I Can start mine, but It probably won't involve everyone . Depending on who wants to do what.
Then start yours and I keep writing for those who remain at Novus Mane. Aelianus will stay at least.
I begin writing tomorrow.
Aelianus summons his soldaes a few days later. [color=red]Soldaes I have some grim news to inform you about. I have been informed that a mundane force is approaching our covenant and they are under the colours of one of the noble ladies who strive to control this area of Flanders. In the morning they will arrive here, my informant has told me that they are equipped with siege equipment. But our fishing village does not have any wall around it. Aelianus looks troubled and Diodorus is awake and at the council table with the magi.
OOC: Someone please PM me the text about the conflict in Flanders between the noblewomen. There where a piece that floated around this forum somewhere.
[color=green]Wirth
[color=red]
Damn. We must do something before they get here, and fast.
The best thing to do would be to have them neutralize each other. Could we hasten that conflict?
[color=green]Halvard:
[color=red]No time for that. Do they have to cross the ford to get here? We could hold them there to give us more time.
There are two options. Show them we have teeth and will not be bullied. Or negotiate with this force. I think we should talk to them first but negotiate where we have an advantage. If the must cross the ford, keep them on the other side to give us an advantage.
We need to find out what they want. They may need to cross the ford to get to another area.
I recommend we send Marcello to talk to them.
[color=green]Roberto: [color=red]Sending Marcello is probably the best bet. Maybe we can masquirade as a monestary. As far as a battle goes, we have no chance of winning by mundane means if the enemy forces are sizeable at all. Even holding them at the ford is not a likely option. We can easilly defeat and scare them them off with magic, but that is likely to breed more trouble down the line for us, as well as attract unwanted attention from the Quaesitors.
I would say our best option, if Marcellus is unsuccessful in negotiating, is to find some magical means that can be easilly explained away as some other phenomenon.
[color=green]Halvard:
[color=red]I think it is time you put your town council together. Make sure Marcello is on it to represent the church in their eyes. Our best bet may be to appear to have powerful friends.
In any case, Marcello should head out to talk to them. Dragor can scout them tonight.
(Halvard begins to wonder how are it would be to temporally remove the ford. )
[color=green]Wirth:
[color=red]
We could delay them.
I can slip in while invisible, use a sleep spell on the commanders and, with some help, spirit them away. They'll need to reorganize first. In the meantime, we can see what we'll do
[color=red]That's a clever idea 
[color=green]Halvard:
[color=red]After you kidnap the leaders, what do you intend to do? If they know you are from here you must kill them.
[color=green]Wirth
[color=red]
Yes, I could, but it is unnecessary, or else, I could kill them on the spot. They might still be usefull, though. We'll need to negociate. Starting killing people is bad form. Showing that we can strike wherever and whenever we want, on the other hand...
[color=red]Perhaps we should negotiate before we fight, this is a covenant located in a clearly visible location with ties to the mundane world . Perhaps it would be best to avoid a direct confronation with the mundane authorities. They may well want the normal taxes from a place of this nature or other mundane matters which will not require us to break the code.
I really think we should avoid any solution which makes them feel threatened by our magic as that will lead to trouble for us from both the mundanes and the order.
[color=red]Iolar is right in this situation. I know from the experience of my Infamous Master, there is no way to win when you go up against mundanes. The best way to deal with it is to avoid conflict in the first place, either through negotiation, or through subversive means such as Wirth suggests. I can easilly drive them away in fear with a few well placed PoF's. But that will bring the Q's down on us as well as the local Bishop.
Marcello will head out immediately to talk to them.
Harvard will back up Wirth and Dragor in their night mission. Fairy eyes allow him to see very well at night.
((OOC: I'm traveling tomorrow to Marko's neck of the woods for business so I will be off line all day. If any one else wants to handle Marcello, please feel free to do so and not hold up the flow.))
[color=red]So, we agree to capture the field leaders, giving some time to Marcello, as well as some weight to his arguments?
Ponders
[color=red]
Here's an idea. Marcello isn't tied to the code. What if he put the noblewomen in a stalemate? Tell them that he works for wizards that'll help the opposite noblewoman if the first tries to attack us?
[color=red]Perhaps that could work…, Aelianus looks at his soldaes. [color=red]Now as we have until the morning to make some preparations I suggest that we will discuss them. First of all we have to guess why they come and I think that tax collection is their objective. My informant who is by the way my venditor did not say that they seemed like they where going to place a siege upon us. The village is exposed and we will have to defend it if our villagers are threatened. Now we have another problem and that is of the village’s independence. I have strived too see to that the village becomes independent of any other mundane source of power and a force of armed men that will force taxation will make a mockery of any independence claims. An addition problem is that we do not have many resources that can be taxed.
Iolar's expression clearly indicates that she thinks this plan madness
[color=red]Hmmm, that can get us stuck in the middle of a conflict not our own. Can't someone just hypnotize them with Mentem magic?
[color=green]Halvard:
[color=red]I think Marcello needs to talk to them first so we have more intelligence on what their intentions are. If they decide to capture Marcello then we should get him out.
[color=red]That is a better idea. At least call into question the legality of their position considering no one knows who "owns" this land. We still do not know what they want.
[color=red]So. We capture the commandants, while marcello, with this implicit threat, talks to the women and try to put them of balance.