In the second half of Summer many new arrivals flock to Ungulus, in addition to Luciu's group and Janus who had arrived earlier. Ealhstan and Adrien arrive separately from Wales. Betula and Cath'rinne's group, with Nauvi too, arrives from the East. Benedict passes through too, but continues quickly on to Wales to see the last two covenants of Stonehenge.
Caelha, the constable, welcomes everybody with great enthusiasm, but after a few days of interaction, it is clear that the enthusiasm is purely instrumental. She needs more hands for the war effort. Only an apprentice, she claims no authority in the planning of the next campaign. Her role is to manage the rally point, which is all that Ungulus has been during the War. Even so, she eagerly stresses that somebody has to find her pater, Tacitus of Tremere, and the two other covenant members, Tessa of Tytalus and Frederic of Flambeau. Guests can enjoy the hospitality both in the kitchen and the library, but it is clear that the War Effort trumps personal interests, and the hospitality is a mere means to an end. (Description of the covenant: Chapter 2 (Summer 1013). Hiding under Hadrian's Wall - #232 by loke)
Ungulus is in a precarious position, left in the care of an apprentice, with every covenant member missing for the last three seasons. The same can be said for Caelha, who has not seen her master for the same three seasons. There is little precedent for this situations, and the magi present are not that thoroughly schooled in the Code of Hermes either, even though they know the basics.
Luciu himself, unfortunately, passes away around the same time when one of his wounds get infected. It happened very quickly, and if anybody had the appropriate vis for a healing ritual, they did not hear of the crisis in time. Luciu leaves behind several valuables which will attract attention. In addition to the books and silver (see Covenant in spe - #22 by Freddie), his travel chest contains a seashell (magical if investigated), the burnt fragments of a diary, a sword, and an ostentatious helmet (also magical if investigated). Edwin, Janus, and the grogs may know that he collected these items from the body of the presiding quaesitoris, which he took from the battle field and buried in the hamlet in the East.
The characters will have to figure out how to spend the Autumn. Some seem committed to campaign into Loch Leglean to find the magi of Ungulus. It is possible to stay at Ungulus to prepare for War Effort at a later stage. It is possible to search for a good location to settle or to explore any of the other clues left earlier. This thread should end with declaration of who goes where, but please roleplay your first meetings first. I hope the information above puts everybody on the same page; everything should be fairly obvious to everyone shortly after arrival. Please ask about everything I may have forgotten.
Study totals for the South group in Summer will be resolved in Chapter 3tri; there is a minor loose end to tie up, but we can move on in parallel. I thought North had had their story xp, but I cannot find it; so here it is
- Those who took part in the combat have 11xp and three confidence points
- Those who have only been part of the story at Ungulus and Carlisle have 5xp and one confidence point; or instead of the 5xp, they may have a full season's worth of practice or reading.
- As before, there is an extra confidence point to the main character of every memorable scene; please nominate; preferably on discord.
Again, I may have messed something up so please let me know when you see it.
