Valten is unpleasant and often insufferable, but he is true to his word and gets Sinmore to the covenant safely in very short order, by slinging her over the back of his horse. The horse is too small for her to ride normally but he is very strong, and bears Sinmore as cargo without too much trouble. (Obviously not a mundane horse, here.) A few insults about her parentage and her pater worse for the wear, Sinmore makes it back to the covenant before nightfall. (The rest of this will be handled in PM. Note: If Aequi chooses to return to the covenant, he can have travelled along with Valten as well. If he decides to continue, that's fine too. Travelling blind seems a fine way to explore the Enigma.)
The rest of you arrive at Myrddin's Well with no further issue. However, as you arrive, you see a man and a woman who are already drawing from the well. They look up, and the woman smirks haughtily, while the man has the grace to look abashed and apologetic.
A couple dismal Order of Hermes rolls later, Attravere is studiously pondering his navel, and while Rhodri is pretty sure the elderly gentleman is a Verditius, but damned if he can recall his name or anything else about him.
The woman has white-blond hair and her pale skin is covered in a network of tiny silvery scars. She wears robes all in white with blue trim. The man is elderly in appearance and wears a hooded black cloak.
If no one objects to helping him through the rough patches, Aequi'd like to continue on. It's his first "adventure" as a magus without being wet-nursed by the Mercare. He'd like to enjoy it to its fullest.
The woman in white smirks. "Perhaps you should revisit the peripheral code, foolish child. Without a quorum covenant, all your vis claims became null and void." She continues to draw from the well.
"The Stonehenge Tribunal, who is as we all know, the legal owner of all vis sources of its boundaries," she retorts with a self-satisfied smirk. "This is neither your land nor your vis. Begone before I become irritated."
Rhodri, ignoring the last comment and knowing he is best at negotiating in ways that require notice on a lunar schedule, proceeds to start drawing water/vis.
((OOC: Aequi does his best to whip out the Charm 2 +1(First Impressions)+3 (Com or Pre) and goes into Schmooze mode with a little bit of Etiquette 2 thrown in for addressing a senior maga since he has no Code of Hermes to fight back with. He doesn't know Rhodri is moving into confrontation mode since all he sees are blurs)
"Sodales, sodales, please!" Aequi starts with a smile. "Since we currently have quorum, I'm not sure if Gallus Florensis accepts or acknowledges the loss of claim, or if official notification has been sent to the Covenant or Tribunal at large, but you're definitely correct, honored madam, that we are all of the Stonehenge Tribunal. There is no need for us to bicker and squander good relations!" He gives three short bows in the general direction of the well, keeping them shallow enough not to concede equality but also hoping not to offend. "Surely an equitable, or if not equitable, at least amenable solution can be presented and agreed upon. Obviously, we are from Gallus Florensis who has a previous and, of course to our benefit and opinion, current claim on what's currently being drawn. I am Magus Aequi Mercator ex Criamon, filius of Lamentus of Gallus Florensis - may we have the pleasure of your introduction beyond the, of course to your benefit and opinon, current stance that we do not?" Looking down and in a very loud muttering whisper, "Note to self - even though we are already at quorum, must sign Charter upon return to Covenant. You've been long enough out of Apprenticeship and should have done so earlier. Stop getting lost in - ow! Ooh... pretty lights... ow!"
((OOC: If names are given, any of 'em got any Reputation?))
There is only one bucket, and it is currently being handled by the other two. As Rhodri reaches to grab it from them, a look of annoyance crosses the woman's face, and Rhodri suddenly feels incredibly cold. Frost encases his body, and he takes a Medium wound from the deathly chill. Additionally, it will take him a round to shrug off the ice that has formed on his skin.
Everyone becomes aware of the stench of rotting flesh while the altercation over the vis proceeds.
At Aequi's words, the elderly gentleman reaches forward and takes Aequi's hands gently in one of his. "Greetings, Aequi filius Lamentus. I am Desiderius Verditii filius Bertolius. I mean you no ill will, but our claim has been registered four years hence, and no amount of sympathy for your covenant's plight would cause me to forsake our rightful claim. Not when it would mean losing the Contest. However, you had better teach your man some manners, or my ill-tempered associate here will likely leave you searching for a new shield grog."
Desiderius has no reputation that Aequi and his 0 OoH Lore has ever heard of. However, Attravere recognizes the name: Desiderius is a necromancer of unparalleled skill; the House has commissioned several longevity rituals from him. They lack the breakthrough benefits of Leona's, but the magnitude is far greater. Desiderius works at less than market value and consequently enjoys status as a Friend of the House.
Quickly checking on Rhodri's condition and ensuring that he will not worsen without immediate attention, Attravere will turn to Desiderius controlling his aversion to the smell.
"Word of your reputations precedes you. Your house and mine benefit greatly from one another's talents. I am Magus Attravere, filius Maribus of Mercere. While I am not familiar with your associate she would do well to study the tenet of patience as well as follow her own recommendation on regarding the Code. She has just caused injury to a member of the Order and your own house, Magus Desiderius."
The woman scoffs. "Feel free to bring charges at Tribunal, but it will be dismissed with prejudice. A magus does not enjoy protection under the Code when he fails to identify himself as a member of the Order. In my professional expertise as a Merinita, I saw nothing but a Coblynau man-at-arms. As a magus, however, trying to grab vis out of my hands was literally attempting to deprive me of my magic; that IS grounds for censure."
With that, they finish the gathering and seem to be prepared to head off.
When he shrugs it off, "Aaawww... Ouch... Thank you. I will be seeing you at Tribunal. By your own claim this Vis does not belong to you and I have not breached the code, so you attacked a fellow magus without provocation and without declaration of Wizard's War - quite a serious crime. And you deem to call me the foolish child."
While licking his wounds, "Oh, we will have our memories checked. I at least welcomed you in the name of a Hermetic covenant, while you did what to identify yourself? That makes your defense even weaker. How is it this "foolish child," Rhodri of Verditius, bests you so easily? Now, as for your Vis claim, it will not be valid until Tribunal, but that really won't matter now that the Quaesitores will have you hand it all and then some to me in recompense."
((As an aside-- in this saga, Stonehenge is peculiar in that all vis sources within the tribunal boundaries are property of the Tribunal; harvesting rights are granted as a lease to individual covenants based on essentially a first-come, first-serve basis. This is a throwback to the Schism War, when two Diedne covenants relocated to Normandy and tried to retain control of their vis sources.))
And, to his sodales but overly loud enough for the Merinita to hear, "Soldales, do you find it suspicious that we were held up by a demon just long enough for this Merinita to collect all the Vis?"