Lots of Grogs

Grog 13 : Gunther, ex-Teutonic Sergeant

Age: 35
Story:

Gunther was born and raised on a farm outside of Sankt gallen in Switzerland. He was noticed to have a particular skill with healing but his parents were unable to pay for him to become a professional healer by having real medecine lessons. Instead, on the easter after his fourteenth birthday he signed up to the Teutonic Order as a brother sergeant for 20 years, and was taught proper medecine, along with other clerical skills such as Theology and Law. Before turning twenty he was sent to Jerusalem to work as medicus for the Order. He spent close to fifteen years living in Jerusalem, Acre and Edessa as well as accompanying members of the Teutonic Order and crusading nobles as medicus. A fall from horseback has mangled his left leg, limiting him to horse riding or limping to get around.
While in the Levant he was exposed to vistas unimagined, learning Arabic and French to deal with the many pilgrims and locals. He even has a based understanding of Islam, having attended public debates.
With his twenty years of service over, he returned to Europe, safe in the knowledge that all his sins had been forgiven. But his birth village had been wrecked by disease in his absence and no one knew or remembered him. Wandering on an old nag he was taken up by a Covenant who recognised the use of his many skills.

Appearance:

Gunther is heavily tanned, dark haired and bearded. Despite his healing skills, his left leg is a mess due to a horse riding accident, meaning he needs a crutch to walk. He has handed back the order's clothes and mante, but keeps a badge of the teutonic order pinned to his chest at all times.

Why are they in the covenant?

His service to the order has ended and he hoped to return to his family and settle as a local healer, but
there is nothing for him to go back to. However with his academic skills, he can be very useful to a Covenant as he is fluent in several languages and able to write them too. He cannot really fend for himself due to his injury and the focus of his skills, so will be happy in Covenant where he is cared for. His time among the supposed Infidels has shown him that maybe Christian Europe does not have all the answers

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|0
Dex|1
Qik|0
Com|1
Pre|0
Int|2
Per|2

Virtues: Brother Teutonic Sergeant (against the dark p 83), Puissant (Chirurgy)
Flaws: Vow (continue to uphold the rules of the Teutonic Order), Lame

Abilities:

Animal Handling (Horses) 4
Arabic (Explaining) 3
Area Lore (Levant) (Cities) 4
Area Lore (Sankt Gallen) (Geography) 2
Artes Liberales (Grammar) 2
Athletics (Endurance) 1
Awareness (Searching) 1
Chirurgy (Cauterisation) 5
Civil and Canon Laws (Papal Bulls) 3
French (Military usage) 3
High German (Swiss) 5
Latin (Academic use) 2
Medecine (Physician) 5
Ride (Long distances) 3
Teutonic Order Lore (Komtur locations) 2
Theology (Christian) (Bible) 4
Theology (Islam) (debates) 1

1 Like

Grog 14 : Judith, the wild child

Age: 20
Story:
Judith has been with the Covenant for just over a year. Before that, little is known of her. There were rumours floating around of a wild child living in the woods, but they had not been confirmed until recently. A party of hunters were sent into the woods one autumn, but were ambushed by wolves. The last two were rescued by a scruffy dirty teenage girl who could only communicate in moans and cries. She followed them back to the local village where she was baptised by the priest and given the name of Judith. Unable to fit in with society she returned soon after to the woods but grew less fearful of her fellow humans, until last year she was found ill and barely conscious by a Covenant member and they brought her back to be healed. During her convalescence she was taught the basic language of the Covenant. She now comes and goes sleeping sometimes in the covenant, sometimes in the woods nearby. She has a natural way around birds, both as pets or as preys. She often returns from her hunts with an armful of plucked bird carcasses which she is delighted to see roasted.

Appearance:
Judith is dirty and unwashed, she does not bath and stinks of forest mush. Her aubrun her is a tangled mess containing small bits of forest floor, mud leaves and more. She wears clothes only as the season dictates, some of which she has sewn together using signew and rabbit pelts, others donated by the Covenant. She seems generally unconcerned for her appearance, or manners.
She is strong, quick and tireless, with exceedingly keen eyes. In a brawl, she could challenge just about any Covenant member and win.

Why are they in the covenant?

She is a great hunter and survival expert. The Covenant is as much "civilisation" as she can tolerate and only if she is able to come and go at will. She will feel gratitude, but will not be bossed around. She has no understanding of hierarchy or decorum, making her mess in any environment other than the wild. However the wild is her element and she will be a great guide, tracker, hunter for the party. In time she could even become a Falconer.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|2
Dex|2
Qik|1
Com|-2
Pre|-2
Int|0
Per|3

Virtues: Improved characteristics, Keen Vision
Flaws: Feral upbringing, Social handicap

Abilities:

Animal Handling (Birds) 3
Area Lore (Covenant Area) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Running) 4
Awareness (Alertness) 3
Brawl (Bludgeon) 4
Covenant Language (Describing nature) 2
Hunt (Birds) 2
Stealth (Sneaking) 4
Survival (Forests) 5
Swim (Rivers) 2

1 Like

Grog 15 : Katherine, the Custos

Age: 30
Story:
Katherine grew up in Dunremar, the great-granddaughter of a visiting apprentice of the Eichenguilde and soon to be Jerbiton magus. She grew up in an environment which fostered academic excellence. She has spent several years teaching young apprentices their basics ( Latin, Order lore and Scribing) as well as working within the great tower of Dunremar, once her talent as a teacher was discovered. She regrets having never made it to the higher echelons of the Custos within Dunremar, but the competition in such a Covenant is fierce, which is why she was happy to (be) volunteer(ed) to help with the PC's Covenant. She knows the ins and outs of the Order, maintaining a correspondence with several people beck in Dunremar as well as in a few other Covenants. She has started two tractatus on the learning of Latin and outlining her understanding of Aristotelian Philosophy, but she ruined both by spilling ink all over her manuscripts, and has yet to start again.
Her greatest regret was being born too late to meet or correspond with Hildegard von Bingen.

Appearance:
Katherine is well dressed, benefiting from the ample resources of the Covenant. She wears a green-dyed wimple which compliments her eyes. She mostly wers brown dresses, but many are ink-stained or frayed as she is clumsy and often damages her clothes in the process.

Why are they in the covenant?

