanctum marker. [color=magenta]"And thank you again, so much, for your lovely gift. In fact I shall use it right now before retiring for the night!"
Tranquillina immediately has a note sent to Fiona, asking if the maid Moire can be spared from her duties for the morning. The next day, the door to Tranquillina's outer room is open, and Moire is invited in to sit with her.
"Fiona said you need me?" Moire asks in strongly accented Latin when she arrives, looking a little nervous.
[color=magenta]"Yes, Moire, I would like us to talk for a bit - thank you for coming. And certainly there is nothing wrong," Tranquillina reassures her, waving her politely towards a comfortable chair. The maga was up early this morning, preparing for the meeting: after her Parma was safely restored, she cast Disguise of the New Visage upon herself to appear in her late 20s and less frail, generally more maternal; she put a slight curl in her hair and lengthened it about five inches, leaving it to hang casually past her shoulders. She then touched the front panels of her wolfskin cloak to her face, triggering its Aura of Ennobled Presence effect. Finally, using her cloak's Outfit for Any Occasion effect, she donned a simple long-sleeved white blouse and a long tartan skirt with matching sash.
((Her casting total for Visage is twice its level even without the aura or die roll. Finesse rolls, especially for the Visage because it's not a usual look for her, but also for the outfit: Int 3 + Finesse 2 + 10 & 7 = 15 & 12, respectively.))
Switching to Gaelic, she continues, [color=magenta]"Viscaria will probably be joining us soon; but before then, there's certainly no point for us to labor along in Latin. I remember how happy I was, a few months ago, when I met you and Seumas and found out that we had so much in common." Tranquillina smiles and takes a seat herself.
[color=magenta]"How are you two doing - and Viviene, is she talking more and more?" she asks, toying idly with the Bonisagus clasp of her blouse.
((Winter, 1223, right?))
Moire is a short, pudgy girl dark-haired girl, not even out of her teens at this time, and dressed in simple home-spun.
"Aye, she's getting into everything, and she's just big enough to almost reach stuff that she shouldn't be able to. And the worst part is, she's able to crawl up the stairs, now. Luckily we have doors at the top and bottom, but I have to keep both eyes on the girl all the time. It's a wonder I have time to take care of Fiona, on top of everything else. And she chatters up a storm. Been making sure she learns the Latin, too."
She smiles warily at Tranquillina. "I was surprised to find another Scottish maga here. I don't think I ever heard what brought you all the way to France. It is nice to hear our mother tongue again, though, isn't it?"
((Yep, Winter 1223.))
[color=magenta]"Aye, nice it be indeed," Tranquillina laughs, exaggerating the brogue momentarily. [color=magenta]"It certainly made me more comfortable getting to know Fiona when I came. You do have your hands full, now: I fear you might have more to worry about your lady getting into trouble than your beautiful daughter!"
Tranquillina sits back in her chair for a moment, looking off into the distance. [color=magenta]"I suppose my coming to Burgundia - Bourgogne," she tries again, [color=magenta]"- I think I stopped my French lessons with Otto too soon! ... I suppose my coming here could be described as looking for more out of life. I mean: everything was comfortable where I was, and the comfort wasn't bad, but ... it seemed to me that there was more I could be achieving, if only I stepped out of that comfort. Something new, grander."
She recatches Moire's gaze with a friendly smile. [color=magenta]"Perhaps you and your husband know the feeling of leaving familiarity when there was a purpose to pursue?"
As Moire replies, Tranquillina silently and motionlessly casts Aura of Rightful Authority upon her. ((Re 9 + Me 10 + Sta -3 + aura 10 + Mastery 2 - still/silent penalty 5 (only 5 due to Still/Quiet Casting) + stress die 0 (no botch chance) = 23, casting the level 20 spell.)
Moire will feel a momentary pang of nausea, which quickly passes.