Antoine of Verditius

Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Light of Andorra
1

Antoine of Verditius
as of Autumn 1238

Characteristics: Int +4, Per -2 (decr. 1), Pre 0, Com +2, Str +2, Sta +1, Dex +2, Qui -2
Size: 0
Age: 35
Decrepitude: 0(1)
Warping Score: 0(1)
Confidence: 5(3)
Personality: Gentle +3, Insightful +2, Shrewd +1 (I mean in a monetary, mercantile sense)

Virtues(8 points):
The Gift (free)
Hermetic Magus (free)
Verditius Magic (free - Verditius)
[tab][/tab]Lab Total += Craft when enchanting; can alter item shape when opening; S&M bonus += Philosiphae (cap M. Theory); Vis to open -= Craft (min 1); Formulaic magic needs casting tools
Inventive Genius (minor)
[tab][/tab]+3 to Lab Total for spell invention, enchanting, potions. +6 if expermenting
Improved Characteristics (minor)
Great Intelligence (minor)
Flexible Formulaic Magic (major)
[tab][/tab]May alter one of Range, Duration or Target one step when casting
Social Contacts (Goldsmiths)
[tab][/tab]Presence vs 6 to find a contact in a new area
Side Effect: After casting a spell of the nth magnitude, the scent of Antoine's sigil causes those within n paces to become more susceptible to suggestion. They suffer a -n penalty to rolls to resist lies, suggestions, confusion, befuddlement and subterfuge, whether magical or mundane. However, this also applies to Antoine's allies, and - to a lesser extent (n/2 penalty) to Antoine himself. This effect is magical, with Penetration 0.
Reforging (Verditius)
[tab][/tab]Can repair enchanted items; and smelt items for Vis (details?)

Flaws(8 points):
Weird Magic (Hermetic, minor)
[tab][/tab]Roll an additional botch die for 0 on stressed spellcasting. Botches on that die are weird, not dangerous
True Love (major) - his fiancée, Isolde, who likely starts the saga following on after him
Driven (major) - Reconcile the Valdarian cult with House Verditius
Noncombatant (minor)
Hubris +1
Dependents

Abilities:
[table][tr][td]Area Lore: Burgundy[/td][td]2[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes Liberales[/td][td]1[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Athletics[/td][td]1[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Awareness[/td][td]2[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bargain[/td][td]4[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Charm[/td][td]3[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Concentration[/td][td]2[/td][td](while crafting)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Craft - Goldsmith[/td][td]5[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Cult Lore - Verditius[/td][td]1[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Finesse[/td][td]2[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Folk Ken[/td][td]4[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Goldsmiths' Guild Lore[/td][td]2[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Guile[/td][td]2[/td][td](fast talk)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Language: French[/td][td]5[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Language: Magyar[/td][td]2[/td][td](with Isolde)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Language: Latin[/td][td]5[/td][td](Hermetic usage)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Lore[/td][td]1[/td]td[/td][td]1 xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Theory[/td][td]6[/td]td[/td][td]6 xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Order of Hermes Lore[/td][td]1[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Parma Magica[/td][td]1[/td]td[/td][td]3xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Philosophiae[/td][td]2[/td][td](Verditius runes)[/td][td]Note - Verditius gains from Philosophiae are capped; no point having it higher until MT surpasses normal Shape and Material bonuses[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession - Scribe[/td][td]1[/td]td[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Teaching[/td][td]2[/td][td](Hermetic magi)[/td][/tr][/table]
Spent 160xp on Abilities

Arts
[table][tr][td]Creo[/td][td]4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intellego[/td][td]4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Muto[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Perdo[/td][td]3[/td][td]2xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Rego[/td][td]10[/td][td]8xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][tab][/tab][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Animal[/td][td]2[/td][td]1xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aquam[/td][td]4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Auram[/td][td]3[/td][td]3xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Corpus[/td][td]2[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Herbam[/td][td]2[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ignem[/td][td]3[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Imaginem[/td][td]9[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mentem[/td][td]10[/td][td]3xp[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Terram[/td][td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Vim[/td][td]6[/td][td]5xp[/td][/tr][/table]

Casting Sigil: A scent of cinnamon, which seems to beguile the senses (see Side Effect)
Voting Sigil: A set of copper Borromean rings

Spells
Personal Lungs of the Fish (MuAq(Au) 15: Personal, Sun, Part) as ArM5 p122, but Personal
Cloak of the Duck's Feathers (ReAq 5: Touch, Sun, Individual) ArM 5, p124
Wizard's Sidestep (ReIm 10: Personal, Sun, Individual) ArM 5, p147
Purity before the Noble's Court (MuIm 5: Touch, Sun, Individual)
[tab][/tab]The target appears to sight and smell as if they and their apparel are perfectly clean; as if freshly bathed and laundered with pleasant-scented soaps. Any dirt, stains etc. are of course actually still there. (Base 2, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
Aura of Ennobled Presence (MuIm 10: Touch, Sun, Individual) ArM 5, p145
Disguise of the Transformed Image (MuIm 15: Touch, Sun, Individual) ArM 5, p146
Invisibility of the Standing Wizard (PeIm 15: Touch, Sun, Individual) ArM 5, p146
Perception of the Conflicting Motives (InMe 15: Eye, Momentary, Individual) ArM 5, p149
Recollection of the False Event (MuMe 5: Eye, Sun, Individual) As ArM 5, p149, but a major change
Calm the Motion of the Heart (PeMe 15: Voice, Momentary, Individual) ArM 5, p150
Ring of Warding against Spirits (ReMe 15: Touch, Ring, Circle) ArM 5, p151
Singlemindedness of the Concentrating Wizard (ReMe 25, Personal, Sun, Individual) A&A, p34
[tab][/tab]+3 concentration; all other Int-based rolls fail.
Hear the Distant Voice (InIm 5: Sight, Diam, Individual). The caster can hear all sounds made by the target as if he was standing next to it.
Prying Eyes and Wagging Ears (InIm 10: Touch, Conc, Room). As ArM5 Prying Eyes, but for sound as well.
A Word in your Ear (CrIm 15: Sight, Diameter, Part). The caster can create a miniature of their voice directly in the target's ear. This speech is all but imperceptible to those nearby.
Relay the Vision of the Magus (CrIm 5: Touch, Conc, Individual). As you speak, a miniature image portraying the events you describe appears in front of you. It changes as you speak, and can make sounds as well.

