«We are looking for two things. Firstly, books on faerie lore, preferably sound summæ. Secondly sound primers¹ on all the arts except Creo, Muto, Perdo, and Herbam. I expect to pay about 8-10 pawns per text, but this is negotiable.»
¹ In my mind, this is level+quality 28+, usually level 8-10 and quality around 20.
«Agreed. I shall take some care in the wording when I write, and let's make a more direct approach our main strategy. I just feel that it is now time to act. I have studied old arts for too long. Let's start inquiring with the villagers, review the text we have, and talk to some of the covenfolk, and we can make the first journey this year.»
Hugh meets Alva in the library later, seeming a little awkward. "Hi. So. About my... our quest. What we're looking for is, I think, called Mimir's Mead. In legend, it's what Odin drank before he hung from Yggdrasil for 9 days to learn the secret of the runes. I read a very old account of an interrogation of a rune wizard that led me to believe it might be a major piece of uncovering some kind of magical secret, related to rune magic."
[@silveroak did Hugh learn anything in his wanderings that gave him a clue of where to start looking?]
Hugh would have picked up numerous hints during his wanderings, some of them contradictory of one another- the top ten:
Hugh will share those hints.
"What do you think? I'd like to avoid dealing with Odin unless other options fail us. I've been to Beag's well, and I don't think it's there, but I suppose it might be worth it to look again if other things don't pan out. I'm inclined to check out that temple first, or maybe the forest."
[ @silveroak I don't want to metagame too much about what Hugh knows about what he's actually looking for. My idea for the root of this is that there was a journal written by a Diedne who used Mentem magic on a Vitkir and learned about the tree-mead method. But want to stay within what bounds you see fit.]
"Asking Heimdallr is a good idea! I'm grateful for help with intuition. Are you not interested yourself? I wandered for almost 3 years, I had my friend with me, but having another magus along can be very nice. As far as those two go... I think they're more interested in theory, and integration. I just want to actually learn rune magic. But I can ask them."
Hugh looks taken aback. "Wait... do you mean to spend the season inventing something? I really appreciate it, but you don't need to, I'll be fine." He smiles, "but of course if you want to I won't try to stop you."
Hugh shrugs as Alva leaves. "There are a lot of Merinita, and we all do things differently."
He will go off to find Illugi and Balder, finding them still in the council chamber, discussing their plans. He enters loudly, so as to make his presence immediately obvious and forestall inadvertent eavesdropping.
He clears his throat to get their attention. "Sodales... I'm sorry to interrupt, but Alva suggested that I should discuss my plans with you. When I explained that I was searching for Rune Magic, she lost interest, but she thought you might share a goal with me."
Balder turns around, «Rune Magic? Yes, I have heard about it. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could make ever-lasting spells without vis, limited only by the durability of the runes you inscrbe? Are you after that too?»
Hugh cocks his head. "Maybe? I want to learn the actual magic the Vitkir use. Or used? I'm not sure if they're still around. But if I can... maybe I can help you achieve that. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I'm not the best theoretician."
«I hope to meet someone who knows the art, and who would want to work with me to advance it. We do not all have to be theoreticians.» He smiles. «So, yes, if you seek a teacher, we are really after the same goal, even if we want to use it differently. Do you know where to start? Personally, I am just going to start making inquiries. Hopefully I can find enough clues to embark on a journey to meet old masters.»
"Well... to be honest I hadn't thought much about current practitioners. I read an old reference to a method of acquiring runic power... the method that Odin used. I have a number of leads to follow up, mostly about seeking out old relics, or fae."
«Right. That could work too. I must admit, it sounded a bit too adventurous to me, to be worth trying, so I did not really consider that.»
His name is Philippides, and after a bit of a meal and some rest he asks if it will affect his potential progeny.
"I'll need to look into that, I can get back with you about that next visit."
«No, never.»
"I don't think he minds me... I usually get along with the fae fairly well."
[presumably he does some kind of annual thingy in activating his ritual power that involves the inhabitants so he can exempt them?]
Hugh blinks, taken aback by the question. "Well... because the secret shouldn't be lost forever. And if it's to be preserved, it should be the order who preserves it."
«That's why the theoretisation is so important. If you only learn rune magic, without incorporating it in Hermetic theory, very few will take the time to learn it, and the knowledge will be very vulnerable. Integrated in the Hermetic theory, it will be much easier to learn, possibly an integral part of opening the arts at some point. Then more people will learn it and develop it further.»
Hugh shrugs. "I suppose. But why not do both? If I learn it, I can help you integrate it. Honestly, I don't really know why I want to learn it, I just do. Why do I like meadow-salted lamb? Why do I dislike bare wooden floors?"