Character Creation Discussions (OOC)

Yay! I tested it, and you can put details inside details.

Thanks for that gear symbol pointer. That can be easier.

So I have grogs written in to Wolfgang's story that I plan to create as characters; but I'd like other people's thoughts on what they should do when Wolfgang goes off by himself to find a linnorm. Could they just stay in the Durenmar turb until called for? Or would he lose his "claim" on them? Not sure how much grogs are free vs serf-like.

Also, if someone travels as a knight, is it totally crazy to have openly female "men"-at-arms/squires? In terms of appearances? This will come up in regard to Wolfgang and his membership in The Knights of The Green Stone. They travel as knights (technically, disguised as knights, since they don't have legitimate authority.) Haven't gotten there in my writing yet, but since I'm on the subject...

I figure some are tied to covenants and some are tied to magi. They aren't protected by the code, but usually you don't want to piss off other magi. If the covenant really wants another soldier, the covenant should be able to acquire one without stealing one.

That linnorm... Interesting. That was one of the things I was considering in the future. Mentem works with any intelligent thing. I was trying to decide something cool with Perdo, and dragon kin came up. I wasn't sure I wanted one, though. But Mariana isn't looking for a Familiar just yet, as she's been working hard on her Talisman. She'll have put 9 seasons of effort into it between collecting the materials, preparing things, opening it, and binding it. That's not even putting effects into it.

A shield with a bunch of doohickeys on it? This feels like convergent evolution or something. Though I'm not doing very many.

That is entirely up to you. They could just remain as guests of the covenant (though they might be required to pitch in for guard duties and such) or be absorbed as part of the turb. So, when your magus returns, he can get them back. Or they might prefer to stay there. Or you could get additional or replacement volonteers.

You might also decide to bring them with you to take care of camp chores and safety while you search for the linnorm. Just because you are looking for a familiar doesn't mean you can't get attacked by wolves or brigands. The first linnorm you find might also be more interested in eating you than becoming your familiar.

In short, whatever fits your narrative.

Historically, a female squire would probably draw stares. Not so much for a (wo)man-at-arms), though that would certainly draw some comments or cause an occasional scuffle. Think female firefighter thirty years ago (or in some of the more redneck areas even these days).

In this saga, that is entirely up to the troupe.

I con't find it now (maybe it got eaten by the server crash), but a little while ago I asked whether there were subjects or areas that were sensitive to any member of the troupe. The perception of the role of women in society might be one of those.

I didn't have any particular sensitivities, but appreciate the gesture in case others do. Was more asking about historical realism, and I'm fine with adjusting that a bit if we want to. Though not too much or Mariana will have nothing to do. :wink:

I've also seen arguments made that gender roles were not as misogynist as "conventional wisdom" says they were.

I'd theorize that they were probably not as strictly misogynist as often portrayed. As in everything, there were exceptions, which history probably overlooked. But gender-restricted roles were certainly present, some more strict than others. It is simply a matter of degree, and there were some important regional variations.

So there were a number of female warriors, soldiers and guards in an average region. But probably only a handful female knights in all of Europe. Of those, few of them would have been through official squirehood, as their knight would have been subject to peer pressure and ridicule for taking a "mere female" as a squire.

I'm totally flexible on it. I can appreciate realism. At the same time, I don't think there were dragons and wizards and the like in the real Medieval Europe, so 100% realism is already clearly not what we're playing. Enough flexibility that everyone has fun is the most important thing.

I've written into Mariana's history that she doesn't like the weak position of women she's seeing in Europe relative to how they are in covenants. But I'm leaving it general enough that it can be at essentially any level from worse than it really was up to present day levels readily enough.

I've been thinking about what I might make for a companion. If it's open, I might make a younger child of the Telsbergs who is generally interested in the covenant and hangs around a lot. I'll have to give it more thought to flesh it out a bit, but that's where I'm leaning currently for companion.

I had some thoughts about the relations of the Telsberg family with the covenant, based on their past interactions with Leonardus. Do you want me to share them with you privitely, or here?