She is a fantastic teacher, born to the Order of Hermes and enmeshed deep within it. She would struggle anywhere else (aside maybe from of Closter). She has chosen to leave Dunremar as a way to strike out for herself and rise in a hierarchy which is otherwise too cluttered. She hopes to benefit from a Longevity potion when her time comes.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|0
Dex|-2
Qik|0
Com|3
Pre|0
Int|2
Per|1

Virtues: Custos, Good Teacher
Flaws: Covenant upbringing, Clumsy

Abilities:

Area Lore (Dunremar) (Important people) 2
Artes Liberales (Rhetoric) 3
Etiquette (Magi) 3
Folk Ken (Covenfolk) 3
High German (Dunremar dialect) 5
Intrigue (Rumor mongering) 3
Latin (Hermetic use) 5
Order of Hermes Lore (Living mages) 4
Philosophiae (Aristotle) 3
Profession (scribe) (copying texts) 4
Ride (Long distance) 1
Teaching (apprentices) 5

Grog 16 : Holger, the Forester

Age: 25

Story:
Holger was the son of woodsman. Both his parents had always been close to nature and had always left faery gifts to the Huldra which they knew lived in their forest. When famine came, the parents left the boy in the forest, asking the wood spirits to care for him as they could no longer do so. The Huldra took the boy in and taught him the ways of the forest, showing benevolence to the child of the humans who had honoured her. She kept from the boy that his parents died a few months later as disease followed the bad harvest. The boy grew up eating faery food and never developed properly, but he lived and he learned of the faery and became a little like them. On his twenty first birthday, the Huldra declared him a full man and encouraged him to go find himself a wife. Holger set off but was poorly adapted to the world of men, and after several unsuccessful courtships he was chased out of towns. He continued to live off the forests and woods narrowly avoiding getting caught poaching thanks to what he'd learned from Huldra magics. This continued until a redcap uncovered him and offered to travel together. After a while, Holger decided that life on the road was less rewarding and chose to settle down in a Covenant, where he longingly await the Redcap's return.
He remains naive of normal human customs having spent so long alone with the Huldra he struggles to process many normal behaviours and taboos.

Note: Holger would just as easily be a woman (Helga).

Appearance:
Holger is a heavy set, thick browed man. He has very square features and stands at the higher end of average height. His light brown hair has an almost bark-like appearance in the right light.

Why are they in the Covenant?
Holger is a wanderer, who prefers forest to Civilisation. He'd be of interest to any Merinita or Faerie Lore expert. He could be the mate of a redcap, or simply have been dumped by the Redcap into the party's Covenant. He is very good with forests and would make a good addition to any forest based Covenant, as well as being the guide for Magi venturing in (the Black) forest.
His high Second sight will be helpful to the Magi who might be dealing with an enemy with high Imaginem or exploring (Faerie) Regios.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|1
Dex|1
Qik|0
Com|-1
Pre|0
Int|0
Per|2

Virtues: Faerie blood (minor, Huldra) (RoP Faery p108), Second sight, Wanderer
Flaws: Faerie upbringing, Weak characteristics

Abilities:

Area Lore (Schleswig) (Forests) 2
Athletics (Endurance) 4
Awareness (Searching) 3
Brawl (Unarmed) 2
Charm (Women) 2
Faerie Lore (Wood faeries) 4
Hunt (Poaching) 4
Second sight (Faeries) 4
Survival (Forests) 5
West Norse (Danish) 5

Grog 17 : Siegfried, the one handed blademaster

Age: 30

Story:
Siegfried was born of the dalliance of a soon to be Baron and a kitchen maid. His father always took good care of his bastard first born, making sure that the boy received the finest education to be found near Xanten, where the family owned much land around the castle. His father as warlike and as he was lecherous took the boy to war once he could stand his own in combat. Unfortunately for Siegfried, he lost his left hand in a skirmish and was left unable to fight for over year. His disappointed father appointed him swordmaster and teacher to the household, and had him better manners taught so that he might survive without being a warrior.
With the death of his father two years ago, Siegfried found himself exiled from his family lands as his younger half-brother (who had always resented the affection their father showed to a "mere bastard"), the new baron, did not want to have a rival around the castle. The vindictive new baron made sure that none of the local houses would take him in either, through using his political clout.

Siegfried found himself suddenly without any of the comfort that his noble upbringing had accustomed him to. Fortunately for him, a redcap who knew his father led first to Triamore and then to the party's Covenant where he could continue being the sword fighting instructor.

Appearance:
Siegfried is an elegant blond man, with aristocratic features and a few scars from war. Most striking is that he is missing his left arm below the elbow, amputated to stop the gangrene from rising. Which he tries to hide, often by keeping his arm behind his back or with a cape. Siegfried has less of the warrior's stagger than might be expected and makes an effort for his manners. He is well spoken and courteous.

Why are they in the Covenant?

Siegfried is a very capable teacher, who while unable to lead the rub into battle is certainly capable of drilling them into competent fighters.
Siegfried finds himself in a difficult position with his peers. He is obviously of noble blood and has their manners, affectations and outlook, but as a bastard, they will not accept him as a peer. Common folk are beneath him, and his missing arm hamper him should he wish to become a mercenary. He lacks the profession or craft to make a living as a "peasant" and so finds the Covenant a place where he is accepted as a swordsman and a teacher, and his status as half noble is understood without being disparaged. He would probably get along well with Jerbitons who share his noble outlook.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|1
Sta|1
Dex|1
Qik|1
Com|2
Pre|0
Int|0
Per|0

Virtues: Privileged upbringing, Warrior
Flaws: Missing hand, Bastard (apprentices, p9)

Abilities:

Animal Handling (Horses) 4
Area Lore (Lower Rhine) (Politics) 3
Athletics (Endurance) 4
Awareness (Alertness) 3
Brawl (Wrestling) 2
Etiquette (Nobility) 4
Great Weapon (Great Sword) 5
Hunt (Deers) 4
Low German (Prose) 5
Ride (Speed) 3
Single Weapon (Longsword) 4
Swim (Rivers) 1
Teaching (Single weapon) 5

2 Likes

Grog 18 : Maria, the avaricious Redcap

Age: 25

Story:
Maria was the daughter of an innkeeper in Flanders, their inn stands along the road leading from the sea-ports to Trianoma and sees a number of redcaps pass by. The little maria seeing how wealthy these red capped riders seemed to be once hid herself deciding that one of them should raise her instead and she could have their silver. The Redcap, rather than being mad at the little stowaway decided that such an adventurous child would make a good apprentice and took her on. They travelled extensively in the greater Triamore area and lower Lorraine, where she learned French. Her parens was a convinced horse rider and made sure that she would also be swift on the saddle and tireless in her deliveries. Seeing how little interest Maria had for physical confrontation, she was able to focus her studies on social skills, in particular Bargaining as she would argue over the very last copper coin.

Maria is freshly out of Gauntlet.

Appearance:
Maria is blond and heavy set, her skin is tanned by all the time she spent on horseback, and wears riding trousers and boots anytime she is on horseback, but switching to skirts when not on the road. She has a foul mouth, making more than one blush with the curses she learned from the Fulda to the Norse sea. She is not charming, but has a keen eye for people and good intuitions ion how she might get the best of them.

Why are they in the Covenant?

