Asullus Anguli XV ... Asullus’ Corner
Master Caecus, Why No’ Ye Like Us?
So, Asullus here once again, along wi’ trusty an’ sweet Morphia, the Spritae, still actin’ as our scribe, fer all ye oldsters an’ wee ones alike as ha’ been writin’ wi’ yer requests an’ demands — some more polite than others — to be informed o’ the most serious an’ needful questions o’ our time an’ tryin’ to bring answers to the queries such as those as reach the Tower o’ the North.
Well, now, Josef o’ Rider’s Crossing ha’ written to the Tower, here, an’ is expressin’ an interest in learnin’ more aboot the famous Pila Ludere game fallin’ shortly after the Aequinoctium Autumnus, or Fall Equinox, o’ me Master Thaddeus’ first year o’ study at the Collegium Sorcerorum.
Now, that was a contest noted fer several interestin’ happenin’s don’ ye know.
First off, was the manner in which it arose in the first place–that bein’ from a challenge by the College’s Supremi, or Senior Class, to Thaddeus an’ his class to a game o’ football on account o’ a Daemon appearin’ at the school swearing fealty to a Tironis, or first year Apprentice, an upsettin’ event, making nervous all those as were aboot to graduate.
Second, the young team decidin’ to pick a mule—a generally worldly-wise an’ strategically-gifted one, to be sure but still a mule—to shepherd them through the unequal strivin’ they was to face. As ha’ been mentioned, I did me best to warn the greenies that they was to be facin’ those who was older, stronger, wiser, better at Sorcery an’ more likely to cheat, I did.
Third, as I also did point out, the conflict was to occur on the most inauspicious o’ all nights—All Hallows’ Eve—the time when all manner o’ mischief may be up an’ aboot.
Next, ‘tis well known that on that self-same dark an’ stormy night, some o’ this mischief was bein’ caused most certainly by the members o’ that verra same Supremi team, themselves. There followed a tug o’ war o’ sorts ‘tween those Advocati o’ the first-years wi’ the Aelvae an’ the Spritae an’ others as cared fer me young Master doin’ battle on his behalf.
E’en wi’ all that to the good, howe’er, it was clear they was bound to lose, giant hallucinatory sendin’s an’ me Mistress’s greenstones no’wi’standin’. An’ here is where we tries to throw light on the stance o’ our Referendarius o’ the evenin’s events, Master Caecus.
Discussions occurring an’ concurrin’ held since that time all seems to be agreein’ on one point—that Master favored the Senior lads that night. The question I, an’ many others, methinks to ask is why?
Now, fer the record, Master Caecus had his early training at the University o’ Topian, an’, in fact, was a classmate o’ Mistress Marsia’s father, Professor Smythe, way back in the day.
An’ I’m thinkin’ there’s where the story begins wi’ himself an’ three young lasses o’ the local town, who he was, accordin’ to tales I was able to gather together, courtin’ all at the same time thereaboots.
Now, who can say as to whether the lad was a cad or merely undecided? In any event, we knows o’ two facts fer certain happenin’ then. First ‘tis said wi’ some confidence that three newborn souls made their appearance around an’ aboot this time in that community. Second, ‘tis said no’ so long after, young Caecus was recruited up an’ left fer school that verra summer an’, so far as any can say, he ne’er returned to the area, except, perhaps, on one occasion.
So, assumin’ these things to be true, ‘tis no wonder ‘twas all covered up as it smacks o’ a school scandal indeed.
The next question be what the position o’ the College was in such matters? An’ here we be movin’ to a subject no warm body there cares to dwell on, as far as I can sees—that is, the dearly held Doctrine o’ Panspermia.
Now, seein’ as how that be a rather large topic wi’ references an’ ramifications extendin’ both back an’ forth in time an’ number, methinks it be worthy o’ its own postin’ at some later time. So, that’s what we’ll do.
But suffice to say that there appeared, roughly two decades later, three likely lads, all from the Topian area, seekin’ admission an’ trainin’ at the College, to become Sorcerers. I donno’ the details here, but I knows none were accepted. It might ha’ been a question o’ who sponsored them or who did no’. In any case they was all sent on their way an’ no thing was e’er heard again regardin’ this matter, except…
I ha’ researched this most carefully an’ the record does note that on a special recruitin’ trip Master Caecus, himself, did set out upon, some four years prior to me lad, Thaddeus, comin’ to the Institution, the Master arrived back at the College wi’ three new likely lads in tow, all o’ whom was then granted admission to the school. I’ll be the one to add here that Master Caecus was ne’er one so keen on travelin’ aboot o’er the countryside, so him volunteerin’ to be out an’ aboot bringin’ in a new crop fer the College was uncommon, to say the least.
Now, I remember the three lads in question an’ I canno say that any o’ them put me in mind o’ any o’ the other o’ them particularly—no strong facial resemblance, no same mole marks on the left cheek, no hair-part fallin’ on the same side o’ the head, an’ so on.
I’ll only say that all three o’ them, as I recalls it, came from Topian in the east an’ had a strong interest in the play o’ Pila Ludere. Such so, that all three did play prominently on the Senior Team that fateful night o’ the game I was referencin’ there at the beginning.
So, who is there to say what happened an’ what was meant an’ how it all played out? Now, as I’m sure, any can see I ha’ me suspicions in the matter so I’ll say no more concernin’ any o’ this. Only, if ye may, at some point, in yer lives, be facin’ a contest o’ great importance that ‘tis bein’ judged harshly fer yer side by the Authority abo’e ye, there may be reason to it all.
Well, interestin’ topic fer today, but ‘tis time fer me an’ the wee Spritae to be movin’ on to other things an’ so we’ll be biddin’ ye a fond Ave! until the next time.
Fare-thee-well.
Asullus
Mule-in-Residence
The Great North Tower, Northfast
