In reply to Colm Cernach (msg # 30):

Giles sizes up the entrance of the Temple and walks inside - keeping an eye out for any priests that can direct him to the Library.

The temple gate is a simple gap in the surrounding wall and a number of people are filing through it as Giles does. A man and a woman stood a little way inside the gate; the man was dressed in white woolen robes and the woman dressed in black robes of the same type.

Two fires burned in pits on either side of the path beside the man and woman and the people funneled between them, some of the worshippers tossed small sprigs of some herb or another into the flames as they passed.

To Giles the inner temple was a strange and unsettling place, though the locals did not seem to note it.

Within the walls was a slightly raised earthern mound surrounded by eight large roughly rectangular stones thrusting some 3m up out of the earth. A large thatched and daubed roof had been vaulted over the circle and Gilles had the feeling that the stones had been here much longer than any of the surrounding structures.

It seemed a ceremony of some sort was underway...

An elderly man Giles assumed was possibly the Arch-Druid gazed over the worshippers and seemed satisfied, he stood before another stone slab supported on two thick beams of oak. His dress was white though a short cloak of raven feathers covered his shoulders and a large brass pectoral inscribed with the image of a flame covered his chest.

He spoke words under his breath for a moment..

Suddenly, the stones became limed with flickering flames that danced upon their surface and the crowd bowed their heads; many of them cut locks from their hair and beards with small knives and cast the hair into the flames that limned the stones.

The Arch-Druid began to speak and Giles had trouble following what he was saying, it was certainly Visic but the sentence structures were strange and offputting.

He welcomed the people, he invited the Goddess into her temple and called upon her to watch over her children.

Two other men dressed in white robes carried two objects into the circle and placed them on the table. One was a Selentine era bronze statue of a woman carrying a lamp and a spear. The other was a black basalt statue, also of a woman but of fierce aspect and hunched with a stylized flame in her cupped hands. It was weathered and seemed ancient.

A middle aged woman dressed in similar white robes approached Giles, " You are not from around here? My name is Maethwon, how may I help you?"

In reply to GM (msg # 32):

“Why no- I am a scholar from Albion only recently arrived in Glissom. Having heard many recommendations of your Temple’s library I would seek to make use of it if that could be arranged. My particular interests involve the Selentine Legions that passed through here to the north and did not return.”

He blurts out a flurry of questions:
“Are you familiar with the Library’s holdings? Is such an enquiry likely to find assistance here do you think?”

Gesturing to the statues “Is that Minerva I see there with the spear and lantern? Did she have a Temple in the old town?”

Catching himself he turns back to the woman and smiles self-consciously-
“You must forgive my impertinence- I am rather intrigued by this place and the spectacle with the stones was quite the thrill!”
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:55, Thu 17 Oct 2019.

Maethwon smiled gently, " Normally one would need a reference from a druid in order to access the library; do you know any Jurists or Hearthwardens? Though I could perhaps vouch for you myself."

" The Selentine? Yes, they spent many years here in Glissom, this city would likely not exist without them...or at least it would look quite different."

" Our library is quite extensive; containing knowledge from the past on many subjects. I'm sure you would find it of interest."

" She is Brigantia, The Hearth Mother, Lady of Glissom...though we have some Selentine writings that refer to her by the name Minerya or the like.  She was here long before they came to us."

In reply to GM (msg # 34):

“I have made few acquaintances since my arrival here so cannot readily produce a reference- could I perchance seek to earn your trust and in doing so obtain such a boon from yourself? I accept my monastic garb may appear alien to your typical Temple attendees though I would have you understand that my order holds as its patron one St Bernard who espoused building communities, vows of poverty and the elevation of mankind through learning. I can assure you I have no call to evangelical or inquisitorial practices- and vow to you now that I intend to make my time in Glissom as innocuous as I may”
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:35, Fri 18 Oct 2019.

Maethwon smiled, " Well, you wouldn't be the first odd outcast I've taken under my wing..."

" Your not the first devotee of the Hanged God to come to Glissom, and I doubt you'll be the last."

" What information would you wish to research? You read Bacchile and Lughwyd?"

In reply to GM (msg # 36):

“My thanks to you- I shall follow your every instruction while under this roof. Yes Lughwyd and Bacchile are known to me and a few other languages besides. My particular interest is the fate of Drajan’s 13th Legion- so any military dispatches, provisioning orders for the troops or indeed any recorded rumours or missives from the period in question would be of great value- as would any maps or travellers tales of the mountains and lands to the north they are likely to have passed through”

OOC:  St Bernard should have been St Marcus!
This message was last edited by the player at 09:21, Fri 18 Oct 2019.

