I looked up the word "minute" on Wikipedia. The root is Latin and first comes into use in the Middle Ages. No one is sure where or when, but to say "Diameter" as a unit of time sounds out of place to me.
Minutes can be measured by an astrolabe, and the term evolves from parts of a circle.
And there are high precision clocks in the middle ages. Well, not super precise. But enough to measure minutes.
But it does have me thinking. Regular people would not think minutes or diameters. They would think in fractions of an hour or seconds (a-count-of-X sorta seconds).
And more so I am trying to roleplay anxiety and urgency 
Vibria continues to press her attack, keeping Ignem on Offense.
Attack roll is 18 + (die roll of 1), followed by a die roll of 10) 20 = 38.
Defense is 10 + die roll of 3 = 13.
(OOC: "And stay down!")
Vibria presses the attack and her dragon goes in for the kill. It grabs the fiery man by the neck and starts shaking. With each shake, flames fly away from the man, causing him to shrink. By the fifth shake he disappears in a rush of flames that quickly go out. Reinhard staggers for a moment, gives Vibria an evil look, then collapses. As he lies on the ground, he grits his teeth and speaks in a bitter tone.
"You've won," he spits out. "But only because I was injured to start. I'll abide my side of the bargain. But we will meet again. And when that happens, You'll see what it means to face a true Flambeau master." And with that, he faints dead away, the strain of the certamen finally overcoming him.
The dragon lets out a silent cry of exultation, it's head reaching toward the ceiling before it too dissipates into nothingness.
The soldiers, having seen Reinhard fall, remain apprehensive, but take no offensive action. They do remain quite ready to defend themselves, however.
Meanwhile, Rilcheaux, Flavia, Cidito, and Horus continue their journey back to the safe house, while Lucas, casts an invisibility spell on the scroll case and flies back by a quicker route.
[hr][/hr]
Third Pass
Vibria's Attack: 38
Reinhard's Defense (Creo): stress die + 14 (Creo Defense) - 3 (injury) - 5 (Fatigue) = SD + 6
Defense: 1D10+6 = [6]+6 = 12
Attack Advantage: 38 - 12 = 26
Weakening Total: 3 + 26 = 29
Effect = 29 - 5 = 24; 5 Fatigue levels lost; down.
Unconscious
Those two exploders really helped. You two were very evenly matched. Winning initiative didn't hurt either. 
Actually, as I think of it, Lucas will try to render the scroll case invisible. He'll try it twice to see if it works.
Cloak of Invisibility: 1D10+4 = [5]+4 = 9; fail
Lucas is down to Winded.
Cloak of Invisibility: 1D10+4 = [7]+4 = 11; success
Lucas is down to Weary.
Vibria looks down at Reinhard's unconscious body. [color=red]"Wah, wah, wah. Excuses, excuses."
Now that the festivities are over, she realizes that her robes don't exactly hide her modesty like they should, so she looks around for robes, or a cloak, or (if nothing else catches her eye) a blanket to cover herself with.
She then looks at Reinhard's compatriots. [color=red]"Aren't you supposed to be leaving Paris immediately? With..." She nudges Reinhard with the point of her toe. [color=red]"And all your friends upstairs. And...immediately doesn't leave you, really, any time to pack, does it? Allez-vous!"
I had a hunch we would be. And, of course, Vibria's Judged Unfairly is going to kick in and say that there's no way that she would have won if Reinhard weren't injured, and/or that she just got lucky.
One of the two soldiers who came in first quickly takes charge of the others. He's a bit older and has the look of a commander to Vibria. "I heard Master Reinhard say we'd leave if he lost," the man says to her in Latin. "And I'm not about to say no to the one who beat him so soundly. Right now this whole situation is turning into a total clusterf--" He reddens. "Beg pardon ma'am. It's turned into a total mess. We'll pick up Master Reinhard and get him out of here like you said. After his display in the doorway, we'd all best get out of here quickly. I don't want to be the one to have to explain all this to the gendarmes."
