Character idea:
Eikona ex Jerbiton
There used to be a girl who grew up in Pontarlier, a small, but wealthy Burgundian town well-situated for the trans-Alpine trade. Her father was a Silversmith, and so she was called Florence Orfèvre. People said the silversmith was so talented that he could sell his jewellery and mirrors to the Lords and Ladies of Summer.
An only child, she was beloved by her father, a curious, carefree young creature admired by everyone for her golden curls that she wore down to her waist, her ruby lips and her eyes that were as deep and blue as the Lac de Neuchâtel on a cloudless summer day. Nobody had ever seen her mother, but there were rumors that she had been touched the summer fae, or maybe even one of the summer folk.
The girl loved watching herself in the silver mirror that hung in her father's house.
Florence had a secret: When the summer sun fell on her golden curls for the first time each year, a strand of her hair turned a shiny, iridiscent color. Her father cut that strand every year and sold it to a vieille maker (see note) to create special bows that gave a warm, harmonious sound of great beauty.
When she was seven, a traveling Jerbiton musician named Lyrus ex Jerbiton returning to Valnastium from the Troubadour lands of Aquitaine passed through Pontarlier and learned of the special vielle bows. It didn't take him long to realize that the hair contained vis. His interest piqued he tracked down the girl, and he sat down to talk with her father, who blankly refused to leave his daughter to the stranger. Only when the stranger suggested that he could accompany his daughter and promised him there would be well-paid work at Valnastium did he sell his house and move to the Jerbiton Domus Magnus with his daughter.
Florence wasn't just a vis source, she was also Gently Gifted, so Lyrus apprenticed her. Valnastium, a center of art and beauty was a perfect environment for the young woman to grow. She took a particular interest in Imaginem magics and ways to use magic to create portraits of people. Her father's silver items were appreciated by the magi of Valnastium.
Fifteen years later, Florence passes her Gauntlet. Her father is too old to leave Valnastium, but like all Swiss mages, she is asked to travel the world and seek experience. She is still welcome as a guest at Valnastium, but she enjoys her new freedom and also wants to enjoy men, which feels akward with her father around.
She is going to spend the next 10 years travelling, mostly the Rhine tribunal, which has generous conditions for traveling magi like her, and develop the art of making pictures by conserving their species in rings. Although she likes being around mundane people, she enjoys the company of mages even more, because they are more open to the idea of an educated, open-minded female artist.
Since this character is gently gifted, I can see her around mundane people, especially in urban environments. She feels comfortable in mage society, so stories of mage politics and intrigue are good for her. Finally, her fairie heritage makes her a candidate for Fairie tales. That said, her wish to portrait the world might also lead her to other places - like a modern photographer, the world is full of motives for her to conserve. Her character flaw of minor lecherous might also create stories, but I'd like to keep them above the waist - writing explicit texts would make me uncomfortable.
This character is deliberately designed not to be in the lab for too long, because you seem to be looking for mages who get around.
Characteristics: Int 2, Per 1, Sta 2, Str -2, Dex 1, Qik -1, Com 2, Pre 3
Virtues: Gentle Gift, Venus Blessing, Free Expression, Skilled parens, Cautious with finesse, Puissant Finesse, improved characteristics, minor fairie blood, personal Vis source (golden lock: Imaginem)
Flaws: Driven (major, photography), lecherous (minor), Mentor (parens), Unnatural Magic, Small frame, Harmless Magic
Early Childhood:
Athletics 1 (dancing)
Awareness 1 (art)
Brawl 1 (dodge)
Charm 2 (townspeople)
Folk Ken 2 (townspeople)
Living Language : French? Burgundian? 5 (rhymes)
EDITED:
I've changed the age of her first encounter with a Magus to seven, because the book says characters should have at least two extra years of childhood.
Etiquette 1 (townspeople)
Music 1 (singing)
Bargain 1 (silverware)
Guile 1 (about herself)
Survival 1 (orientation)
Area Lore Francophone Suisse (geography) 1
Second edit: replaced violin with the medieval equivalent - thanks to Arthur