You get a chip of rock, and we all go home. Everyone.
Back at the covenant, Appearantly Dimir Taar is still in faerie, Jean Michelle, vanishes to her lab, that leaves Ameline trying to figure out what to do next and who to speak to. She considers seeking out the children. She has yet to really get a full introduction though to anyone other than JeanMichelle to explain she is of the order. Her creating light at the faerie cave could have been a blessing.
Decimus returns to the Mercere house so he can check up that everything is in order. The fae revealed a few disturbing weaknesses in Decimus magical powers. There are things that could and should be done about that but there where more pressing concern regarding his mission in this covenant. The question was, how bold should he be? His superiors had not set a time frame so a modest speed where expected.
I am thinking Dimir is in his lab now and we can retroactively resolve his situation when Fixer returns. That's up to him and Scott, and as ASG I on't want to interfere. I just want to start a new storyline. I have some minor ideas, ut I want to see where *you8 guys wanna go. Anyone interested in a Beta story? Should I recruit some new people? Do you want to go chasing after your lost sodales in Val-Negra? let me know.
Off the top of my head I recall Marcellus was supposed to send some more custos and possibly magi to Barcelona to join up with us. There's also Metron that's now roaming the "real world", Ameline's vision, the visit of Florenzo? as loose ends.
i would be thrilled if Octavian ran a story
No you wouldn't. I'm not good at the mechanics of this edition, moreso since a lot of characters are twinked out on abilities I'm not familiar with or have the books for.
I apologize Lady Phoenix, but since this only applies to this thread, I want to discuss it here. This is not a story, it is a game. I am glad that people read it, but they need to read it as a game and not as a fantasy novel.
But I thank you for reminding me of your specific quest 
. There is one child you recognize from your visions. Her name is Kesara, the daughter of Inigo Xalbador, a member magus of House Flambeau who holds the rank of Commander amongst the Knights of Seneca. She is joyful and full of life. How do you choose to introduce yourself?
Your companion, one of the mercenaries that didn't get to go on the mission in Barcelona. Maybe she can talk one of the Andorran Guard into letting her audition? Most people are unaware of her true gender I take it?
Oh, and a herald arrives. Antonio and Rodrigo are coming home soon. They will be here next week. And a certain man with a cat is also coming to visit 
Okay, lets get this thing going…
Welcome Home!!!
Worn and weary, you return home for some peace and rest.
• Dimir Taar, Marie, and Marcellus each return to their Labs and become NPCs for the time being. Marcellus is the most senior member present, so he is temporarily in charge.
• Decimus and Carmen each return to their respective duties. They are not full members of the Covenant. Decimus is the Master Magus of the Mercere Quarter, holding certain rights and responsibilities that are due his office. Carmen, though originally an apprentice from Andorra, has never become a formal member. She only recently returned to Andorra, and was designated a Warden of the Antares by Archmagus Pietro of Flambeau (her mentor and her father’s friend/rival of sorts).
• Ameline is given hospitality and guest quarters she can hang her sanctum marker on for the time being. It is our custom.
• Viola, I know you want to just stay in your Lab, but you are the only PC who holds status as a Full Member. There is stuff I’m gonna make you do. Not right away but soon. Viola may not like it, but she has duties 
As for Experience and Confidence for the adventures in the Faerie Caves, Scott is handling that. He will inform us all of
So, what’s going on?
Well, the unit of elite grogs Marcellus dispatched to Barcelona return home. You were supposed to catch up with them, but you got distracted by caves. They return with bad news. Commander Xalbador and his retinue entered the portal already, but shortly thereafter a massive fire broke out and the portal was destroyed. No one knows what happened or what to do. Since most of you are non-members or quasi-members, there is not much you can do. Not right now anyway. I have top men looking into it. Top – Men…
Messages!!
Decimus,
Eric the Redcap comes reporting to you. He is the Regional Master Redcap of the Summer Tribunals. That means he oversees the routs of the lower ranking Redcaps of Normandy, Provencal, and Iberia. He has taken hold of messages pertaining to certain sensitive subjects. There was already the public announcement that Antonio and Rodrigo are coming home soon. They paid their own private redcap herald to deliver that message. But in addition, Antonio had Archmagus Apollo Magnus of Mercere deliver a secret message to all of the other Archmagi of the order (Apollo Magnus is the “Mercury†of the Archmagi). Eric the Redcap has no idea what the message was or what it pertained to, but apparently he has been involved in some political intrigue in the Thebian Tribunal as of late. The Primus of his House, Garus of Flambeau, is not to happy with his activities. But the more he opposes him the more Antonio’s popularity and acclaim grows.