The mercenary commander then issues some orders to his men in French. Vibria and Diego can follow enough of it to tell that he's instructing them to pack up quickly and be ready to leave before the gendarmes arrive. Apparently 'immediately' to him doesn't mean that he's walking right out the door, though he clearly intends to bug out quickly. Vibria can take that up with him and his men if she likes. But his comments do remind her that time is passing and the authorities will be here before too long.
As the commander gives his orders, the men start moving quickly. Two head upstairs, while three remain in the front hall. Those in the front hall start packing up what little equipment they have while the commander bends down to check on Renihard. Presumably those above are doing the same thing.
Vibria uses this opportunity to grab a cloak from a hook near the door. If it belongs to anyone here, they're not stopping her.
[hr][/hr]
There are some cloaks by the door. Vibria can take one. No one's going to stop her.
You know, it occurs to me that I should have been giving you all a -12 to all your certamen rolls. But since you'd both have been getting the same penalty, it would have given the same end result.
Having him wounded really did give Vibria the edge. But even if he'd been at full strength, with those rolls she'd have beaten him.
So are Vibria and Diego leaving too, or do they want to wait around to explain things to the Paris guard? 
Once she wraps the cloak around her, she stands to one side and watches them intently, occasionally giving them a "get a move on" gesture with her hand. But she has no quarrel with them...in fact, she makes a mental note of their faces in case they come across each other in different circumstances.
That occurred to me, too, but I realized that it would have balanced out unless Reinhard had Divine Magic or something that didn't take a penalty in this aura.
Once the minions have gathered up Reinhard and made their exit stage-over-yonder, she will head upstairs to round up Diego, Alonzo, Lucas, and anyone else. [color=red]"I hope we're almost done. The gendarmes will be here any time."
The mercenaries pack up in a quick and efficient manner, putting all of their gear into small packs they carry. Then two of them come downstairs leading a very confused and irate Forratus, while two more carry Reinhard between them. Forratus starts to argue about what's happening, but the mercenary commander cuts him off.
"Time to go," he says. nodding for his men to go outside. He pauses in front of Vibria and Diego before he heads out himself. "Sorry we found ourselves on opposite sides of the fence this time around. Maybe things'll be different next time we meet. I'm Hugo Rochefort, by the way, leader of Rochefort's Raiders. Our contract is paid through the end of the year. But after that ... who can say?" He gives the two magi a salute and heads out after his men.
Upstairs Vibria finds two rooms, a front hall with the furniture pushed against the walls to make an open area, and a back bedroom/study with a large table on it. There is no sign of Lucas, nor should there be if all went to plan. Diego then gets word from Alonzo that Lucas is out with the scrolls, so there's no need to look for him. And Alonzo reports that he's on his way back to the safe house with Lucas to keep up communications now that Horus and Cidito are escorting Flavia.
A quick look outside shows that while there isn't a crowd gathered, there are a number of people watching the house from a discrete distance. Given the neighborhood, it can't be long before the gendarmes appear.
Meanwhile, across Paris...
While Vibria and Diego settle things at Forratus' house, Lucas flies straight as a shot across Paris, heading for the safe house. As he considers the matter, he brings Alonzo along with him so that they can keep in touch with Diego. Before too long, magus and eagle arrive at the safehouse. Lucas teleports in through a window and then drops his invisibility. A moment later he opens the window to let Alonzo in and settles himself down to the ground. Once there, he drops the invisibility from the scroll case as well.
"Vibria and Diego are back at the house buying time," he reports to Arachne and Roberto. "Apparently she got the enemy magus to agree to a certamen duel. Now we can't necessarily trust that he'll keep his word, given all that they've done. But it's a fine distraction. And if she wins, the enemy magus should be down for a while."
"She has won," Alonzo adds in a noble voice. "There is some confusion at the house since one magus is missing and the other unconscious. But it seems like the soldiers are leaving the house and leaving Paris, taking the enemy magus with them. Apparently that was part of the terms of the duel."
