Prelude: Alexei

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: In the Ruins of Bibracte
41

The party arrives at the top of Mont Beuvray after a few hours. The area leading to the Mont is heavily forrested. The route up hill is rather gentle, but it is steady. Once the party reaches the summit you can see that the top is pretty clear. There are a few copse of trees standing in a couple of different areas.

There is a low wall, quite wide, and appears to be mostly of rubble. There are low spots in the wall, which looks like it has been picked over for stones. There is a guard house outside the gate to the wall that appears to be made of similar stones, and Alexei remembers passing several peasant cottages on the road that seem to be made of the same kinds of stones. Alexei notes the indifensible nature of the place. Ahead, through the gate is a large manor house and several our buildings. There is a pen close to the gate for keeping sheep with some sheep in it, with several buildings clustered nearby, no doubt related to parchment, wool and butchery.

A grog comes out to greet you, this isn't one Alexei had seen before. He seems quite cheerful. "Master Apollodorus was expecting several parties. If I had it to judge based on his description of a group of heavily armed men, I'd say you're Master Alexei. You may proceed to the manor house at your convenience." He runs back inside the guard house and the gate opens outward. He doesn't come back out after it has opened.

42

Alexei is not in his usually pleasant mood. The faults in security ordinarily wouldn't upset him, as it would just be a task that he rather enjoyed working on. But that coupled with the assault on the road and the mystery that came from the assault...he shook his head in annoyance.

"Michelle, once I speak with Appollodorus and get introduced with the men, I'm putting you to the task of getting this place defensible. By Jesu, peasants picking the walls down for the home...! Brionne, you'll be helping put the wall back together as well. Gunnar, these men need some training in discipline and procedure for guarding a manor. We were attacked on this land, there are still men roaming out there!" The hard looking men all nod in agreement, some with rather intimidating smiles on their faces as they contemplate the tasks ahead while Alexei turned to Helmut with a smile.

"And you...I'm sure Master Apollodorus can find able use for you in the library. How's our guest and would be captor?"

43

As Alexei and his men cross the wall to the gate, he's suprised to see things are even worse than he imagines. The only wall that is present, from his current view is the wall along the road. There is no wall that surrounds top of the mount. The oppidium of centuries long past is no more, and the lone remnant is the broken wall of stones they saw as they came in. (Note: this has happened over a long time, well before Apollodorus tookover the area.)

There is quite a bit of open area, it appears much of it nearest the gate are sheep paddocks that are used to maintain sheep prior to their slaughter and breakdown into their constituent parts. It's a bit unpleasant close to the gate, but as they approach the manor house the smells disappates, and a garden of delightlfully smelling flowers do an efficient job at blocking any offensive odors from the sheep enterprise.

Outside the manor house you can see Apollodorus is waiting to greet you and your men, and Reynault, the autocrat, is with him as well.

44

Alexei continues to shake his head in annoyance as the defenses just seem to give up the higher up the mount they go. At least they were on a mountain, he muses. At last reaching the manor he finds Apollodorus.

"Salve Sodale!" greets Alexei as he rides up and hops off his horse. Climbing the stairs he reaches Appollodorus and kisses him on either cheek. "It's good to see you my friend!"

The Grogs pull the cart and horses closer to the manor and await Alexei.

"May I present Brionne, an excellent shield Grog who posseses a nose for magic.", he points to the large man under the cloak. He bows servilely and seems to be sniffing the air as he does so.

"Michelle le Rouge, Sergeant of my men." the big grog with the missing ear stands and exits the cart, taking off his helmet and bowing to Appollodorus.

"This is Gunnar Stockhasuen" Alexei says, pointing to the man with the crutches in the cart. "Do not let his condition influence you...he is an excellent teached of martial skills. He will get the men protecting our home in prime order and skill." Gunnar bows at the waist but remains seated.

"And finally, this boy is Helmut. He's a precocious lad, but sharp and gifted with languages." Helmut merely blushes and bows. Alexei turns serious now as there is still a remaining man in his party.

"Appollodorus. I was attacked on my way here, just after leaving Autun and within sight of the mount. This man, he's a moorite obviously. He had some men with him, but he knew me well and what I could do. He was well prepared with magic claiming he had a master that required my capture. He's gravely injured and his men scattered, but I would have him healed so that I can speak with him. He fought honorably enough, perhaps he can be useful to us yet?"

45

Apollodorus greets all the men in turn. Like Alexei he has a Gentle Gift, so they regard him kindly.

