Will fix vis when I update chart tonight.
I figured magi learning from non-magi can always demand to be the only pupil, but I can find reasons to make it otherwise.
FYI his annual trip to Aedes Mercurii will probably be a long-term/permanent thing. And when he gets older he'll be expected to be a teacher rather than a pupil.
I'm excited for this next section of writing.
Only when the mundanes in question work for your covenant. Even then, there may be reasons why it just isn't possible (for example, multiple magi need to learn that Ability on that season).
Mundanes who are good teachers often have other duties to perform for the covenant, and they only have so many seasons available per year. It's easy to lose sight of that during abstracted seasonal advancement. 
Sure. Exposure xp only for those seasons then? 
Eventually, yeah, teaching/cult lore exposure from being a mystagogue. And the uncomfortable ephebos thing will probably continue for a while.
I want to work out some mystery cult stuff for the Cult of Mercury but leaving it for later (during play), he's gotta learn the basics of warfare first.
Summer 1200
It's finally time! In my last bit of preparation, I spent the summer reading a tractatus on the niceties of casting Ball of Abysmal Flame. I expect mine will get much use. Tribunal was quite boring, I attended, and voted as I needed to to uphold Phillipus' deal with the Oak Gild, but we delayed departure. Phillipus had arranged the customary two grogs per person, but Hugh wanted to expand their number, so that each of us had the largest fighting group we could manage. He managed to convince Phillipus, so we delayed our departure until the beginning of fall, to give the seniors time to round up some additional grogs and supplies, then to go through exercises to get us used to fighting alongside each other.
After an evaluation of our abilities, I was assigned 3 grogs: Heinrich, a blond man from the mountains who towers over me (well, I suppose they all tower over me), skilled with a pike, who was born and raised in Durenmar; Dagny, a blacksmith's daughter who wanted to fight rather than marry, and somehow learned of the Order and joined the covenant of Fengheld; and Gwyneth, a woman Hugh brought from England, along with about a dozen others, who wields a bow unlike anything I've ever seen – her German is terrible but at least she speaks Latin. They all had some basic skill with blades, and we had a couple of weeks to drill together and become a real fighting unit; my own skill is not so great, so the basics they knew were enough for them to keep up with me.
[Read The Joys of Summoned Flames - Ball of Abysmal Flame Mastery Tractatus Q12 - 30 xp after book learner + flawless magic]
Fall 1200
We finally departed! We met at Skagen, where Phillipus backed a chapterhouse for Waddenzee a few years ago, since the magi of Oculus Septentrionalis have proven to be cowards who ignore their sworn duty. In return Waddenzee had arranged us transport by ship, and away we went! There was some talk of waiting until Spring, to avoid the harsh Scandinavian winter, but the look on Phillipus' face quelled that almost immediately.
We landed at a place called Tanum. The site was interesting, a good magic aura rooted in a large number of ancient carvings. There were enough of us that to travel all together would have made local lords quite nervous; so in the guise of adventurous traders, we divided into smaller groups, each one having a surefire method to detect magic – in my case, a talent possessed by Gwyneth which allowed us to spot magic users. Flora and Florimel were in my group, as well as Phillipus. We set off to the northwest, every group was given a list of sites to reference, and we agreed to meet back at Tanum if anyone found anything. (One of the more elderly magi waited there, with grogs, to set up a winter camp, and he communicates with the various groups via arcane connections he has to each grog.)
Nothing happened immediately, other than a long hike into the remotest places I've ever been. We travelled to the sites on the list, most of them were actually connected to little villages, so we spent a good deal of time interviewing people who didn't want to talk to us, but so far they have all denied the very existence of rune wizards, and while we have encountered a handful of more ordinary hedge magi (who Phillipus interrogated, then killed), so far our search has been fruitless, and Phillipus' frustration has been growing
Story: Area Lore: Scandinavia +5 xp Parma Magica +3 xp
Winter 1200
It is so cold. By far the coldest I've ever been. The warming spell I cast on all our underarmor was a stroke of genius, but the warmth isn't enough to make us comfortable in this place. Despite the risks of doing spontaneous magic repeatedly, I had to start casting a stronger spell on my grogs and I, every morning before I raise my Parma. But the strangest thing is happening – night got longer and longer all fall, and now it's night almost all the time.
