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TREADING THE DRAGON'S PATH |
"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."
– The Buddha
Synopsis:
Augustinius, Miach and Minerva return to the ruined city, driven on by Augustinius' burning desire to see the desert bloom. They reach the city after the storm dissipates, only to find that the pagans guarding the place have been driven off or destroyed by a band of Hermetic magi. These magi, led by Molitor scholae Tremendi, have established the new Covenant of Radix Potentiae in the city. Molitor offers to cooperate with the other magi, and observes that a Tribunal will be called in six months, in which the creation of both of the new Covenants must be ratified. He then provides his guests with lodging, where they convene to discuss the new situation.
The next day, Miach borrows a text on Hermetic law from Molitor and takes notes on the rules for the creation of Covenants. Minerva explores the main building housing the new covenant, and meets an aged Tremere seeress. Augustinius explores the city and collects samples of the lush, yet short-lived plants that have arisen after the rain; one of the flowers he plucks turns out to contain vis. He also encounters a dying pagan guardian of the city, who he tries desperately to convert to Christianity in her last hours. She spurns his aid, cursing him and all Hermetic magi. Augustinius lays a spell of sleep upon her, and stays with her until she dies. He then brings her out of the city into the desert to be buried.
Miach and Minerva receive a visit from Enyo, a Tytalus maga who expresses interest in their travels and their conflicts with the airy spirits. Augustinius returns, tired and frustrated by his experience. The magi retire for the night; Augustinius dreams of masks. The following day, the magi decide that they need to inform Academus and Kandace of recent events, and set out to return to their tower.
Synopsis:
Augustinius, Miach and Minerva return to the tower. Augustinius withdraws to his chambers, while the other magi gather to discuss the changes in the ruined city. Academus and Kandace argue over the group's next move; Kandace expresses disgust at the actions of the magi of Radix Potentiae and wants nothing to do with them, while Academus feels that some sort of negotiation is possible with their new neighbors. Afterwards, Academus meditates upon the current state of affairs, leading to an ambiguous vision. Kandace ventures into the desert in the night to speak with the djinn, and is fortunate enough to return unharmed from this conversation. An Aegis of the Hearth is raised, consuming much of the covenant's little store of vis. The magi embark upon various research projects, hoping to find some special power to aid them in time for the Tribunal that is now less than six months away.
Synopsis:
Aetheria, a Redcap, arrives at the covenant. She brings letters to the magi, responses to missives they sent out months ago to scholars and magi in Alexandria. She also brings a young Frenchman, Jean de la Roche by name, who claims to have been sent to protect Minerva (whom he calls Ysabell de Montsegur). The magi dine with Aetheria, but acrimony ensues when she admits that she is a member of Radix Potentiae. Academus successfully smooths over the worst of Kandace's barbed comments, and the Redcap departs without further incident.
A few weeks later, a pair of quaesitors arrive unannounced, accompanied by a Redcap and a pair of hoplites. Their spokeswoman, one Veratra, summarily demands to see the covenant's charter, and closets herself away with it. Conversations with the other quaesitor, Alsius, the redcap Elicon, and the hoplite Briareus Fortis reveal little more about the purpose of the visit, other than that there is a third new covenant, Signum Fractum, that must also be ratified at the coming Tribunal. The visitors retire for the day in the quarters assigned to them, leaving the magi of Ænigma to consider the situation.
Synopsis:
As the visiting quaesitors retire for the day, the other magi explain recent events to a groggy Augustinius. Kandace huffily locks herself in her room. Later, the redcap Elicon gives Academus a few letters and some information on events elsewhere in the world. A scouting expedition is dispatched into the desert to the northwest. The quaesitors depart.
The magi spend a week discussing the growth and defenses of the covenant, as well as the invitations to visit the covenants Imperterritus and Oraculum Ammonis. After some debate, the magi decide to send Academus and Augustinius first to visit Oraculum Ammonis, then to attend the Tribunal at Domus Æternitatis. The night before the magi are to depart, Academus has a vision involving dragons and cities in the desert; he hypothesizes that the golden dragon central to the vision relates in some fashion to Alexander of Macedon. The scouts return, reporting little but sand and rock along their route. The next evening, a week after the quaesitorial visit, the magi depart, accompanied by Achmed and two of the grogs.
Arriving at Radix Potentiae, Academus and Augustinius spend a day resting at the rival covenant. After investigating the covenant library, they speak with the seeress Mantia Alba, who affirms Academus' speculations regarding his vision. Upon retiring to their chambers, acrimony ensues between the magi as Academus gently accuses Augustinius of failing to exhibit interest in the needs of the covenant.
