Renatus feels relieved to reach his destination. he's also quite pleased that the grogs are not brainless Berserk like in the previous covenant he visited. He considers the building and tries to imagine who is companions are going to be in the new chapter house. He knows there an interview before, but he's confident they'll give him a probationary membership.
In the meantime, Renatus asks the Steward to get him some clothes : "Bring me some clothes and shoes please, I'd better meet my host in Human form. By the way, Do you know who's going to receive me ?"
"Certainly, sir," the steward says, "I'll see what I can do in such short notice. You will forgive us if the clothing we provide is not perfectly appropriate to your status?" After he directs an assistant to find some clothing for Renatus, the steard asks, "May I inquire what your name is? I'm afraid the guard's knowledge of Latin is limited, so he didn't quite understand it."
"I have sent for Magistra Dorana, who is in charge of welcoming Hermetic visitors. I hope you will not hold it against me that I do formally not invite you inside the walls. The magi are quite adamant that we not invite supernatural visitors inside, including magi. If you wish, however, you can follow me to a more sheltered locale." The steward's knowledge of Latin is quite good, you notice, and the subtle way he leads you inside is, while not a formal invitation, certainly polite. He leads you into the courtyard, to a small building just inside the gate.
Pleased by the education of the steward he answers in a calm voice "I'm sure It'll be satisfying. His tones become more bitter "They can't be worse than the last one I was given last time anyway."
"Certainly, I'm Renatus Bjornaer, filius Ymbert, I'm coming from the Iberian Tribunal. I should be expected."
I understand that you can't let everyone inside Aegis of Heath without proper verification, don't worry I find it more reassuring this way. I'll follow your way, this place seems appropriate to dress up.
"I do not know the detailed reasons for not inviting magi in. Something to do with demons and faeries, I believe," the steward says. "I also apologize for not telling you my name at the moment, but that is also a standing instruction of the magi when adressing unknown visitors."
After a few minutes of light conversaiton, a young girl comes running with a stack of folded clothing. "Ah, thank you my dear," the steward says when he accepts the bundle. The girl leaves at once and the steward puts the clothing on the table. He turns away slightly, to give you some privacy, but doesn't leave the room. When Renatus changes and starts dressing, he notices that the clothing is indeed more than adequate. It is not new, but well-maintained. A bit large for him, but nothing that the belt cannot solve. There are even stocking and sandals provided. As he dresses, the steward asks, "Would you like me to send for some food and drink? I'm am unsure of how long it will be before Magistra Dorana arrives to greet you."
"I appreciate your concern for my well being, the precaution you take are very logical when you know basic magic theory. Only a fool, or someone with misplaced pride would take offense from these." He takes a break to stretch his arms and shoulders, the trip has been long and after such a long time in bird shape it always feels awkward to move his arms for a few seconds "I'd appreciate a collation indeed, I'm not really hard to satisfy in the matter. Anything you have cooking will be fine unless for obvious reasons it's poultry... May i ask you a personal question ?" this is more a rhetorical question as he doesn't really leave any time for his interlocutor to answer "Either you're very good at hiding it or you don't feel the usual distrust people feel when around magi, which one is it ?"
The steward smiles slightly at this, "Well, I was born and raised here, so magi have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. And when I was chosen to become a steward, I was trained to recognize the effects of the... Gift, as you call it... for such. It is a bit harder with visitors such as yourself, but I would be a poor steward if I could not tolerate it." Perhaps the smile was a bit strained? It's hard to tell.
Soon, you are presented with a plate of goat cheese and a few slices of cold mutton, with a bit of still-warm bread. Accompanied with a fairly good watered wine.
It takes almost an hour before a maga arrives, introduced as Magistra Dorana by the steward. "That will be all," she tells him, a bit brusquely in your oponion. Turning to Renatus, she smiles, "Welcome to Fengheld, sodalis. I am Dorana of Bonisagus, from the lineage of Irmele."