Maria is freshly gauntleted and needs a home Covenant, the absence of other Redcaps in the party's Covenant make for a good base. She will seek to hoard wealth and is certainly happy to lend Vis to the PCs but she will do so with interest.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|2
Dex|0
Qik|1
Com|0
Pre|1
Int|1
Per|1

Virtues: Redcap, Well travelled (free)
Flaws: Avaricious (major)

Abilities:

Area Lore (Flanders) (Geography) 2
Animal Handling (Horses) 2
Order of Hermes Lore (Living mages) 2
Area Lore (Lower Lorraine) (Geography) 3
Area Lore (Central Germany) (Geography) 3
French (Slang) 3
Athletics (Endurance) 3
Etiquette (Mages) 3
Folk Ken (Farmers) 4
Bargain (Cityfolk) 4
Low German (Slang) 5
Ride (Long distance) 5

1 Like

Grog 19 : Dame Margot, the Huntress

Age: 21

Story:
Margot is the daughter of a Sicilian Norman baron, attending the court of the Emperor Frederick. In order to strengthen ties between his realms, she was promised in marriage, when she'd reach her twentieth birthday, to a German Landgraf and supporter of the Emperor.
Margot had been raised much as her brothers, to love the hunt, falconry and riding. All the leisure of the Norman aristocrats, and her strong will and devotion to the noble activity had been encouraged by her father, himself a falconer or local repute. However, when it became apparent that her older and stoggier husband expected her to settle for traditional activities to support him, she simply packed her things, took some silver, her prize falcon and horses, and rode off with her attendant. The Norman lady and her handmaid escaped their pursuants and lived off the land for a time, poaching and hunting their way through a foreign land whose language evaded them. Seeing no future in this, her handmaid deserted with silver and a horse when in the outskirts of a city, knowing that Margot would be uninterested in pursuing her there.
Little did she know that her reputation preceded her, a runaway bride riding through the land as if the Devil himself was chasing her. A curious and well connected Jerbiton sent their fastest grog after her with an invitation to visit their Covenant, finding her story appealing and interesting.
While the Jerbiton found her youthful exuberance amusing, he found that her wild streak and focus on hunting animals to fall outside of what they considered tasteful. But she was not lost to the Order.
She feels betrayed by her father to have wed her off to such an oaf, which is the main reason she has not sought to return to their Calabrian castle.

Appearance:
Tall, blond and blue eyed, Margot is clearly of Norman stock. She walks like she was born in the saddle and almost wears a falconer's glove. Her wardrobe has been drastically reduced after her flight, but she mostly wears hunting clothes or something practical when caring for horses and birds.

Why are they in the Covenant?

Margot rebelled against her social class by disobeying and abandoning her husband, it is very possible that his henchmen might come looking for her, or churchmen be sent to get an annulment of the marriage. Within a Covenant she can be left to doing what she wants to do most: training hunting animals, and then taking them on hunts. She would be particularly excited to train a Horse or Falcon of Virtue. She will form a friendship with anyone in the Covenant who shares her hobbies.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|1
Dex|1
Qik|1
Com|0
Pre|2
Int|0
Per|1

Virtues: Privileged Upbringing, Gentlewoman
Flaws: Reckless, Infamous

Abilities:

Animal Handling (Birds of prey) 5
Area Lore (Calabria) (Politics) 1
Awareness (Searching) 3
Etiquette (Nobility) 3
Folk Ken (Nobility) 2
French (Norman) 5
Hunt (Falconry) 5
Italian (Sicilian) 2
Ride (Speed) 5
Survival (Forests) 2

Reputation (Runaway bride) 4

Grog 20 : Gerrit/Gertrude, the actor

Age: 30
Story:
Gerrit/Gertrude was born in Utrecht to a travelling band of entertainers. Their childhood was spent going from fair to fair, telling stories and reciting poetry from memory to entertain the people. With their parents' passing, they took over the leadership of the small troupe and continued touring the Low Countries. Often having to negotiate with disapproving Church officials, they have learned how to bow and scrape them, in order to secure the rights to perform.
Their performance being witnessed by a Jerbiton tour, they were invited to join them in a Covenant, to become at least part time based there and to provide the Jerbiton with their entertainment.

Note: the next grog (Jan/Jute) is meant to tie in with them as a sibling. Although each can also be used independently. Also, the grog can just as easily be a man or a woman.

Appearance:
Gerrit/Gertrude is tall (like most Friese) have reddish hair and fair complexion. Their green eyes are sharp. Overall they leave a strong impression thanks to their well groomed appearance, and careful speech. They are very expressive in their demeanour and facial expressions, although this is a deliberate choice. Their optimism if often infectious.

Why are they in the covenant?

Life on the road is often difficult and uncertain. The offer of a constant roof over their head and food on the table all year around, especially in the damp dutch winter is very appealing. They will provide entertainment for the Covenant as well as being able to represent them as face to the outside world.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|-1
Dex|1
Qik|0
Com|1
Pre|4
Int|0
Per|1

Virtue:Troupe Upbringing (+2 Acting and storytelling), Greater (presence), Wanderer
Flaw: Low pain tolerance (apprentice p13),Optimistic

Abilities:

Area Lore (Low Countries) (Politics) 2
Athletics (Walking) 2
Awareness (Searching) 3
Bargain (Selling own services) 3
Carouse (Beer) 1
Charm (Opposite sex) 4
Etiquette (Church) 2
Folk Ken (Cityfolk) 4
Guile (Lying to authority) 5
Intrigue (Plotting) 4
Leadership (Inspiration) 1
Low German (Story telling) 5
Profession (Actor) 5
Stealth (Urban area) 4

Grog 21 : Jan/Jute, the pickpocket

Age: 25
Story:
Jute/Jan was born in Nijmegen to a travelling band of entertainers. Their childhood was spent going from fair to fair, performing acrobatics and tumbling to entertain the people while the older family members sang and played music. With their parents' passing, the leadership of the small troupe fell to an older sibling (Gerrit/Gertrude) and they continued touring the Low Countries. They often resorted to pilfering, pickpocketing and theft to supplement their sometimes meagre income.
Their performance being witnessed by a Jerbiton tour, they were invited to join them in a Covenant, to become at least part time based there and to provide the Jerbiton with their entertainment.

Note: They are meant to tie in with Gerrit/Gertrude as a sibling. Although each can also be used independently. Also, the grog can just as easily be a man or a woman.

Appearance:
Jute/Jan is short, slim build and has light brown hair. While their sibling inherited charisma and always received the adulation of the crowds and their parents, they are very unremarkable, though very deft with their hands. They dress in flamboyant clothes for tumbling, but prefer dark brown shapeless clothes for the other times. Something about them upsets animals though, and dogs can sense the shiftiness of their character, often barking at them unprovoked.

Why are they in the covenant?