Come the night, the magi discover to their dismay that river traffic has dropped off sharply since the sacking of the city by the magi of Radix Potentiae. An attempt by Augustinius to question the river algae regarding the location of river barges leads to frustration. Seeing no alternative, the magi discard their hopes of visiting Oraculum Ammonis before the Tribunal, and set off northward along the river. Fortunately, on the following night, they encounter the redcap Aetheria. After finishing her route to Radix Potentiae, the Mercere maga returns to the magi and, with some difficulty, summons ten enchanted horses for their benefit. Thus equipped, the party sets off downriver, with many months' journey ahead.
Synopsis:
Awakened by strange sensations in the night, Miach joins the other magi on the tower roof to confront an unexpected visitor: a feathered woman named Nortia, who claims to be Academus' mother. A brief moment of tension arises as Minerva's bodyguard Jean draws his sword to protect her from this "demon." As Kandace and Nortia discuss Academus' whereabouts, Miach lectures Jean about authority and tact. Upon being informed that Academus should arrive in Alexandria in about a month, Nortia steps off the roof, taking the shape of a hawk, and fades with the dawn.
Early in their northward journey, Academus and Augustinius meet with the magus Rufus Urbanus, who teleports from his southbound barge to greet his passing fellows. He seems pleased to meet them, and observes that he and a companion are en route to Ænigma in order to visit his filia Minerva, for whom he has some sort of important news. Augustinius' own pater, he notes, plans to attend the Tribunal to share similar news. After a few more pleasantries, Rufus returns to his barge, leaving the magi to continue their northward journey.
A couple of nights later, beneath a full moon, Augustinius finds a vision come upon him as he sleeps. Drawn by strange chanting to the west and an angelic voice beckoning him (by name) from the south, he prays for guidance, then chooses the southern route, even though the voice has gone silent. His dream-self ranges across hundreds of miles, passing the ruined city and following the river ever southward to an island temple at the base of a great mountain range. Within the temple, he finds a priestess calling a council with seven masked images. He angrily confronts these beings, feeling that he has been called somehow to defeat a gathering of demonic forces, but falters as Academus, who has followed him as a dream-crow, appears beside him. The two magi depart the dream, barely escape a massing of energies clearly meant to do them harm. Upon awakening, they share their experiences and realize that they dreamed the same dream. Academus then chides Augustinius for denying them the opportunity to gather potentially valuable information in the dream.
The maga Enyo Corinthiensis, a Tytalus of Radix Potentiae, visits Ænigma and receives their hospitality. She informs the magi that she works with Orbona, and that they may provide her with any information that they wish their patroness to receive. The magi are understandably skeptical. Enyo accepts the offer of a bed, but leaves in the middle of the night and travels eastward, where she encounters a djinn. Wakened by lightning, the magi of Ænigma watch from afar as she defeats the spirit and cages it with lightning, then departs northward. Seeing this, Kandace sets out alone into the east, with no regard to her personal safety, in hopes of communicating with the djinn and explaining that Ænigma had no part in the attack.
Come the dawn, the djinn slips its bonds and vanishes into the east. Kandace returns to Ænigma; shortly thereafter, half a dozen djinn appear on the horizon. Enraged, they roar towards the covenant... and past it, toward Radix Potentiae. After discussing how much they really wish to help their neighbors, Kandace, Miach and Minerva attempt to pool their powers to send a warning. Miach's efforts at tapping the dormant powers of the stone platform bear fruit, and their message roars westward with a life of its own.
Having pressed her magic to the limit with her constant summoning of multiple magical steeds, Aetheria finally collapses from the strain; but the magi are within striking distance of Alexandria, and they reach Schola Concordiae by nightfall. Welcomed by the magi there, they find that Augustinius' pater, Marcus Caeruleus, has already arrived, having heard from his amicus Rufus of their impending arrival. Augustinius' joy at his reunion with his favorite teacher turns to confusion when he hears what Marcus has come to tell him: that Marcus and Rufus have arranged a marriage between Augustinius and Minerva.
Synopsis:
Left alone in the gardens of Schola Concordiae, Augustinius sits and thinks, overwhelmed by recent events. His meditations are interrupted by a cloud of floating dust and grime; the maga Talpa Caenosa has arrived. She speaks haltingly with him, never making eye contact. Their conversation meanders from her precious ancient Ægyptian ruins and the dangerous beasts that dwell therein to the internal conflicts of the Order. Talpa also explains that Musa's antipathy towards the magi of Ænigma stems from his fear that they will embroil Schola Concordiae in the strife between Roman and Reconquista factions, and that she and her sodales support Musa's efforts to avoid involvement in such dangerous politics. Augustinius denies any connection between his fellow magi and the Reconquista Flambeau, and is distressed to learn that many of his fellows in House Jerbiton belong to the Reconquista faction. After some discussion, Augustinius convinces Talpa that the Tremere of Radix Concordiae would have no qualms about destroying her beloved ruins, and she agrees to speak to her fellows on behalf of Ænigma.
