Chapter 1: Tribunal

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Solitude
41

After all the hubbub, and the yelling, and the screaming, and the bloody BEHEADING (and maybe a knight falling unconscious), St. Avery has come to the only rational conclusion. "...Seriously, can we get a demon-check, here? You all are insane."

Emily just sighed, and put an arm around her younger brother. "You really haven't spent much time around love-lorn girls, have you."

"No, just you."

"Exactly," she said. "Blinders? Contrasting acts of both selflessness and incredible selfishness, simultaneously? Implicit suicide pact rather than submit to banal authority?" She nodded. "Yep. Juvenile infatuation at its worst."

He's got his head so far up his knightly, chivalric ass that he can't see what's going on. Unless that girl is ACTUALLY being sexually violated by rabid weasels on the bishop's orders on a daily basis, or something equivalent, he's got no real recourse." She gave her brother a sideways shoulder hug, then muttered. [size=85]"Stupid."[/size] Then, after a moment. "Probably should do the demon-check thing, though - just to make sure."

42

Dismayed, Clovis adds "I've also come to my personal rational conclusion too, let's do what we should have do to begin with... NOTHING. Move the cart and let them deal with each other. "

He then starts walking to wards their destination, in front of the cart.

43

The sleep spell goes off. The swordsman lowers his guard and stumbles. Before, he is fully asleep, the remaining spearmen have stabbed him multiple times. His sleep is going to be a lasting one.

"Nooooo!", wails the girl, and, taking a small knife for eating from her belt, cuts her own throat.

The men lower their spears, touched despite themselves.

44

Clovis turns around and shakes his head, but only briefly, he's seen enough already.

"Let's move on, I've seen enough wasted life for today."

45

"Indeed," agrees Cornelius.

(Assuming that the spearmen do not interfere with us leaving, we continue on our way.)

Later, when the incident is left very far behind (this could be around the fire if they camp out that night), Cornelius speaks with his covenant-mates. "We should discuss what happened today, sodales. Our actions today were... badly coordinated, shall we say. It looks to me, also, as we may want to be more careful about blatant use of magic. And interference with mundanes. In themselves, these are not Hermetic crimes, but they can lead to accusations when they impact other magi. I think we should avoid using visible magic in front of mundanes, unless we face direct threat. What say you?"

46

"Well, usually sleeping spells and small memory wipe is all I need to clear my mistakes, but this time...That was something, it was like living in a stupid pedagogic comedy designed for a dumb apprentice"

47

Elizabeth will tear off two pieces of the would-be-nun's clothes and use them to collect a sample of blood from her and her lover. Later, when things have calmed down, and they are no longer in the Dominion Aura, she'll cast Erasing the Unholy Name several times on each using the blood as an arcane connection.

She adds her own thoughts to the discussion, to first of which she does her best to avoid directing too blatantly at Bastion "We shouldn't be doing things that could result in, blatant, harmful and permanent consequences unless we know what's going on. This is not to say we can't do some good with magic, but we don't want to make enemies or cause far more harm than good. Even then I would like to leave as little evidence behind as possible, especially evidence in the forms of corpses or injuries. We're magi. We should be able to solve problems without killing anyone unless we really screw up!

OOC: I'm assuming the two people were just humans, and the casting rolls would simple dice, so it doesn't matter.

48

"I've got no problem with casting obvious magics in front of people, sodales - but I don't want to harm anyone, either." St. Avery idly poked his poking stick into the embers of the fire, then continued. "Large crowds, lots of animals? Sure. They panic, the Gift frightens them, they start to riot. People get hurt."

St. Avery nodded at Elizabeth's words. "The Code isn't an all-encompassing moral system, you know - it's a set of basic rules to help magi talk to each other and not get killed," he said, pointedly looking at Cornelius. "To not act when we see injustice is, itself, unjust. We have the power, and we have the opportunity. Had they not already committed to killing each other the moment we arrived on the scene, we probably could have resolved the situation without bloodshed. I would have no problem doing the same thing, only faster, if I had the chance again."

Then he sighed. "But the Code...it's there for a reason. Interference from mundanes is to protect us as well as them." After a moment, "I can certainly agree to try to avoid flashy, overtly frightening magics unless dire circumstances call for it. But that's just taking the wise from wizard."