We have finally come up against serious resistance. Early on in the winter, when the snow was first coming in, we met a strange crone – gifted, but somehow able to resist our magic a bit – not in the usual way magic is resisted, though, we seemed unable to do anything right. Even my flame spells didn't work, somehow I couldn't manage to cast them correctly, and everyone experienced much the same problem. As the battle went on, and she realized her magic couldn't effect us, she transformed into an immense giantess before our eyes. Magic still not working, we resorted to mundane attack, and we wounded her, but she was able to escape.
We pursued the giantess, as much to find out who or what she is as to kill her, and we've been beset by bizarre circumstances the whole time, likely caused by her or her allies. Powerful undead, unnaturally aggressive and persistent animals, a massive snowstorm that made travel impossible for three days, and more bad luck than I'd have thought possible. We managed to get through it all, though, and we finally caught up to her – but she had met up with friends. There were three of them, giants with monstrous features, each bigger than any giant I've ever read of, over 10 paces high. They had a small army of wolves and undead. Phillipus set about making short work of their servants, but he and I both knew that such large enemies were a problem for his Perdo magics, so without drawing attention to his weakness, I shouted for the twins to help me with the giants. They are both trained soldiers, and though I shouted at them to hold back and defend me, they charged in alongside their grogs like it was any other foe, as my flames bloomed around the giants, and Phillipus counteracted their magics.
We made a good team, and we won, but it was a closer battle than I thought possible. All three of the giants, and their servants, are dead. Upon death, they became human, three primitive norse hedge wizards with a few strange objects Gwyneth tells me are magical, and quite a lot of vis. But the aftermath of the battle makes me sick. All but three of the grogs are dead. Flora was crushed by a club made of an actual tree, and died instantly. Florimel survived the battle, but he was clawed horribly, and his wounds dripped with black poison. I did my best to help him magically, and he's not dead yet, but he's not very active either. Phillipus vanished in the middle of the battle, taken by an inopportune twilight. I can't leave without him, so I have made us a shelter, a cave carved into a hillside. I've tried to surround the spot where he vanished with rocks, but it wasn't easy, I was improvising and had a narrow escape with twilight myself. But we are well-enough defended, I think, to spend the winter here, eating the rations we brought, while we wait for Phillipus to come back from the twilight void. My grogs survived, as they were defending me, but it's just me and them, and poor Florimel who does little more than breath. I've passed on what happened to old Barnabus, the magus waiting back at Tanum, but all he could do was send along some extra supplies.
Story: Parma Magica +5 xp Finesse +3 xp; 4 warping; vis: 11 terram, 8 corpus, 5 vim (this is the rest of his pre-game gain)
Spring 1201
The Spring was very late in coming. I began to wonder if it ever would. Florimel didn't make it through the winter. His wounds seemed to be recovering, but then he took a turn for the worse, I suppose it was infection. Heinrich died also, succumbing to pneumonia, I think; though I tried my best to help him pull through, I think he was too old to pull out of it. Phillipus finally appeared again; he's even stranger than before. He was grateful we hadn't left him, I don't think I've ever seen him smile for happiness before, I was glad we'd waited for him.
We made our way back south, to Tanum. I couldn't stand to think of Flora and her brother being buried so far from home, alone in an icy wasteland, so I made a crude sledge, and piled it up with the bodies of them and the grogs. I couldn't move it, but Phillipus did that part, and we actually rode it back.
We arrived back at Tanum at the end of the season. Two groups didn't survive, Barnabus had only the most basic information from them, but they spoke of giants too, before they were wiped out. Two more groups were like us, having met giants in battle, and prevailed, but not without losses and a generally traumatic experience. Strangely, the last two encountered nothing at all. They went further east, into northern Finland, and though they encountered a giant here and there, they were of the ordinary kind, not magic wielders. Other than those two groups, and of course Phillipus, nobody is willing to continue. Not one of us has seen a single rune wizard, so the hunt seems to be for naught.
