Alas, the early history of the covenant, from Spring to September 1198, has been lost. A recapitulation of sorts follows.
But first... the secret lore...
The mages of Anthrax had attended the last Grand Tribunal at Durenmar. They were chosen by the Tribunal to investigate the activities of the renegade mage-witch Anisara leGuen (Lady Guendelin MacFearlg), who for the last 100 years had been gathering power and influence. Her sister, Amfirata leGuen (Nanny Hazelwood), lived nearby, and had been wary of her sister's plots. Although roughly the same age, Amfirata appeared to be older because she didn't "waste vis on the vain magic of youthful appearance and beauty." The local tribunal (Loch Leglean) had been unable to organize the investigation themselves because of intense bickering among the covenants, perhaps as a result of Anisara's influence. So the task was assigned to be conducted in secret, under the direction of the security magus of House Guernicus (Orminato the Devoted). Anisara learned of the Tribunal's actions from her agents in the Black Forest, and devised a counterplan. While the mages were being assigned grogs and companions to help found a covenant near the MacFearlg residence, she bewitched the iteinerant Salvadore Lightfoote to intercept the party in France just before crossing to England. In his possession was a flask containing a potion embodying Forgetfulness of Things Magical, and incense that induced seasickness (Motion of the Ocean). At sea and under Anisara's influence, Salvadore disposed of Elena Derezonne's Motion-Calming potion, and substituted Anisara's brew. Then Lightfoote ignited the incense, which caused all onboard to become sick. Elena administered the potion--within minutes, all members forgot the magical elements of their mission, the mages forgot how to cast spells, and even Lightfoote forgot the events under his enchantment, including the switching of potions. The effect could only be reversed by a level 50 Recapturing of Lost Time spell.
Elena, being prone to seasickness, took a quaff of her own potion before the switch, so she was immune to the incense and never took the forgetfulness potion. However, she feared her own potion caused the outbreak of amnesia, so she did not speak a word about the incident nor did she actively try to help the mages regain their abilities. She had been haunted since the trip by the weird sigil of treefrogs singing as the spell took effect, and when she had heard similar sounds, she had become tense and frightened.
Orminato had arranged to send a Redcap, highly protected to resist magic, north in the spring to check on progress. As the reader shall discover, the investigation did not last very long...
One of the first things the characters noticed about the Town of Annan was that the source (the "Stinky Well") near the church had unusual properties. Father Gilphead realizes this, too, but he has not yet been able to come up with a way to capitalize on it. The mages ran a few tests on the grogs and discovered the water seemed to leach vitality from them; in return, their urine contained Corpus vis, about 1 pawn-cup per gallon ingested. The cost of this conversion was high: about two body levels per gallon. There seem to be similar effects when giving the water to animals (Animal vis), plants (Herbam vis--increases innate vis properties of a plant) etc. Unfortunately, Father Gilphead has been guarding his well and demanding exorbitant fees for samples, so further use of this resource has not been made.
The church has a divine aura of 1.
Although Annan-town is on MacFearlg land and therefore part of that estate, it operates as a quasi-free market area in that some commerce occurs, though MacFearlg amply benefits from the taxes. Anthrax operates as a manor within the MacFearlg holding. Most of the peasants in the valley are prosperous--they hold a fair amount of productive land and make good use of it, and some have eagerly joined MacFearlg's guard and let others tend the crops.
The blacksmith, Loren MacKugle, is a cheat. His spouse, Goodwife (Freida) MacKugle will sometimes distract customers while he loosens a horseshoe or substitutes poor equipment for good. He has a habit of selling items with hidden rust, stress or impure alloys.
Garth the Provisioner attends the weekly market at Biggar and returns with goods that he resells to the townsfolk at a significant markup.
Angus MacFetter operates an ale-house. He's a pretty fair person, but he hates drunks and misers.
Nanny Hazelwood has an extensive knowledge of Scotland and is always willing to trade information for vis. She never leaves her house, which is protected against the effects of her sister.
Nate Bailor the miller grinds the grain for the region. He has an ongoing affair with MacKugle's wife. He is rather dull, but friendly. Tom Lively is the miller's assistant.
Tavish MacTavish has personal interest in obscure materials, especially maps (which, of course, are quite rare). He is a pleasant, talkative sort, seemingly educated, but much of what he says is pure fiction. He purports to be a worldly and wise traveller, but in truth he has only been as far as Biggar. His collection of maps are mostly those he has invented himself; yet these have been purchased by the likes of the Scottish Royal Court, so he has a good reputation and no lack of funds. He has a knack for identifying unusual and magical objects, mostly as a result of studying an Arabic guide to relics; this book was brought to Annan by his step-grandmother, an Arab woman stranded there by a knight some 20 years ago.