49

South of Avignon, there is the small town of St. Remy, and south of it, quite hidden are the Roman ruins of Glanum, your destination, which is quite well chosen: There is a brook nearby that can serve as a water source, and there is a rather stony plain big enough to erect temporary dwellings. There are wooden huts that the magi can use, but everyone is free to build themselves something more comfortable, if it is not permanent. The first visitors have already arrived and you can see the first floor of a stone tower whose upper levels are cleverly hidden from view, a giant tent made from exotic fabrics, and a fancy entrance (without any visible building).
The Roman site doesn't amount to much: The crumbling foundations remain of two little shrines. More importantly, there is a small Roman theatre, just big enough to seat the magi on its crumbling steps.
There is one permanent dwelling close to it. An unpretentious stone domus with two doors, one of which is marked with the sanctum marker of Beatrice ex Guernicus.

The site is protected by a fear spell, but your mundane servants are given tokens to ignore it.

The aura is magical: 3 at the theatre, 1 elsewhere.

A servant shows you to a corner of the field on the far side from the brook to set up your structure (if you wish to do that) or suggests using the wooden huts. The magi are easy to tell from the servants: You see at least a dozen of them wearing elegant robes with arcane symbols on them. The Mercurians prefer Roman clothing, of course.

(ooc: These first posts are for settling in and for anything else you may want to do before the tribunal itself starts)

50

St. Avery scanned the plain.

...well, EMILY St. Avery scanned the plane. Michael was sitting next to the stream and poking his stick into the water, while occasionally staring off towards the horizon. And mumbling something about Pisces, but that may have simply been lunch.

After a while she harrumphed, and turned to her brother, shading her eyes against the Provencal afternoon. "Right. So, here's what we've got: rocks - mostly fist-sized, but some larger pieces. Clay - from the stream. Water from there, as well. Four wooden huts. The carts we came in, and of course: dirt."

St. Avery closed his eyes, and tilted his head back, flopping down against the green grass of the bank. "Probably would be easier if we had a bit of straw," he muttered. "Magic it up?"

"I'd recommend not," she said, plopping herself down next to him. "Go as natural as you can, to avoid any weird dispelling effects. Maybe for parts of the roof? Other than that, wattle and daub or adobe, with mixed-in rock, is probably good enough."

"Hm. Do we need any sort of defensive fortification?"

"Mainly for style, I think. And privacy."

He thought a bit more. "A roman villa, then."

"Sure - square construction, thick outer wall. Open inner courtyard, rooms around the outside. Use the huts for roofing material." Then she paused. "Probably don't need to pull the carts apart. Those are somewhat pricey, and you'd have to put them back together before we leave."

"Dry moat?"

"Hm. A decent place to get the dirt for the adobe. And we can fill it in with the walls when we leave."

"Below-ground storage?"

"Don't need it - and we don't really know where the water table is around here."

Silence for a few minutes, then "ARRGGGGG." He sat up again, and swoshed his stick once more thought the water. "This is going to take the rest of the day. Can't we just live in squalor, or something? I don't mind."

"Your sodales may disagree on that one. Your long-suffering sister may, as well." She shoulder-bumped him in the back. "And the quicker you move your magical ass, the quicker it'll get done, oh, powerful wizard."

"Bleah." But he stood up.

"And don't forget the fireplaces! And the plumbing!"

"Double-bleah."

51

"Sodales," Cornelius says, gesturing to the huts, "I don't mind living in wooden house." The Guernicus magus doesn't seem to regard the huts as anything to be offended with. "Should keep us dry, unless there is heavy rain. Is there heavy rain here?" He looks up at the sky, then at the distant mountains.

He shrugs, "No matter. We should be here only for a few weeks, two months at most. I can keep our boxes dry. I know this spell. You know Cloak of the Duck's Feathers? Very useful when travelling. Works on objects too, so it keeps books dry." He nods and smiles at that. Well, the small curve on his lips must be a smile. It stands out quite a bit on his squarish face.