I want to scream at Phillipus. What was it all for? His ridiculous crusade got a dozen magi killed, including one I loved, and for what? There was no threat to the Order, though possibly we have created one, by provoking those savage giant magicians. The whole exercise has been pointless. We took a vote, and I voted to stay, even though I didn't want to, because I knew the others would overwhelmingly vote to return to the Rhine, and I'd rather stay on Phillipus' good side. I was right, and we headed back, the return voyage much more somber than our departure had been, and with lots of extra supplies, since the years we planned for were reduced to less than one. Now I have my own shield grogs, which is nice, it makes me feel important. It's good to have them with me, having shared such a harrowing experience.
Story: Parma Magica +5 xp Finesse +3 xp; 2 warping
I will keep/build the two grogs (Gwyneth and Dagny)
Summer 1201
The aftermath of the expedition was pathetic. Phillipus has been sulking like a little boy. Sordus, who was too lazy to come along, was supposed to have stayed in Phillipus tower to keep an eye on things, but naturally he went off to see his girlfriend again, and of course I was the one who had to go and get him. The basilisks aren't really a threat to a magus, but they're also quite hard to kill, I found out. A bit of shed scale did the trick, though, and she won't be distracting Sordus ever again. That lazy little creep didn't notice that I had a smile on my face when I caught back up with him. Anyone who hadn't met him would be aghast that I left behind a clutch of eggs, and didn't keep one for myself, but I'd rather eat one of those eggs than hatch it. Anyway, I didn't want Phillipus to know what I'd done, so I said nothing, returned his grouchy, useless lizard, and went back to what I was doing – which is, ironically, studying to find my own familiar. I felt its lack, when I was in the north; another trusted companion would have made the winter much less lonely, and frankly, less terrifying. I found an excellent treatise on the relevant creatures, and my study has been fascinating.
[Read Dragons, Beasts, and Legends of the Rhine - Magic Lore Summa L 4 Q 21, 1 month distraction so gain is 2/3 - 16 xp after book learner]
Fall 1201
Well, I think I identified the perfect companion. If I can manage to find one. Linnorms live in the mountains, and they sound adorable, and helpful. I don't think I can manage to bind a full-fledged dragon as my familiar, even if it was willing, and I expect it wouldn't be. But it would be nice to wander the mountains, as an adult, and maybe pay a visit to the old childhood home.
But even if I can find one, how do I woo such a creature? And how will I bind it to me? It will take quite a bit of preparation, I think, but now that I don't have the expedition to the land of pointless death and extreme cold hanging over me, I can do what I want. My initial research shows they like gold, so I'm hoping that will help me make friends with one of them – I think a gift of gold will help. Hopefully that, a steady supply of hunted meat, and my companionship for a season or two, will be enough for us to become friends.
[Learn Treasure of Midas (As Touch of Midas, but +1 size magnitude) Lab Total 26 (Int 2, Magic Theory 5, Aura 3, Creo 11, Terram 5); Magic Theory exposure]
Wolfgang's been at Aedes Mercurii spring 1196, spring 1199, and spring 1200, right? I've written through 1196 and am almost to spring 1199.
Spring 1196 Mariana was at Aedes Mercurii studying their copy of Genesis Magica, the same book Wolfgang had studied earlier; she's been studying it some already but has a ways left. Meanwhile, she's a little lonely, but she's spending much of her free time with her children outdoors. Like Wolfgang, she's little; she stands 5'1" and weighs 95 lb. And they're both Flambeau in the Cult of Mercury, so more things in common. Mariana is outgoing, but she's also intensely focused on her work.
