Historical Events

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1222

• March 10, Johan Sverkersson (b. 1201), king of Sweden since 1216, dies.
  
• August – After the death of John I of Sweden on March 10, 6-year-old Erik Eriksson is elected new King of Sweden (sometime between this time and July 1223).
• Livonian Crusade – The Danish fail in their attempt to conquer Saaremaa Island from the Estonians.

Spring

Expedition to Oland.

• Basilus
  
• Angelhart
• Jeppe
  
• Werner

Artal had identified this site as having a significant aura. Also notable is the fact that fire doesn’t work here.
Basilus, has gone to investigate the site in more detail.

When Basilus gets to the port, he and his men find out that there are tales of monsters, and the local priest tells them that it’s probably just pagan tales, but that he has sent a few men to investigate, but they haven’t returned. Once Basilus gets there, they find wolf tracks, but no traces of the lost expedition. Once they arrive at the ruins, after a night’s rest away from them, he finds out that his Ignem spells do not take hold, and it feels like something is dampening their effects.

While Basilus is busy casting some spells, the other notice a human figure running towards them from the other side, seemingly able to make her way fast despite the ruins. The three men move to intercept her, only to find themselves faced with a sorceress of some sort, and unable to move from their spot.

Basilus and the sorceress agree to have a talk outside the ruins, as long as he promises not to cast any more spells within them. During the discussions they learn that an ancient beast is chained beneath the ruins, and that thsi sorceress is from a line that has been guarding it from breaking free. The dreams Basilus had that led him to come here, are apparently sent by the creature, in the hopes that he will set it free, to wreck havoc once more. As they talk, the others notice a pack of black wolves running towards them, and the cponversation stops as they head back to the ruined walls, to get a better defensive position. Whereupon, one of the wolves attempts to attack them, despite not meeting much success, though Basilus does suffer a severe wound from the creature’s fiery breath. Meanwhile, the other wolves breath fire at the base of the rampant, and eventually cause it to collapse, but the men manage to clear it just in time. The wolves attempt one last lunge at them, only to have the sorceress capture them in place, unable to move, and have the men cut them to pieces, with slings and arrows. But by the time the fight is over, the sorceress is nowhere to be found.

With Basilus wounded, they decide to return to town, and rest. but not before they take 2 pelts of the wolves, and the strange organ that allowed them to breath fire from one of them.

Basilus, Angelhart, Jeppe, and Werner each get 7 xp, and 2 confidence points.

The visit to Kalmar (annals)

• Andreas
• Jaspar
• Volkert
• Gertrud
  
• Crew of the Halcyon

Session 1 (28th September)

Andreas and Volkert were headed north on Jaspar’s ship, with a view to exploring the north. They arrive in town and meet Liuthold, Henri’s agent in Kalmar. He sends them to The Three Stars, an upscale inn he owns run by Zoete. On their way to the inn, they hear an old fisherman named Odde Snurlsson railing loudly against the Germans, but he is mostly ignored. At the inn they met Gertrud; Magnus Erlendsson had arranged their meeting by correspondence.

Later in the afternoon, Odde is found brutally murdered in an alley. That evening, the locals form a mob and attack the German settlement, but are driven off by the merchants’ guards. They instead take Kalmar’s defensive tower from the Lord of Möre’s garrison. It is reputed that archers on Kalmar’s tower can never miss their shot.

Liuthold summons the party to a conference at the office of Sievert, the informal leader of the German merchants in the town. He explains that the townsfolk have closed the harbour and demand Odde’s murderer, as well as the removal of the German guards and control over the docks and the harbour. Sievert and the other merchants find this unacceptable. Liuthold seems to think that Henri’s agents might be able to help.

Ebbe, the captain of the tower guard, and a few loyal men who left the tower, answer questions about the tower, its construction, and its defences. One of the guards on the guardhouse controlling access to the tower, Volmar, seems to have deserted to the townsfolk, and may have let them in. (The other, Thurer, fled, possibly by boat.) Mikel Jonsson, a young fisherman who also found Odde’s body.

