[u]Spring 1223 to Winter 1223: Fire Sale[/u]
While relying on the safety of the amulet, Joseph opts to stay in the Aegis for the year, reading up on the infernal for a possible defense in the second half of the year.
Meanwhile, in spring, Juniper begins his search through the forest for the place where she suspects the vis source is after the encounter with the one-eyed dog last year. After a time, she manages to locate it, right at the same time as a Barking Beast (see RoP: F). With a film of webbing over its eye, it stares at the incredibly cautious Juniper while it lowers its head into the shallow where the eggs rest (looking like rocks under Second Sight). It then swallows the eggs and backs away slowly, the baying of sixty hounds left in its wake, given only a Light wound by Juniper.
Juniper spends an entire day tracking it, eventually catching it at the Linden Copse, licking up the one pawn of Herbam vis that's grown in. It jumps upon her, failing to harm him. The ensuing flurry of arrows and recriprocated bites end with it Incapacitated from arrows. When Juniper kills it with a skinning knife, sixty puppies spew from its belly, scattering to the four winds. Juniper catches one, the acquires the rock eggs and herbam vis the barking beast ate. After getting the magi's attention to bring it over, they find themselves unable to find any of the beast's vis and presume it to be hidden in one of the escaped puppes (none have good enough Faerie Lore rolls to know how they store their vis). But they're satisfied with the presence of 8 pawns Terram in the eggs, and Juniper now has a white foxhound pup; who will be looked after in the beginning by Briehilda.
By the time summer rolls around, Karl has finished making a second Ring of Peasant Control and the scribes have made copies of Tim's tractai, so with four Black Cloaks and the teamster Gregory (former bandit) he travels to the Hermetic Mid-Summer Faire. Upon arrival, he makes camp and plies his wares with Presence+Bargain to sell the various items; successfully selling the ring, the tractati, and copies of Prokui's lab texts. It's a good haul, netting 70+ pawns of vis in various Art flavours.
On the trek back, they are accosted by a dragon that smelled their vis asking for a toll for passing through its mountains. Not wasting time, the declares the charge. The initial gout of flame is miracuously resisted by the Black Cloak unit (critical soak roll) with only Light wounds, who in turn inflict their own set of four Light wounds on Simon and Karl flails his magic uselessly against its Might. The next exchange is ultimately uneventful, except in a short bit of banter, Karl asks for the name of the mighty dragon about to defeat him. Gregory shoots an arrow that actually manages to pierce its scales (light wound), to which Karl yanks it out with magic and hides behind a boulder. Simon looses a torrent of flames, inflicting Heavy wounds to each of the Black Cloaks, who in turn deal another set of Light. Karl uses spontaneous and a lucky Finesse roll to make a sympathetic connection. The following round, the wounded combatants fail to harm each other, but Karl's Call to Slumber manages to penetrate the beast's magic resistance (blood, nickname, model).
The trek back is barely in time for the next season because of the need to go slowly and purchase another cart and riding animal, due to the extreme burns on the four Black Cloaks. But they now have a nice set of teeth and claws, which Karl will fashion into jewelry as a mark of their service. The subsequent healing circle made for them for a season and 1.5 months will earn the Black Cloaks their first point of Warp (doubled because of their flaw).
There will be a flashback next session for Gotvinus's season of service.
Tim and Gotvinus spend a season each binding to their new familiars.
During the final days of Saturnalia, the door to Prokui's balcony violently erupts off its hinges and into the field some distance away. Ranting and raving, cursing the name of Hjuki, he summons a scorpio. Then he loads a bolt into it, kicks it into a random direction, and pulls the lever. With a crack of thunder, the goose standing nearby within the covenant is no more, and there is a good sized crater remaining. The eldest magus storms back into his tower, continuing to yell about finding Hjuki. Miruna lands close to a window, and hears him quietly sobbing the name, wishing to be close again.
Meanwhile, the crater is not still. The bottom is sizzling and melting, sparks slowly creeping out. With a sudden whoosh, the earth erupts out with a terrific wind. As the dirt cloud settles, three man-sized figures can be seen walking out of the crater
They glance around, then transform into birds; a hooded crow, an owl, and a goose. At which point, they take flight and begin to circle the inner boundary of the Aegis.
Experience
Spring[]Gotvinus - 18+9 Intellego (summa)[list]Miruna - 5 Intrigue (practice)[/:m][]Joseph - 21 Terram (summa)[/:m]
[*]Tim - 2 Magic Theory (exposure), 9 Rego (Discovery), 15 Penetration (Discovery)
Owlowiscious - 2 Magic Theory (exposure)[/:m][]Karl - 2 Magic Theory (exposure), makes Ring of Puppetry[/:m][]Juniper - 5 Second Sight, 4 Magic Lore, 1 Bow (adventure)[/:m][/list:u]Summer[]Gotvinus - Adventure (flashback next session)[list]Miruna - Adventure (flashback next session)[/:m][]Joseph - 2 Rego (exposure)
[/:m][]Tim - 5 Mastery of X (practice)Owlowiscious - 8 Latin (practice)[/:m][]Karl - 2 Magic Theory, 9 Rego, 15 Penetration (Adventure)[/:m][]Juniper - 11 Faerie Lore (summa)[/:m][/list:u]Fall[]Gotvinus - 2 Magic Theory (exposure, Familiar bond)[list]Miruna - 2 Magic Theory (bonding)[/:m][]Joseph - 12 Infernal Lore (summa)[/:m][]Tim - 2 Magic Theory (exposure, Familiar Bond)Owlowiscious - 2 Magic Theory (exposure)[/:m][]Karl - 18 Intellego (summa)[/:m][]Juniper - 2 Hunt (exposure)[/:m][/list:u]Winter[]Gotvinus - 15 Intellego (summa)[list]Miruna - 15 Magic Theory (summa)[/:m][]Joseph - 12 Infernal Lore (summa)[/:m][]Tim - 22 Muto (summa)Owlowiscious - 15 Magic Theory (summa)[/:m][]Karl - 19 Vim (summa)[/:m][]Juniper - 11 Faerie Lore (summa)[/*:m][/list:u]