Adventures in Brief

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Praesidium Orae
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1123
WINTER
6 ) Andros resonant materials quest: winter 2 cycles (magic, magic) challenge 6 - preliminary Andros/Simian Rex, Bonaro, Phillippe Huntsman, Colette the Cook

cycle 1: Magic

  1. Andros MT 7 + Int 1 + 3 Aid (Simian Rex 6) + _: 1D10 = [10] = 10, well!, _: 1D10 = [6] = 6 , no botch, = 11, success
  2. Andros Magic Lore 2 + 2 Com + _: 1D10 = [3] = 3 = 7, success
  3. Phillippe Huntsman Wilderness Lore 5 + 3 Per + 3 Ways of the Wood + 2 Aid (Bonaro 4) + _: 1D10 = [8] = 8 = 21, success

cycle 2: Magic
1)Andros Sense the Scale of Magical Power InVi15 + 34 + _: 1D10 = [5] = 5 = success
2)Simian Rex Calling the troop power, auto success
3)Andros Posing the Silent Question InMe20 +27 + _: 1D10 = [7] = 7 = success

So a good materials hunt, 8 days, +2 Confidence, 5 xp, 4 rewards: 1 Resonant materials for Animal, 1 for Herbam, +1 rep Andros, +2 Vim pawns . Story to come as it coalesces in my mind.

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Ignes.Festivus a question, I can't figure where the +2 Confidence come from... I mean, to get Confidence points I have to choose the corresponding reward right? Or do adventures provide Confidence by default as they do with XPs?

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Hi leo! Each cycle in an adventure provides 1 Confidence to characters who can earn/spend it. Reward Confidence is extra.

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I knew I missed something! Thanks

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SPRING
10) Aurthor's resonant materials quest - spring 1 cycle (choice), challenge 9

1 cycle: Choice -> Magic

  1. Pazzino’s Magic Lore 4 + Sta 1 + (_: 1D10 = [10] -> Botch potential! _: 1D10 = [8] -> No botch!) 0 + 3 Confidence(1) + 3 Relic = 11 -> success
  2. Aurthor’s Comprehend Magic 3 + Per -2 + (_: 1D10 = [8]) 8 + 3 Confidence(1) = 12
  3. Aurthor’s Magic Theory 5 + Int 3 + (_: 1D10 = [1] -> _: 1D10 = [4] = 4) 8 = 16 -> success

Adventure is a success and takes 10 days. Provides 5XP (all to Aurthor’s Comprehend Magic ability), +1 Confidence (Pazzino and Aurthor expended one each) and 2 rewards: resonant materials for 2 books on Magic Theory.

Story
Wandering in the countryside few days away from the covenant the extended efforts of Pazzino are finally rewarded (Pazzino’s Magic Lore + Sta). Throughout the journey Pazzino has always been vigilant looking for some clue about magic materials that could meet Aurthor's requirements. He found a suitable place in a cavern where stones of strange shapes are presents. Some of those specimens tickle Aurthor’s magic vision (Aurthor’s Comprehend Magic + Per), which at a closer examination can identify two small stones as resonant materials (Aurthor’s Magic Theory + Int) suitable for his tractatii on Magic Theory.

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WINTER
5 ) Aurthor's vis quest - winter 3 cycles (magic, choice, magic) challenge 20

Pazzino's Premonitions (magical threats) 3 + Per 1 + (_: 1D10 = [3]) 3 + 3 Confidence(1) + 3 Relic = 13 -> success -> escape the adventure!

Pazzino feels something bad about this Vis search expedition. He can’t explains very well in words but Aurthor trusts his collaborators and if he remembers well there’s a tavern right behind that hill...

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adding a late story:
11) the sudden birth first cycle political/diplomatic: Evandrus' studies in the rapid growth of the unborn gets out of hand, as a young betrothed noblewoman on her way to her wedding in passing the covenant suddenly goes through three trimesters and gives birth- before the wedding. Her father is displeased, as is her groom...

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Summertime?

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yes

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Mercurio is ALL sorts of getting involved!
Oliverius is all sorts of Blatant Gift, and not getting involved.

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Fang, Hadrian, Anna and Aegis will also try and help.

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If it's in Summer, Danaë will butt in, she will drag her jinn pal and Julien also. Gloriana, despite being Blatantly Gifted, will try to go with the trusty Francesco, to witness the great power of Evandrus's magics.

*edited

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Pazzino will join also!

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  1. is a summer 3 cycle (legal/diplomatic, social, choice) with challenge 12- remember social abilities have +6 difficulty since the blatant gift is involved...
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This has an obvious solution! We'll just explain how that sex isn't the only way to get pregnant in Mythic Europe! Simple!

Alright then:
Cycle One: Diplo
Gloriana: Artes Lib(5)+Int(3)+Assist(4)+Stress(8)=20 Success!
Danae: Folk Ken(5)+Per(1)+Assist(4)+stress(8)=18 Success! Note: Yeah, typo in the "notes" section, should have said "per" not stress
Anna: Guile(Men)(2)+Com(5)+Assist(6)+Stress(6)=19!

