Those magi that wish have gone up to the house of father Gerald. In the hallway of the house the magi are meet by the good father and his two housekeepers. Both housekeepers are young women even if one of them seems slightly older than the other. The hallway are polished and smells pleasant and the room is decorated in a nice manner, tasteful and not over done.
Father Gerald speaks as the magi enter the hallway, Welcome [color=red]masters to my elegant home I am most thankful of this boon that have been given me. Let me introduce my housekeepers this is Adelheid, father Gerald points towards the older of the two women,[color=red] and this is Trude, and he gestures toward the younger of the two. Both women bow and greets the magi in Latin, both of them has excellent pronunciation. [color=red]Would you care to see my collection of books before or after dinner? Father Gerald silences and the magi can feel the lowly smell of food coming from the dinner room.
Oh, well, might as well go with it and get to know the man
So, Ardath came.
[color=red]Pleased to meet you, ladies. And my congratulations for your excellent latin, it'll be a pleasure to have someone to speak to without an interpret aside from my sodales, especially other women.
After father gerard has spoken
[color=red]While I hunger for knowledge, I think it'll be better not to read on an empty stomach, especially as the odor of the fine dinner you've served for us might distract us from other, more intellectual, foods.
That, and it would be a shame to let such a delicious course cool down (nods and smile to the ladies)
[color=red]Then we shall eat. Father Gerald shows the magi into a chamber with a dinner table of high quality. The table is set with lots of delicatessens and more common foodstuff, no where near when Justus let open the covenant’s lockers but it is clear that the father or rather his housekeepers have spent some effort in creating this feast. Once the magi are seated the housekeepers serve wine and for those interested they can tell a few things about the wine, all in fluent Latin. It is obvious that the housekeepers have learnt to speak fluent Latin. Once wine has been served they excuse themselves and exit the dinner hall.
Krispin comes along, too – never hurts to be on good terms with everyone. He sits down to dinner and digs in, carefully sorting each food by color and eating them one at a time.
[color=red]
Hello, Father. I too am newly arrived here. I hope you’ve found Ad Fons to be as hospitable to you as you are to us here. I’m excited to see what you’ve collected in the way of books over the years.
(during dinner, at some point) [color=red]Oh, by the way, Father – you used to live nearer to the lord of these lands, isn’t that right? What’s he like? Did you ever have the occasion to speak with him, or see his men at work?
[Do he or the women seem to be unaffected by the Ardath’s gift - or Mariella’s, if she came along? Or skilled at hiding it? Also, my knowledge of medieval Pomeranian clergy is sketchy – was it habitual to teach one’s servants perfect Latin? Krispin probably won't ask himself, but where does he think they might have learned it, and to what purpose?]
Mariella does attend the meal , she tends to keep to the background as she is aware of the effect of her gift on those without a parma magica and prefers to avoid problems with those she will have to deal with.
She greets the Father and the housekeepers politley but otherwise says little .
[color=blue]OOC: Few persons even priest would not teach their servants Latin, at least not above the ability to greet their guests and serving meals, and definitely not to such skills as Gerald’s housekeepers seems to have. One could also question why a household of one man who doesn’t work the earth for food would need more that one housekeeper.
Father Gerald replies to Krispin. [color=red]I have seen the Lord of this realm at work or at least his men. He is a good lord and for the moment there seems as if no-one makes any interesting remarks about this remote location. I’ll guess that if he knew about this most prosperous settlement he would sure send his tax collectors. There has been little gain in sending men into werewolf infested forest where there is nothing to tax. I must make compliments about that most clever man that are in charge in the town hall, Horst is his name if my memory serves me right, he handled my every need with good haste and skilful execution. Any Lord would be thankful of his services. It is rather strange though that the town hall is nearly grander than your main hall however. But let us not speak of such boring matter such as the local politics of Kolberg.
Once the food is eaten the magi are shown the library. During the dinner father Gerald seems to handle the gift of the magi with rather good effort. He even makes a good attempt at making some conversation with Mariella.
The library is not large but farther Gerald can produce a few tractatus upon the academic subjects, though most of them is about the liberal arts. He shows of a works of his own and it is excellent tractatis upon the liberal arts. Henrich who probably is most accustomed to the liberal arts notice that two of the text that the father claims to have written are written with different wording and expressions, almost as if the good father hadn’t written both himself.
