1229 AD Part 2: Dreams of a Free Nile

Brief note: all social and legal/diplomatic rolls are against other magi with the Parma, meaning no Gift penalty on these. I think that's fair giving the already daunting challenge here, and the nature of the story that's emerged. Also, because I don't think I've explained the reusing characteristics and abilities rules before: you can only reuse a characteristic once you've used every other one, and you can only reuse an ability once you've used every available type for the specific challenge. You'll see below. 

Summer 1229

The Changing Tide

In early summer, Jabril received an unusual letter from his mentor Heliobus. It seemed that much had happened at the Grand Tribunal. Many of the Crusader covenants, most of them concentrated, unsurprisingly, in Christian-ruled territories, had spent their time at Durenmar aggressively recruiting newly-gauntleted magi from Christendom, promising virgin territory with vis sources aplenty. Heliobus predicted that soon, the Crusaders would have a slim majority in the Levant, and be able to manipulate Tribunal politics into breaking the Treaty of Baghdad. This was the worst possible situation for not just Siwa and the Pyramids, but all of the Levant. But, there was likely nothing they could do to avoid the breaking of the Treaty. 

But still, hope remained. With the founding of Ikhmindi, there were four covenants west of the Sinai. If Venti Rosa could be recruited, and convinced to serve exclusively the covenants near and around the Nile, that made five. It was unlikely that True Cross, the Crusader covenant in Damietta, could be recruited, but if a new site could be scouted and colonized, with or without Venti Rosa, there were enough covenants in northeast Africa to form an independent Nile Tribunal apart from the Levant, and form their own agreements with the Egyptian sahirs. Here Jabril paused. It was an uncomfortable prospect, the idea of secession, and a dangerous one. There would not be another Grand Tribunal for decades, which meant a lack of official recognition. Moreover, the last time a new Tribunal had forcibly established itself, in Novgorod, the member covenants had suffered a withering wave of Wizard’s Wars from Rhenish magi, as well as nasty bureaucratic sabotage. This was without even discussing the fact that the sahirs may or may not respect such legalities, although Jabril had a feeling they might. Besides, had he not just a few years before nearly died arguing in favor of the Levant? 

But then, like honey dripping from the comb, came the thought of the benefits. With an independent Nile Tribunal would come focus, an intensification of research into the magic of the ancients, a Peripheral Code as yet unwritten—and a fresh new political playground to carve his legacy into. Moreover—said the cunning moralist in his mind, all too skilled in justifying his bad decisions—was it not right that the Nile be recognized for its unique status? Certainly, it was a land of Arabs, as he had argued several years ago, but it was also the land of the Copts, and further south populated by stranger folk: the Ethiopians and Aithiopes whose lands buttressed one another, the Blemmyae of the Red Sea Coast, the Amazigh of the desert. All of these had unique magical histories and traditions that deserved to be centered and integrated into a Hermetic-Nilotic tradition. And above all, this at least promised the possibility of peace with the sahirs, which he greatly preferred to his homeland becoming enemy territory overnight. 

It was an easy decision, and one he threw himself into. The letter had gone on to say that there would be a meeting in a week or so at the Pyramids of the concerned covenants, and he was strongly encouraged to attend. But in addition, Heliobus, studying certain ancient records hidden in the Pyramids regio, had potentially found another site, and asked Jabril if he could scout it on his way and deliver a report to the assembly, given his reputation. He was happy to agree. After gathering supplies and informing his turb captains to patrol his holdings, Jabril set off. 

The site selected was roughly midway between Gizeh and Siwa: Bahariya Oasis, a pleasant enough little valley filled as per much of Egypt with ruins and relics, and some few inhabitants. More specifically, Heliobus had acquired samples from one of the saltier springs in the oasis, and found that it contained Terram vis aligned to Magic, meaning likely a magic aura. It was Jabril’s responsibility to find it, and scout out whether or not the local site could actually sustain a small covenant. 

First came the trek. Four days of passage through the desert, using PeIg magic to survive during the blistering days, and shuddering through the cold desert nights around carefully-hidden fires. Jabril was an old hand at desert survival, though, and knew how to quickly dig out a burrow for himself, much like the asps he had been raised by. Before long, coming to the crest of a large dune, he found the valley of Bahariya stretching out before him in a deep depression. 

