Saga of the Mythic Castle

I am uncertain whether the events of the past few days are a blessing or a curse. On the positive side, I am safely away from the bitch Jocasta, free of her meddling influence for the time being, free to pursue my studies until I am powerful enough to prove myself to her; preferably by carving her out her heart and serving it to that foul little beast she calls a familiar (demon-spawn from the pit of Hell, more like). This place seems the perfect place to do this; there is a more than adequate library (I imagine those stuffy worms back at Durenmar would drool to see the tomes collected here), and our vis supplies would keep even the most prolific Virditius smith happy for decades.

On the negative side, we are miles from any sort of civilization and I am trapped with the largest collection of magical rejects I've encountered in some time. If this is the best the other houses can produce, I'm amazed the Order has any teeth at all. Most aggravating is the Bjornaer witch, Elizabetta, who insists on calling us all 'children' even though I am certainly older than she, and probably more skilled. If she continues to treat me thus, she will feel the sting of my magic.

As for the others, they are a little more tolerable, but their houses raise questions in my mind about their suitability for the 'task' we have been assigned. Here are my impressions of each.

Arista of House Jerbiton -- This one is a healer, and the most tolerable of the bunch. I have little respect for those who lower themselves to the level of mundanes, although the Jerbiton I have known have shown an aptitude for negotiation. I doubt this one has the stomach for the challenges of leadership.

Ridel of House Flambeau -- A keg of oil with a lit fuse. The Flambeau are generally known to have tempers as fiery as the element they hold dear. They make excellent, if blunt, weapons, but also seem unsuited to leadership. It remains to be seen whether this one has anything to offer aside from strike capability.

Murran of House Merinita -- Worse than the Criamon (at least they study something useful). While I do not discount the power of faerie, they are far too... mutable to be of any real use. Their nature changes by the moment, and consequently, those that study them are always two steps over the verge themselves. The one that has come along with us will be useful for appeasing the local fey, but other than that, I doubt how much she has got offer. She is certainly no leader.

Our biggest obstacle at the present is the lack of mundane support; we have no grogs to tend to things and so it falls to us to fetch water, haul firewood, and cook meals. I gave those tasks up when I gained my sigil, and I dislike strongly having to take them up again now. According to our ghostly patrons, there is a village nearby that provided their labor in the past. Now that magi have returned, it should not be difficult to bring some younger villagers here to tend to affairs. Then comes the business of hiring soldiers. While I have yet to find the treasure stores (aside from the vis, which is useless to mundanes), I doubt it will be long before sufficient wealth is found to pay mercenaries to guard us.

As for our 'hosts' -- the tricky magi who brought us to this forsaken, barbaric land -- they have revealed very little, save that there is some looming threat we must deal with in the future. Once we do so, the covenant is ours. They are annoyingly close-mouthed about the details, but unless I find one breathing down my neck in the lab, they are free to do as they wish.

The Bonisagus among them has claimed us as his 'apprentices' -- a totally ridiculous notion on her part, because I have earned my sigil. As long as she makes no demands of me, I will tolerate this insult. The moment that changes... well, we will see.

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