From the further mundane tables, some raucous cheer breaks out, as some game or contest is being pursued by the revelers there. A second, but lower, and then the background noise returns to a barely noticeable rumble.
From behind his wine goblet, Daggin's voice betrays no concern on the issue of mundanes.
"Unless the building is more than two stories, the level of skill need not be too great, and so that broadens the chance to find a friendly journeyman of adequate skill. And they never have to actually see the magic used - we provide the blocks, the mason finds a ready pile of them in the morning, and we tell them we are tearing down a different, nearby building. He can suspect, but nothing more. And spells can discourage mistrust.
"And, of all the tasks thus far mentioned, I perhaps am best suited to finding such a person, perhaps even one who would be willing or eager to make this his home. When not improving or maintaining the covenant grounds, a skilled mason, master or no, could find much to do in the town nearby, or at worst we could loan him out to our noble allies, and all improve our relations with one mundane faction or another."
Diedre
"How often do people get injured? Perhaps 2 or 3 a season, worse in the fall, as more are out int the field to bring in the harvest. Some illness in spring. There are a couple of decent chirugeon's in the village, plus there's the old wives, with thier herbs and poultices. The most common injuries happen around the livestock; Having a bull step on your foot, or getting kicked or butted by a sheep isn't pleasant."
"On the subject of using spells to build, I can do only one building at a time, unless I spend a season coming up with one to do a group of buildings...Hmm...Might be a useful project. Never hurts to think ahead. As to using vis wisely, normally I'd agree. If expediency is needed, we can afford the expenditure. 5 pawns for a single house, similar to Kallias'. Torsten built his, by hand Glendower used his arts, as did Mab and Myself. 6 pawns for a larger structure, like the feasthall or library. 7 pawns for a tower. 9 pawns for a castle. Given a season, I could come up with something that could provide several buildings at a go, perhaps 6-7 pawns of vis."
"Regardless, several of the locals are somewhat skilled at raising good solid buildings, and we might be able to get one or two of the Journeymen out of Galway, if Kathal is willing, if you want to do things the mundane way. There is a good supply of stone to be had downstream of Lough Caillte, though I'd take Mab with you, to make sure the Drow there cause you no problems."
Mathius
[Latin]
Mathius considers this information carefully, and weighs up the options. "Hmm, in that case, perhaps erecting a single structure by a ritual. After things have settled down it can be used as the new hospital as well as a temporary place for magi joining at a later date."
"With my brother and I taking up two of the labs, and the hospital lab temporarily off limits, we have only 1 spare lab. As Rhiannon has a pressing need, perhaps she could use it for a season before relinquishing it to someone who could use it to aid the covenant?"
He looks around the table to see if the others agree, then continues
"In this season one of our group could investigate the hospital and determine which parts of it can be removed to make it a usable lab. We can start the mundane construction of the new labs around the outer wall, and they should be completed in a season or two. Of course it will take some time to outfit them properly, and another season or two until they can be used."
"This should see all of us in a usable lab within the year, barring any emergencies. I am unsure of what the Normans would think of us erecting large towers about the place, and it would be a massive use of vis to try to conceal them."
"As for the new charter, I too wish for some changes, but I believe they can be agreed in a day or so, once we have settled down. We have many problems facing us, the charter is just one of them, albeit an important one"
He looks around the table again to see if anyone would dispute his words, and carries on eating.
Corvus [Slightlu slurred Latin]
Raise the towers and Normans be damned. They'll no care about towers all the while we don' build walls a'tween 'em.
Stephan
[Latin]
Laughing, "Oh, Corvus, methinks that you will add some excitement here..."
More seriously, "Sodales, I think a less ... cavalier ... attitude is called for in this instance. Fortifications and ostentatious houses, in any form, will pique the jealousies and fears of the Normans. Please keep in mind that I lived among them for a time and can speak with some authority on the matter. I readily admit that I don't know about the local varieties thereof, but I've seen many a mid-level noble get jealous over even a finely made stone manor let along an almost impossibly high tower."
'If we decide on building the tower, I think soem real effort has to be expended in making sure that we do not complicate the lives of our own benefactors and friends. I'm sure that Angus' family would just as soon not try to draw further formal interest from the Normans into this glorious area. Not that they couldn't handle it of course, but let's not cause them to spend money they don't have to spend."
"Perchance we could make the tower invisible? I'm not a specialist in imagonem magics, but it would seem that a properly constructed and installed device using the arts of Perdo Imagonem could make it invisible. Or, maybe a Muto Imagonem device could make it look like a particularly large tree?"
Corvus [Latin]
"Ay? So you'd have me flappin' about and lookin' for ma tower and"
SMACK! Corvus smacks his hand down on the table, knocking his goblet over, for which he quietly slurs an apology
"And that's ma face stoved in on ma own doorframe? Look, we ha' to sit back and watch as the corners of our lands are built upon, farmed, littered with churches and drinking houses and castles and... other things too. Look," he pauses setting out his argument again, "we," he waves his hand inclusively around the table, "we don't complain when they wanna build stuff, hmm? We're not allowed to complain, hmm? So if we build stuff, who's gonna complain, hmm? Geese and ganders? Hmm? Screw 'em. 'S our land. Screw 'em."