Now came the search itself. Jabril supplemented his own senses by summoning a host of local asps, who rapidly spread across the oasis, searching for the vis source that was his goal. Unfortunately, the oasis was occupied by a host of wandering goatherds and their charges, and the sudden influx of snakes triggered quite the panic, which took up nearly two days while he was confronted by angry peasants and forced to either pay them off or scare them off. Becoming frustrated, he took to the sky atop his hyena pelt, and noticed that some of the wilder beasts that still remained in the valley seemed healthier, plumper than the others, almost as though they had been eating or drinking from an enriched source. Quickly following them, he tracked the creatures to a large spring in the east of the oasis, where he discovered to his delight the very source spoken of: a salty, and yet somehow drinkable spring enriched seemingly by natural runoff from cliffs above. Investigating those cliffs, he found a host of rock-cut tombs sufficiently large to host a covenant, as well as another Corpus source among the bodies themselves. 

Feeling satisfied with his discoveries, Jabril turned his flying pelt to the east and made for the Pyramids.

First challenge: Sta+Survival (specialty, rolled 3+2+3=8, cast Let The Sun Not Bother Me This Day to add mag 2 and spent 2 confidence for a success), Per+Summon Animals (specialty, rolled 0, botch threatened! Botch die 1, 7, becomes normal failure with a result of 5), Qik+Hunt (specialty, rolled 3+0+3=6, cast Woolen Steed of Araby to add mag 3 and spent 2 confidence to succeed). 2 successes, 1 failure. 

Return to the Pyramids

(Worth noting: I am adding Jabril’s reputation to his social and legal rolls here, as his status as a skilled seeker carries weight among the exploration-minded Egyptian magi.)

Jabril took only a short time to come to the Pyramids, arriving by the end of the day he had set off. For the first time in his memory of the place, the ship-regio was powerfully overcrowded, though of course its magical nature meant there was no danger involved. Among the magi on board, he counted some he knew and a surprising few he did not. Of course, there were the priests and priestesses of Ra who called the place home, along with Heliobus. Two pale-skinned, aloof young fellows he knew as David ex Tremere and Xydas ex Bonisagus, the only Crusader magi west of the Sinai, occupying an abandoned Muslim sorcerer’s estate in Damietta: the pompously-named True Cross covenant. More welcome was the sight of the five Mercere of Venti Rosa, including their awkward newest recruit Robert, a Sicilian who flapped a hand in greeting at Jabril as he entered. 

Most curious was the collection of four young magi standing in their own cluster at the prow of the ship. These were the inhabitants of the new covenant at Ikhmindi, all drawn from the areas known, horrifically to Jabril, as the Slavelands by the Nubians: the ungoverned lands to the west, east, and south of Nubia and Ethiopia, from which the aforementioned nations periodically enslaved whole swathes of people to be bargained for in the markets of Egypt and Arabia. For his part, Jabril had always been a free man, and found such practices viscerally disgusting. One of the magi, he noted with curiosity, was quite clearly an Acridophagus, or “locust-eater”, one of a tribe of people afflicted with a terrible and hereditary infection of winged lice that devoured their bodies over time. He winced with sympathy seeing the young man scratching at his sores. 

Beyond those tied to covenants, there were a handful of eremites as well, some he recognized and some he did not. Among the usual collection of mad hermits and furtive scholars that populated the edges of every tribunal, he was astonished to see the stately figure of Scipio ex Guernicus, Chief Quaesitor of the Levant. Although he looked aloof and somewhat nonplussed by the crowded ship, Jabril hoped desperately that the nonagenarian would support a new tribunal. His word held great weight among not just the Quaesitores, but House Guernicus themselves. The weight of Magvillus behind them would go a long way towards staying the vengeful hand of the Levantine magi. 

Throughout all of his observation, as he began to mingle, Jabril kept a weather eye out for how the wind seemed to be blowing among his sodales. He was gratified to see that the Pyramids magi, so recently divided into pro- and anti-Theban secession factions, were united behind the idea of an independent Nile Tribunal. Simply put, the idea joined both their interests: the pro- faction were able to escape the Levantine politics they despised, and the anti- faction were able to maintain a sense of self-determination away from the old traditions of a more hidebound tribunal. For their part, the magi of True Cross were the most clearly opposed, which was expected. Some whispered, though, that with the Crusader enclave in Damietta driven out by the Ayyubids eight years ago, it was only a matter of time before True Cross would be forced to adapt or be wiped out. 

