2 men journey the road to the covenant, each with a pack upon their back and dressed in the most common of attire, one can barely meet the gaze of any man who speaks to him, and yet he seems nevertheless the more forward of the two, speaking for the pair while the other lurks in the background. The second man is clearly Gifted, almost to the point where his Gift is painful to be around, and only one unaffected by the Gift would consider trusting him given his peasant bearing and Blatant gift- surely this must be some runaway apprentice. Yet the timid forward man asks if his master might be allowed to speak with the Primus of the covenant, or at least some magus sufficiently in charge, on a matter of some delicacy.
What happened with Angus? Did the guard just ignore him?
Haven't gotten to him yet. I'll be posting replies to the other posts today.
One of the grogs, an otherwise nondescript blond man leaning on a quarterstaff, replies in passable Latin: "We will fetch one of the magi." He turns to a woman in the squad and says something to her in (presumably) Gaelic. The man continues to look at Angus as the woman takes off at a trot into the covenant; she returns several minutes later accompanied by a deer. It looks at Angus and Arthur for a moment. [color=brown]"I am Eilid of Bjornaer," she says to them in flawless Latin. [color=brown]"I understand that you wished to speak with me?"
Angus nods "My name is Angus, I have been apprenticed to a Tytalus magus who was not only abusive but he had stripped his previous apprentice, Arthur, who is with me" he gestures to the other traveler "of his Gift. I was afraid he would do the same to me as I approached time for the gauntlet, and so I fled, and having heard you were seeking magi for your covenant, have come here seeking refuge."
Eilid's ears flick when Angus tells her what happened to Arthur.
When he gets to the part about fleeing, she raises her head. [color=brown]"When you say you fled...when were you gauntleted, sodalis?"
"My master refused to gauntlet me so I fled before gauntleting. I am willing to finish my apprenticeship under another."
OOC: Angus does not realize that he passed his gauntlet by killing his master, and does not wish to reveal that he murdered his master for fear of punishment. However the letter from the Quaesitor has revealed what Angus is trying to conceal...
[color=brown]"You're Tytalus, are you not? I've not known many from that house, but I believe one of Boudicca's former covenant-mates was one. Perhaps we should speak with her about this."
Eilid makes small talk as they walk to Boudicca's cottage by the loch. Along the way, Angus finds himself walking next to, not a deer as when he began but a tall, thin woman with long brown hair, dressed in simple woolen robes. She knocks on the door, which is opened by an attractive black-haired young woman.
[color=brown]"Good afternoon, Tangwystl. Is Boudicca free?"
"Let me see, maga. If you wish to have a seat." Tangwystl opens the door and invites them into an antechamber, with a small table and a couple of chairs. She disappears through another door. A short time later, a blonde maga in red robes arrives.
[color=red]"Angus? I am Boudicca of Bonisagus. Welcome to Insula Canaria."
[color=brown]"Angus is concerned, sodalis. He fears that we might not accept him, as he was never gauntleted. I seem to remember something about Tytalus, but I believe that you have more experience with that house than I do."
Boudicca nods sagely. [color=red]"I do know that Tytalus does do things differently than the rest of the Order. Angus, could you explain to us why you were never gauntleted?"
Angus explains "My companion Arthur here was Noturnus' apprentice before me, and he was never gauntleted either. Instead Nocturnus stripped him of his Gift when he found me. His education was almost entirely in methods that would make me useful as a lab assistant, and which did not require the Gift to be of use. I was concerned that he intended to do the same with me as with Arthur, so I... made sure he would not follow and then I fled."
Eilid and Boudicca glance at each other. Boudicca calls for her maidservant before the magae turn their attention back to Angus and Arthur.
[color=red]"Would you care to elaborate?" Boudicca asks as she leans forward.
Angus is clearly nervous. His first response is "not really." then he sighs "I waited until he was asleep, tied him to the bed and dumped a bucket of dirt on his head before disemboweling him with the cooking knife."
The two magae nod. Tangwystl enters with a bottle of wine and three goblets, then pours for the three magi before she leaves again. (It's a robust-smelling red.)
[color=red]"One of the most important things...well, two actually...that make a covenant durable," Boudicca says as she pulls a piece of parchment from her sleeve and hands it to Angus, [color=red]"is trust and respect. The magi must trust each other, to a degree, and they must respect each other as magi and as people.
"Now, as you can see, there are no repercussions from Guernicus or either Stonehenge or Loch Leglean Tribunals for your unconventional Gauntlet, and we have agreed that we will not share that information with anyone else.
"All we ask of you is your assurance that this won't happen again, outside of a Wizard's War."
Angus nearly faints with relief as he reads the parchment, but it is Arthur who speaks first "Obviously he will also need to be trained in Parma Magica. That was left out of his training for obvious reasons."
Angus nods towards Arthus to acknowledge his point, but says "That seems very reasonable. I will agree to that."
Both Boudicca and Eilid look somewhat embarrassed. "May I extend my Parma over you?" they both say at almost the same time. They then look at each other awkwardly before Boudicca gestures to Eilid.
[color=brown]"I'm considerably older than my sodalis, and I would be shocked if her protection was more effective than my own.
"And I would be happy to teach you the Parma Magica come spring."
Angus dips his head "I appreciate both gestures."
Eilid extends her Parma over Angus (giving him an effective PM of 2), and offers give him a tour of the grounds.
"Most definitely." Angus smiles at Eilid as they begin the tour.
If Angus is asked about preferences for Mage cottages, he would prefer 18, followed by 11, then 19.
Eilid begins with the Common Lab (after activating the Enchanted Bridge). The lab is basically empty, although there are still plenty of supplies and the magical heating and lighting still works.
From there, she takes him to the Council Hall to show him the Council Chambers and the Library (maybe meeting the librarian and the staff), then to the training grounds, before circling around to the Revel Hall for something to eat.
Number 18 had been updated on the covenant map and the laboratories page.
Eilid will, once Angus decides on #18, have someone sent for to work with him on whatever redecorating and stuff he wants for his quarters, as well as any furnishings.
Angus considers his options carefully. Never before has he had free capability to choose furniture never mind decorations for anywhere he has lived. His parents had neither money nor inclination to indulge a young child, and his parens would sooner have given the rats a choice than his apprentice. Lab equipment is an obvious need, so he begins with that, knowing he will need to take the time to set it up properly later, but at least getting the materials and working out the space for his lab. A few tapestries, however, could hide the entrance to his lab space rather effectively, if they were hung strategically, so that the entrance would not be suspected. His former master may well have allies who would not be so understanding about his passing the gauntlet, and wizard wars were something he was not currently prepared for, which would render his sanctum sigil a wholly ineffective defense.