Korvin speaks in a calm even voice. Stulus. A short word before the others arrive. I have heard that you might be a rival of Cumhachd. I understand that can be a term of honor or ... endearment for Tytali. Before many other people enter, can you explain to me the relationship you have with our guest and what it means.
((Can I get a bit of context on the sword and how they're delivered? Alexei is usually carefree, but years of treachery have made him a bit more cautious.)
((Let's see...since you asked... 
))
A page comes to Alexei's quarters carrying a sword in a scabbard, and to whomever inquires, be it Alexei or Helmut, "Cumhachd asked me to deliver gifts to the magi of Mons Electi for the hospitality she has received. She's such a sweet, thoughtful old lady." It's tough to tell if he's been ensorcelled, or just pleased to be dealing with a maga with a gentle Gift.
Stultus' eyes never leave his balls. (The ones he's juggling, get your minds out of the gutter.) "We've dedicated ourselves to helping each other grow by challenging each other. The terms of address are a warning to other Tytali, and other magi with sufficient understanding, to bugger off and not jog our elbows."
"Do you juggle things that are on fire?" Marcus muses... and grins a bit wickedly.
"Not recently, Marcus. However, I am getting lots of practice in juggling things that explode, what with Roberto and Tranquillina and all. Why do you ask?"
Marcus claps and laughs, "Point."
(Before the council meeting: picking some flowers, taking a trip up the mountain on the regio side, finding a suitable cleft in the cliff wall beside the path, drawing a circle, acquiring a stone from the location....)
An old woman walks slowly into the room, startling everyone: Her naked, wrinkled body is covered with welts and slashes, as might have been left by a whipping or beating with a strap. Except, her body seems to flow in strange ways, the skin's movement not quite cohering from point to point; those present quickly realize that her "body" is actually a close-fitting gown that has been designed to appear as an old person's skin, battered both by human instrument and by time.
By her face, the woman is impossibly old, and no amount of peering will change that perception. But her bearing is upright, her hazel eyes clear and steely. And, if one looks closely, one can imagine that the two crossing lashes between her sagging, bloody breasts are shaped like keys.
((Finesse roll for Outfit for Any Occasion: Int 3 + Finesse 2 + simple die 5 = 10.
Finesse roll for Disguise of the New Visage: Int 3 + Finesse (Corpus) 3 + simple die 10 = 16.))
(( Dex +1 + Jongleur 6 + roll of 9=16))
Stultus looks over as Tranquillina enters, double-takes, and almost loses the shower he had going, recovering the ball that bounced off his hand while he was gaping with a last-second grab. "That looks... really, really disturbing, sodalis."
So even if the rival brings in another magus into the game, it is good form for this new magus to ignore the actions?
Alexei answers the door and quirks an eyebrow at the page and it takes a moment for him to remember who Cumhachd is. "...Ah! Yes, Cumhachd...is she still here then?" Alexei asks and takes the sword. "My my, this is a beautiful blade." he says as he examines the sword and takes it out of the scabbard.
((Casting spont. In/Vim, no words or gestures, so it looks like he's merely examining it:
Casting total pre-roll is 20, spending a fatigue:
1d10+20 → [9,20] = (29)
Linkhttp://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4041918/
So 3rd Magnitude Intelligo Vim
R: Touch +1 D: Mom T: Ind
At level 10 he should be able to detect both strong and weak magic on the sword.
Now if he was as paranoid as he should be by now, he would have taken a few more precautions...))
"Not quite sure what you're asking there, Korvin. Cumhachd wouldn't ask for an ally in the game she and I are playing, any more than I would try to hide behind one of you to avoid her. It's just Not Done, because if it were done it kind of misses the entire point. Hiding behind others in order to avoid a challenge is not growth, it's the worst kind of stagnation." He shrugs, hands never stopping their intricate movement. "Mind you, we don't live in a vacuum, so when non-Tytali are involved it gets complex, but we try real hard to stick to the principle."
I'm just trying to understand how this all fits in the current situation.
(( I am sorry, I could not resist... ))
Stultus snorts wryly. "With Cumhachd, the best way to do that is to look at the situation in a mirror while hanging upside down from the ceiling. After a while, you achieve understanding. Or you pass out, hit your head on the floor, and have a vision. Either way, it's much the same thing."
I'm not speaking of her in this sense. I tend to do the hanging-mirror-headache thing as a metaphysical exercise in any case. You and Marcus just help me see how far i am from the floor.
What is the quality and crafstmanship of the sword like? Roberto already has a few swords, and I wanna see how it ranks. Currently, his weapon of choice is a Toledo longsword constructed with vandium steel. I even had Pedro work on it to enhance the quality (I do not own City & Guild, so I just referenced Lords of Men page 136). I gave the sword the Superior Quality bonus of +1 Attack. Excellent Quality can range higher and adds a bonus to both Atk & Def. But I do not know those rules well enough. I figured the combination of material and Pedro's high ability was sufficient to hone the blade to +1 atk in a season.
But what does this sword look like? The new one? And in what manner is it delivered?
Method of delivery is the pretty much the same as Alexei's. Same page, same comments about Cumhachd, little less friendly do to Roberto's gift. It looks to be of similar style to Roberto's preferred sword. Although, it just feels a bit...deadlier.
Fiona starts to rise in alarm at the battered, bloody 'stranger' who simply walks into the Council Chamber until she realizes who it is, then sits back down with a self-conscious smile.
[color=blue]"Tranquillina, I've been wanting you to show off your body for years...but this isn't quite what I had in mind."
Korvin stands. Lets begin. As you know, Cumhachd ex Tytalus was granted temporary guest status and has taken residence in one of the villas in the Tribunal Village. She has asked that we put an Aegis around the village that she will pay for. She has invited all of us to participate so there will be no need for tokens for Mons Electi Magi within the aegis. I am willing to do the casting but I would offer to see if anyone else would need the payment?
((Peregrine, do you think Fiona's still upset with Tranquillina at this point, about a week after she dissed Fiona in her lab? I'm not sure Tranquillina would have returned the tureen by then.... 
))
"And as you know," the old woman with the punished body says in Tranquillina's voice, "this guest status was granted without consultation of this Council - certainly without consultation of me. I reiterate my experienced opinion that encouraging this woman to remain close to Mons Electi is a severe mistake."
"And now, she wants to claim the entire Tribunal village as her own fiefdom?" Her timeworn face droops even more as her frown hardens. "The dangers of Cumhachd's character - for that matter, the dangers of the poorly understood Aegis ritual - aside, I can hardly condone the use of Mons Electi time and resources just so one of us might take profit from whatever thirty pieces of silver she is offering."