Back to Bishopton


Extract from the journal of Murchad Mac Lorcain
Day 6
We have returned to the covenant. Ludo has taken a turn for the worst. Despite the efforts of the moor and I his wound has become infected. We have heard little from him besides the mumblings of a man in fever and he has not yet come to. Upon our return I summoned a council meeting and asked Losseloth to tend to the fat man. We have placed Tracsus in one of the guest quarters, as much for his safety as to make sure he doesn’t escape and we have summoned a quaesitor. No doubt they will hear of what happened in bishopton, best they hear it from us. This is the real gem though, Roland, the damsel in distress was in his lab when we returned. He gave little explanation of where he was and I was in no mood to press.

Day 7
Willhelm has been talking to Tracus. It is mostly mad ramblings but through the nonsense he has managed to piece that Tracsus had lost a book, the book of Veritas! The very book saught by our enemies the cursed shadowflame. We discussed what was to be done in council. Myself, Willhelm and Roland would take some grogs and head back to Bishopton, we suspect there may ne a traitor in out midst and if this knowledge if on our hands it may well be in theirs. As such we departed as soon as was possible. I am unaccustomed to being clean shaven. As my image was circulated amongst the guard by the bishop and I was there a few days ago I decided it would be best to disguise myself. I removed my beard and dyed my hair black. It ill suits me but the illusion is very good.

Day 9
It was dark upon our arrival. We decided it would be best for the grogs to remain outside the town as we would draw too much attention to ourselves by marching in with a group of armed men. Myself and Roland entered the town as quietly as possible with relative ease. The town of Bishopton looks as though it been through a war, burned buildings litter the town and the streets are deathly quiet. Roland cast an invisibilty spell on both of us and we slipped in through the back of the palace. There were a few guard on duty and they seemed on edge but we managed to slip by them to roughly where the bishops quarters were. There were two more guards on duty on either side of the door. Just as we were about to strike we heard a thump and the door opened. There were two bright flashes indicative of of a ball of abysmal flame. The shadowflame were here! Myself and Roland charged into the room to slay the fiends to find no one there! It appears that we were no the only ones who were invisible. We searched the room for our foes to no avail but finding a copy of the Book of veritas, it it appears that the bishop in his infinite stupidity had made a copy of the book. It was then that Roland noticed that the bishops robes were moving as though being searched. He grabbed hold of the figure and cast lungs of watery death, disabling him at which point he became visible. I heard a noise in the adjoining chamber and entered. Although I couldn’t see anyone I took a guess at where the noise had originated. Although I failed to vaporise them the flash made them lose concentration and they became visible. There, not 2 paces from me, dressed in shadowflame garb was none other than Religa of Mistridge carrying in her arms the damned book. I summoned upon the greatest of all forces, fire, to condemn this creature to hell and alas was cheated. Just as her doom was about to be sealed she teleported away using some variant of leap of the homecoming. Cheated, I quickly extinguished the flames and gathered the body of the magus while Roland cast leap of the homecoming. We could hear the guards approaching and although we could easily dispatch them it would be best to avoid such a confrontation as at that point nothing could link us to this raid.

I appeared in Rolands lab. It’s an odd place but I did not linger as I knew Roland would not be long behind and to violate a wizards santum is a grave insult. While en route to the council chambers I passed Luke on the stairs. He seemed rather taken aback by the shadowflame corpse slunked over my shoulder but I assured him that all would be explained in council, which was to be summoned immediately. As I reached the chambers I was incepted by a messenger, Grimgoth wanted to meet to discuss matters at hand. I fear this may be a trap but the potential gains of meeting him and possibly gaining him as an ally against the shadowflame outweigh the risks.

Losseloth was unable to attend the meeting, between tending to Ludo and Cecile she has scarce time to do anything. Willhelm is a day or two away, returning from Bishopton with the grogs. It looks as though this meeting will consist purely of myself, Roland and Luke. After filling him in on recent events we discussed matters at hand. It was decided that in the morning I would go to meet Grimgoth, at a town roughly halfway between both covenents taking a turb of grogs and Antonio. The message appears to be genuine but all the same, best not to take chances. I am told that Willhelm returned later that day, after being informed of the decisions of the council he decided it would be best to accompany me.

Despite the dark tidings of this day I have 2 new great hopes, twin daughters, both with the gift running stong in them. We have yet to decide on names but they are truly a blessing.

Day 12
We set off shortly after lunch, although the journey is quite long it can mostly be done by ship so we arrived at the village shortly before sundown. Grimgoth was there ahead of me. I approached cautiously and ordered the grogs to take up sentry positions. Discussions were quite icey. Grimgoth, like me, is not a man to split words. He questioned me on how the statue came into my possesion and of threat to the order of which I spoke. Reluctantly I revealed to him that Oak Court had been fighting with a group of diabolist magi known as the shadowflame and that they sought a book they believed to be in our keeping. I revealed that we had killed two members of this group and that I knew the identity of one other. He pressed me for a name and I revealed it was Relega. At which point the hill erupted all around us. Knocked from my feet and sorely wounded I rose to see Grimgoth firing pilums through the dust cloud at an unseen enemy and a large group ramshackled figure which could barely be called human, no doubt some form of cultist brought by the shadowflame. The battle was short but vicious, the bitch had managed to escape but all of the cultists had been cut down or cleansed in flame. Grimgoth was enraged, he gave his leave and departed for his own covenant, no doubt in an attempt to catch up with the whore. I tended to the my wounds and the wounds of the grogs, I have a limited understanding of healing but enough so that our wounds will not get worse or get infected. We saught lodgings in the town so as to rest and recover from our wounds.

Day 13
We set off for home at first light and arrived mid afternoon. Cecile was at first destraught that I was injured and then furious that I had almost gotten myself killed. Bah! I was barely in any danger at all! She is now in one of her moods again and refuses to speak to me. Whats more the quaesitors have arrived, three of them with and escort of hoplites. Ludo is to be put on trial on several charges, interfering with mortals and risking bringing the wraith of the church upon the order.