Spring 1199 Mariana will still be at Aedes Mercurii. That looks like a last season of study before she starts traveling a lot. Even though it's not written yet, knowing the events immediately prior to it, Mariana will be a bit out of sorts and quite lonely, having been stripped (mostly away rather than dead) of nearly her whole family at that point. She's also become more interested in the outside world since they last met.
I'm not sure about 1200 yet, but Mercuralia and her birthday are in the spring, so there is a good chance she'll be back at Aedes Mercurii for those.
I was planning on going back at the end and writing a blurb on how they know each other, but yeah, sounds like 1199 is a good year. I can go back and make some changes. He'll be back 1201 and later but maybe she'll be traveling.
I read up a bit on the Hermaea, which is where I got that stuff about ephebos from, it was essentially a festival celebrating youth, so I had him having to deal with a bit of festishism. (Due to being small and albino). Didn't want things to get too uncomfortable so didn't go into it too deeply. But he'd be drawn to someone treating him normally.
Thus creating a sphere about 12 inches across, weighting about 800 pounds.
I can just picture him casting the spell to create the sphere on a table, only to have it collapse under the weight. The sphere crashing down on the floor, then through the floor (perhaps even several floors), disturbing a magus' lab underneath! 
A sphere that heavy won't be easy to handle! 
I'll make a note in mine that they met when he was visiting in 1196. They can get to know each other better in 1199. I'm closing in on 1199.
Arthur, it's a defensive spell for when you're at the top of a spiral staircase. It works several ways: if it doesn't physically hurt them, they follow after it with greed. 
Fair point. Though in a Conjured Mystic Tower with reinforced stone floors it's not so bad. Or in a basement.
It serves a specific purpose, anyway, but thinking about moving large quantities of gold has given me a fun idea that will come up later.
Gold can be a great projectile to use against magi. Most of the defense spells don't have the added magnitudes to affect precious metals. 
Here are the overlaps or near misses I've spotted so far:
Spring 1196: Wolfgang is training at Aedes Mercurii, and Mariana is reading there. They both took part in Mercuralia.
Spring/Summer 1196: They both took part in the tournament at Castra Solis. Mariana did not remain there beyond the tournament.
Spring 1199: Wolfgang is training at Aedes Mercurii, and Mariana is reading there to prepare better for the tournament. She lost her father and the last of her children departed for Redcap apprenticeship, so your notes about loneliness and sparring are perfect. They both took part in Mercuralia, too.
Spring 1200: This is one of the few (but more common now) seasons when Mariana is away. She does show up for Mercuralia. She'll actually be away a lot in the coming springs because I looked up dates and locations for some stuff and it makes the most sense that the initiations be done in the spring.
Spring/Summer 1200: Mariana took part in the tournament at Castra Solis, but it looks like Wolfgang missed it that year. Again, Mariana did not remain there.
While I'm not up to them yet, here is the quick summary of the later years:
Spring 1201, 1202, 1203 she's away doing initiations. But she returns briefly each time for Mercuralia.
Spring 1204 she's back at the covenant working in the lab.
Spring/Summer 1204 she's at the tournament, again not remaining there.
Winter 1201
Things are still winding down from the Scandinavia fiasco. 3 more magi returned at the end of fall, so the total losses are 10 magi and 38 grogs. The Ash gild was weakened, but the experience has only strengthened Phillipus' resolve. He has a new foe to deal with now – these mysterious giants. He's been doing research, but found precious little, other than a name – Muspelli – and the fact that they are somehow aligned with the giants that are the Norse equivalent of the Greek Titans (or perhaps the titans are the Greek equivalent of the Norse giants? I'm not sure which came first. I expect nobody knows. Maybe they're even the same.)
Bear tracks had been seen around the covenant, strange because the bear should be hibernating, and a young magus went missing, Erdo ex Bonisagus, who passed his gauntlet last year. I was asked to investigate. It wasn't any of the Bjornaer, that was the first thing I checked, asking around, so I followed the trail out into the snowy forest. It went south into the deeper forest, and after a few days I found a cave. I went into it, and found the bear and the magus. The bear was back in her proper hibernation slumber, and the magus sleeping in a circle. I woke him, allowing him the opportunity to sneak out of the cave. He told me later he was trying to make friends with the bear while she slept, by going into her dreams and getting to know her. He wanted to bind her as familiar. But it went wrong, and she woke up. I got him back safely, though to be honest he was quite adept as a woodsman, I think other than being trapped by the bear he didn't want to kill, he would have been fine on his own.
