[size=150]Redcap Beatrix ex Mercere, Filia August[/size] at campaign start
Being the child of a Redcap, Beatrix was checked for the Gift just after she was born to a kitchen servant at Fengheld, in the Rhine Tribunal. Her father insisted she be baptized with a name suitable for a Hermetic maga. "Beatrix" was chosen because for its mixed meaning of "traveler" and "blessed," apt for a Gifted Mercere and in use among mundanes in the region. She was raised at the covenant, everyone knowing full well she would become an apprentice in the House Mercere in due time. This lessened the impact of her Gift on her childhood slightly, as she got some preferential treatment and so other covenant children wanted to be her friend to reap some benefits, even if they did find her odd.
At 10 she was taken as the apprentice to August ex Mercere, filius ***, the senior-most Gifted Mercere at the time. ***
When she was a little older and still in her apprenticeship her parens did little to discourage her from spending time with the boys. Rather, it was more encouraged than discouraged, especially when the boys were of good breeding. The encouragement even included making sure she was under the effects of Mercury's Blessing each time she conceived a child. She gave birth to her first child, Lili, when she was still 18. Lili's father, Hagen, was the librarian's son at Fengheld. He and Bea had an on-again-off-again relationship through Bea's late teens. She still thinks fondly of him, but they were really not meant for each other. Only a year and a half later she gave birth to Rein. Rein's father, Gerhard, was an apprentice Redcap at the time and is now a Redcap in the Rhine Tribunal, though not the Redcap training Rein. Bea's relationship with him was fiery and quite short-lived. It was only passion between them, and there is no awkwardness now as they both accepted it as such. Since he and Rein are now in the same Tribunal, Bea has asked Gerhard to keep an additional eye on Rein. Having two little children while finishing her apprenticeship left Beatrix too little time to have another child. She raised them as best she could, hopefully preparing them for apprenticeships as Redcaps or at least to be valued members of covenants. Her parens made sure she had a nursemaid at hand to take care of the children while Bea was working directly with him. Since then Regina has remained close to Beatrix and her children and has now accompanied them to this distant covenant.
Only a year and a half before Bea was to take her gauntlet her parens passed into Final Twilight. A mutantes, *** ex Mercere, filius ***, from the Rhine Tribunal agreed to complete Bea's training at Durenmar. Part of his agreement stemmed from her strong interest in the Eschengilde and part stemmed from her desire to strengthen the Redcaps in new ways. Of course he wanted to make sure a maga of Mercere's blood became a Mercere, as did the other Mercere, but he also saw an opportunity to promote his own agenda within the Eschengilde with an apprentice clearly devoted to the House. Not wanting to make this so obvious publicly, he 'graciously' had Beatrix keep her original parens' name when she passed her gauntlet in late 1212. Since then he has spent a little bit of time training her to make better uses of her talents with the Redcaps, and his guidance is a big part of why she has moved to the northern reaches of the Order. She is to keep an eye out for threats from the Order of Odin, acting as a northwestern lookout for the Eschengilde.
For the first few years after passing her gauntlet, Bea focused heavily on developing her talisman. ***
After developing her talisman to her minimum satisfaction, Beatrix got out of the lab to do some exploring. During that time she found a relatively small dragon corpse, a dragon that had died through acclimation. She found the dragon's spirit yet remained with the body and so force-fed the corpse Vis while keeping the spirit present in the hopes that it would recover. She figured a favorable dragon could be a good ally. The result was unexpected, though not undesired. As the dragon was actually dead but was able to gain some Might back, it became a draconic revenant instead of a living dragon. Through death the dragon's spirit lost most of what it had known, as do most ghosts. What returned retained some of his vengefulness from his former life along with a new thirst for life. Beatrix fit into a sort of mother and caretaker role for it. Soon they cemented their relationship with a familiar bond, and though they certainly spend some time apart, they have been companions since.
Since passing her gauntlet Bea has acted as a Redcap more often than typical for a Gifted Mercere. This has somewhat balanced the reputation she was earning as a Vis Monkey. She enjoyed her seasons moving about as a Redcap and looks forward to more of them, though trying to find the balance between that and family can be tough. With her skills at magic and her interest in gathering great amounts of Vis to feed Günther, she found herself quickly becoming a pawnbroker, and she takes on this role often even when she is not spending a whole season as a Redcap. Her personal choice of containers are iron coins with the house symbol on one side and a value and the Art symbol listed on the other side. To fit in better, she avoided taking Günther on her trips as a Redcap, so word of the giant familiar she bonded shortly after apprenticeship has been slow to spread. Thus she is known most widely as a Redcap and a pawnbroker more than anything else.
Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Str -2, Sta +1, Pre +1, Com +1, Dex 0, Qui 0
Size: 0
Age: 32 (apparent age 22, no longevity ritual)
Decrepitude: 0 (0)
Warping Score: 0 (4)
Confidence Score: 1 (3)
Virtues: Affinity with Rego, Affinity with Vim, Cautious Sorceress, Cautious with Concentration, The Gift, Gild Trained: The Eschengilde, Hermetic Maga, Minor Magical Focus: Corpses, Personal Vis Source, Puissant Magic Theory, Puissant Animal[sup]Ta[/sup], Puissant Corpus[sup]Ta[/sup], Puissant Creo, Puissant Muto[sup]Ta[/sup], Puissant Perdo[sup]Ta[/sup], Puissant Rego[sup]Ta[/sup], Skilled Parens, True Friend[sup]Fa[/sup], Unaging
Flaws: Ability Block: Martial, Ambitious (minor), Covenant Upbringing, Deleterious Circumstances: Spells at Voice Range, Dependents, Hermetic Patron, Magic Addiction
Personality Traits: Determined +3, Loyal (Günther) +3, Organized +2, Sweet +2
Reputations: None yet
Combat:
Dodging +2
Soak: +5 + Form bonuses
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20), Dead (21+)
Abilities:
[table][tr][th]Ability (Specialty)[/th][th]Scr.[/th][th]Exp.[/th][th]Notes[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Area Lore: Europe (Hermetic Locations)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Artes Liberales (Ceremonial Casting)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][td]Latin[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Athletics (Dancing)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Awareness (Alertness)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bargain (Hermetic Goods)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Brawl (Dodging)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Charm (Flirting)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Code of Hermes (Mundane Relations)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Concentration (Magic Addiction)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Craft: Blacksmith (Craft Magic)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Craft: Glassblower (Craft Magic)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Dead Language: Latin (Hermetic)[/td][td]4[/td][td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Dominion Lore (Auras)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Etiquette (Hermetic)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Finesse (Speed)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Folk Ken (Men)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Guile (Feigning Innocence)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Infernal Lore (Demons)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intrigue (Hermetic)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Living Language: Low German (Saxon)[/td][td]5[/td][td]75[/td][td]Native Language[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Lore (Things of Virtue)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Magic Theory (Spells)[/td][td]5+2[/td][td]75[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Organization Lore: Order of Hermes (House Mercere)[/td][td]2[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Parma Magica (Certamen)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Penetration (Vim)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Philosophiae (Ceremonial Casting)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession: Scribe (Latin)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ride (Corpses)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Spell Mastery: Sustaining the Demanding Spell[/td][td]3[/td][td]30[/td][td]Adaptive Casting, Harnessed Casting, Tethered Casting[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Stealth (Natural Settings)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Swim (Not Drowning)[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td][/tr][/table]
Arts:
[table][tr][th]Technique[/th][th]Scr.[/th][th]Exp.[/th][th]Form[/th][th]Scr.[/th][th]Exp.[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Creo[/td][td]3+3[/td][td]6[/td][td]Animal[/td][td]1+3[/td][td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intellego[/td][td]4[/td][td]10[/td][td]Aquam[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Muto[/td][td]5+3[/td][td]15[/td][td]Auram[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Perdo[/td][td]0+3[/td][td]0[/td][td]Corpus[/td][td]1+3[/td][td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Rego[/td][td]18+3[/td][td]175[/td][td]Herbam[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Ignem[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Imaginem[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Mentem[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Terram[/td][td]2[/td][td]3[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td]Vim[/td][td]18[/td][td]171[/td][/tr][/table]
Wizard's Sigil: Being magically associated with corpses, her magic is eerie or spooky.
Certamen School: Laquerius (which she likes to combine with fighting in the style of velitus)
Twilight Scars: None yet
Spells:
The Well-Preserved Grave Beast [CrAn4, +15]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Preserves an animal corpse (up to Size +1).
[tab][/tab](Base 2, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The corpse has its typical spookiness, just a little enhanced.
Conjuring the Grave Beast [CrAn20, +15]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Creates an animal corpse (up to Size +1). The caster may choose the type of animal at casting.
[tab][/tab](Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The corpse has its typical spookiness, just a little enhanced.
Waking the Grave Beast [ReAn(Me)25, +24]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Animate the Slumbering Corpse (HP p.97) for animals (up to Size +1) at R: Touch and D: Concentration.
