the odd sign means, improving older value, just ignore it. I thought I had found and destroyed it.
I am thinking about a diving bird of virtue, an alk or a cormorant (cormorants play a greater role in mythology).
It's the only kind of animal that can appreciate my lab without Morphiste using muto magic on it.
Hello all! I'm a definite rookie when it comes to Ars Magica although I do have most of the supplements. I'm excited about creating a character and have a couple of concepts in mind but I wanted some opinions from the rest of the group; I really want to go with whatever best serves the needs of the party. Without further ado:
Primary: House Merinita-I was thinking of playing a character who was actively seeking trods in underwater locations. Naturally he would be specializing in Aquam spells, which I also think would lend a lot of benefits to any type of shipping we might be interested in doing...as well as providing excellent offensive and defensive capabilities to an island.
Secondary: House Verditius-My other concept was to build a shipwright...I think it would be cool to do a lot of the roleplaying through his automatons and whatnot, plus his creations would probably add a lot of mobility to the party
Thoughts?
I'm just a player but I like your shipwright concept better, because not everyone can come along for underwater adventures.
Plus the shipwright could build ships for my pirate companion.
character creation is stalling because
- I don't know if Ailsa Craig has a library
- I don't know its aura
- I don't know how intelligent a cormorant or puffin of virtue familiar is
I think WE are building the library, so use your 200 points (see covenant thread) to produce books you'll need during your studies 
Edit: I won't post today because IRL Ars Magica roleplaying game's day it is
long and with minor inconsistencies, just read the bold bit at the end if the details are unbearable
Just two questions: Does Puissant shapechanger grant extra shapes (one per skill point is normal)?
What exactly can a cormorant of virtue do? How intelligent is it?
Morphiste ex Miscellanea (at Gauntlet)
Short history:
Apprenticed by her mother, a shapeshifter who was killed by Bjornaer magi.
Joined the order to destroy the house (using intrigue).
Introduced into the order by a maga of Pralix line, but taught herself hermetic magic.
Plans for the near future: Quickly make a longevity ritual, gain a positive reputation, observe House Bjornaer (improve Order of Hermes Lore and Codex of Hermes), improve Parma
Virtues/Flaws (house virtues and flaws in brackets)
(3 restriction: cannot cast spells on non-magical animals, including Bjornaer in Heartbeast form, at all, except on himself)
3 Driven (sabotage house Bjornaer)
1 busybody
3 dark secret: plans to destroy House Bjornaer
1 Hedge Wizard
1 Unimaginative Learner
1 Ability block: Martial abilities
( 3 shapechanger)
(1 affinity with muto)
1 puissant shapeshifting
1 bound tongue (see HoH: MC, Bjornaer)
1 subtle magic
3 life-linked spontaneous magic
1 Pack Leader
1 improved characteristics
1 book learner
1 Venus blessing
Int 2 Pe 0
Pr 1 Com 2
Sta 2 Str 0
Quk 0 Dex 0
Early Childhood (Year 1-5: 45xp + Language)
Shapeshifter 1 (bear) +2 (forms: Bear)
Native Language Gaelic (telling stories) 5
Guile (shapeshifting) 3
Area Lore Scottish Islands (animals) 1
Charm (old men) 1
Awareness (alertness) 1
Childhood (years 6-18): 195xp
Carouse (staying sober) 2
Charm (old men) 2
Awareness (alertness) 2
Chirurgy (binding wounds) 1
Concentration (shapechanging) 3
Etiquette (nobility) 2
Intrigue (nobility) 4
Leadership (political) 2
Shapechange (bear) 4+2 (Bear, salmon, falcon, cat)
Apprenticeship at (19-33): 240xp (115xp skills + 125xp arts), 120 lvls spells
Magic Theory (Me) 3
Parma (Mentem) 1
Latin (Hermetic) 4
Artes Liberales (Ceremonial Casting) 1
Order of Hermes Lore (House Bjornaer) 1
Profession Scribe (diligent) 1
Code of Hermes (Wizard’s Marches) 1
Medicine (physcician) 1
Philosophy (Ceremonial Casting) 1
Skills (alphabetical): Area Lore Scottish Islands (animals) 1, Artes Liberales (Ceremonial Casting) 1,
Awareness (alertness) 2, Carouse (staying sober) 2, Charm (old men) 2, Chirurgy (binding wounds) 1, Code of Hermes (Wizard’s Marches) 1, Concentration (shapechanging) 3, Etiquette (nobility) 2, Guile (shapeshifting) 3, Intrigue (nobility) 4, Latin (Hermetic) 4, Leadership (political) 2, Magic Theory (Me) 3, Medicine (physcician) 1,
Native Language Gaelic (telling stories) 5, Order of Hermes Lore (House Bjornaer) 1, Parma (Mentem) 1, Philosophy (Ceremonial Casting) 1, Profession Scribe (diligent) 1, Shapechange (bear) 4+2 (Bear, salmon, falcon, cat)
Arts:
In 6
Mu 8
Re 4
Me 8
He 6
Vi 6
Spells:
Enchantment of detachment (PeMe15)
Loss of but a moment’s memory (PeMe15)
Invention of but a moment’s memory (CrMe15; B4; +1 eye, +2 day; works best if target talks about Memory during duration, so he or she has a non-magical memory of talking about it)
Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe20)
Doublet of Impenetrable linen (MuHe20, cf. Doublet of Impenetrable Silk MuAn20)
Disguise of the new visage (MuCo15)
The call to Slumber (ReMe10)
Wizard’s Sidestep (MuIm10)
Cavemaker (PeTe10); mastered 1
Notes (further development): I’ll assume 8xp for a season, 2xp for a lab season, I’ll use as many books as possible (I have not yet used the virtue Book learner for calculations up to gauntlet). I assume that a standard lab is available at no cost (unrealistic, I know, but “no cost” means favours repaid with adventure seasons). I will have to produce all the vis myself.