The magi of Ikhmindi seemed neutral, but open to being convinced towards an independent Nile Tribunal. A re-centering of power on the Nile would both bring them more potential power, but also bring their covenant more scrutiny. For their part, Venti Rosa was surprisingly enthusiastic about the prospect, given that it would shorten their travel times and make their routes through altogether more hospitable areas than the trackless desert wastes some of the Levantine covenants were hidden in. This was a huge boon, as taking away the Mercer House of the Levant would go a long way towards shoring up the case for the Nile. 

Finally, the four eremites were mixed: two simply wanted to be left alone, a third was passionately against the project, while Scipio declared that he was simply here as an impartial observer. Jabril detected more than that beneath his impassive exterior, but elected not to pry.  The old man deftly redirected the topic towards Jabril's discoveries in Siwa, but before he could delve too deeply into them, Heliobus sounded a small bell and called the meeting to order. 

After the initial introductions, Heliobus properly took the floor to explain the purpose of this meeting, largely repeating what he had already explained to Jabril. There were some caveats: the Pyramids were by no means suggesting an immediate secession, which would likely be seen as improper at best. Rather, this was a preparatory session, organized with the intention of ensuring that all the Nile and Nile-adjacent covenants were on the same page before the Tribunal meeting in 1234, when the Crusaders would likely push to annul the Treaty of Baghdad. If they did so, Heliobus said, it was then that the proposed Nile alliance would bring up the topic of secession. It was here as well that he discussed several of the issues with said secession: lack of a Grand Tribunal for decades, which would mean operating somewhat unofficially at best, the prospect of mass Wizard's Wars, and even the possibility that the Egyptian sahirs would ignore the legal differentiation. While all were difficult, he acknowledged, none could not be overcome, especially with his own reasonably peaceful contact with the sahirs. 

Here, the old Bonisagus yielded the floor to whomever wished to speak. The magi of True Cross, unsurprisingly, quickly cut in to attempt to shout down the idea, arguing that it was their duty as an order emanating from Christian Europe to support the Christian side of the conflict. Jabril attempted to argue rhetorically, but young David ex Tremere had been trained not just as a duelist in certamen, but also in debate, and deftly wove rings around him, causing a general murmur among the crowd. 

Seeing he was losing the neutral parties, Jabril quickly changed tactics, and began to weave a story of rumors common among the sahirs that they had discovered prior collusion between Hermetic magi and Crusader forces in Damietta. While certainly not an open violation of the Treaty, it was breaking the spirit of it, and some sahirs, he cunningly lied, were likely to use their powers to find out those responsible and destroy them. That is, Jabril slyly noted, unless they threw in with those with the strength to protect them. His imposing, tall figure standing over the smaller David here drew quite the response from the assembly, and though the Tremere hastily moved to rebut, the tide of the crowd was temporarily with Jabril. 

After their disagreement, a few others had their say: some of the Pyramids magi weighed in on why this was necessary and Robert of Venti Rosa proved a surprisingly strong advocate of the secession, while the one Jerbiton from Ikhmindi, an Icthyophagus or "fish eater" from the coast of the Red Sea by the name of Mukhtar, laid out the case for anti-secession. He argued that the political weight of this group could just as easily be turned to opposition to the annulment of the Treaty, and that simply abandoning the Levant allowed it to be wholly taken over by the Crusaders. 

With these matters to think on, the magi retired for the evening to dine and socialize before the second day of meetings. 

Second challenge: Pre+Folk Ken (rolled 8+0+4+1=13, spent 1 confidence to succeed), Com+Artes Liberales (rolled 4+1+2+1=8, failure), Str+Guile (specialty, rolled 8+0+3+1=12, spent a confidence to succeed). 2 successes, 1 failure. 

Backroom Dealings Make the (Hermetic) World Go Round

Although the official arguments had ended for the moment, the politicking had not by any means. While the meetings went on sporadically each day, Heliobus was insistent that the magi relax and enjoy the hospitality of the Pyramids for a time before continuing on in earnest, and so three days passed before the summit properly resumed. Special housing had been arranged for the visiting magi in outbuildings around the Great Pyramids, cunningly hidden by Imaginem spells from the mundanes. Though basic in appearance, the small sandstone houses, shaped by magic in but a moment, were well-furnished and decorated, with a central dining hall lying just outside the entrance to the Pyramid regio. 

