1235 AD: Fae and Demons and Regios, Oh My!

1235 Adventure Oracle

Cabal Legacy—10% (34, no adventure)

Seeker—10% (24, no adventure)

Regional Produce—10% (81, no adventure)

Multiple Sites—10% (3, adventure!)

Road—10% (36, no adventure)

Rival—30% (86, no adventure)

Unsafe—10% (20, no adventure)

Regio—30% (12, adventure!)

Hermetic Politics—10% (80, no adventure)

Edit: I realized I mislabeled Rival as Hermetic Politics and Hermetic Politics as favors, I've fixed it now.

 

Two adventures this year, including from the rarely seen Multiple Sites hook. Apropos of nothing, I’ve been toying around with the idea of several devices with triggers easy enough for the grogs to use built into each of the covenant sites, that could send a brief message directly to Jabril somehow. I’ll have to refine it, of course, but it might be interesting to have sort of an early warning system as a project. More advanced would be combining this with learning Seven-League Stride, allowing him to respond near-instantly to danger. That, unfortunately, is not among the lab texts. 

1 is Multiple Sites, 2 is Regio. 

Difficulty—8, hard, EF 15 (1), 3, average, EF 12 (2). 

Origin—26, another Faerie (1), and 64, Supernatural, which tracks (2). 

Timing—4, summer (1), and 7, winter, increasing EF to 13 (2). 

Complexity—5, complex, 2 challenges (1), and 2, simple, 1 challenge, which I feel like I keep rolling for Regio (2). 

Type—50 and 38, meaning double Magic (1), and 98, my choice. Honestly, let’s do triple Magic (2).

I’m opting in to each one, because I’ve decided the Nile Tribunal meeting doesn’t need an adventure and will likely happen in Spring, given that we just gained independence. 

Omens—8 (1) and 4 (2). Not the worst I’ve had. 

A busy year lies before us. Let’s get to work. 

Spring 1235

Jabril spends spring at the Pyramids, where the seceding magi alighted after returning from Domus Pacis, to participate in the first ever Nile Tribunal! After the dramatic events in the Levant, the Nile meeting was a calm affair: it was decided that the Praeco would be the eldest competent magus, as per Levantine tradition, meaning the position fell to Heliobus, while Balthazar of Bahariya was named Chief (and only) Quaesitor. These were emphasized to be temporary decisions to be reviewed at the next Tribunal in 1242, but most seemed happy with the situation. 

An official accounting of claimed vis sources and delineations of territory was made, as well as a census, which was mostly for matters of record. Informally, Heliobus requested that at least some of the assembled magi keep their martial training sound and volunteer as hoplites, and encouraged others to seek quaesitorial privileges, warning of potential pushback from the Levant in the coming years. Most importantly, it was decided that a delegation, to be selected by the Praeco, would meet with representatives of the local sahirs to iron out a new treaty concerning the Nile exclusively next year. Xydas, whose attendance Jabril found surprisingly admirable, made known his objections to not supporting the Levantine magi, but also emphasized that he would respect the opinion of the Tribunal in this matter.

In fact, Jabril noted that the Bonisagus seemed to be working his way into Nile politics with impressive skill, often seeing him hobnobbing cheerfully with groups of the Ra cultists and a couple of the Ikhmindi magi. It was something to keep an eye on, certainly. Nevertheless, the meeting ended genially and the Nilotic magi returned home, eager to meet once more in seven years. 

For his part, Jabril made sure to attend the much-reduced Mercuralia in Alexandria, but was happy to finally return home in late May. 

Summer 1235

The Serpent and the Maiden

A Fae Moon

As summer came around, Jabril began to notice strange, but minor occurrences around the oasis. Small objects began to go missing, then turb members began losing time, seemingly forgetting whole hours of their days. Curiously, it was always from a different claim within the oasis: first Bilad al-Rum, then the Spring, then the Hill, and so forth. When the first camel vanished, he grew worried. Luckily, little initial investigation was needed, as soon enough, the matter burst into the open. One hot day, he came down from his rooms atop the highest tower in Aghurmi to find Daoud and Ahmad arguing loudly in the courtyard. After demanding order, he began to question them. It rapidly became clear that they were arguing about a woman. 

It is important to note that two useable wells lay within the boundaries of Aghurmi. The first sat within Jabril’s temple-fortress, driven down deep through the living rock to the aquifer below. The second was down near the old town gates, within the ruins of the town square. Apparently, Ahmad and Daoud had met there earlier in the morning to exchange guard reports, as they were wont to do each morning and each dusk, and found, to their surprise, a woman lingering by the well. Here, Jabril noted curiously, a force almost seemed to possess both as they described her in rapturous, poetic tones. She was beautiful, they said—though veiled, one could see lips red as blood and soft amber eyes peering through the translucent silk, hair the color of a moonlit night, voice like drops of honey. She was tall, bizarrely so, but even more beautiful for it. She welcomed them softly, and when challenged, said…something the two could not remember, but that made them confident that she belonged. They both left the encounter madly in love with the beautiful stranger, and began to fight over her as they approached the fortress itself to report to their master. 

