My submission for a writing project is a number of apprentices that can be found by magi, populated into the Tribunal as potential apprentices to claim, or used as a basis for a neat idea. I'm keeping the characters a bit toned-down in depth, focusing on an interesting story or mixture of potential, rather than trying to maximize effectiveness for them. Ideally, they will be broad enough in concept to be picked up by any number of different Houses. I'm trying to keep them at 5 or 6 points of virtues and flaws to allow room for expansion, adding in more ideas. I'll begin in the next reply.
EDIT: I will work on including age-related stat reductions, but I will not include the inherited virtues or flaws (Apprentices).
Hmm, do you think I should create an index? EDIT: I'll create an index.
Rizardo is the son of a Venetian merchant, one who has made great headway into the former Byzantium Empire's lands. His father moved to the Duchy of the Archipelago shortly after the war, and later to Constantinople itself. Rizardo lived a mostly carefree life at first, his father's successful businesses providing a shelter that helped him resist the social problems with his growing gift. His father was able to raise him healthy and tutored, until the move from Venice to the Aegean sea interrupted his studies. Unfortunately, while his parents were away, local Grecian patriots in the city where he was living decided to take matters against the invading Latins into their own hand one drunken night. They seized the young Rizardo and a few other children as captives, and dragged them away as a sacrifice to Hephaestus, casting him into an oil-fueled bonfire. Luckily for the child, a Redcap was around to witness the event and recognized the child for his gift. The Redcap acted to save the child and spirit him away for healing and tutelage.
The event has scarred the child, physically, spiritually, and mentally. His life and his Gift are tied intrinsically together, and bound in chains of flame.
George was raised on the outskirts of one of the larger towns of England. Always troubled as a little one, he was often bullied and harassed by the other children. His curiosity was boundless, however, and the youth found interest in almost everything he came across. Despite his interest in every topic he found, George never was able to truly learn much in his explorations, because he always found something new and interesting to look into instead. When he was eight, his attntion to detail convinced a skilled cook to take him as an apprentice, but he turned out to be a terrible student, preferring to learn on his own. His Gift interfered with customers, and his frequent distractions often lead to ruined breads and wasted vegetables, and he ended up getting chased out violently one day by his drunk master. Rather than returning to his family, who regretted his existence, he decided to set out and find himself something new to study. It wasn't long before he started poking his attention into places where they should be, and drawing the attention of Magi.
This character exists because I like the idea of someone being clever, curious, and creative, but not necessarily highly intelligent and amazing at lab work.
Hi raccoonmask! All these November initiatives are excellent, thanks for sharing!
One question: wouldn't Independent Study hew closer to George's character concept than Free Study? He can certainly take both, but the former would actually allow him to earn extra xp on his own. Free Study might be useful when he becomes a Magus and earns some vis, at least 1 1/2 decades into the future.
Rebekkah was born in a mining town in Cornwall. The mother never told anyone about who the father of her child was, though some in this small village said it was a devil, or a monster, or other descending unsavory seeds. The fact the mine was becoming less profitable was blamed on the pair as well. The mother died of poor health before Rebekkah ever knew her, but she was raised by a man who was her mother's lover. Rebekkah was home to frequent mistreatment, beatings, and servile punishments, including her adoptive father cutting her tongue with a knife. until finally Rebekkah was kidnapped by a goblin from the mines as punishment to the miners. The miners did not care, and never came for her, and Rebekkah grew up with that goblin, who named her Rekki, sneaking into town to steal food and supplies. The miners believe that it is Rebekkah's cursed ghost who haunts them, coming out only at night, and have often blocked up the mines to trap her inside - though her goblin 'brother' delights in the mischief and always helps out the young girl.
This chacacter first 'appeared' in the backstory of a covenant I was in. She was a very mischevious and cheerful young maga, but before being taken is as an apprentice she had a hard life. sadly the players never met her in person , as she had died in the history of the covenant. The did get to use her enchanted staff, which transferred any raw vis touched with it into the wielder's shoes, however.
Bram was a young lad raised among a group of travelling entertainers in the area around Friesland. Although he was oft looked apon with distrust and distaste by the troupe as a child, but as most of them were outcasts, they accepted him at the insistance of the troupe's leader. Still, his gifted nature made him never a valuable part of the troupe, and he always wanted to pay them back for his raising. It was at the age of seven when he was lured to a faerie regio, and was offered a chance to repay the troupe with his magic: His voice, which he never got to use, in return for the most beautiful music known to any man. His enchanting music proved invaluable for the troupe, and they welcomed him back for his magic gladly, even if they didn't like him personally. The stories of the talented young musician began to spread over the next few years, drawing attention of certain magical sorts...