Academus, comforted by his return to the covenant where he spent five years before his involvement with Orbona's scheme, visits its library. There he asks to the librarian, Aequus, for information about Alexander of Macedon and about Hermetic law; the former to gain information regarding his vision of a golden dragon some weeks earlier, and the latter to prepare for the upcoming Tribunal. He spends the entire night there, reading and copying, and refusing even to take the time for dinner lest he miss some important information. Servants bring him food as he loses himself in his research.
Augustinius wanders through the gardens of the covenant until Marcus finds him and, after some chit-chat, asks to speak with him privately, off the covenant grounds. Despite Augustinius' discomfort in the crowds of the city, which only recedes after his pater pressures him into raising his parma magica, they wander deep into Alexandria's mercantile quarter, settling in a small tavern. There, over food and drink, Marcus gives Augustinius a document found in Constantinople that speaks of the City of Twilight. After speaking briefly about Augustinius' future plans, they return to Schola Concordiae.
Augustinius and Academus meet that evening to discuss their discoveries. They come up with some interesting theories regarding the Constantinople document, and spend some time researching the library's notes on the mysterious pictographic language of the Ægyptian ruins. When the two finally turn in for the night, Academus discovers a heap of letters and packages waiting for him in his room. These are responses to the many offers he sent out months ago to trade or sell copies of his Aristotelian manuscripts. Some express interest in trades, and a few even include documents or money sent in exchange for the promised manuscripts. In addition, one letter is from his pater, agreeing to fund and participate in Academus' plan for a caravan route to bring rare inks and other valuables out of the East.
The next day, Academus and Augustinius debate what uses they should put the money to. They determine to invest a third in laying the groundwork for establishing the caravan route, and keep the rest for any bribes they might need on their rounds before the Tribunal, with the hope that some will remain to spend on the needs of their covenant afterwards. Academus spends the rest of the day writing responses to the letters, as well as writing letters to Galba and Petrianus, two mercantile Jerbitons who nominally belong to Schola Concordiae, that he hopes to interest in his scheme. That night, he attempts to contact Kandace via magic, but the attempt fails, leaving him in the dark regarding current events at Ænigma.
The day after, the magi learn that a ship will be leaving for the western covenants on the evening tide, and make final arrangements before their departure. Augustinius makes a half-hearted attempt to procure Talpa's notes on the Ægyptian runes, but fails. Academus gives Ahmed some money to hire personnel for the planned caravan route, along with a document authorizing him to negotiate on the covenant's behalf; he also borrows a book on djinn from Schola Concordiae's library and purchases a sizable amount of ink and parchment, intending to copy as many books and documents as possible while journeying. At last, that night, they embark upon a ship, which turns out to be the same vessel that brought them to Ai Strati and to Alexandria. The captain summons a magical wind, revealing himself to be a magus, and the ship speeds away, into the west.
[Note: the time flow between the two groups of magi is out of joint during this session, with the magi at the covenant being one to two weeks behind those traveling abroad.]
Synopsis:
Back at Ænigma, the magi wait and watch through the day as the djinn strike at Radix Potentiae. Fire and lightning flicker on the horizon for hours; then, the djinn sweep back toward Ænigma, only to vanish, defeated, into the east.
After a night of troubled sleep for Miach, whose dark dreams feature crucifixion by a demon and immolation by dragons, a new day dawns. Miach's meditations upon the powers of the earth are interrupted by the arrival of a sending from Radix Potentiae. It is Molitor's image sent afar to thank the magi for their warning, and to invite them to partake of Radix Potentiae's hospitality. Minerva speaks with the image, and politely defers acceptance of the offer of hospitality. After the simulacrum dissipates, the magi gather to discuss the offer. Kandace and Miach each have reasons for remaining behind, so Minerva prepares to make the journey on their behalf. Jean, Cantara and the young grog Waseem are selected to escort her to her destination.
Aboard ship, Academus dreams of his mother, who tells him to seek her in Tuscany, the ancient home of her priesthood. He finds this somewhat confusing, as she has lived in Greece since before his birth. He ponders this through the early morning hours as the ship docks before the black glass domes and towers of Oculus Vigilans. There, Academus and a groggy Augustinius are met by the quaesitor Veratra, a couple of covenant guards, and another visitor: the magus Palmaris scholae Jerbiton, Augustinius' first teacher.