Maethwon smiled and guided him away from the public areas and down some stairs into a cool dry open area, the walls were stone nooks and within them were hundreds of rolled sheets of vellum, thick wooden staves, stone disks and a selection of tomes and scrolls of more recent manufacture.

" The tomes and scrolls contain transcriptions of most of the older artifacts sorted by both age and topic, you can of course peruse the older original sources yourself, those that have survived, but please take great care."

She tipped an urn in a wall bracket into a shallow trough which ran in a series of broad steps down one of the walls and lit it, the bright flames illuminating the area.

" Please use the tables and stools provided."


Giles settled down to work finding much of interest, over the next few hours he discovered:

- He found a copy of a rubbing from a memorial for Lucius Duccius Rufinus a standard bearer.

- The Selentine forces conquered all the arable lands that make up most of the present-day fief of Glissom, and built the walled city of Glissom itself, on the site of what was once little more than a fishing village centred around an important indigenous religious site.

- When the legions withdrew, the first king, Nudd, seized power. He and his warband, though born and bred in Glissom, had been Auxiliaries to a Selentine legion, and their discipline served them well in ruthlessly quashing any attempts at opposition or rebellion.

- He finds numerous references, warnings?, regarding crossing the River...and it seems the Selentines rarely ventured beyond the arable low lands during their conquest of Glissom.

- He discovers that the eastern side of the current keep is formed from the remains of the old Selentine fort.

- He finds some local folklore collections that speak of the time when the centurions invaded the country with their legions encased in bronze armour, and of how one of the centurions, named Drajan, led his men into the mountains in search of Gulro’s city. Not
one of his thousand men was ever seen again, although again it is rumoured that their ghosts stand on the road to the north, begging travellers to go no further.

- He finds reference to a great sage or magus that accompanied the last legions
a note scribbled in the margin indicated that the man’s name was Fabius.

In reply to GM (msg # 38):

Giles carefully transcribes the rubbing from the memorial of the standard bearer.


He seeks out Maethwon and enquires if she is able to provide any more detail about “Gulro’s city” or the “sage Fabius”?

He also asks if, in her opinion the warnings about crossing “the River” would be the River Shadowspin?

Finally he asks if she is aware of any maps that trace the road north of the river and into the mountains- assuming he can find anything of this nature he copies the relevant section in the hope that when he next meets with Finan (and potentially Rachael) that they can identify the location of where Vorenus’ Sword was found in their raid...


OOC:

Is the rubbing legible? If so, what does it say?
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:11, Sat 19 Oct 2019.

The only legible part of the rubbing is the soldiers name unfortunately.

Maethwon drew him in close and whispered that if he wanted to know more about Fabius he should speak to 'the madman at the top of the hill'.

She hushes him when he says Gulro and explains it is another name for Balor, and that the city spoken of is known as Nem in the ancient legends.

She smiles when he asks about the river, the Shadowspin is likely the waterway referred to.

She explains that there is a single ancient road that runs from the town of Rosmuillean which fords the river and runs through the old forest, called Siren Wood by the Selentines, towards the Bracks.

Colm will continue his 'brewing' duties, while Rachel makes some acquisitions to furnish the warehouse for habitation.
Part of the warehouse needs to be a dormitory, with a half dozen pallet mattresses, a half dozen chairs, a couple of tables, and some tallow candles.
Part of the warehouse needs to a training area, with an old barrel for an archery butt, a quintain, with some wooden wasters and unrimmed shields.
Part of the warehouse needs to be a scriptorium, with a writing slope, oil, candles and firewood.
Part of the warehouse needs to be stables with some straw, hay, a buckets and shovel.

OOC - Don't want to spend much, cheap materials, second hand, stolen or recycled stuff is fine.

In reply to GM (msg # 40):

“Many thanks, this has been most illuminating. May I impose on you one last time with any advice you can give me about making contact with this “madman on the hill”?”
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:23, Sat 19 Oct 2019.

" Ask anyone, the insane southerner with the Apothecary shop that doesn't sell anything. "

In reply to GM (msg # 43):

Giles suppresses a laugh at his good fortune. Thanking Maethwon for her assistance and trust, he gathers up his notes and, noting the time, makes his way back towards Finan’s shop- which he now understands may be a front for other activities.

She'll need a few days to get all that together.

Colm will be back at brewing when Giles arrives back at the apothecary shop.

OOC: Might want to refresh memory of To Siren Wood and the aftermath. ;)

In reply to GM (msg # 45):

Giles arrives back at the apothecary shop, stands at the doorway and looks inside. He is unclear who runs the shop and whether Kores ( who he yet to be introduced to) is aware of the arrangement for board he has in place.