52

"Eh, the huts themselves are fine for sleeping - it's all the other stuff," St. Avery said. "Covenent meetings, getting someplace for the servants to sleep, having other magi over for lunch - that sort of thing." He frowned. "At least, that's what I remember from Stonehenge Tribunals."

"We were part of a more established Covenant, Michael," Emily replied. "More people came to us - or Maximanius, anyway, than vice versa. Still, it's good to have someplace to retreat to, if only to be alone for a while. Those huts," she said, pointing, "are probably going to get cramped after a few weeks."

"It's going to be brown. Really brown."

"Well, that's what Imaginam is for!"

53

Sure, I can make things prettier. I can use the spell I developed to hide the for the covenant, this is probably the best presentation we could do. I can also make a fake servants.

He's smiling proud of himself, for a short while and then shrugs and adds :

I'm not as good for real accommodation though, I'm relying on you for this.

54

Elizabeth is happy with any accommodations, but will apply Fumigation of the Righteous occasionally to her own room and use The Dying Light, with Maintain the Dying Light to light her room, and provide light to anyone else who asks.

"Does anyone know if its considered rude to plop down your own Aegis at Tribunal?"

55

"I do not know," replies Cornelius, "but I can find out. I must report to mistress Beatrice. She is Chief Quaesitor, since her pater Tibaut dies a few years ago. I can ask her if you want."

56

While the others consider how best to improve their new covenant's accomodations for Tribunal, Cornelius cleans up a little before walking to the stone domus. After a moment, he knocks on the door bearing the sanctum marker of Beatrice.

57

The door opens right away. The woman who opens has hair that is still dark, but eyes that are older. She is taller than most, and her gaze pierces like a knife.
"You must be Cornelius, aren't you?", she says. "Let's take a walk if you want."

She doesn't invite you in, which can either mean she doesn't want you in her sanctum, or that she doesn't want you to feel at a disadvantage by being in her sphere.

(ooc: if you join her she will leave starting a conversation to you, a technique you are familiar with from Quaesitor training)

58

"I am Cornelius. Let us walk, then," answers Cornelius promptly. He doesn't mind not being invited into her sanctum, as this is often seen as a very private place by most magi. He wouldn't have feared entering either, if invited, since as a fellow Guernicus he feels she is no danger to him.

"I have just arrived with the other members of my new covenant," he begins in his slavic-accented voice. "I felt I should come see you for introduction, since you are Chief Quaesitor. If you have duties for me for the Tribunal, I will perform them to best of my abilities. And perhaps, if you have time, you can share with me status of the Tribunal? What are the players and issues that are ongoing, I am sure it will help me serve the Order and the Tribunal."

"I have also brought the Charter of our new covenant for filing with Tribunal."

59

Beatrix nods:
"We have the big three: Aedes Mercurii, the traditional Flambeau, Castra Solis, the Flambeau that live in the now, and the insatiable giant of the east: the Coenobium. There are five other, smaller covenants. The crusade has, of course, shaken things up - it has threatens the covenants closer to the mundanes, and there is no telling which faith is right, if any. I have quite a lot to do, because we've had the misfortune to lose two lead quaesitors in the last decade, which makes me Chief Quaesitor, and you are my successor, although I expect Magvillus to send a more experienced magus should anything happen to me. No offense, but two is a coincidence, three would be extraordinary. I expect trouble with mundanes, and the Church, and maybe a motion to limit the power of the Coenobium"

She looks at the landscape in thought.

"Your covenant wil be officially recognized at tribunal. It's just a formality. It'll matter a great deal for you if that will happen towards the beginning or the end of tribunal, because as you certainly know, you can only vote, after being recognized. I expect the Coenobium and the Mercurians to sound your views and quite a bit of haggling over the order of business. Do you have a position on the role of mundanes, Cathars, and the limiting chapter houses?"

60

In case anyone asks Elizabeth's opinion.

  1. The role of mundanes is all that stuff doesn't require the Gift or a leadership role in the Order.
  2. Magi should stay out of conflicts between Dominion groups. Of course, the entire conflict is stupid, and both sides really need to learn how to tell the difference between team Dominion and team Infernal.
  3. No strong opinions either way. Although excessive power blocs aren't great.