"I am from by the river Wear, in the lands controlled by the Bishop of Durham. We're heading further west than I've ever been " Lignarius replies.
"That's too bad. I guess the stones will stick around true, but we'll be none the wiser to what knowledge they might have at the end of this trip." Martin continues with small talk until it peters out.
I'll be honest Magus Tomas, I didn't follow what you just said. Making your own truths - does that mean that truth to you is just what you say it is or show people it is? That sounds a little too convenient to me. Me saying I'm the King of England doesn't make me the King of England. I guess we'll see what's there when we get there.
"We're headed to Bowness, on the Solway Firth." Once Caernos heads off without answering his question, Martin calls after him, "Alright, well, let me know if I can help with anything to make you feel more comfortable!"
"Sure, there's a distinction. But here at least, and I don't know if you've ever been to this land before, around Carlisle and further west, and have seen it yourself, your average land worker doesn't have it as bad as they do in the south. You still owe your lord a payment each year, of course, but it's not as gratuitous. Gives you more freedom to enjoy a hard day's work for the sake of accomplishing something for yourself and for your family, and it lets you take pride in your craft. Other regions aren't so fortunate though. If you're unlucky enough to be a farmer in a county that a royal sheriff oversees, then yes, your life is full of toil and all its negative connotations."
Continuing the journey:
Just when you can make out the spires of Carlisle Cathedral far up ahead, Martin takes a left onto a less-defined path. The distant dark green smudge that you would occasionally glimpse between the rolling hills in that direction appears more frequently as you travel west, and eventually resolves itself to be a great forest. Martin points to it, and states, "That's Inglewood, the King's forest. Don't kill anything when we're in it, please." Close to the entrance to the wood, Caernos, who is ranging ahead of the rest of the group, spots a dark figure apparently leaning over something on the ground.
Tomas stares at Martin for a bit then leans in. I will tell you a Merinita secret about faeries that those in my House learn very early... There is power in perception. He leans back and looks at Martin a bit longer. When a villager or bandit sees me like this they see a armed guard. That is the truth to them but it is a lie. Tomas looks away. Faeries are the same. Most have one truth and others have more. They are all lies but the lies give them power.
[tab][/tab] After having that polite chat with Martin, Alan closely listens in to other conversations, chiming in on some:
''Hmmm...but I think what magus Thomas means is... for fae its the reverse? If it says its the King of England and you believe it, then it has some powers of the King, am I right?''
On Caernos asking for directions : '' What's a Solway Firth?''
When nearing Inglewood, hearing about not killing he asks '' Is that by royal decree, a local law or some supernatural custom? Fear little from me, my creed frowns on killing'' he smiles.
Tomas points at Alan. Yes! So close. Do not fear. I have only seen Tytalus magi truly understand it. And that was only two of them but my parens said that most of their House understood the meaning.
Perhaps we should have a look. Someone may be in need of help? Olaf and I shall go. Anyone else?
«Seriously, Martin, do you only see the distinction of the toil being more or less strenuous, more or less rewarding in the basic material things?» Magnus asks, sounding shocked and insulted, «The work of the artisan has nothing to do with it. Hardship is irrelevant, because the reward is the art itself. It is not a difference of degree, but a fundamentally different purpose.»
Lignarius will skulk in the back of his wagon, hiding beneath the edge of the wagon's wooden side just in case the mysterious stranger has hostile intent.
From the back of the cart, there is no way Magnus will see the stranger (creature?) unless somebody attracts his attention. I reckon, so far, only Caernos has seen him.
Caernos will approach the figure to get a better look, using what cover he can.
Martin starts to lean away in response, but stops himself.
"Hunh," he grunts.
"Alright, I think I'm starting to get it. If you believe a faerie can roast you with ball of fire, then it can do so? What if I believe that it can, and my friend Charles doesn't believe that it can. Can the faerie roast me but not Charles?"
"A firth is an arm of the sea that reaches inland quite a ways. In the case of the Solway, there are several rivers that flow into it, and it's these rivers along with the firth that form a natural border between Cumberland to the south and several Scottish counties to the north. It's quite scenic really, with its vast expanses of tide-sculpted sand that are lined with green hills off in the distance. Although, the water there can be off-puttingly brown from silt sometimes, depending on the tide. That might be where it gets its name, what with "sol" meaning muddy in English. You'll see when we get there. I hope you'll like the views as much as I do."
"It's the king's law, where his agents are able to enforce it. But I've heard stories of other, non-human enforcers. Don't know which are true though."
"I meant no offence magus. My aim, and I guess I was getting there in too much of a round-about fashion, was to let you know that I think the villagers that we'll encounter near the site will probably have an appreciation for what you can do with metal. You might be able to use your skills to convince them to let us stay for a while, if it's decided that the site is worth an extended investigation. Maybe offer some of the more able villagers some work? Just a thought."
Please make a Dex + Stealth - Encumbrance roll.