Power/abuses: The character’s virtues and flaws are chosen in a way that is powerful (Life-linked spont. Magic and shapechanger are very powerful virtues). The dark secret virtue can easily become another major story virtue (e.g. feud, enemies). Choosing muto as an affinity is weak, but in character.
The skills are chosen in a way that focuses a lot on social skills (etiquette, intrigue, guile), for which players in pbp-games usually do not roll dice but just roleplay them: To balance this, I made my maga start her apprenticeship late. Her spells are useful (except the disease-healing spell).
Morphiste is very social (positive presence/com + venus blessing + leader + social skills), but also a good fighter for a freshly gauntleted maga (using bear shape against magi and the shrinking spell against mundanes. She can turn into a falcon and run when a monster shows up).
1183 winter: Blood. Everywhere. The young woman had whimpered a last time before she had stopped moving - forever. The priest made the sign of the cross and closed her eyes. He frowned when the midwife took the baby, a bald girl with big blue eyes, and dabbed her little hands in her mothers blood. He knew she was a good midwife, but he also knew what people said about Catriona: that she was a witch, performing rites in the dark of the night. People said that she was of the bear clan, and they lowered their voices when they did that.
“She is mine now”, she said, looking the old man firmly in the eye. “Baptize her on the name of Artia, because I will adopt her into the bear clan. She is my daughter now.”
“But…”
“Don’t argue. Just do it.”
He knew better than to argue. He just swallowed and began.
Year 1187 summer
“Your mother is a monster! Your mother is a monster!”
“No, she isn’t!”
“Yes she is!”
“Isn’t!”
“Is!”
“Isn’t!”
“My mum says so! My mum says that when the moon is full the bear clan people turn into animals and hunt on the heath. And you are a monster, too. I can feel it. You are not like us.”
“These are stories for stupid little boys. Only babies believe everything that their mothers tell them. Do I look like a bear, do I? Och, nonsense. But look there’s old Cedric. Let’s ask him.”
The children run to the old man who comes in their direction whistling at his dogs that flank the sheep. Artia and the boy run up to the old shepherd. Artia snuggles up in his lap, and the old man strokes her head. She starts crying softly against his chest.
“What have you said to upset our little princess?”, he asks the boy.
“My mum says that…”
“Oh, in the name of bloody Christ on his bloody cross. We all know what that sharp-tongued bitter harlot has to say. You made a girl cry. Away with you.”
Year 1188 spring:
Artia caresses the huge she-bear in front of her. She is not afraid. She is old enough now to learn about The Change. She will serve the clan, as a healer and as a protector. She will be a peacemaker, a leader and a judge. She will speak to the Norman noblemen for her clan one day. The bear is talking to her, singing to her. She closes her eyes and embraces the rhythm. I is a song about the hunt, about the fish in the stream and the deer in the meadow. She feels The Change, feels the smells of the grass identify and hears the beating of nature’s heart. When she opens her eyes again, the change is done.
Catriona licks the girl’s face and ruffles her fur before they run off into the forest, to celebrate the event with a fresh kill.
Year 1200:
The knock on the door is ill-timed. The Norman woman was just starting to believe what Artia was telling her about her husband and that busty maid from the kitchen. If she succeeded, he would have more than enough trouble in his own tower, enough to stop pestering the clan with his constant plans.
A servant came in, and said: “Artia, wise one, a messenger from the clan is at the gate. He ants to talk to you. He says it’s urgent.”
She bows to the lady follows the servant out.
Artair is waiting at the gate, nervously turning his cap in his hand. She sees at once that the clan smith has been crying. The strong man, who stands nearly two heads taller than her, hesitates, and mumbles: “Catriona.She’s dead.” When she looks at him, unemotionally and questioning, he remembers his male 7dignity, draws a sharp breath and tells: “One of the warlocks from that continental cult that has been nosing around came to Catriona’s house this morning. Catriona didn’t invite her in. Before long they were shouting and arguing on the porch. Then he shouted something about shapeshifters and when he heard Catriona’s angry reply, he hit the ground with his staff, and it swallowed Catriona. Then the warlock raised her dead body from the ground, paraded it through the village and asked for other members of the bear clan. Of course we didn’t say anything. Artia, you must hide! We will call the priest to give Catriona a decent burial. He pauses for a moment, then he speaks: From the bear I come to call the bear. You are the bear. Serve us and protect us!”