"Excellent," Lucas replies. "Horus says that their group is about halfway here. They should arrive shortly. And we have the scrolls." He taps the case. "Along with some of Forratus' notes. Once we get Flavia here, we can get everyone and everything to safety."
[hr][/hr]
Wizard's Leap CT = + 22 (ReCo(An)) + 2 (Sta) - 4 (Aura) = + 20
Wizards Leap casting check: 1D10+20 = [9]+20 = 29; success
Before the certamen duel, I was planning on having the bad guys and their mercenaries follow Vibria back to the safe house and make one last attack to try and recover the scrolls. But then Vibria had to go and beat the magus in certamen. So much for that plan. 
Diego is keen to exit quickly, knowing that he and Vibria will stand out in a crowd. There is no reason to stay and watch the mercs leave once Lucas has the scrolls.
When he arrives and has been caught up, Rilcheaux will ask if they would like for him to remain behind and make sure all trails are covered or return with everyone else to Andorra.
Vibria returns the salute. [color=red]"Next year, if your travels happen take you in the direction of Barcelona, look up the Vibria Company."
No sense waiting for the popo to show. Since Lucas is done, let's slip out as quickly as we can, before any more trouble finds us.
[/quote]
Vibria and Diego leave Forratus' house, and none too soon. They're watched by the people outside the house as they duck down a side street, though none try and follow them. And then, as they round the last corner to get out of sight of the house, they see a couple of gendarmes being lead by a local back to the vicinity of the house.
However, with the defeat of Cassius by Roberto, and the defeat of Reinhard by Vibria, the enemy has no strong leader to direct a counter-attack. And so, for the moment, there is no apparent pursuit.
About twenty minutes after Lucas reports to Roberto, Rilcheaux, Flavia, Cidito, and Horus arrive at the safe house. And about fifteen minutes past them Vibria and Diego make their appearance. At present, there is no sign of opposition, though the magi remain vigilant.
Flavia is happy to meet Roberto and Arachne. She knows of Roberto by reputation from Santiago, and seems more ready to accept that this is a real rescue and not an increasingly elaborate ploy to get her to reveal information. But having declared that she would only reveal what she knows to Santiago, she remains steadfast. She is ecstatic, however, to see that the scrolls have been recovered.
"We need to get these back to Santiago as soon as possible," she declares. "He'll be able to keep them safe from Darius."
When informed that Arachne would like to teleport her out of Paris, she states that she'd rather teleport herself away, as there would be no Warping in that case. If they can provide her with a suitable arcane connection, she'll be happy to cast the spell herself. She says she'd have teleported to her familiar already (who is still in the Roman Tribunal looking around various cities for her) but that she wants to see the scrolls somewhere safe first.
As for Rilcheaux's suggestion that he stay behind to clean things up, Lucas thinks that's a great idea. They've caused a great deal of commotion for just a few days in Paris. No doubt Eboris covenant was going to be upset by all the attention on the use of magic. Having someone in Paris to smooth things over could only serve to make matters better.
After the team are safely away, and the opportunity presents itself Diego will speak to Roberto and Vibria - "we have an AC source for each of these dangerous magi. Do you wish them made permanent, and if so can I borrow them if needed when they retaliate?"
Roberto is all for an expedient bug-out. We have the carpet, teleports, and more. He is concerned for Flavia, and welcoms her to seek shelter on Ibiza. But she is a grown maga and can go anywhere she chooses.
As for the documents...
[color=red]I can send Cidito to contact Santigo, bring you n AC to him or tell him to meet you at a secret code named location the cat knows nothing about. I understand your urgent need for security.
As for the bloody napkins Diego likes to collect...
[color=red]Yes, keep them and bind them. And keep them safe. You are my trusted left hnd man in all this (an Apromor reference to the left handed path of shadows). [color=red]I am worried about the dagger. I found that dagger on the roof, and in retrospect I suppose he could have dropped it. 