Upon hearing this, Jabril searched his academic memory for any clues as to what this creature, for certainly it was not truly a human woman, could be. He recalled tales of the loundja across the western span of Egypt: categorized as a jinn by the sahirs, but known to the Amazigh as one of the teryeln, a race of primeval ogresses, most hideous and cruel, but some, particularly the loundja, beautiful and possessed of extraordinary powers of manipulation and sorcery. He remembered that they often craved gifts from those they ensorcelled and decided forthwith to shape a present from magic, and attempt to treat with the creature. After all, he would rather convince what was most likely a fae being to leave rather than match wits with another of the irritating creatures. 

So committed, he dismissed his captains and began to work a precise ceremony of spontaneous ReAn to shape some of the pearls from this year into a beautiful necklace. Some time later, he departed Aghurmi, surmising that as Alexander’s Camp had not yet been struck by the creature, that he would find it there or en route. Days of scouring the desert and marshlands between Aghurmi followed, but if Jabril had anything in spades, it was endurance. Eventually, in the slow ascent from Abu Sharef to the Camp and out of the valley, he saw her: an indigo-robed woman of great height, almost seeming to glide along the sand, so light was her step. He hastened to meet her. 

First challenge: Int+Area Lore (Egypt)* (rolled 9+2+2=13, spent one confidence to succeed), Per+Finesse (specialty, rolled 4+0+5, spent two confidence to succeed), Sta+Awareness (specialty, rolled 4+2+4=10, spent two confidence to succeed). Three successes. 

Trial of the Loundja

As he approached her, she did not seem to turn or acknowledge him, but stopped in her tracks. He could sense her watching him, judging him, although she was turned away. With as casual of a voice as he could muster, Jabril welcomed the loundja to Siwa Oasis and told her that he hoped she had enjoyed his hospitality and the use of his servants, although he had not known she was using them. Here, he was surprised to see her round on him in a rage, and demand recompense for treating her as a common thief, when it was he who had so defrauded her husband years ago. 

He may have been getting into what would be middle age for a mundane, but Jabril’s mind was as sharp as a trap still, and he instantly recalled the bouda that had come to Siwa some years ago. Idly, for a moment, he wondered if this was perhaps the selfsame fae, taking a new role to harvest more vitality from him. Pushing those thoughts away, though, he immediately fell into the role of the cunning sorcerer, knowing that this was his part to play, and demanded she take her vengeance if there was vengeance to take. 

With a dramatic motion of her hands, the loundja drove a work of faerie magic at him: but he stood as strong and powerful as the Rock of Aghurmi, a veritable fortress was his Parma. To add to the effect, he cast Wizard’s Leap, playacting at dodging her telegraphed attacks. Still, as much as this was merely choreography in a fae play, his Parma was bound to fail sometime, and so he searched his brain quickly for anything that might end this story quickly. He recalled, to his distinct luck, that loundjas were terrified of snakes, and indeed a dead asp was a traditional ward against them.

In a loud, commanding voice, Jabril called to the sands around him and bade the serpents of the valley to come to his aid. In a writing mass moments later, they did, squirming across the dunes towards the fae creature. With a scream, the loundja began to flee: but not before Jabril snatched her veil from her face, revealing her true form. A hideous monstrosity fled the valley, twisted and misshapen like the bouda before, but hairless and gigantic. 

With a shudder, Jabril hoped that was the last he had seen of the fae, and returned to Aghurmi. 

Second challenge: Pre+Parma Magica (specialty, rolled 8+0+4=12, attempted to cast Wizard’s Leap and rolled 0, spell botch threatened! Botch dice, minus 3 for Cautious Sorcerer, 5, 2, 1, 2, 5, no botch. Result is 0+28, success), Qik+Magic Theory (rolled 7+0+5=12, spent 1 confidence to succeed), Com+Summon Animals (specialty, rolled 9+1+6=16, success). Three successes. 

Result: Despite nearly botching a spell, a complete success! Jabril chases the loundja from the oasis and for once, claims complete victory over a faerie. He gains 2 rewards+4 xp for his successes, and 9 xp (16 overall) and 9 confidence for the challenges + difficulty. 5 xp goes to Parma, 5 to Magic Theory, and 3 each to Summon Animals and Corpus, bringing the latter to 11. 

