The Spring Festival of Novus Mane
It is April first, the beginning of Spring. Not sure when the Jewish calendar begins, but Christian New Years was back in January. April 1st is New Years Day to pagans.
There is music! Carlos and Marcello have their guitars, Clara can play harp, Okeanos is a good singer I think. He can bring his fiancée out of water for an hour at a time (or maybe set her up with a tub), and she can sing too. Her mom know’s the power of metemorphosizing her tail into legs, she should learn that one. Okeanos, this would be a good time to bring pops to meet the magi. Do you?
There is food too! Fresh fruits, breads, meats, fish, and more! The covenfolk are relaxing and enjoying themselves as well. The sons of Bob Backtalker and Sam Spearholder are running around playing. A couple of teamsters have kids too. Select villagers were invited. Betty VanHalen is here, as well as Walter & Veronica Eyke. Reginald, Johan, and Fred are not here. They are taking care of some business. But Erik the Redcap is here, and also (the old friend of one of you, I need a volunteer, they came to visit and see what is up).
So, we are gathered. Council meeting is tonight. In the meantime, we can mingle and engage in intrigue. Aielanus, several people you wanted to talk to are here. Walter, Dragor, Bob Backtalker, and Eric the Redcap.
[color=blue]Old friends and Aelianus is not a concept that goes together.
Aelianus tries to ignore the looks from everybody who is disturbed by his gift making the assumption that they are envious of his gift. He can’t help to enjoy the event even though he tries to view it as a too vulgar event for his taste. He takes his aim for Dragor as swift as he can. Diodorus struts straight by his side.
[color=red]Dragor do you have anything to report to me? Aelianus looks him straight in the eyes.
Yes he does. Walter accepts your price and has provided a lock of hair as instructed. Dragor and Walter have drawn up all the appropriate papers for your approval. I am not too knowledgeable about banking and financing in the middle ages, but the long and the short of it is that Walter's holding company will assume the principle debt. Your interest is cut down from 75£ a year to 60£ a year. The 150£ for the Longevity potion will bbe given to you in cash to do with as you please, and an additiona; 100£ is coming your way because of earned equity.
BUT, he still needs your seal and to get the document approved by his business partners. That is not a problem though.
AND, Eric the Redcap has the vs you wanted to exchange, plus the rest of the payment for the magical rein for Santiago. The Lab Text is a donation to your covenant's library.
Eric the Redcap has messages for everyone in fact. But You gotta tell me who they are from and what they say. Roberto gets one from Santiago, catching up on whats new and stuff. Dragor gets one from his Tremere overlords asking him how things are coming along with Plan Omega. Halvard knows some interesting people that would write or visit him too. And David has one of his friends visiting.
Don't forget Jan Axel! Music (drums) 3 
The man is clearly enjoying him at least, playing music, singing with his loud voice, drinking, asking people to do arm-wrestle or drinking contests...
Wirth? Well... He keeps to himself, but, since he's around his wife and she's obviously happy, he's at peace, sometimes even??? No, he can't smile, can he?
[color=green]
Wirth
Being native to this tribunal, I can volunteer. We might have been fellow apprentices, his pater and him settling into our covenant 5 years after I became apprenticed. He could be a friend of clara and I, maybe even a witness to our wedding.
Aelianus listens to Dragors report and nods, [color=red]Good work, he seals the documents and gloats for a moment. He have now saved the covenants economy single handed. After concluding his business with the redcap he steps towards Bob Backtalker. Aelianus has a firm pace in his walking and Bob will probably worry.[color=red] Bob, why do you waste my time with a brawl amongst a few drunken [insert a not to polite word that I leave out of this forum]? Aelianus looks quite furious and even Diodorus looks angry.
Bob Backtalker (so named because he is the one that talked back to Roerto that very first day, and to distinguish him from Bob the pirate that George the pirate has a man-crush on)), well, Bob has no idea what you are talking about. That is old news to him. Once he gets the idea, he looks at you perplexed.
[color=green]Bob Backtalker: [color=red]Um, nobody was drunk in than incident sir. One of the rogues had a conflict with your man Walter, and some other magi were about to start the fight, not mundanes. I thought you might want to be informed of the doins a' transpirin' round these parts. Next time I shall be more thoughtful and shan't disturb you in case of commotion, fire, or war.
Roberto takes notice of yoru conversation and buts in.
[color=green]Roberto: [color=red]Hey, ease up on the little guy. It's his day off. He's here with his wife and kid. Los familia esta Sacrado senior; Family is sacred!
[color=green]Iolar
Iolar is present and clearly enjoys the music and crowds although she tends towards the more refined area's of culture and music. She joins in the music performing short sections from gallic ballads. She does spend some time with the children telling them faerie tales and illustrating them with images in the flames of the hearthfire (Spont MuIg(Im) ).