Bram here is a little similar to my previous one, but I liked this idea as I was writing it up today. Then I lost my notes for it, so tried to recreate it from memory. May go back and rearrange it. What I would do with Bram is exchange the enchanting music for Performance Magic/Sorcerous Music when his arts are opened, or give him the Silent Magic necessary to make his mute flaw manageable. Additional fun options for extra points would include Gentle Gift if you don't have another major Hermetic virtue you want.
I am not including the stat-modifiers to ages in the stat blocks, though I probably should. I may include some of the virtues and flaws from Apprentices, but I am not including any 'inherited' virtues and flaws; you can select any to be such should you feel appropriate if you want to use them.
Mateo was always a troubled child, like many who were gifted. The troubles and wars in the Iberian peninsula left him an orphan, and the young child was raised by the church. He proved to be an intelligent child, and the priest in charge of the orphanage seemed unaware of the gifted nature of his charge, and began to teach him reading, writing, and church lore. The troubles really started when he grew older, and started to sense strange things about his town; at first it was seemingly benevolent, the young clerk-in-training was finding interesting scholars to talk to by seemingly inconsequential signs. But As he grew older, he began to have portentous visions of the future, often while he was in prayer, in the church. Sometimes, when the youth's emotions run more wild, he feels ghostly stigmata on his skin, which he interprets as being punishment from an angel for his lack of self-control. So far, he has managed to keep his visions and ghost-stigmata under control, as he is worried of upsetting the mentoring priest who raised him.
If you wanted to expand this, it would be a fun candidate for True Faith or Holy Magic, though I like Gently Gifted as an option as well. Book Learner could be a good symbol of his studious nature. Technically, the Clerk virtue is a bit of a waste, but was needed to get him access to the Abilities he needed for his story; If he was older, he could trade it for the Educated virtue if you prefer that. The relic is something I don't have much experience working with, but I like it as a lesser version of True Faith, though in retrospect, I may prefer Social Contacts with local clergy.
Young Jeanne was the daughter of a baker in a rural village in Western France, and her mother died at a young age. Like all Gifted children, her time growing up had a lot of social strife. She compensated by helping her father around the bakery, often gathering eggs and tending to the family's single sheep. Things changed when she got older, like all Gifted children, and she was pulled into a faerie's story. Many of the local children were taunted or tormented by a faerie known as the Queen of Bees, Reine des Abeilles, tempting them into her realm with sweet scents and flavors and making them work for their freedom. Jeanne, like many, spent a few nights in service to the queen to earn freedom from her, but unlike most, Jeanne decided to go back. She sought out the Queen's realm to steal the queen's faerie honey for her father's sweets - but she was overpowered by the scent of it as she was escaping, and ended up eating it all... and then she tried again.. and again, until she found herself sneaking into the Queen's realm every week to eat her royal honey.
Since then, Jeanne has been finding herself in a sweeter position in life, with many of the formerly dismissive children willing to do things for her, seeking her favor, and oftentimes she is attended by a few small bees. Unbeknownst to her, Jeanne has been stealing Reine des Abeilles' power, and her Gift has been adapting to it. Her gift has been touched by faeries, and when she cast spells, she often creates a small bee that flies around and attends her as its queen (one bee per magnitude of spell). The Queen of Bees, however, wants to trap Jeanne back in her realm to 'pay' for the stolen honey.
This character idea stole concepts from a discussion with my girlfriend. Obviously, she'd make a good Merinita, but she could succeed as a Tytalus or Tremere if she was taught properly. Or a Jerbiton with Gently Gifted. I'd enjoy seeing her be in a position where she was being groomed by the Queen of Bees to replace her, trapping her forever in a Regio and eventually turning her into a Faerie. Her Inoffensive to Animals means that she wouldn't be attacked by the bees she summons immediately, but the bees probably cause trouble with other people nearby...
Making up for missing yesterday, I had a busy day. I'll post another tonight for today.
Gabriel was always a popular boy. He grew up in Paris, a merchant's son. Though he always was well-off, his father was very busy to keep their lifestyle well-off, and as he grew older, Garbriel had to help when he can. Although Gabriel's father was a generally good man, he was a very impious and conceited one, never attributing his successes to anything but his own hard work, even when things came about by sheer luck. Even with this busy life, Gabriel found time to enjoy himself, spending time with his friends out around the city, and he was a very, very popular child. He was growing up to be a handsome man, and he had become quite aware of the young ladies about him. Everything changed when Gabriel fell ill. The physicians and apothecaries of the city could do nothing to stop young, beautiful Gabriel's slow wasting away. As he grew sicker and sicker, the boy's father, who was never a man to turn to God for help, finally came to a church. His sick, dying son at home, the father prayed with desperation and honesty, and he finally received the answer he had been looking for: Gabriel had been cursed by a demon.
