Annals of Occulus Outpost 1228

Spring

Seventeenth Grand Tribunal of the Order of Hermes.

  • Artal reads Philosophiae Summa (L4Q11)
  • Gesche learns Artes Liberales from Gertrude (SQ11)
  • Gertrude teaches Artes Liberales (Teaching 2 exposure xp)
  • Talpa: Copy Lab Texts for Artal. 300 levels. Exposure 2xp Scribe
  • Andreas prepares cloak for enchantment
    • A poshly blue cloak with hood and four buckles: magnetic, brass, bronze, and silver
    • Exposure 2xp Magic Theory
    • Train Honeystocker (8xp Magic Theory)
  • Claas practices painting
  • Angelhart practices Music
  • Jeppe makes figurines
  • Jenico reads Mentem (L18Q11, +1 Pe +1 In)

Summer

Artal and Antoni goes to Uppsala

Played 9 January 2023

Cast Artal, Antoni, Herman, Siemer

The party arrives in Uppsala. The unGifted ones go to the cathedral and are admitted into the library with little hassle. Artal watches from the sky.

They find some information on the first day, but not enough to decide what to do next. Unrelated, some of them start suspecting that one of the monks have a crush on Herman. They get lodging in the cathedral’s hospital.

Played ?? 2023

Artal intercepts a carrier pigeon sent by Rikmott. It carries a note with two or three runes which the magi cannot interpret, as well as a longer letter in Latin, reading as follows.

Dear F, I hope you are well. A Mathematicus from Bologna is searching for Sæmund’s secrets in the cathedral library. His name is Antoni. He travels with a companion, Hermann, and I think they reside on Arn’s land, close to the mouth of Mälaren. I will try to find out what he knows and what his interests are. He refuses help and says little about his intentions. R

Played 15 February 2023

The party steals Sæmund’s Histories and return to the covenant. Artal is wounded by an arrow as they try to foil pursuing riders.

Seasonal activities

  • Artal goes on Adventure (11SQ): 5xp in Predo, 4xp in Muto, 2xp in Parma
  • Gesche spends time talking with the local priest about god’s creation (Dominion Lore 2 exposure)
  • Talpa copies Beautiful Letters
  • Andreas attunes cloak as talisman
    • Exposure 2xp Magic Theory
    • Train Honeystocker (8xp Magic Theory)
  • Claas: (Work) Write Trade Posts and Trade Routes in the Baltic Sea (Baltic Sea Lore Q12-3)
  • Jeppe concocts a formula

Autumn

Ilse’s Brother

  • Played 7 March 2023

  • Cast Andreas, Gesche, Hermann, Ingraham, Volkert

  • Letter to Ilse from her mother

    • The brother has been missing in Sweden for two seasons, but the letter does not say where.
    • He came to Sweden a year earlier
    • He is called Theis, and is younger than Ilse.
    • The father is called Jürgen.
  • Andreas takes some covenfolk to investigate

  • Ingraham talks to someone placing Thies in Kalmar last Autumn

    • Thies was nervous about the future.
  • Gesche talks to the priest

    • was there a church hostel?
  • In the second inn, they overhear Karsten from Hamburg

    • Thies ame into Kalmar last Autumn, strangely late in the year
  • They meet Einar, cranky lord South of Stockholm

  • Luthold (our trade master) gets us passage to Kalmar with Detlef who departs in 3-4 days

  • In Kalmar, they meet Frederic the trade manager

    • he knows Jürgen and checks records
  • They meet Signis the Witch

    • she wants to come to Fågelön
  • They talk to the priest

    • who spoke to Thies last October
    • very generous and devoted to the church
  • Ingraham finds some gossip

    • Thies had a cagy lead for Swedish goods of high value
    • Heinrich crooked ear
    • Thies was heading North and inland
  • they get room and board at the covenant’s guest house

  • Played 28 March 2023

  • Woken up at 5am by a big man at the door

    • This is Eskil, who offers to take them to Heinrik after making sure that they are only looking for Thies.
  • They travel a few days later with Eskil’s caravan

    • three guards plus Eskil
    • four carts
  • Eskil is from the Skara area

    • he has been working for Heinrik for some time
    • he seems largely to act as a profession intimidator
  • Arriving at Skara, Andreas recognises the cathedral

    • they talk to the priest who has seen Thies with Heinrik and the bishop
    • Thies stayed in Skara through Winter, but left without saying goodbye
  • Eskil has recommended an inn.