Get it?
We don't need it. And I worry that, if the dagger is his, which I am not sure if it is, but it may be n enchanted item and cound as magical deprivation.
Of course, knocking down each other's Parma certainly counts as deprivation.
So, what do you think? Should we leave it here? Tke it to him? Send it via Redcap delivery? Lucas can arrange that.
But anyway...
Okay everybody! Wrap it up and let's blow this pop stand. Not literally, Diego. Figure of speech for "let's go". :mrgreen:
I want to thank everyone for helping me in this. You each have my respect and loyalty, and may alwys call on me for favor.
Vibria, take my cloak. It is more befitting maga of status than the one you grabbed. I will buy you a new dress. You should burn that cloak just to be safe.
We should really Perdo Vim all over this place. I know we should have thought of that head of time. Maybe I am getting paranoid in my old age.
We could setthe whole place on fire as we exit. Leave the dagger behind, point the finger at Cassius.
No! Where is my head at?
Just clean up best we can, and send the dagger in the mail. Lucas, can you handle that for me?
I blab too much. We are wasting time.
Let's move people! Carlos, put the grogs on quick KP and roll out the carpet. I want to be half way to Provencal before sunset and reset my Parma in the air.
In the Air!
I have my injuries masked, but when the sun sets they will return unto me and I will need critical care.
Sorry for the delay, time flies, and I should be working NOW 
Arachné composes herself
Oh my... Of course, fire is a great weapon. But as you say, it's a weapon of war, you don't use it recklessly. Now, I'm relieved not to have a reason to be disappointed with you. Rilcheau, on the other hand...
Fine.
We've assessed the enemy, avoided collateral damage, as well as recovered what we sought. Not bad. There was a lot of obvious magic used, though, but hopefully, we can pin that on our opponents. Better be more careful next time, mind you.
With both Flavia and the scrolls secure, it's a quick job to shut down the safe house and prepare for departure. Some will go by Leap of Homecoming; some by carpet; and Rilcheaux will remain to try and clean up the trail. Those leaving by carpet require veils of invisibility, since it's broad daylight and the magi have no desire to cause any more disturbances in Paris. But that's little enough trouble.
Lucas recommends that Flavia come to Andorra, since it's possible that Darius has Campo de Marte under surveillance. Best to deny their enemy any intelligence at all, he notes. Flavia considers the offer and ultimately accepts.
Soon everyone is off and the warehouse is left empty. Darius' current plans are thwarted ... at least for now.
[hr][/hr]
Sorry Arachne didn't get her fight at the safe house. But the others were just too efficient.
[hr][/hr]
[size=150]EPILOGUE[/size]
It's a week later and everyone is relaxing in a meeting room at Andorra. Vibria has a new dress, Roberto sits with his wounds finally bandaged, and Rilcheaux has only just returned from his cleanup work in Paris. Lucas sits drinking a goblet of wine, while Arachne sits in a corner contemplating the situation. Santiago and Diego have traveled to Andorra to see Flavia, who is finally reunited with her familiar, an owl named Daedalus.
"Flavia," Santiago says, taking the woman into an embrace. "It's good to see you safe. We were all worried when you disappeared, and it seems for good reason. We had no idea that you'd been taken as far as Paris. I'm just glad that Roberto's team is as competent as they are to both rescue you and recover the scrolls."
"I'm sorry, old friend," he adds to Roberto, "that you had to suffer such injuries in the course of this mission. But you and your team have my thanks for a job well done."
"And if I may ask," he continues, turning his attention back to Flavia. "We've all had a long, and quite tense, wait to hear about your research. May we finally hear about what you discovered?"
Flavia returns the embrace. "I've thanked my rescuers already," she says. "Now I'll thank you as well. I owe you all a great debt. And I hope to repay it by the information I have to reveal." She looks around the room at the gathered magi and continues. "What I discovered may shake the foundations of the Order. These scrolls are but the culmination of years of research. They have the clues I needed, but are still cryptic to those without the fifteen years of foundational investigation that I have. That's why Forratus had trouble making heads or tails of them."
