Having gotten wind of something going on, Iohannes emerges from his shipboard sanctum at least long enough to find out the details.
At some point he says to the Redcap, "The knight who cut you may have meant exactly what he said. Before you travel anywhere else, I think it would be a good idea to check you to make sure that you don't already carry his disease. By the way, I don't believe I caught your name."
As the discussion around the campfire continues, a shadow seems to detatch itself from the night surrounding the camp. Limping forward, Pandolfo enters the ring of firelight.
"Fiend, fae, friend, and foe. Whsat wonders one wonders to find. How sensible my companions, and incensed at the insensibility of life."
With a grunt, Pandolfo sits, stretching his bad leg out towards the warmth of the campfire. Then, blimking, he asks "Did you save me any food?"
"He rode, sir. His horse was black, and it was barded with the same strange feathers. THey looked hard to me, like they were varnished."
"I'm called Roto, sir. How can I ensure I'm well?"
"A complete examination of your body would work best, using magic or medicine. If you're willing to allow magic--and the Code gives you teeth if you aren't, rules about scrying and all--I'm willing to do the honors."
If Roto agrees, and if we can elide any discussion about magical defense he might have and the lowering thereof... Iohannes sponts an improved version of Revealed Flaws of Mortal Flesh, using Eye rather than Touch and the level 10 InCo guidelines rather than the level 5, to get complete information about Roto's body: A level 15 spell. I roll a 5, which gives me a casting total of 9. I'm assuming a neutral Aura and on dry land. Bringing the final casting total to 15 costs a total of 3-2=1 Fatigue Level, and the spell is cast.
Vispilius gestured to Pandolfo to gain his attention, then tossed him a half loaf of coarse bread, and then a lump of hard cheese.
"There is more to be had, once it comes off the heat..."
Regarding the recent (and belated) attention to the Redcap -
"See to the wound more than the whole, sodalis Iohaness. as it may well be localized. It may also be magical rather than corporeal, more a curse than an illness - are any here well versed in Intellego and Vim, to attend to those questions?"
He's under a curse that is making his humours blacker than usual, and it is not natural. You think it will be communicable, but currently is not. It is liks a sleeping cat in him...no, like sleeping cattepillar.
Belated in RL, since the game started before Iohannes did. 
I'm hoping that Iohannes can have done this without going on an overland journey:
[qoute="Ovarwa"]
Having gotten wind of something going on, Iohannes emerges from his shipboard sanctum at least long enough to find out the details.
[/quote]
But if not, it's probably ok.
"Ah..." Iohannes breathes.
In ancient days, a knight questing to raise the land for some cause might travel to the ends of the kingdom, yet he might do better to stay in one place and convert emissaries to his cause, to carry forth his banner to every keep and village. These days, a pope can sit in Rome and inflict a Crusade upon the land, a caterpillar that seems to chew upon the leaf of liberating holy places, until it grows into a butterfly that will fly where it will. Agamemnon need not travel with his thousand ships....
"Friend Roto, you have been afflicted with a curse, a waiting disease. It will not harm you now, nor spread to anyone else, but that will no longer be true come... spring did he say?"
Does Iohannes think this is the sort of disease that requires a CrCo ritual to heal? A magical curse that might be undone with PeVi--at least on the Redcap?
"I wonder how many other people have been afflicted this way."
Vispilius scowls a bit at the news, and finishes the last of his meal with a large bite, chewing thoughtfully before speaking.
"Let us keep Roto in mind, then, when we deal with this jet fae knight, and hope that diplomacy can win quickly where magic is delayed."
With that, he stands, shaking his cloak about him in the first gloom of late evening.
"It's been a long day, I will retire. On the morrow, we seek answers from the source."
You don't know: it's not natural and your spell doesn't give you much information about the disease itself, it gives you information about the harm it is causing. It couldn't hurt to try PeVi. A CrCo ritual is far more likely to work just because, well, it's what CrCo rituals do.
[It's not problematic as much as that in a PbP game, the following discussion can take a fortnight.
"Do you want to camp?"
"Not really"
"Why?"
"Dude, inn! Beer!"]
So, you all rest up good and none of you are fatigued and the day dawns clear. Then it goes to miserable and drizzly, but what can you do?