  • They get an audience with Heinrik

    • Thies has presumeably left for Stockholm early in Spring
    • Heinrik is genuinely concerned for Thies
    • he is not completely honest about their business, claiming only a very ordinary arrangement with commonplace goods.

Played 18 April 2023

Pending the audience with the bishop, the party decides to scout the city and surrounding area. Skara has about 500 inhabitants.

Herman scouts by air and finds a warehouse that must have a hidden room. We get Honeystocker to tunnel in from outside the city. Andreas finds letters to Heinrik and to Heinrik and the Bishop with reports from all over Sweden. Many notable people are named. Thies and Jürgen trade in mercenaries, and the Bishop is hiring.

The letters also report of strange things on Fågelön. They have a spy called Lennart. The reports are not detailed.

Did Thies go with a caravan or a guide? We are going to need a guide when we leave.

The next day, we get an audience with the Bishop.

  • Thies was buying furs.
  • he must have hired a guide, but he refers to Heinrik
  • Sweden is a dangerous place, with a lot of ambitious people
  • Thies was not in politics
  • The Crown and the Church have many enemies
  • We should ask Heinrik about Lage’s group
    • brigands haunting the Southern route
    • Heinrik knows more

Thies stayed at the same inn where we do,.

Lage does not have a large force, but he uses them wisely. He has a poor estate which does poorly. Lage was also mentioned in the letters in the warehouse, but then the name unknown, Andreas did not get the details.

Folke has been missing, and is a likely candidate for Thies’ guide. Our guide is called Sigge.

Played 2 May 2023

The party sets off with Sigge as a guide. When they camp close to Lage’s manor, they hear people moving in the woods, but they do not see them.

  • Sigges shows them the manor, and agrees to wait while they go to talk to Lage.
  • Andreas casts Aura of Rightful Authority on Lage, and this gives them a respectful reception, even if Lage is stingy on the actual information.
  • When Lage leaves them, Andreas casts the same spell on Dan, one of the men-at-arms, and ask him to give them a tour.
  • Dan shows them the holding cottage and tells them about many of the people who have been held hostage that year.
    • Ruben was the last guest
    • There was one merchant, Tage, who was held for a long time, probably to arrange ransom from Uppsala or thereabouts
  • The two remaining men-at-arms are suspicious and decide to lock Dan and the party inside the holding cottage.
  • It comes to combat, and all the three men-at-arms are seriously injured.
  • The party sustains no damage.
  • Lage arrives and surrenders.
  • While Volkert and Geshe treat the wounded, Andreas and Lage go inside for a briefing.
  • Lage captures Thies at the behest of Thorsten Einarsson. Would that be the Einar, lord South of Stockholm?
    • Lage did not know wherefrom he came, maybe Uppsala, maybe Linköping.
    • Lage did this for payment; apparently no ideological or other reasons
  • Thorsten was muscular, blonde, bearded, tall, young, and noble
  • Folke was killed during the capture.
  • Lage has an «understanding» with the bishop.
  • Lage seems not to be into politics at all.

Seasonal activities

  • Adventure Source Quality 12; four confidence points
  • Gesche was adventuring (12 xp, 5 xp in Charm, 5 xp in Single Weapon, 2 xp in Hunt)
  • Andreas (story xp) takes Parma 5, Swedish 5, and Finesse 2 if nobody objects.
  • Honeystocker was adventuring 12 xp (4 in Brawl, 4 in Magic Lore, 4 in Survival)
  • Artal recovers from his wounds, and reads the Magic Theory Summa (SQ10, but only 5SQ due to injuries)
  • Jeppe concocts a formula
  • Jenico reads Philosophy (L4Q11)

Winter

  • Having recovered, Artal crafts a Lamp of Light for his Lab, which gives the Magical Lighting virtue to it. (2 exposure xp in Creo)
  • Gesche spends organizing the turb (Leadership 2 exposure)
  • Angelhart teaches Music SQ10 for Talpa and Claas (two students)
    • Talpa studies Music 10xp
    • Claas practices Music 10xp
  • Andreas reads Imaginem in the Music class L19Q10-1 for 14xp (book learner and study bonus)
  • Honeystocker Practices Brawl 4 xp