Kores suddenly appeared from around the side of the door where he had been inscribing something above the mantle, his eyes wild and unfocused.

" What news do you have of unearthly creatures that roam in the night?  Devils, demons, those unnatural happenings?  Have you heard of children born with deformities?  Strange people speaking about the future?  Livestock killings or mutilations?  Disappearances?  Perhaps you might not pay attention to such things but all happens for good reasons..."

" For good reasons....no, not good reasons...but Reasons! nonetheless."

" Father Jeffries! Brother Jacob? No....too young...too short....Is this one of yours?", he called out loudly towards the back of the shop.

Colm is busy out the back, but is expecting the monk to return.
"Yes, let him in Kores! It is Brother Giles. He is staying for a few nights. Father Jeffries left when the church burned down, and Brother Jacob returned to Cornumbria months ago, I think. Now let him in.

Was your research useful? Come back here and tell me all about it lad."

In reply to Colm Cernach (msg # 48):

“The Priestess named Maethwon was very generous and gave me free access to the Temple’s Library. It is well kept and orderly- I will commend it to Brother Aelfric for future enquiries. As to the present matter- I was able to learn more of the geography to the north- so am able to make more sense of the raids which Rachel spoke of. Drajan was apparently in search of a city sacred to the fell demon Balor- something that was new to me and adds a darker aspect to my search. Drajan was assisted by a sage named Fabius who may have guided the mission- is the name of Fabius at all familiar to yourself or your colleague (whom I would welcome an introduction with if I am to share his lodgings).”
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:21, Sun 20 Oct 2019.

Colm is focused on the simmering cauldron, hanging from a tri-pod.  Colm constantly stirs the brew and adds small pieces of wood to the fire beneath.  He looks up a Giles briefly from his work.

"ah, auld Maethwon is still Librarian?  She was ever kind to me, even when others were not... a Sage named Fabius?  I know this name... When I was in Mimir's Well.  The Lost City of Mimir was an ancient city dedicated to the ancient God of Knowledge.  It became corrupted by Balor, it's people died, its wisdom lost.  All that remained of the once great place was the old well, now known as Mimir's Well - a small settlement in Siren Woods."

Colm continues to stir and thinks a while.

"When I was at Mimir's Well, the headman told me a story.  It was told to him by his father, of how his grandfathers grandfather met the great man Fabius, when he went to see the Lost City of Mimir. The Bronze-Chest's camped outside the village for days.  This must have been Drajan and the 13th Legion.  Fabius was driven to explore the Lost City of Mimir, despite Drajan's disapproval.  Fabius did not return however.  Drajan searched for his companion for days, but eventually continued north with the rest of the 13th.  He was heading for the Lost City of Nem, to the north."

In reply to Colm Cernach (msg # 50):

“Why yes Maethwon was immensely open-handed when others might have shunned my robes- to be fair some of the brothers in other orders to mine have shown questionable conduct  in these parts while pursuing their missionary zeal. I seem to recall the name Mimir- I wonder if it is the same that was associated with Ogmos, Lord of Songs and Keeper of Legends? Was there much left to be seen then of this lost city of Mimir? So it seems that Fabius fell out of the expedition early; tell me have you followed the road further north from here before? Was Vorenus sword recovered from this location also?”
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:14, Mon 21 Oct 2019.

Colm stirs and pauses again.

"...I can tell you that we found the body Fabius the Sage.  We came back south after that.  The Lost City of Nem is said to be in the Bracks?  That's the way Drajan went will the 13th Legion.  Rachel was raiding in the Bracks when she killed the man who had the sword of ucius Vorenus.  Exactly where it came from, I do not know."
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:18, Tue 22 Oct 2019.

In reply to Colm Cernach (msg # 52):

"I have imposed on your good grace enough for one day I think. The matter of translation you asked of me - I would feel better about our arrangement if I could make a start on the task"
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:54, Tue 22 Oct 2019.

"There will be plenty on time for translating later, have you eaten yet?  Kores does the cooking in this house, but it doesn't taste very good.  If you're tired there are some cots upstairs, make yourself comfortable, I'm gonna be here all night.  If you're not tired, I'd value your opinion on that."

Colm passes Giles the Helmet of Typhon to examine.  "Not sure what it does really?"

In reply to Colm Cernach (msg # 54):

Giles examines the outside and inner lining of the helmet carefully for any markings. Does the style of the helmet fit any culture known to Giles?

"Why no I am not tired - I am rather energised by this new challenge! So how did this come into your possession? - this may assist".

OOC: Giles discretely casts "See Enchantment" as he handles the helmet
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:19, Tue 22 Oct 2019.