Oh, also, Carles of Jerbiton is coming up to visit. His cat suffered some minor burns in a lab accident or something. He won’t say what happened. But he will be here tonight sometime. He is meeting up here with a Quaesitor named Tacitus, and he requests a private meeting with Andorra’s council.
Ameline smiles after learning where her guest quarters are. As she has a token to the aegis, she will have no trouble coming and going so she finds a small rock and uses a quick perdo terram to split it in half and puts half in her belt pouch and half in her guest quarters to aid the coming and going.
She sends a message requesting audience with the Andorra council about membership or if there are guest labs, the requirements for such a lab. As soon as that is done, she quietly goes out to observe the children and an watch them. If they are interested, she will tell some stories from the bible of the sort that are more entertaining for children. She will pay close attention the one from her vision and make sure to get all the children names.
Um, they have mostly Catalan names, some Spanish and some French. I haven't invented names for them yet. Except for Kesara and Falls named her. I estimate that there are about 15 to 20 children in the castle? That seems about right.
Ameline enjoys the time with the children. The story of Ester, Joseph and his coat, Joshua and Jericho, the parables of prodigal son and others are good stories to interest children in the bible and to see power of God and belief.
((Though you don't have names for them all and can invent them at need, Ameline will be learning them so that when it comes time for one, Ameline can place the name. No need to get into details right now))
I might run one soon, but not for a little bit as I'm in the process of moving ( again. ) at current. I have a few ideas, some based on stuff out of the library... some out of my RL library. How should that work? I can pitch you some ideas in PM if you like?
Sure!
After spending time with this children and getting to know them, especially a certain girl, Ameline spends the next several hours exchanging information and checking out the infirmary and then requests a copy of the charter to read to accompany her request for audience with the council.
Ameline,
The children enjoy your bible stories. It isn’t often that anyone pays attention to them as a group. Sure, their parents are attentive to each of then individually. But as a social sub-group, they are not often given much thought. They like you
Kesara is not as warm and friendly as you would have hoped though.
One trick about the charter. Non members are not allowed to view it. In fact, it is often kept out of the hands of the members as well. However, a book of historical and legal reference will clue you in as to why this is. Andorra operates according to a system of by-laws, empowered by the original charter. Technicaly it is a three tiered system. The elders (Pontifexi) have absolute authority in theory. But in practice, everyone is treated as if they held equal rank as Masters. The lowest rank of Disciple has not been employed in centuries. The original charter was approved by the Val-Negra Tribunal. Andorra was never reassigned when that tribunal was split up into the Iberian and Provencal, and they claim to be independant of either of those tribunals.
The references that she finds are perused. She is looking for requirements of members, privileges of members and method to gain membership for each level.
She does make a note that despite planning a full day in the lab, she will make an hour or two each day for the children to teach religion and bible tales and an hour or two in the infirmary. She is used to long days with prayers and duties as well as her labwork.
Requirements for membership include being a member in good standing of the Order of Hermes, and sponsorship by a current member. Privileges of membership include a sanctum and equal share in the resouces of the covenant, a vis grant and a monetary stipend, access to the exclusive library, and other rights that are common to most covenants.
No information is to be found on the different levels of membership. Other than the fact that two memers currently hold the title of Pontifex: Antonio of Flambeau and Rodrigo of Mecere.
The medical staff is not very busy at the moment and are happy to show you around. The covenant castle also includes a small chapel of an odd design.
Ameline is very happy to find the chapel and after her time with the medical staff and making sure they know she is available to them, she retires to pray and say the proper offices. After her prayers, she gets a light meal and visit the accessable areas of the library to see what books are available. She is more interested in the mundane texts than magical ones at the moment.
That completed, she does her next prayers before retiring for the night. She has to be up early for morning prayers and hopefully learn more about the covenant and what role she can play here.