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The library was particularly strong in Creo and Imaginem, indicating the specialities of the leading magi. You and Thalia were more interested in their mundane library, which was especially strong on the lore of England. It covered legends, geography, history, the church, the fay, rumours of demonic interaction, and current politics, and seemed to be frequently updated. You suspect that the covenant had an efficient network of information gatherers, or some powerful scrying devices. You were not allowed to see some of the most recent volumes, but information in some of the older ones suggested that at least one magical device was involved. Thalia was shown some of the more recent volumes, but would only say that they were trying to draw her into their petty intrigues. You were slightly disappointed in the history section, as it became very sketchy before about 1100, but the more current volumes were very full.
There were nine magi in the covenant. The leader was Amaury, a Jerbiton Creo specialist. He was the driving force behind the gathering of the information and the opposition to Spina Nigra. He claimed that Spina Nigra were trying to control the mundane affairs of the Tribunal, and he believed that mundane affairs were best left to mundanes. He thought that the concern of magi with magic insulated them from the things that were truly important to mundanes, and rendered them extremely poor rulers.
Amaury's closest followers were Eva, Harald, and Brianna. All Jerbiton, they were concerned about the inroads of magi into mundane society. Harald even occasionally advocated the abandonment of magic, in order to let mundanes develope in their own way, although he never seemed willing to give it up right now. Eva and Brianna were both Amaury's filiae, and there were rumours that Eva was his vulgar daughter as well. There was a resemblance, but nothing conclusive.
Fornax, a Tytalus magus, supported Amaury more because he enjoyed the struggle with Spina Nigra than because he believed in the cause. He was a very cheerful Tytalus, and you actually got on with him quite well: he took contests lightly, and always chose ground on which he might lose. Thus, you spent several evenings swapping questions about English and French history and current events, while Fornax got slightly drunk.
Sulpicia, a Guernicus, also supported Amaury, but because she suspected Spina Nigra of diabolism. She was very intense, and made you slightly nervous. Her Gift was very Blatant, but it was more than that. She seemed to be just the right side of fanaticism, and you didn't think that it would take much to push her over the edge.
El was the other powerful maga in the covenant, an Imaginem specialist of House Merinita. She had little interest in Amaury's maneuverings, and devoted herself to the creation and study of images. You suspect that she may have helped in the creation of scrying devices, and been granted more chambers in return. You never visited her: she was too strange.
Maria, El's filia, was also strange. When you first arrived, she went all out to seduce you [OOC: it is entirely up to you whether you succumbed], but after a couple of weeks she treated you like a slave, then looked up to you for instructions, then treated you as if you didn't exist, then cursed you from her presence.
Panniel of Criamon was the last member of the covenant, a mystic who spent all his time meditating on the Enigma. You had nothing to do with him at all.
Of the companions, three were of note. The Autocrat, Henry, was efficient and faceless: you scarcely saw him. Richard, the grog captain, was notable for being roaring drunk nearly all the time, but still capable of fighting in that state. It seemed that discipline was maintained more by Fornax than by Richard.
Simon, a troubadour, you got to know quite well. He didn't strike you as particularly talented at first: he stuck very close to the received form of the ballads, and his singing, while in tune, lacked passion and force. After a while, though, you realised that he had a phenomenal memory: he would recite your words of a week previously back to you. He left the covenant several times while you were there, and was invariably closeted with Amaury on his return. You suspect that he was part of their information-gathering network.
Estelle, the head cook, was a terrifying dragon (figuratively) who ruled the kitchens with a rod of iron (literally). She would even shout at the magi, and cooked whatever she wanted, completely ignoring their requests. She was tolerated because her repertiore was wide, and her cooking was excellent. She once, in your presence, accused Amaury of having all the taste of a toad, and suggested that he go and eat flies. You suspect that she may have been thrown out of some noble household...
The covenfolk and grogs seemed weel equipped, happy, and loyal, as far as you could judge. The turb, while not the best you have seen, was certainly competent, and seemed fully capable of manning the fortifications.
The covenant buildings were probably designed by El. The inner courtyard was paved with pale blue stone, and only magi and their famuli were allowed to enter there. The entrance was itself magical, a section of wall that faded out of existence when permitted people approached. The pupil of the eye was a black tower, over three hundred feet tall, where all the magi lived. It was topped with a dome, which appeared black from the outside, but transparent from within, and which covered the council chamber. The library, unusually, was kept in the cellar, lit magically. The other towers were much smaller, and accomodated the grogs and covenfolk. The Great Hall ran across the top of the main gate, and into the towers at either side. All the construction was in black stone, and obviously magical, while the main gates were steel. You would have thought that the covenant was very secure.
Copyright David Chart 1995-1998