1228.3 Pegasaurus Unchained

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: In the Ruins of Bibracte
1

In the late days of September, on the outside of the stone wall surrounding the mundane buildings of Mons Electi, the air shimmers and dances at the surface of the wall. A moment a man steps out of the distortion, which seems to evaporate. The man turns towards the gate and after a short walk comes into view of the grog guarding it. Calling out in Norman French, he says "Bonjour mon brave. Je viens rendre visite à dame Fiona. Pourriez-vous lui annoncer mon arrivée? Mon nom est Petronius." <<Good day. I am here to visit lady Fiona. Could you tell her that I have arrived? My name is Petronius.>>

For this day, Petronius is dressed in a warm red surcoat worn over a long-sleeved tunic of dark brown wool and grey chausses, with brimmed rounded cap over his head and sturdy leather botes. He carries a leather satchel bag slung over his shoulder and a short walking stick of dark wood.

2

Not far away, Petronius can spy Marcus just outside his cottage, not far from the main gate. Marcus waves, but doesn't approach. In front of his cottage and to the side of the path leading to his door appears to be a rather deep bit. Marcus jumps into the air, and then descends into it.

((Not expecting Petronius to even want to talk to Marcus, based on what happened last time they 'spoke'))

3

Petronius waves back politely, but without much enthusiasm. He will wait for the grogs to fetch Fiona (or one of the other magi) before entering the covenant.

4

One of the guards, a big burly side of beef, scurries off with surprising speed toward the regio side. He returns before too much longer with Fiona and another young giantess (who appears to be in her teens) in tow.

Fiona walks up to Petronius, beaming widely, and leans over to give him a kiss on each cheek. [color=blue]"Petronius, sodalis, it has been far too long. I trust you had an uneventful journey? You remember my apprentice Sheelagh?"

She walks with him to the courtyard in the mundane side, where the statue has stood since Praxiteles finished it some four years earlier. Before they turn the final corner, she takes him by the hand. [color=blue]"Close your eyes, sodalis, and prepare to be awestruck." She guides him to the most optimal viewing point, one that that lets him see it in semi-profile (basically to the front and side, at about a 45° angle), and positions him just so before she bids him open his eyes again.

Fiona has taken the time to clean and polish the statue recently, so it's practically shining blackly in the sunlight.

5

Petronius wanders off a little while waiting for Fiona, going back outside of the walls. As the guard looks at him suspiciously, the magus touches the outside surface of the wall, caressing it with his eyes closed for some time. He then crouches down to inspect a piece of stone on the ground, about a handspan in size, brushing dirt and sand with his hand before he examines it closely. When he hears the sound of Fiona and Sheelagh approaching, he puts it down carefully back into its hole. He rises, taps it down once gently with his walking stick, then turns to the approaching giantesses.

"As uneventful and quick as can be," answers Petronius with a smile. "I've learned early in my career that this was the best way to travel. Leaves more time for interesting things like research and meeting with friends." Turning to Sheelagh, he nods and says a bit more formally, "Apprentice Sheelagh. You have grown since the last time we met. How goes your study?" As they make their way into the courtyard and towards the statue, he keeps up a light conversation with the apprentice, if she is willing.

Humoring the maga, Petronius closes his eyes and let himself be led to the best place to view the statue. When he opens his eyes, a sharp intake of air marks his reaction, but he otherwise remains immobile for a long time, absorbing the view. He then moves towards it, slowly, and tentatively raise a hand to caress the silvery black surface of the huge pegasus. He surreptitiously wipes a tear from his eye as he moves around the statue, eximining the exquisite details.

He turns back to Fiona and, with a choked voice, says, "Thank you." Clearing his throat and regaining control of his emotions somewhat, he adds, "It is one of his best work, if not the best of them all." He faces the statue again and is silent for a long time, then sighs. "For all of his faults and sins, he was a good man," says Petronius softly. "I miss him."

He finally shakes his head and states, "What were your plans for this masterpiece? I'm afraid he never told me what you intended to enchant it for."

6

[color=blue]"As do I, sodalis. I regret that I didn't have time to get to know him better before he was taken from us." Fiona looks surprisingly somber, a far cry from her usual deadpan expression. [color=blue]"Sometimes, when I'm in the area, I find myself drawn here and I just...look at it, and think of him. I miss him, and I miss Alips too. We correspond frequently, but it's not the same." She reaches up and caresses the pegasus's neck, trying hard not to weep.

[color=blue]"Once I find someone to open it for enchantment, the first thing I was hoping to have is for him to be able to fly like his namesake. He would be my stony steed. Ideally, I would like him to have a rudimentary, animal intelligence so that I don't have to spend all my effort guiding him. After that...some kind of offensive and defensive capabilities, perhaps the ability to turn himself and his rider invisible while in flight."

She looks at Petronius. [color=blue]"I know all that is too much to ask. I'm taking it in steps."

7

"I am no Verditius, so enchanting items is not a specialty of mine. But opening it for enchantment is something I should be able to do, although that will be the biggest item I have opened." He thinks for a moment, before saying, "That would require, what, 24 pawns of vis to open?" He nods, "I can handle that."

((Opening cost: Hard stone (4), Huge x10 (x6) = 24 pawns of Vim vis.))

"Animating the statue should be relatively easy. A Rego Terram effect, ideally with a Muto requisite so that the stone flows as if it was flesh, preventing any cracks and allowing it to resume its shape if it is damaged." Some more thought, "Hmmm... I can probably do this in a single season as well, as a sixth-magnitude enchantment. Guidance would as for a horse, I think, through its reins and stirrups. Having an experienced horseman available during the enchantment process might make things easier for that."

