Chapter IV (1234-1240)

Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Light of Andorra
461

At some point in 1238, Lucas seeks out Roberto, whether at his lighthouse or during a visit to Arans, or, if Roberto prefers, invites him to dinner at his estate in Parma. Once pleasantries are done, Lucas gets down to the reason for talking to Roberto.

"I've been giving this matter some thought," he begins, "and I think I've reached a reasonable solution. I know you're interested in how I can boost spells with vis, just as I'm interested in how you can cast spells without exerting as much energy. I can't teach you the secrets of how I do it in detail. That would both be a violation of certain oaths, and take far too long. But the people of my bloodline have figured out a few shortcuts that other magi can take that allow this ability to be applied to a particular spell that has been studied sufficiently well to be mastered. It's more of a one-off thing that you'd have to apply individually to each spell. We've developed this halfway solution as something that we can share with other magi under certain circumstances, circumstances that I believe apply between us."

"So, if you like, I can teach spell-by-spell way to boost your magic in return for you teaching me how to cast spells using less energy. I'd have to ask you to promise not to teach the ability to anyone else without my permission, but I'd make the same promise regarding the secrets you taught me."

"I'd also be willing to make similar trades for the ability to harness or tether spells, if you'd like."

Basically, Lucas is offering to trade the Boosted Spell Mastery for the Stalwart Spell Mastery.

462

Roberto will be glad to accept an invitation to dinner.
:smiley:
What's being served?
[color=red]of course I am interested in learning more Mastery options. Boost has some interesting applications. It is costlier than the Flex Mastery I currently use, and does not have the option to go down or sideways. But it can go up much further, and in multiple different ways at once. Certainly advantageous. I am not sure what harnessed or tethered spells involve. Boos I have heard of because, according to legend, magi of a past age (ArM4 and earlier)[color=red] used to do it all the time.
As for what you would like me to teach you, Stalwart Casting, I am actually surprised to learn that not every magus has this option already. And I really don't mind if you teach it to anyone else. I am not part of a mystery cult or an auspicious true lineage or any of that. I guess it is part of my ancestry up the line, wizards descended from the old Cult of Mercury. But there is a lot of those about the Order, and I bet many of them are also ignorant that Stalwart Mastery is not common to all.
How about Multicasting? Are you able to do that?
As far as I can guess, we have to start with knowing the same spell, Mastered with the ability the other desires to learn, and then spend time teaching each other Mastery.
For example, Leap of Homecoming or Seven League Stride. I took Stalwart with those to safeguard against low casting totals. Either spell would be very useful to you. And I could use Boost to cast it at Touch or Voice range, send someone to the bottom of a lake.
As far as I know, once you have gained a special Mastery, you can then apply that knowledge towards all future masterings of spells. I think so anyway.

463

Dinner is rabbit in a wine-currant sauce, batter-fried carrots, parsnips, and apples, dressed in almond milk, new asparagus, fresh bread, and a selection of fine cheeses. It is all served with fine French, wine, of course. Dessert is round pastries basted in honey.

"Ah yes, the Flexible casting mastery; that's another one I'm interested in. But one at a time." Lucas smiles. "Multicasting I can manage. That's something that my master taught me. But, alas, Stalwart is not currently in my repertoire. As for Harnessed and Tethered, harnessed lets you end a spell when ever you want. I've noticed you dispel certain spells such as Veil of Invisibilty since otherwise they'd last until sunrise or sunset. If they were harnessed, then you could dismiss them whenever you wanted. Tethered simply gives control of a spell to someone else, allowing them to concentrate to keep it up, or dismiss it at will, if it's harnessed. As you can imagine, Harnessed and Tethered work well together."

"Leap of Homecoming is perfect for me to learn as Stalwart. In fact, that's one of the main spells I'm interested in using it with. As for what I can teach you, I don't properly have any spells mastered with the Boosted Spell Mastery. But I do know several spells that I can cast boosted, such as Veil of Invisibility, Silence of the Smothered Sound, Wizard's Sidestep, Disguise of the Transformed Image, and Shape of the Woodland Prowler. I imagine I could teach you the Boosted Spell Mastery for any of those."

"So when you be free to teach me Stalwart and learn Boosted?"

Lucas doesn't actually have the Boosted Spell Mastery for any of his spells. He's learned/invented Boosted versions of certain spells. I'm presuming that knowing a Boosted version of a spell would allow him to teach the Boosted Spell Mastery for that spell.