Trevor Tarnaugh the Barrister--tall, narrow, with a pinched face.
Ian MacRuffin the Jailer--large, slow, dull-witted. Doubles as constable.
Judge Partan Bree--wealthiest man in the valley, apart from MacFearlg. In cases before him, the more important (or wealthier) party usually wins. He has a giggly wife (Jane) and a plain daughter (Anisette).
Simon the Shepherd wanders the valley. He and Anthrax have an agreement whereby his sheep are allowed to graze on manor lands in return for a number of sheep and wool.
Father Jack, an itinerant priest, will be encountered anon.
There are a fair number of Douglases around the area--Annie Douglas is a well-known flirt.
The Castle MacFearlg (no longer exists--see subsequent events) had a +3 magical aura overall, and up to a +6 aura centering on Lady MacFearlg's bedchambers. It was located in the Moffat Valley, which leads east from Annan-town. A traveler once said of it: "It rose up from the southern slope of Moffat Valley like Vulcan's Throne: dark, stern, concentrated. The mere sight of it could turn a man's blood to ice. It would break your will if you let it. I say 'it' like it were a creature, for it had its own soul curling and writhing around its bowels like a venemous centipede."
The MacFearlg lordship was ceded from Robert de Brus in 1145. The deBruses still control the southern half of Annandale from Castle Annan. MacFearlg swore loyalty directly from the king.
While it existed, if you took the road past the castle to or from Melrose, you would be stopped at the top of the valley by the MacFearlg toll-takers. Fees started at 1 POS. When one visited the castle at night, no matter what the season, one heard what seemed to be the calls of treefrogs--or as some more astute listeners claimed, "the amplified murmurings of spiders." During her residency, Lady MacFearlg liked to subject vagrants to experiments in her lab; she worked primarily in Muto and Animal disciplines, and revelled in creating monsterous and impossible man-beast combinations.
The remains of the castle have yet to be explored.
Dunnold MacFearlg was a short, bearded, red-haired, fierce, arrogant, smelly man. The more liquored he was, the better a friend you became. His outrageous invective was legendary in the region: "Open up, ye winkle-cocks! Ye sons o' heathern tribesmen, it's your lord-protector come to call! That's right, ye furly, bean-breathed unworthy pieces of squat! Damn, but I ha'e an infernal headache!"
He disliked the presence of "foreigners" until he was duly paid or given drink. He supervised and quartered forty soldiers in the castle; at its height, there were also 25 male and female servants there. MacFearlg and his soldiers ritualistically drank from about nine o'clock each evening until they passed out around two; many would not reawaken until ten in the morning, and then by slaps and shouts.
Lady Guendelin MacFearlg was Dunnold's crafty, subversive wife, who sought to manipulate him and his domain for power and wealth. The locals suspected she had magical abilities, but such talk always surfaced as rumor. She had a noticable interest in the covenanters. They remarked on her twisted smile and the annoying way she had of folding her hands. She often wore a silver cloak with a death's-head clasp which some thought granted her longevity. She was always present at town festivals.
In March of 1198, Elena found a mysterious rock in the garden. The symbols which appeared on it were not immediately decipherable, but the covenanters eventually learned of the kinship of Nanny and Lady MacFearlg from what was inscribed.
Sometime that spring, Salvadore joined Father Gilphead to assist him in his duties at church, perhaps to atone for his past sins of drinking. He has rarely been seen at the covenant since then.
On May Day, the entire covenant (except for a few grogs) attended the celebration in town. The morning dawned crisp and bright. Women were out in the meadows and forests picking flowers. By mid-morning, there was noticable activitiy on the town green (NW corner of intersection). Booths were erected adjacent to the Edwinsburg Road. At noon, the MacFearlgs arrived. A dozen soldiers led the way, followed by Dunnold, with Lady M. right behind. One observer noted: "She wore elegant robes of crimson and gray, and a silver-thread cloak was draped over her shoulders. She had a carved oak walking-stick whose entire surface was carved like lace, and she was ornamented with a pendant with the letter 'A' prominently inscribed. Her eyes were dark and fiery; her demeanor was stern yet compelling... The most disturbing feature about her was her hands... They moved with an almost supernatural fluidity and grace, and she had a calmness about her that was almost aggravating. The women in the crowd gasped when they saw her: she seemed even more beautiful and youthful than the year before!"
To be continued...