Azaelle
"This isn't a library, it's a giant mouse house. Thank you for your help but if you have to get back to your work I certainly understand. If I find anything here that is interesting and it is not a giant mouse, I will bring it to show you. I mean, unless you want to see the giant mouse."
Fabrica loosens his robes and rolls up his sleeves.
"No, I'll help as long as I can. I have to open an item for enchantment this season, which is not very difficult, but it does require my attention. 10 days might be enough to find something, or at least prove there is nothing here to help us."
Azaelle is happy. She looks straight into his Fabrica's eyes in a way he is probably not accustomed.
Azaelle
"Thanks. I still think there is another good way of going about this but I can't put my finger on it. It's one of those things I know will come to me in the middle of the night."
She turns to Daffys.
"We are looking for books on research involving alternate ranges also anything that has to do with sacred geometry. Also anything that has to do with teleportation, Hermes portals or anything... Mercurian. Also we are looking for maps. Have you seen any such thing around here? What happened here, anyways?"
"Good masters, what you see here is the results of too many magi, and not enough librarians." Daffys shrugs. "Too many magi trading for copies of this and that, writing this and that, and dropping them in here. Glendower and Kallias in particular. When you've only got one scribe, and driven the prior librarian mad with your antics, and the scribe is left ot try and keep things organized, this is the result."
"Ah, what you describe, milady, is wizardry, and beyond my ken. Lady MacDiarmid sorted through those books, which are in the next room." He shows the magi to the door, and opens it, and does not go in himself. One does notice 2 exquisitely carved staues on either side of the door. "She put those there, and they won't let me in..."
The room is somewhat less cluttered than the prior, and definitely shows signs of have been recently cleaned and organized. Scrolls are rolled up and placed in racks, unbound folio placed between boards, and unsorted books stacked somewhat neater than the piles previous.
(The organized books represent the current contents of the covenant's library, as posted in the sticky topic.)
"There's at least as many books in there as there are out here." Daffys calls from the door. "Let me know if you need anything."
Albertus looks through the piles of the library seeing if he can find anything that is in his interest. That is mysteries and original research, perhaps even vim or muto and spells. Soldaes I can do little help here with sorting this library, I have my lab that must be set in working order and a familari that must be taught to read. Perhaps we can ponder if one can invent a craft magic spell that aids in the sorting of this library? Personally I am not the best of craft magicians but it would sure be of some use.
Azaelle thanks Daffys and heads into the less frightening room with the magic books where she is almost certain there is no giant mouse. She makes a space for herself and begins sorting books.
Azaelle
"It's okay if you need to get back to your lab. None of us expected this to be a full scale expedition... I wonder if anyone has made a range of ley lines."
The problem That Azaelle soon runs into is that many of these books have no inscription on them as to what the contents might be; She does, however, run across a whole selection of what appear to be tractati on the arts, and some lab texts (some minor spells, except for one, which appears to be an initiation script of some kind).
As the day wears on, the piles get organized into generic types of books; A pair of battered summae are found, along with a very large collection of Lab Notes, all belonging to one Glendower ex Bonisagus; Included in this pile is a book on Mab and the peculiarities of her gift and situation, and the final experiment he ran).
As evening falls, the sorted piles get resorted, into those books of interest (many of them being vim or magic theory tractati and the one that might be an initiation script).
Albertus finds much on vim, mainly tractati on the subject (some of which he has read, most he has not), but very little on original research, or the mysteries.
Fabrica, in his sorting, has found numerous lab texts on various enchanted weapons, probably some of Torsten's older works, given the relatively low levels of effects described, and some thoughts of the massive Verditius on enchanting doorways and gates...
A youngster runs up to the door, stops at the threshold, and glances warily at the 2 statues on either side. "Masters," he says, out of breath, "I'm sent to remind ye supper's ready..."
"An item that sorts books would be fine, but mortal assistants that know how to do this and cooperative magi is usually more economical. I'm acquiring so many projects I scarce know what to do with my time."
Fabrica sorts through several tracti and scrolls from the former Verditius and puts those aside, he and his brother in Verdi will examine them later.
"Ah dinner! I'm starved, I forgot I didn't have breakfast. Let's eat!" exclaims Fabrica as he lays down another pile of works and picks up his staff.
Azaelle
"Have we been here ALL DAY?!" She unburies herself from books and scrolls and follows Fabrica toward the door.
Albertus follows right after the others. Only he borrows a few interesting tomes and will use them later as reading practice for his familari so that he gets an idea about the quality and content of the books. Albertus stops by his chambers with the books before dinner.
Dinner proves to be a rather boring affair, lightened up only by the fact that Gaeth brings in some correspondence, and Xerxes presents Dierdre with 2 casting tablets - one for a potent version of Aegis of the Hearth, the other an equally potent Wizard's Communion to go with it. Mathius recieves a whole parcel of correspondence, bearing the official seal of House Mercere, and some of a more personal nature. Daggin, unusually quiet, recieves replies from his inquiries about a scribe that knows greek in the region.
Most of the guests, by this point in time, have left, leaving Féadrun and her student, Zephyris in the guest quarters; Vinaria and Stentorius left only after 2 weeks time.
And thus the magi find themselves in the hall, warmed by the fire, as the first chill night of the autumn sets in...
Albetus spends his days with lab construction, reading exercises with his familari (he uses the tractati he found in the library) in the evenings and every Sunday he takes a stroll together with his familari to explore the surrounding area paying special interest to the covenants vis sources.
Fabrica will share with his brother in Verdi the texts on the previous Verditius, and will spend a further week writing up some of the initial strategies on doing the original research for the Maps Range. That's all he can spare, he has to open an enchantment on an item for Matthius, he can decide which one.
Azaelle will take the interesting things she found in the library and study them in the quiet of her lab.
Mathius
During dinner, Mathius clears his throat and says "My fellow soldales, In the spring I will have to journey back to Verdi for a season - possibly two. I am sorry to leave so soon after arriving - but there is a personal matter I need to attend to. If anyone has any messages or requests that they would like carrying I will be happy to oblige."
Fabrica finishes gobbling a biscuit after his long day of work. He wipes his mouth on the napkin he shares with the person next to him before he clears his throat.
"Sodales, I envy you. Before you leave I should let you know I found at least 3 lab texts on weapon enchantments from the previous Verdi. Also, please let me know further about the business we discussed."
Mathius
To Fabrica - "I shall discuss various things with you this evening - if you are willing I will also glance over those texts."