Items owned:
Brooch of the Duck's Feathers: as Cloak of the Duck's Feathers; Touch, Conc, Indiv; maintains conc; 50 uses/day; triggers on wearing (level 15 vs LT 32).
[tab][/tab]Will be given away to Isolde's father.
Quartz Ring of Invisibility: as Veil of Invis; Touch, Conc, Indiv; maintains conc; 6 uses/day; triggers on pressing stone between thumb and forefinger (level 23 vs LT 41+1d10=5)
[tab][/tab]Created by experimenting, which produced a minor flaw - while the user and his clothing vanishes, the ring itself remains visible
A Silver chain bearing a circular Cinnamon-wood pendant held in a gimbal allowing rotation about horizontal and vertical axes, attuned as talisman:

  • Currently opened to 7 pawns; maximum 13 (MuIm)
  • Attuned to Intellego +2, Imaginem +4, Self-Protection +4
  • Instilled with (44 levels):
    [list]
    [*]Purity before the Noble's Court; Pers, Conc, Indiv; maintains conc; unlimited/day; triggers on pressing the pendant firmly to the skin (level 18 vs LT 40)
  • Aura of Ennobled Presence; Pers, Sun, Indiv; 2 uses/day; triggers on rotating pendant horizontally (level 6)
  • Disguise of the Transformed Image; Pers, Conc, Indiv; maintains conc; unlimited/day; triggers on rotating pendant vertically. Finesse roll to determine quality of illusion (level 20 vs LT 40)
    [/*:m][/list:u]
    The book Disputatio Elementari Verditio, a Level 5 Quality 10 Summa on Cult Lore - Verditius

Vis:

  • 2 Muto
  • 2 Rego
  • 1 Auram
  • 2 Aquam
  • 5 Corpus
  • 7 Imaginem
  • 7 Mentem
  • 7 Vim

Backstory
Antoine was born in 1202 in Dijon, France; the second son of a local goldsmith, Pierre Danot. His mother having died giving birth to Antoine, he was taken to his father's shop-cum-workshop from an early age. At first, he helped in the front of the shop, and quickly developed excellent bargaining skills in order to offset the way no-one ever seemed to trust him. Soon, however, he was lending a hand in the workshop.

The tradition obviously being that the elder son (by some 3 years), Nicolas, should inherit the business, there was no little consternation in the family when it was discovered that little Antoine was better at the craft than his brother. Indeed, the way he was able to work metal often seemed to defy logic, as if he could form it with his fingers alone. At the age of 8, having produced his journeyman pieces, Antoine was inducted into the Goldsmiths' Guild. At 9, he was able to attend a grand meeting of many of the guilds from across Europe in his home city, and forged many useful connections.

Among those links was a Master craftsman from Hungary, Imre Eszes (apparently, Hungarian names of the era would be a given name and a descriptive; this is "Imre, the wise"), who took a particular interest in young Antoine. In the year 1212, he petitioned Pierre for the chance to take Antoine as his own apprentice; an opportunity Pierre accepted gratefully, as it both came with a not-inconsiderable stipend and solved the brewing sibling rivalry at a stroke. Antoine duly left for Hungary with Imre, but soon found that his new master was a magus of house Verditius, who had recognised the signs of the Gift in Antoine.

Antoine's apprenticeship was smooth, excepting that his talents seemingly lay away from the traditional Verditius lines and more with Imaginem and Mentem. He still possessed all the skills necessary to make a fine artificer, and passed his gauntlet with ease. Upon completing it, he presented his master with a token of his appreciation - a small golden brooch, enchanted with a constant-effect Purity before the Noble's Court. He remained in Hungary, pursuing his own researches and assisting Imre.

Initially, Antoine spent the years after his gauntlet improving his abilities as a Verditius crafter. Ever a resourceful soul, he also chose to seek out an initiation into the mystery of Reforging broken or unwanted items. During this time, he also heard of the history of the Valdarian cult. Antoine was struck to the heart with a sense of loss that an entire lineage of masterful craftsmen should have schismed from house Veriditus and be looked upon as heretics and black sheep; and resolved to do what he could to bring the lineage back into the main house.

In 1232, Imre mentioned that Antoine really should consider taking an apprentice of his own. Antoine was ambivalent; but did start shoring up his knowledge in his less-favoured arts, so as to be able to open those of an Apprentice as and when he took one.

In the autumn of 1232, Imre and Antoine attended a grand convocation of Hungary's Goldsmiths' Guilds. It was there that Antoine was introduced to the 16-year-old daughter of a local Guildmaster. Antoine was smitten by her beauty; she by his gentle nature and stumbling Hungarian. That season, Antoine did little but call upon Isolde, and their relationship strengthened. At the point Antoine starts being "on-screen", they have been courting for nearly two years; Antoine is now certain that Isolde is the only woman for him, and he means to propose. It is at this point that he hears of Vocis' visit to the area, and the Valdarian armour he is wearing; he is prepared to seize his chance of meeting a Valdarian, and beginning on his grand task of reconciliation.