I was thinking about people who have been formally invited into an Aegis, complete with Casting Token, and a scenario has come up concerning my rather angry Bjornaer magus (the Bjornaer part may or may not be important), who has been invited into another covenant's Aegis (complete with the formal invitation and a casting token).
He has decided to go kill something to calm down (he's got a wolf heartbeast)...and of course, all the critters in the covenant are off-limits. He then goes out into the woods to hunt...in his Heartbeast form. His heartbeast (naturally) has no pockets to put the casting token in, nor any hands to hold it with, and tucking it in his mouth has its own obvious drawbacks. How important is the casting token to the benefits of having been invited into the Aegis? If you are not in contact with, or physical possession of, the casting token, are you still protected?
Also, I'm assuming that when you leave the boundary of the Aegis, you forfeit your invitation's protection and must be re-invited to avoid having to overcome the Aegis's pwnage, but the rules don't explicitly say one way or the other. Is this a valid (or correct) assumption?
I don't think that's correct. I think that you can leave and enter again without being re-invited, assuming that your invitation has not been cancelled in the interim.
So, I think he can leave, bury the token somewhere, go on a rampage, calm down, hopefully remember where he buried the token, dig up token, and return to the covenant whistling nonchalantly.
I gather from your description this is not the Bjornaer's home covenant --- i.e. he didn't participate in the Aegis casting --- if he participates in the casting he doesn't need a token anyway.
I think that is a YSMV question. I've always played that you need physical possession of the token, and the spell description certainly talks about "possession" of the token. However, possession alone isn't sufficient, as an invitation can be revoked without physically recalling the token.
I'd go one step further than this and say Your Sigil May Vary. This is the kind of thing that might be different between individual castings, based on who cast it.
IMO, the paradigm should allow the token to be symbolic. Pockets are an anachronism. So unless someone carries a pack of some sort all over, I don't think there's a reason for the token to be in the presence of the invited magus at all times.
Carrying things on your person isn't an anachronism, however.
Rings, pins, necklaces, armbands, crowns, hats, earrings, bits of cloth, belts, etc are all fine physical manifestations of a token that don't require pockets to carry. You can also put small coin-like things in a coin/belt bag.
I don't think the OP was literally concerned purely about a lack of pockets.
Granted. However, what we are mincing about is whether the Aegis requires physical possession of the Aegis token. It's not stated explicitly. If physical recovery of the token is unnecessary to disinvite someone from the Aegis, then I don't think it is necessary for the invited magus to carry the token around all the time. What if the token was a 5lb rock? Would you require magi to carry it around? What would that say about the covenant and how much they desire having visitors?
IMO, this is a cosmological question, does the saga want to encourage visitors to other covenants? Then make being in constant physical possession of the token unnecessary. If you want to discourage visitors in the saga, then require constant physical possession.
Welcome to our covenant! You are being granted the privilege of protected guest, a great honor! We present to you this large menhir, that will allow you to cast spells within our Aegis. Make sure to carry it with you at all times.
Picture the token made from a stiff rectangular piece of parchment with a string to carry it around your neck, bearing the invitee name, the date he was invited on and a large mention saying "VISITATOR". Optionally, you can also enchant it so that a seeming of the invitee appears on it.
Make sure you wear it at all times when inside the covenant, plus you need to swipe it on the enchanted box every time you go in and out of the Aegis. When you depart, please leave it with the guard at the gate.
I'd say a nice jar of incendiary with half of the wick in the posession of the local triggerhappy Flambeau, which of course should be taken with you at all times if you intend to cast, and its integrity must be maintained to make it function.
this is one of those things that seems like a Edition to Edition carry over.
I think (for our saga) that the invitation and acceptance of guest right is the important part. I think it is just as "in theme" to have a Menhir (as above) on the edge of the Aegis, which guests place their hands on and accept the invitation. when they place their hand on it, they posses the token. I could see other Castings requiring the token maintained on the person at all times, ut then what about incorporeal spirits (we have them left and right), and it is traditional (forbidden but traditional) to invite demons into the covenant and they probably dissolve their bodies on a regular basis.
Granted (Serfs Parm) that your suppose to carry the token with you, but for our saga that is not an issue.
We have other issues, which I will start in the new thread as they came up last night.
I like your suggestion that some covenants might do it some ways and others other ways. It adds some individual flavor in a place where the rules could vary slightly.
Well, this can be explained simply by token being invalidated. It's same as giving someone say IP address which can connect to your home network. You do not need to change IP address on your friend's computer to revoke the access, just add IP to blocklist/remove it from open list.