Gabriel was brought to the priests in a remote French monastery, and the monks, with generous donations from his father, tended to him and prayed over him. Gabriel got sicker and sicker, but his father finally put trust in God, and the boy received a visit from a stranger, claiming to be a travelling healer-monk, late at night, on what might be the last night of the boy's sick life. The healer laid a clean white sheet over the boy's chest, and with a prayer, the sheet was stained black. The man whispered to the suddenly-lucid young Gabriel, and then he left. The monks had now knowledge of the healer ever having been there, or who let him inside, but Gabriel and his father have been convinced it was an angel, come to save a young boy and to reward his father for his piety.
The words whispered to him Gabriel will never forget: "You cannot die here. You have many great acts to perform. You must conquer many enemies, including yourself. Your death will stalk you but never find you. When your work is nearly done, when you have passed your great gifts onto your children, one of them will finally destroy you."
This character was originally a Companion concept for my current game, but I went with a pirate prince instead. Expanding his character more, I'd give him some Hermetic virtues, and maybe Great Presence or Good Teacher. I would probably also upgrade his Lecherous to major to really make his (probably succubus-cursed) future interesting.
The young Ewald was never liked in his village. He was big, slow, and (everyone assumed) stupid. He was very helpful, however, easily convinced to help the other children in their tasks while he was trying to make friends. Ewald, however, was much smarter than he pretended, and often got out of trouble because the other children 'bullied him' into it. He grew older, stronger, and more useful to his village, even though he was never too popular, and at the age of six, he was taken in by the town's Blacksmith as an apprentice.
In brief thoughts for Ewald; He'd make a fair Flambeaux or militant wizard, could be a good Verditius, and I would love to see him going an artistic route in his crafts.
The little girl named Zofia grew up in Poland. Her father was a game warden who watched over a noble's hunting grounds. The noble never bothered to hunt, but enjoyed the prestige of having the area under control, and most of her father's business was chasing off poachers and other hunters. The young girl was born with bright, bright blonde hair, almost like pale sunshine, and often was teased and tormented around town for it. Nobody ever had met her mother, and often accused her of being the spawn of a witch, though her father was respected enough that it never came out in more than whispers. Zofia often explored the areas near her home, and for some reason the animals never bothered her, never attacked her, and never ran from her. When she was six, Zofia was with her father while he was checking the edges of the forest, and she found a wounded fox, white of pelt, and begged her father to help her care for it. Reluctantly, but inevitably, the father agreed, and a few months later, the white vixen gave birth to a litter of fox kits. The vixen whispered into Zofia's dreams that night, thanking her for her kindness, and granting her a boon: as long as she cared for these foxes, they would lend her their magic. The vixen was gone the next morning, but Zofia soon found her ability to transform into a fox; She promised the fox kits she would care for them, and their kits, forever. And now, she's recently started having dreams about a wounded deer out in the woods....
I would totally give her subtle and Quiet Magic, and Ways of the Forest. Animal Companion could easily Magical Animal Companion. The vixen could have been a Bjornaer, or a folk witch, or a magic animal, or an totemic spirit. One way or another, factual or not, Zofia believes that she can only keep her shapeshifting as long as she keeps her family of foxes alive.
Isabel was born to a stone-cutter's family who lived in the lowlands of the Swiss mountains. Her father was convinced she was not born of his seed, certain of it due to ...sensitive... wounds he had suffered a few years before she was born. Still, the disapproving stonecutter was a good and pious man, and did not punish the girl for her birth, even when she began to display strange tendencies. Her skin gained a strange pallor as she grew older, and she grew very large for her age, and bent twisted. As if sensing the disapproval in her existence, Isabel tried to help her father and mother whenever she could. This developed into a tendency for the big girl Isabel to offer her help to everyone she felt needed help, much to her parent's chagrin. This situation only got worse as she grew older, and her developing Gift started to cause people to fear her and revile her, when paired with her unhealthy appearance - and the people in the town unfortunately learned to politely accept her aid, since turning her down her assistance repeatedly often caused the troll-blooded girl to fly into an unholesome rage - and her embarrassment at her actions causes her to apologize and offer more assistance...
Her father is now looking for some way to get rid of her without being a bad Christian and abandoning her in the woods.
Suggestions to expand Isabel include Giant blood or Large, affinity with Perdo or Terram, possibly a Lesser or Greater Malediction that activates in the sunlight. Also, giving her Second Sight or Special Circumstances (when barefoot on the earth) would be fun...