Stephan
[Latin]
A look of genuine concern and a little shock crosses Stephan's face, "Corvus, I don't think you should be walking now, let alone flying."
"I do understand your problem. But I'm suggesting that before we make a rude gesture at the Normans our SENIOR covenant member has expressed concerns over, and that our very skilled autocrat would rather not deal with, and that the senior Queasitor, who, incidentally, is SITTING RIGHT HERE and would have us ALL marched if we provoked the Normans to a suitably large incident, that perhaps ... maybe ... we should apply our intellect and ability to finding a solution that lets us live in a desirable manner without putting us at risk of having Flavius and his colleagues visitng us in a manner that would be most trying."
Corvus [Latin]
"Senior Quaesitor?" Corvus peers around the room with more than a little suspicion that people have switched chairs since last he did it, "Senior? Ah, well, then. If it's senior." He puts his hands up in surrender. "I mean, if it was all junior then, fnmph, jus' do it. But you get the seniors involved and who knows where ends?"
He pauses, realising that others might not be on the same drinking rate as he is, "Yeah, alright. I admt ah vad a few, but we gotta 'ave towers, yeah? And if the Normns don' wan us to 'ave stone ones, just build wooden ones, yeah? 's all magic, right? Strong as stone to us, look like tinder to them, right? Then they don' care none. Better 'an invisible ones, tha's jus' stupid. Nah, I mean, brilliant... but stupid too, yeah?"
"It would probably be easier to create them out of stone and then merely change the image so they appeared to be made out of wood.. .. that might well work?" Seireadan nods
"Or make a lab in a giant tree! .. that would be quite interesting"
At the mention of the senior members of the order present, one wonders why they haven't said anything about this discussion going on at the table. Diedre, Flavius, and Quintus are discussing something off in a corner; Their lips are moving, and Diedre appears to be quite agitated about something, but no sound can be heard (though a circle can be seen on the floor that all three stand within).
Mab, it appears, has fallen asleep in her chair, despite the discussion going on around her. She is smiling, and mumbling something (which fortunately, is just that - mumbling).
Rhiannon speak up. "Mab appears to have already done something similar," she notes. "If I need to, I can use the healer's lab for the time being, to do what I have to do. I also agree that the healer's house should be used by those who can make use of it best." there is a pause as she drains her cup.
The discussion in the corner comes to an end, and Diedre breaks the circle with her foot, ending the spell, and she rejoins the council. "Have I missed anything important?" she asks, drily. "Unless there is other business to discuss that hasn't been brought up already," she says, yawning, "I motion that this council meeting be adjourned. We can continue this discussion in the morning. Sheridan, I'll need to see you after breakfast tomorrow as well."
Fabrica is interested in the conversation, he too feels slightly vexxed that they are worried about what Mundanes will say about improvemnets they put on the land.
"What if we were to build it below ground? Or perhaps there is a Regio? At any rate, I second the motion to adjourn. These are things that can be discussed at another time. perhaps."
Mathius
[Latin]
"Deidre, could we perhaps have the keys to the rest of Torsten's lab? I, and probably the others as well, would like to examine it in more detail"
"Alright, I'll see you in the morning" he replies to Dierdre. "I'll head off for a walk in the woods"
Daggin sits back and allows the various previous observations on Corvus' comments to suffice. Once the topic has returned to something more tame, he continues.
"Any tactic to disguise the tower would, of course, need to be a practical one. The true top would be visible from the skies, however... well, I suppose that accidents can still happen. And while any mage who can fly takes due care, there are perhaps... always unexpected circumstances. And short of that, a steady ring of dead mundane birds may be offensive to some of us, and that should be taken into consideration."
He sits back and thinks a moment.
"If the tower were not built immediately upon the wall's perimeter, it would be less offensive, literally and figuratively. And, true, a wooden tower would be seen as less militarily intimidating than a stone one. The sudden appearance of a massive tree might be hard to explain, as such would need be some decades old by mundane reckoning, while the report of a newly noted wooden tower may be suspicious, but not inexplicable.
"And if Corvus would be more at home in a sanctum of Herbem than Terram, so be it, tho' perhaps a bottom course of stone may be wise and acceptable to all? For the same expenditure of vis, we could create a broad structure some stories tall, but wide enough to house several magi with their labs and sanctums, and a wooden structure reaching up above that to fill Corvus' needs. That would not be as largely visible, nor not too great a source of intimidation or jealousy for our more competitive neighbors.
"As for the moment, I think I'll return to Kallias' labs and peruse those maps a bit, if only out of curiosity - care to join me, Stephan?"
Stephan
[Latin]
"Yes indeed. So what have you heard of Vinland..." and Stephan's and Daggin's voice trails off as they head out the door.
Diedre(in latin)
"My keys are in my sanctum," If you can wait until morning, I can hand them over then. However, youth often means a lack of patience, so..." There is a whisper of archaic latin, and 2 large black iron keys appear in front of her. "The larger of the two is for the wagon door, which locks from the inside. The smaller is for the inside door. The levers mounted on the wall control magical lights similar to these. In the down position, the lights are dark. In the up position, the lights are lit, nearly equal to full daylight if all of them are lit. How anything else works in there, I ken not."
"This council meeting stands adjourned."