Nestor nods.
"I agree with Polycarpus, running off to report every little thing will only make us seem weaker to the Tribunal at large. If there's a consensus of the council, such that it is, I'll accede to it's decision to report what we've found. But in no way do I expect anyone else come and help us," Atlas says abit crossly.
"I think we need to monitor the site, and analyze these objects," indicating the items on the palanquin. "Who among us is skilled with Intellego Vim? I myself do not know any spells, and can only work magic of 1st magnitude with much effort."
OOC, Lab Total for InVi of 23. If the spell Caput cast had expired, Atlas would've used his Stone-cutter's knife to cut a slab from a nearby boulder and moved the items onto it, not necessarily creating the slots, none of these are stressful situations or required spending fatigue for moving the objects, without touching them.
Polycarpus: I must also confess that my skill in Intellego vim is not what it should be, at least not for a task like this. We could commission a verditius to do the investigation and also find out about the makers mark. It will however cost some vis…
OOC: InVi labtotal 24...
Caput "Trust me, it is a far better contribution for me to monitor the site aura season over season than attempt to study the items in a laboratory. My skills at both InVi and that sort of detailed analysis are - weak to say the least. If it wasn't for the need to avoid weaknesses in Certamen I probably wouldn't have studied vim at all - it doesn't intersect any of my real interests. I'm a bit better at spontaneous magic than at lab work as a rule, but to get to a magnitude 2 effect I would need a strong aura and occasionally would need to re-cast a failed spell.
I agree that we should just monitor this situation ourselves. Working the redcap network to find an index of Verditius maker marks seems like a better approach politically than going directly to Guernicus, especially as we've already bothered them recently with the hedge mage situation.
As for extracting the vis - the reason to extract the vis wasn't to use it, it was to isolate the taint. Removed from the corpse, we can be free about how we dispose of the corpse. If it's all blended through with tainted magic, we'd have to be a lot more careful. Of course then you have the problem of what to do with the vis. It is a quandry I've never found a perfect solution to."
ooc - invi lab total...16 assuming standard lab and aura of 5
An eagle flits into the room and perches on the table before speaking. "Perhaps we should ask the woman that lives at the far side of the village from us. The one that went hooded to the ruin and then home to her hut. She didn't noticed the eagle circling high above because such is not unusual sight. "
Polycarpus: Interesting. We must speak to her later. We are discussing the problem of identifying the magical item that we found. We have so far concluded that we do not have any intellego vim specialist among us.
Nestor, who as a teacher and as a father and husband, is used to people being late, takes the late arrival aside and quickly fills her in, summing up all that was relevant in 20 seconds.
ooc: He's got com 5 + the teaching skills to do this quickly and efficiently.
Atlas speaks after Nestor brings her up to speed. "So, little sister. One can presume this took all night and explains your tardiness to council. Can you tell us how long she stayed at the site? Didyou see what she did? If she performed dark rites? And how is it an eagle flying at dusk and into the night is not an unusual sight?"
The eagle morphs into a lioness and suddenly it is not a little sister. "I am not your little anything. Still, perhaps you can tell me, when was the last time you studied the habits of eagles to know when they fly or don't fly? What do you know about the habits and behaviors of birds, lion, dolphins, fish or other animals? When was the last time that out at night, you looked up to be concerned about a bird flying high over head and how well can you do so while hooded to conceal your identify from people you might pass? Or even noticed all the wild life around you in the first place? While we are at it, how good are you at spotting specks in the air at dusk and night?" It is obvious that the patronizing attitude of the Tremere has annoyed the Tytalus. "Perhaps when you have become learned in the ways of nature and truly understand them, you can criticize them. As for rites, no rites that I saw but since I was high in the air as opposed to low on the ground, I could not hear if she chanted something or not. She appeared to observe for a long time and then returned home."
She then turns to the more learned council of her covenant mates, "It should not be too hard to get the identity of the maker from the Verditius marks. Many mages of the house are proud to brag about their abilities that we should be able to find them. Intellego VIm might be able to detect an infernal aura to the magic items. The infernal vis should be destroyed and the ground razed to burn off anything that might be supporting the infernal aura."
"Yes, well. Your shape changing ability is most impressive. Pardon me for taking your assurance that an eagle flying at dusk or night is not unusual that it would not be noticed. In my experiences in the wilds I've seen owls at night, never eagles. And to answer your question about animals of nature, I know something of bears," giving the lioness a toothy grin.
Continuing on without waiting on a response, "As Nestor had already informed you we had already assumed that the vanity of a Verditius magus would proceed him, and there would be a catologue of these we could get via redcap. I welcome you to use your arts, as that is what we were deciding, who would be best suited to any InVi magics on these items. How are yours? "
"Who is going to chase down what part of our mystery. I believe Caput has volunteered his men to the cause of watching the site. Who will contact the redcaps? And who visits the woman?" I'm still not convinced that razing the structure will actually do anything productive, and in the end it may end up furthering whatever infernal goals of the diabolists involved."
OOC: Technically, with the 1st season lab, my InVi Labtotal is 20
As a somewhat younger maga as well as a brand-new member of the covenant, Amphora is reluctant to speak at first. Finally she summons her voice (rather literally) to join the discussion.