Life on the road is often difficult and uncertain. The offer of a constant roof over their head and food on the table all year around, especially in the damp dutch winter is very appealing.
Or maybe they got caught stealing? Despite being a good catburglar, everyone makes mistake, maybe a dog caught their scent and alerted the guards? Either way, they woke up in a jail cell, luckily one of the Jerbiton acquaintances of their sibling knew Necromancy and replaced them with a CrCo duplicate, leading the guards to simply assume that they had died in the night. Good thing that the body was thrown quickly at a crossroad, as by sun-down, the body had vanished, obviously eating by a wolf...

They will provide entertainment for the Covenant as well as being able to sneak around and acquire objects from those unwilling to part from them.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|0
Dex|3
Qik|1
Com|-1
Pre|1
Int|-1
Per|1

Virtue:Troupe Upbringing (+2 Tumbling and acrobatics), Light touch, Wanderer
Flaw: Offensive to animals, Pessimistic

Abilities:

Area Lore (Low Countries) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Acrobatics) 5
Awareness (Searching) 3
Brawl (Bludgeon) 1
Legerdemain (Filching) 5
Low German (Friese) 5
Music (Harp) 2
Profession (Acrobat) 5
Stealth (Urban area) 4
Swim (Rivers) 1

Grog 22 : Hana/Hans, the Failed apprentice

Age: 35
Story:
Hana/Hans was born to merchant parents, who were among the first to settle in Riga. They grew up as an irritating and off-putting child, and their parents were very happy to pass the child on to the Bonisagius mage who offered to teach him letters and how to become a bookbinder. After a few years as an unofficial apprentice, learning Greek and Latin from their soon to-be-parens, they were offered an apprenticeship, an offer they gladly accepted. The child was shaping out to be a very suitable apprentice, and had the potential to become an excellent researcher. Unfortunately for Hana/Hans who did not realise what they were asking for, their parens gave them an experimental longevity potion while they were still a teenager. This was a disaster, the child took on the appearance of middle age (an appearance that twenty years on they still have) and left them arthritic. Much worse, and maybe as a divine punishment for such hubris, this destroyed their gift and brought them outside of the mercy of God.
Their apprenticeship was terminated once the parens realised what had happened, but they stayed on as a helper for almost two decades. Handling their correspondence, translating texts from the Theban Tribunal and helping in the lab. They studied the code of Hermes in the hope of making a claim against their master, but ultimately realised that they would likely lose out in Tribunal. With the New Aristotle reaching them, they took a great interest in the book, having copied it twice already, joking that this brings them more consolation than Boetius.
After their parens went into a prolonged twilight, Hana/Hans returned to the Rhine Tribunal in search of a new Covenant.

Note: The Guardian of the Forest book does not list Baltic as a language, but it could be surmised as either Low German (Saxon or Pommeranian). My personal recommendation would be to make it separate but make it mutually intelligible with these two at no penalty (or bonus) as the first German settlers in the Baltic would most likely be speakers of these dialects (and Westphalian too, but I do not want to muddy the water further). This could be in a Novgorod tribunal book...

Appearance:
Hana/Hans appears close to 40, with arthritic joints. Their back is slightly bowed and move their legs with a distinctive gait. They were once joyful but premature aging took this joy away from them, instead they are resigned and depressed. They are of slightly below average height with dark brown hair, flecked with grey. They have not aged in almost twenty years, which still perplexed them. They dress much as German magi do, in wide warm robes. They often carry scrolls and quills with them

Why are they in the covenant?

Hana/Hans belongs to the Order, most magi feel sympathy for them, and many would want them in their labs or libraries. Many Covenants offered themselves as homes for such a useful character. Ultimately the party's Covenant was agreed as a compromise between competing powerful Covenants, who were happy enough to spite each other as consolation prize. They have shown little interest in teaching (their parens having abstained from taking a new apprentice after their mishap), though with a little practice they could teach useful skills to young magi and their apprentices. More importantly, they can copy magic texts and give great help in the lab.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|2
Dex|-1
Qik|0
Com|1
Pre|1
Int|2
Per|1

Virtue: Failed Apprentice, Puissant (magic theory), Unaging
Flaw: Depressed, Arthritis, Offensive to Divine

Abilities:

Area Lore (Livonia) (Geography) 2
Artes Liberales (Rhetoric) 2
Awareness (Searching) 2
Brawl (Unarmed) 2
Carouse (Power drinking) 1
Code of Hermes (Apprentices) 3
Craft (Books) (Hermetic books) 5
Greek (Hermetic usage) 4
Latin (Hermetic usage) 4
Low German (Baltic) 5
Magic Lore (Magic creatures) 3
Magic Theory (Enchanting items) 5 (+2 puissant)
Music (Singing) 1
Order of Hermes Lore (House Bonisagius) 2
Philosophiae (Neo-Aristotleism) 4
Profession (Scribe) (Hermetic texts) 4

Grog 23 : Dana, the Dowser

Age: 30
Story:

Note: Dana can be either male or female (the nickname is unisex, being short for Danijel/Danijela.)

Dana is the last of a long line of dowsers and sensers. Often going from grandparent to grandchild or a nephew/niece, the power of dowsing and the sensitivity to magic has run in Dana's family since the first songs of the people. Once detected, these abilities would be fostered and expanded by their kin with the same gift. However, no one really found Dana's talent to be particularly strong and they rarely got the approval of their elder. With the passing of their mentor, Dana became the main local dowser, helping both Sorbs and Saxons locate water to find where to dig a well or searching for ore. Sometimes it worked and when it did no one seemed impressed (they only did their job after all). Sometimes there was nothing to be found and they'd get curses thrown at them for being incompetent.
This peaked when they were ordered by the village chief to find the iron ore source. A goat had been found with rust stains on its horns, meaning that iron was to be found, but despite days of dowsing, Dana couldn't find any ore and instead found and wandered into a regio. They returned after a few hours they thought, but in fact a month had passed. They had been declared outcast for abandoning their work for the town and forced to leave, without even packing anything. They had nothing but the clothes on their back and their dowsing stick. The nephew/niece which they had begun training was forbidden from talking to them further and so this part of Dana's life was over.

Wandering through north Germany, Dana was able to eek a living off the extensive forests and dowsing for people. Their fate changed again when they bumped into a Redcap along a highway. They immediately recognised the Redcap as a carrier of magic and the Redcap quickly realised that they were dealing with a magically sensitive person. The Redcap took them to a nearby Covenant, hoping for a reward, which was meagre. Dana did not stay very long in this first Covenant as it was implied that more sensitive people could be find, but maybe the Party's Covenant would take them in since they lacked such a specialist. Maybe they could cut their teeth there?

Appearance:

Dana is slightly stooped, very unimpressive looking. They have long messy light brown hair and have a musky smell. People generally overlook them and do not pay much attention, feeling that the brown peasant clothes mark them as unimportant.