Cycle Two: Social
Anna: Carouse(1)+Sta(5)+Assist(2)+stress(4)=16, Fail
Danae: Charm(5)+Pre(3)+Assist(6)+Stress(3)+Confidence(3)=20, Success!
Anna: Etiquette(3)+Com(5)+Assist(2)+Stress(5)+Confidence(3)=18 Success!

Cycle Three: Combat
Hadrian: Bow(12)+Dex(2)+Stress(4)=18
Franscesco: Single Weapon(9)+Str(2)+Stress(3)=14 Success!
Fang: Brawl(dodge)(5)+Qik(2)+Assist(3)+stress(7)= Success!

Story: Anna decides to lead with the truth. Sort of. Then Gloriana buts in and somehow makes a very compelling argument that the daughter is still a virgin. Which to be fair is possible, but probably not the case here. Danae, realizes the obvious, the groom wants the child to be his, not some miracle baby! When Anna is told of this she explains the whole truth. Okay part of the truth, she claims they do "practical natural philosophy", and fudges some of the details. Her goal is to get the man to understand the truth as best as he is able, which obviously won't be perfect. A tall tale later and Anna has convinced the groom that the pregnancy was just accelerated, which he says makes the child his! The father is convinced the baby is a miracle and somehow a party gets thrown. The party goes okay.

But that's not the end of it. Some Faeries were attracted to this whole mess. They attack and try to steal the baby! The attack is defeated, the Faeries retreat empty handed, and every thing is solved!

Results:
Time: 12 days
Experience: 9xp
Rewards: Danae: Extra confidence(1), Reduced Time 4 days

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Whew! Dodged that one, score 1 for Premonitions. Pazzino is truly a Companion to treasure! 8)

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Honesty? Pfft! Mundanes never really appreciate honesty. Mercurio is mildly disappointed.

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SUMMER
1 ) COVENANT in 1122 William II, Duke of Apulia has offered to withdraw his claims to Sicilly and name Roger II as heir to Apulia and parts of Calabria in exchange for 600 knights for his campaign. Certain parties approach the covenant and ask them to ensure there was no supernatural influence in the striking of this deal. summer adventure, summer 3 cycles (magic,choice,legal/diplomatic) challenge 6 - preliminary Anna, Aegis, Hadrian and Fang, Danaë and jinn Gloriana, familiar. Francesco grog

cycle 1: Magic

  1. Mother Rabbit Awareness 6 + Per 3 + 9 Aid(Francesco 4/Fang 3/Anna 3/Danaë 2/Jinn 0/Aegis 1/Gloriana 1/Hadrian 5) + _: 1D10 = [1] = 1 , _: 1D10 = [10] = 10, yes, best use of a 10!, 38! success
  2. Danaë Second Sight 3 + 5 Sta + 6 Aid (Juval 4/Anna 3/Mother Rabbit 1/Aegis 5) + _: 1D10 = [9] = 9 = 23, success
  3. Gloriana Spontaneous Casting of InCo 20 search spell: (5 Sta + 34 InCo + Phi/AL 9 + _: 1D10 = [9] = 9)/2 = good enough for level 25, success

cycle 2: Magic

  1. Mother Rabbit Magic Lore 6 + 2 Int + 4 Aid (Danaë 4/Francesco 1/Anna 1/Aegis 3) + _: 1D10 = [7] = 7 = 19, success
  2. Francesco Faerie Lore 5 + Quik 2 + 4 Aid (Gloriana 4/Fang 0/Anna 1/Hadrian 1/Danaë 2/Jinn 0/Aegis 1/Mother Rabbit 0) + _: 1D10 = [7] = 7 = 18, success
  3. Fang's Gaze of the Wolf Auto-success (Greater power beats magnitude 10 needed)

cycle 3: Legal/Diplomatic

  1. Danaë Guile 4 Lying to Authority + 3 Comm + 2 Aid (Anna 1/Gloriana 2/Aegis 1) + _: 1D10 = [4] = 4 = 13, success
  2. Mother Rabbit Grant Lecherousness (Major) Temporarily : Auto-success
  3. Danaë Intrigue 6 + 3 Pre + 2 Aid (Francesco 2/Hadrian 1/Gloriana 1) + _: 1D10 = [8] = 8 = 19, success

So the team aces this adventure easily, the familiars/hangers-on prove key with their high awareness and auto-success powers. Lasts 9 days, provides 3 Conf to all involved, 6 xp to those that want it, 6 Rewards:
•Notch on Hook
•+1 to Covenant rep
•+1 to coven folk loyalty
•Correspondence for Anna, Gloriana, and Danaë on a subject of their choice

The team misses nothing, they do a thorough check-up and find an assorted and motley bunch of hedgies and supernatural creatures ragtag and bickering to gain power in Roger's court, but their efforts seem to stymie one another. The team follows some mystically, sees what their capabilities are, "they are weighed, measured, and are found wanting", to quote Ademar. However, Danaë uncovers a Quaesitor who questions their presence, and she questions right back, he alleges he is checking to see whether there is Hermetic influence on the court, and he's found it! He remarks grimly. However, Danaë is far more adroit politically than the Guernicus, and name-drops many important allies, suggesting that it is he who is meddling in mundane affairs, intimidating him right back. An unspoken agreement to never raise this subject again is born.