That also raises an interesting question. Could Lucas learn the Boosted, Harnessed, or Tethered masteries for spells that aren't otherwise boosted, harnessed, or tethered?

464

A virtue variation on a spell does not count as a Mastery ability :frowning:
As for new spells you craft, you can do whatever your virtues allow I suppose.
Calculating it all, Roberto has one free season in 1241, maybe a second if I drop something. But I suppose the point is moot if you don't actually have the Mastery to teach after all.

465

I was going by the passage in HoH:TL that says:

To me, that implies that the three Masteries can be taught without the Mutantes magus actually having the Mastery ability for a given spell.

466

I need to lok that up! That makes ahuge differemce.

467

HoH:TL p. 97

468

Whoa whoa whoa...
I don't want a huge nest of serpents near our covenant. Not in we can't either control or contain them. Nor if we need you for this. Should you go away or be killed, I don't want our covenfolk to have to sort out this mess. So, before you do anything, think about consequences.

469

Softly
Your father's blood showing, I guess... He was always so full of life and passion.

As per your offer... You honor me.
...
I'll admit I'm of two minds about this. Andorra is quite different from Insidiae, and I'm not really comfortable with all of this. But I think that this is what your father would have wanted. As it is, should something occur to you, the covenant would be dealt a much severe blow. And it is time for me to grow up, and alleviate your burden. I accept.

470

((I need to think up some fancy little ceremony or initiation deal. But aside from that...))
Then arise, Arachne, Madame Pontifex!

471

"Okay...do not want. Got it." Guiverna smiles. "And if...by some total happenstance, any snakes should find themselves within the covenant, I'll be happy to escort them someplace where they'll be more welcome."

472

:laughing:
So be it, my dear.

In the meantime, yes.
But we need to play the long game. What if you're out there, whatever the reason? What if you depart the covenant? Whatever you do, you need to ensure it doesn't rely on your continuous presence.

She paces in circles, head down, thinking
There wouldn't be any way to put that Parseltongue power of yours in an item? Or teach it to a lineage of servants?

473

Hving reread it, I have discovered the Merxere chapter to be quite repetative and contradicts itself in spots.
I say we simplify it all and go with Fixer's earlier suggestion. Lucas and Roberto spend a season together practicing mastery of the same spell, choosing as the new ability gained the specified item from the other guys list (Stalwart for Lucas and Boost for Roberto).
Further, I say we are then able to apply that to future mastered spells, but not other picks from the list unless we repeat the process latter. Further still, you can teach Stalwart to others, but I am unable to teach Boost.

474

Guiverna blinks in surprise. "I...think there's a way, I'll look into it and see if I can put it in something."

((I seem to remember hearing that there's a way to put supernatural abilities, or abilities in general, in an enchanted item, but I can't seem to find it anywhere.))

475

Ooc: items with abilities was in the 4e Grimoire, p 100. Invest vis and space for the XP value?

476

That would be good. I can picture a team of grogs working under you on this. This would both alleviate you of any such duties and allow our defenses to still work for our successors.

(Rustic Magi, like Arachné, can do it, but only for those abilities they know, which is why she hoped that Guiverna would maybe have a limited form of this. She won't tell this to Guiverna, though.)

477

Obviously Guiverna will have to act as a mystagogue and give the ability to Arachne to put into devices...
or when we get the mystery academics cult established make it part of their heritage...

478

Guiverna opens her mouth as if to say something, but closes it again. "I had planned on studying Corpus Hermeticum in a few months*, I will make it a point to look for anything about this process in my studies. If not...I could open an item and invest it with an Intellego Animal and Rego Animal effect that should duplicate what I can do with my Parseltongue."

  • namely, Summer of 1238.
479

This would require:

  • Arachné to share that she can do this (She hasn't)
  • Guiverna to be part of a mystery cult who teaches this virtue, instead of it being imprinted in apprenticeship (she isn't)
  • Guiverna to then have enough Pre + Cult lore (she hasn't)
  • Arachné to trust Guiverna on this (she doesn't).
    So I don't really see this happening :confused:

I don't even wanna know what's this mystery academics cult you're speaking about :neutral_face: . I fear we may have have radically different views on Mysteries :cry:

480

In my imagination, Rustic Magic could be descended from the magic of the Visigoths, who were known for their use of minor magic items.
As far as a Mystery goes, I think Silveroak refers to rules in TMRE for creating a new cult. Which is not easy but is possible.