I continue to study in preparation for binding a familiar. I corresponded with Erdo, even though he is a covenant-mate. He has some wonderful insights on Vim, as he is an expert in the four realms.
[Read Ancient Magics, Vim Summa 15/16, 28.5 xp after book learner + affinity, correspond on Vim with Erdo ex Bonisagus +1 Vim]
Spring 1202
Back to Aedes Mercurii again. I didn't see any people I knew, and there seemed to be fewer instructors available than before, so I had to join a group of grogs for my weapon training. The festivities of the Mercuralia were a relief – being pursued and celebrated and losing myself in wine and debauchery was wonderful. I think I understand why some of my house pursue revelry the way they do – it's a good way to deaden the pain of losses and failures.
[Taught Single Weapon (in large class) +10 xp]
Summer 1202
I returned to Durenmar, to continue my intensive study of Vim. I found a new book, more advanced than what I had been reading, but also much harder reading - The Foundational Art by Conciatta. Things were quiet in Durenmar. I heard rumors of strife with Fengheld, more than usual, but I wasn't called upon to get involved. Phillippus was, though, I think the failure of the expedition may have made him an enemy in Stentorius.
[Read The Foundational Art, Vim Summa 18/11, 21 xp after book learner + affinity, correspond on Vim with Erdo ex Bonisagus +1 Vim]
Fall 1202
Hunted again, bringing in a good haul of venison for the winter. Strangely, Erdo wanted to accompany me. As he is a competent woodsman, I didn't object. We chatted about the forest, I wondered aloud how he was such a good woodsman, and I learned that he is studying the forest itself. Apparently it can be seen as a single massive living creature, and spending a lot of time in it, one can learn to attune with it. He spoke to me of "paths", ways that the forest can change, empower, or teach those who are bonded with it.
[Read The Foundational Art, Vim Summa 19/11, 21 xp after book learner + affinity, correspond on Vim with Erdo ex Bonisagus +1 Vim]
Winter 1202
This winter there was another large wolf-pack to deal with. I was wondering why they keep coming around, I asked around and nobody wanted to talk to me, much less about the wolf problem. Erdo had some insight, though, he came with me when I went after them with a few grogs (including my faithful Gwyneth and Dagny); he is better with investigative magics than I am. We dealt with the wolves, but he noticed that there was a faerie leading them. It's the same alpha wolf I've killed three times now, he explained that faeries don't permanently die from ordinary injuries. His interest was kindled, and he started doing research on Durenmar's relationships with the fae.
[Read The Foundational Art, Vim Summa 19/11, 1 month distraction so gain is 2/3 - 14 xp after book learner + affinity, correspond on Vim with Erdo ex Bonisagus +1 Vim]
Spring 1203
I took a break from the Mercuralia this year. I'm preparing to leave Durenmar, on a long journey which might never end. At the same time this year I'd like to be gone already. I've always known that Durenmar has many enemies, but as Erdo looked into the old history, he shared some of his findings with me, and it seems many of the enmities are a direct result of Durenmar's own arrogance and rigid traditionalism. Despite the benefits of the great library, I think I need to move on. One more year, I think, then I will quit this place forever.
[Read The End of All Things Perdo Summa 15/16, 19 xp after book learner]
Summer 1203
I found out something truly disturbing. I was helping Phillippus with correspondence, and I learned that he has ties to a group of mundanes that practice vigilante justice, called the Holy Vehm. It is the most stark example of his paranoia I have ever seen. I used to believe everything he said, about the vileness of hedge wizards, and how dangerous they are, but I've gone with him, on occasion, to confront them, and not once have I seen one that was anything other than completely helpless before our magics. Of all the "threats" we faced, only the Muspelli actually seemed to be a genuine threat. His irrational hatred of hedge wizards must come from somewhere, but it's not a reasoned stance of protection of the Order.