Why are they in the covenant?

Dana is an outcast, and no one takes them seriously despite their clear skills which are very useful to a Covenant or even to anyone who wants to dig a well. Dana is a very perceptive individual but left somewhat scarred by the poor treatment they received over the years (metaphorically or not). Being so used to be treated as useless, they will be very grateful to the Magi who value them and treat them well. The offer of a stable roof will be an improvement on the otherwise solitary and wandering life they led.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|1
Dex|0
Qik|-1
Com|1
Pre|-1
Int|1
Per|3

Virtues: Dowsing, Magic sensitivity
Flaws: Outcast, Judged Unfairly

Abilities:

Area Lore (Brandenburg) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Running) 3
Awareness (Searching) 4
Brawl (Bludgeon) 3
Concentration (Dowsing) 3
Dowsing (Water) 5
Folk Ken (Farmers) 3
Low German (Saxon) 4
Magic Sensitivity (Auras) 5
Stealth (Forests) 1
Survival (Forests) 3
Swim (Rivers) 1
Teaching (Dowsing) 1
West Slavonic (Sorbian) 5

Grog 24 : Gottfried/Gudrun, the Pied Piper
Age: 25
Story:

Growing up among a family of poor family of German-speaking house servants, Gottfried/Gudrun grew up with the burning desire to own as much (and more) as their parent's master. As a child they were very charming and learned to show people what they wanted to see while understanding what they wanted. They took the greatest joy in playing the flute which they would do on the streets at all hours of the day, choosing to live off the offerings of impressed strangers rather than by bowing and scraping (like their parents) or through hard physical labour (like the apprentices of their age). It took several attempts to kick them out of Stettin as they sang and cajoled their way back into the good graces of the ones sent to chase them away.

By the time they turned 20, they had understood that they had a rare gift, especially the ability to have animals follow the tunes they played. As they made their way westwards, they just played their flute in town and all the rats would follow them. This was a lucrative trade, until they arrived to the city of Hameln, where the people decided not to pay them, seeing that all the rats had been drowned in the Weser river. Infuriated at having been cheated, they returned a few days later and entranced all the city's children into following them.
[I offer 3 options here:

  1. They had no idea how to feed dozens of children (or even themselves aside from playing in Inns for food and lodging), many of the children died of exposure in the first week, some escaped in the woods, never to be seen again. By the time they all arrived in Bremen, there were only five boys left who were sold off to a merchant ship to serve as crew on their ship.
  2. They traded them to faeries
  3. They ransomed them back to the town]

They continued their depredation for a while, until they over-reached and used their wiles to get magic items off of a Redcap on the road to Münster. It was only a matter of weeks before a squad of grogs led by a magus/maga came to recover the stolen property. Furious as they were at the theft, the turb was calmed by the soothing music and the mage reletented under the charm of Gottfried/Gudrun. Instead of a violent confrontation, a deal was reached where Gottfried/Gudrun would never again longer ply their trade on redcaps, join a Covenant of their choosing where they would conform to the rules in place.

Appearance:

Dressed in colourful and good quality but often mended clothes, Gottfried/Gudrun is nonetheless highly charismatic. They have piercing eyes, and despite their below average height manage to be the centre of attention anytime they want. They have a clear voice, well suited to singing and can make themselves very well understood when then chose to. Or they can simply convey their mood through tunes played on the flute. Their hair is kept in a bowl-cut and often kept under a ha

Why are they in the covenant?

Gottfried/Gudrun reached this favorable deal with the thought of controlling whoever would be their new Coven-mates, not knowing that the Parma makes the mages immune to their supernatural skills...
They chose the Party's Covenant as the location seemed interesting and thinking that they could reach a position of power thanks to the Covenant's age.
They are very talented and very convincing, a veritable predator for unprepared grogs or the Covenant's opposition.
Their greed pushes them to over reach and they have little compunctions in using their powers on the unsuspecting.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|0
Dex|0
Qik|-2
Com|5
Pre|2
Int|0
Per|1

Virtues: Enchanting music, Great (Communication) x 2, Wanderer
Flaws: Greedy (major)

Abilities:

Area Lore (Pommerania) (Legends) 2
Athletics (Running) 2
Awareness (Alertness) 2
Bargain (Hard sell) 3
Charm (First Impressions) 5
Entrancing music (Animals) 5
Folk Ken (Cityfolk) 4
Low German (Pommeranian) 5
Music (Flute) 5

Grog 25 : Adam/Eva, the dog whisperer

Age: 20
Story:

All that is known from the early life of Adam/Eva comes from one scroll of research notes bearing the opening line "Would Animal work on a human raised by beasts?" and the name Moro ex Bjornaer (a recently deceased eremite mage [Order of Hermes lore check to know that heartbeast was a dog] who had lived in the northern areas of the Ardennes Forest). Reading the scroll it seems that they had entrusted
a child to a pack of wild dogs and had periodically come to observe the child and attempt to cast Animal magic on them. The entries are rather well ordered but it seems that the experiment was a failure. Moro did occasionally converse with the child, but only in heartbeast form and records that the child is very fluent in dog communication. They speculate that the experiment failed because the animals were too social and too close to humans, that a further study should take place but with a Bear family. Entries continue, stating that Corpus magic affected the child normally.

A second scroll explains that with the death of Moro, their heir took possession of their belonging, including these notes. Feeling sympathy for the child they went and collected the now grown teenager and brought them back to their Covenant. They attempted to socialise Adam/Eva (having them baptised under that name, as Moro's notes did not record any name). However Adam/Eva did not show interest in learning any more than the basic language of the Covenant, instead exploring the area. The teenager did show a great affinity with animals, and was accepted by the Covenant's pack of hunting dogs immediately, sleeping with them rather than in a bed with the Covenfolk in their main hall. Despite suggestions that Adam/Eva would be a fantastic animal trainer, they need to be trained to live with humans first, and kept away from alcohol (it is noted that it was a mistake to let their grogs give the child wine).

Appearance:

Adam/Eva is utterly disheveled, unbathed and uncouth. They have learned to wear clothes, which they do for the warmth and only in the cold season. Otherwise they are an absolute mess. They sleep in the kennels with the dog and smelled like one. They are unarguably in excellent physical form, with toned muscles and boundless energy, allow them to keep up with the hounds on hunts. Their hair is matted with dirt, but kept short by the Coven folk who are tasked with cleaning them once in a while.

Why are they in the covenant?

