"Out of hand, I cannot remember ever hearing or reading anything like that, but I will ask him to see if he can find something about that. Given a season or two, he might be able to search some of our collection on legends. But if this is something local to the chapter house, I would be surprised if we had anything on this."
"I'm not sure If It exists anywhere else, that's why I ask. Thank you again. I'll go arrange for a place to sleep tonight. See you later."
Sleeping arrangments are made, food consumed, and everything settles down mid-afternoon. Still no news from Lupus Günther or Eule.
Well since there's not a lot to do for me here, I'll just go back to the library and see if the documents were gathered, otherwise, I'll just read the last council reports from the covenant to see what's the position of various members of the council about the subjects adressed during the meeting.
I wait until after the evening meal to visit Eule.
The Tribunal meeting notes are quite long and boring, endless pages of text listing the magi present, the various topics being discussed, etc. It isn't indexed, with only heading for the day of the discussions, so searching them is quite difficult.
When you ask, you are given access to the report of the latest council. They seem to be a bit light, by comparison, only giving a short description of the topic being discussed, and the council's decision on the issue. This makes them much easier to go through. The various positions are presented, but the magi supporting each are not named. Only the result of the vote, when there is one, are given. Most of the subjects are fairly limited in scope, such as the request of a member to recognize the crafting of a magical item as covenant service, or the request to temporarily improve the magnitude of the Aegis at one of the chapter houses due to recent faerie annoyances. The amount of silver that Fengheld is pulling in from its various activities is quite impressive, in the thousand of pounds in value. So is the amount of raw vis being harvested during the last year, which is over 2 queens. Much of that vis is being reinvested into the maintainance of the various Aegis protecting the covenant and its chapter houses, as well as funding projects for the covenant, with a little being returned to members. Even the senior members seem to be receiving a surprisingly small amount of vis, at only five pawns.
I wait for after the evening meal to visit Eule.
As Renatus is eating dinner, he sees Günther Lupus ambling into the dining room.
Renatus waves to Günther "Good evening Günther, how do you do ? Do you want to join me ?"
"Ah, yes! The ibis has come to the nest. I got word that you were visiting." He sits down and signals one of the servants to bring him his dinner. The girl hurries up to fetch his food. "What does bring you home, ibis?" The wolf Bjornaer's smile is as disquieting as Renatus remembers. Always predatory.
"I'm coming to report to Eule about my progress at the chapter House. She sent an intriguing reply that looked incomplete and I waited too long already, the chapter House is only a few days of flight away.
pausing for a moment he adds "but I've talked too much of myself already. Did anything interesting happened in Fengheld while I was away ? Maybe you had the opportunity to deal with that wine merchant ?"
"The wine merchant? Ah, yes, the problem has been dealt with. Indulius and I straightened it out to everyone's satisfaction." His grin has teeth, "Except the merchant himself, perhaps. I'm afraid he got into trouble with the wrong kind of... things. I feel fairly certain that is soul is now warming some small corner of hell. In any case, our wines are now flowing much more freely in Quedlinburg." He frowns, "Although the abbess there is certainly still causing us some problems. Too bad the Code doesn't allow us to fix that problem directly, though she may soon find that she has other things to worry about."
Changing subject, he asks, "And how are your 'search' going to locate a suitable apprentice for Mistress Eule? I am sure that she will ask about it when you speak later."
"I don't know what mistress Eule is expecting but my search is going nowhere, obviously... I've spent almost all my seasons to the benefit of the development of the chapter house setting up labs, collecting vis, this isn't exactly a place where you meet a lot of people, that's a bog. Also I barely speak German for now,even If I make progress. There's probably been a misunderstanding, I never agreed to spend seasons searching for an apprentice, I only accepted to keep an eye open should the opportunity arise. Anyway, we'll find an agreement one way or another, if I'm going to spend seizable amount of time searching for an apprentice, it has to be following a solid lead and there has to be an adequate reward. That's doing a favor, and I'm willing to help a fellow magus specially if they belong to the flock, but I also have assignments to fulfil."
"be careful on how you couch your arguments, birdling," says Günther with a glint in his eyes, "for she may very well offer a tempting reward for locating an apprentice. Need I remind you that it might not be a good idea? I'm sure that if you carefully observe her state, you will understand what I am speaking of."
Switching subject again, the wolf comments, "Indulius didn't seem impressed with your new chapter house. How are you settling in... what did he call it... 'this God-forsaken muddy hole'?"
"I can see your point... I'll keep it in mind, but there's more than that at stakes"
Renatus thinks : I have to please her one way or another, It's not like it's a catastrophe if she can't finish the job...there's others interested in finishing the training in our House... and I still get the reward.
Renatus smiles "That's exactly what it is : god forsaken... and that's a good thing no divine aura around to spoil the magical landscape and resources, no mundane to destroy it. Master Indulius lost his time in an inefficient and dangerous lab, constantly waken up at night to collect vis while the construction was at it's climax. I bet he doesn't like the place, who would in his position. For the rest of the description, It's a bog, so I love It but for the average magus It's probably not the place of his dream, still It's not muddier than the rest of the bog anymore and that's thanks to Renatus Jerbiton, he's done a great job with his Herbam Magic. As a side note, Master Indullius doesn't seem to get on well with him, he wasn't very... nice or even polite when they met."
"Yes, there is much more at stake," Günther says in a tight tone, "and not only for my mater. You would do well to remember that, if you really wish to become a valued member of Fengheld."
"As for the Jerbiton and master Indulius," he tilts his head, "well, let's just say that the Jerbiton has done very little worthy of our respect. He may be Stentorius' little pet and an ongoing project, but that magus is the runt of his own House. A waste of the share he vis he receives from Fengheld, in my opinion. Did you know that the last covenant he was part of was disbanded by the Quaesitores, after an investigation that involved serious charges? He came within inches from being declared Orbus, apparently. How he weaseled his way into our covenant is still a mystery to me."
"Interesting how protective you are with your mater. Don't infantilize me, I told you you've made your point, don't use veiled threats against me, that's counter-productive.
So Renatus Jerbiton's covenant was disbanded, that's a surprise... What kind of serious charges are we talking about ? Interacting with mundane ? with the devil ? with faeries ? "
"Pick your favourite," says Günther. "The Quaesitor are not sharing what the charges were and it has not been made public. Since that took place in a different Tribunal, we don't have access to those records."
With that, the wolf Bjornaer takes his leave.
Renatus Ibis then finishes his meal and goes to meet his praefecta at nightfall.
"Greetings Mistress Eule, how are you since since last time ? I've received your last letter, but the text seems incomplete, maybe you ran out of ink or something... Anyway, maybe you can tell me the last part you intended to write."
"Hmmm?" The old maga seems a bit sleepy still, perhaps due to the relatively early hour. "Letter? Oh, yes, I wanted to write to you. I have yet to complete it, let me look..." She moves a bit stiffly to her writing table, which has a clutter to parchments, pen holders and ink bottles, as well as a few books, some laying open. She rummages there for a few moments, before turning back to you, apologetic. "I seem to have misplaced it. Were you waiting for an answer?"
"Not really, It doesn't matter. It's been a few months since I left to the chapter House so It was time for me to pay you a visit and make a report. Is there anything you want to discuss ?" As he speaks Renatus walks towards the maga and pointing at the books asks " What are you studying, if that's not indiscreet ?"