Personal Journals (continued)
Journal entries for 1204 A.D.
Spring
With spring finally here, we embarked on a fairly long trip. There's no real direct route from Triamore to where we're going, so Augustus Nero had us travelling upstream along the Meuse for a while. When we reached the city of Verdun, astride on the border between the Normandy and Rhine Tribunals.
There, we were able to retain the services of a redcap more familiar with the Rhine lands. Tristam (the redcap) led us east for a few days, moving from small towns to smaller villages between low mountains. This brought us to the Free Imperial City of Metz where we crossed the Moselle river. Several more days over land brought us to the Rhine river and the city of Strassburg.
From there we lost the services of Tristam, for he was headed into the Black Forest towards Durenmar. Instead, we turned south and travelled along the Rhine towards Basel. We could have taken one of the numerous barges moving along the river, but moving upstream was a lot faster on horseback. We went around Basel, for the redcaps there are apparently sensitive about having magi drawing attention to themselves there, particularly when they do not have a gentle Gift.
Instead, we moved further south, into the mountains that Augustus called the Jura. Here, the Alps loom large in the distance when the weather is clear. We followed a tributary to the Rhine into the mountains, where it flowed through a large valley. On the south side of the valley are several small streams trickling down from smaller folds in the mountains. It is in one of those, past a village called Castillion, that Leonardus established his refuge.
The place was a bit bewildering at first. A huge twisted oak dominate the entrance of the small valley, its trunk wide enough that it would take more than five men to surround it. Then, on the east side of the valley, a jumble of crawling up the side of the mountain, with several smaller huts below. Chaotic and confusing came to mind immediately when looking at the sprawling building. Several wings, towers and additions in different style. Some parts are imcomplete, others seem to be in the process of being modified or even torn down. Three or four people could be seen working on the buildings, like lonely ants trying to move a dead fish.
As we approached, a cry went out from a small tower above the main structure. A few men came out to meet us, armed with a variety of weapons hastily grabbed. They escorted us to the yard before the structure. Augustus and I were invited inside to meet the steward, whose name is Julius. The man spoke Latin, though with an accent. As Augustus explained our reason for being here, he bent his head in sorrow, before asking me if I was the Heir. I think I stammered a bit, explaining that I was the filius of one of the heirs. Shaking his head, he asked again if I was the Heir. I said that well, yes, I supposed I was.
Going to a cabinet, he took out a locked box, which he opened with a key around his neck. He took out a flat rock, which he reverently placed on the table, before asking me for a drop of my blood. When the drop feel upon the rock, it glowed for a moment before absorbing the drop.
This confirmed me as the Heir to him. Over the next several weeks, he gave Augustus and I a tour of the place, providing me with an account of the resources available and the work they'd been doing since Leonardus' last visit eight years ago. The vis sources, the sources of income, the relationships with the locals. We also got to meet most of the inhabitants of Leonardus' refuge. An odd bunch, to be sure, gathered over several decades from people unable or unwilling to find a place in mundane society.
Far from enough for an operational covenant, I thought, but it was a decent start. Augustus helped me establish a list of the things – and people – I should look for. After setting things in motion at this end, we set to return to Triamore. Instead of taking the long way back, Augustus used a magical device to teleport us all back.
Summer
Quite busy this summer. I have to secure a multitude of things for the new covenant, so that it can be transported there before winter. There is the matter of the charter, which is being prepared by Augustus after consultation with my mater, Wilhelm and Eduardus. I have negociated with the magi of Triamore for copies of several books to form the kernel of the library. I put Adeline in charge of these, despite her young age.
On that front, like many others, the raw vis I brought back from the refuge made an excellent negociation tool.
The new covenant will also need additional mundanes to handle the countless tasks of maintaining and improving the covenant. Julius, the steward, should be able to find some of those locally, but specialists will be harder to find. I spoke with the redcap who visit Triamore regularly, and he said he would pass the word around. With Basel so close to the refuge, I think the redcaps will be quite important as allies, so I offered him a few pawns for his services to be shared with those who could help.
