Her meditations had brought disturbing visions and omens. Crows followed her footsteps, cawing out their messages wherever she went. Beware, be watchful! They called.  Visions of armies marching strong had come in fevered fits: sandaled feet stamping smooth the roads of the Forumland forests, leather boots gripping the mud while swords flashed...

The green hill beyond the villa sparkled in its golden sheath of raindrops as the sun sank lower.
Beyond that, a rosey stormcloud massed energy, stark against the darkening sky and golden valley.
Another omen? Or just appropriate?

Rumors hugged her mind. Rumors of a pitched clan battle between the forces of Forumland. It was
said that the Dianas had joined with the O'Connors to take over the other clans. It was said that the
Stargazers had censored her own clan Longinus, although she didn't know why. It was even rumored that a fighting force bred in the Otherworld and shaped in the pits of Hades was on its way to ensure
its clan's ascension.

Her shopping had suffered due to the rumors. Merchants worried about the battle to come had
raised their prices. Transportation, they said, was becoming too risky. Goods were getting scarce.
There was going to be a war, and shelves were constantly emptied in preparation...
But there were other rumors, and the things she had seen firsthand. These were more immediate,
more pressing. And they preyed on her mind.

It was rumored, on good authority, that the Senate had decided to withdraw their support to
Hibernia of the Forumlands. Led by a shadowy cabal known only as 'The Fox', the senators had
begun to pressure the Emperor Honorius to forsake the tiny land at the end of the world and
concentrate on the barbarian threat from the northern hinterlands.

This cabal told the emperor how expensive it was to maintain the colony opposed to the wealth it
brought in. It said that it was too far away from all the Roman people knew to be of any use. There
were other, more lucrative endeavors in their own vicinity, as well as the threats from the Cabal of
Barbarian States, the Nationhood of Barbarian Capitals, and the Alliance of Barbarian Countries.
They said that a successful defense against these giants had to be concentrated on the home front.

Then there were the things seen: Coastal communities laid waste by the barbarian fleets of the North
Sea, villages burnt and pillaged, motherless children mourning for the women now taken as slaves or
worse by the invaders, villages of old people and the very young where these pirates had taken those of an age to fight and serve.

They would come in by night, she was told, in their long boats, and creep up on a sleeping
community. Without warning they would sweep down and crush any resistance the sleepy villagers
could give. After taking what they would, they burned the buildings to the ground and left the corpses to the animals. People called them 'The Visitors' in quiet fear. These activities were still confined to the northern coastal settlements, but these 'Visitors' had begun to grow bold. They took their ships up rivers to ravage settlements there, and had even been reported traveling across land some ways to reach a particularily wealthy enclave.

The clans of Forumland had to unite, she thought to herself, put aside their differences for now and
fight under a common banner. They had to drive off the Norhtern menace, and convince the Senate
not to withdraw support.

Her stomach churned. This was a catastrophe in the making. If the clans did not believe her, and why should they, no one ever did, thier land would no longer be theirs. The children of the clans would
grow up with these raiders as their masters instead of having autonomy. She thought about her own
children and couldn't watch them grow up slaves to a foreign power. Hibernia of Forumland was
theirs. She tried to see the future, but her emotions interfered. Her stomach continued to battle her while her mind tried to comfort her with words of victory. Were the words true? Or were they just a reaction to the stress of the coming conflict?

There were other matters to take care of and she put her mind to them. Should they ally with the
Mystic Minstrels?

Yes, but not for the rumored gold and jewels. If things came to a head, money would mean nothing.
The reasons for alliance would be the mobility and near-invisibility of the Minstrels in their entertaining capacity, and the comfort of numbers in these uncertain times.

The Stargazers. What could she do about them? Their censorship had come from rumors, she was
certain. She didn't even know why they had targeted the peaceful clan.

She decided to contact their leader and find out. While she did, she would also propose a temporary
alliance to fight the threats that were nearly upon them. Once they saw that the Longinii were proud
people of the land, they would certainly know that their only intentions were for the good of the
people and the country.

Ceridwen felt the evening chill and realised that it was nearly dark. She wrapped her wool shawl
around her and stood up, pausing a moment to gaze at a flickering star.

The star winked and shimmered in the violet sky. Ceridwen went inside.

Chronicle 3
Chronicle 1
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