This, Jabril was unsurprised to swiftly learn, rapidly became the nexus of the majority of political dealings during the unofficial summit. Here, both sides of the argument, as well as the collection of neutral operators in between, fought the war of politeness and deals, indirectly hinting at consequences and dangling rewards for support or the lack thereof to their foe. Though unschooled in this particular art, Jabril found that his particular skillset was quite effective in this regard. On his first evening, he identified one Balthazar of Criamon, the vocally-opposed eremite, as a fellow member of the Neo-Mercurians from subtle signs in his dress, and, while holding a conversation with him, was able to subtly use ceremonious magic to draw a simple ritual circle in his food and create the symbol of the caduceus, quietly revealing himself to Balthazar. The two became fast friends and soon, the older Criamon had reluctantly thrown in his lot with the Nilotics, even becoming interested in perhaps leading a Criamon clutch at Bahariya. 

Not so lucky was he the next evening, when he took his dinner with Xydas of True Cross. Though the Bonisagus was no less fervently Christian than his sodale David, he was at least more of a researcher and a peaceful man than a crusader, which led Jabril to believe that perhaps he could get through to him. Unfortunately, even beyond his difficulties with language--having never truly mastered human tongues after his bestial upbringing--Jabril had internalized Egyptian etiquette, a subtle interplay of indirect requests, constant companionship, and a protean hierarchy. Not so with the formal Roman etiquette that Xydas favored, coming straight from the heart of the Empire in Thrace. Numerous times, Jabril found himself having made a misstep without even realizing, and after the first dinner, was politely but coldly informed by Xydas that he would be taking his meals alone for the remainder of the summit. 

The final evening before the summit properly resumed was altogether more productive. Jabril took it upon himself to invite the magi of Ikhmindi to dinner with himself and Balthazar, whose changing sides he hoped would be something of a draw to them. But it was not even needed, as the querulous old man found himself somewhat sidelined as the young magi eagerly asked Jabril numerous questions about the order. It seemed that besides Mukhtar, who had been trained at the covenant known as the House of Truth, the rest had largely been raised to Hermetic status by eremites, and thus knew little of their organization's history. The young Acridophagus, Aznag ex Miscellanea, was absorbed in tales of the Schism War, while the two Megabari, or Trogodytes, both women, Chisomo and Hidaya ex Miscellanea, were gratified to hear the many accomplishments of Pralix. Their passion was infectious, and Jabril found himself talking of Hermetic history with an animation and excitement he had scarcely felt before.

Soon, though, it was time to return to the formal debates, but Jabril was pleased to know that he would have new allies therein. 

Third challenge: Dex+Neo-Mercurian Magic (specialty, rolled 5+0+3=8, spont cast ReAn to add mag 1 and spent 2 confidence for a success), Int+Etiquette (rolled 4+2+1+1=8, failure), Com+Order of Hermes Lore (specialty, rolled 5+1+2+1=9, spent 2 confidence to succeed). 2 successes, 1 failure.  

The Fate of the Nile

At this second portion of the summit, after a short reintroduction, Heliobus yielded the floor to Jabril in order to discuss his findings at Bahariya, and argue for its colonization as a covenant. Rather than simply list the vis sources and discuss the local wildlife, Jabril instead waxed rhetorical, attempting to paint a picture of the sublime beauty of the valley, similar to his own home, and the potential findings within the many tombs in its cliffs. This seemed to stoke the imaginations particularly of the Ikhmindi magi, and even David ex Tremere seemed reluctantly impressed. 

Upon being questioned about the local political environment, particularly the availability of covenfolk and the safety of the area, Jabril realized to himself that his only real interaction with the people of the valley had been, at best, adversarial. Seeking to coat this truth in a varnish most pleasing, he wove a tale of the unusual strength of the goatherds and peasants that he had encountered, and that he had been only able to win their respect with his own skill and strength. As he had suspected, many of the magi had rarely ventured out among the people, and readily believed his tall tales. 

The one who certainly did not, however, was David, who stood and attempted to interrupt, beginning some line of argument questioning his honesty. Here, his training with Heliobus paid off, as he slammed his staff into the deck of the boat for silence and, in the most archaic of Latin, threatened Wizard’s War and curses most foul drawn from the arts of Mercury if the young Tremere would not silence himself. The invocation of Mercury rather than the threat seemed to stay David’s tongue, and Jabril finished his analysis of the site slowly and with relish, glaring daggers at the True Cross magi. 

