Could that be Gervais?
Or how many magi did Carnacis have at the time of our gauntlet? Sounds like there were a whole lot of them!
These are my ideas for what the Order of the Quartet could teach in terms of Initiations. The philosophy, Organization etc. will come later.
Puissant Intellego: Understanding God's Creation; Target level 18
Free Study: Studying from God's Creation; Target level 18
Aligned to the Dominion: The Dominion no longer deducts from the magus' casting total; Target level 18
Elemental Magic: Representing the Archangels' connection to the elements (Gabriel: Fire, Raphael: Water, Uriel: Earth, Michael: Air); Target level 30
Major Magical Focus (The Archangels): Healing humans, Creativity & peace, Sudden Death and Sunlight; Target level 30
The various Initiation scripts are basically "just" a matter of choosing appropriate components, beating the target level
Any ideas or suggestions?
Hi,
Since you asked for ideas and suggestions....
I haven't seen that virtue.
I have seen two existing virtues that might serve you well!
-
Holy Magic. This is a major virtue from RoP:D with other benefits and problems. Among other benefits, you never suffer a penalty to your magic in any Aura. The drawbacks of Holy Magic are significant, but the ability to use Long Term Fatigue as vis is incredible, especially in this saga where vis is in very short supply.
-
Natural Philosopher, from Hedge Magic. This is a minor virtue that lets you use your Philosophiae score to mitigate the penalties of alien Auras. This isn't as good as the minor virtue you propose, but it fits very nicely with your theme of learning from the nature that God created. It also lets you offset some of the Aura penalties for Infernal auras! Being in tune with God's intention for nature fortifies even in the shadow of the valley of death, and all that.
considers May I offer a strong recommendation for both? That is, the tradition first offers an initiation for Natural Philosopher. Later, as you mature and grow still closer to the archangels, there might be another script that allows you to shed that virtue as a Minor Ordeal, as you gain the Major Virtue of Holy Magic.
Meanwhile, your character will have to develop Philosophiae, but that's not so terrible a thing to have, especially if your tradition also teaches Mystical Choreography, which might represent your ability to get to the heart of ceremonial magic with less ritual through your deepening connection to the Divine.
Mundane books are cheap to obtain, after all!
It also open a new dimension for the initiate, the world of universities and philosophers. "The fool says, in his heart, 'there is no God.'"
In this vein, I can imagine this tradition offering Puissant Philosophiae.
If you're looking for Flaws, you can perhaps continue with the 'natural world' theme you began. Study Requirement is a Major Flaw that might represent a new way of looking at magic and the world, inconvenient compared to sitting in a library but very convenient for putting you right up against Creation itself. Slow Caster might represent the downside of the tradition, a bit of extra time spent bringing the Quartet to mind as you call upon their power, or Disorientating Magic, representing the after-effects of so profound a connection to the Divine. There might be a Vow associated with ascending toward the Most High, or a Lesser Malediction given as a gift to always remind you not to succumb to pride in your power and knowledge, as the greatest Archangel once did. Loose Magic, because true mastery is God's. Visions makes sense too. Even Susceptibility to Infernal Power, who increasingly focus their malevolence upon the initiate. Incompatible Arts, representing curbs on the initiate's magic; some powers are beyond even the purview of the archangels. Obviously, not all of the above, and not only the above. Only suggestions, by your request.
These are they. Use em if you like em.
Anyway,
Ken
Aligned to the dominion is a self-invented virtue, it seemed that somehow such a Mystery would "have to" learn to interact with Dominion Auras - what is your take on this Caelarch?
Honestly I think Holy Magic sucks 
Yes, it gives you some interesting new targets and durations, and posibilities for wonders, adjurations etc. BUT you become incomprehensible, halve hermetic study totals (!), gain a -15 due to Hermetic gestures (Unless you correctly pray) and can not use magic to sin or do evil deeds. Now that are some harsh penalties, really, really harsh in my world. As much as it would be appropriate and interesting, I simply don't think Aurelia will learn Holy Magic through the Order of the Quartet due to this. Any way in how Holy Magic can be ameliorated?
Also regarding Correspondance Xp, it says they demand at least 24 letters on the given subject, bound and regularly updated. Now RAW it is totally legit to use them, but 1xp extra for every season, no matter what you do basically, for (in my case) 45 years - that's whopping a 180xp that I could place in any one Art or ability....that Correspondance is freaking awesome then....am I misreading anything?
Hi,
I'm not complaining! I was just offering suggestions, at your request. Nope! Far be it for me to complain about players getting what they want. Glass houses and all.
It sucks horribly at the beginning of a magus' career, yes. But once 3 points of True Faith already limit behavior, and when Arts scores are solid..... Even before that, if you can get the spirits of Holy Magi past to come and teach you, or even an angel, who needs books?
Natural Philosopher is nice, though. Only upside. There's also Entreat the Powers.
smile If you don't like it, just ignore it.
I don't think so, except no Correspondence on Parma, and stuff like that. 
You can correspond in different stuff every season too!
Anyway,
Ken
Something I didn't notice before. . . it looks like you are taking 10 XP for many seasons that are not really adventures. I would like for 10 XP seasons to be ones where exciting stuff happens, there is danger, intrigue, (story hooks for later...)
If it just research or the like it should be taken as "practice" XP instead.
Since you are creating the cult, you will need to create the scripts. Let's take them a few at a time. What would would like to be intitiated first?
How about Realm (Divine) aligned spells from HoH: TL p 34 as a mystery virtue?
Caelarch,
THe Ignem Expert wants a book on the Infernal, I need a score of 4 to write something remotely useful, thus I need to adventure, since there are practically no books on the subject - unless he wants to wait 20 years for me to write it.