Moro's heir did not want to keep the Feral Adam/Eva in their covenant, and so gifted them (along with the two scrolls) to the Covenant. Adam/Eva has extraordinary talent with animals, just not with people... They are the ultimate hound master, but will but able to calm a panicked horse with ease.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|2
Dex|1
Qik|0
Com|-2
Pre|2
Int|-2
Per|2

Virtues: Animal Ken, Well travelled, Enduring Constitution
Flaws: Feral Upbringing, Short Attention Span, Social Handicap

Abilities:

Animal Handling (Dogs) 5
Animal Ken (Dogs) 5
Area Lore (Ardennes) (Geography) 3
Area Lore (Covenant) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Running) 3
Awareness (Searching) 3
Brawl (Unarmed) 3
Carouse (Power drinking) 1
Hunt (Dog pack hunting) 2
Low German [or whichever language is spoken in the Covenant's area] (Talking about Animals) 2
Survival (Dogs) 5
Swim (Rivers) 1

1 Like

Grog 26 : Edward/Edith, longbow captain

Age: 35
Story:

Edward/Edith grew up in Gloucestershire. They fell in love with a minor nobleman and lived a happy existence as their lover. The nobleman made suire that Edward/Edith was as well trained with the bow as any of their guards and becoming the nobleman's sergeant at arms as time passed. Living among the English, the Welsh and the Norman aristocracy, Edward/Edith had to learn all three languages.

When the call to arms from the King came in 1214, the Nobleman called up his troupe (a few dozen Welch longbowmen, and English spearmen) and took their ship to Flanders, where they were part of the king's host. To motion sick-Edward/Edith, this journey was hell, they spent the sea crossing vomiting overboard, and marched with the infantrymen rather than ride with their lover, the swaying on horseback having always made them uncomfortable.
They marched on Bouvines, confident in their numbers and in their arms. The battle was a triumph for the King of France and the Anglo-German alliance was soundly beaten. Their Noble lover was killed in a melee with a Colossal Breton knight. By nightfall, Edward/Edith and they Welsh archers numbered barely a score. They retreated with the German forces, but found themselves isolated. Edward/Edith was distraught over the loss of their lover and had to be carried catatonic for several days, but after a time, they regained their faculties. Knowing that there was nothing for them waiting back in Gloucestershire (their affair had been a scandalous thing), they mooted to the men becoming mercenaries. And so they lived off the land, lived off contracts and the occasional banditry for several years.

Note: see grog 27 for a typical archer from their band.

Appearance:

Edward/Edith is in excellent physical shape, muscular arms and strong shoulders trained by decades of archery. They have a frank manner and are keen to practice whatever language they speak with whoever they can. Only a mention of their lost lover will dampen their spirit, to the point where it has become taboo within the band to even say their name or mention Bouvines. They always wear leather armour and dress in otherwise drab functional clothing, much as the rest of their band. Their hair is kept shorn so that not a single strand is visible when they wear their helmet. They carry a dirk-dagger at their belt, a nasty little weapon that has shed much blood.

Why are they in the covenant?

One contract led to another, and some of the archers died along the way. By the time they were hired by a Tytlaus agent, only 8 of them remained. Having acquitted themselves of their task admirably, they were offered permanent employment as the Turb of a soon to be founded Covenant (as a gift from the Tytalus' Covenant). They accepted as years of itinerancy had taken their toll on the group and several saw their twilight years approaching. The group will form a series Turb of veteran archers, with Edward/Edith as not only a competent leader but also a possible interpret, as they speak several languages.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|0
Dex|2
Qik|-1
Com|1
Pre|2
Int|0
Per|1

Virtues: Improved Characteristics, Mercenary Captain
Flaws: Lost Love, Motion sickness

Abilities:

Area Lore (Gloucestershire) (Politics) 2
Area Lore (Lorraine) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Endurance) 3
Awareness (Alertness) 3
Bargain (Hard sell) 4
Bows (Long bow) 5
Brawl (Dagger) 4
Carouse (Power drinking) 3
Chirurgy (Binding Wounds) 1
English (West countries) 5
Etiquette (Nobility) 2
Folk Ken (Nobility) 2
French (Norman) 3
Intrigue (Gossip) 1
Leadership (In Combat) 5
Swim (Rivers) 1
Welsh (Slang) 4

Grog 27 : Welsh longbow mercenaries (typical names Dewey, Glyn, Gwilim, Huw)

Age: 30
Story:

These were just farm boys once, growing up on the Welsh/English border near gloucestershire. They all learned to shoot their longbows from a young age and were called up by their Lord to form a retinue to go fight the French in 1214.

They marched on Bouvines, confident in their numbers and in their arms. The battle was a triumph for the King of France and the Anglo-German alliance was soundly beaten. Their Master was killed in a melee with a Colossal Breton knight, and the Lord's English lover* took. The score that remained chose to become mercenaries as no easy way to return home was available, so they lived off the land in Lorraine, lived off contracts and the occasional banditry for several years. The hilly regions of Lorraine being not so different from their own homeland. Their numbers dwindling all the time they were happy to take a permanent contract to become the guards to some eccentric people i n an isolated location where they hope not to need to face charging knights ever again.

*Note: see grog 26 Edward/Edith for the new leader of the band.

Appearance:

These men are battle scarred, many disfigured by blows to the face, broken jaws, burns, broken nose and scars of all ilk adorn these men. They are dark blond to reddish haired, several of them pock marked from old disease. They wear leather armours picked from fallen foes as old bits needed to be replaced. Their clothes are drab and oft mended. The men are hardened to violence and have quick tempers, used to fighting rather than thinking things through. They often sing together at night, around the fire, mournful songs of their old lands, incomprehensible to all but them.

Why are they in the covenant?

One contract led to another, and some of the archers died along the way. By the time they were hired by a Tytlaus agent, only 8 of them remained. Having acquitted themselves of their task admirably, they were offered permanent employment as the Turb of a soon to be founded Covenant (as a gift from the Tytalus' Covenant). They accepted as years of itinerancy had taken their toll on the group and several saw their twilight years approaching. The group will form a serious Turb of veteran archers, they keep Edward/Edith as their competent leader. They are less refined than their leader, but know better how to live off the land. The men that lived this long are all strong, tough and agile, the survivors of skirmishes and diseases. They have picked up a bit of the language of the various lands they visited, but mostly the dirtier words, their approach to languages is to be truly foul-mouthed.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|2
Dex|2
Qik|0
Com|-1
Pre|-1
Int|-1
Per|1

Virtues: Puissant (Bows), Warrior, Wanderer
Flaws: Disfigured, Wrathful

Abilities:

Area Lore (Lorraine) (Geography) 2
Area Lore (South Wales) (Legends) 2
Athletics (Endurance) 3
Awareness (Keeping watch) 3
Bows (Long bow) 5
Brawl (Dagger) 2
Carouse (Power drinking) 4
Chirurgy (Binding Wounds) 3
English (Slang) 3
French (Slang) 3
Hunt (Poaching) 1
Music (Singing) 2
Single weapon (Short sword) 5
Survival (Hilly regions) 4
Swim (Rivers) 1
Welsh (Slang) 5

Grog 28 : Simon, Church lawyer

Age: 30
Story:

Simon was born and raised in Colmar by a devout family of merchants. The church offered him a succour from the other boys his age: always small, physically slow and soft he was picked on mercilessly by other children.Always a charming boy and attentive in church, he made his way through the ranks of the minor Clergy without problems. He showed great dedications to his letters and to his Latin. As a doorkeeper and lector he always applied himself to his utmost, having found his calling in the church. He hoped to progress all the way to priesthood, but the deacon saw a better use for him as a personal secretary. Simon was sent to perfect his learning in Strasbourg for a time, discovering the pleasures of the study of law, far more than in the study of the Bible. Returning to Colmar he was made the Archdeacon's secretary, and wielded some influence as he rode the coattails of an Ambitious churchman. His talent for law and rhetoric was used on several occasions to secure the maximal benefices both for the church and for the Archdeacon personally.