I have more letters to write to potential candidates for becoming members of the new covenant. And replies to those few answer I got.
I am making lists and more lists – things to do, things to buy, people to contact, ideas. No time for study.
Fall
Augustus has gone back to Confluensis. In fact, he left early in the summer and I'd forgotten to mention it. We've agreed that he would visit the refuge next spring, to act as witness when all of the magi sign the Charter of the covenant.
One of the things I need to do is learn the local language of the valley. I cannot expect all of our covenfolk to speak Latin, and the mundanes of the valley certainly won't. So, in between writing more letters, securing more supplies, recruiting specialists and answering Adeline's questions about the books for the library, I am learning High German. It is different enough from the little bit of Flemish I learned in Ghent that there is very little that sounds the same. Thankfully, one of the scribes is from Strassburg, so he's teaching me in my spare time.
Eustache, Louis and Adeline are now on the road to Basel, along with the few specialist I was able to recruit locally, carrying all of the books, supplies and laboratory equipment. Redcaps will escort them most of the way, with Tristam accompanying them on the first part of the trip.
But I could not afford to spend a month on the road, so I asked Ulisterius if he could teleport me there. He warned me that I would incur some warping from the powerful spell. No help for it, at least until I can devise my own way of quick traveling over long distances. I needed to get back to the refuge before the supplies arrived, see how far the work had progressed and prepare for the next steps.
Winter
The supplies arrived a bit later than planned. Eustache told me they were accosted by a band of armed men soon after leaving Triamore. Not brigands, exactly, but they still had to pay a tribute to pass through unmolested. He thinks this was a band of unemployed mercenaries who were preparing to winter in the Ardennes. This cost my people most of their food and a good part of their silver, which forced them to purchase more before resuming their trip. Tristam more than earned his wage by securing enough funds for them to continue on their way. I have arranged to pay him back. When they delivered my payment at the Copper Rooster inn, in Basel, Eustache and Louis were assured that we should get a redcap asigned to us soon.
While waiting for them, I worked with Julius and some of his people to start setting up several labs for my sodales when they arrive. Basic equipment and furniture had been commisionned locally since last spring. These allowed me to supervise our workers to provide at least a basic lab for most of the magi who will join me next season, and we have the supplies for each magus to complete them. Living quarters have also been arranged near each lab, for I know that most of my sodales prefer a unified sanctum that include both.
My own living quarters are in one of the towers, where Leonardus used to live. He used to have a lab here as well, but years of neglect made it worse for wear. No worry, I'll have time enough to clean it when the others have arrived!
Journal entries for 1205 A.D.
Spring
The other magi have arrived. We form quite the diverse group, with the other belonging to other Houses, each with different interests and abilities. It is my hope that together we will be able to build a strong covenant.
Most of my season was spent giving the others tours of Tugurium, with Julius' help, as well as meeting all of the mundane inhabitants of the covenant. These are just as strange collection of people as one is likely to meet in one place. Apparently Leonardus would bring back here the various misfits and unfortunates he met in his travels along the years. People who were ill-suited to life in more mundane society, for one reason or another. Some left when they felt ready to do so, but many remained and settled down here. There is also a younger generation amongst them, who were raised here. Again, not all of them remained, but enough to build and maintain the collection of structures that Leonardus asked them to. It is interesting to meet each of them, for they have many tales to tell about this place.
Summer
I have started cleaning out and reorganizing Leonardus' former lab, whenever my duties in coordinating the covenant allow me. Seven years is a long time to leave a laboratory unattended, which explains its sad state, but I also think that Leonardus used this lab for some specific purposes I am unfamiliar with. There is equipment here that I do not understand, or which is simply broken. But things are getting better now. After another season I may be able to spend some time working in it, instead of working on it.
Fall
(to be added)
Winter
(to be added)