The redcap (who may or may not be under a curse depending on what happened last night...we'll keep playing that.) leads you to about a mile from where he encountered this knight.
What preparations do you make before meeting him?
Titius suggest that the covenants guards arm themselves with missile weapons. I think that it is wisest if we approach this fae with weapons ready but try to talk to it. We spread out so that not everyone is within the reach of the knight’s sword. I can talk to the knight and see what he has to say. We give it a chance to act peaceful, if it doesn’t comply or offer a fair deal we slay it if possible. If possible Titius tries to find a few good rocks that will work for the invisible sling of Vilano.
As they ready themselves for the possible encounter ahead, Vispilius chooses a grog with an axe, and cuts himself a stave, heavy, and as tall as himself, and that includes at least one stout branch. He has the grog clean it of any smaller branches, and uses it as a walking stick, tho' it is far heavier than most would choose for such, and that and the extra branches make it overly cumbersome as a weapon. Further, Vispilius is rarely seen without a weapons belt and shortsword, and this morning is no exception. But he now bears both, as he lays an arm across one of the crooks of the branch, and leaning on it disagrees with Titius' suggestion.
"I do not believe that approaching with weapons ready is the best choice if we are to convince this creature to treat with us. The guards should be ready to draw them, certainly, but if we appear like we're looking for a fight, I have no doubt we'll find one, perhaps of our own making. If we are to have any success in speaking before fighting, any chance at all, we should come with open hands, not drawn bows. We should not only give it chance to act peacefully, but due cause, as well... "
He pauses, thinking to himself a moment, and privately reflecting on the choices his Parens made in selecting and limiting his studies regarding certain subjects.
"Does any here know aught of the Fae, their ways and customs, that we might bring some recognized token of respect... I'm not sure what... erm, perhaps... an olive branch, or a bowl of milk and honey?..."
These last are distinctly questions more than suggestions, and more than a bit incongruous, as Vispilius has distinctly marked signs of a fae heritage about his own features, and his eyes have a markedly fae shape and inhuman hue to them.
"Something, anything to counter the appearance of a squad of men armed for battle?"
Vispilius you are only stating what I meant. If there be combat our best chance is if our guards can slay the fae from afar and for that they must string their bows. And no bow in the world will help if you are within arms reach of a knight with a drawn sword. We approach it as if it where a mundane knight and hope that that will do. Lest we risk to make fools of ourselves.
I am afraid my knowledge of the Fae is most limited, but I think we should avoid appearing as if we seek abttle for if we do we will probably get it. I doubt my magic would be of much aid in battle agaisnt a Faerie knight
Hi,
Unraveling the Sleeping Caterpillar
Lacking both vis and a CrCo ritual, Iohannes goes for a sponted PeVi. He has Strong Faerie Blood and some Faerie Lore, giving him some insight into the stuff Faeries do. If his guess about the nature of the Black Knight is way off--not a Faerie--this spell won't work. The PeVi Guideline in play is "Dispel effects of a specific type...." He casts it on Roto at Range Eye, with a declared level of 30--he might lose consciousness from this one, but it's worth it to potentially stop a plague. Die roll of 7, neutral aura, the spell is cast and Iohannes loses 4 Fatigue Levels, but manages to stay conscious. The stress die on the spell is a 16 (1 then 8, yay), which means that he dispels the effect if it's 16+15+30=61 or less.
A few hours later, after resting up, he does the InCo again, rolling a 10 (1 then 5) on the stress die, and checks if the disease is still there.
It's a good day for the dice.
Anyway,
Ken
Iohannes sees that Roto is no longer cursed. He does question you the next day, in the morning, because his urine is jet black, but other than that he seems to have suffered no ill effects.
"The curse upset the balance of your humors. Just as the crew of a ship that has taken on water in a furious storm and blown off course, will bail out the water and steady the ship as soon as the storm is over, so too your body is bailing out the black humors now that the curse is gone."
Iohannes looks to the other magi. "Is it wise for all of us to go on this journey, and leave the covenant without any magi?"
Iohannes , it matter little if are actions are wise or not as we have already travelled here. Events will prove wether this was a good chocie or a bad choice. Now we travel to meet a faerie knight and we will see what we will see.