Any of the soldier grogs I made would be fine, I'll be happy to play one of them.
Ivor, I would rather not cast the spell on...he would be of more use as a bodyguard than as an intelligent wolf.
I think part of that might be our (as players) unfamiliarity with who's available. For example, I think Wilhelm would be a good fit for Onesiphorus's thread, but he doesn't live in the covenant and wouldn't know unless someone told him that the magus is investigating those funny-looking trees over there. And we have a few statted-out shepherds that might work in Silviatos's thread - possibly one of them might have seen something or have been in charge of the sheep that got mauled.
I can understand this. Would you have a grog that you brought with you that you've done this to before? Consider that someone might not really be wild about this...
I have a similar level of familiarity. Grogs can be as fleshed out as necessary. As far as grogs available that you didn't bring those would primarily belong to players, with some available from Apollodorus (and those need to be created). Grogs who worked for Apollodorus before everyone came on, and coming with other Magi will likely be unused to individual character's manegerial styles...
I'd say that there could be 10-15 grogs available from Apollodorus's staff available to do non servant/teamster/pages roles (he had a tendency to pay [overpay] staff with specialized skills to do stuff as needed, not hire them for permanent staff).
In most cases, I don't need a lot of info for an instagrog, name, spoken languages (virtue granting Latin, if necessary and a balancing flaw), rough age, notable skill/ability and we can go from there. If I need combat stats, we can cross that bridge when necessary. We can always flesh it out in more detail at a later date if you think you like something about the character. Is that fair?
Hmm...checking my newly-minted spreadsheet of Every Character Posted Here Somewhere, let's say Brione de Rey (if Alexei doesn't mind), Michelle le Rouge, and a couple of red-shirts. Sound good?
Works for me.
Just want to double-check my math and assumptions before Fiona answers about vis for the Aegis.
Her CrVi lab total is Cr 6 + Vi 6 + Int 1 + MT 6 + Aura 5 = 24. Her lab has a +1 for Extracting Vis due to having Superior Equipment, which bumps her Lab Total to 25, which is good for 3 pawns of Vis in the season.
Now, are you allowed to Experiment (p. 107-109) with Vis Extraction, and if so, are you allowed to take an Exceptional Risk? (basically, she would need another +6 to get her to 4 pawns).
Sure, you can do that. Do you want to blow up your nice shiny new lab that you moved all the way from Locl Leglean to acquire? 
Especially when it doesn't come close to the requirement of 7 pawns for the ritual...
I wouldn't. You have some easier avenues. Hint 1: something's happening in April. Hint 2:you have a ripe Vis source Hint 3: besides Redcaps, what is House Mercere known for, and what TeFo combination would be prized?
Excuse me, I'm going to go blow my brains out. Maybe I'll come up with better ways of leaving breadcrumbs in the process! :mrgreen:
The gifts given by the Tremere aren't insignificant, by the way.
Alexei opened his package, what was in it?
Would it be common knowledge around the covenant that there is a wounded Moor convalescing since about early March?
If so, Fiona would likely use her Mythic Herbalism to try to brew healing potions. I'm looking specifically at Ease Factor 9 ("Add Mythic Herbalism Score x 2 to Recovery roll"), each batch taking three days and with about a 50-50 shot of being potent.
Unless Alexei has kept it quiet, I'd say no.
um...confused headscratch Is that no it's not common knowledge, or no it's not a problem?
Sorry.
Unless Alexei kept it quiet, it is common knowledge. Is that better? Meaning, I'm leaving it up to Alexei. During the spring season he's not ambulatory at all. Around the first of June Mufarjj has probably become mobile and wanted to move around, how much freedom he has is up to Alexei.
Alexei made no secret of it. Actually he likely has asked the Magi if they've seen any strange men around the covenant grounds and will explain how the moorish man came to be where he is.
Okay, reread the Mythic Herbalism description in Houses of Hermes: Societates, and it says that "the curative is effective for one month and must be reapplied if the patients wound takes longer to heal." (p. 126, first column, fourth full paragraph). And, since you don't need a full hermetic laboratory, as long as she has the Apothecary skill and access to plants growing in a Magic Aura, she should be fine (first full paragraph, same page and column). She doesn't have the Profession Skill Apothecary, though - she has Medicine (Apothecary)...hopefully that's the same thing (or at least close enough).
If so, I'll have her make a MH roll for late March (since it would probably take a couple of weeks, at least, to start to recognize what plants are where in her exploration of the covenant area), late April, and late May and (with judicious use of Aura of Ennobled Presence) try to get Mufarjj to take his medicine like a big boy.
That's fine. He also has a ring on right now which provides a +15 healing bonus (also a pain nullifier, but I didn't tell him that).
I see what you did there 
Then none of these would be sufficient. Someone could heal his light wound once he gets to that level, maybe that's where Alexei is taking you. He would be at Heavy for a season, and then Medium for a month, and now in late June he would be at or near Light (which is close enough). I think I can reasonably allow some vis for this as it is no net gain to the covenant and resolves his medical condition... That you're a Root Cutter just lessens it.
I'll say you can participate in the ritual like someone could participate in the Aegis ritual, that Root Cutter provides you with enough knowledge to make yourself part of the ritual without the communion.
Fiona would still, I think, brew the healing potions even though PB knows it wouldn't have any positive effect, and would offer to help with any healing ritual that is done down the road. Assuming the doctor and Mufarjj will let her.
Or she can go back to putting her lab and her garden together. shrug