Same, with the second one. Lots of time.
I'd actually rather Aella, but she would need ironing out the feasibility of blind or really the rest of her. I can easy swap out blind for something else, actually think I should and disfigured actually has a kinda sad description. Swap Fury for Wrathful, Blind for a Story Flaw, and Disfigured for Judged Unfairly. https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/familiars-from-the-start/246/1
A character like Reynard may get bored, he wants to hoodwink and steal for the fun of it. A character like Aela would be happy because though it may be a dank cellar, it's her dank cellar. Or hill top or what not. With Age Quickly and needing to find other Magi to do her longevity ritual, she's instantly loyal.
If she isn't feasible for this saga, I can put her on the back burner, lol. I think I'm just stuck on trying to figure out what a blind hermetic Magus do. Either way, I would be fine with playing only a few years out of gauntlet, if we wanted some older Magi and stagger power level.
I'm pretty sure I'll be the most available to post, but I'll settle down to whatever pace we set once we get started. We'll have to see what the rest of people and head ST wants to do. Roleplaying the covenant start is fun, but personally I've done it a bunch. Also if there is any character conflict it makes sense for the character to walk away and can hiccup the start.
I vote for starting after the covenant is formed. Though it doesn't have to be fully built with amenities in my mind, I'll take the "less experienced Magi gets the dank cellar and likes it". Depending on the stories to be told it may make sense to do one or few years of our character's "settling in", starting half built, iron out the logistics and social pecking order, then progress a year or two to finish spending build points.
I'm actually not well versed with doing covenant building via build points, so I'd be learning. I just recently got Covenants and haven't looked through it. Most my experience is 4th ed. The 5th ed I have played has had a lot of house rules, so if I'm dead wrong about how something works, bonk me on the head.