Calliope goes to find where Emrys is sleeping/resting/preparing to sleep in the church. She had also been holing up there too - the divine aura wasn't interfering with her powers at all, while at the same time it brought her some comfort that could interfere with their infernal enemies at least somewhat. But she had to tell Emrys about what she saw. She couldn't make much sense of it, though, but maybe they could piece it together.

"Emrys? Emrys we need to talk. I had another major vision - the kind that I cannot fully control, but are on the level of the Prophets and Oracles of old. and of course...it foretells ill baleful tidings! With fire and blood and mud!" she said, as she roused him.

"I saw the river. A river at least, and the water overflowed or...the other way around, it drained somewhere! Because where thew river was, filled with mud instead. And the mud drained into a circle of some kind. Or perhaps a circular area. But this mid overflows the river's banks!" she continued.

"And then there was a fire! And it turned red like blood, but I'm not sure if it was feeding on blood, or if this was some vile ritual. But the fire began to cut, and make more blood. Something about a razor cutting and making blood. But this causes the fire to fill into the circle, where the mud had previously poured into." she continued.

"And I also saw a phantom hoof of the horseman, a single hoof int he mud near the goat sacrifice thing. It triggered the vision and pained me as it filled with shadows, but then it was gone." she said, concerned.

"Something involving all this infernal ism is going to do something to the river, I suspect. and it scares me, but it hasn't escaped my notice that the village here is within a circular clearing of sorts, bordered by the river to the South. I looked around at scouting maps and reports and cannot think of anything else. But equally, the details of this vision are extremely vague while the imagery was extremely potent!" she said.

"Look...if the Horseman re-appears, then maybe a clue or hint to beating it and turning the tables on our unknown enemy is to figure out the fire and blood part, and the razors. Because it seems that part of it all is causing the mud to overflow!"

Not quite bedded down for the night, Emrys looks to Calliope with concern.  His quicksilver irises reflect the beauty of the Grecian woman as he stares at her and thinks over her words.

After a long pause he answers, "Some part of your vision could be symbolic and not literal.  Unless they've always been literal?"

The Makhai scans the church with only a few spots occupied by soldiers and his comrades, "If the cultists planned a blood sacrifice here, why would they march the villagers somewhere else first?  The hoofprint near the goat could be to show you that your vision and what happened here are related though."

He thinks a couple of ticks before adding, "It hasn't been raining particularly hard lately to force a lot of flooding and mud into the river.  So that part of your vision may be the result of some magic performed by their hedge wizard or someone.  Still, they took most of the villagers...I think Wulfgang or maybe some of the crusaders should be able to follow their tracks to wherever they've been taken tomorrow morning.  If we find them we likely find the source of your prophecy...so we can prevent it."

Emrys nods to Calliope, "Those men we captured tonight I think were hunters from the village who weren't here when the others were led away.  Or just other locals who lived nearby.  Still they might be able to help us track down the circle you've seen and maybe the lost people as well."

The magus regards his injury, subconsciously putting his hand on his bandage, "Hopefully we aren't attacked tonight or that your vision doesn't occur in the next few hours."

You guys want to interrogate the "hunters"?

I was leaving it for Calliope, Alfred, or Affare...

Calliope's gift may get in the way but Evren or Leonard may be good choices to use.  Or one of the crusaders who can speak Estonian.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 09:37, Wed 24 Apr.

OOC: I'll let Affare handle the hunters. Calliope is too concerned about the vision right now. Although if she wraps up quickly with Emrys, maybe she will stop over and ask them about the river and circle etc. But for now, letting the ungifted folks go first with them. I also wanna see Affare's player in action too.

Calliope nodded.

"The Crusaders were nice about it. I mean, as nice as I could ever expect them to be. They looked at me like I was a mad woman, as I knew they would, but a part of them still remembered that I was an important person on this expedition, and they didn't totally dismiss me. Or try to lock me in a barn again, anyway. But for them, it's a golden amount of progress." she said.

"But they only knew so much about the area, and their scouting reports are pretty lacking too. So I actually think asking the hunters about this stuff is a great idea. But we should let Affare have a go at them first." she continued.