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1123
SUMMER
3 ) Lady Agniezka is approached by a peasant from Sidirno whose farm was raided by bandits, and whose neighbors have probably also been raided. summer, 2 cycles (combat, legal/diplomatic) challenge 9 - preliminary - Anna, Aegis, Hadrian and Fang, Danaë and Jinn, Sandor Gloriana, familiar

cycle 1: Combat
1)Mother Rabbit 6 Awareness + 3 Per + 7 Aid (Fang 3/Anna 3/Danaë 2/Jinn 0/Aegis 1/Gloriana 1/Hadrian 5) + _: 1D10 = [5] = 5 = 21, success
2)Sandor Leadership 5 + 2 Pre - 2 age -5 Aid (Gloriana 1 -6 Blatant gift) _: 1D10 = [1] = 1 , _: 1D10 = [6] = 6 = 12, success
3)Sandor Brawl 6 + Str 3 -2 age + 12 Aid (Aegis 3/Anna 1/Gloriana 1/Fang 5/Mother Rabbit 6/Jinn 0/Danaë 1/Hadrian 7) + _: 1D10 = [10] = 10 , uh-oh, _: 1D10 = [5] = 5, no botch, = 19, success

cycle 2: Legal/diplomatic
1)Danaë Intrigue 6 + 3 Comm + 1 Aid (Hadrian 1/Gloriana 1/Anna 1) + _: 1D10 = [3] = 3 = 13, success
2)Danaë Folk Ken 6 Nobles + 0 Quik + 5 aid (Hadrian 2/Anna 2/Gloriana 2/Aegis 2 Nobles/Sandor 3) + _: 1D10 = [8] = 8 = 19, success
3)Gloriana Artes Liberales 5 + 5 Sta + 5 Aid (Aegis 2/Anna 4/Mother Rabbit 0/Jinn 0/Danaë 1/Hadrian 1/Sandor 2) + _: 1D10 = [2] = 2 = 17, success

Adventure is entirely successful, lasts for 11 days, provides 2 Confidence, 7 xp to those that want it, 4 Rewards:
•Notch for Favors Lady A
•+1 rep to Sandor
•Anna/Fang/Aegis can divvy up the other 2 rewards, Quite Possibly a Cat, Lady A is grateful for their aid (and for Gloriana's and Danae's, but they were latecomers in this)

Story to come, but the group will very easily track the bandits, Sandor will come up with an amazing plan for a relatively bloodless battle (to show off really, he's not averse to shedding blood or extreme violence, the not-so-little bully/budding psychopath), almost derailed by escalating tension between Mother Rabbit and Fang, (there's a mismatch made in hell), some "friendly fire", dodged. Danaë discovers that a nearby coalition of nobles is behind this bandit unrest, they find out the leader and discover his motives, and Gloriana and Anna. write an excellent speech over several sleepless nights for Sandor to deliver to the good people of Siderno, and he comes out roses. Siderno grip strengthened, bandit activity halted!

*edited, Sandor has a -2 age modifier, wrote -1 initially

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1123
SUMMER
9) Tribunal summer 1 cycle (magic) challenge 12 - preliminary Gloriana, familiar, Danaë and jinn, Francesco, Gervassio grog Anna, Aegis, Hadrian and Fang

cycle 1: Magic
1)Anna O of Hermes Lore 2 Italy + 5 comm + 0 Aid (Danaë 1) + _: 1D10 = [3] = 3 + 3 Confidence = 13, success
2)Gloriana Magic Theory 14 + 3 Int + 6 Aid (Anna 7/Fang 2/Francesco 2/Aegis 2) + _: 1D10 = [9] = 9 = 32, success
3)Gloriana Parma Magica 3 + Sta 5 + 1 Aid (Anna 3) + _: 1D10 = [9] = 9 = 18, success

Tribunal is a resounding success! Takes 13 days, provides 1 Confidence to all (Anna spent 1), 7 xp to those that want it, 2 Rewards:
•4 Me vis, Gloriana splits ½ with her sister maga Anna
•+1 rep Danaë among Magi

The youngest Magi of the covenant (and all ladies!) for some reason are the only representatives of the Praesidium to Tribunal, their elders busy with their projects. Finding the Tribunal site itself is difficult in itself, their invitations are always somehow short on directions. But they manage! (Anna really has to exert herself) Order of Hermes Lore success. Once there, they simply dazzle with tales of their projects and works, Magi are amazed at their Familiars, despite their youth.
Meanwhile Danaë works the backrooms of diplomacy, They also avoid talking of touchy subjects or indeed throwing their weight openly behind one or another side. Magic Theory success
Still, things are tense, and the two Maga are challenged to many "friendly" bouts of certamen, where they do very well, but it is exhausting and dismaying to deal with so much disguised hostility. Parma Magica success Amazingly, no case is brought against the Praesidium, and the gang leave at its conclusion, counting their blessings.