Palmaris leads Augustinius off to a small scriptorium in one of the covenant's many towers for a private conversation. After expressing pride and sympathy for his former apprentice, the older magus presses for information regarding the group's presence in Ægypt and the target of their investigations. He claims that Marcus Caeruleus is part of a secret society known as the Brotherhood of Prometheus, and that Augustinius and his fellows are but pawns in some Brotherhood scheme. He also warns Augustinius against trusting the Quaesitors, stating that Oculus Vigilans' magi are primarily exiles and necromancers. Augustinius gives up a few bits of information himself, but refuses to acknowledge Palmaris' claims or to explain the precise nature of his mission. Palmaris leaves, disappointed. Frustrated and angry at being manipulated by his former teacher, Augustinius inadvertently breaks a few delicate items. The room's owner, the Bjornaer quaesitor Taurus Hispidus, sentences Augustinius to spend the rest of his stay copying from a rather dry Muto summa as payment.
Separated from his covenant-mate, Academus travels to Oculus Vigilans' library, where he meets the librarian, Clarissa Chalybdeia scholae Tytali. After a cordial introduction, she agrees to let him copy texts unearthed from old Carthage in exchange for some future favor.
That night, both Academus and Augustinius part from their work solely to attend dinner with the covenant's autocrat and the handful of magi both present and interested in such things: Clarissa, Veratra, Briareus, and the ranking Tremere, a humorless old woman named Moradira. Clarissa and Moradira exchange barbed comments while they discuss the current events of the Tribunal with their guests, who come away from the meal with new insight into the struggles and intrigues of the African magi.
Over the next two days, the visiting magi spend most of their time writing, with a few interruptions to speak to the inhabitants of the covenant. Academus convinces a monk in service to the covenant that Ænigma is a bastion of Christianity among the godless wizards of the south and that, once he wins free of his indenture, he should advise his fellows to travel there. His later conversation with the magus Briareus yields little information, as does Moradira's visit to Augustinius. In the end, the two depart the covenant with more questions than when they arrive, and return to the ship to continue westward to Imperterritus.
[Note: This was a solo session for Minerva's player.]
Synopsis:
Accompanied by Jean de la Roche, Waseem and Cantara, Minerva returns to the ruined city to accept Molitor's hospitality. She speaks with several magi of Radix Potentiae, including Molitor, Fragor and Lara Eborata, all of whom attempt to woo her to obtain her covenant's votes in Tribunal. She also visits Mantia Alba in her new dwelling outside the bounds of the city; the visit yields few real insights, but Minerva enjoys spending time with the old woman, one of the only people in the city she actually likes.
After two days, a pair of visiting magi arrive by the river. Minerva is delighted to discover that one is her beloved pater, Rufus Urbanus. The news he brings discomfits her, however, especially when she learns of the arranged marriage between her and her covenant-mate Augustinius.
Rufus and his traveling companion, the magus Draconigena scholae Criamones, accept Minerva's offer of hospitality at Ænigma, and the group begins the journey to the covenant shortly thereafter. A sandstorm strikes the party en route, and amidst the storm, they are attacked by a raiding party of dog-headed men. Jean and Waseem are wounded in the battle, and Rufus exhausts himself nigh unto death from hurling one Pilum of Fire after another at the raiders. The travelers successfully drive off their assailants, the storm ends, and a worried Minerva tends to her pater as they continue on towards Ænigma.
[Note: Only two players were in attendance at this session.]
Synopsis:
Arriving at a hidden cove in a rocky, barren stretch of coast, the energetic young Redcap Capripes leads Academus through the wastes to the ruined castle that houses Imperterritus. The magus spends little time there, discomfited by the Reconquista covenant's rude hospitality and by the sounds of the unearthly creatures that dwell in the wilds outside. When he returns to the ship to rejoin Augustinius (whom he had been unable to wake in the morning, as usual), they are met there by the leader of Imperterritus, the maga Maria Flammifera. Maria speaks powerfully of the needs of Christendom and of how magi may only save their immortal souls by devoting themselves to crusade against the Moslems. This sways Augustinius, but fails to win him over. The magi encourage her to support them in Tribunal without actually committing themselves to support Imperterritus in turn. Proud of their politicking, they leave bleak Imperterritus and Africa behind as the ship heads north.
The ship continues on its circuit of the Mediterranean. Its first stop in Europe is at Barcelona, where the Jerbiton of the city's small covenant welcome the magi and share their gossip regarding the local Reconquista problems and the renegade Shadow Flambeau. Leaving Barcelona, the ship stops at Marseilles, where the captain speaks with Redcaps from Harco while Augustinius negotiates trade rights with local merchants and mercantile magi. And from Marseilles, the ship travels to Sardinia and the covenant of Verdi. The artisans of Verdi welcome discussion with the travelers, and willingly take their money and vis in exchange for a magical device to regulate temperature and humidity for agriculture at the covenant, which they hope to have ready within a couple of years. Satisfied with their successes thus far, the magi return to their vessel as it sets sail for the city of Rome.