«What do you think of us? These warrior men always try something, but then they are gone the next day. No! Not this lass. I have worked a lot in the infirmary, and they keep begging for a kiss, but it is not worth it. Better wait for someone who is ready to settle down.»
«That is true. Better stay away from all those who come passing through, but the regulars? They stay for most of the year. They did not mean to be gone for so long. Hannod would have been quite a catch.»
«Maybe, but he preferred the shepherds' daughters. Kothbert too. He had been seeing the same lass for years; Elissa, wasn't it? They wanted to marry when the war is over, and see where that got her.»
It takes Ealhstan the better part of the day to pursue this, but he does find this Elissa in one of the cottages one or two hundred paces from the tower. She is about twenty, with a baby on her arm. «You think you can find Kothbert? Well, I do have a lock of his hair.» She looks a bit reluctant to give it up, «but if you can find it, please borrow it, but I do want it back tomorrow.»
Thom looks over at Nauvi with a smile. "A colleague of the wisdom of hiding! Welcome, welcome. It will be good to have you among our number. And I’m not sure I've ever met a Tytalus."
Thom look back to the others, growing a little more serious.
"I’m not familiar with the protocol, but do we agree to a covenant charter before or after we have found a site on which to found a build it? It occurs to me that we may want to formalize our agreement and swear oaths before we set out. But I guess it's unlikely we'll get a quaesitor to sign off on a charter any time soon. Or do I have the chicken before the egg?"
"At the moment I believe all we should require of each other is a statement of our willingness to throw in our lot with the others and to let each other know what sort of sight might best appeal, Thomas for instance has stated an interest in being near a site of power for the faeries though I assume the rest of us would like to merely be near one and look for a site of Magical power," Betula says cheerfully now that the more important matter is being discussed, "I would also propose that now, and in the next few days, we attempt to remember or research in the library any sites that might have some or all of what we are looking for. It was proposed that we split up and while the primary goal of Janus's expedition is to find and, if possible, return with Caelha's parens and the others of this Covenant it may be possible for them to scout for sites on their way... perhaps, where you are going is no longer in this tribunal, is it?" Betula says to Janus, giving him time to respond.
Here in the library it is easy to find a scrap of parchment and writing tools and Betula gets some and brings them back to her seat, "So we have a few things already. A strong magical aura, preferably within a regio that is non-porous. Near a site of faerie power, for our friend the Merinita. And I would prefer a forest be at least nearby as my magic works best on trees and their flesh." She writes each of these down and her scratches appear almost floral despite how cramped they are on the smallish slip of parchment, "does anyone else have thoughts on what they might desire in or near their covenant that we might not easily provide ourselves?"
Thadeus raises a hand before speaking, "We have met only recently. So I don not know you much. You do not know me much either. For those who do not know the Lineage of Pralix, we look for those hedge wizards who would join the Order. So I would just like to ask that, should you meet one who is not trying to kill you, give me a chance to speak with them. The Order has a Join or Die policy. I want to make sure they have a chance to Join, if they are worthy of our trust."
"The physical location of a covenant," he shrugs' "I have not given much thought to that. Enough space for a lab and a few guests. Magical aura, not faerie please." He inclines his head towards Thom, "Not slight intended."
"We could draft a charter. Sign it. State that it will be revised when a site is found. If we agree, then a Quaesitor can validate it later."
If you research area/magic lore in the library to find suitable sites for a covenant, it is a skill+Int roll with a +4 bonus for the library. I thought RAW said that this would take a few hours, but I cannot find it. It is not terribly important since I will only allow one roll per question per character. Make a note of the particular area lore you use. The library covers a rather wide area. Stress with three botch dice. Ease factor is 6+ for a site of interest, 9+ for a suitable covenant site with aura 3 (i.e. not your favourite but vanilla and safer than the known sites); every three points of difficulty gives higher aura or interesting features like regione. Feel free to state what you are looking for.
"Fare well, Luciu ex Guernicus. Thank you for answering me."
She will rejoin the others in time to discuss a possible covenant.
