Winter turns to Spring at Ungulus, and almost half the inhabitants leave for Oak Circle. A few days after they leave, four men on horseback approach the two towers.
They are introduced as Osbert, sheriff of Cumbria, who appears well past his prime, and Baldwin, his son, who is barely past 20. The other two are not introduced. They ask for an audience with the new masters of the Tower, «ewh, Towers», as good neighbours.
When Thadeus is informed that riders have been sighted, he comes down from his sanctum, leaving both his staff and Adhya there. He also sends word for Hamish to remain out of sight, if possible.
He greets the men before the old tower. "Greetings, sheriff Osbert. I am Thadeus, Praetor of Ungulus. What can Ungulus do for you? Can I offer you and your men refreshment while we talk?"
«Yes, please,» nods the sheriff with a smile. «It has been a long ride.»
It is late in the afternoon, and the horses too, look as if they could use refreshments. A couple of servants stand nearby, watching to see if they are needed.
«I believe we may have a common interest,» says Osbert. «I fear another war. Eadric seems keen to expand his territory, and Wulfric the Witch Hunter has been ravaging the country all Winter. I hope to unite forces against the threat.»
Thadeus motions to one of the servants to come closer and gives instruction for the horses and men to be taken care of, "Once their mounts are taken care of, make sure they are fed and can rest."
He then leads the sheriff and his son into the old tower, to the second floor where the eating hall is. After they are seated and have some refreshments before them, he listens to Osbert before he reacts. "Is that so? Can you tell me more? I'm afraid we are a bit out of the way and news don't reach us as much." Meanwhile, he tries to remember who the sheriff reports to and what the political situation of the region might be.
(Area Lore: England roll of 9)
England Lore The sheriff of Cumbria reports, at least nominally to the Aldorman at Bamburg, whose jurisdiction now covers Northumbria. There used to be another Ealdorman in York, but the two seats were recently merged. However, Northumbrian borders are not exactly stable. Æthelred Unræd is king, but he is busy fighting with Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark, and does not have time to oversee his Ealdormen.
(I'll be back with the rest.)
Nauvi will come down to greet the two men.
"Good afternoon gentlemen! I trust Thadeus is treating you well?" he asks, as he finds a seat.
Angus will appear and smile at the new comers, sitting quietly while they speak
Elric appears, a bit dusty, though it does look as if he tried to clean a bit. Setting up his lab proved to be a nice workout, but there was dust in places he hadn't considered.
He just nodded his head at the assembled, eager to hear.
The magi seat themselves with the guests in the old dining hall. Mildred organises some food and drink, and asks Thadeus if the guests will be staying for supper.
The guests address the praetor, look at Nauvi for his contribution, and try not to see the two unGently Gifted ones. «I have not been to Ungulus for a long time, but yet, the new tower. You have constructed in record time,» says the old man with a confused look on his face, «but that was not what we came to discuss. As you may know, we had an understanding with Tacitus, to stay out of his way, and he would keep his war away from Carlisle and the towns. Now the war seems to be changing. and I understand that Tacitus has perished in the North. Are you a relative of his, master Thadeus? May I ask what your plans are for Ungulus?»
Thadeus nods, his face grave, "Indeed, Master Tacitus fell against the enemy. It seems that most of those also fell. Will any return and attack again? We do not know, but are here to prepare against such a possibility. We would wish to continue with the understanding you had with him, those of us that have come to reinforce Ungulus. You could say indeed that we are his rather more distant relatives, much like second cousins. But so many fell in the war that it fell to us to take stewardship of Ungulus."
"Our plans are to safeguard this place; watch for the enemy's return; and be ready to move against them should they do. Perhaps the war is over, and I do hope it is. But perhaps it is not."
«I am afraid it is not at all over. Did you hear about the calamity in Likndsey last year, when Knut Sweynson fled, and Æthelred made is revenge on his followers? Now Edmund¹ is our high protector, but I am sure Sweynson will return, and many may side with him. Eadric Streona may well side with the Danes. The Witch Hunter is already causing havoc, alledging the blessing of both Eadric and the archbishop of York, paying no respect for local authority. This is really where I think we should consider joint action.»
«Wulfric is hunting for someone. The rumour says a friar and a giant. It is only a question of time before he will come to you. He has already burnt a hundred peasant on the stakes. If he continues, we will have no chance when Sweynson returns.»
¹ Edmund is king Æthelred's son, but Thadeus does not recognise the name. He does recognise the other names though.
Thadeus asks a few question to be sure he understands who the various names represent, "We have been more worried about the war North, so we are had not heard about Likndsey."
"We have heard some about Wulfric, however, and his apparent fondness for burning people at the stake. What are you suggesting we do about it? Is Edmund proposing any action? I would have thought that Wulfric did not have the authority to act in the lands of Æthelred."
«Æthelred has not been able to exercise any authority in Northumbria after Edmund's coup, and even if he did, the blessing from the archbishop puts him beyond common law. It is almost impossible to raise an army against him too. Those who do not fear his authority as a man of God, think him touched by the Devil. I am not sure which is worse.»
He pauses to gauge the reaction, before he continues.
«I apologise for intruding. I come partly because Tacitus gave the impression of being able to deal with this kind of threats, and that Wulfric would be at least as much a threat to you as to me.»
Elric fidgets on his seat a bit. This Wulfric guy certainly seems to have an inordinate amount of 'luck' or something on his side. More than any mundane should have. WHile he has yet to encounter him, he's heard the stories told about the guy around the covenant especially during the Autumn and Winter, when everyone was here.
He supressed a shiver at the prospect of meeting this guy, and a hope that his magic would be able to penetrate this guy, if he has any magic resistance.
Angus considers what he had heard of Wulfric before and after his arrival at Ungulus. He seems to be an agent of either the divine or the infernal, both of which he has no care for. Perhaps a “confrontation” would help Ungulus and maybe the whole of Stonehenge tribunal.
"And he may think his acts are driven by God, while being deluded into acting for the devil." Thadeus shakes his head, "I cannot believe that God would want members of his flock to be burned at the stake, and from what I've heard Wulfric uses any excuse to do this."
"We might have the power to act against him, but we face some of the same difficulties as you do, and some different ones. We cannot raise an army either, and our ressources are limited. And if we were to act overtly against him, we risk bringing the wrath of the archbishop and of Eadric against us."
He smiles, "Do not worry about intruding. We would rather have a friendly visit from you to speak with us about a common threat. Unfortunately, I do not know what Tacitus had in mind. We'll certainly have to consider what we can do." He looks at Nauvi and the other magi, before returning his gaze to Osbert. "What I was wondering is how you see this threat being resolved."
Elric is hesitant but he speaks up "Given some time I can attempt to make him distrusted like one of us for a month. I do not know though if he has some form of magic resistance, and if so, whether my spell will be able to affect him."
Thadeus frowns at Elric. Speaking of magic to a visiting mundane, whom they do not yet know well, is probably not a good idea.
Seeing the frown, Elric shuts up, and looks embarassed.
As instructed, Hamish remains out of sight though these visitors are not at all out of mind to the giant turb captain.
He has asked two of the turb to keep an eye on things and to summon him if they spot trouble.