Artia is standing still, her face hard as stone. After Artair has turned to leave, a single tear runs down her face.
A month later:
Cedric the shepherd is happy to see Artia. Too old to be outside, he spends his time at the fire. Artia asks him: “I have observed Catriona’s murderer carefully. I have learned that he is a mighty warlock, a member of a clan of powerful shapeshifters that call themselves Bjornaer. There are many of them and they are strong. Their clan is part of an organization called the Order of Hermes – probably the most powerful organization of wizards that has ever existed. Catriona has warned me to stay away from them. What should I do?”
Cedric laughed his toothless smile: “You have already decided, don’t you know that? To seek revenge for Catriona, you have to make this warlock and his clan pay. To do this, you must seek their knowledge. Join them and destroy this warlock and his house from the inside. Vengeance is a dish best eaten cold.”
1201 years winter, Ungulus:
“Teach me! I am a hedge wizard. I want to join the order of Hermes.”
Flavius ex Miscellanea looks at the translator, then at the young woman in front of her. Hesitantly, he stretches out her hands and casts a spell on Artia. He is impressed that the pretty woman doesn’t flinch at the open display of magic. His eyes widen when she feels the gift in the dark-haired beauty in front of her. Flavius looks at Artia for what seems like an eternity. Then he nods and says: “I think I’ll start by teaching you to read Latin. You will serve me for 15 years. You will be my slave. You will have no rights. I have no time for teaching you but I will grant you access to books. Kiss the hem of my robe if you agree.”
Artia listens to the translator, then falls to her knees. Flavius can’t see Artia’s smile as she bends her head to kiss the robe.
1215 years Fall:
Some magi murmur derisively when Flavius presents his apprentice who is much older then the other apprentices. Artia has already passed the private examination and the questions at the public presentation are a mere matter of form.
She answers calmly but is already thinking about the future. She has learned a lot as an apprentice, little from Flavius who was often too busy to teach her, but a lot from the books and scrolls in the library. She has learned about the invisible differences in the order, has noticed the sneering behind her master’s back and has learned some more about her enemies. She knows that the warlock who killed Catriona has been hunted down by the order for breaking the law. She will need more time to prepare her revenge against house Bjornaer. Once before a house was marched – the Diedne. But it wasn’t easy. She will need respect, allies, and a sound knowledge of Hermetic Law to bring them down.
When they ask her to choose a hermetic name, she chooses a Greek one: Morphiste, the lady of change. Changed she has, and change she will bring.
Reputation must be bought with xp
1216 years winter:
Freshly gauntleted, Morphiste realizes that she has few friends in the order, and that she is getting old and first needs a decent longevity ritual. She negotiates with Flavius, who wants to keep her to fill Ungulus with life again. She has to promise to make Ungulus her covenant for the next 20 years in exchange for a potent ritual (-15 on aging). She also has to promise to assist him in his plans for a rejuvenation of the covenant.
She spends a season in the lab assisting Flavius [exposure: Magic Theory 3(2)]
1216 years spring, summer, and fall, 1217 years winter: Morphiste now turns her attention to the Bjornaer problem. Analyzing her strengths and weaknesses, she discovers that she needs to learn more about them. In the library at Ungulus, she finds a weighty, albeit poorly written summa “History of the Order of Hermes”, which she devours [source quality 8 +3 book learner = 11 x 4 seasons: 44xp: Order of Hermes Lore 3(19); apparent age: 34]
1217 years spring: Morphiste decides to get rid of her reputation as a hedge wizard and writes a knowledgeable tractatus “A concise History of the Order of Hermes (Q8)” [exposure: Order of Hermes Lore 4, Reputation: Active Interest in the Order (magi) 0(1)]
1217 years summer: Morphiste searches and finds a few travelling scholars who she pays to copy her tractatus [adventure: Bargain(books) 1, Mentem 8(3)]
1217 years fall: While the scholars start writing their books, Morphiste studies a tractatus at Ungulus to improve her Parma Magica [Q8+3: Parma 2(1)]
1218 winter: Morphiste travels to gift strategic covenants in Mythic Europe with her book; she learns quite a bit about behaviour patterns in the Order [Adventure: Etiquette 2(5), Reputation: Active interest in the order 0(4), apparent age 34]
1218 spring and summer: During her travels Morphiste realizes that she needs spells that allow her to transform her possessions with her. She starts planning her talisman.
She wants to be able to use it in all her forms, so she plans it to be a ring-shaped earring (fin ring in dolphin shape), made of copper, with a little silver cross (she knows her limits).
Basically, the earring will need an effect that is activated by her changing shape, and an effect that adapts the earring to her new form. Something that changes her possessions into little rings interlinked with the earring would be immensely useful.
