Is there a way to add collapsible text?
I think I recall someone doing some stuff like spoilers in the forums somewhere recently, but I don't remember where. If I spot it, I'll copy the code for you.
If you hit the limit, I can always add the next post as a wiki, so you'll be able to edit it with whatever content you want.
It's
[.details="type heading here"]
This text will be hidden
[./details]
To hide blocks of text.
(remove the dots, of course.)
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I hit the 5-post limit on my character creation thread. So I appended what I was posting to my last post. Could someone at least make a trivial reply to what I wrote so I can get a refresh on the 5-post limit? Hopefully everyone likes the first season.
With Kareatyos leaving, that leaves open the mundane interaction stuff. I can slide into that pretty well, as I was already working toward Matres and Matrones. The first initiation would be the Feminine Gift. I'll make sure I do a second for the Gentle Gift. I won't start with the languages the Merinita would have, but I can work toward it pretty soon with a Talisman. On the plus side, I have some specific things to look for my Talisman that would make for good adventures for an explorer or a warrior: the heart of a dragon (could be a small, young one) and a tooth from a hydra. I'll also have to spend a bunch of seasons working on alchemy and the like. I have big plans for my Talisman, which is probably quite reasonable for a Verditius.
We could also have a companion for the mundane interaction liaison.
Hmm... I'm looking at the baseline in the guidelines, and I'm not sure we're all reading it the same. I look at it to say if you can just study in your covenant you'll probably be able to use source qualities averaging around 11 (commonly higher, notably lower if your Art starts at 0, for example), pick up 3 pawns from allocation from the covenant, and pick up 1 Warping Point for some reason. But you're unlikely to be able to study a full four seasons, probably doing some covenant service.
With Coenobium, they have a guest thing where you provide a gift when you arrive. They want some magi there to make using their services easier, but the guests get no votes in the covenant and would not collect vis. I figure this is roughly a wash with covenant service, as putting in a season of paid-for work would be akin to some covenant service and 3 pawns per year income.
Does that sound reasonable? Or am I reading things really differently than others?
I'm not sure I understand what your question really is...
Certainly, to me year after year of uninterrupted study and lab work is unlikely. The interruptions may be covenant services, but there is a whole realm of other possibilities. Most characters have a Story flaw which will draw them into stories. Other interruptions can revolve arounf their Personality flaws.
For examples:
- Hannah is Ambitous, wanting to become known for magical technology. Well, if she hears about some artifact that has been discovered (or even just seen), she might go chasing after it to gain some insights. Might be a wild goose chase, or it might yield some minor benefits.
- She might realize the usefulness of spending a season looking at actual technology in action, like cranes or siege engines being built, operated and maintained. Even training in a different Craft can bring on some stories, if there is no craftsmen at Coenobium who are good enough (or original enough) for her purposes.
- She might also want to recruit a talented craftsman as a forge companion, but have it require more time and efforts then she expected, stumbling into a situation that put that craftsman into danger.
I don't expect such interruptions to happen every year. But a few along the way would make me happy. 
I just wasn't clear enough. It's more about the vis and service. I feel like I'm reading others owing covenant service but not getting covenant dues. That seemed to clash with how I read things.
Yes, I was already looking ahead to Ambitious leading to recruiting forge companions, for example.
It's all a matter of context.
Yes, if someone is member of a covenant he should get both rewards (vis) and obligations (services). But as each covenant has different rules, I'm leaving it up to each player to integrate that into their narrative.
So someone could say that a season of covenant service was given and that X pawns of vis were received from surplus stores of the covenant.
It's different if you are a guest of a covenant, of course. Or if your covenant has limited vis sources and doesn't have surplus vis. Your 3 pawns could also come from stories.
Both could also happen, and you collected more than the usual amount, but were forced to spend some of this vis for access to Mercere portal, healing, or access to that great summa you are studying from the following season.
I'm leaving everyone with as much flexibility as possible to build your own narrative. The baseline and guidelines are only there to help you construct the narrative and make sure access to resources remain somewhat fair accross players.
Thanks. That is how I was interpreting it.
I'm starting to think about a companion character. Some sort of non-Gifted hedge wizard, perhaps (but not necessarily) related to the wilderness.
It would be nice if he has some sort of initial link to one of the magi (not my own). Does one of you think that would be interesting for his magus or maga?
If the character is a woman or an older girl, Hannah being part of the Matres & Matrones would be happy to take her under her wing and protect her.
Alternatively, someone with more of an exploration bent might be interested in someone wilderness related, though I cannot speak for others.
They could tie in to the final part of Wolfgang's story, he will be spending some time in the wilderness then. Will take a few more days' writing to get there, then you can look and see what you think.
One of his points of disagreement with the Ash Gild is about hedge wizards, so there's no issue with that.
Another possibility is to have my companion fill the mundane relations niche, since we no longer have a Gentle-Gifted magus. I'm less keen on that, since it would put him in close partnership with my magus.
The concept which is percolating in my head at the moment is that of a shapeshifter (result of a curse that was lifted by a magus) who was introduced to one of the hedge traditions (I'm thinking either Natural Magic or Elemental Magic, though Gruagachan is also a possibility). He would probably be limited to a single Technique, since he is non-Gifted. Physically I am picturing him as an unusually broad man (Large but no taller than usual).
He could be an old-time resident of the covenant, or arrive with one of the magi. Not sure yet.
I think the type of stories you see as being fun for him to be involved with is the best way of determining who he should be connected to.
What is Natural Magic? Is that an older term for what are now called Folk Witches?
We don't have any other companions figured out yet, it definitely seems like a good idea to have one good at mundane relations who might be connected to Clusius.
Natural Magicians are one of the types of hedge wizardry described in Hedge Magic (Folk Witches are a different type in the same book). They are more like learned philosophers, academics and students of philosophy.
I think the confusion is over "learned magician" v. "natural magician."
I'm really enjoying this process, but I'm frustrating myself pulling in what feels like too many directions. Meanwhile, there is the opening in the mundane relations side that I would have jumped on earlier if another hadn't wanted it. Would people mind if I pivoted to take that role? I can still have a character coming from the Middle East and pursuing some alchemy, but I can make things much simpler by avoiding the whole Verditius thing. It's odd that Verditius + alchemy was making me struggle, and then Matres & Matrones was appropriate but difficult as I find Mystery Cult houses plus Mystery Cults difficult. I'm thinking an ex Misc, possibly Witch of Thessaly though I so hate Painful Magic, putting some six points of Virtues into Solomonic Alchemy and Solomonic Storytelling with the Middle-Eastern background. Everything would fit together so smoothly that way, still make for an interesting character, and cover the mundane relations well.
I don't have a problem if you want to switch role and character concept.