Andreas, Jaspar, and Volkert examine Odde’s body, and discover it has a magical spell on it. His body was badly beaten in many places, as though by a heavy weapon or weapons. Jaspar concludes it’s possible Odde was killed in the alley where he was found, but thinks it is more likely that the body was dumped.

Jaspar suggests bringing Odde’s body to his widow, Sighnis Nighlisdotter, on the island. At Gertrud’s suggestion, Sievert has sent a rider to the Lord of Möre at his manor to the north, but it will be three days before they can expect any answer.

Session 2 (12th October)

Andreas and Jaspar discuss theories. Andreas believes that Odde’s death was orchestrated to incite the uprising, while Jaspar feels that the uprising is an opportunistic action exploiting the otherwise unconnected death. Both agree that trying to find the murderer would be the best course of action.

Gertrud and Jaspar went to the island to deliver Odde’s body to his widow, Sighnis. She thanked them and they accompanied her to the island’s humble church. Jaspar detected vis in Sighnis’s house, and noted her impressive herb garden which includes plants often used by magicians. She explained that she is a healer and wise-woman in the town and makes salves and poultices to ease people’s pain.

At the church, Linnar, the priest, implored Jaspar to get the Germans to make concessions. Gertrud realized, in talking to Sighnis, that she was not duly upset over her husband’s death. They also scouted around the tower, and noticed that security was fairly poor.

Meanwhile, on the German side, Liuthold asked Andreas and Volkert if they could to do anything about the situation as he fears Sievert may do something rash if things don’t get better soon.

After Gertrud and Jaspar returned, everyone went back to the island, where Volkert noticed that the island has a weak Magic aura. Linnar mentioned he had accidentally broken one of Odde’s legs when he was cleansing the body.

They went to Sighnis’ house, where Andreas confronted her about her magic abilities and asked if she knew of other practitioners in Kalmar. She invited them into her house, where she has a sophisticated herbalism lab. Jaspar found the vis in jars on her shelf. Andreas cast a spell on the poultice, which alarmed her so much that she confessed to poisoning her husband, but not intending to kill him, because of his adulterous relationship with the German innkeeper, Zoete.

Session 3 (19 October 2021)

A storm rolled in as the day wound down. Jaspar flirted with Zoete, daring her cousin Godert to intervene. He did, and Jaspar confronted him with Odde’s murder. He confessed. Zoete, when Jaspar tells her what Godert did, is very sad and she disappears.

The party told Liuthold who the murderer was. Jaspar suggested a trial for Godert and a payment of weregild; Liuthold agreed. They returned to the island and made the offer to Mikel, the fisherman-cum-revolutionary in charge of the tower. He demanded they turn Godert over to the locals, as well as giving the locals full control of the harbour, and gave an ultimatim: if Godert was not handed over he would start setting fire to ships in the harbour tomorrow evening,

Andreas threatened Sighnis with exposing her role in her husband’s death if she didn’t help them. She offered to try, but couldn’t make a guarantee.

The party returned to the mainland, where Sievert and Liuthold disagreed about how to proceed. Sievert wanted to assault the tower and put the townsfolk in their place. Liuthold, knowing Andreas could breach the tower wall with magic, wanted to take the tower by stealth, then offer concessions to calm the situation. With Gertrud’s help, Liuthold’s arguments carried the day amongst the assembled merchants.

Liuthold had a list of concessions drawn up in German and Swedish and sent the party back to the island with it. They convinced the locals to agree to the terms, and marched in the rain to the tower, where Mikel’s men deserted him and let Captain Ebbe and his guard in.

Sighnis tells Andreas the legend of the tower: that it’s where the god Ullr shot down a comet to present as a jewel to his beloved. Andreas transcribes runes from the base of the tower, but is not sure what they say.

10XP, 5 Conf.