Renatus gives a considerate gaze at the Steward as he leaves the room and focuses his attention to Dorana and smiles back. "Greetings Magistra, a pleasure to meet you. I believe I was already introduced by your Steward. Anyway, I'm Renatus Bjornaer, filius Ymbert. I'm not really familiar yet with the tribunal's etiquette : Shall I refer to you as Magistra or Master which I believe is your rank."
(OOC : I'm just doing a lucky guess on the rank considering her age, Can I do a roll to learn about his lineage ? maybe intelligence /Order of Hermes Lore (spe : personality) that would be 3+1+1 speciality +RD. I've read In other thread that you handle rolls so I leave it to you.)
(Renatus has heard something about the Rhine Tribunal using some kind of intermediate rank for the magi, below that of Archmagus. That's probably what this Master rank is about. It supposedly give some privileges and is regarded fairly well within its borders. Regarding Dorana and her lineage, you haven't heard much about the maga herself, only that she has travelled quite a bit within the Rhine and even outside of its borders. Irmele was one of the apprentices of Trianoma herself, and her lineage consists of weather-magi with diplomatic inclinations.)
"Ah, yes! Welcome to Fengheld! You are from the Iberian Tribunal, are you not?" She waves away the title, "Never mind titles and ranks, sodalis. They are sometimes useful, particularly in more formal occasions or when dealing with mundanes, but we shouldn't let them get in the way of knowing each other. Dorana is fine between us." She smiles, which brings a sparkle to an otherwise plain face, somewhat weathered by repeated exposure to the sun. "Come! Let us repair to a more suitable setting for discussion. I am sure the grogs keeping guard at the gate will be relieved to see us move inside. They always get nervous when we spend too much time in their duty house." With that, she leads you out of the small building and across the busy courtyard.
"Alright, Dorana then." Renatus is surprised by the difference in her attitude towards him and towards the steward but keeps It for himself. "i'm indeed from Andalusia,overall this is a nice place if you're into Mediterranean weather. It's mundane politics can be a nuisance sometimes and you have to come to great length not to interfere but I've spent most of my time in somewhat wild areas so that's easier to cope with. There seems to have an unusual amount of demonic activity lately, or so I've been told by Quaesitors. Maybe the continual struggle of mundane brought it who knows... Anyway, let's move on to that building.
"Yes, it seems there is always a mundane war going on somewhere, and the Reconquista certainly makes for a troublesome environment. We aren't completely free from it here in the Rhine, with the Holy-Roman Emperor trying to subjugate those nobles who don't support him, or going to war in southern Italy." She shakes her head slightly as she walks with you towards one of tower lining the curtain wall, off to one side of the huge building in the center of the courtyard. "On the other hand, so long as the nobility -- and the Church -- are busy with their petty squabbles, they are less inclined to interfere with the affairs of the Order."
Leading you up a flight of stairs to the entrance of the tower, then inside of it until they reach a well-appointed room outside of her sanctum, Dorana moves on to a different topic. "I've directed the servants to prepare temporary quarters for you, and later I am sure we can arrange for introductions to the other magi. But in the mean time, was there anything you wanted to know about Fengheld?"
"That's kind of you to provide accommodation inside Fengheld. Considering the covenant, I've had the opportunity to get a good view from the sky but I guess there's more about it than it's building... The burning question is where the new chapter house will be settled, but I guess that's one you can't answer ? That being said, building a new chapter house isn't a small political move, and in this tribunal this will certainly bring lots of animosity from your rivals. What lead you to this decision ? Am i the first candidate to arrive ? Can you tell me about the others ?
"You are indeed the first to arrive, though the others should arrive in the next few days. We asked all those invited to arrive for the 15th day of June, so that we could welcome all of you together and avoid repeating ourselves." She pauses to take a sip of wine, before continuing. "I know that we have invited several other young magi, but until they actually show up I'd rather not speak of them." She smiles, "I wouldn't want to create expectations, nor slight those who fail to show up on time."
"You are correct that creating a new chapter house is not something an endeavour to be taken lightly. The Council took that decision after much deliberation, but we felt that the location was worth the effort. You will be briefed on it later, when all have arrived. After all of you have sworn the Oath of Covenant and signed the Charter. I am sure you can understand why."
