Chapter 0: Flight of the Ibis

Flying northeast for half a day, he comes upon a meandering river flowing north. After stopping at another village large enough to have a church, he get confirmation that this is indeed the Rhine.

Following the Rhine north to the coast is a long flight, taking almost week. The river widens into a long and wide delta, splitting off into numerous channels bracketing with marshes and sandy islands. From what Renatus remembers, Terschelling is on an island about 60 miles north along the coast.

(OOC: If I understand right I can speak to "some" birds that are similar to me I can't find the reference but I think there's an example that includes Ibis and Heron interaction; I've also checked for heron presence in this place. Bear in mind I'm inoffensive to animals.)

Finally reaching a welcoming environnement, Renatus spends most of the morning eating in the marsh and preening his feathers. He uses the opportunity to talk to the birds present. He's not really understanding what most seabirds are saying but finally meets a Heron catching fish.
"Greetings, sorry to bother you during your meal, this place seems pleasant. Humans aren't bothering you too much are they ?"

He waits for his answers and adds :

"Is there any human settlement or massive building further in the sea on an island ? They're stange humans with fearsome presence that sometimes do things other humans can't do. Are you aware of them ?"

Gulping his fish whole, the heron eyes Renuts for a moment before replying. "Naw, humans don't come here much. Some of their floating trees pass by in the deep water, but don't bother us."

"They have some big reversed nests where they at a few places on the coast. I don't pay much attention to them, as they don't bother us. Not much fish over there anyway. Here is a good place for fish. Nice fishies, juicy and fresh." The heron eyes the water, looking for more fish as he slowly walks from one spot to the other.

(ooc : reversed nest that's brilliant !)

Renatus thinks for himself This is to be expected he's got no reasons to go that far to catch fish around the island He thanks the Heron and flies north until he reaches an island, he casts sense of magical (InVi 2)power to be sure he's on the good one while flying around the island :
spell casting 1d10+1=5 5/2 = 2
concentration check 1d10+4=9

After half a day's flying, Renatus reaches the first sizeable sandy island. There aren't any buildings on this one, so he keeps flying.

It is only when he reaches the third island that he sees a number of buildings. A massive but low long-house, with half a dozen smaller houses of similar nature are clustered close to it. A pair of ships are anchored nearby, and you see armed men going about around the houses and on the beach, carrying stuff from the ships into the long-house.

Unnoticed amongst the many sea birds, Renatus is able to confirm that there is indeed a magical aura at this location.

Renatus, still in Ibis shape heads to the entrance of the massive building and at a safe distance introduces himself in Latin to the grog guarding it (assuming there's one).

"Greeting, I'm the magus Renatus Ex Bjornaer, here in Ibis shape"

As Renatus starts walking towards the long-house in bird form, he is ignored at first by the mundanes travelling to and fro. However, they start noticing him as he gets closer and closer to them, an unusual behaviour for a bird, even more considering that they are unfamiliar with that kind of bird.

There isn't a guard standing watch near the building, but all of the men are armed, if only with large knives. So after a little bit of confusion at the bird's approach, a few of the men start drawing their weapons and heading toward Renatus even before he speaks. They react with surprise and a little fear when the bird speaks, but one is driven by that fear to advance with his weapon raised. Fortunately, before he can approach too much there is a yell in what Renatus assumes is German, which stops the man in mid-stride. Literally.

The yell came from a man who is currently approaching. He is well-dressed, in black tunic embroidered with golden thread and a short cloak. As he gets closer, he asks in Latin, with a slightly derisive tone, "My, my my. What's this? A talking bird?" He adds something in German, which sends a few of the men running and the others laughing.

Renatus gets ready to lift off as the armed guy approaches, but the authoritarian intervention of the Latin speaking man makes him feel at ease again. He continues to speak in Latin "It seems like I frightened your man, that wasn't my intention. As I was saying, I'm Renatus Ex Bjornaer. Sorry to come without warning, I'm not really aware of the redcap network of this tribunal yet."

"Frigthened? Ah! Not really. Unsettled him, rather. He was acting to protect the covenant from a perceived threat, as any good grog would do. You should know that just showing up, unannouced, at a covenant is very poor manners and dangerous for your health." He waves as if this was unconsequencial. "Just be thankful that I was there to protect you, little bird."

"What brings you to our shores, 'Renatus Ex Bjornaer'?" You can actually hear the quotes around your name. "And why don't you change back, so that we can talk man to man?"

"Well, poor manner this might be, dangerous, probably not. Unless Hermetic hospitality in this tribunal is really different from Iberian's. Anyway, I'm on my way to Fengheld, and I looking for advice to find it more easily and to me honest I was hoping for a good conversation around a proper meal. I can change right now If you want but most host consider nudity offensive, so If you could lend me a coat..."

