[size=150]Attention all scalawags, ruffians, thugs, diabolists, lost Diednes, cold-blooded killers, falsely convicted idealists, sanctum scryers, brutal hedgies, Hermetic oath-breakers, defiers of nomos, children of strife, mad devotees of Hymnis, militant wilderists, wranglers of mundanes, assassins of Quaesitors, orderlies of Odin, and other motley enemies of the Order of Hermes. Let it be known that pursuant to The Ferrum Carcer Amendment passed by the Grand Tribunal of 1227, House Guernicus has centralized its scattered containment facilities into a single maximum hermetic security prison for incorrigible offenders. The worst villains of mythic Europe will soon find themselves confined together in a lawless pseudo-covenant. Despite their differences, these involuntary sodales will be forced to rely upon each other if they hope to survive (and escape!)[/size]
Saga Themes and Pacing
Searching for 4-6 convicted magus/maga ne’er-do-wells. The saga will focus on mysteries, puzzles, survival, heists and escape from the pseudo-covenant which is actually a prison. You will share the prison-covenant with several NPC magi and companions. The NPCs will be guards, warden, and other wicked convicts who may complicate, thwart, or unwittingly enable your adventures.
Since your character is “doing time,” the saga is intended to span several decades. Escape attempts require planning, preparation, and training to develop the mundane and magical prowess, so there will be many opportunities for seasonal advancements interspersed with adventures. Some adventures will take place within the walls, the prison is rife with mystery and challenges. Escape attempts may succeed, leading to outside adventures on-the-run. Perhaps you can evade capture indefinitely, or at least long enough to bring a grand plan to fruition; more likely, you will find yourself recaptured eventually. The cycles of confinement-escape can mirror the cycles of study-adventure in a traditional saga.
The setting will be low fantasy. You will lack most luxuries of the civilized hermetic world during incarceration: longevity potions, vis, many books, and initiations, are all forbidden under prison rules. You will need to create these yourself or scheme to acquire them through the prison black market.
Characters development rules:
Go ahead and be a bad guy. You know that Chthonic Diedne with a false gift you’ve been waiting to play; here’s your chance. The Tytalus maga who killed her last troupe in their sleep; yep, she’s welcome to join. If you want to be falsely convicted, or a noble but misunderstood anti-hero, that’s fine as well. But this is hardcore, no undercover Guernici allowed. If you’ve wound up at the Covenant of the Iron Cage you are bad to the bone, tough as nails and twice as sharp.
Please gauntlet the character abiding by standard 5th edition Core RAW (rules as written) for Detailed Character Creation pgs 28-32. You may advance the character any number of years past gauntlet. Each year after gauntlet provides 30 experience points for Hermetic Arts or Abilities. During character creation, a character automatically gains 2 warping points for each additional year past gauntlet. Extremely Detailed Character Creation, as detailed in 5th Edition Rules page 33, may be used. But the character is still limited to a maximum of 30 experience points for each year after gauntlet until the game begins. Age based limits on abilities apply during character creation.
The following Virtues do not provide an experience point bonus during the post-gauntlet years of character creation, but function normally once actual play begins: Secondary Insight, Book Learner, Free Study, Independent Study, Apt Pupil, etc. Affinities provide their benefits during character creation and regular play, as does Flawless Magic’s doubling of mastery experience.
Anytime after gauntlet, you can take an additional 3 points of virtues which are paid for with the Major Flaw “Outlaw: Order of Hermes.” You may choose to use these points to take (a) a second Major Hermetic Virtue, (b) a handful of Minor Virtues or single Major Virtue from the core rulebook or Houses or Hermes series,(c) initiation into cult virtues from The Mysteries: Revised Edition.
Characters from House Criamon, Merinita, Bjoarner or Verditius may take initiations during character creation after gauntlet. Balance these with supernatural, general, or hermetic flaws, and build up an appropriate score in House lore.
Unprotected by the code, player characters in the prison are likely to fall into conflict or combat with each other when tensions escalate. For this reason, I want the PCs to all operate at a similar power level. Bear in mind that aging rolls and warping will be a fact of life in this saga. Older, more experienced and powerful characters are at greater risk of decrepitude and twilight.
I'd like to play if you'll have me. I'll post a character idea later.