At news of the attack, Apollodorus seems a bit suprised, "There's little about here to be waylaid about, sheep farmers, and woodcutters, with an occasional hunter. That he seemed to know about you and seemed to be prepared for you seems to be a question you need to seek within yourself to determine. We will, of course, see to him as best we can. Alas, I have no vis stocks in Creo or Corpus to speak of, nor even the skill to mend wounds. The stocks I did have were consumed or traded in construction of buildings to house you and others who are coming. I do have a doctor I can call on to aid him in his recovery. He points at Henri and snaps his fingers, and Henri runs off back the way you came and runs into the stables to fetch two horses and is off. Reynault takes off, into the manor house, as well.

"What have you done for him so far?"

Reynault and two strong boys appear with a litter to place the injured man on and they take him into the manor house.

Apollodorus invites you to see to your men, and return to the manor when you have everyone settled. He indicates that anything you want taken to your sanctum should be left in front of the manor and Reynault will see to their disposition, and he returns inside to the manor. There's housing for grogs across the road. Stables are down wind, closer to the sheep paddocks. When he indicates the housing for the grogs, your men almost weep at the sight. They hadn't noticed it, being consumed by your current foul mood. It is beautiful in appearance and speaks of comforts they had only imagined in the past. They perk right up, considering the conditions they lived with elsewhere. You immediately get concerned that they'll grow soft.

When you return to the manor, a servant shows you to a parlor where Apollodorus is sitting sipping some wine, while a black cat is sleeping on the window sill. As your shown in he regards you for a moment and then returns to napping. There is another chair at the table, and a glass of wine, along with a a plate of assorted fruits, cheeses and meats.

46

Alexei informs Appollodorus and the doctor that it would be best to attend to Mufarjj after the sun went down, when the magic ended and to report any progress on his condition.

"I have vis and can probably cast an enchantment to speed his healing, though the only healing ritual I have wouldn't help him yet, his wound is too deep. But his skill and the magic he had with him were considerable, I believe I even saw his master, some kind of fleeing spirit. I take it the Aegis isn't raised yet?"

Alexei sternly warns Michelle not to allow the men to grow soft and if they thought security required it perhaps they should get to know the land and sleep outside several nights. He then insists that Helmut be put up in proper servants' quarters in the manor.

At Appollodorus's parlor Alexei has removed his armour and is wearing more refined clothes, still with his emblem prominently displayed and accepts the wine gratefully and takes a drink.

"This place is everything you said it was...including the desperate need of work. We'll get right to it, I need to get to know the servants that you already have while I'm setting up my sanctum and laboratory." he sighs. "I have been involved in breaking sieges so many times, for one side or other...but never in preparing one. For that what we're doing Sodale. Setting up a Covenant is presenting a target to be sieged. Look to Durenmar, our oldest Covenant, the best Flambeau in the Order attend to its defense, and from what I gather, they are losing. And now we may already have enemies within the walls." he takes another drink.

"For that I apologize. No doubt the attacker and his master were after me and not this Covenant, but saw my approach as perhaps their best chance before I could start defending a home. But enough of my poor humour! We have much to celebrate! Who else will be joining? When can I start attending to all the various details I saw on the way in?"

47

"Then we shall have to wait and have the doctor tend to him. Since he won't be here until well after sunset, and judging by the look of things, you should continue casting whatever magic you can on him until the doctor arrives. "

Apollodorus appears to pause before tackling the Aegis question, "I appear to have left that detail overlooked in my studies. I don't know an Aegis of the Hearth spell. I do know a rather high level Wizard's communion, though, so can be of great assistance in casting the Aegis, however there is one who is coming that does know Aegis of the Hearth, 6th magnitude if I recall correctly from her letter. although I might be mistaken, it might be less."

Once the two begin speaking in the parlor, "This? This is nothing, my boy. These are structures that have been here for years, and while they are rather grand, if not a little ostentatious for their purpose, the manor house isn't really suitable in size for so many magi and our companions to keep close at hand. No, most of the servants will stay here. I'll show you to your quarters once you've refreshed a bit and let me know you're ready.

"The Flambeau who 'defend' Durenmar are there to destroy it, or at the very least plunder it, and don't take offense to that, there are many of your House who do not have or live by a code of Honor. Murion has made many enemies over the years, and I think it likely she will see Durenmar fall into Winter on her watch, truth be told, at times, she considers me an enemy, but that is a rather long and boring story that I won't go into." Apollodorus' tone should leave no doubt in your mind that you don't want to persue the story to your satisfaction.

