Islanders News

Shortly before the Coven, you all receive the following email from Eilidh MacDoddigan:

Hey everyone, so my dad seems to be a bit round the bend and has decided everything's a danger and he needs to protect his family, so he's trapped us all on Mull with no communication and made us help him fortify the whole island. He's casting Master-level spells in almost every school now and we weren't able to take him on - he locked up my cousins when they tried. I've managed to get away, because Sam Weaver came to get me off the island - thanks Sam! - and I'll be at the next coven trying to find people who can help. Please, if anyone knows of any way to stop this madness, that'd be great…

Claire Lewis, that Hydromancy researcher who published the previous paper on Excalibur, has gone out on a bit of a limb this time, claiming that the glory days of Arthur's magic are returning, and Wytches should prepare to rule the country. As evidence, she quotes the recent upsurge in magical power and occurrences around the nation, stating that feats are being done which match the mythical tales of Camelot and Merlin. She's non-specific about how exactly you should go about recapturing those glory days, but certainly seems enthusiastic about the idea.

Since the last coven, there has been no further word from either Eilidh MacDoddigan or her father. Messages sent to them have gone unanswered, and it's not clear whether they're travelling around the country or else unreachable for some other reason. It may be a coincidence, but a local news website in the Inner Hebrides reports that the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry service to Mull has been unusually disrupted recently due to some extremely intense autumn storms.

A spokesman for Ruaraidh MacDoddigan states “well, erm, we had Fiona Lauchlan imprisoned at the end of the coven, of course, along with that plague guy, and we got the plague guy safely transported away, but then we noticed that our null magic crystal seemed to have been stolen and, er, we tried to find out what had happened to that, and in the confusion, well, then Fiona Lauchlan wasn't there any more. And her cell looked kind of explodified. Um. Sorry.”

Eilidh sends round a quick email soon after the coven, telling you that Ruaraidh's taken some rest, and he'll be stepping back from a few of his duties while he looks after himself - she mentions that he needs to conserve his strength to go on the mission to Wales with whatever needs to be dealt with there. She sounds upbeat, though, and says he seems to be listening to reason.

A fortnight later, another short email from her comes through, this one sounding less sanguine. It asks if anyone's seen him around Bedivere trying to find someone to teach him Apocrymancy?

In addition to the note sent round to all Wytches, Ruaraidh appends a post-script for Islanders: any additional help watching over or securing the Coven building would be welcome, but mostly he's looking for you to show faith in his quasi-leadership and help convince others to show up. In addition, he'd really appreciate it if some people could hang around Glasgow the day before to make sure any Wytches with poorer senses of direction are sent the right way when they show up at the train station/airport.

As you know, the Islanders have no real structure or official head. However, Ruaraidh has arguably placed himself in that position over the course of the recent Covens, acting as though he speaks for all Islanders. You've let this slide so far, but now there are worrying rumours… distant MacDoddigan cousins whisper that Ruaraidh seems odd these days, occasionally chuckling to himself (the more scurrilous rumours say 'cackling') and claiming that mastery of the entire natural world is within his grasp. His organisation of the Coven certainly seems to be fine, and enough other Wytches have been involved that you have no concerns on that front, but maybe it's all been a bit much for him and he ought to think about stepping down from public life in the near future…

The Whirlpool of Corryvreckan has, it seems, entirely disappeared. The rumour doing the rounds is that the Hermit and the MacDoddigans fought over it to their own exhaustion before someone else snuck in and stole what was there. It's not clear what that is, or who stole it. The Hermit has stayed silent on the matter ever since, while Ruaraidh MacDoddigan has sent round a terse note stating that he's entirely in control of the situation, and will resolve it at the next Coven.

A research paper has emerged from a reclusive academic Hydromancer in Wales, named Claire Lewis, which describes new research centring on Arthur's legendary sword. It suggests that this sword was indeed magical, and may have been skilled in Protection (as Arthur was not a Wytch but needed to defend himself against magical powers). A disputed section at the end speculates that perhaps the sword was a Hydromancy artefact, since after all there is that business with the Lady of the Lake and all… (The dispute comes mostly from the geomancers, who claim that actually Excalibur was the sword that was in the stone, so surely it's Geomancy? As with all such academic debates, this seems unlikely to resolved through discussion over 1000 years after the fact.)

A rather scruffy, hand-written round-robin letter is making its way around the Islanders. “Leave Corryvreckan in peace!” it demands, among various slightly incoherent ramblings about nature and the beauty of water in motion. “Don't encourage the MacDoddigans in their wanton destruction!” reads another line, leading you to think that maybe someone up there's been poking around trying to see what's going on. The letter is signed merely “Hamish the Hermit.”

Many prominent Islander families receive some business cards in the post from the renowned Lisa Vestris, who makes a living selling potions. Obviously, she is looking for new business, but you also notice some interesting small print that hints she'd be very happy to meet anyone who can cast interesting non-Enchantment spells to create some new and different potions to diversify her line.

Following the fallout of the Doubleday Incident, all Wytches nominally connected to the Islanders have received a few communications on how the community should react. The round-robin letter from Ruaraidh McDoddigan says that the Islanders ”… know from our painful past how terrible the results of Norm domination of Wytches can be. We must act to protect our communities however we can! Be ever vigilant for attempts to further restrict our freedoms and our rights, and help others to hide if necessary.” It encloses a photocopy of a petition for you to sign and return if you want. By contrast, several excitable emails have also been sent by his daughter Eilidh urging more immediate action, ”'cos if we don't stand up for ourselves, who else will? Pls let me know if you'll be strong and stand with me, like the song says!”

The notorious Corryvreckan whirlpool has gained some interest in the Norm media of late, since it wrecked a footballer's pleasure yacht as he tried to sail through the strait while drunk. Suddenly, whispers are circulating among the Islanders that there's something a bit odd about that thing, and it doesn't seem to behave like a normal ocean vortex driven by the interaction of strong tidal currents and complex bathymetry should…

The well-known Brujons of Sark, a family of hydromancy healers since time immemorial, have sent round a pamphlet with a photo of their missing cousin. Jean, a young woman who was rumoured a few years ago to be developing a strong talent in the healing arts herself, apparently left home after a serious argument. The pamphlet hints that this was all a misunderstanding and she should just come home, but doesn't actually say what the argument was about. Any information on her whereabouts is requested.