By this time she has finally managed to secure some reasonable clothing although for a formal event like this she adds decorations with imagonem magic.
The redcap hands her an ornate parchment scroll which clearly suprises her as there are few people she would expect a message from. The seal on the scroll is an Aquilla and the redcap knows that it was sent for delivery by Archmage Marrissa of Bjornear an old Bjornear magus with a sinister reputation who dwells at the covenant of the Shadows of the Past.
Iolar pale's briefly upon seeing the parchment and places it within a fold of her robe for later perusal.
[color=green]Kilica
Kilica stays out of the way at the rear of the chamber ignoring invitations to join the levity instead watching all that goes on with cold eyes , focussing mainly on events around Wirth although she also watches Roberto.
Even at a social event like this she keeps a greatsword sheathed across her back
Roberto also wears his sword at his side, and has a cape too! He is all dashing and whatnot. I ask wirth to indroduce me to whomever his friend is, and if he is also Flambeau, I strike up a coversation concerning the relative merits of the battle axe versus the posion dagger (a brownie point to anyone who can tell me where I quote that from).
Then I go over and try to get Aelianus to ease up on Bob.
Houses of hermes , I think both editions although I only have the earlier one. The Apromor Perdo school vs the Flambeau Burn them all and let god sort them out school
[color=green]Wirth
[color=red]
Yes indeed.
And the matter is settled now.
(This dates back from Ars Magica 3, IIRC, and was indeed a part of Houses of Hermes for Ars 4, but it's been too long a time, I can't really tell. And i cooked a white chocolate brownie this WE )
[color=green]Wirth
And the friend... He's a bonisagus... I was in my full bookworm mode, reading a lot, so we had that much in commom, although he had an incredible memory and knowledge, having privilegied skills over the arts. Do you want me to design him a bit or do you prefer to do it yourself?
[color=green]Wirth
Well, roberto, this is my old pal Sylvain Ex Bonisagus. Sylvain, my sodales Roberto Ex Flambeau
Well Happy Easter then
No need to write him up. He is just an extra
I am merely encouraging people to be proactive and to flesh out their characters with a little periphrial detail.
[color=green]Roberto: [color=red]Salve Sodale! I ask about any unique or interesting developments in Magic Theory and perhaps if he knows of anything specific in the field of Spell Mastery.
Yes indeed Okeanos will introduce his soon to be father n law and wife to be,
planning on the introduction to happen just after the meeting and just before the festivities, and yes Okeanos has a talent for singing just all the songs except the newest one he just learned tended to be a bit, shall we say, morbid, even dirge like. That said, he now knows Barnacle bill and will probably sing a duet with his soon to be wife , Lucy...
Ulrich can't sing, but no - one has really told him that.
but he and his men are Very good at consuming large quanties of alchohalic beverages.
Aelianus realises his mistake, all eaten up with pride. [color=red]Bob I need your information, but next time you bring me information make sure to be a bit more specific. Those who know Aelianus knows that this is the closest thing to an excuse that will come out of him.
He turns around and walks to the Bonisagi guest. [color=red]Salve soldae and welcome to Novus Mane. I am Aelianus Robur Ex Verditius leader of this covenant. Aelianus looks at Writh. [color=red]Do introduce this guest of ours.
[color=green]Havlard
Havlard makes it to the party in the afternoon ( as usual for him). He spends time watching the boys play and then organizes and race. One for children and one for any adult that wants to run.
For the children he has a long winding race around the Covenant and over obstacles. As the children race he stands with Mistress Boone and asks questions about the leaders.
When the race is over, Mistress Boone hands out lavish ( for the children) prizes to two boys and a girl that finish well in front of the others. Havlard and Colijne make notes to continue to train the children in running long distances.
The three winners:
Clara de Langhe
Goosin van Aercheem
Melchior van Aercheem
Colijne will make arrangements for the families to have better food and housing for now.
You have the order of events reversed. Festival then meeting.
No one invited them!
My thinking is that Ulrich went with Fred, Reginald, and Johan to take care of some private business. I will fill you in later
As a reader, I am interested in what sort of Faerie stories you are telling 
Roberto comes over to you. At first he was going to ask you about your new spell that you entertain the children with. You cast it so easilly it must be formulaic . But then I see your expression and I come over to ask if anything is wrong.
I like that you are picking names out for the locals, and much better than my names! (I picked names out of old Archie comics). The best Colijne can do for them right now is grant their families the newly cleared spots to build new homes on (Wirth knocked down a few stone houses in the covenant that were crumbled beyond restoration). And their parents work in the kitchen. They eat better than we do!