"What I have found," she continues, "is none other than the location of what I believe is a standing temple of the Cult of Mercury." She pauses a moment to let that sink in. "As you all know, the Order is built on the shoulders of the Cult of Mercury, though precious little of its original knowledge is left - just a few spells and rituals that have carried over. I've spent my entire career as a Seeker, searching for information about the lost Cult of Mercury, and now I think that research has paid off. If this is what I think it is, then who knows what treasures might yet remain. No standing temple of the ancient Cult of Mercury has ever been found before. This is a find of unprecedented value."
"The temple is in Northern Africa," Flavia explains. "Too many magi have been looking in the Roman and Theban tribunals. But those areas have been combed over for centuries. If something was there, it would have been uncovered ages ago. I looked farther afield in the Levant and Northern Africa. And it seems like my efforts have not gone unrewarded."
"These scrolls give hints of a location in the old Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis that I believe is the site of a temple of the Cult of Mercury. Darius has apparently been following my research more closely than I thought. He got wind that I had made an important discovery and his people took me on the streets of Rome. The rest you know."
"Now, if there's one thing I learned in the past few weeks, it's that I'm not capable of standing up to Darius and his forces on my own. I fully intend to explore this temple. But I need help. I've trusted you with this information and I'm going to trust you with more than that. Will you, or the people you choose, come with me to Northern Africa to seek out the temple of the Cult of Mercury?"
[hr][/hr]
So ends this adventure. But I'd like to start an immediate new adventure, which is effectively Part II of the greater story. We can shuffle up who wants to go. And there can certainly be a delay before heading out. I was thinking Autumn 1242 or Winter 1243.
"If you do not want to take the dagger with you, leave it with me, I will take it to the local redcap office and explain I found it on the street after witnessing a fight between two magi I cannot identify. If he files any dort of claim that will resolve it, and he may owe vis to the redcaps for the recovery of what he lost."
Rilcheaux is busy in autumn with his explorations of Iberia...
"Excellent idea," Lucas replies. "It returns the item with a minimum of awkward questions."
One last repercussion. In the next week there are all sorts of wild rumors around Paris of necromancers and devil worshipers and the worst sort of blood sacrifices. The nights of horrible howling combined with not one, but two sightings of fire being cast, has lead speculation in Paris to run rampant. Eboris covenant is justifiably annoyed that some magi were out and about Paris apparenntly tossing about fireballs and such. The howling is not blamed on magi in particular, but some connection is made among more intelligent magi between the howling and the phase of the moon.
Archmagus Mathieus looks into the matter and uncovers a little bit of information. He suspects that Andorra was involved in the displays of magic, but can't prove anything. Rilcheaux is very good at deflecting his attention toward Darius, however, and Mathieus is certain that the Tytalus (or more to the point, his agents) was involved (though he also can't prove anything). The end result is that Eboris is annoyed with Andorra, but downright angry at Darius and his magi.
[hr][/hr]
Archmagus Mathieus is 104 years old, from Constantinople, and stopped learning magic some time ago (leaving him plenty of time to study Abilities). I would say that a minimum value for Intrigue for him is 5, and it's probably higher. But I'll stick with 5 for now.
Mathieus' Intrigue + Int check to uncover what happened:
Int + Intrigue check: 1D10+8 = [5]+8 = 13
Rilcheaux's Intrigue + Int check to obfuscate Andorra's involvement:
Int + Intrigue check: 1D10+6 = [3]+6 = 9
REWARDS
This was an adventure that took 38 pages and nearly a year, I'm going to award 15 adventure xp
As for Fortune, I'm a little hazy on what a good Fortune award would be. The last two stories I participated in didn't give out Fortune awards, so I can't look to them for advice. What do people think that this was worth in the way of Fortune?