I botched my first spell as a Magus. It was the Wings of the Soaring Winds, my favorite, and I went up, up, and ... Up. And Up. And UP! I had to cast a second one just to control the first one, and manage to land. Julius reminded me that that's why they're called Arcane Arts, not Arcane Sciences. So call me an Expressionist.
I had a quick nip with Julius (and it barely past sun up; I always wondered why his nose was so red), and flew to the [name of the inn], landing out of sight. I chatted with Dieterich Innkeep while enjoying some breakfast. Wolfgang Songmacher was staying there, and I made a mental note (off key, of course) to listen to him on my way back.
Flying is wonderful, but having to stop every 4 leagues or so to recast the spell was a real drag. I decided that I would have to do something about that soon. Either way, it didn't take me long to reach the general area of the pool. I hiked up the trail from the main road and found the pool without trouble.
A brief inspection of the area revealed no others present. I drank of the waters of the pool and was refreshed. After a brief meal of cold sausage, bread and cheese, I sat down and meditated until it was time to sleep. In the interests of safety in strange woods at night, I sponted a [leave_me_alone_you_annoying_beastie spell] and retired.
Upon awakening, I renewed my Parma Magica. An annoyingly cheerful voice remarked upon my unusual abloutions. It was one of the good folk, dressed all in blue. He saluted the sun with a mocking, fancy wave of his hat. I was cautiously polite. He had the Vis. I asked him what he wanted for them. He offered to wager, as the fish were nominally mine, and of no use to him. He would wager another two Vis. I offered to riddle him for them; he demurred. I asked if there was a service I could perform for him, and he smiled.
He spoke of a fat, greasy bear who laired nearby, and frequently fouled his pool. I pondered this for a while as we discussed the possiblities. The fey remarked that if only the bear laired in the glen, he would deal with it himself. I said that this I could accomplish. I climbed a tree and awaited the arrival of the bear. As I heard the bear approach, I filled the glade with the Scent of a Peaceful Slumber. The bear approached, sniffed about a bit, and entered the clearing. Soon I heard it fall asleep, although I couldn't see through the lilac mist.
I waited for the fey to strike, but nothing seemed to happen. I considered climbing down and doing for the bear myself, but a dagger didn't seem the proper tool. As I contemplated, the sound of the bear's snoring seemed to grow fainter and fainter, until I could no longer hear it. I allowed the Scent to dissipate, and descended the tree. No bear was to be seen, but there was a small hillock on the glade with four Aquam Vis upon it. I pouched them, and bid farewell to the glade with a mocking, fancy wave of my hat.
Umberto
Umberto Dierro finished his apprenticeship to Julius of House Jerbiton, one of the founders and the oldest member of the Covenant of Rochehaut. It was suggested by said Julius that perhaps Umberto would care to travel to a small pool located between Rochehaut and the Covenant of Stonehollow where Rochehaut has the right to collect two Aquam vis each Summer Solstice. This vis appears in the pool the night of the Solstice in the form of fish of the deepest blue. The fish are not natural since upon being removed from the water they do not die, in fact they never live, but the retain movement of the lips and gills until such time as they are used.
Umberto accepted, and declined travelling companions since he expected to travel quickly and lightly. In this spirit, he set off with a roaring of wind and lifted into the sky. Julius who had watched him depart noted with some concern that Umberto seemed discontented with the wind he had summoned and which was speeding him higher and higher into the air with no apparent concern for Umberto's wishes. At the edge of his sight, he perceived Umberto cast another spell, and then slowly return to the earth. Upon returning to terra firma, the mystical wind which Umberto had summoned vanished. Umberto tried again to bend the wind to his will and was this time successful, his winds lifting him to a height of perhaps fifty feet before propelling him down the valley at a breakneck pace.
By travelling for only twenty or so minutes at a time before resting, Umberto was able to traverse the distance that it might take a man afoot a week or more to cross in less than a day. He was carefull to avoid being seen, while remaining low enough to see the landmarks he would need to find - the river and the Roman road - to keep him on his path. As the afternoon wore on, Umberto finished the last leg of his journey on foot, arriving in the mystic glade where the pool was located. He made camp and ate a cold supper before wrapping himself in his cloak to sleep, trusting to his spells and the obviously supernatural clearing, which was perfectly circular as was the pool, to protect him from danger.
Upon arising he activated his Parma Magicae as usual, only to be greeted with a chuckle by a small man dressed all in blue who found his ablutions amusing. After some discourse, it was learned that the man had already removed from the pool the two fish, but was willing to use them and the promise of more to purchase the aid of the young Magus. A bear, it seemed, was fouling the pool. Sleeping all day it came at night to drink and befoul the pool. Umberto was cautious, feeling that this smacked of the Fair Folk. He determined that this was no natural bear, and also that if it was disabled the Blue Man would be able to deal with it. He therefore resolved upon a plan.
As night began to fall, he climbed a tree and waited. When the Blue Man called out that the bear approached, Umberto caused the clearing to be filled with a violet mist. The bear entered the clearing, and a moment later Umberto heard the sounds of its snuffling change to snores. The snores grew fainter, and after they had vanished completely, Umberto let his mists of sleep disperse and descended. Of the bear and the Blue Man there were no signs, but a hummock had arisen where there had been none before and upon that hummock rested not two but four fish. Since that summer, the pool has provided the Covenant with four fish each summer, but Umberto feels that the Covenant has not heard the last of the Blue Man.