Betula senses, more than sees, what feels like a regio, but there is no entrance that she can see through and hence no way for her to enter using the second sight. She sees an airy spirit floating above the grass, one of air, she would guess. It is playing like a wind. She has a feeling there are other, dormat spirits but she cannot reach them.
Thom finds no faerie or magic aura at the pool. At the Oak Circle he finds a magic aura of level 7 strictly bounded by the oak trees. His spells take some time, so the others have plenty of time to explore while he does his research.
Turold sees a couple of acorns in a particularly shiny shade of green.
Walking in the grass towards the spirit playing in the sun Betula says, "Hello little wind, such a pleasant day to play. Do you know the route into the regio or can you find who controls the edge? We are looking for Lise."
"They are quite green is there something special about them? Vis? I could test," Betula says, "but there is something... somewhere else here but it feels closed to me and I can not see across its edge. If Lise is there, she may not take kindly to theft and her friendship is more important."
"No, I suppose not." And Betula begins to cast her spell, Taste the Nature of VIs and when she is done casting she licks the acorn. [InVi 4, Personal, Mom, Taste = Final Level 4, (1 + 5 + 5 + Aura + roll 6)/2 > 8, Success!]
«Hello, newcomer! What do you bring? It has been a long time since the last newcomer across the edge. Lise? Is that the mortal witch who does not age? She visits some days. Maybe in the morning, maybe at dusk, and then she goes elsewhere, and returns another morning, or maybe at dusk. Are you a friend of hers?»
As Betula takes the acorn, a little airy spirit fly out of it, heading towards another acorn higher up on the tree.
Betula may note that the acorn is not yet ripe, and the spell reveals nothing.
The acorn where the spirit settles suddenly turns brighter green, like the first one.
"Yes, that is the name I have heard for the witch who does not age, but I have never met her. I hope to learn from her, it is said she knows every plant in these mountains and beyond. If you don't mind, we will probably wait for a time, perhaps not long enough," Betula reaches into her bag and pulls a thorn from the rose, "would this be acceptable? What do newcomers usually bring?"
"Do not pick another acorn, Turold. These young, vibrant acorns house a spirit and we should allow them to mature, see what that means, perhaps return to harvest some in the autumn. If you sensed vis in them it was vis in the spirit and not of the acorn itself."
"Newcomers must bring something, I know not what, and that Lise sometimes comes here at dawn or dusk. It might be worth staying a bit to learn more of this place and see if Lise comes, though if we can not enter the regio it may not be a good site for a covenant. Turold do you know of any tales of what offerings a druid might bring to cross the threshold of a sacred site such as this?"
Can Turold see a path into the regio? Forest Lore outside his native forest would be 3, letting him "perceive the boundaries of magical regiones within the area."
OOC: It should also let me use my skill as a relevant area lore. Check of 15 if it's not a stress die.
«Oh,. A gift? I never expected that. How exciting. It is new. All change is good change.» The wind brushes past Betula's hand like a warm breeze. Unless she pinches the thorn it is taken by the wind and lands at the foot of an oak tree.
«Staying, that's a novelty. You are welcome. Maybe you can help the mortal-witch-who-never-ages.»
Forest lore does not really help Turold in this instance. The Oak Circle is separated from the surrounding woods by a belt of wetland, and the spirit of the forest does not recognise the small copse as part of the forest. It belongs to someone else.
"I'm afraid I don't. I'm skilled with forests, but my knowledge does not extend to the clearings within. The forest does not recognize thus area as a part of it."
Betula looks to Thomas and Turold, "I believe, perhaps, that," pointing to the Oak the thorn fell at, "is who we must speak with to gain entry or to find out more, at least. Should we talk with Father Oak?"
"I think we should!" says Thom with a broad smile, his energy near infectious as he stands looking at the great oaks and basking in the feel of the circle.
Betula is slightly aghast at both of them, "Don't you think the trees might find that offensive? Most of them are older than I am. Perhaps it is more that I am a tree daughter or, perhaps, just a tree speaker." And with that she turns and heads to the Oak that her gift landed at.
When Betula reaches the Oak, hoping and not hoping that the others have followed though she has not looked back she casts Converse with Plant and Tree [InHe 25, Focus applies, Casting Total: 35, 10 penetration].
"Hello, Father Oak," She says testing whether the spell succeeded.
She looks to Thom and shakes her head, "I was unable to affect it, it prehaps has more magic resistance than I would hope but, do you know the Wizard's Communion?" and looking at Thom and in all his naive glory, "no, you do not, do you. I believe we would need to attain the 10th magnitude together... and mine is merely of the second."