[tab][/tab](Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +1 Mentem requisite)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The animated corpse has its typical spookiness (eyes, breath), just a little enhanced.
Sight of Heat’s Light [InIg15, +7]
[tab][/tab]R: Personal, D: Concentration, T: Vision
[tab][/tab]Vision of Heat’s Light (ArM5 p.141) at D: Concentration.
[tab][/tab](Base 2, +1 Concentration, +4 Vision)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: A chill draft blows over the caster's face as the spell is cast.
Suppressing the Wizard's Handiwork [ReVi40, +42]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Suppresses a level-25 or lower spell she has cast. See ArM5 p.162.
[tab][/tab](Base 25, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: An chill draft seems to blow away the spell, and likewise when concentration ends.
Sustaining the Demanding Spell [ReVi50, +45]
[tab][/tab]R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Individual
[tab][/tab]Maintaining the Demanding Spell at D: Moon for spells up to level 40.
[tab][/tab](Base 30, +1 Touch, +3 Moon)
[tab][/tab]Sigil: The sigil of the sustained spell is amplified a little.
[tab][/tab]Mastery 3: Adaptive Casting, Harnessed Casting, Tethered Casting
Vis: ***
Items:
Tears of the Ancient - This human skull had been the locus of a powerful ghost for a very long time. The ghost is no more, but the skull cries every two months. The tears may be collected for 3 Corpus and 3 Mentem Vis per year.
Talisman:
Her talisman is a long, silver-chain necklace with a slender, platinum wand on its end. The other end has a loop through which the wand passes to close the necklace, and there is a large section of the chain placed so the smallest it can close won't strangle her. Hanging normally with the chain making a large loop, the wand hangs about waist level. This allows enough chain that Bea can just hold the wand in an outstretched arm at the limits of how tight the chain can get. That platinum wand itself is an Item of Quality, commissioned from *** ex Verditius in 1214. There is a drop of enriched mercury of virtue in a tiny, sealed chamber inside the wand. The pommel, over the seal for the inner chamber, is made of a spherical piece of enriched amber of virtue, surrounded by three polished oblong pieces, one each of enriched basalt of virtue, enriched magnetite of virtue, and enriched magnet of virtue. The silver seal for the inner chamber extends out and around the amber as mounting for the three polished pieces, which themselves extend from the base of the wand with the appearance of talons holding the amber. From the tips of the talons' mountings the three lines of silver meet at the far end of the amber, where a loop is formed to start the silver chain.
[tab][/tab]Item of Quality: Finesse +4
[tab][/tab]Things of Virtue: Puissant Animal, Puissant Corpus, Puissant Muto, Puissant Perdo, Puissant Rego
[tab][/tab]Attunements: Intellego +2, Muto +5, Perdo +3, Rego +2
[tab][/tab]Opened Spaces: 39 pawns (3 pawns used)
[tab][/tab]Invested Effects:
[tab][/tab]The Unbreakable Talisman [MuTe24, constant]
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]R: Personal, S: Sun, T: Individual
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]An invested effect equivalent to Hardness of Adamantine (HoH:S p.37).
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab](Base, +2 Sun; +3 environmental trigger, +1 2 uses/day)
[size=150]Familiar - Günther[/size]
Gold Cord: 2 (15), Silver Cord: 1 (5), Bronze Cord: 4 (50)
Bond Powers:
[tab][/tab]Location of the Master [InCo14, unlimited uses]
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]R: Touch, S: Momentary, T: Individual
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab]See ArM5 p.105.
[tab][/tab][tab][/tab](Base3, +1 Touch; +10 unlimited uses/day)
Magic Might: 8
Characteristics: Int -2, Per -2, Str +2 -> +16, Sta +3, Pre 0, Com -2, Dex +1, Qui +2 -> -5
Size: +7
Confidence Score: ***
Virtues: Magic Animal, Magical Covenfolk, Second Sight*, See in Darkness*, Tough*, True Friend[sup]Fa[/sup]
Flaws: -
Qualities: Gift of Speech, Greater Power x2, No Fatigue, Improved Soak x7, Minor Virtue x3
Inferiorities: Baneful Circumstances (in daylight), Monstrous Appearance
Personality Traits: Loyal (Beatrix) +3, Thirsty for Life +3, Vengeful +3
Soak: +20
Fatigue Levels: n/a
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-12), -3 (13-24), -5 (25-36), -5 (37-48), *** (49+)