Now that the Nile vote has passed, Jabril is pleased to spend BP, and so he uses the faerie vis encased in the loundja’s veil, plus 2 mythic pounds, to purchase a level 15 Faerie Lore Tractatus from Venti Rosa, which I should have done a long time ago. Overall, the adventure takes 17 days to resolve. 

*I think this is appropriate although not usually used for magic since Area Lore is noted as a way to identify jinn.

Autumn 1235

After a long few seasons, Jabril finally decided to do something for himself instead of just studying his Arts. He spent the peaceful autumn in his rooms, reading the curse scroll from some years ago and learning Tamazight. It was his hope to have some free time in the next few years to master the language: he perhaps would not ever master Arabic, but he could at least know the language of his friends and allies in the valley. 

Book xp: 10 xp to Living Language (Tamazight), bringing it to 1. 

Winter 1235

Skirmish at Siwa

His peace was interrupted as winter approached. One morning in November, one of his grogs, atop a camel, came riding hard from the Hill of the Dead, calling out as he approached. Jabril rushed down to meet him, and, breathing hard, the soldier explained that the door through which Jabril had once entered the shadowy regio that lay across Siwa had opened once more, and a terrible creature had torn out. A long-haired, winged serpent of great size had assaulted the turb, seeming to possess one man and turn him against the group. Jabril immediately recognized the description: a lesser afarta, another one of the creatures recognized as jinn by the sahirs, but infamously cruel and untamable and of Infernal origin. Summoning his temple turb, they mounted up and began riding hard for the Jabal al-Mawta. 

Arriving within the hour, the team spread out quickly across the hill, already hearing and seeing signs of fighting as they arrived. As soon as they came in sight of the cavern entrance, the great serpent was visible: a long, nasty, sinuous thing with a great mane of black, clumpy hair and massive jaws filled with fangs. Two great wings flapped incongruously on its back—to European magi, this would be a dragon. Surprisingly, the turb was handling themselves well: using the superior mobility atop their camels to outmaneuver the creature and pepper it with arrows. Remembering how the doors stayed open when the ghuls invaded, Jabril commanded his temple turb to aid the fight while he attempted to help from the other side, and spurred his camel to the entrance. 

Passing beneath the serpent, he gritted his teeth as he felt the dragon’s own smash into his Parma, but rode on regardless, down the dark halls of the Hill. Making his way to the door, he leapt from the camel and rushed inside, making his way past the traps he had previously disabled and out into the faded sunlight of the regio. With distance being different in the regio, Aghurmi was nought but a healthy run away, and so he made for it, sprinting past faded ruins and the occasional ghul that swung out at him, feeling his black hand heat at the surrounding danger. 

Making his way to the temple atop the rock, he quickly began a spontaneous ceremony to attempt to light the third flame. But this temple was occupied. Swooping down from the towers was another mighty afarta, that tore at him with its fangs. Realizing he would soon be overtaken by ghuls and trying to defend himself, Jabril was forced to retreat, hurling spells as he went. Just before he stepped back through the open gates, the afarta fell upon him and finally pierced his Parma, leaving Jabril stumbling away as his shoulder spurted blood. As he stepped through, the door shut with a resounding thud, and he staggered back outside to find the invader slain and his grogs, miraculously, only mildly wounded. 

With some help from Ahmad, Jabril was able to make it back to Aghurmi to rest: but in his heart, he felt more and more committed to breaking the Infernal within his home. 

Challenge: Int+Magic Theory (rolled 1, reroll 7 for a total of 16+2+5=23, mega success), Sta+Parma Magica (rolled 3+2+3=8, spent two confidence to succeed), Per+Finesse (specialty, rolled 0, botch threatened! Botch dice 0, 8, 4, 8, botch!). 2 successes, 1 botch. 

Result: A mixed success. Jabril and the turb escape the encounter with their lives, but he fails to light the flame atop shadow Aghurmi and the regio remains corrupted. He gains a reward and 7 xp and confidence (becoming 10 xp), but also takes a loss. 5 xp goes to Magic Theory and Parma Magica both, bringing them respectively to 6 and 4. Rolling on the loss table, I get a 7, a wound. Honestly, these ones always scare me a bit. It would be so easy for Jabril to die from a loss with a big EF. 

For damage and soak, I roll double 9s, meaning 13+9=22 damage reduced by 5+9=14 to 8. Jabril takes a medium wound, and trades 18 Mythic Pounds to Venti Rosa for a healing ritual. The reward and additional 18 Mythic Pounds are spent on the services of a Mystagogue with Cult Lore 5 for next year: Jabril sends a letter detailing the adventure along with an expensive, but mundane gift to Heliobus, and is invited to join him at Mercuralia for an initiation. Overall, the adventure takes 15 days.

Aging roll: rolled 0-1=-1. No botches on aging rolls, so Jabril just doesn’t age.