Cata looks at the young mage curiously: "Salve, sodalis. I am Cata, filia Pralicia. I have come here to petition membership. I like your house because I derive pleasure from unravelling the mysteries of magical items. If you have a studio, I would love to examine yourcreations some day, if you permit."
Cata sees Carmen's expression change from stoic seriousness to childlike glee. The carpet is ready? I have waited sooooo long! Cata, wanna go for a ride? Carmen calls out to a nearby grog. You there! Chuckles! Go to my chambers. Tell my maid I want a pair of trousers, my boots, a blouse and bodice, and my vest! And bring an extra pair of trousers for our guest.
Trust me Cata, a dress is a liability when flying around.
Cata spins three times and her outfit changes into trousers and clothing suitable for a carpet ride. "Thanks for the offer, Pontifex, but I prefer pret-a-porter."
ooc: finesse 5 +5 perception 5 + roll 5 = 15 (if the roll grants a bonus, it's a style bonus: here comes the Andorra Fashion week)
invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4713680/
High fashion in action!
Carmen looks amazed and smiles. That is such a good idea for a spell! Imaginem or Muto Herbam/Animal? Finesse for style? That's where I would worry. See, I have my father's fashion sense. I used to have a habbit of showing cleavage or hoisting the girls up with a bustier just to proove I wasn't trying to dress like a man. The look was popular when I was stationed up in Sweeden, but here in the South folks are more conservative. The Spaniards were the worst! I finally got fed up and started borrowing dresses from my mom, and she gives me stuff all the time. Her husband is rich and spoils her. Besides, I am getting older and have had the responsabilities of authority thrust upon me. It is time to compose myself as a lady of elegance and refinment.
But occasionally, I still like to ditch the gowns, put on a pair of pants, and get rugged.
Now to paint the scene, Carmen is chatting with you while she changes. When you first met her, she was wearing a flowing black and red dress all silk and lace, high collar and long train. Like a Spanish Countess. Now she looks like an anachronistic 1980's metal chick emulating the middle ages. Black leather pants, knee high boots, white silk shirt with flairs and puffs, ant that bustier giving the girls a lift (and support for kinetic activity, kinda like a medieval sports bra).
Then she takes you to the Forge of Vulcanus, where Antoni awaits to show off his creation.
Ah, ladies. Come in. I've got the carpet here - best if we try this outdoors, I think? Now, I made this from a Lab Text we acquired in some trading you did with the Pyramids covenant recently. Looks like a useful little book, several other items in it, although I haven't studied them closely. ((That is, I don't think they're defined yet!)) As best I can tell, this is practically the same construction as the one Roberto uses, although I've applied my own style where it didn't affect the magic; I went for a red weave, given your house. It's a 7th-magnitude effect - tricky, I only managed it because rugs are inherently good at carrying things - and for that you get high speed, and it should take a lot of weight. Just concentrate on where you want it to go, and you should be set. There we go, Mistress Pontifex - see how it handles.
((aaaand stop channelling a used car salesman))
What's the top speed and the speed to stability ratio? How many people can it carry and what is the maximum burden? Is it nimble? Can it make sudden shatp turns or fly upside down? How high can it fly? Wanna go for a ride? I was thinking of flying to Barcelona to visit my mother.
((I don't know the answers to many of these questions. Antoine will know most of them (perhaps not "speed to stability ratio"...), but I don't know what the rules or Roberto's carpet say. I'm guessing that the answer is often "as plot dictates" :mrgreen: ))
The enchantment seems stronger than I might have expected, so I think it'll please you. You should be able to fly at least as fast as a horse runs, and it should be pretty stable. It will happily carry as many people as will fit on; or a goodly amount of cargo.
Manoeuvrability is good, although it won't make any turns sharp enough that it risks passengers being thrown off. I see no reason why it wouldn't fly upside down, but you'd have to cling on...
Uh, Barcelona? ..Sure, why not? I'll just let Isolde know.
...which he does via A Word In Your Ear, boosted to AC - he'll be carrying a lock of hair for that purpose from now on.
Cata circles the carpet and stares at it intently for quite some time. Then she looks at the Verditius with new appreciation. "Lab text or not, this is quite an elaborate effect, much more complex then strictly needed. I like flying, but I'm sure this beauty will have a more sophisticated handling then the one I'm used to. So is it flown by pure concentration, or do you need finesse for manoeuvering it as well?"
Secretly she wonders if Barcelona is a good destination, full as it is with mundane witnesses, but there's always the possibility of hiding behind a veil of invisibility.
ooc: I should probably roll comprehend magic, but in the strong aura of Andorra, reading such an effect shouldn't really be a problem. And it's not like she's trying to steal a magical secret.
You're very kind, maga. I'm not experienced in Animal, but my Rego makes up for it. Mostly it should work by concentration, but I imagine any tricky manoeuvres will need a bit of skill.
((I don't actually know if it needs finesse; I'm guessing))
(thought I replied to this the other day, sorry)
The speed of a galloping horse eh? That would take a day to reach Barcelona, but Israel would take too long. So, I figure we'll stop over there, meet my mom, then bring her back here tomorrow. I think the portal network has a link to Levant. Not sure.