- Perceive the Change InCo15 (see GotF, p. 96; Final level: 19)
- Change Ring MuTe5 (B4, R: P, D: +1 Conc, T: Ind.; +10 unlimited uses, +3 linked trigger, +5 maintains concentration: Final level: 23)
- Subtle packing: Changes dead possessions (An, Aq, Co, He, Te, Vi) into a tiny little silver ring interlinked with the earring. MuHe15 (An,Aq,Co,Te,Vi), (base 4, R: +1 Touch, D: +1 Conc, T: Group, freeReq: An, Aq, Co, He, Te, Vi, +1 interlinked ring/complexity; +10 unlimited uses, +3 linked trigger, +5 maintains concentration, Final level: 33)
She realizes she needs stronger magic to accomplish this and goes to the library to start learning. She both needs to increase her Animal, Aquam, Corpus and Terram skills so the requisites do not hinder her, and invest into Muto.
She starts with corpus and spends to seasons reading a summa [reading: 2x11 xp: Co 6(1)]
Year 1218 fall: The quaesitores call for an emergency march against a Bjornaer magus! Morphiste joins and manages to slay the enemy, whom she catches by surprise in bear form. She spends the rest of the season recovering from her wounds [Adventure: Code of Hermes 1(5), Reputation: Active interest in the order 1(2)]
Year 1219 winter: Slaying the Bjornaer has put improving her Parma on the top of her priority list. She returns to the library to find one last tractatus on the topic, which she reads, making little progress along the way [Reading: Parma Magica 2(12)]
Year 1219 spring and summer: Morphiste returns to reading, improving her Terram with two tractatus. [Terram 6]
Year 1219, fall: Flavius needs her support in dissuading the church from investigating a local nobleman from investigating Ungulus too closely. She finds out that a Tytalus wizard is behind the intrigue and reports back to Flavius who decides that he will bring the matter to tribunal [Etiquette 2(10), Mentem 8(5), Reputation: active interest in the Order 1(3)].
Year 1220: Flavius makes a deal with Morphiste. She assists him with his research on how to try the Tytalus, and in exchange, he spends to seasons helping her improve her Parma [2x 2xp exposure: Code of Hermes 1(9), 2x 13xp Teaching: Parma Magica 3(13)]
Year 1220, winter: Morphiste prepares her the earring she plans to use as a talisman, opening it with 6 pawns of Vi [exposure Magic theory 3(4)].
Year 1220, spring: Morphiste attunes her earring [exposure: magic theory 3(6)].
Year 1220, summer: Her work on the earring is interrupted by a call for help from her clan. A new lord has inherited the land and wants to reform his lands. She travels to Scotland and negotiates a deal with him [Charm 2(5), Mentem 8(8)].
Year 1220, fall, Yar 1221 winter: Morphiste reads a summa on Intellego [2x(8+3) =22xp: In 8(7)]
Year 1221 spring: Flavius and Morphiste attend tribunal, get the Tytalus that aused them problems marched [Adventure: Code of Hermes 2(4), Reputation (active interest in the Order) 1(6)]
Year 1221 summer: Flavius and Morphiste slay the marched Tytalus. Morphiste’s wounds take time to heal [Parma Magica 4(3), Reputation (Active interest in the order) 1(9)]
Year 1221 fall: Morphiste takes a book to learn more Intellego for enchanting her talisman [2x(8+3)xp=22xp: In 9(9)]
Year 1222 winter and spring: Morphiste improves her Corpus magic by reading [22xp: 8(8)]
Year 1222 summer and fall: Morphiste invests “Perceiving the Change” into her Talisman. She also opens it for terram+1 and intellego+2 [2xp exposure: Co 9, In 10, Magic theory 3(8)]
Years 1223 and 1224: Morphiste spends two whole years reading about Muto, all she can find in the library [(8+3)x8x1,5=132xp: Muto 17(15)]
Year 1225 winter: In a single season, Morphiste enchants her talisman with Change Ring. Now she can take it with her in all her forms. She also opens it for transform self +4. [Exposure: Muto 17(17)]
Year 1225 spring: Morphiste travels to defend the interests of the bear clan and meets her childhood love again [8xp adventure: Mu 18, Charm 2(10), Etiquette 2(12)]
Year 1226, summer and fall: Morphiste studies two tractatus on Aquam [Aquam 6]
Year 1227, winter and spring: Morphiste studies two tractatus on Animal [Animal 6]
Year 1227, summer and fall: Morphiste studies two tractatus on Imaginem [Im 6]
Year 1228 winter: Morphiste reads up on Code of Hermes to prepare for Grand Tibunal [Code of Hermes (Marches) 3]
Year 1228 spring: Morphiste travels to Durenmar to attend the Grand Tribunal [adventure: Charm 3, reputation. (active interest in the order) 2(2)
Year 1228 summer: Morphiste stays to meet many magi post tribunal [Adventure: Etiquette(gifts) 3, Leadership 2(5)]
Year 1228 fall: Morphiste returns to Ungulus and puts another 15 pawns of vis into her talisman (total: 21). She also opens it for passion+2 [exposure: Magic Theory 3(10)]
Year 1229: Morphiste spends all year installing the effect “Subtle Packing” into her talisman. She opens it for moving herself +2, protecting herself +4, damaging infernal creatures +5 and warding away supernatural+5; [4x 2xp exposure: Magic Theory 3(18)]
Year 1230, winter: News reaches Morphiste that a child has been born into clan Mathan that has The Ability (i.e. the major supernatural virtue: Shapeshifter). On the one hand, Morphiste is happy to know that she can train somebody who can take over her role as guardian of the clan, on the other hand she realizes that she lacks the skills to train an apprentice, let alone to preserve such a talent. She decides to start learning immediately so she can teach the girl all that she needs to know as quickly as possible.
