[color=blue]"So, Duncan hasn't been bothering you much, then," Fiona says thoughtfully. It's a pleasant surprise to find someone from her old covenant at Grand Tribunal, and she would love to get caught up, but first things first.
[color=blue]"And I haven't seen or heard anything of him since I was there last, so I assumed...well, out of sight, out of mind, I suppose. As much my fault as anyone's. But I wonder what he's been doing the last seven years, and I wonder what brings him here? And I wonder what was up with the Black Fir uprooting itself and attacking the tower. I don't think that was coincidence, the attack happened almost immediately after you exposed him...so to speak."
Talia offers up the best of what she knows. "I heard Bilera and Caecilius talking, apparently Durenmar angered some Dark Fae hundreds of years ago. Caecilius believes the Black Fir may have decided this was the best time to attack. Maybe Duncan could communicate with it somehow? And I think there was and army of something preparing to invade. I saw man shapes against the Aegis border, and some others not man shaped. I got the sense that we were lucky, more than anything.
Fiona nods. [color=blue]"I saw them too, I didn't know which side they'd be on. I wonder if the Black Fir attacking had anything to do with the primi not doing the ritual this cycle?"
Fiona takes another sip as she checks out Talia. [color=blue]"Are you going to be involved in handling Duncan? And what do you know of Valerian?"
"I don't know know much of politics, honestly. I get really luck recalling facts I've heard from time to time, I'm here because I was outsmarted in politics. Tried to get some senile Verditius sent here for a sodalis at Insula Canaria, wound up here. Looks good enough, I'd roll him in the sack, but he probably likes men more than women. As far as Duncan, until that business with Valerian and the tower, I thought we were both going to be sent to do it. Now? I'd bet Bilera or Valerian or both underestimated that Tektonius.". Talia begs off, "I have to go, I have a couple of men who are waiting on me. Thanks for the drink, see you around."
Fiona bids her good day. [color=blue]"We'll have to get together before Tribunal ends, so I can get caught up on what's going on back at Insula Canaria."
She thinks for a couple of minutes as she finishes her wine, and decides that Talia definitely has the right idea. So she sets out to find a couple of people to pass the time with. Maybe at least three. Can't let a skinny little thing like that out-do her.
Fiona has slim pickings for the rest of the evening, but she does manage to find someone who is interested at this late hour.
The next morning begins a day of busy events, the First item on the agenda is discussed for almost the entire day and it sees Florum's supporters throughout the order defending the theory behind establishing a new Tribunal. At the end of the day, the votes are cast, and the creation of the Lotharingian Tribunal is narrowly defeated.
That evening Fiona makes her way to the Founder's Fane and all are gathered together and perform the ritual. When finished several of the magi disappear as soon as they are finished, including the unnamed leader. The pavilion is up again and Fiona can distract herself there again...
Fiona will keep an eye on, or open for, Bilera and Valerian during the day. Not stalking, but just trying to be aware of where they are throughout the day and what they're up to.
Fiona will do so, in her La Petite Mascarade for and casting Disguise of the New Visage on herself to make herself look like not herself (but still as jaw-droppingly beautiful as she can imagine); she has the latter mastered for Disguised Casting, so she can make her hair not white, but blonde instead. And she's going to cast a spontaneous Creo Herbam to make a Sun-duration toga – something easily removable and that she doesn't worry about having to find again later. ((Base 2, +2 for treated and processed, R: Touch +1, D: Sun +2, T: Individual, for a Spell Level of 15. Her CT is Sta 3 + Cr 6 + He 10 +Aura 7 + die roll of 9 = 35, halted is 17. Her Finesse roll is Int 1 + Finesse 3 + (die roll of 1, followed by a die roll of 8) 16 = 20, in trying to make it sheer enough to almost see through.
She keeps an eye open during the revel for anyone she may recognize (even with the masks and disguises) and anything out of the ordinary. Or she'll try to, anyway. And she'll exhibit absolutely no gender bias.
Also, during recesses or evenings, Fiona is going to wander the merchants' booths looking for presents for her sodales. I'm putting together a wish list now.
Indeed they are, but in fairness, I asked for a couple. So naming them seemed reasonable.
The Tytalus in me wants to say, you mean irregardless, don't you?
The ritual is not hermetic in nature, but the Wizard's communion works with it, and uses a lot of vis, more than a queen of vis.
The fane is also surrounded by a very powerful Aegis, which you are given a token to upon arrival. Before being given the token, the tingling on the skin was almost painful.
Hmm. It works with Wizard's Communion, Fiona thinks, so it's been at least partially integrated into Hermetic theory. Could it possibly be an Order-wide version of the Aegis? (which is the only of the Mercurian rituals she's familiar with.)
She's going to try to suss out a little bit about it, or make more educated guesses. Int 1 + Magic Theory 6 + die roll of 4 = 11.
Change it to Perception + Magic Theory is 10.
It's tough to tell, but some of the pawns of vis is Tremere form, and has the symbol of Corpus on it. Much of it, in fact. As to the exact nature of the ritual, it seems to be about protecting the Corpus, the Body of the Order of Hermes...
((Ah. That would explain why it wasn't ringing a bell. I started with 4e.))
So. I take it the Ritual goes off without a hitch. Fiona will try to remember who's there, even though she will ignore the fact that they were there unless they give some sign. And then on to other things, and shopping, and more Tribunal business.
Unless I'm missing something. (although I do note the similarity between the "Tremere form" and our ReTe vis source, I'm not sure what to make of it, or if it does mean anything.)
So, I got my "wish list" put together for what she would like to get everyone the week or so that she's in Durenmar and able to shop. Some of it may seem a bit pricey, but she's from a "rich" covenant, so she's not that worried about it. Everything should, hopefully, be good enough to be enchantable.
Abigail:...I got nothin'. I'm not sure what she would appreciate, unless Korvin knows of anything, or she gets a good impulse buy (e.g. hints from JL).
Alexei: A sword, with a reddish-orange scabbard and an amber set in the pommel.
Gerulf: A book on a mundane topic (of the player's choosing, as I don't know what kind of book he would want, but Fiona might.)
Isen: A sword, with an ice-blue scabbard, with an Alexandrite set in the pommel.
Jacques: A long bow made of yew.
Korvin: A finely crafted leather messenger bag, a toy rooster, and a toy cat.
Renaud: A finely crafted leather messenger bag and a set of exquisite dice. If she can find a merchant who can sell weighted exquisite dice, so much the better.
Roberto: A sword, with a white scabbard engraved with a cross, with a ruby set in the pommel.
Sheelagh: A gold and pearl necklace.
Stultus: A deck of playing cards and a box with a false bottom. She would ask the merchant/craftsman if he would be able to paint a picture on the bottom (the real bottom, not the apparent bottom) of the inside of the box.
Tranquillina: A silver looking glass. (For some reason, I was thinking a mirror gave a bonus to transformation, but I'm not finding it in the S&M list.)