Seasonal Activity

• Andreas Story 8xp (3xp East Norse 5xp Second Sight)
• Artal reads Imaginem (L10Q17, Imaginem for Newbies)
• Basilus
  
• Jenico reads Rego (L17Q14, The Kingly Art). +14 Rego, +1 An, Au, Ig, Me
• Serapis Reads Magic Theory (L5Q12, New Omnibus after Bonisagus) +12XP, increases to 4; devotes 3 weeks to scribing Posing the Silent Question, for donation to Durenmar.
  
• Jaspar ADV XP (8, +3 Independant study, -5 Might, +5 vis consumed) 10XP buys new Quality (Improved Abilities), 1XP saved.
  
• Jeppe 7 story xp ; Magic Lore 5xp + Medicine 2xp Not updated
• Gesche Gains Theology exposure 2 XP (Pilgrimage)
• Gertrude: 10 Adventure XP (5xp to Folk Ken, 5 xp to Charm)
• Grogs
  • Volkert ADV XP (+5XP Magic Sensitivity, 3XP Folk Ken)
    
  • Gertrude ADV XP (10, +5 Charm, +5 Folk Ken)
  • Werner ADV XP (7, +4 Bow, +3 Athletics)
  • Claas: Code of Hermes L3Q14 14xp
  • Luciano practice Shipbuilding 5 XP
• Claas: Read Code of Hermes L3Q14 14xp (-> 2(4) )

Summer

Cast Jaspar, Jenico, Antoni, Artal, and Jaspar’s Crew

Arrival in the Stockholm archipelago, where the explorers will travel across Lake Mälaren and eventually inland towards the Keel (the mountain range separating Sweden from Norway).

They visit numerous places:

• Stockholm, a small town on a small island in a archipelago.
• Next to Stockholm is an even smaller island with a curious apple tree said to belong to the lord.
• Fuglön they only pass by. It is wooded, unsettled, and occupied by an impressive number of birds.
• The last port, at the Western end of Lake Mälaren
• Grangärde

Travelling through the Faerie Lands

• The hag with her nose in a chopping block
• They fight a bridge troll
  • Jaspar recovers a vis bearing eye from the troll (contains 3 pawns corpus vis).
    
• The women at the mountain farm do not welcome them, but reluctantly provide shelter, after urging them to move on
  • very surprised to see visitors
• Dietmar is taken by Huldra into a regio, but the troupe frees him.
• They meet Lars, mad after escaping from Huldra.

People at the mountain farm

• Clarissa (59)
• Malena (19) granddaughter to Clarissa
• Alicia (19) cousin to Malena
• Marina (13) little sister of Alicia
• Louisa (42), mother to Alicia and Marina, niese to Clarissa

Freyshov

1. Freyshov is a small pagan village. In the woods, they have a shrine with three man-sized wooden statues of Odin, Frey, and Freya. The villagers are reluctant to speak to strangers, but they give them room and board in the longhouse belonging to Yngve the Elder.
2. Yngve is quite frail, and his son Þorgeir manages most of practical affairs.
3. Jenico is very suspicious of the black cat watching him at night. It belongs to Vigdis, an elderly woman spending most of the day knitting with the cat in her lap.
4. Freyshov has about a dozen cottages, including Þorgeir’s longhouse, and about 50 people.

Beyond Freyshov

Played 21 December 2021

1. Travelling on, they are caught in a thunderstorm and it is dark when they arrive at a hospitable and Christian village where they spend the night.
2. Late morning, the next day, they meet a party comprising a priest, four knights and squires, and two servants. They were caught outside in the rain, and are drying their clothes. They explain that they were camping by a strange tree when harpies attacked and chased them away.
3. The troupe decides to travel with father Olaf and his entourage. Artal investigates the strange tree, from where a large and heavy-built man are watching them. It turns out that the man speaks eagle. During the conversation, he gets increasing suspicious of the strange eagle. The man is protective of his tree, but otherwise reveals Very little.
4. Father Olaf is from St Eric, the village with the church that they have seen in the distance downriver.
5. Together with the priest, the troupe arrives in the village of Valberg at night. The knights organise with the hosts. The troupe is given accommodation in a hay-loft.

