Letters found in the sanctum of Videnaeci ex Criamon, shortly after his death following the Rain of Blood, in the Spring of 1226.

My dearest Videnaeci,

It has been too many years since we last spoke, and I must apologise for the reason for this letter to be one of official matters rather than of social gossip. I do promise to make up time that has been lost at some point soon, but for now we have some urgent matters that concern us, and I require the advice and knowledge of one of your House.

Many years ago you told me of Empedocles, and of Criamon’s view of circular time. Something I have encountered recently reminded me of those discussions that we had. Unfortunately I must beg your discretion in this matter, for it is currently an issue that is kept within our House. I would very much like to open up discussion on the matter to a wider audience, and any wisdom you impart may help me in such matters.

The Long Day has had an affect on us all, and a number of strange tales have been told of that time. However, none seem to be as strange as the tale of one who claims to have see the end of the world. If you are expecting me to give you a story about visions then you would be forgiven, but you would be wrong. What he claims is that he was actually there at the world’s end, and lived through the wrath of the Heavenly Powers.

He now claims to have been delivered to us during the Long Day, and that time has been reset to give us all a second chance. It was never clear to me whether these cycles of Time were identical, or whether we had choices that could be made that could vary them from one cycle to the next. If what he says is true, then possibly he has stepped from one cycle to another, but this is not consistent with my understanding of the world. I was hoping that you may be able to explain more of how cycles interact, and whether such a thing would be possible. There are those in our House who believe these events to be of Divine significance, and that there are signs of a Second Coming. Myself, I am hoping for a more Natural explanation.

Isabelle Stabilis ex Jerbiton
1216, Autumn

My dearest sodalis,

Once again I must apologise for keeping things from you all this time, but I assure you that we shall be able to have a full discussion at the Emergency Tribunal in a few months. However, Ustinov ex Jerbiton has given me leave to explain a bit more of what it is that we are dealing with, though no doubt some of this information will have already reached you by other means by now.

In the Winter of 1216 a magus going by the name of Jeremiah Vercius ex Jerbiton turned up at Valnastium. He appeared in be in his forties, and claimed to be the filius of Juvenalis ex Jerbiton of Bellaquin Covenant in Provencal. He also claimed that it was the year 1238 and that the world had been destroyed.

Our investigations have proven that Juvenalis does have a filius of that name, but he did not finish his apprenticeship until later that year. Apart from the fact that one is 22 years the senior and makes outlandish claims, the two magi are remarkably similar.

What we know of the younger Jeremiah is that he was born John de Capestang in 1196, the bastard son of the noble knight Luke de Capestang. He showed interest in the Church, and was encouraged in his learnings by one of the Archbishops of Narbonne, who helped tutor him in the reading of the Holy Scripture. He was due to join the Church in 1202, but was spotted by Juvenalis ex Jerbiton who took him as an apprentice. He spent most of his time at Bellaquin Covenant until he passed his gauntlet in 1217 at the age of 21. Other than showing an affinity for the Divine, he was not notable in any way. He took the name Jeremiah ex Jerbiton.

He now resides here at Valnastium where we can keep an eye on him.

The elder Jeremiah claims a similar childhood and apprenticeship, but claims that the world ended in 1216. There was a shift in the Realms of Power which destroyed most of civilisation in Europe, and lead to an age of terror where the Infernal and Divine fought a war for control of his world.

He claims that the Criamon of his world found an exit, a way to leave that world and seek another. The ritual that was needed to open the gateway split the world asunder, and only Jeremiah made it through. He now claims that God intervened and has granted him a second chance to prevent this happening again.

He says that this world is different from his own, and is missing those factors believed to be responsible for what happened before. He has opened his mind to us, and he seems to believe that what he says is true, but they are outlandish claims.

I hope that we can discuss things in more detail when we meet. We plan to bring this knowledge to the heads of the Order to try and reach a decision on what to do. There are already several in our House, lead by Ustinov, who believe that what Jeremiah says is true, and that we must act upon it to save the world from a second destruction. I still believe that we need the knowledge of your House if we are to find the right path however.

Your friend,
Isabelle Stabilis ex Jerbiton,
1218, Spring