SUMMER

We experienced our second brush with the mysteries that surround the
history of our covenant. By the light of the full moon on the summer
solstice a ghostly tower appeared above our own. It stretched so high
that it disappeared into the clouds above us. A group of covenfolk
ventured inside to explore. What they found was unbelievable, an
entire city once existed in the tower. Magics the likes of which we
will be decades or centuries away from in ability. Minor trinkets
forgotten behind. Books and magical items of unknown importance.
Legions of undead to attack us wherever we went. And in the tower a
man, a portal, and a book. The man was our enemy mage, much younger
and trapped by some vision in the portal. The portal held visions of
our past, his future. And the book, titled simple TEMPUS. The current
version of the man appeared and things got crazy. Before the
destruction of the tower, we made our escape. As the tower vanished in
the sunrise, we found a young female mage, naked and confused, curled
up on our roof where once the tower stood. Of Ex Miscellania, we took
her in.

That same night we received yet another new magi in our midst. A
Merinita traveled here from a fey realm. She had been pursued some
distance by trolls and other such Unseelie things. It was not long
before we took up arms and went in search of the creatures, for we
desired them not in such close proximity. We found a fae regio,
governed by an ice prince. In an ill-fated bargain, we agreed to
travel by his magic to three locations and retrieve items of which he
desired. We did so, but in a fit of conscious could not turn these
magical items over to such a monster. Instead, we kept them and made
our escape. In the process, we also made another enemy.

The Black Rags soon made an attempt on the village nearby and they
turned to us, as is proper, for aide. We did several things at that
point. We built, for them, a watch tower to both allow them to be on
the lookout for danger and also to more easily alert us when it
happens. We also `found', by magics, a nearby cave with which they
could retreat and defend themselves in times of danger until we could
arrive. These precautions were soon put to the test and in the battle
that ensued we managed to capture one of the heathen moors that had
been plaguing us. He was detained at the covenant for questioning.

Soon after, we decided upon several courses of action to strengthen
our mundane ties to the area. We began construction on a tavern in the
village, a place for our covenfolk to mingle with the villagers. We
also established a presence in town, setting up a small town home
called the RedCap's Retreat. This area is a well traveled one, and it
never hurts to provide shelter and sustenance for any redcaps that may
come through. We keep this location staffed with a cook and stableboy
as well as a rotation of guards.

At the end of summer the Black Rags retaliated against us, and it was
our own fault for not following up on their hideout. The took several
of our newest covenant members hostage and we followed in a rescue
mission. The Rags obvious prefer the underground. Our people were set
upon by men hiding in the well. Beneath the surface, just out of
vision, was a ledge that opened into a large expanse of even deeper
caverns. We pursued them and the ensuing battle was bloody, made more
so by the giant spiders that populated the cavern. The battle was long
fought, and once again our primary enemies escaped. We succeeded in
what we came for, however. Our compatriots were returned to us, scared
but unharmed.