"If these hunters are innocent villagers just returning home, then that's one thing. But if they are with the infernalists, then for all I know our auras might make us look appealing in their eyes or some such. Like I could be a vile woman to them, in a good way. Now THAT would be a twisted twist on my curse, eh? Turning lemons into lemonade indeed. Or at least Green Olives into Tapenade, heh. I bet you're the only other person in these parts who even knows what a Tapenade* is." she added with a grin.

*I Googled it and it's an olive-based food spread.

Emrys offers a wistful smile, "I was a young child when my master, Custennin, found me and brought me north.  Not many olives to be had in Fengheld.  I remember them though."

He winces somewhat as he shifts his seat, "You should see if Affare or maybe Alfred can learn anything from the hunters.  Though Evren can be friendly enough as long as you don't get on his bad side and Karl has his ear to the ground when it comes to people."

Affare asks around about getting some soup or other light meal for his patient.  For the time being, he refrains from questioning her, not wanting to add to her stress at this time.

OOC: At the moment, he is unaware of the other events which are transpiring.

Never had tapenade?  It's good.  Spanish though, but I'm not going to complain.

As Calliope and Emrys seem to be discussing something Affare, Evzen fills you in on what happened while you were busy nursing the old lady.

Getting food for her is easy enough.  Soon, the medics have fed her some thin broth and bread.  She seems to be a little more cognizent.

The three "watchers" are being held in a hut closest to the church.

The evening watch changes shifts with the night watch on the walls.  The crusaders get ready for a long night.

I've heard of tapenade but never had it (I think;-).  Looked it up, more centered in the Provencal region.

Emrys was found by his master about age 5 and brought to Germany.  I'm thinking one of the Aegean islands (or the South West coast of future Turkey).  Olives would be a remembered taste of childhood but what he probably most misses is seafood;-).

A bit wired from the evening excursion, after keeping the other master updated on things Evren walks over to the small hut to check on the watchers they captured.

He checks with the guarding crusaders to gather the latest scuttlebutt, "So they figure out who these men are?"

23:57, Today: Emrys rolled 3 with the Ars Magica stress die.  Charm (small talk) Comm +2 Charm +5

"They claim to be from a neighboring village," says one of the soldiers who's fluent in Estonian.  "They say that they came across tracks of a large number of people fleeing this village.  So they swung by to see if it was a threat to their own."

He looks at you.  "They say the man on the black horse and his wolves have been about lately.  We asked 'em what that mean.  But they just said the man is a demon.  This lot ain't Christian.  They're still of the heathen mindset.  So what they mean by "demon" ain't the same as what we mean by it.

"But I suppose it don't matter.  They say the man on the black horse is from a village to the north and east a' here.  A place in their tongue called Bent Boughs.  None of us know of it.  But there's still a lotta little villages tucked around we've never come across still."

Affare asks to be taken to the hut to talk to the prisoners, since if he tries to get there on his own he’ll probably end up somewhere in the Byzantine Empire.  Getting lost has been a specialty of his for quite some time.

Evren nods, "Appreciate it.  Pretty sure my masters are gonna want to go up to that village to look for that soldier we came here for.  And pretty sure Master Emrys will want to try to kill that black rider."

The former HRE campaigner shakes his head, "Gonna be the death of me yet."

Evren offers the guard a drink, "They say what the name of that demon from Bent Boughs was?  Just one right 'sides the dog-men of course?"

22:30, Today: Emrys rolled 7 with the Ars Magica stress die.  charm (5) +2 com= +7 evren. – 7

As he chats with the soldier near the church, Evren spots Affare stumbling around in the dark (clear as day with his Cat's Eyes).  He calls out, "Master Affare, over here."

He quietly tells the redcap what he's just learned.

Over to you Affare;-)

EDITED Sorry Emrys!

Calliope had finished warning Emrys about her visions and latest musings, and had left to go find the Grogs and Affare. When she encountered the guard talking to one of her people, she waited silently before answering a question of her own.

"Did those men mention anything about a circle and a river? Or better yet, a circular area near a river?" she asked.

"Did they describe the geography of this bent Boughs place? I mean if it's Bent maybe that town is the one I'm looking for."

"One of you, Affare or you, needs to ask the prisoners if they are familiar with a circular area near a river that may also be tied to the Horseman. Soldier, do you know anything?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:59, Sun 28 Apr.