She starts by reading up on Rego [Rego 6].
Year 1230 spring and summer: She reads through Auram [Auram 6].
Year 1230, fall, year 1231 winter and spring: She reads three tractatus on vim, so she can open the arts of the girl (In10+Vi10+Int2+MT3+Aura5).
Year 1231 summer and fall: She reads up on Ignem [Ignem 6]
Year 1232: she reads about Creo and Perdo, bringing her last Arts to a level sufficient for teaching an apprentice.
Year 1233 winter to summer: Morphiste is a busy mother who doesn’t get around to doing much but being their for Arcadia [Practice 3x 5xp: Teaching (single student) 2]
Year 1233 fall to 1234 fall: Morphiste adopts the girl on her third birthday and gives her the name Arcadia. Together, they travel Scotland for more than a year [5x5xp practice: Area Lore Scotland (animals) 3; Arcadia’s early childhood: Area Lore Scotland (animals) 2, guile (shapeshifting) 2, Awareness(Alertness)1, Athletics (hiking) 1, Charm(innocence) 1]
Year 1235 winter: Arcadia is finally old enough to learn about being a shapeshifter. Morphiste teaches her how to become a bear and tells her about the falcon shape [M: exposure teaching 2(2); A: Shapeshifting(bear) 1(9)+2]
Year 1235 spring: Morphiste reads up on Artes Liberales and Philosophy, so she can teach it properly [M: Artes Liberales 2(1)]. Aracadia is told to practice shapechanging and manages to assume falcon form [A: 4xp practice: Shapeshifting 2(3)+2]
Year 1235 summer: Morphiste teaches Arcadia Artes Liberales [M: 2xp exposure Artes Liberales 2(3), A: taught Artes Liberales (ceremonial casting) 1(9)].
Fall 1235: Flavius disappears in Twilight (he hasn’t come back by 1245). Morphiste looks around for another covenant, and makes Arcadia learn Latin words in the library in the meantime. She gets an invitation from by Ailsa Craig. [M: adventure: Swimming (saltwater) 1(5), Reputation (active interest in the order): 2(7), A: Latin (hermetic) 1(3)]
Winter 1236: Morphiste and Arcadia prepare to move to Ailsa Craig, which is much closer to her clan. She inspects the site and then decides to build a special grotto inside the rock. She invents a spell for that purpose:
Cavebuilder PeTe 10 (B: 4, +1 Touch, +1 Part)
Makes one cubic pace of stone or dirt diappear. Morphiste will cast this spell thousands of times to build her lab inside Ailsa Craig. Arcadia practices shapeshifting.
Arcadia practices shapechanging [M: 2xp exposure Magic theory 4, A: shapechanging 2(7) but doesn’t manage to assume dolphin shape yet.
Summer: Morphiste creates a minor enchanted item.
Agate of the Chamber of Spring Breezes [B1, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 unnatural, +1 2/say, +1 environmental trigger, final level: 9]
This stone permanently makes the air in Morphiste’s sanctum breathable even though there is no connection to the outside. Arcadia practices shapeshifting. [M: 2xp exposure Magic Theory 4(2); A: shapechanging 2(11)]
Fall 1236: Morphiste spends a season carving her lab into Ailsa Craig. She starts under an overhanging cliff (in order to be within the Aegis). In dolphin form she dives 7 paces below sea level and creates a narrow tunnel spiralling up and into the rock at a gentle slope, just large enough for a dolphin to swim through. Then she makes it rise vertically, too narrow for humans, but manageable for a falcon. She also creates a labyrinthine collection of tunnels that are dead ends. Finally she excavates a hexagonal chamber, and as large a ring as possible on the floor. Arcadia practices shapeshifting. [M: Practice: Finesse(terram) 1, A: Practice shapeshifting 3+2].
Winter 1237: Morphiste opens the arts for Arcadia, preserving her ability to shapechange [M: 2xp exposure Magic Theory 4(4); A: arts opened].
Spring, and summer 1237: Morphiste sets up her lab. Arcadia is sent to parish school to learn Latin [M: 2x 2xp exposure: Magic Theory 4(8) A: Latin (hermetic) 3].
