Aurelia hs barely set up an office when she is approached by a magus by the name of Urius who is interested in making Aurelia a chapterhouse member of his covenant= of course it will require the approval of the other members, and he is hoping you could undertake a project to help demonstrate your value. "There is a small town, technically in Hungary but close to the tribunal border, by the name of Zara, with several large islands nearby. We would like this mapped, especially the supernatural pitfalls and resources. We would consider commissioning a magical map, depending on what sort of resources you might find."
Aurelia sits down at her desk and takes a moment to consider this offer. She was not against joining a covenant, quite the opposite. A free-spirit like her needed a place to return to, a safe-haven after long months of travel, and joining a covenant provided exactly that. She could live with giving up her maps, copies could be made for her own records, and having the chance to find lots of vis and other magical resources was exactly what she wanted. She saw few reasons to NOT accept, and so...
"We'll have to talk details of course, I'm no pushover and I could just map the area for myself, but I would be more than happy to do this with your covenant instead." Aurelia smiled genuinely, excited to go somewhere new, especially if it led to her traveling to stranger places often.
She considered what she would have to ask for, what she'd have to give, but decided to let them lead the conversation and hopefully she'd be able to push a little to make them sweeten the deal for her.
"All right, we will arrange your transportation and we'll expect a preliminary report in a season, does that work?"
Aurelia nods thoughtfully; a season was a decent amount of time to start the map. She could set up landmarks, boundaries for things, start setting up a proper scale and reference for distance. It would definitely take more than a season to create a detailed map with the different auras and magical creatures territories, but that shouldn't be too hard to get done. She could even start finding those little details while doing the general mapping.
She looks at Urius, "I'd like to come back to transportation, but first I'd like to know what the exact area is you'd like to have mapped; if you wish for just Zara and its surrounding area, or if you want the islands as well. In addition the amount of time this will take me differs based on what magical resources you would like included. Potential sources of vis can be noted and marked down as I map out the area, but it could take a lengthy amount of time depending on the richness of the area. Auras are simply part and parcel to one of my maps, but I can also make note of the territories of magical creatures." She plays with one of her casting tools, "I dont need an answer to everything right now. It can be discussed in more detail after that first report. What are you thinking?"
"We would like to know about all exploitable resources in the area. The initial report will give whatever you can uncover in a season, we understand that that will not be a full detailed map but give us what is possible in a written report. The closer to the city the greater the significance, though other factors, such as magnitude of a vis source, will also weigh on that. It will require judgement on your part."
After a moment she nods, "That will be perfectly fine." She considers what she will need to get out of this and how to ask about it before deciding she has a whole season to decide what she could take herself within reason, and what she could ask for in return for this. A space to stay and an aura to drain vis from doesn't mean much to someone who would never see either. She gives a smile and stands up, "So transportation? How will I be getting there and when do I depart?" Aurelia thinks of the future, and what this particular escapade may bring, and she smiles a genuine smile.
"We have passage and cargo booked on a ship leaving in a week."
Aurelia nods. "Is that all then? If so, I will prepare to leave in a week."
"Very well" He leaves you to pepare.
Aurelia gathers several sets of clothes and spare materials for making her maps, as well as a journal she wants to record her journeys in. She takes the majority of the week to plan for the journey, only stopping in with her new employers to ask after foodstuffs for the journey.
Food on the ship is taken care of, they are providing you with 10 mythic pounds to cover your expenses while in Zara.
cool. Then Aurelia is ready to go, taking her mobile lab, her clothes and other things, and hoppin' on that ship.
The trip down the coast of the Adriatic takes 4 days before you disembark in the city of Zara. You are surprised to find a city as thriving and dynamic as Venice itself, with shipyards and trading houses near the docks. There is a strong sense of the dominion, as there is in Venice, but it has an unusual feel to it, a question that you may have found the answer two within an hour when you spot a Catholic and Greek Orthodox church across the street from one another.
Aurelia wanders around the city looking for a place to stay the night. The beginning of this process will be figuring out approximate dimensions for the city and several landmarks, she thinks to herself. She had considered checking out the churches but instead writes down a note in her journal about visiting.
She rapidly finds an inn to stay in, at fairly reasonable rates given the pressing population of the city. The city wall, docks, and several churches and even synagogues stand out as landmarks.
She doesn't bother to eat dinner, immediately heading to her room and readying herself to be on the road for some time. She lays out materials for her map, clothes for the road, and in her journal, begins to mark down landmarks and apparent distances she hadn't while looking around.
After she finishes, she falls asleep as quickly as she can, waking in the morning, casting her Parma Magica, dressing in her travel clothes, and then heading to the inn's common room to order some breakfast and ask for some info on the city.
When you get to the common rom the waitress does not speak Greek, English, or Latin.
Seeing that she doesn't speak English Aurelia simply sits there and listens, trying to find a table where someone is speaking any language she knows, and failing that, she simply mimes to the waitress that she wants food. Aurelia thinks deep, important thoughts... Gotta eat breakfast when you can. Especially when hunting isnt your specialty. And maybe gotta get something for Alexander.
(Would they allow her to bring her dog into her room, or would he have to go elsewhere?)
Your character sheet indicates you have Greek at 5 and English at 1. No languages native to Italy however... apparently when you said you were raised on the outskirts of the Roman tribunal you weren't kidding.
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Aurelia listens and listens, but hearing not a lick of greek, not a whisper of latin or english, she gives up. Its not FUN to sit inside, not when she could be exploring the city, and so Aurelia gets up. She walks to her room and grabs her stuff, and then walks out into the city at large. She calls for Alexander (poor doggo) and stands in the street waiting for her faithful companion to come help her.
(Just for the sake of marking it down, how much is the room, and the breakfast I am assuming she eventually gets while shes waiting cost her?)