Also, the mystery cult, as I am starting a new one, does not have books, so I need practice/adventure xp. Again, unless I want to take 20-30 years to gain xp enough to get to a score of 4-5 I need to adventure.
I can see that a Mystery cult is something special, but especially the INfernal lore Summae, which I used 6-8 seasons to get the knowledge to use 2 seasons to write...It would have taken MUCH more if only given practice xp, thus I think that Aurelia would be severely hampered (hindering a sodales' magical progress from the Code) if she was to do it from only practice xp
How many practice xp would you give for a standard practice season
I don't have True Lineages, would you please explain what the virtue does, you suggest. Thanks!
Since Caerlach said he didn't have his books this weekend, I'll help you out:
A (Realm) Aligned spell is one that has been invented/created to work in harmony when in an Aura of that Realm. For instance, a Divine-Aligned version of Chirurgeon's Healing Touch cast in a Dominion Aura would take no penalties, and the botch dice are reduced by Dominion Lore score. However, casting this Divine-Aligned version in a Magic Aura now has a penalty equal to 3 x Aura. (The Realm-Aligned Spell Interaction Table is on p.34 of HoH:TL)
To create such a spell (once the Breakthrough is discovered or known), your Lab Total is calculated normally except that your Magic Theory score is limited by the relevant Realm Lore score. In the above example, the CHT spell would be: Int + Creo + Corpus + MT (max of Dominion Lore) + Aura.
That's the short form, at any rate!
You should reconsider Holy Magic. Yeah, it may seem frustrating at first glance. But it is also supposed to humble you. If you have all of your ducks in a row, and once you realize that true power belongs to God and not to you, your character can become very potent and important. Make sure to take advantage of Holy Methods and Powers. These allow you to design Holy Hermetic Spells using these alternate guidelines, and give you a big boost in Ceremonial Casting (Master your spells with Cerimonial Casting 
). And you can invoke miricles. How cool is that? Plus Rituals without Vis.
Start in with Holy Magic as early on as possible, so you don't have to convert that many spells. Keep a token Parma score of 1. Depend on Faith for Magc Resistance. Build up your Faith score.
Just suggesting 
On the book, see my PM you are right, this is too much of a burden for something that was just meant to be a hook. Let's come up with some way of doing it that is less burdensome.
As to the cult, adventure is totally appropriate way to get XP; I just want to see adventures! Go on pilgramages, explore dusty ruins where the power of God touched the Earth, Find the garden of Eden and converse with the Guardian Angel, whose flaming sword turns every way etc....
Standard practice xp is 4. I think i said 5 in my PM, but as I said I'm away from the books and I'm pretty sure it should be 4. Nevertheless, I'd be willing to see you start a collection of Realia, or study the manifestions of the Archangels as Phenomena.
Marko,
Holy Magic makes it impossible to use your magic for sin or evil. We derive our income from piracy - now I might not go with the pirates on their tours, but the mere fact that that is how we get your pounds, seems to be at odds with a resident maga trying to use Holy Magic?
Caelarch, new PM for you
So, basically you are specifying a desire to sin and do evil. That makes me highly suspicious of you.
Why do you want to sin? What evil to you intend on committing? Should the rest of us be worried?
How is being unable to sin a weaknedd? I would call that a strength!
I derive income from piracy, and maybe I am keeping you and the others ignorant of it. Perhaps it is private between me and the elders, I supply the covenant with cash and I get away with my antics and hair brained schemes. And mind you, Templars and other crusaders made money off of piracy. Just don't call it piracy, call it brigandry or privateering, or even "liberating resources from those Godless English and returning them to good Christian folk in France (or wherever we are).
But now I am more worried about your human sacrifice and diabolism, and other sins you are worried that Holy Magic will prevent.
There is a difference between incidental sin and stating a intention and desire to sin. Your character now worries me...
Hi,
In the words of Shakespeare, "Mwahahahaha!"
My preference is for her to have the character she wants. I think this is that sort of game.
(slow grin Interesting that her character worries you, but not Deborah.... It isn't possible to keep her ignorant of the piracy.)
Anyway,
Ken
Marko,
I don't have a desire to sin and do evil, I would like the flexibility of using magic to cover those areas, if it would be needed, though. Meaning, if I wwa to save my True Love husband, but the only way was to sacrifice an innocent peasent girl, then I would like to have the possibility of doing that (And working out the damnation afterwards) rather than thinking "oh no can't hurt peasent girls, though cookie".
Regarding piracy/privateering, I might have misread, but I was under the impression that the sum of the covenant knew that we plundered our way to riches AND that it was an operation supported by ALL magi?
Also Holy Magic/True Faith would not, IMHO, accept any kind of sinful behaviour, such as acceptance of once livelihood being based on banditry -however I agree that a Dominion interested maga (such as Aurelia is now) could accept it under the premises you mention (We plunder back to France from those basterd English etc) even though she would still have to confess those thoughts as sin.
I think that Marko had suggested pirarcy before I came up with the backbone of the covenant. i included it as a resource, noting that it was mainly used against the trade company's competitors. I think Marko used creative license to encourage additional piracy, or to explain why there was piracy at all.
ROF, I started reading your PMs. I'll need some time to think, I'll be back from the beach tomorrow, so look for a reply then.
ROF,
I am just ribbing you man, no worries.
Ad Deborah does worry me more. But as far as Polyoppeties is concerned, he isn't paying much attention to either of you just yet. He is concerned with his own business and the manicions of our elders. When we become elsers, well then thing will change 
Of course, we need to think of weird (I mean really weird) projects to spend our time on...like exploring the fertility rate of the Morbihan Dung beetles or something
ROF, please post the updated Aurelia here.