Caernos roll for stealth:
Roll 2, no skill -3, Way of the fells +3, Encumbered -2 = 0 total.
Tomas jumps up. You are so close! He begins pacing around. What you say is much like the Flamebeau think when we tell them the secret. Now you need to turn it around. Tomas puts the palms of his hands over his eyes, elbows jutting out and pauses. He stays like this for several seconds as he thinks. When he brings has hands down he speaks. Imagine I give you the appearance of a noble knight. When you enter an Inn and ACT like a knight, how do you imagine you would be treated? If I make you look like a lowly beggar, wearing rags. If you act like the beggar, how would you be treated? Both are lies but to those that see you it is the truth. Some truths have power but only the power that OTHER people give. That is true for Faries as well.
[tab][/tab] Alan listens to the exchange between the Redcap and Merinita, frowning a bit: '' I look at it this way. If a confidence trickster convinces you that a stone is a diamond, and you believe it, then he sells you a diamond. At that moment and point its a change in reality. Fae I think are a bit like that, charlatans and fakes in a completely different and fundamental way, more like expressions of what may be rather than is. That does not mean they are right...''
"Alright. I guess it would be good if you could please tell me if we meet a Faerie, and then I'll do my best to not believe what it's saying or buy what it's selling. God protect me from ever having to deal with one. It sounds exceedingly tricky, and I'm impressed that you survived living among them, Magus Tomas. Will everything be okay if I just cover my ears?"
After taking the turn off that leads toward the forest, Martin works up the courage, transiently, to give his questions to Lignarius another attempt: "Magus, I don't know if you heard me earlier or not - maybe you were lost in thought? - but I asked why you are so interested in Ancient Rome and if you'd heard anything before about the great forest that we are approaching? I'm still curious, so I'm hoping you'd like to discuss these topics, but if not, I completely understand and wouldn't be offended or put out or too disappointed. I think I've already rubbed Magus Magnus the wrong way, so you know what, please forget I asked. Unless you'd like to answer, of course..."
((How far ahead of the rest of the group has Caernos been ranging? Also, aren't fells primarily in the current-day Lake District of Cumbria? If so, and considering the proximity of the setting to Carlisle, I'm wondering if Way of the Fells would apply here. Fells are more mountainous than the landscape near the town, no? It doesn't have a bearing on the outcome of the present situation, but I bring it up for future rolls. Lastly, when characters roll for Abilities with no xp in them, the Ability is equal to 0, not -3; there are just extra botch dice.))
As Caernos attempts to make his way to a conveniently concealing stretch of hedge and trees on the side of the road, the dark-hooded figure stands up abruptly and looks in his direction. It then takes off at a sprint down the road away from Caernos, and into the forest. Please make a Per + Awareness roll (stress die) and let me know how he reacts.
Carlisle is in the Lake District. Fells have a lot more large flat topped hills than mountains and as such most of the Lake District can we walked to the top of the fells rather than requiring people to climb. Living here I consider the "fells" to extend from the west coast to the Yorkshire dales i.e where the land starts to raise to where it comes back to "normal" flat land in the east and as such I believe Way of the Fells would count.
I will post my roll and action tonight when I am back home with access to die.
Thanks for the clarity on the zero skill roll. I think I got the -3 from the Traveller game, which is not much use here as we are playing Ars Magicka - lol
What are the extents of the fells to the north and to the south?
For reference, Caernos is near present-day Thurstonfield when he spots the figure.
Northern most fell is listed as Cold Fell near Hallbankgate to the South East of Brampton. The southern fells end around White Fell not far from Barrow in Furness. If that large an area is too much for the "Way of the" virtue I am happy to change the character accordingly.
Caernos - Perception plus Awareness roll
Per +1, Awareness 0. Way of the Fells +3? Roll 3 = 4 or 7 depending if WotF counts.
I'd prefer to make things a bit more granular than the entire region of Cumbria. But one thing to note is that I'm willing to allow the virtue to apply in any hilly region - not just fells in Cumbria, if that still fits with your character concept. As to what determines whether Caernos can apply WotF, we have several options that I can think of:
- We could use the boundaries of the current Lake District National Park for Cumbria; should stories move immediately outside of Cumbria, I would also include hilly regions there, like the North Pennines for example.
- We could go with "any region above 600 ft" according to this topographical map (or another if there's a better one): en-gb.topographic-map.com/places ... s-3833503/.
- We can rely on my subjective "yes, Caernos is in a hilly region", according to google map images
Which would you prefer, or is there a better option?
Deipite the loose-fitting clothing, Caernos has the impression that the fleeing person is a woman. How does he react?
Happy with the "anything hilly above 600 feet" for the "Way of the Fells".
Caernos is mainly looking for ambush. If the figure seems alone he will watch her until she disappears and note that as a possible ambush site as the main group move up. He will wait for the main party here, discuss the siting when they arrive and act from there.