Ars Magica 5e, Rhine Tribunal, 1220

[Shayuri]

Quiet and sulky up until now, Ilshana rolls her eyes and mutters something like 'show offs' under her breath.

Then louder she says, "If you want to go any deeper, you'll want to follow the rules. The Good Folk take their rules very seriously. Of course, you still won't win, but at least they may not fleece you as badly."

She glances back the way they came, back towards the castle.

 

[Yair]

Leo growls in discontent. "See? Already trickery and phantasm spreads here, like a shadow covering the land. I'll bet a pawn of vis these trees aren't what they appear to be, either." Turning his gaze to Ilshana, he half-heartenly says "What is it, precisely, that you suggest we do?"

OOC: Would Ilshana like to cast Disguise of the Transformed Image or similar spells?

 

[Shayuri]

"It's a faerie wood," Ilshana points out. "It has nothing to do with mortals, and it's probably been here longer than men have walked these lands. Love it or hate it, but don't blame it on mundanes, like you do everything else."

She takes a deep breath. "I think we should go to the castle. But if you're bound and determined to do this, then we need disguises. Masks, I should think. And no cheating with magic, because the Good Folk can see through glamours as often as not."

 

[Walking Dad]

"Then let us getting some masks. The good folk gave us at least a warning and didn't came with forks and torches." Thomas says, but wondering if they would need to go into the town to purchase the materials for the masks.

 

[Yair]

Leo snarls at Ilshana, and for a moment a primitive, raw, anger flashes over his face. "This is not a faerie wood! It is a magic wood." He turns his gaze to the others, looking over them with great sadness. "Can't you feel the roots, as ancient as the mountains, stretching back to the dawn of time? A great forest once covered this land, before any human set foot here. And now? You've seen what we walked through. A pale shadow of a forest, nearly devoid of all spirit, its vis [=power] not even detectable. And in what pockets of magic that remain in this ancient place, the dreams of mortals frolic, covering the essence of the forest with illusion, phantasm, falsehood."

He gruffly claws at the earth. "You understand the fey better than I, Ilshana. But I understand forests. If you think they are ancient here, you are mistaken. This was, once, a place of magic."

****

After Thomas' reply, Leo joins in again. "I care not whether we go to the castle, as Ilshana wants, or gather masks. I have shown you what I can of the scars that mar the forest - I doubt if seeing more will convince you, if this much hasn't."

OOC: I believe it is evening, no? The party should retire for the night. Leo would be glad to sleep in the forest, but I suspect Gorgamesh and Ilshana would prefer to head to the village - can we reach it before it is too late?

Leo doesn't really know what he's talking about. He sensed the wood is ancient, and knows there was once a great magic forest in these parts, so he jumps to conclusions. His understanding of what faeries are is likewise his own theory, and is perhaps very, very wrong. At any rate, Leo doesn't particularly like faeries, but generally won't molest them - although he might defend the forest from them, if the forest asks - so hopefully he and Ilshana can find some measure of peaceful coexistence...

 

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

Gorgamesh role: Roll Lookup

Gorgamesh remains silent for now. he thinks about the situation while brewing a comment.

OOC - sorry for the slow posting. I was very busy in the last week.

 

[ArghMark]

Gorgamesh: You remember a few things from your studies.

For one thing, apparently the forest near Rudiaria was not claimed as a Vis source, but the mages of Rudiaria did claim it as 'theirs', and a peregrinatores was killed by Rachel of Tremere when he apparently 'was making free with covenant resources' in the area. As such, the area is not known as a magical place, though the evidence before you may suggest otherwise..

As well as that, you do know that a beast with a serpent tail, a lion body, and a human face is actually a dreaded manticore; a beast of power and legend. If such a legendary beast is here, somebody would have known about it, as its predilection towards eating people is legendary. However, it is one of those 'conversation before meals' types, and is known for its cunning and ability to turn itself into human form. Why it would be here you have no idea; maybe it travels about?

 

[Shayuri]

(OOC - Ilshana has Faerie Lore 1...Invisible Castle seems to be down at the moment, but perhaps you could roll on my behalf? I'd like to see what she can glean about this area of the forest, and the nature of the phenomena we witness. I'd assumed it to be fey in nature, but Leo's got a point...best not to assume.)

 

[ArghMark]

OOC: Eh.. 0, no botch = 4.

Illshana, while you aren't overly familiar with the fey of this region, you can tell that it is definitely fey. As you already know there seems to be some sort of disguise game going on. Other than that, you do recognize that the children in front of you are human and not fey, despite their pale features.

You are still some distance away from them.

 

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

A maticore!
Gorgamesh roll the name on his tongue
A dark beast of legend, used to fright little children before they go to bed. If such a beast lurks in the surrounding land it is troublesome.
Facing Ilshana Gorgamesh say
I wonder if people are telling gossips about such a beast, maybe you can stimulate someone to speak about it. It is said that the dark beast feast on human flesh and has the ability of shape changing.

As for the forest
Gorgamesh turns to all.
I haven’t read in Durenmar's tomes about any special magical location in the area.