Spring 1220: Seeing is Believing

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: The Rise of Atlantis
1

The day has dawned clear in Glen Airgead, up in the mountains of Scotland. The sun shines down on the fine March morning through a sky empty of clouds. The air is fresh and clean, and everyone can see why the grogs of the covenant are happy to live here. The departure is set for several hours after dawn. Those magi knowledgable of spells of instant transport know that when travelling west, time turns back, so that if they departed too early, the group might overtake dawn and have certain spells expire shortly after they were cast. It has something to do with the rotation of the Earth, those of a philosophical bent would say. Regardless, it's simpler to delay departure by a few hours than to deal with multiple dawns in the same day.

Gathered together are Meliai ex Merinita and Ook, Magnus ex Bonisagus and Sophia, Haestus ex Miscellanea and Dobran, Artemis ex Bonisagus and Phobia, Constantine ex Guernicus and Eagnaidh, as well as Duncan of Glen Airgead. Together they represent some of the most skilled magi of the Order of Hermes, as well as the most knowledgable people in Mythic Europe on the subject of lost Atlantis. Their mission today: to see the sunken Island of Atlantis with their own eyes.

The nearby regio entrance that Meliai is aware of is a little less than two miles distant, at the edge of a nearby forest. It will be a short trip there, down the mountain path to the village below Glen Airgead, up the trade road about a half mile, and then about a mile overland until the forest comes into view. From there, the miles will pass by almost effortlessly, as the group takes a shortcut through a forest regio that apparently connects many of the forests of Mythic Europe together.

The grogs of the covenant have packed some supplies for the magi in a few knapsacks. Mostly it's food, as it's unknown how long the magi will be away. Unfortunately, the magi will have to do their own drudge work and carry it all along with them, since no grogs will be accompanying them. This last decision caused some consternation among a few shield grogs. But the magi know best, so the matter was settled.

"Are we ready to proceed?" Magnus asks the gathered group. "I'm eager to set foot on what was once the great land of Atlantis."

[hr][/hr]
Anyone other companions want to come along? Also, any last things to do before leaving Glen Airgead?

2

Simon runs towards the group while adjusting his gambeson, accompanied by Zeltys and promptly apologize.

"I sleep past the sunrise. If not for Zeltys, I would have missed the departure ! We are ready when you are."

3

"Well we have got a bit of a journey still, longer to the forest than through it" Meliai nods to Ook and starts out leading the group towards the regio.

4

Constantine nods. When the group has walked past the aegis boundary Constantine will take a stone or some such to act as an AC back to the area around the covenant.

5

With everyone ready, the gathered magi set off on their fateful journey. They start down the long, winding path to the village below Glen Airgead. There they see a normal Scottish village at work. It's early spring, which means sheep shearing is coming, and what passing comments can be heard mostly relate to that. A few people take note of the large group coming down from the covenant. But the village and covenant have been loosely associated for enough years now that it would take more than a group of travellers to raise many eyebrows.

From the village it's just a short trip up the north trade road before Meliai says it's time to set off over the countryside. So, off into the fields and the bracken everyone goes. The going gets a little slower then, as the terrain roughens. But then again, the magi are remarkably spry for being in thier sixties.

At last, a little over an hour after leaving the covenant, the travellers come to the edge of a sizeable forest. Meliai declares that the entrance to the regio is near, and so she leads the group inside and through a seemingly random set of twists and turns. Finally, at a place that no one else can see is any different from all of the other parts of the forest, she comes to a stop. Here, at last, is the regio entrance.

[hr][/hr]
Normally I'll gloss over the use of regio networks for transport. But as this is the first time one has been used, I'll let silveroak tell us what passing through it is like.

FWIW, you'll get a feeling you're being observed as you pass through, but nothing will bother you. And you'll come out in a scrubby copse of trees in a rocky valley within sight of the ocean.

6

"Ready to head through? Any precautions we should take?

7

"Everyone stay close, If you miss a regio boundary you can easily get lost" Meliai climbs over a fork in some branches, leading to a brighter, more vibrant version of the same forest, and from there she slides down to a mossy crevice between two rocks, and as this is passed the forest looks more like a jungle. Ook swings overhead branch to branch until the two come to a pair of trees which appear to be intertwined starting from several feet off the jungle floor, which in turn leads to an alpine forest on the verge of winter. From there Meliai crosses to a brook, and as this is jumped across the group finds itself in a more familiar type of forest, she twists back towards the brook, wading across it in a different place and stops in front of ring of mushrooms. "Those who call this place home, I have not walked this way upon our path before, and I thank you for your hospitality. I leave this here in gratitude, and with your permission my friends and I will take leave of these woods for those we seek." She takes a small cup of ale and some bread and places it inside the ring, waiting for a sign that permission to continue has been granted.

8

A cool breeze passes over the ring of mushrooms when Meliai places the ale inside it causing the surface of the ale to ripple. Then, at just that moment, the sun breaks through the canopy, illuminating the path before the assembled magi. The message is clear. Permission is granted to pass forward.

9

Meliai steps over the mushroom ring, and they are in the Islands of Atlantis.