"I concur on a strong magic aura, if possible within a regio, but the regio side is a bonus, not a necessity for me. I would choose a higher aura over a regio if it came to that. Although I do like the idea of a defensible area. And what's nearby is important. I prefer a site that's away from mundanes. And one that would allow the druids to safely join us as well, if they want to. They may be of interest to you, Thadeus, although as far as I can understand, they're not gifted per se. Having ghosts on site is a bonus... although I'm still unsure whether to think of Sherwood forest positively or not."
"And if we are worthy of their trust," Betula says quietly.
Betula adds it to the list and marks a "Thad" next to the magic aura then goes back and annotates the other items with who proposed or supports it as something to look for.
Covenant List
strong Magic aura, preferrably in a regio Thad, Bet, Cath
“My preference is a defensible area as far north as possible to allow us to strike at the Diedne with the minimum of travel. The defences need to be able to withstand the attack of giants as well as magi” replies Janus.
"Defensibility may be something we must build there though, I assume, the natural landscape may aid us in that endeavor, Janus," Betula says, "I know nothing of battle or fortifications beyond that a difficult approach makes a place easily made defensible. You are the most seasoned of us, perhaps some sorts of features beyond that would be useful to know since you are heading North from here and your knowledge will not be available to us when examining the sites."
"A wall, with an inside walkway for people to fire missiles from along with a ditch or flooded moat to slow down attackers. Built in stone if possible but wood is better than nothing. Solid buildings of stone within. The lab text for Conjure the Mythic Tower that I have brought with me will help with that and I will be able to learn and cast it if you select a high enough aura, or within a season or two if I need to study a little more Terram, again from the summa I brought with me." replies Janus.
"So what should those of us hunting for a site look for to make this possible? A large enough flat plot of land? Readily available stone? A cliff below the site? These would be useful, yes? Other ideas?"
"Beyond regios, and fortresses, other things can make us defensible. An isolated area in the mountains, for example, might not be very accessible. Or yes, a cliff, Betula. Simple illusion spells might work too, although that's not really my expertise. I wish Shrouded Glen was within my reach... but I would really need a few years of study."
"None taken," says Thom to Thadeus. "I would much prefer a strong magical aura as well. I wouldn't mind being close to a faerie regio… but not too close." The young Merinita chuckles softly.
"Master Janus is wise to have us think about defenses, true, but Mistress Cath'rinne reminds me of a saying The Geezer always held to," adds Thom before he modifies his voice to sound, fairly accurately, like Mildred ex Merinita. " 'Security through obscurity, young Thom. Great walls and deep moats are all well and good but if they don't know you are there at all, there you can find peace, boy.' "
Cath'rinne nods to Thom. "Not that the idea of fortresses bores me, far from it, but before we think of having a bastion with a hundred men on the wall, it would be nice to have an idea of how we're paying for the hundred men, let alone the walls and our laboratory's upkeep. We can't expect to have large squads of well-trained soldiers to man any battlements we might fancy building for a few years, that's my guess. A Mystic tower could work for my needs, Janus, but I could consider a cave or something along those lines as well, depending on where we settle down."
"Actually, a modest aura would be fine to me. Strong aura is good. Safety is great," he nods to the others, "but depends a lot on us. We just need a place for all the magi."
"Cave, mountaintop, forest. Even swamp. All can be made into a decent home. I've had worse during apprenticeship. Don't let preconceptions determine our path. Even two sites, if close enough, would work. More costly in Aegises," he shrugs, "but it could still be worth it."
“No. I would not like to live in a cave. As amazing as the Axis Magica is, after ten years in a cave I know that I prefer fresh air and the naked sky close,” Betula says.
"As long as we can have safety to study, and enough food to eat - both of which no-one in this land takes for granted - I will be happy. I am gently Gifted, so will happily deal with any everyday folk in the neighbourhood." Nauvi pauses, then remembers something - "The other thing would be how long it will take us to get access to a laboratory. I will probably need a longevity ritual in the next couple of years, so I would be willing to compromise if I can get a lab."