"Our hospitality is as good as any other covenant, be assured. But showing up unannouced and unexpectedly is dangerous. One could not have held us accountable if one of our grogs had shot an arrow into you. That's how interlopers are treated here. Or spies." He grins at this, "In fact, a Bjornaer sniffing around another covenant under the guise of his animal shape could easily be accused of magical scrying, would he not? But never mind this."

"Nudity doesn't bother us. You'll get laughed at, is all." He says something in German, which makes his men laugh again, and says something else to one of them specifically, sending him inside. "But I would be a poor host if I couldn't provide you with such a basic thing as clothing. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold, now would I?"

Still, he makes no move to invite you inside the low fence that probably serves as the boundary for this covenant's Aegis. While waiting for his man to return, he speak to the others again, in German, sending most of them back to their work. After a little while, the man who went inside return with a bundle of clothing, which he brings to the well-groomed man. "Here, this ought to do," he says, throwing the bundle before Renatus.

"Spying as a glossy Ibis in the Waden sea, you can't be serious" He laughs " I'm like 1000 leagues too far in the north. Also this isn't a "guise" as you say but another facet of my true self." He makes sure to mimic the way he pronounced his name. "Anyway, let's meet man to man as you say."

He makes sure he's close enough to the clothes and places his wings just under the sleeves so that as he transform, he's covered by the tunic. He finishes to dress up and faces the leader. Not really impressed by his attempts to mock him, seeing this as a lesser application of leadership on overly aggressive grogs. He continues the conversation as if nothing happened.

"You've got a nice covenant site, having grown in a similar environment myself. I really appreciate the island"

As Renatus takes his human form and gets dressed, he realizes that the tunic's former owner probably met an unfortunate end while wearing it -- there is a large dried bloodstain around the neck of the tunic. The tunic was washed since, but the stain is still quite visible.

"Come inside, now, so we can talk like the civilized individuals that we are." As you follow him inside the long-house, he adds, "Yes, we like this island. It's quiet and conveniently placed. A tad cold in the winter, but we make sure we are well-stocked to enjoy all the comforts you can wish for."

The inside of the long-house is essentially one big open space, although some parts on the sides have been partitioned off with fabric or furs. A number of long tables, with enough benches to seat over a hundred people, occupy the common part. A low dais near the fire has a small table, with only a few throne-like chairs. That is where the man leads you. "My name is Hygwald Veritas, by the way, of House Tremere. Would you like wine or ale?"

As he seats himself, he gestures one of the few women you've seen so far, presumably ordering her to bring you food and drink. "Now, tell me why I should help you."

(Note that Renatus is now inside of a foreign Aegis. Hygwald made no mention of it, nor does he offer you a token to invite you in. This isn't necessarily unusual, as there are several covenants who don't automatically provide such a token to visitors. Rather, offering one is usually a sign of respect and/or friendship.)

"Nice to meet you Hygwald Veritas" Renatus takes a seat for himself near the fire "Well, as I told you I've made a long trip and I'm no really familiar with the tribunal." He stops for a moment to gather his thoughts "You've made yourself clear how suspicious unexpected magus can be" as he pronounces this sentence, he goes over the blood stain with his left finger "So at first I would appreciate If you could explain me where to find a redcap station nearby or along the way to Fengheld so that my arrival goes more smoothly."

"Ah! Redcaps come here occasionally, not the reverse. It's there job, and we wouldn't tolerate their existence if they didn't do it." He waves dismissively, "They're servants. So I don't know, nor do I care, where these little mundanes go when they leave here."

Renatus frowns as he describes the redcap " Well..." he's appalled by his attitude towards a member of the Order. "Maybe you can help me to locate Fengheld more precisely , I've got a general idea where to search : In the Harz montain about 20 leagues on the West of the Elbe river, but the maps I could find in my tribunal were not very precise. Is there any good landmarks I could use ?"

"You have still to tell me why I should help you." Hygwald wide smile isn't really nice. "To spell it out more clearly for you, what do I gain from helping you?"

(OOC: I missed the line with the drinking question i'm answering now)

"Ale would be nice. Are you seriously bargaining this information ?"

"Bargaining? Not really. But it's a harsh world out here." He grins as the woman brings them something to drink, "Ask her. Oh, wait, you don't speak the local language." He laughs, "Knowledge has a price, like everything else." Renatus notices that the woman is wearing some sort of metal collar. But Hygwald continues, "You come here to ask for something, yet you offer nothing in return. So why should I help you?"

"A harsh world" he also smiles and looks around at the gigantic room and examines his attire from head to foot "It seems that it isn't too harsh on you... It's not like I'm desperately in need of these informations, I'll find Fengheld eventually, that doesn't make the information very valuable for me. Also that information isn't really secret or anything. It's not like you're losing anything by giving that information...

He takes a big gulp of ale and adds Why should you help me ? Let me answer by another question. What do you want that's of equivalent values in your eyes ?"