"I understand the need for secrecy, If there's something special about the location then you don't want others to take control of its resources before you... I guess the detail of the charter is also a topic to be discussed later, after the other candidates have arrived ? Can you provide me with a token of Aegis ?
"Oh, how forgetful of me!" She rises from her seat to retrive a token from a small chest. Handing the small medallion to you, she intones formally, "Magus Renatus of House Bjornaer, filius Ymbert, I welcome you under the protection of the Aegis of Fengheld." In a less formal tone, she advises you, "Just make sure you don't cast spells too blatantly before our mundanes. Sometimes, we have outsiders within our walls, making deliveries or some such. And our grogs get nervous when a visitor starts casting spells without notice. They don't always know what to expect and they have to be watchful for danger, after all."
"Now, regarding the Charter, we can speak about it a little if you want. There will be two seperate charters that you will need to follow. One of the Charter of Fengheld, which all our magi must swear to. The second will be a Charter specific to the Chapter House of... well... to your Chapter House. I am not at liberty to discuss the Charter our your Chapter House at the moment, but we could go and take a look at the Covenant's Charter if you want. Perhaps tomorrow? For today, we should probably introduce you to the various people you will need to interact with, settle you into your quarters." She smiles, indicating the clothing you are currently wearing, "And arrange for a proper garde-robe, I think."
"Don't worry, I won't cause any problems by casting spells in front of mundane... That's useless complications, I've learned that already from my pater. Sure let's discuss the charter tomorrow, we're not in a hurry. I'm sorry about my garde-robe, I traveled to the covenant in Ibis form for the most part so I couldn't bring anything. Don't worry too much about It, i'm not really used to wear anything sumptuous anyway unless the situation requires it. I tend to shapechange often and my clothes have to be carried by my shield grog sometimes." He raise his eyes to Heaven and with a large smile adds " and believe me they have no idea how to handle embroideries... Speaking of which I didn't brought a shield grog with me, this seemed easier to find someone here than to teach someone I know German, I hope this won't be an inconvenience for you. So who shall we meet first ?"
"I have met many other members of your House that share your lack of concern with how they dress," Donata says, before shaking her head slightly. "And believe, this may have hurt your House far more than you may realize. Perception is very important in many of the dealings we have with each other. If others perceive you to be a dirty uncivilized and unsphisticated peasant, they will react to any argument you present as if it was coming from a peasant." She looks at you meaningfully, "So my advice to you would be to dress in a manner appropriate to your rank as a magus, at least when dealing with other magi. Though it is also true to a lesser extent with mundanes."
"Now, we can certainly assign you a grog to protect you. But this presents something of a challenge if you don't speak any German at all, since our grogs speak little Latin. Those that do learn it are most often officers. But I will inquire with our turb captain to see who might be available."
"I was thinking that our first stop would be to see the castellan and head steward, then the librarian and a few of the magi. We shall have to see who is available."
(OOC : what does a castellan is suppose to rule over ?)
He smiles as she comments on his lack of consideration for the way he's dressed. "Most of the time, at least if you met senior magi, they want you to underestimate them or on the opposite they think you were above mundane criteria of appreciation. Being perceived as a dirty, uncivilized and unsophisticated is exactly what some members of the House want. Magi from other Houses rarely expect any subtle political maneuvers from us, neither do they take interest in our mysteries, trusted allies on the opposite know better. We're quite aware of this stigma. Don't worry, I told you already, I'll make sure I wear something suitable of my "rank" when needed, that includes at council meetings and when I need to impress mundane.
I'm afraid I don't speak any German, I only speak Latin, Spanish and Arabic at the moment. If no grogs are available within the Turbula, It might be easier to find someone speaking Latin even if he's not a fighter.
