While Lares is with Izri, he also asks him how did we transport the food and other things from the oasis to the covenant.
Tastheus will search his sanctum for any personal Summae, Tracti on the Code of Hermes, and also find out if he has a personal vis stash.
Izri shakes his head "we have a separate garden for the covenant, the herds we take through the mountains, and we butcher either place. Other things we carry back to the covenant by horse or camel, or by foot if it is small."
When Argentius returns to his sanctum, he first looks to see if Nicole is around.
He jots a note down to have a servant send to Lares: "If you get a moment, could you meet with me in the courtyard at my sanctum?"
He then settles down to look again at his notes and maps. He works to understand who , looking to understand what trade he was involved with, listing down any names of people, locations, and any notes on the goods involved in the trade. If he finds anything, he'll divide the lists between General Trade relationships and Verditius Ring Research.
âI am relieved to hear that. I didnât realize we could grow anything here in the desert. Is there some magic that keeps the crops alive, do you know?â
Lares seems to remember something.
âOh, there is something I wanted to try with you if it is alright by you. My colleague gave me this magical tablet that should inform us on each otherâs personality if we both touch it. It might come in handy if we ever need to figure out whether someone is trustworthy, but it would be good to test it first to see how it works. There might be new people at the oasis, for instance, that no one remembers. Would you be willing to try it out?â
Argentius finds it has been over 20 years since he sold an enchantment last, and that was apparently traded for information on a possible lead for finding the rings of Verditius.
Tastheus is able to find a set of correspondences between himself and the domus magus of Gurnicus regarding the code, and a summae written by a past primus on the revised code: level 6 quality 17.
Izri chuckles and answers "the magic keeping the plants alive are more of the fountains, with a copper plate placed over them so they do not shoot so high, and away from this aura which devours any exposed water."
"I see" Tastheus says, staring the piles of correspondence and the Summae. "I at least have some resources to learn the code very fast."
âGood, that should keep going just fine without intervention.â
He shows Izri the magical tablet he got from Silas.
âWhat about the magical tablet? Want to give it a try?â
Izri chuckles "Silas gave you his scourge tablet?"
"Scourge? Seems quite benign to me... By Rod. We used it for something scourgey, didn't we."
Izri shrugs "That's what Silas called it, he never did explain why. Or let anyone else see what it did."
Argentius sits at his desk in sanctum studying the vim tractatus, methodically jotting notes down as he pours over a section. Periodically he pauses and leans back to ponder an idea or principle.
As the evening cools, the Verditius leans back and ends the days efforts. He takes care to wrap the tractatus in a covering.
Argentius steps out of his sanctum and into the open courtyard that fronts his sanctum. He stands in one of the beautifully crafted archways, his attention shifting from any covenfolk or magi who might be out and about and the night sky, trying to catch a glimpse of anything recognizable.
With the setting sun you see Leo begining to appear overhead, far more directly overhead than you are used to, while Ursa major is practically on the northern horizon, while Libra rises opposite the sun. You would need to use equipment for a more precise measurement, but you estimate it is mid April, a third of the way through spring, and your latitude must be somewhere around 20 to 30 degrees north of the equator.
âWell, it should tell you about the personality of the other person touching it. Donât tell anyone â if Silas thought it was a secret before, he would probably not appreciate me gossiping about it. Can I try it on you, though? It shouldnât be dangerous or anything, just tell me about your personality. It's fine if you donât want to, just say so.â
"I trust you father."
When you touch the tablet to him it reads loyal hardworking and obsequious.
Lares smiles, suddenly overwhelmed by emotion.
"It says you are loyal and hardworking. Those are... admirable qualities. I am happy that you are helping me, Izri."
He clears his throat.
"Now that we know how the tablet works, it will be easier to use it should we ever have doubts about any of the people here."
"On that note, my colleague suggested we should keep an eye out for anyone that the children do not remember or that they do remember but who canât be found. People they don't remember might be outsiders visiting the covenant, whereas people who can't be found might be visiting somewhere else. Both would be very useful to know about, so tell me if you notic..."
Lares stops mid-sentence, as if something had just occurred to him.
"Have you found Winitran yet, by the way?"
"I asked one of the younger kids, apparently Winitran is at the oasis."
Argentius's eyes narrow slightly as he identifies the constellations and assesses a rough estimate of the time of year. He takes a few more steps to stand beneath another archway of his sanctum building.
He appears rather content to stand in the relative cool of the evening gazing up at the stars.
âThis is important news! Based on your experience, how long would you expect him to be away at most? And could you tell me what you remember Winitran as being like â did we all get along as well as you and I do?â
After Izriâs answer, Argentiusâ message reaches Lares. He excuses himself and find Argentius stargazing.
âSalve! You wished to discuss something?â
"Salve, Lares. I wasn't expecting the evening to be so pleasant here," answers Argentius, welcoming his sodales to the ornate breezeway of his sanctum.
"Thank you for coming by so quickly." The Verditius pauses for a moment.
"I'm sure it's no surprise to you that I'm worried about trust among us. When one is trained at the highest levels among the Verditius, trust takes on an even greater worth. Though that is a universal truth in our Order, I suppose. But among the Verditius it sometimes heads in a different direction." Argentius looks up into the night sky for a moment.
"I suppose my worries may be coming from what I'm learning about who I became here at Al Kufra. I'm not entirely sure I like what I'm learning. I became obsessed. Reclusive even. I had no role in the covenant as far as I can tell. From what I've pieced together, I haven't traded any of my enchantments for two decades. I had established contacts, factors who worked to help me investigate my obsession but those contacts seem to be dried up or left fallow at the best. It even looks like I lost my familiar." Argentius shakes his head.
"I'm not sure I like who I became."