Paintings that Tell Many Tales
Type: Vendor (Paintings, Enchanted Artwork, Great Works)
Description
A giant structure set back from the fairway towers above the other tents. Drawing closer reveals a trail of crushed stone and seashells, vividly colored and poured in a pattern, leading between two vendors tents to it. "It" is a large buryuut hajar (bedouin tent, literally “house of hair”) and dominates the whole area. A steady stream of people, Magi and mundane alike, flows in and out of it. The notes of a softly strummed harp and scent of sandalwood drift on the breeze.
Stepping through its swept open flaps transports one into a richly appointed gallery. Luxurious Arabian carpets cover the ground while colored lanterns provide a shifting illumination throughout. Proudly displayed on stands of beautifully illuminated hardwood are many paintings. They shift and flow from scene to scene, seeming to tell an illustrated story to those watching them. A sign announces an auction later that day.
Background
If you combine a skilled artist and Magus into a single being, they can produce artwork of the most beautiful and exotic nature. While this example is of a painter, it would work with nearly any art form with only a few minor changes. Once they have built a name for themselves their works will sell for prices far outside of what a normal enchanted item would go for. You can also use the rules for Great Works (Covenants, p.102) to allow them to be used as text for study.
Selling at an auction during a Tribunal will generally net the artist the greatest return on their time. It will also get their name on many lips and possibly a patron.
Personalities
- Augustus of Jerbiton (Magus): Augustus is an oddity. One of the few members of his House without the gentle gift, he was selected for his skilled hand at drawing even though he was only a child. His lab is focused on created enchanted items and he has a lab total of just over 60. He lives in the Roman Tribunal and is not a member of a Covenant, making the Vis for his study and upkeep by the selling of his art. He will spent much of his time at the fair drifting about his tent, not letting others know he is the artist to judge their reaction to his works. Have him choose the PCs as his target, though do not reveal he is the artist till the very start of the auction.
Bids at the auctions are straight silver for unenchantented works and vis (+10 pounds per pawn) for enchanted works.
Products
- Paintings: Augustus paints a large variety of things when he is working on an idea for a new enchanted painting. Commonly they are landscapes, illustrations of Realm creatures, or scenes for battles and Hermetic history. Price can range from roughly one to ten pounds of silver depending on individual quality and size (though he only sells the best ones so they are all very nice). 8~12 available at a given fair.
Products, Enchanted
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Shifting Landscapes (Painting): Each of these paintings shows a series of landscapes centered around a theme. Seascapes, mountains, cliffs, and castles are his most common. He can produce 3 new ones or 6 reproductions (using Lab Text) in a season of work. These normally sell for about 5 pawns of Vis new and 3 pawns for reproductions. Custom versions such as of your Covenant are available by order, at a price of 10 pawns. 4~6 new and 5~7 reproductions at a given fair.
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An Illustrative Work (Painting): Each painting showing an animated collection, made up of 100 finely wroth and animated scenes. Most are stories, such as a battle. He can produce 1 new one (plus 1 or 2 Shifting Landscapes) or 3 reproductions (using Lab Text) in a season of work. These normally sell for about 10 pawns of Vis new and 7 pawns for reproductions. 1~3 new and 3~5 reproductions at a given fair.
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An Illustrative Work (Painting, Great Works): These are a refinement of the above, using its series of images to teach some ability as a Tractatus. Most are collections of creatures of a certain Realm, though some cover key parts of the Order's history. Augustus can produce 1 new one in two seasons of work or a reproduction in one season. He is limited to abilities he knows and could write a text about. Common abilities include the varies Realm Lores, Order of Hermes Lore, and Code of Hermes. Quality is 7~10 based on your Saga. These normally sell for about 20 pawns of Vis for new works, with reproductions only available by order. 0~3 available at a given fair.
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Magnum Opus (Painting, Great Works): Each of these is an animated collection, made up of 1,000 finely wroth and animated scenes. They are a Great Works Summa and can take many seasons if not years to produce new. Even reproductions take two or more seasons of work. Their level+quality should only be about average for your saga with no more than one of a given Ability or Art being produced. They normally sell for 40+ pawns of Vis new, with reproductions rarely even available by order. 0~1 (normally 0) at a given fair.
Enchantments
The Shifting Landscape
CrIm, Level 10, P/S/I, Base 1 "sight", RDT 2, Moving 1, Variety 1, E. Trigger +3, 3/day +2
The enchantment will allow up to 10 individually painted scenes, flowing from one to the next. This means each is actually a small collection combined into a single work. These works are normally a collection of beautiful landscapes.
An Illustrative Work
CrIm, Level 20, P/S/I, Base 1 "sight", RDT 2, Moving 1, Variety 2, Complex 1 "Very Intricate", E. Trigger +3, 3/day +2
The enchantment will allow up to 100 individually painted scenes, with each able to flow and move. This means each is actually a whole collection combined into a single work.
The Magnum Opus
CrIm, Level 30, P/S/I, Base 1 "sight", RDT 2, Moving 1, Variety 3, Complex 2 "Very Intricate", E. Trigger +3, 3/day +2
The enchantment will allow up to 1,000 individually painted scenes, with each able to flow and move. This means each is actually a massive collection combined into a single work that takes half a day to cycle through its full range. They are closer to a very slow modern movie than a series of paintings.