Fall 1237: Realizing how uncomfortable her lab is without magical heating and lighting, Morphiste plans to invent ring spells to solve the problem:
Create good daylight (CrIg20, B5: +1 Touch, +2Ring, Circle)
Roman floors – nice and warm (CrIg5, B2, +1 Touch, +2 Ring, Circle)
The ring of white-hot fire (CrIg25, B10, +1 Touch, +2 Ring, Circle)
She realizes that she can cast the spell to warm the floor right away, and using her life linked-spontaneous magic, she is also able to create light, but she needs to study ignem in order to create a decent fire. She is glad to find a summa on Creo in the library, which she starts studying. Arcadia reads up on her Latin [M: Creo 7(6), A: Latin 3(10)]
Winter 1238: Morphiste teaches Arcadia Muto Magic [M: Exposure teaching 2(4); A: Muto 4(4)]
Spring 1238: Morphiste goes on reading about Creo magic, while Arcadia reads her last Tractatus on Latin. Morphiste installs a ring of white-hot fire in the lab [M: Creo 9(2), A: Latin (hermetic) 4]
Summer 1238: A Cormorant of Virtue finds its way into the lab. Morphiste tries to befriend it. Arcadia is told to go reading on Bonisagus theory [M: Practice Animal Handling (sea birds) 1(5), A: magic Theory (muto) 2]
Fall 1238, and winter 1239: Morphiste tries to tame the Cormorant, while Arcadia is made to read up on Magic Theory [M: Animal handling 2, A: Magic theory 3(15)]
Spring 1239: Morphiste binds the Cormorant as a familiar (Mu Au lab total 37: Golden Cord +2, silver cord+1, bronze cord +2) [M: 2xp magic Theory 4(10); Arcadia Concentration (lab) 0(2)]
Summer 1240: Morphiste teaches Arcadia Muto Magic [M: Exposure teaching 2(6); A: Muto 7]
Fall: 1240: Morphiste reads up on Mentem, Arcadia puts her nose into Bonisagus Theory [M: Mentem 9(4); A: Magic Theory 4(10)]
Winter 1241: Morphiste teaches the cormorant to read, Arcadia reads on [M: teaching 2(8), A: Magic Theory 5, C: Artes Liberales (grammar) 1(9)]
Spring 1241: Morphiste teaches Arcadia and the Cormorant Order of Hermes Lore [M: teaching 2(10); A+C: Order of Hermes Lore (Bjornaer) 1(5)]
Summer and fall 1241: Morphiste reads about Magic Theory, Arcadia about Mentem, the Cormorant reads the Bible [M: magic theory 5(21), A: Mentem 5(5), C: Theology (animals) 1(1)]
Winter 1242: Morphiste teaches Arcadia and the Cormorant about the Code of Hermes [M: teaching 2(12); A: Code of Hermes (hedge wizards) 1(5) +C: Code of Hermes (familiars) 1(5)]
Spring 1242: Morphiste hears of a wizard march against a Bjornaer and participates, while Arcadia reads on mentem and cormorant on Magic theory [M Parma 4(8), reputation: active interest in the order 2(10), A: Mentem 7(2), C: Magic Theory (lab assistant) 2]
Summer 1242: Morphiste reads on Parma, Arcadia on Creo, and Cormorant on Magic theory [M: Parma 4(20), A: Creo 4, Cormorant: Magic theory 3]
Fall 1242: A hedge wizard runs amok in Scotland. Morphiste fights and kills him, and allows Arcadia to read about Parma [M: Parma 5, Reputation: Active interest 2(13), A: Parma (Animal) 1(4), C: Magic theory 4(10)].
Winter, spring and summer 1243: Morphiste reads on Mentem, Arcadia on Creo and Cormorant on Magic theory [M: Me 13, A: Creo 8(4), C: Magic Theory 6
Fall 1243: Morphiste and Cormorant teach Arcadia Disguise of the New Visage (MuCo15), Enchantment of detachment (PeMe15), Loss of but a moment’s memory (PeMe15). [M: teaching 2(14), C: Magic Theory 6(2), A: 45 lvls of spells]
Winter and spring: Morphiste succeeds in an intrigue to get her name officially cleansed of being a hedge wizard as she presents her familiar and annunces that her apprentice will be gauntleted in Fall. Arcadia and Cormorant wander with her [M: Reputations: Magus in Good standing 3, reputation Hedge Wizard 1; A+C: Intrigue (hermetic) 2]
Summer and fall 1244: Invention of but a moment’s memory (CrMe15; B4; +1 eye, +2 day; works best if target talks about Memory during duration, so he or she has a non-magical memory of talking about it), Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe20), Doublet of Impenetrable linen (MuHe20, cf. Doublet of Impenetrable Silk MuAn20), The call to Slumber (ReMe10), Wizard’s Sidestep (MuIm10)
Arcadia passes her gauntlet and leaves to take care of the clan, freeing Morphiste of her responsibility as a clan leader; Cormorant is glad to see her go
[i]Arcadia filia Morphiste ex Misc (freshly gauntleted after 7 years of apprenticeship)
Age: 15 (!)
