Everybody arrives in due course. Eager to meet the Old Wizard, they leave the hamlet early in the morning, and when they get to the ridge above Greyvale, they can see the hooded figure walking slowly down from the ruined turret. If they hurry, they can catch up with him before he reaches the village.
Betula has been exploring the local forest and foraging as best she can* every day until the day the Old Wizard is sighted. She hurries to catch up to him with anyone else who does.
"HELLO!" she says in both Anglo-Saxon and Latin while waving and hurrying towards him.
'* includes casting Intuition of the Forest
The old man turns around, slowly, and raises his hands slowly, as if shielding his face from a blow. «Hello?» he says, «Salve???»
Hamish takes up his usual position behind and to the side of any of the magi as they move to engage with the old man. Herding cats comes to mind as he moves to try to position himself near Betula while keeping an eye on Cath'rinne.
He has instructed the specialists to hang tight with the horse, under cover.
When Hamish joins them, Cath'rinne will greet him and discreetly inquire whether the trip went well, and what he found out.
When the old men shows up, Cath'rinne greets him as well with a "Salve." she allows Betula to take the lead, as someone more familiar with locals.
Hamish speaks quietly with Cath'rinne.
"No luck finding much on this Arbiter fellow. That little kirk's priest was gone to York. I chatted up one of the oldlings in town. He said they had a couple of knights come to put some people in the churchyard. Had a canon with 'em who did the rites instead of their vicar. I could see some fresh graves, a couple with high born headstones but only a couple regular saxon firstnames on them. Nothin' that looked like Pontius Arbiter."
Hamish rubs the back of his neck, thinking.
"One of the villagers said these folks said they were part of the Witch Hunters escort and that they met with a mighty fire warlock the morning after the battle. Not sure who those two are, the warlock or the witch hunter. But that's about as much as we could squeeze out of that little village."
"SALVE!" Betula says again as she closes with the Old Wizard. Likely annoying Hamish as she charges ahead as fast as her long legs canncarry her, skirt in hands. "I am Betula of Criamon, filia of Vineus, formerly of Castellum Veridian. We are seeking brothers and sisters of the Order."
Cath'rinne listens to Hamish and seems irritated that there are no tracks of him confirmed. She lets continue, however. Her face brightens up in the last portion of the answer. "A fire warlock. They met Janus! He might know if Pontius survives. Good! That was useful, Hamish." she smiles.
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«Criamon? Where have you been hiding to survive the War?»
The old man looks around, amused with the enthusiastic crowd who has gathered on his path. You can just see the smile on his lips, but are hidden in the dark, under the shadow of his hood.
"Many of us spent the last ten years in The Cave of Twisting Shadows," Betula says matter of factly, "invited before hostilities began by Primus Bucephalus, I am unsure who foresaw The Troubles. Vineus did not want to leave Castellum Veridian with me but when the fighting began there was not much to do except that. The Cave is like a great, hollow tree within the mountain and there was plenty of space but as soon as we heard The Troubles all but over I felt the need to breathe fresh air, to return home. It is no longer there," she says surprisingly happily as she notices the others arriving.
«Are you sure the war is over?» asks the Old Wizard. «Something is stirring, I can see; it is not more than a month since the last group of Hermetic, and seemingly peaceful, magi left the area, but then I cannot forget the giants marching only last Winter. Are you really this confident that it is safe to journey?»
“Did I say it was safe? Did I say the war was over? I did not hear either of those things until you asked those questions.”
«Maybe you didn't, but yet you are here. What are you looking for?»
"Why I am looking for seeds... and old trees, such as yourself, who might help renew the Order again. Perhaps bring some measure of peace to the people for our crimes against them during the war. I wish to help heal this land as that's where my interests lie but that will not be enough. The people of Mercia have been riled against us and all who use magic and that may spread, if we don't right the wrongs of the war," tears begin to well in her eyes and a couple stream down her face, "and I was... complicit, I left them... I had reasons, I was not in control... just an apprentice but it... hurts to know I did nothing for them."
«Seeds lie dormant until the Winter is over. Maybe, when the Spring is warm, I too will sprout forward, but for the time being, please forget that you saw me. I am just out for the market.»
Betula looks at him quizzically, "Forget that I saw you? Yes... Hrm... Perhaps a name to forget as well would be appropriate."
«Hmm. I suppose that is the custom, even if these are times to ignore and forget. I am Mildred, follower of Merinita, and the last resident of Castrum Antiquum.»
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"Are you afraid of us that you're in a hurry to leave us, old man? Since we're making introductions, I'm Cath'rinne ex Bjornaer."
«Of you? Not particularly, but rumour spreads easily, even among good-hearted people, and once it spreads, it is hard to stop. I have survived this long by not talking to people, and would like to keep it that way, alive I mean.»
“This other group you spoke of, do you know where they were headed? Ungulus, perhaps? Was one of them named Janus?”