"Now that you describe the encounter more fully to me, it seems as if you have a djinn on your tail, my boy. Did someone in hereditary past do something offensive to one? It is my understanding that powerful djinn can bestow favors on those they wish, favors that are essentially of their own essence. They can also recall these favors at a moment's notice. They bestow these favors on people who they believe can best achieve their desired goal at the time." [Out of play: these may not be cannonical djinn, but since Cradle and Crescent isn't out, yet, this is a power they will have in this saga and will continue to exist once Cradle and Crescent arrives.]

"We have a couple of ex Misc coming to join us, as well as a Criamon who is on an interesting path. Who knows when he'll arrive, it could be today it could be next year. There is also a Verditius. You may have run into the male ex Misc and the Verditius in your travels in the Rhine Tribunal, much like you they've been part of oppressive covenants. The other ex Misc maga is coming from the Locl Leglean tribunal, while the Criamon is coming from the Stonehenge tribunal. It is my hope that one or two others may join in the future, but sometimes Providence does not allow all of our wishes to be granted."

As Alexei observes the room, he'll note much of the artwork is of landscape, and it seems to change subtly as the time passes in conversation with Apollodorus. Eventually, Alexei realizes that the scenes in the landscapes are changing to match the progress of the sun as it goes overhead. The paintings showed the brightness of a spring day, and now they are showing the oncoming days end, where the shadows of trees begin to lengthen more quickly with each passing moment. The cat yawns and bounds off, and as he leaves, you hear, "Master, all this talk is maknig it difficult for me to sleep, I'm returning to our sanctum."

48

Alexei nods and rolls his eyes during Appollodorus's conversation. His habit of calling others 'boy' and his own opinions on Durenmar were well known quirks that Alexei chose to ignore rather than make a fuss over. They'd be under the same roof for some time to come, plenty of time to discuss those in the future. With the topic of the spirit being a Djinn, he listened close.

"A Djinn? Wouldn't they reside where...he said his name was Mufarjj I think, reside? Why is it chasing me here? I've never been to the Holy Lands. My father did but..." Alexei paused. Was that what his father kept a secret? Had he entered into some kind of bargain or grudge with one of those things and now he inherited it? "Hmmm...curious. I'll have to check into our library perhaps for more information on them. Our Founder was a famed battler of spirits that the moorish sorcerors summoned, according to him they served the infernal. But we have since taken in some brave Sahirs who claim they are ancient magic spirits, not infernal. I don't know which to believe without research. Hopefully the Aegis will buy that time."

He finishes his wine. "So you still have that puss for a familiar aye? Quite charming. I have to find a suitable one myself one day. So these are merely the outer buildings? Well if I'm to attend to the defenses of this place, I'll need the full tour. First, let me tend to our guest."

49

Apollodorus regards Alexei coolly. "My dear boy, I don't have any problem with your sense of humor, but you must takes steps to ameliorate the possible effects on others." The joke about having more than one familiar is in bad taste (based on the RAW, it's highly unlikely a magus would have one, since a familiar will live nearly as long as the magus).

"Very well, come with me." Apollodorus leads him up to the third level of the manor house, and into an empty room. They walk around the center of the room three times, and on the third rotation the vision of the house slowly becomes fainter and fainter, while a majestic mountain scene comes into view, and the pair appear on a balcony. Behind and below them a series magnificent structures can be seen which stuns Alexei into silence. "I discovered this regio some time ago, it existed in the air. The Criamon I told you about informed me of a vision where he saw a regio entrance on top of Mount Beuvray, I built the manor house to enclose and access it several years ago. There's another entrance in that cave up there, Apollodorus points to a cave up near the top of the mountain, the Criamon actually described that cave rather well, and I discovered the entrance back to the mundane world. It's at the base of Mount Beuvray, not far from the road. As it stands now, we'll have to cast an Aegis twice. Although, there's likely to be another entrance somewhere else, and once we find it, we can probably make the boundary cover both sides without trouble. I think the Criamon is going to want to put his sanctum up there, so he'll be a rather effective guard. We may want a ward to keep peeople from randomly stumbling through, but I'll leave that to the council to decide..."

Apollodorus proceeds into building and shows him to the antechamber to his sanctum. All of his items he'd brought with him, including the armor and weapons he'd removed earlier are laid out for him to take inside and arrange as he sees fit. "You should have a fully functional hermetic lab, slightly larger than normal in there as well. Have a good night, and I'll trust you'll show your staff how to get to you whenever it is convenient." Apollodorus retires without waiting for you to respond.