Here is the guidance set for Ciara 2.0. Should I create a new thread? I've set one up so I can post it with the go-ahead.
Maga: Ciara Ní Néill Ben Chcerda an t-Éigse Measceal
High Concept: A daughter of the king of Tír Eógain, she became apprenticed to a Mechanical hermit. She is breaking into Hermetic society with the intent to earn a name for herself and to protect Hibernia from the continental invasion.
Primary Motivations: Ciara grew up with a father set on repulsing Anglo-Norman invasions, and that has stuck with her and she sees the parallel continental invasion. She was a small child trying to keep up, and now she's the filia of a hermit so she's trying to make a name for herself, to prove she is noteworthy. Meanwhile she wants her children to have good futures.
Story/Adventure Themes: A mixture of three things: To make a name for herself she needs to deal with other magi, done either by selling things or by engaging in politics or certamen or other contests. She might also make a name for herself on the mystical borderlands, exploring new things and defeating great foes.
Group Story Hooks: Wanting to expel continental magi fits into the covenant's goals well. Probably others also want to explore the mystical borderlands, so that will pair well with others. Her ability to create charged items can enhance the non-magi well. Being able to make good Longevity Rituals might be useful for other magi. She is starting with Aegis of the Hearth, too, which she can cast with solid penetration.
Power Level: She should be fairly strong at combat pretty quickly after gauntlet, as she'll get good penetration from moderately high-level effects through charged items. Diplomatically, House Mercere is likely to appreciate her a lot so she may earn powerful allies/clients. She will be able to make those magi fertile again. She can also give them charged items easily. All this, if they're willing to accept tattoos, though. She should probably be decent at certamen, though not really exceptional; the best I can manage given what she's got.
Tone: Somewhere on the border between gritty, grimdark, and nefarious. Realism with supernatural mysteries and foes thrown in on top of it.
System: Lots of stuff with tattoos: the charged items she makes will be tattoos, but she's also going to use tattoos directly in other ways. Taking advantage of Mechanicals' special abilities and her particular Virtues to make good Longevity Rituals as well as allowing people to avoid the sterility problems or pick up Unaging. She might potentially be interested in some lost Mercurian stuff, too.
As a mother, she'll definitely be interested in the Madres and Matrones.
Companions: Potential concepts
- A Failed Apprentice or someone similarly familiar with Hermetic magic who might be capable if given charged items might be fun. Perhaps good with Finesse? The person would need to be willing to accept tattoos, as that's Ciara's method. And if they can help out doing some work in the lab in downtime, they'd be appreciated that much more.
- Probably better than this previous one itself would be a leader of a team that they train to work together as with this previous idea.
- As a Mechanical, Ciara definitely appreciates Shape and Material Bonuses. So a Mythic Alchemist would be appreciated. Again, someone familiar with magic might manage some Finesse stuff if given charged items, for example.
Grogs: She has several between children and servants. I'll list those in the character stuff.