Session 9
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Summer 1222
After successfully defending themselves at Tribunal, a newly Gauntleted magus, Phocus of Tytalus, was admitted as a probationary member. Phocus was presented at Tribunal by his master, an eremite magus (doesn't live at a covenant).
Not long after, Magni heard from the Redcaps of a nearby village, Woolston, 'acting strange' recently. They describe it as a general feeling of hostility, yelling and other 'creep' factors that they can't quite put into proper terms; they only know that this is unusual for this village, as they have passed through it regularly over the years. They intimate that perhaps some magi from the covenant should investigate.
After discussing it at council, a party led by Geoffrey (at least in his own mind), Magni, Obscurus Ignis, and Veloxia head out. They are accompanied by Geoffrey's sister, the squire Louis, and several grogs who are leading a wagon of supplies, tents, and provisions. Along the way, they encounter a feral boy who makes his way by hunting and trapping in the woods (quite illegally) and selling the meat and pelts at local villages. Magni, being the only one who can properly communicate with him, orders him to accompany them while they figure out what to do with him. His name is Marrok.
At the village, they notice the general run-down look and hear a lot of bickering and ill-temper from the residents. They meet:
- Father Herbert, the pastor at the church, the only stone building in the village. He is middle aged and inordinately proud of a reliquary gifted from the 4th Crusade
- Peter the Crusader, a village who left for the 4th Crusade and came back with a reliquary and money, which is now mostly gone.
- Baldwin, the Reeve, and village elder whose family makes up the majority of the village. He is grumpy and resents Peter's status as a returned Crusader.
The village belongs to a 'Sir William', who sometimes sends an agent to collect the village rent.
Their first stop is the church which, while a stone building, has a dirt floor. It would seem that many flagstones were removed at various points and taken elsewhere. At the church, they spot the reliquary donated by Peter; it is a magnificent piece of silver and gold but the magi spot cleverly worked in symbols of Rego, Muto, and Vim embedded into the device. Father Herbert was seen polishing it when they arrived and explained its donation by Peter when he returned from the Fourth Crusade.
Ouside, they meet the village elder, Baldwin. Baldwin reveals, between bouts of complaining and resentment, that his nephew, Conrad, is missing. He suggests Peter is involved without any proof. Bored with the discussions going on, Marrok hurries off to the field he was last seen and transforms into a wolf and catches a scent of blood, but cannot track it down. Later that night he brings Veloxia (in big cat form), Magni, and Obscurus Ignis. Geoffrey remains at the encampment with his sister and Louis. Louis spends his time flattering the lady.
At the field, Veloxia catches scent of more blood before spotting a figure hiding (quite well) approaching the village. She bounds off after him with Marrok soon behind him. After a chase, they pin him down while Marrok spots another figure up in a tree, whom they both corner as well. Magni and Obscurus Ignis join them to question the man who is impressively strong and defies questioning by Magni and struggles to be free. A fist fight breaks out but, unable to do significant damage to Magni, the thug goes after Marrok with a dagger. Magni swings his pole axe and is surprised to find it bounced off the thug's skin. He calls out to Obscurus Ignis for help who throws a Pilum of Fire at him, and almost immediately kills him. The thug is dragged away and left to die, as without extensive medical attention, he will die.
Questioning the girl up in the tree, they find a scared, emaciated teenager who had been kidnapped from the city of Lincoln, far to the east. She reveals that her name is Maria and two more names, Benedict and Michael; the party had downed Benedict. She claims that they were using her as a sex slave and dragged her around for the past year as they preyed on villages in the countryside conducting animal sacrifices, which the magi believe to be Infernal rituals. Recently, however, they have been outside this village and had kidnapped a farmer and sacrificed him. She says that they are set up in a nearby cave system which the magi believe they have found and are preparing to storm.
Experience Points
None yet, awarded at end of adventure.
Note that some magi have earned 1 xp in Mastery for certain spells that they cast during the adventure.