In reply to Calliope Podarces (msg # 274):

Emrys is headed for some rest.  That's one of the grogs, Evren.  At semi-troupe style but you can grab an unassigned grog anytime you wish.

I just grabbed Evren after a few days to move things forward.

Affare, let me know what questions you want to ask the hunters.

After some discussion Calliope, one of the soldiers sketches something on the crude map they've made.

"If this...uh..."Bent Boughs" is where they say they are, it'd be on a little piece of land that juts out into the river.  But it's not completely surrounded.  Far as we know, there's no kinds of islands or anything round here.  But we haven't really done much exploration to the west and north."

In other words Calliope, there could be someplace like you're looking for, but no one seems to know for sure.

Moving on

Your company settles in for the night.


Clouds roll in from the west.  They cover up what little bite of moon the night hasn't eaten.  The soldiers light up as many torches as they can and you are all trundled up into the church.


The wounded soldier and Olga's sister seem to have their fever break.  They both now seem to be sleeping, though rather deeply.

Maybe some of you fall asleep.  If you do, you can only enjoy a few hours.  You're shaken awake by a worried looking soldier.  He puts a finger to his lips when he catches your eyes.

The first thing you notice is how cold it's gotten.  It was chill already.  But this feels more like the dead of winter.  In the mountains.  Your breath is turning to a brittle fog in front of your face.

You can hear howling.  It sounds distant.

The old woman suddenly starts shouting.  "Nad tahavad, et me põleksime!  Nad tahavad, et me kõik elusalt põleksime!"

You hear some shouting from outside.  The soldiers are moving to the church door.

It sounds like there is some kind of racket going on outside.

Emrys sits up and then stands.  He nods to Evren as the little Czech goes and makes sure the other grogs are up and armed.

Clutching his side as he moves, Emrys grabs his latest staff (ammunition) and waits a moment before trying to get a look at the trouble.

His cat's eyes and illusion of the shifted image spells are good until morning.

23:39, Today: Emrys rolled 16 with the Ars Magica stress die.  perception -3 for wound. – 16

Calliope goes by Emrys for now. She has long learned that of the entire troupe, he is her greatest protector and that her chances of being killed or kidnapped tend to be at an all time low when he is nearby.

I always thought you two would make a cute couple...

The howling continues.  The ruckus is definitely sounds of fighting.  But you aren't hearing steel on steel.  It sounds more like carts being overturned or people banging against the walls of the church.

The old woman is shouting now.  Screeching.  She's balled herself up against one wall, covering her head, and screaming, "Miks sa mind selle kuradiga siia tõid?  Ta tapab meid kõiki!"

Please make me two Awareness/PER checks a piece please.

Karl suddenly points towards the back of the church.  You can see where Olga's sister and the soldier were laid.  The soldier is trying to sit up, groaning as his wounds grind from the effort.  He seems bleary eyed and out of it.

Outside, you can start to hear a scratching sound. As if something with nails is clawing at the walls of the church.

Emrys notices Calliope nearby, "If I step outside, don't follow.  My magical shield may provide some protection but the Church is better I think."

22:20, Today: Emrys rolled 2 with the Ars Magica stress die.  awareness. – 2

22:20, Today: Emrys rolled 4 with the Ars Magica stress die.  awareness -3. – 4

Maybe a little distracted;-)  Emrys thinks so too but a Greek woman that lovely you just can't steal away to Troy;-)

Honestly, Calliope does find Emrys to be somewhat appealing as well, for various reasons. He's got Greek heritage (but that's not a requirement for her), he understands her blessing/curse and isn't affected by it, treats her like a perfect gentleman, and also is as thoroughly domesticated by her as the rest of the Troupe is. Yet, as gentle and patient and abiding as he is with her, he equally isn't afraid to hurl a magically-sharpened log the size of a cabin wall at someone across a river or something if the need arises, and she appreciates a man who can treat a woman like a princess while also fighting for her, and occasionally hurling some logs and stuff, when the gloves come off. ^_^

He also is educated enough to hold sustained intellectual conversations with her, both on magical and mundane topics, which is a huge plus.

However, there's a reason she isn't dropping more than subtle, indirect hints and it mostly has to do with her blessing/curse situation and the fact she doesn't understand enough about Apollo. Also, there is no longer a Troy left to steal her away to. :P


Calliope nodded, and attempted to listen closely both with her mundane senses, but also her heightened ones...

