The visitor was Afonso of House Mercere, and he brought with him a letter from Lapis Crudus requiring the aid of Monte Mercurius concerning some faerie issue – but they do not specify the issue. Stephanos, Jason and Noelle decide to go and both Stephanos and Noelle go to town to talk to the Mercenary Captain to get a few swords to join them. On the way they meet Benoit while he is performing on the street, and after recognizing him as a magus they take him to see Atticus – who immediately misinterprets the situation as if Benoit had come to seek membership alongside the others. Benoit goes with it and after glancing briefly at the charter, which made everyone else eye him weirdly, signs, becoming the newest member of Monte Mercurius.

A couple of days later the group leaves: Afonso, Stephanos, Noelle, Jason and Benoit, as well as 8 mercenaries and Guy, one of the grogs. Between them they take 24 pawns of Vis (5 Rego, 5 Corpus, 3 Creo, 1 Auram, 1 Ignem, 4 Mentem, 1 Auram, 1 Creo, 1 Intellego, 1 Rego, 1 Corpus), 5 per magus and an extra few that Nimrod handed them just in case.

They reach the forest of fontainebleau and eventually come upon the massif where the covenant should be, but can only see a few shacks down the rugged rocky valley. They decide to camp overlooking the shacks, just outside the tree range, and upon exploring the area find a charm hanging on a tree. Benoit gets excited with the prospect of a faerie living there, and he manages to talk to her – a green skinned fair maiden who introduced herself as Youngtree, but she gets angry and vanishes at the mention of Lapis Crudus.

Benoit leaves her a charmed flower bouquet and later sings her a very special song…

Atticus Flambonis makes public throughout the Order his invitation to any and all young magi who would like to join his Covenant of Monte Mercurius in the Normandy Tribunal, promising an extensive and unrestricted library, as well as active participation in the Council decisions.

The word reaches far, and a few magi with no better options see in Monte Mercurius a possibility for growth, while others are sent despite their will, and a last sees the doors of a career opening slightly for him.

Stephanos Tremendi travelled from Italy to France, taking the mountain passes over the Alps and making his way up the Rhine, eventually to reach Amiens, where a chance meeting with Noelle Verditii allowed him to secure passage to Paris.

But before that Jason Mercandi was all but pushed through the Hermes Portal in Harco, sent to Confluensis, where he joined fellow sodales Nimrod Tytali on a journey to Rouen, and then onto Paris. They reached the Montmartre and the ruins of the Temple of Mercury atop the hill, but found neither grog nor magus, merely a few footprints on the ground. Searching further inside they came upon two locked doors, and knocking on the first revealed to them Atticus, who complained about the grogs and went on to offer them food and rest, before allowing them to study the charter and decide whether to stay or not.

They decided to stay and signed the charter and swore the oath.
And moved on to settle down on what laboratories and sancta they could, immediately starting to work on making them more… fitting.

But no longer than two weeks later another two reach Montmartre, but this time a grog receives them – first invisibly, then not. Stephanos and Noelle are taken underground where they meet first Nimrod and Jason, and later Atticus, who makes them the same offer.

They too sign the charter and swear the oath, setting to work on their own sancta.

And while Noelle got acquainted with the covenant’s mercantile operations and secured a home for her sister, Jason visited the University and secured a teaching position for himself, before finding a room not too far from the school. Nimrod took the daily running of the covenant upon himself, getting acquainted with the covenfolk, the library and the Council reports. Stephanos, as expected resumed his strict training regimen and learned a little about the grogs’ fighting style and overall prowess.

The days passed fast, and before they knew it, another visitor was at their door…