Virtues/Flaws (house virtues and flaws in brackets)
(3 restriction: cannot cast spells on non-magical animals, including Bjornaer in Heartbeast form, at all, except on himself)
3 Driven (protect her clan)
1 temperate
3 dependents: clan
1 Cyclic magic negative: winter
1 small frame
1 Ability block: Martial abilities
( 3 shapechanger)
(1 affinity with muto)
1 puissant shapeshifting
1 bound tongue (see HoH: MC, Bjornaer)
1 subtle magic
3 gentle gift
1 Pack Leader
1 improved characteristics
1 Good Teacher
1 cyclic magic positive: summer
Int 1 Pe 1
Pr 2 Com 2
Sta 2 Str -1
Quk 0 Dex 0
Spells (120 lvls):
Enchantment of detachment (PeMe15)
Loss of but a moment’s memory (PeMe15)
Invention of but a moment’s memory (CrMe15; B4; +1 eye, +2 day; works best if target talks about Memory during duration, so he or she has a non-magical memory of talking about it)
Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe20)
Doublet of Impenetrable linen (MuHe20, cf. Doublet of Impenetrable Silk MuAn20)
Disguise of the new visage (MuCo15)
The call to Slumber (ReMe10)
Wizard’s Sidestep (MuIm10)
Note: some spells learned with the help of the master’s familiar
Arts (98xp):
Creo: 8(4)
Muto: 7
Mentem: 7(2)
Skills (45 xp early childhood+ 30xp childhood+ 171xp apprenticeship):
Area Lore Scotland (animals) 2, Concentration (lab) 0(2), Code of Hermes (hedge Wizards) 1(5), guile (shapeshifting) 2, Awareness(Alertness)1, Athletics(hiking)1, Charm(innocence) 1, Gaelic (imitating dialects) 5, Intrigue(hermetic) 2, Latin (Hermetic) 4, Magic Theory (Muto) 5, Order of Hermes Lore (Bjornaer) 1(5), Parma Magica(Animal) 1(4), Shapechanging (bear; forms: cormorant, bear, cat) 3+2[/i]
[b]Morphiste filia Flavius ex Misc in 1245 (beginning of winter):
Morphiste ex Miscellanea (at Gauntlet)
Short history:
Virtues/Flaws (house virtues and flaws in brackets)
(3 restriction: cannot cast spells on non-magical animals, including Bjornaer in Heartbeast form, at all, except on himself)
3 Driven (sabotage house Bjornaer)
1 busybody
3 dark secret: plans to destroy House Bjornaer
1 Hedge Wizard (Note: reduced to lvl 1 by many deeds)
1 Unimaginative Learner
1 Ability block: Martial abilities
( 3 shapechanger)
(1 affinity with muto)
1 puissant shapeshifting
1 bound tongue (see HoH: MC, Bjornaer)
1 subtle magic
3 life-linked spontaneous magic
1 Pack Leader
1 improved characteristics
1 book learner
1 Venus blessing
Acquired virtue: hermetic prestige
Int 2 Pe 0
Pr 1 Com 2
Sta 2 Str 0
Quk 0 Dex 0
Reputation:
Hedge Wizard 1
Maga in Good Standing 3
Skills (alphabetical): Animal Handling (sea birds) 2, Area Lore Scottish Islands (animals) 3, Artes Liberales (Ceremonial Casting) 2(3), Awareness (alertness) 2, Carouse (staying sober) 2, Charm (old men) 3, Chirurgy (binding wounds) 1, Code of Hermes (Wizard’s Marches) 3, Concentration (shapechanging) 3, Etiquette (gifts) 3, Guile (shapeshifting) 3, Intrigue (nobility) 4, Latin (Hermetic) 4, Leadership (political) 2(5), Magic Theory (Me) 5(21), Medicine (physcician) 1, Native Language Gaelic (telling stories) 5, Order of Hermes Lore (House Bjornaer) 4, Parma (Mentem) 5, Philosophy (Ceremonial Casting) 1, Profession Scribe (diligent) 1, Teaching 2(14), Shapechange (bear) 4+2 (Bear, dolphin, heron, cat)
683xp
Arts:
Cr 9(2), In 10, Mu 18, Pe 6, Re 6, An 6, Aq 6, Au 6, Co 9, He 6, Ig 6, Im 6, Me 13, Te 6, Vi 10
536xp arts
Spells:
Enchantment of detachment (PeMe15)
Loss of but a moment’s memory (PeMe15)
Invention of but a moment’s memory (CrMe15; B4; +1 eye, +2 day; works best if target talks about Memory during duration, so he or she has a non-magical memory of talking about it)
Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe20)
Doublet of Impenetrable linen (MuHe20, cf. Doublet of Impenetrable Silk MuAn20)
Disguise of the new visage (MuCo15)
The call to Slumber (ReMe10)
Wizard’s Sidestep (MuIm10)
Cavebuilder PeTe 10 (B: 4, +1 Touch, +1 Part)
Makes one cubic pace of stone or dirt diappear.
Age: 60 (27 past gauntlet)
Notes: 45xp early childhood (+Gaelic) + 195xp childhood + 240xp as a maga = 480xp until gauntlet
739xp post gauntlet = It takes 23 years with 8xp to achieve this (ignoring the +3 reading bonus)
lab activities:
- created talisman with three effects
- familiar
- apprentice
- setting up a lab
Morphiste’s lab
A steep cliff hangs over the sea. About 7 paces below the waterline, there is a narrow entrance to an artificial cave, just inside the aegis.