Unfortunately for Simon, two years ago his patron passed away and was replaced by a rival to the position of Archdeacon. Ill suited to the internal bickering of the Church, ASikon found himself at a loss. He was sent to travel the countryside to act as a wandering exorcist through Sundgau, a task to which he was poorly suited. Ill at ease on the saddle, he had a crisis of faith and opted not to return to Colmar. Instead worked as a lawyer for a time in Altkirch. But the prior of Saint-Morand sent word back to Colmar and Simon was summoned directly back to be disciplined.

Appearance:

Simon is a tiny man, with thin arms and poor coordination. He ways plain black robes suited to the profession of lawyer or otherwise the ecclesiastical robes of an Exorcist (a function that he will perform is calling upon). He takes the vows he took seriously, and still holding on to the hope of becoming a priest, he has sworn celibacy. His hair is light brown and tonsured. His beard is thick and kept squarely cut under his jaw.

Why are they in the covenant?

Maybe a mage used him as a lawyer or an intermediary? He had to run away from his new superior, but he remains a fine latinist and with some training would be a great teacher. He is a passable face for the party but will be at his best in court where his fine legal mind and rhetorics will put him above the competition. Having worked as an Archdeacon's secretary, his is well acquainted with the major clergymen (by writing at least) of the Rhine Tribunal.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|-1
Dex|-1
Qik|-1
Com|2
Pre|1
Int|3
Per|1

Virtues: Clerk -Exorcist (The church, p 26), Educated
Flaws: Continence, Small frame

Abilities:

Area Lore (Sundgau) (Politics) 2
Artes Liberales (Rhetorics) 5
Charm (Being witty) 5
Church Lore (History) 5
Civil and Canon Lore (Church Lore) 5
Folk Ken (Church) 3
Greek (Religious topics) 2
High German (Alsacian) 5
Latin (Law) 5
Ride (Travelling) 1
Theology (Biblical knowledge) 3

1 Like

Grog 29 : Odile, the lusty nun

Age: 20
Story:
Born Juliette in Metz, she is the daughter of the head of the local smith's guild. Her childhood was easy, praised always lavished on such a pretty child. She was always her father's little princess, until her teenage years. Between her rich father and her beauty, there was no lack of suitors who approached either her or her father. They ask him for her hand in marriage and her for boons and tokens of affection. As her father started to suspect her tutors of impropriety, he had her sent to the famed nunnery of the Mont Saint Odile. Forced against her will to live in convent for a time, she made the most of it by delving into the philosophical texts stored there. She found close companionship with an older nun, herself a learned woman. After a year she was allowed to return home to her family, but the blooming and intelligent young woman attracted too much attention for her father's taste and it was not long before he had her sent back to the convent of Saint Odile, where forced to take vows, she adopted the name of Sister Odile. However, a lover from Metz found a Mage sympathetic to their cause and after much bagaining, cajoling and planning, she was sprung out of the Covenant.

Life on the road as outlaw lovers was not what she had imagined it to be, missing the comfort and content of a library, forced to live on the road, the romantic gesture soon lost its luster and the lovers broke up.

(note: in principle, the same character could be a young man send to a monastery, with no real change to their stat block)
Appearance:

Sister Odile isa beautiful young woman, she has pearly white teeth and alabaster skin. Her hair is like a cascade of red gold and her eyes are piercing green. She speaks clearly and is readily able to quote poetry or Aristotle, both of which she devours with great pleasure. She is charismatic and endears herself instantly to whoever she desires. She is of a fragile constitution, unaccustomed to leaving the fineries of the library. While she still has her nun's robes, she only uses them when she needs to make herself less noticed. She prefers fine dresses and given the means to do so, would clad herself all in silk.

Why are they in the covenant?

Seeing the intelligent, well spoken and eye catching young woman as a great addition to a Covenant, the mage (who helped the jail break) have them brought into a Covenant (maybe their own).
Or maybe a Redcap finds her on the road and brings her to the player's Covenant as a safe haven for their lover.
Maybe she uses her charm to climb into society until she hears of the Order and petitions them to join, upon hearing that they accept female scholars without the restrictions of a Convent (this would work best if she was aged by a few years).

That she speaks and writes latin will mark her as one of the higher ranked Covenfolk in any Covenant. She might attract unwanted attention from Church authorities as a runaway nun. Or her beauty and desires might lead to dissention within covenant grogs, or she might become the concubine of one of the magi, who appreciates her intellect and beauty...
She can be the face of a group of grog as they deal with educated folk and while she might have poor relations with the church, she will have some affinity with the more bookish among them.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|0
Dex|0
Qik|-1
Com|0
Pre|3
Int|2
Per|0

Virtues: Clerk, Venus' Blessing
Flaws: Fragile Constitution, Lecherous

Abilities:

Area Lore (Upper Lorraine) (Legends) 1
Artes Liberales (Geometry) 1
Charm (Courtly love) 5
Church Lore (Nunneries) 1
Folk Ken (Men) 4
French (Poetry) 5
Guile (Lying to authority) 3
Latin (Church usage) 4
Philosophiae (Natural philosophy) 3
Ride (Speed) 1
Theology (History) 2

Grog 30 : Wolfram/Winfrida, the jeweler

Age: 25

Story:

Wolfram/Winfrida are covenfolk, through and through. They can trace their lineage (more or less directly) to the first Covenfolk of Dunremar. They grew up in a Covenant near Schwaebisches Gmund and were sent to town to be apprenticed there to a jewelsmith. Coming back aged twenty, they have worked ever since as an assistant to a Verditius mage, taking great interest in the new technological and magical development that the house performs. Little known to those outside the Covenant, their specialty is building jewelry with secret compartments, whether rings containing poisoned powders or a secret blade.

They take great pride in their connections to the Order and to their Covenant, somehow whener an ill is about to befall it, he gets a feeling for it. His fellow Covenfolk know to follow his intuitions, whether to avoid going on a hunt on a certain day, to to stay away from travellers the next.