((So, I would like to merge the Cata introduction story with "Into the Levant". Let Silveroak run that as a story and I can play Carmen bonding with Cata. I am thinking maybe Flying Carpet is a viable means. It is large enough to carry, say, five people and provisions enough to last them the week or so it would take to fly there. I need to calculate the exact distance and figure a constant speed of 45mph? 30? How fast does a horse gallop?
according to lords of men a horse at canter and verage quickness (listed in realms of magic as -1) has a canter of 25 paces per six second, or about 8 miles per hour, and a galloping speed of 40 paces every 6 seconds or 13 miles per hour. For a horse with quickness 5+ a canter is 50 yards every 6 second or 16 MPH and a gallop is 80 paces per 6 seconds or 26 MPH.
Wikipedia puts a horses canter between 10-17 MPH, and a gallop at 25-30 MPH.
I am a fan of using Roman measurments. I am also a fan of using Wilipedia as an all purpose gaming reference.
According to wikipedia, a Roman Pace is 5 feet, and a Roman Mile is 1000 paces (5k feet). Measured as the carpet flies, it is 1891 miles from Barcelona to Israel. That's modern miles, don'( know the conversion, so to be safe I will call it 2100 Roman miles.
So follow my math here and check if I am accurate.
50 paces per round (250 feet every six seconds) equals 500 paces per minute, equals one mile every two minutes, equals thirty miles per hour. At a constant flight speed of that, it would take seventy hours to reach Israel. Three days. I think it is feasible 
a modern mile is 5280 feet. I had always thought a pace was closer to a yard: the imperial conversion is 2.5 feet to a pace (convert-me.com/en/convert/length/), which it also defines as .477 Roman paces. The same site shows a modern mile is 1.007 Roman miles (millarium) which were 1000 paces (Roman).
I am phone posting so I can't post a link. But look up Roman Pace on wikipedia. A modern pace is one step, the Roman Pace is two steps.
Imperial measurments & conversions are anachronistic.
But even so, what does it matter if it takes five or six days? That is still much-much faster (and safer) than sailing.
Oddly enough, Ars has actually defined a pace, as being three feet (91.44 cm). It's in a weird place: the definition of T: Boundary. "A base Boundary is the same for all Forms, and is one hundred paces (three hundred feet) in diameter." (p. 113, in the inset "Targets and Sizes".)
No matter. So it takes five or six days. Five people and their weight in supplies. three wizards, a wizard's mother, and the grog that inspired the idea. If need be, we can make a resupply stop or two.
I think there is a Hermetic covenant in acre. Thinking as Carmen, she has not kept up with the latest news and have no idea what the situation there is. So maybe we will take the Portal network to Harco first, catch up on gossip and maybe hire a travel agent Redcap. Then start our trip from Rome.
Winter 1236 is just beginning
A few days ago, Arachné started asking for Alexandro Pedro Perez to come and see her, numerous times but nothing transpired of their reunions, although some suspected the wicked witch to have unpure attentions towards her commander.
A week later, Arachné, as she did before, begins to wander the covenant grounds, inscribing chalk circles of various sizes, not on the ground, but on the covenant walls, always on the outside, always centered at an average head's height
Soon thereafter, her previous team of servants begin to carve these on the walls.
Of course, given the result of previous stone-carving, the covenfolks are quite curious, and the grogs eager to see what sorcery the witch is up to. So of course, they ask the carvers what's all this is for, but even they don't know. And if Alexandro knows something, he stays silent, an amused smile on his face.
3 days pass, and all wonder... Until, the third day, after the sun has set, the Spider stands before the first circle.
She breathes calmly a moment, before following the circle's outline with her finger, an outline of red strands following it. As she closes the loop, it lightens briefly, magical energy connecting.
Then, while the circle is still active, Arachné incants in a firm voice.
Window of Singular Direction, Open! she says, placing her right hand on the circle's surface. Instantly, coming from it, red webs of light cover the circle's inside completely, before snapping, revealing what's standing on the other side of the wall, to the grog's amazement and wonder.
She turns towards the grogs.
As you can see, I have enchanted our walls. With this, you'll see while staying unseen, safe from outside attacks.
More than that, it'll allow my fellow magi and I to target our opponents with some magics, while staying outside of their reach.
This is, as promised, my third great gift to our home.
Fleur approaches Arachne. "Mistress, I have a message of sorts. Mr Spooky is apparently hanging around, but he needs blood to manifest except on the Night of the thinning of the Veil. Anyways he has some inkling as to our plans and he wants to negotiate."
Having spend too many time working in the lab, Arachné appears quite tired, with shadows under her eyes.
Oh?
That's new.
Truth be told, with all what's happened, I had forgotten him. I shouldn't have, but, well, I have a lot on my plate.
Hum...
Okay, that's a progress, and may be a boon. Let's see what he has to say. We should try feeding him some pig's blood, for a start: I don't want him having Arcane Connections to our grogs. Don't we have a mundane specialist that could handle this? Or one of the junior magi? One of them is a necromancer, isn't he? Couldn't they take care of the initial stages? I really need a deputy warden for this kind of thing.