The rest of the summit was peaceful enough. Though the arguing continued, the influence of the pro-Nile magi gradually silenced all opposition, and by the time Jabril was preparing to leave, those in attendance, save True Cross and Scipio, who both abstained themselves with extracted oaths of silence to others on the matter, voted in favor of an independent Nile. Now all that remained was preparation for the next Tribunal, where their secession would be announced. The training of hoplites to defend the Nilotic magi from potential Wizard’s Wars was deemed crucial, as was the securing of every vis source that could be easily found and quiet letters to Treaty-favorable magi extending an invitation to settle. 

Jabril was asked by Heliobus to lead Balthazar and Aurelia of Criamon, two of the eremites, to Bahariya and show them his discoveries in preparation for their establishment of a covenant there, and so his next destination was set. 

Fourth challenge: Int+Artes Liberales (rolled 8+2+2+1=13, spent 1 confidence to succeed), Sta+Guile (specialty, rolled 5+2+3+1=11, spent 2 confidence to succeed), Pre+Neo-Mercurian Magic (rolled 1, reroll 3 for a total of 8+0+2+1=11, spent 2 confidence to succeed). Three successes.

Return to Bahariya

It was an easy enough journey some miles west to Bahariya, although Jabril noted with private, smug satisfaction that the other two magi were altogether more stricken by the heat and sun than he was. It was not long before the three stood atop the rise marking the edge of the Bahariya depression, looking down into a sandy valley altogether more verdant than that they came from. Jabril was animatedly discussing his findings with usual passion as they began moving into the basin, and was not observing his surroundings when Aurelia let out a warning shout, altogether too late: bandits! 

A band of five atop speedy camels rushed them from hiding behind one of the lower dunes, Amazigh in their dress, perhaps drawn here by the relative plenty within the oasis valley. Before he could react, Jabril found himself roughly grabbed and his hands tied by the lead camelier, as the others menaced Balthazar and Aurelia. Little did the warrior know that he had bitten off more than he could chew. 

With unnatural, serpentine contortions, Jabril wiggled his way quickly from the ropes, and, using the weight of his body, pulled himself and rider to the ground, causing the camel to flee, spooked. The man was knocked cold as he struck a rock, but, seeing the first prey fight back, the other bandits abandoned the Criamon magi, who had erected a quick earthen wall with magic to protect themselves. On camelback, they began circling Jabril, beginning to nock arrows to their short bows. 

Before they could fire, Jabril called out in the spitting tongue of the camel and bade the beasts buck their masters, extolling them to rise up against those who would tame them. A casting of his wonderful new spell sealed the deal, and one after another, the cameliers were thrown to the ground and ruthlessly stomped by their steeds. Silence followed, then a ragged cheer from his Hermetic companions. Balthazar clapped him on the back and extolled his skill, while Aurelia simply thanked him with a smile. 

The whole bloody affair put to rest, Jabril was able to show the magi the tombs and pool he had found, and soon, he left them behind to begin their own saga, bound for Siwa.

Fifth challenge: Per+Awareness (specialty, rolled 4+0+3=7, failure), Dex+Athletics (specialty, rolled 9+0+3=12, spent 1 confidence to succeed), Str+Animal Handling (rolled 4+0+3=7, cast Starry Harness of Khonsu to add magnitude 7 and spent 1 confidence to succeed). 2 successes, 1 failure. 

Result: A success with some caveats, although we do have more successes (11) to failures (4). You can see in this one adventure how much having Self-Confident pays off in solo play. I would have failed on 7 of those successes without it. The reputation also helps. It's also worth noting that I did have to spend a whopping 18 confidence, a little over three-quarters of what Jabril had, in order to make it this far. 

Regardless, we gain 5 rewards+2 xp. From difficulty+number of challenges, we gain 12 xp (for a total of 17 with Independent Study), as well as 12 confidence points. 3 xp goes to Etiquette, bringing it to 2, 1 xp goes to Guile, bringing it to 3, 5 goes to Summon Animals, bringing it to 5, 3 goes to Neo-Mercurian Magic, and 5 goes to Awareness. I am going to bank the rewards for the moment. While I could spend them to great effect, I’m saving them to buy out my Tribunal Border hook after further adventures. This is my mechanical way of representing the eventual secession, although I’ll have to think of appropriate consequences as a hook.

Overall, the adventure takes 24 days, and Jabril is glad to return to Siwa.