Thom is sitting with his back to grandfather oak, watching the world with Second Sight as he thinks about this odd place.
Cath'rinne dodges with a 14-5 or 9. If this attack happens after she's done casting the binding spell (which I understand it is), she understands that her spell failed to affect the ghost and is going to retreat from the building.
Thadeus, who hears Cath'rinne cursing, comes to the cottage to see what is going on.
Thadeus meets Cath'rinne in the door. He can see the box which has crashed to the floor, losing its lid, and a few papers scattered around it.
"What's going on?" asks the Pralician, a bit surprised by the chaotic state of the cottage. "Are you all right?"
"There's a druidic ghost that apparently thinks the Order of Hermes is an enemy. I'm guessing someone delivered a join or die and a fight ensued - maybe Pralix or the Diedne - I'm not sure. I tried to talk to it but it's not listening so I tried to bind it but I couldn't penetrate. It's throwing boxes arround, some which have documents in them. No sense in staying in there. It's not that dangerous but my goal isn't to merely destroy it." She says, as the vulture lands somewhere near the oak. "Maybe we should have a chat as a group?"
Thom looks up from where he sits with his back against the oak.
"It's a curious little place, this. It reminds me a bit of the regio Mildred hid us in at the Wall. It feels mostly safe here but it also feels so awfully remote and removed. The price is awfully high to get in unless we can use the method Master Janus suggested with fixed arcane connections. And maybe that would do for a season."
The young Merinita looks about.
"But I'm not all that interested in living here. But it might make for a bountiful vis harvest site. If we could gather more than it costs so we come away with a balance to the good, it might be worth a visit each season."
"What vis have you found here? I have not looked at that yet."
"I think we sniffed out what is likely vis in Cottage 3, and I'm guessing that the crops and animals may be sources for harvest, though perhaps Thadeus knows more about them. If they are, we could likely harvest them responsibly."
Thom shrugs and then points up.
"And the white flowers on this tree certainly smell of vis. I think there's a dozen or so of them by my count."
"The large flowers in the oak contain Creo vis. So does the soil under the crops, but not the crops themselves. And I get the feeling that harvesting the vis would kill the crops. That vis might or might nor regenerate."
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After a moment, Thadeus adds, "I share your opinion, sodalis, that this regio feels more like a hiding place than anything else. A place to hide from the storm until it passes, instead of one from which one can rebuild after the storm is over."
"I have a hard time seeing myself live here and accomplish much. I am not much of a lab rat, I'm afraid. I'd rather live in the world than removed from it."
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"Oh, yes. The animals are magical creatures, so they probably have vis too. I can't say for sure, because I couldn't penetrate their innate magic resistance. We'd probably have to butcher them first, which seems a waste."
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The vulture replies back. "Is this a hiding place? Possibly. I have my difficulties, and frankly if I can't easily be found, I won't complain too much. But I don't know if we can leave or come back here easily without teleportation. That's a factor I agree with." She thinks for a moment. "What you found for the vegetables is interesting. Is it possible that something similar is going on with the animals? Could they be the result of some innate magic of the regio, which keeps food plentiful? If we slaughter a sheep for meat, does it come back? Can we harvest the animal's vis, or is it like the veggies, and it needs to be kept in its area, so to speak, to maintain the enchantment? I wish I could interrogate the ghost - I'm sure it knows much - but I probably need a season of labwork or two. Perhaps we can interrogate the tree, sister?" She says to Betula "Maybe it knows how the locals did it. Knowing if I can spend a season here and eat wouldn't be half bad, as would knowing whether we can harvest the vis once in a while or not."
"I could try speaking with the ghost. There was a book on correspondence with the founder of my House. It might give me an opening to explain that we did not hunt down the members of their tradition. Diedne did. And with that House being hunted down, maybe that will mollify the ghost." Thadeus shrugs, "It may not work, but it is worth a try."
"It's worth a try, I guess. Maybe speaking to a non-blatantly gifted will help too."
Turold will offer to come along. "Maybe he'll listen to an actual druid."
Thadeus nods, then looks towards Thurold. "Want to do this together, or one at a time?"
One way or the other, he goes into the cottage and sits down (on the ground if there are no seats). "Hello," he says calmly to the room, hoping the ghost is listening, "my name is Thadeus of the Ordo Miscellanea. I am a descendant of Pralix, which I believe you know of. My enemies are the descendants of Diedne, who perverted the principles that Pralix defended."
"What is your name?"
Then he waits.
"I'll go with you." he says and follows.
He enters the cottage, relaxed, finding a table's corner to lean on. "And I'm Turold, druid of the Nottinghamshire druids, trained by Malhad of the same tribe, and fifth cousin of Ingrid, from the Pennines tribe of druids. I travel along with this group, who saved two of our members from execution by the christian lords who harass us."
A perceptive character might notice Cath'rinne's robe laying on the floor in the room, due to her hasty retreat.
Hamish picks up the robe, draping it over his arm carefully before stepping back outside to watch.
At the mention of Pralix' name, the box on the floor flies into air, aiming for Thadeus face. Again it is attack roll of 6 and damage bonus of +0.
Otherwise, the voice does not respond.
When Thadeus sees the box flying at his face, he winces but fasts-casts an analogue of Fist of Shattering to destroy the box before it reaches him, (theatrically if successful) swatting it with his staff.
(PeHe Base 4, +1 Touch, so target level 5. Casting total (Sta 1 + Perdo 10 + Herbam 0 + talisman bonus 3 + aura 7 - 10 Fast Casting + die roll 2) / 2 = 6, so success. Fast Casting Speed of Qik 2 + Finesse 0 + virtue 3 + die roll 7 = 12)
Edit: If he has a chance to speak before another attack, he says, "I do not know what harm I have done you that you would attack me. I mean you no harm, to you or yours."