"I am comfortable traveling for long distances, so seeking out a redcap would be an agreeable task I would gladly carry out. I also feel the tainted vis should be destroyed rather than extracted." She looks at each of her fellow magi in turn. "If it all possible, handling the infernal site ourselves, outside of contacting the redcaps, seems the wisest course; if it truly appears to be beyond our capabilities, we can always contact the Quaesitores at a later date and explain what we discovered, what we did about it and what if anything didn't work. The tribunal most know that we are strong and take care of own problems, or they will quickly loose all respect for us."
Nestor: "I think I can visit that woman. I am Gentle Gifted, and can pass myself off as a scholar or a monk. Who else is coming to pay her a visit?"
Polycarpus: I must attend to my lab and I am not gently gifted so I think I should not follow you to the woman. We do not need to visit a redcap there will be one that comes to our covenant soon enough and I will ask him to bring me catalogues and pamphlets about Verditius magi in the tribunal perhaps even in the Order as we are looking to purchase some magical items. I will give him a few extra coins so that he will return shortly with the information that we need.
If nothing else pops up I will handle the visit to the woman in the text below and open up a new chapter when Polycarpus can deliver the news from the redcap.
Atlas offers to determine whether these items are infernally tainted by using a ceremonial casting of a variant of Sense the Nature of Vis. If no one objects, he'll move the palanquin back to his tower and begin work. Atlas will begin work with a ceremonial casting with loud voice and exaggerated gestures on the box to determine whether it was made or contains infernally tainted vis, and then will continue to the dagger with the same loud voice and exaggerated gestures, once he has rested and regained fatigue.
Based on the spell Sense the nature of vis, and increasing magnitude for not touching and determine a different aura I judge it to be a 3rd magnitude effect.
Casting Score
In (6) +Vi (4)+Aura (5)+Sta (3) + Artes&Philo (2) +Loud (1) + Gestures (1)=22
Box:
invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3131784/
Casting Score (22) + Die (9)=31; 31/2=15.5
Success, unless I have the magnitude too low.
Dagger:
invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3131809/
Casting Score (22) + Die (5) =27; 27/2=13.5
Failure, unless I have the magnitude too high.
OOC:If someone does object, This post will be edited accordingly.
Sense the nature of Vis is a 1st Magnitude spell requiring touch. I'm unsure if a different realm requires an increase in magnitude.
Both items have only magical effects and no obvious taint of the infernal. More information about the effects and the powers are a season of work. I assume that there will be some recasting if you don’t find out the answers with the first spell.
Any preparations before you get to the strange woman’s house?
Nope, I'll just don my scholar's robes and walk there.
The very first spell? No, not likely, then. Atlas can't reasonably hope to achieve a better result than 15.5, sufficient for 3rd magnitude. I was hoping my magnitude estimation was too high. I can't see anything in the RAW that describes looking for an infernal taint, that it costs more or the same.
(Caput volunteered himself to monitor the site, not his men)
Caput sets up a schedule to visit and monitor the site. He'll measure infernal aura strength by the expedient of casting a number of spells and seeing how difficult it is.
On a day when he is monitoring the site, his actions will be as follows.
- Rest during the day, as his mode of travel is less likely to be disturbing to anyone at night. Also infernal is usually a bit stronger at night so that much easier to detect.
prepare for the run
2. cast spont trackless step in personal/sun version (re9+te5+sta4+aura5=23, 10 point effect)
3. cast spont "Create the Following Fog" CrAu(Re) (conjure normal weather (fog) 2, +2 sun +1 touch=5, reqo requisite to have the fog
move with the caster regardless of winds, unnatural+1 = 10 point effect Cr11/Re9 +au3+sta4+aura5=21)
4. cast formulaic reau15 Control the Weather Gauge(touch-object,day). casting level: 21=9re+3au+4sta+aura5
(this is to give the fog an excuse for why it is moving so fast to an observer)
5. Cast spont Sure-Footedness of the Crag-Leaper (muco5)
6. Cast Reco20 Mercury's Gift (move fast supported any direction)(per,conc).cast lvl: 27=9re+11co+4sta+1mastered
-
Run to the site, appearing to observers as a swirl of fog moving at the speed of the wind
-
cast twice to remove the wind effect peau5 Ease the Wind (touch,ind,mom). casting level: 11=4pe+3au+4sta-infernal aura
(now appear as a small cloud of fog, still because of no wind) -
cast enough spells to assure myself of the gross strength of the aura
-
Recast Control the Weather Gauge and run home.
========================
Probably if nothing much else is going on in a season I'd check about once a month, likely going when the moon is new to reduce the chance
of notice and to minimize any aura variations caused by cyclic changes.
In addition to the above spells, a navigation spell of some kind would probably be a good idea. If I had an arcane link to the site (some dirt from there perhaps, gathered on the last visit) what would be the magnitude of the effect to get the direction only? I assume some kind of In/Te effect would be appriate.
Caput
"I am not gently gifted and am more suited to causing fear than trust. One of my men could join you if you want a companion. I have some that know how to be polite."
Nestor blinks absent-mindedly: "Bodyguard? Ih, yes!"