"I've heard those arguments before," Dorana shrugs, "but I just feel that it isn't working out that well for your House. After all, with your Domus Magnus threathened by mundane encroachment from the Danish, it wasn't even able to gather enough support to defend it properly. I tell you, how others perceive your House was a major contributing factor to that. I simply thought it might be worth mentioning to you, so that you don't fall in the same trap in your relationship with other magi of Fengheld. If the others see you as 'inferior' -- which they will if you don't dress as they think a magus should -- then they will treat you as such and you will never rise to wield any power within the covenant." The older maga shrugs again, "Do what you want with my advice, as I give it to you freely."
(Adressing your OOC question with IC reply, since the definition can be different from place to place.)
As you make your way out into the courtyard again, Dorana explains the role of castellan. "Our castellan, Fabianus, is in charge of supervising all mundane activities within our walls. He is also the head steward, thus organizing all the tasks that are necessary to support the activities of our magi. So, if you need anything a bit out of the ordinary, the request will probably end up being brought up to him. As castellan, he also coordinates with our grogs' captain."
"Well, I'm not very familiar with the turb and the grogs, but I'm sure that Fabianus will be able to speak with Caspar -- that's our captain -- to find someone suitable to your needs."
As you come out of the tower, she snaps her fingers and a man comes out of the shadows. "Find Fabianus and tell him I need to see him. I will be at Ursula's." The man says nothing, just nods before leaving at a jog. Meanwhile, you make your way to one of the smaller buildings. Inside, you are met by a slipm of a girl, who quickly curtseys before going to fetch Ursula, a matronly woman in her forties. "Ursula, this magus needs a full set of clothing, he has none at the moment." The matron curtseys to you and asks in basic Latin, "Magister! What color? What fabric?"
(OOC : I hate It when I type a message and lose It when I click submit )
Renatus tries to refrain signs of annoyance as she mentions the Danishs in Crintera; he has a lot of respect for Falke but her approch on the situation was way too weak in his opinion : "I'm not sure I share your analysis on the situation in Crintera, but with all due respect that's not something I can really discuss in great length with magi outside my House. Anyway your point is noted, don't misunderstand me, I appreciate your advice to mesh smoothly with the rest of the magi, If It take a few meters of silk so be it..."
He nods as she talks about Fabianus " I see, he's at the center of the network of the mundane of the castle. that's indeed an Important person to meet"
He turns his attention to Ursula, and thinks aloud about the choices she offers "You're asking a difficult question .. I'll need a few wizard robe.. Crimson and gold is classical, but that's probably not something suitable for someone of my age, that would be considerred arrogant by some... Deep blue and gold trimmed seems appropriate.
I'll also need a traveling set of clothes that would not reveal my status as a magus, maybe something similar to that of a rich merchant, it should probably suggest my Spanish origin so that mundane are not surprised when I don't speak German.. A blue doublet lined with linen and a large coat with fur bordering. I'll also need a thick woolen cape, something with a discreet feather pattern would be appropriate and nice brooch. I leave the color to you. I'd also like a pair of veal boots. I'll of course need the classics : linen shirts, linen breeches and tunics fringed with silk, belts, shoes etc. For the winter I'd appreciate a close-fitting coat preferably of martens skins...
I think that's a good beginning, I'll provide you with a drawing of my own to embroider on the wizard robe. Ho ! And I'll also need a bag or something to transport a single set of clothes. Do you think of anything else ?
Ursula obviously has trouble following everything you say in Latin, so Dorana impatiently translates for you. Her translation seems a bit short to you, as if she was skipping some of the details. It is quickly becoming clear to you that the older maga has little interest in dealing with mundanes. Still, the seamstress seems to catch most of it. She reaches out for a piece of string and approaches you, asking, "Can measure you?" Obvisouly, she has been taught not to touch a magus without permission. Even when you give permission to her, she is hesitant and tries to touch you as little as possible.
After taking more measurements than you would have though necessary, you are freed to move on with you tour of the covenant. Ursula informs you that if you come back tomorrow afternoon for the first set of clothing, with more to become availble in the coming days.
As Dorana continues your tour, you get to meet Fabianus and Caspar, then many others whose names you quickly forget.
(More information will be provided in-character through the joint story topic, as well as as out of character in Fengheld's description.)