13:21, Today: Calliope Podarces rolled 16 with the Ars Magica stress die.  perception + awareness. – 16

13:21, Today: Calliope Podarces rolled 5 with the Ars Magica stress die.  perception + awareness . – 5

Well as normal it's not adding my mod properly. Her Perception+Awareness is a base of 10, 11 if "alertness" comes into play. The one with a 16 base result did something i not seen before 13:21, Today: Calliope Podarces rolled 16 with the Ars Magica stress die (({1,1}4)). Maybe it exploded because of the 1's?

Either way, the result of a 16 and 5 ads 10 or 11 to each result so she gets approximately 26 and 15 on her rolls.

20:48, Today: Affare Acisculu rolled 6 using 1d10+3. – 6

20:48, Today: Affare Acisculu rolled 9 using 1d10+3.  awareness/per. – 9


If it’s not too late, I’ll ask the hunters more about the identity of this demonic rider: his name, what he appears to want, etc.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:21, Thu 02 May.

Affare, you asked the hunters earlier.  They seemed to be a bit more at ease around you.  Probably because you aren't a soldier and you don't have that whole "evil air" thing that Emrys and Calliope have going on.

You get a bit of their story.  They confirm they are not from this village or Broken Boughs.  Instead they come from a village to the east.  They were out after game and saw the villagers from here marching in the direction of Broken Boughs.  And they came to investigate.  You get the feeling they were scouting the place for scavenging purposes.

They've never seen the rider.  Only heard tales.  Every village in this part of the land knows the tales.

A rider on a black horse, who travels with a pack of black wolves.  He is the master of Broken Boughs.  The villagers there revere him as a god.  And they will make raids on other villages to capture slaves for him.  What happens to the prisoners no one knows, though the general consensus seems to be this man hunts them and then gives their bodies to his horse and his pack to eat.

The man is called Hobuse Sõrg.  Or Horse's Hoof

One of the hunters claims to have seen the horse's tracks in the woods one time.

"It was the damnedest thing.  The hoof print was backwards.  Like it's hoof was twisted 'round the wrong way.  But you could tell it was going the other way.  Like that damn horse's legs are on backwards."

"I hear them wolves are huge.  An' black as midnight," offers another man.  "They don't like the shaman's crosses you're lot puts up.  They're afraid of the bread that your lot makes."

---

Emrys, you slide open the door, looking outside.  Taking any of the Groggers with ya?

The soldiers have lit up the area around the church.  There must be a torch every five paces.  You can seem some of the soldiers.  They seem to be fighting...the air.  They are all waving their swords or wrestling with some kind of opponent who isn't there.

You hear a howl.  Something is touching the borders of your parma.  You can feel it, like an old man tapping the side of a house with his cane to see how sturdy the walls are.  But it isn't focused on you specifically.  It seems to be in the air around the church.

---

"The girl!  Olga!"

Calliope and Affare, you hear the wounded soldier gasping.  He's waving an arm, gesturing towards the altar of the church.

"The girl!  The...host!"

"Get inside the Church!" yells to the soldiers, "Bring the Estonians too!"

His eyes flash like quicksilver as he looks out at the soldiers fighting air.

No grogs and he's not crossing the threshold of the Church.  Figure the grogs are getting their gear on.

Emrys attempt to destroy any magical effect (mentem) within the range of voice equal to half of level 15 (level 10 since round up?) + stress die (perdo 5 vim 6  stamina +1 -3 for wound -1 for aura) nonfatiguing. (general perdo vim to dispel +4 magnitudes of the Vim spell + a stress die (no botch)).

01:14, Today: Emrys rolled 5 with the Ars Magica stress die.  Emrys attempt to destroy any magical effect nonfatigue (1 level range voice +2) level 3 total. – 5  (17 -4) divided by 5 = 2.6 (so level 3) so spell casts

+ 4 magnitudes is level 15 (4, 5, 10, 15) and half is 7.5 (round up to 10)...so dispels a level 10 mentem effect or less?

Affare calls urgently for blessed crosses, holy water, even the holy eucharist.  This enemy can only be defeated by the power of the Christian faith.  He also urges everybody, including the fighting soldier, to start praying in unison.