10

Across the circle of mushrooms the magi pass, and through yet another regio border. But this time it's back to the real world. Something about the air lets them all know that. And there they stand, amidst a moderate copse of trees on a rocky island in the Atlantic Ocean. The breeze is salty and cool, but not uncomfortable. A few birds fly lazily overhead, and as the magi watch, one dives down to the water, rising a moment later with a fish in its beak.

The island is sharp and steep, not nearly as smooth as one would expect from an island of its size, perhaps a quarter mile across. In the light of what the group knows, this is clearly a mountaintop moved to the ocean's surface. The trees are formed in a low valley between two larger peaks, gaining protection from the elements. And a small stream runs down from the top of one peak - no doubt from a mountain spring that has kept the trees alive all these centuries. The copse opens up to small flat area that leads to a cliff edge, perhaps ten feet above the surf below. A path, of sorts, leads along one side of the tiny plateau through a crevace down toward the water below.

The scene before them is beautiful and moving. For everyone knows that this land was once the site of the lost civilization of Atlantis. Tears start to form in Duncan's eyes as he realizes that he's achieved one of his life's dreams. Sophia jumps into the air, turning immediately back into an owl and taking flight, soaring above with the sea birds. Magnus looks around and after a deep breath addresses everyone.

"Well, here we are," he declares. "It's taken decades to get to this point, and I want to thank each and every one of you for standing firm throughout what must at times have seemed like a very foolish venture. Today we begin our investigations in earnest. Today we look for the ruins of Atlantis, a place lost to the world for thousands of years. Today we make our future."

11

Meliai smiles then turns "I believe the best thing for me to do now would be to head back into the regio and deal with the various guardians, to see who we may be able to bring by this route, and who will need to take the longer way around. We may wind up with multiple departure points with different restrictions, depending on how various entities feel."

12

Simon adds after Magnus: "It is never foolish to see things to completion, wether the result is disappointing or not. Even in mistakes and dead-ends, there are valuable lessons. Fortunately for us, your instinct was true, and here we are today, standing on this island. Even if we would find nothing below, our presence here is a testament to that individuals can achieve so much more when they cooperate earnestly."

He then turns towards and says to Meliai before she leaves the the island for the regio the group came from, while gesturing his hands towards the ocean:

"Are you certain that you do not want to go out for a swim ? The water must be very refreshing around this time of the year. Having the a tail and gills is a fascinating experience."

He looks at the other, further explaining his thought:

"I can change us into the likes of merfolk, which would enable us to breathe and move underwater. Be warned, there is something down there, something powerful that we do know of yet."

I know I don't have it at gauntlet, but this is definitely a spell I plan on learning.
Shape of the siren MuCo(An) 40, made touch with FFM.

13

Can you try and get a final spell list completed soon? I'd prefer to have the character finished if he's going to be active.

14

"I have spells that will enable me to move, breathe, and see underwater," Magnus replies. "I'm hesitant to take on another form until I'm certain that I can easily return to my normal shape."

[hr][/hr]
I'm not familiar with that spell, but I wager it has a Duration of Sun. That means that we'd all be stuck as merfolk until dusk, absent a powerful counterspell.

15

OCC: I understand that. I cannot do it tonight, because I have something, but this is definitely something I will do tomorrow. To be honest, I got sidetracked by the workbook calculations. I intended to take it already and since it makes the story move forwards, I went with it. I will try to keep that to a minimum.

It is a spell from legend of hermes p.105, but basically it does what you said.

16

Ah, Legend of Hermes is one of the few books I don't have.

17

Meliai considers "perhaps a brief dip" she hangs her charms from the branch of a tree, revealing she wears no actual clothes beneath, and proceeds to the waters edge to test the waters.

18

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'charms.' Wasn't she wearing some form of clothes? If she wasn't, that would have been worth noting. It certainly would have shaded some reactions to her.

19

Her charms are woven bits of cloth that she hangs in loops around her body. I in fact did note this in her introduction: here

20

Constantine smiles as he watches Eagnaidh take flight beginning a short survey of the area.
To the other Magi he asks "I plan to scry the water from here to gain some idea of what lies below quickly. However I have no wish to scry in an untoward manner in my fellow Magi. Does anyone have issue with this?"

He speaks to Magnus "If you are able to share the watery vision spell with me I will be better able to scry the depths from the water's edge?"

Assuming it all goes well (I'm away in the country at the moment and the Internet connection isn't wonderful) He then walks to the water's edge and finds a comfortable place to sit.
If he needs to cast a spont Eyes of the Fish to gain better water vision as MuCo/An level 10 or so which might be enough.
Then cast "Awareness of the Waterways" (known invented spell, InIm10 vs CT 23 + aura and talisman) which lets him move his perception through a waterway. Searching in this manner lets him move his perception from point to point and to begin he will bite the watery area around the area where the travellers have arrived.

He will also take a widget or stone to use as an AC as well.

Constantine will start a methodical search for signs of the creature mentioned and also for anything interesting like intact buildings, sculptures and signs of the style of the inhabitants. Basically it's all wonderfully interesting to him.

Edited: Aside - I'd also like him to use the spell which allows the species viewed to be recalled later with great detail, from the Online Grimoire - a Day Saved for the Future, InIm3, which is spont'able.
spellswiki.wikidot.com/intellego-imaginem