I'm not certain if this Mythic Blood quite fits, since they tend to be for great wizards, but I don't know that many great wizards who haven't been mentioned already, so instead I made one up while listening to classical music.
There is a faerie in Provence, near Avignon, who is oft told of, and is quite a monster. He is known by many names, but the Lord of Winter is his most common name - people do not whisper his proper name, and the Faerie Lord enjoys this respect. The Lord of Winter is known to have his servants seduce and kidnap young virgins and take them as wife, until they displease him. The children of these stolen wives often are raised amid the faerie, and become deeply bound into the Lord's story. Jacque, however, was uniquely gifted, and instead of disappearing into Faerie, was taken in by a courtier of the Lord of Winter at the machinations of his doomed mother. He was taught courtesy and romance, as the faeries understood it, and was intended to help find more wives for his father, though he did not understand the implications. Of course, one of his faerie 'brothers' would often take him out to meet the nobles and rich merchants around the area, finding the young Jacque a boon to his gathering of vitality. It was on one of these journeys that he was found by a magus, and taken away to apprentice.
A relatively simple character today: Jacque is based on a Companion character of my friend's. Obviously, the Lord of Winter is based on the information given on Lord Marsyne in the Ars Magica core book. Suggestions for more virtues and flaws include a minor magical focus in ice or snow, cyclical magic either benefitting from winter or hindered by summer and spring. The 'brother' who was wandering with him could be a paternal sort of Faerie friend, or he could get a Plagued by Supernatural Entities for the Lord of Winter wanting his 'son' back.
In the southern Germanic states, a small township on the edge of the forest was destroyed to defend the Magical Aura of the forests from encroaching Dominion. When the town was eventually resettled, the village's church was never rebuilt. A demon infested the village, trying to coax the villages towards infernal worship, and trying to taint the forest's Magical aura towards demonic uses.
Like these things go, the situation was noticed by magi of the Order, who decided to fix the problem. The Flambeaux got involved, the Tytalus got involved, the Quesitors got involved... Konrad was found, a young child who was gifted, though the demon at the head of the cult was trying to hide him from the magi. He had been raised amid the cult, with a dark purpose in mind. But he was Gifted and clever, so he was taken from the village, and the demons and cultists were purged.. brutally, and efficiently. The darkness of his past was revealed to Konrad, and he strives to become greater than his history.
A nice, simple infernal rescue here: Nothing too complicated, he seeks redemption but has frightening powers. Cthonic Magic is a good fit here, and you could probably give him bonuses from a divine source, but I like the concept of his Second Sight being from the Infernal. He could use another personality trait, but redemption is this character's goal. You can bet he's going to start studying Dominion Lore as soon as he can.
The child Horatio was born on the eastern coast of Italy, under good star-signs and prosperous seasons. The people in his village did not like the child; but they respected him, and more importantly, they respected the wise-woman who took him in to raise him after his mother died in childbirth. Horatio grew up not understanding why everyone avoided him, but he loved his 'grandmother' and he helped her around the village whenever he could. He tended her garden, and helped her gather herbs in the nearby forest.
Despite being born frail and weak, Horatio was bright and interested in Grandomther's work, and begun learning from Grandmother, and the soft-hearted old woman could not say no to her adopted child. She was a member of a circle of wise-women in the nearby villages, folk-healers who brought prosperity to their communities; Many of the folk healers did not like a man being shown some of their womanly secrets, but Horatio's grandmother did not care, and when she discovered that when Horatio aided her in the tending of wounds, the people came healthier faster, she was more insistent on the child learning some of the trade, and he earned some measure of appreciation from the wise-women who spoke with his grandmother - until a Magus of the Order heard about the gifted child.
Horatio is a weak and fragile boy, raised by a kindly old woman who loved him very much. She begun to teach him a few aspects of her healing arts, which helped shape his gift into what it is. His Lesser Purifying Touch can banish infections from wounds, and in his brief time as a folk-healer apprentice, he earned some respect from his grandmother's circle of wisewomen. He can never be one of them, but he's proven he is worth their attention, if not their secrets.
Inspiration came from an Anime. There are lots of ways to go here, I probably would take a second Weak Characteristics, and might take Plagued by Supernatural Entity (angel of mercy), have an angel who distrusts the Order of Hermes trying to turn him to the Church to be a holy magus healer. ANd maybe Noncombatant. He's so gentle....
Would make a good Jerbiton if he was Gently Gifted, but he can't be - Still could be a good Jerbiton though. A Bonisagus, Trianoma maybe. He's pretty much designed to become an Ex Misc healer.