((ReTe base 3 (control dirt in a very unnatural fashion), +1 stone, +2 size (up to 100 cubic paces of stone), +1 Muto, +2 Sun = level 25 effect. Enchantment level is +1 for 2 uses per day and +3 for an environmental effect (to get constant use) = 29. Thus 3 pawns of vis.))

((I'm guessing that this might not need an Animal requisite for the guidance part, if the statue can be "trained" during enchantment to react as a horse would to the motions of its rider. So guidance would be based on the Ride score. If an Animal requisite is absolutely necessary, that may mean taking 2 seasons to enchant that effect.))

"True flight would be somethat harder, but simply Rego Terram, with no requisites. Probably a seventh-magnitude enchantment, so another season of work." He glances at Fiona, "Unless you'd want to restrict the use in some way, to prevent it from being stolen? That might be pushing things to the limit, but would probably be manageable."

((Again a ReTe base of 3, +1 stone, +2 size, +1 Conc, +2 for speed (as a running horse) = level 25 effect. Enchantment level is +5 for 24 uses per day and +5 for an item that maintains concentration = 35. Thus 4 pawns of vis))

"Those would be the basic effects. Anything else, you may be able to add over the years."

8

After a short moment, Petronius asks, "Have you thought about the question of the laboratory to enchant it? It will need to be quite large... larger than my lab is."

9

((If Tranquillina happens to get wind of the fact that Petronius can use 24 pawns of vis in a single season, she's likely to go all fangirl on him :laughing: ))

10

((Well, from a previous discussion on Magic Theory that she's had with him, she can certainly guess that he can do 20 pawns or more in the lab.))

11

[color=blue]"That's the figure that I arrived at as well," Fiona says.

[color=blue]"I would have to check with my maidservant, she knows more about who's who among the mu...the Ungifted than I do. But I would be surprised if we didn't have someone qualified among the turb."

[color=blue]"I would love for it to be restricted to me, but I can see where that would be problematic, and it's not something I have have to have."

[color=blue]"All the labs here are larger than average, and the Aura on the Regio side is Rego aligned. But then, we run into the problem of getting it over the Regio boundary. If we need to set up a new laboratory for you, we might be able to do so, I would have to check with Gerulf to see if we have the resources. And of course, it goes without saying that you have my and Sheelagh's full devotion in this endeavor."

12

"And any lab that you use for this will need to have a entrance large enough for the statue to get in and out of it. This lab would also need to be of a standard configuration, otherwise I will have to waste a season familiarizing myself with it and reconfiguring it." Petronius smiles mischeviously, looking at Sheelagh out of the corner of his eye to see her reaction, "Setting up that lab might be a good task for an apprentice, if her Magic Theory is advanced enough for it."

((I figure that, considering the large size of the statue, a lab would need to have at least 1 point of unused space, possibly 2. After all, it occupies a floor space of about 120 square feet and you would need space to move around it. It would also need to be set up for transient use, which I would guess none of the existing labs are.))

13

((I think the only reasonable solution is going to require an addition to or partition within the stables, and then setting up a lab within the dedicated space. So, it's construction time plus 3 or 6 months before work can begin. I think Petronius is here, primarily because of the opening for enchantment problem, as I understand it. I'd be fine with the stables being partitioned. There's still the issue of setting up the lab... The covenant is probably large enough that there should be a shared lab of some sort, and I'm mildly surprised this is the first time such a lab has been needed.))

14

Fiona nods. [color=blue]"That would be a fine test of an apprentice's progress. I know my apprentice is up to the task, with minimal supervision."

((My only concern with having a shared lab in the Mundane side is the weaker aura. And Petronius is here both for the opening for enchantment and for installing the ReTe effect. And I think we haven't needed a shared lab before because our visitors haven't really needed a lab before, that I can recall.))

15

For Rego effects it's almost a magnitude of difference, sure. +6 instead of +10. For everything else, it's +3, instead of +5. The alternative is to work up a spell that can adjust the shape and perhaps the size of the statue. Of course, a spontaneous spell could perhaps do this, but it is a huge risk... Of course, a spell designed to adjust the shape and size now, might be useful for enchanting the effect into the statue in the future....

16

I didn't realize that the aura on the mundane side was Rego-aligned, as well. That does make a difference.

So, we're looking at partitioning the stables and turning part of the area into a large Shared/Guest Lab. I'm thinking at least Size +2, if not Size +3, to make sure that Petronius has plenty of space to work around the statue as well as for any equipment that would go in there. Probably make the structure of stone, which would give the stonemasons something to do. So, maybe a season of construction for the lab, and then two seasons for Sheelagh to put the lab together to Petronius's specifications?

17

Sure. That takes care of the lab logistics...

Now what about the available vim logistics? :smiley:

18

How much is Petronius going to charge for (1) opening the item, and (2) installing the Rego Terram effect to let the stallion fly free?

[color=blue]Oh, Korvin, sweety! :smiley:

We have buttloads of the ReTe chess pieces, it looks like, way too much Corpus, and decent amounts of the other Forms. Can we trade some of them for Vim? (Basically looking to Korvin to handle that part of it, since he's Mercere and knows who to deal with and how.)

And, was Korvin able to trade some vis for the 12 Vim for Fiona's Winter 1228 project? And, if so, what did she spend for it? (e.g. 15 Mentem for 12 Vim or whatever)

19

Technically, isn't this Gerulf's job? I realize that Korvin has the contacts, but Gerulf might get a complex, and Korvin may tire of having to trade for vis...

20

Point. Okay, talk to Gerulf (when his player gets back, unless you want to handwave).