Appearance:

Wolfram/Winfrida are rotundund. Only travelling between the laboratory, their workshop, the kitchen and the bed, they have hardly left the Covenant since their return from Schwaebisches Gmund, several years ago. They keep their darkish hair at shoulder length with a fringe coming down to their eyebrows. They are dressed like craftspeople, wearing most days a tough leather apron and carrying a few of the tools of their trade on them. They meticulously collect any metal dust from their clothes using a rabbits paw before leaving their workplace.

Why are they in the covenant?

Wolfram/Winfrida are Covenfolk, considering themselves proud members of the Order of Hermes. Having experienced the disorienting world outside of the walls of the Covenant, they prefer to stay surrounded by their kin and those who understand their calling. They have a fondness for House Veriditius, who they consider fellow crafts(wo)men.

For a summer-winter Covenant, they would have been part of the Covenant for generations, possibly all the way back to its inception, and would see the new Magi as interlopers in a stable place.

For a Spring Covenant, they might be "gifted" by their former Covenant, or maybe after the death/Twilight of their Veriditius, they would want find it painful to keep working in their old place, volunteering for helping found a new Covenant, channeling the pioneer spirit of their ancestors. Or, if one of the PCs is a Verditius mage, they might want to continue progressing in their art by working with a new "master" who they would have a chance to influence (more than a stuffy and mad old Verditius).

In addition to being a fantastic craftsperson, their premonitions would give the ST the opportunity to use them as a springboard for plot, or it might even be worth bringing them in a dungeon crawl to sniff out traps or magical dangers...

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|-1
Dex|3
Qik|0
Com|0
Pre|-1
Int|0
Per|2

Virtues: Premonitions, Puissant (craft), Covenfolk
Flaws: Covenant Upbringing, Obese

Abilities:

Area Lore (Covenant) (People) 1
Awareness (Searching) 4
Bargain (Hard sell) 4
Brawl (Knife) 2
Craft: Jewelry (Secret compartments) 5 (+2 puissant)
Folk Ken (Cityfolk) 3
High German (Swabian) 5
Latin (Laboratory uses) 3
Order of Hermes Lore (House Veriditius) 3
Premonitions (Threats to Covenant) 4
Teaching (Apprentices) 2

Grog 31 : Mael/Melita, the Ouessant Sailor

Age: 20

Story:

Mael/Melita was born and raised on Ouessant, an island far from the world and where cousins have married cousin once too many times. Mael/Melita's inbreeding becomes clear very fast, sometimes before they even start talking. However what they lack in brains, they make up for in sea worthiness. They know how to sail a ship as well as any islander and are not deterred by bad weather. Several times they have fallen overboard during a bad storm and everytime they washed up to the shore unscathed and breathing. No explanation was ever found for this, they simply seem to be unable to drown, much like their grandfather (or mother). While they dismiss this with a shrug, their family simply knowledges that they are born of the sea. They used to leave Ouessant almost to go fishing, until a storm wrecked their ship and landed them weeks later on an unknown shoreline. A redcap heard the rumour of a strange person washing up unscathed and unable to speak the local language and came across them. An intelligo item let them know that there is something supernatural about Mael/Melita whom they brought back to the order to understand.

Appearance:
Mael/Melita is visibly inbred, with exaggerated facial features and dull cow like eyes. They appear to be a particularly dim sailor. Despite this appearance, little escapes their notice and they are in excellent physical form: muscular arms and legs, callused hands and strong shoulders.They dress drably with whatever is made available to them, so long as it does not get in the way of their work.

Why are they in the covenant?

Mael/Melita is still young and will be able to develop their skills to match what the Covenant needs from them/teach them. They are a great sailor as well as sentry. They will go fishing day in and day out tirelessly and without complaining, keeping the food on the table for any seaside Covenant. They will sheepishly follow the magi (or other bossier grogs) on adventures to sail their ship if there is a need for them.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|2
Dex|2
Qik|1
Com|-2
Pre|0
Int|-4
Per|3

Virtues: Greater Immunity (drowning), Wanderer
Flaws: Simple minded, Social handicap (or disfigured, depending on how you'd prefer to represent inbreeding), Poor (Intelligence)

Abilities:

Area Lore (Breton islands) (Geography) 3
Athletics (Jumping) 3
Awareness (Alertness) 5
Brawl (Knife) 3
Breton (Ouessant) 5
Profession (sailor) (Fishing) 5
Swim (Sea) 3

1 Like

Grog 32 : Colin/Colette, the Covenant Cursor

Age: 25

Story:

Colin/Colette is the latest in a long line of Cursors. They have been born to run for the Order and they know it. They grew up in a Normandy Tribunal Covenant (either the players' if non-Spring, or another if Spring) and have been trained to run from youth. They might even be the result of Corpus magic tempering with their line as their stamina is exceptional, something they will display in any contest of endurance, or of drinking. They can drink prodigious amount of beer, wine and cider for their small frame, putting much bigger grogs to shame. They know their place within the order, to run all day at a good pace and to enjoy the rewards of their labour by doing little else than running around the Covenant to keep fit.

Appearance:

Colin/Colette looks much like any peasant of their home region, but lean with long legs and little fat.
They enjoy dressing in bright colours, taking pride in their Covenant and wearing its official colour if applicable. While slightly aloof, they do know how to bow and scrape to Magi and are accustomed to the formality of Tribunals and are often trotted out before visiting magus, much as a fine horse might be shown by a nobleman to his guests. They are missing most of their front teeth due to having fallen face first during a race due to having ignored a root, this is not a mistake they will make again.

Why are they in the covenant?

They are purpoise bred covenfolk, bred for speed and endurance. Either their family has been part of the Covenant for several generations (for an older Covenant) or they were gifted to a new Covenant to help them establish themselves (maybe by a generous parens to their freshly gauntleted pupil).
As a Cursor they are an essential member of any Norman Covenant, if the party is willing to risk them on adventures, they are decent outdoors thanks to their athleticism and their survivability.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|4
Dex|1
Qik|2
Com|-1
Pre|-1
Int|0
Per|0

Virtues: Puissant (Athletics), Improved (Stamina)*,Covenfolk
Flaws: Covenant Upbringing, Afflicted tongue
*: this could be taken a second time and balanced out by another flaw

Abilities:

Area Lore (Covenant) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Running) 5 (+2 Puissant)
Awareness (Alertness) 3
Brawl (Unarmed) 2
Carouse (Power drinking) 4
Etiquette (Order of Hermes) 3
Folk Ken (Covenfolk) 3
Latin (Formal locutions) 1
Local language (Covenant dialect) 5
Order of Hermes Lore (Normandy Tribunal) 3
Survival (Forests) 2
Swim (Rivers) 4