The reason I ask is because there is a potential for stories there, in which your companion could be introduced. If you are interested in running that story, it might be better of the rest if the troupe doesn't know all the details.

I'll let you know when I make a decision for sure. I'll think on it today while I'm at work before I make a final decision.

Just to clarify, selecting a member of the Telsberg family as a companion does not automatically mean claiming the responsibility for that initial story. It just means you may have to wait for the results on the first story before your companion is introduced, to avoid spoiling that story.

If you are the one who runs that story, then you will of course be free to introduce your companion at the same time.

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Alright, I think I will go forward with a minor Telsberg character. @Arthur you can DM me the plot stuff for the Telsbergs to keep it hidden whenever you get a chance.

Do we need someone with AotH? I think our previous caster is MiA.

We have a casting tablet in the library, as well as a lab text for when someone has the time to learn the spell. Both have an adjustment to account for the large size of the covenant (it is enough to protect the main building and cavern).

So there isn't an acute need for someone to know the spell right away.

Ah, right! Mariana can learn it after arriving, then. She wouldn't have learned the larger-size one ahead of time. And then if the other player returns, no problem, either.

I'm trying to think through what a good Familiar fit might be. One thought had been a drake or small dragon, and binding a dragon like Arkliss wouldn't be so tough, but we already have someone doing a dragon/drake/worm and I wasn't set on it anyway. I have a huge amount of flexibility with Cr/Pe/Re all being relatively comparable (Pe is behind but will pull ahead) and Me applying to anything with Intelligence already. I love it when an idea just screams it's right, commonly when it matches a Focus as well, at least somewhat. But Mariana's Focus would more closely fit a spirit, and I'm not doing spirits. Here are some thoughts:
Wolf (Re + Me) - If it's to accompany her as a sort of protector. She could readily bind the one in the core book.
Weasel (Cr/Pe + Me) - This matches a couple Arts, and it's a little different. Probably would give it some Purifying Touch or significant skill with herbalism.
Bee Swarm (Cr/Pe/Re + Me) - This matches her Arts best overall, and it might keep the honey/meed idea from back when going, but through the Familiar rather than the maga. Swarms are treated as a single animal, but they're also treated as a Group; so I'm not sure if this is possible. It could be fairly unique, which is always cool.
Cat (Pe + Me) - This is the least original, but could fit, and it wouldn't be hard to get a cat from one of those lineages.
Beaver (Cr/Re + Me) - I had an idea of a beaver carving wooden items with its teeth, perhaps with Touched by Magic. That might include a walking stick so it could walk about on two legs, somewhat human-like (and not totally un-beaver-like).
Other - There are so many options. Maybe something else.

Any thoughts? What about swarms? Any cools suggestions for "other"?

Maybe she asked Wolfgang to get her a basilisk egg and didn't listen to his warnings about how lazy and annoying the basilisk is?

I didn't know there were rules for swarms, I would've thought if you wanted bees you just did a bond with a King Bee.

Does it need to be an animal? I've been in games where plants or objects were allowed but not sure if that was house-ruled or not.

I'd originally been thinking some sort of dragon kind. But another character is doing that and is better suited to it, and I don't want to change the uniqueness there. Plus, I'm not sure I want the Familiar to be a big story element, mostly because I don't have a fabulous Familiar idea in mind.

Yes, rules for swarms are in several (3? more? Off-hand, TTT, BS&S, and LoH.) different books. They're basically copies of each other, though sometimes there are some added notes.

The mandrake root is possible canonically. Otherwise it usually takes some special link. Faerie Magic works for any living Faerie, including in human-like form. Earth Summoning works for earth elementals.

I think of Basilisk as different from Dragon, but fair enough. (I think they'd fall under mmf: lizard, but not mmf: serpent or mmf: dragon). Other lizards, like Salamander, could work.

Could go with Lion, or Panther.

I'm trying to think of animals that fit in with matriarchy in the medieval paradigm but not coming up with anything.