Heinrich mildly exclaims, [color=red]Good Father! Gems of the urbane in the midst of these challenging Pomeranian hinterlands! Kind pater, do show me your titles. Heinrich points to a title next to one of the more questionable one. And then will try to point to one that is of the different expressions and style. [color=red]And what was your muse in considering these subjects?
[color=red]My muse is God, he sends me inspiration although in perhaps to some a little strange ways. I write about the most subjects within the liberal arts, most fascinating I find them especially the arts of astrology. Have you ever pondered about the way that the stars control our lives and if that is a threat to our God given free will or if it is a tool from the divine to avoid future risks of ruin and corruption? Father Gerald seems rather exited about speaking of the liberal arts.
[color=blue]ooc-Are one of the odd texts by chance astrological? : )
Heinrich reads the titles of the strange texts and compares them to the predominant texts.
[color=red]But, of course! God is good and god is great. Hmmmm... I, of course, studied basic astrological signs and meanings, but fundamental astrological truths? I haven't considered.
[color=blue]Yes astrology seems to be a common theme even in the odd text. But there are other subjects as well.
[color=red]Perhaps we could engage in a more complex discussion upon this matter a later evening, would you want to loan this tome and read it. Father Gerald sounds most exaggerated as he gives the suggestion. [color=red]I fear that I must retire for the evening, I don’t mean to be a bad host but there is a mass to hold in the morning and the wine is making me rather tired.
[color=blue]ooc: Before I reach for the text I'd love to try to cast a spontaneous easy Level3-Tyrell-like Intellego Vim spell only if I can do so discretely. I'm still kinda new at this so feel free to make suggestions - especially new at spont' spells.
[color=red]Oh, really! Thank you! - says Heinrich trying to feign as if extra pleased and surprised. In order to take up a few extra seconds makes to peruse the other titles quickly as if he were gifted carte blanche - and then reaches out for the proffered text. - [color=red]Certainly! Thank you for the hospitality and Guten nacht.
[color=blue]Hope that's close enough for Low German. : )
With the meal finished Mariella rises to leave and as she does so she asks Krispin if he will escort her back to the covenant as she would like to speka with him and it is never safe for a lady to walk unescorted. She manages to maintain a straight face at the implication from the courtesy that Krispin could protect her.
[color=blue]oops. Purpose of spell is to gather if there is any sort of enchantment or spell. Mayhaps, to see if the text has sort of Hermetic materials or connections to it? How's that for a level 3 spell with ubiquitous detection? : ) A basic magic detector of a simple sort if nothing else?
Krispin chuckles and agrees. He picks up his walking staff from its resting place in the corner of the room, stretches, and gestures gallantly for Mariella to precede him through the door.
He’s a bit skeptical as they walk in silence for the first few steps – they couldn’t be more different, after all. He appears to hope that she’s not looking for a fight but seems resigned to weathering it if she is.
[color=red]“Lovely night, isn’t it? What was it you wanted to discuss?â€
[color=red]"Not a bad night. Before you head off to Novograd I wanted to ask you to have a look at Ilse and see if there is anything you can do with your magic to heal her injuries, it is something rather beyond my magical talants.
[color=red]“Ah, Ilse. I’ve heard a little about her, and healing certainly falls under my set of skills, that’s true.†Krispin has Mariella fill him in on what he’d need to know – I imagine all he’s heard up to this point is hearsay.
He becomes more surprised as she tells the story. His eyes slowly become slightly wet, barely visible in the moonlight as Mariella tells of Ilse’s bravery and Mariella’s own dedication to seeing that she is rewarded. He wipes away a tear in the darkness.
A gentle smile splits his face as Mariella finishes her story. [color=red]“She seems like the worthiest of souls. Given vis, I could almost certainly heal her tonight or tomorrow, and I may be able to effect some changes by my mundane arts as well. It would be my greatest pleasure to heal her hand. Let us both go see her tomorrow morning, if she is willing.†He smiles again and continues with her back up to the manor house. The image of the two of them would not be lost on an observer; the healer and the warrior, the pale gray robe and the black, walking side-by-side in the moonlight.
[color=blue]OOC: I think Restoration of the Defiled Body (“Remove the crippling after-effects of any injury…) turns the trick. Is getting the vis going to be an issue, or was that already sort of “requisitioned†at one of those council meetings back in Chapter 2? I know we have it on hand, but do M. and K. need to play politics to get it? Krispin also saves a few pawns thanks to the Root-Cutter virtue, so it’s not really all that much.
