1229 Gretel Messerli

for discussion of creation and advancement of teh aforementioned character

an issue to begin with- you describe the character as chief chef, but since the character wasn't created at the game beginning they will need to be introduced to the covenant from the outside, and thus would not have an established position.

Ok. I won't assume that. Just bringing her in with kitchen skills.

Is it OK if I use the Specialist template from ArM p 21 as the basic guideline?

Unless there is one in City & Guilds or Grogs that might be better? Just using it as a bit of a roadmap.

I'm not a big fan of templates so I don't spend a lot of time comparing them- and the final character will be judged on its own construction not whether you used a template as a guideline or not.

Fair enough. As I went down the path, I came to the same conclusion. Like you said, it needs its own construction that maps more to the specific character concept.

I've put up a first go at a character sheet with description and background.

grogs are limited to one personality flaw. You have taken 3.
You cannot have Latin without a related virtue or flaw granting you access
until age 30 you are limited to a 5 score in an ability unless you have puissance or an affinity.
a language is an ability in itself, not a concentration of dead language or living language.

Gotcha. I'll make the adjustments and let you know when the updates are online.

I don't see an "infertility" or "barren" flaw anywhere. I find Castratus in Sundered Eagle p. 38.

Would you be open to a minor flaw that represents infertility/being barren?

Thoughts?

Also, can a grog have Second Sight? It's a supernatural virtue.

Castratus has a number of drawbacks beyond not being able to have children- penalties to dealing with those from a Latin culture, and an inability to marry specifically. Being barren in ars magica is most commonly a side effect of longevity rituals, and I believe it is fairly clear that it is not considered worth a minor flaw.

A grog can have second sight.

Understood.

I'll keep refining. Almost there.

I've updated the character sheet based on the above feedback, including an update to the background write-up.

It should be puissant craft, not puissant cook (I for some reason was thinking cooking as a separate ability), and would apply to both cooking and baking.
secondly those are craft abilities, not professions

The only issue in the story is towards the end- the copper rooster is not a clearinghouse for recruiting grogs, and would in fact try to maintain a low profile, not become known as a place of refuge for those unhappy with their status in life. I think it would be better to have her run off with one of her garden friends, then I can have her discovered in a faerie based story.

Sounds good. I'll adjust the Puissant and then Move the Profession to Craft.

The end of the story was just thinking out a possible plot hook.

We should be good now.

I changed the two Crafts, the Puissant (Craft), and adjusted the end of the back story.

I added the character to the covenant some time ago, I am declaring it done to avoid my own confusion when reviewing threads.

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Season Plan for 1230

Seasons:
Summer 1230
Gretel will focus this season on assessing the current state of the covenant kitchens, food supplies, storage capacity, staffing, food production (cultivation, hunting, trade), etc. She is effectively figuring out what the situation is and then taking steps to improve the kitchen circumstances for the covenant starting with low-hanging fruit changes and then planning for longer term projects. Gretel will lay in a kitchen garden, focusing on herbs and anything she things she can get to harvest before the weather turns. Gretel will also work to establish a pattern of seeking out the local faerie denizens who may or may not be near the kitchen gardens, kitchens, or areas of the covenant she frequents.

Autumn 1230
Gretel will focus most of her energy in the autumn to the harvest and laying up food in storage for the covenant. This effort will also include understanding the mercantile network of the covenant: how much self-sustaining food production is in-house, how much is needed in trade beyond the covenant, and the mechanisms for doing that trade given the covenant's secrecy. She will be often heard singing folk tunes as she works and telling and listening to stories during social gatherings or evening meals.

Winter 1230
Besides keeping the covenants people well fed and alive, Gretel will spend significant time training or mentoring any of the grog staff who may be assisting in the kitchens, farm grogs, and hunting grogs. She will be quietly seeking to understand the food needs and preferences of the magi and companions as well as establishing a solid gossip network. Her singing and story-telling will continue with some emphasis on gathering up the children for holiday stories, songs, and meals as appropriate (mostly pagan, though not ignorant of the Christian holidays should that be of interest).

If there's any need for specific herbs or plants to reach maturity, Elia will be happy to help.