Hunting for Secrets

Played 4 January 2022

The party confronted the large and strange man, presumably called Harald, the harpies. While Artal was able to down seven out of twelve harpies, they were too strong. Artal was scared away by a supernatural effect too powerful for his Parma Magica, and Jasper had most of his hair and head skin ripped off, for an incapacitating wound. All of them, that is Jaspar, Antoni, Artal, and Jenico lost hair or feathers to the creatures. The party decided to go home, rather than seek further trouble.

The strange tree proved to have Herbam vis in the two branches. Jenico took a piece of the bark as a souvenir, or as arcane connection.

Seasonal Activity

Story XP 10xp Summer + 10xp Autumn

• Andreas: Read Baltic Lore L3Q15 for 18xp
• Artal - 5 xp to Penetration, 5 xp to Creo, 5 xp to Ignem, 5 xp to Parma.
• Basilus
  
• Jenico – 5 in East Norse, 5 in Parma, 5 Concentration, 5 Sweden lore
• Serapis Studies at Durenmar, travelling by horse and without retinue, he should be able to make the journey in less than a month.
  
• Jaspar ADV XP (X, +3 Independant study, -5 Might, +V vis consumed)
  
• Volkert
• Gesche Gains Theology exposure 2 XP (Pilgrimage)
• Gertrude practices Artes Liberales 4 XP
• Werner works as a huntsman (Bow +2)
• Talpa Copying spells (scribe x 60 levels/season = 360 levels) at Durenmar, exposure: Magic Theory +2XP.
• Angelhart 2xp teaching. Teaching Single Weapon to Claas. SQ13 single student.
• Luciano learns Artes Liberales from Volkert (SQ9)

Autumn

The Great Storm (story placeholder)

Artal departs for the northern Baltic area, to scan for more potential covenant sites and vis sources.
A furious storm blows in from the west, lashing violently at towns and villages all along the baltic coastal-line, causing significant damage and loss of life. Many ships are lost at sea.
Artal is caught up in the storm, he does not make it home…

Seasonal Activity

• Andreas - Read Corpus L6Q21
• Angelhart - Practice Low German 8xp
• Artal
  
• Basilus
  
• Jenico (see Summer)
• Serapis
  
• Jaspar
  
• Volkert
  
• Gesche Gains Theology exposure 2 XP (Pilgrimage)
• Gertrude practices Steward 5 XP
• Werner works as a huntsman (Bow +2)
• Talpa: copying Magic Theory (L5Q12) Exposure (+2 Scribe)
• Claas copies The Kingly Art (8pts)
• Luciano reads Leadership Tractatus SQ12

Winter

Antoni sends a letter to his mentor.

Letter from Antoni

Honored Geragio.

In my long travels, I have seen much and experienced much, but I lack an important tool of our trade - a formulary.

As you know, our charms - while powerful - demand great many preparations, and are quite specific, for this reason a collection of texts I can use on demand will be of immense help until I expand my own repertoire. It would speak ill of me should I ignore the great works of my predecessors.

You can use the usual channels to reach me (via my metal industry contacts). I trust them, so the formulary should arrive undamaged, but for your own safety I would recommend making a copy.

Of course, I will pay handsomely for your service as a teacher and master, as I always have.

Your faithfully, Antoni

Seasonal Activity

• Andreas - Read Norway Lore L4Q14
• Angelhart - learn bows from Gesche SQ 8
• Artal: read Rego Summa L17Q14 in Winter 1222
• Basilus
  
• Jenico reads Mentem (L18Q12): +12 Me, +1 In,Pe
• Serapis
  
• Jaspar
  
• Volkert
  
• Gertrude practices Steward 5 XP
• Werner practices Bow (+4)
• Gesche teaches Bow (+2 to Teaching)
• Talpa: copying Magic Theory (L5Q12) Exposure (+2 Scribe)
• Claas copies Corpus summa (8pts)
• Luciano practice Shipbuilding 5 XP