I must be careful. Phillippus is a friend, now, but he would be a dangerous enemy. I don't really care one way or another about killing hedge wizards, but he's helped to create a force of mundane witch-hunters, and someday they will come for the Order. I must dedicate myself to becoming his successor, and be able to lead the Eschengilde when he is gone. So for now I will remain as I have been, but I must create some distance between us, and gain status in my own right, so that others of the gild will follow me, in the future. I must try to insulate the gild from his misguided paranoia, without being obvious about it.
[Read The End of All Things Perdo Summa 15/16, 19 xp after book learner]
So here is my proposed forest path:
Path of the Cave
Bonisagus chose to study magic in a cave deep in the Black Forest not only because it was secluded, but also because it was a place deeply connected to the magic realm, that gave him special insights into magic. By following the path he forged, a seeker gains a deeper understanding of Hermetic Magic, but an element of something alien also enters his magic, and his link to the magic realm becomes dangerously strong.
1st Sacrifice: Weird Magic
1st Quest: Find Bonisagus' original cave
1st Fruit: Inventive Genius
2nd Sacrifice: Twilight Prone
2nd Quest: The seeker spends a season in the cave of Bonisagus contemplating Hermetic theory and communing with the forest. At the midpoint of the season, the seeker gains two warping and enters an unavoidable twilight. The seeker can add their Forest Lore score to the roll to comprehend the twilight. A successful comprehension results in gaining the Fruit and making the Sacrifice, a failure has the ordinary effects of twilight.
2nd Fruit: Flexible Formulaic Magic
The Quests don't seem to align with what is described in GotF p.38 (boxed insert on Quests):
Quests are the key to acquiring a Fruit. A Quest is always to the benefit of the genius locus who sets it, but the motives for the Quest are not always immediately apparent.
I don't see any genius locus being involved here in either of the quests, nor any potential benefit for one.
In particular, the 2nd quest sound much more like an additional Sacrifice (Warping Points and Twilight experience) than a proper Quest.
Furthermore, I'm not sure the 2nd Sacrifice is severe enough when you consider that Wolfgang has Flawless Magic. This severely reduces the risks of a botch, and thus Twilight.
I'm leery of combining Flawless Magic and Flexible Formulaic Magic, which are probably two of the more powerful Major Hermetic virtues.
What does the rest of the troupe think?
It does still impact spontaneous magic a ton. Flawless Magic can't reduce those botch dice.
Flawless + Flexible could be odd. Does the Mastery still apply or not? It's no longer the same spell, just similar. You'd probably Adaptive Casting to have it apply.
Rejection based on what other merits a character has doesn't seem particularly fair, but happy to have someone else design the quests. I got the idea from the text where it talks about Bonisagus choosing to do his research in the forest because it could assist him in gaining magical knowledge.
I note that many of the canon quests, especially the first ones, have little to do with genius loci.
Why wouldn't it be the same spell? FFM says nothing about making masteries suddenly not apply.
It also doesn't say they do apply, just that you can cast it as though it's a known spell. But this is why I asked the question. Is it really the same spell afterward? You cast it at a different level. It obeys different rules based on the change. It is now identical to another spell that is only a similar spell to the one you mastered.
It doesn't actually change the level of the spell, for instance when calculating the casting roll/penetration.
Would the same thing happen (mastery loss) if you affected a mastered spell with a MuVi like Wizard's Boost? That seems like what FFM is really doing.
But that's the point. You explicitly change the casting level (the level at which you're casting the spell, while the original spell remains its same level) and then Fatigue loss, Penetration, etc. are based off of the level you're casting at. So they're all different from before, while the spell you know doesn't have its level changed. The spell you're actually casting is of a new level.
Now, I've still asked it as a question for a reason. I'm not sure.