There is a labyrinth of narrow tunnels inside that can only be mastered by someone with both the ability to fly and to dive.
Morphiste’s sanctum is a large hexagonal room, and has a large stone ring on the floor for circle spells. Since there is no contact to the outside air (the only entrance is under water), the air has to be kept fresh by a minor magic item (an agate). There is a second room for sleeping nearby.
Minor structure virtues:
Auspicious shape: +1 Aesthetics, +1 Vim
Spacious: +2 safety, +1 Aesthetics
Well Insulated: +1 safety, +1 Aesthetics
Free structure virtues:
Superior construction: +1 Safety, +1 Aesthetics
Free structure flaws:
Disguised: -1 Aesthetics
Subterranean: +1 Upkeep, (-1 Health, countered by Agate), -1 Aesthetics, +1 Terram)
Minor supernatural flaw/virtue:
Labyrinth (modified): -2 Aesthetics, +2 Vim, (-1 Safety, -1 health for other users only)
Highly organized: +1 General Quality
Spotless: +1 health, +1 Aesthetics, +1 Creo
Magical lightning: +1 Texts, +1 Aesthetics, +1 Im
Magical heating: +1 Health, +1 Aesthetics, +1 Ig
Ring of white-hot fire: -1 safety, +2 ignem
Total:
Aesthetics: +3
Safety: +2
General: +1
Health: +2
Vim: +3
Ignem: +3
Creo +1
Terram +1
Texts +1[/b]
Sorry but where does the +8 per season come from? I have read in the corebook +10 per season, during 3, the last doesn't provide xps. Can you give me page reference?
our sg mentioned it in this thread (in post #2), but in a way that seems not binding. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure, I wasn't overspending.
I did not want to imply that you should do it my way.
Exar, the 8 xp/season is a rule I use when people want to advance people season-by-season, rather than year-by-year. Your 30 xp/year works fine, as far as I'm concerned. Notice how much quicker you had Keythleen ready!
If you want to go back and re-design her using the Extremely, Horrifyingly Detailed Character Generation method, you're welcome to do so. As discussed above, please don't go overboard with the Teaching xp if you do so.
In fact, i'm hesitating because i have times and i'm waiting (creating other magi for my pleasure), so no problem for me to take some time to create a Keythleen special for this saga (first Keythleen is a "pregenerated PC" for any saga ^^).
1 teacher per year does seem acceptable, doesn't it?
Sorry for not answering this sooner. Mystery Cults says the base Cunning for a bird is -1. Magical birds, though, can be as intelligent as you like, as long as the rest of their stats are in order. I've given my magus' familiar an Int of +2 without any guilty feelings whatsoever.
Definitely no more, and probably less, assuming that she isn't out casting ludicrous Aegis' every Spring (or whatever).
Either of those would be fine, though I agree with JeanMichelle that a Verditius shipwright would complement other PCs a little better. From memory, Ailsa Craig has a pebbly beach on which ships could be built (and an outdoor laboratory could be constructed).
I read the whole thing this afternoon, and I like it a lot. My one quibble is that the Agate doesn't produce a powerful enough effect to increase the Health score of Morphiste's lab (it would need to be about level 20).
Agreed. Is it better to remove it or to temper it with warping 1?
I'm still in the concept stages on my verditius magus but I wanted to swing it by the group for approval before I start really plugging in numbers. Basically I can't get excited about making a shipwright as I had originally planned and it's causing me some headaches...so this is what I came up with.
Falcone de Ferro
Concept: Verditius Vaine Artiste
Flaws:
Infamous
Feud
Careless Sorcerer
Weakness (Attractive Women)
Obssessed
Virtues:
Craft Automata
Affinity (Magical Theory)
Inventive Genius
Skilled Parens
Verditious Magic
The Gift
Well-Traveled
Characteristics:
Int +3
Per -2
Pre +1
Com 0
Str -2
Sta +2
Dex +2
Qik 0
Essentially, he's an egotistical Italian diva who grew bored while attempting to craft an automaton for a noble family in Italy...which led to a very embarassing "accident" (feud). Prior to this event he had gained some small renown for crafting realistic humanoid automata. Since that event he has been become obsessed with reclaiming his former prestige (obssession). He claims to have come to Alerock to "escape from all the petty bickering in order to create his next masterpiece!" but in fact he is attempting to avoid the limelight (and his murderous former patron) long enough for the furor to die down a bit.
He wears only the most fashionable garments and his laboratory is walled in fine silks and carpeted in cushions. He is...difficult to live with, as statements ranging from "Master your food is ready" to "Master, an assassin is in the lab" are typically greeted with the same reply: "Silence!! Falcone is creating!"
His primary companion is his venditor, a gorgeous French woman (most of Falcone's servants are extremely attractive, he's a fan of surrounding himself with beautiful things) with a gift for languages and a knack for enthralling foolish males and separating them from their income.
His goal is to make human automata that are indistinguishable from the real thing...part of his rationale for coming to Loch Leglean is that he has heard that Highland mages can place a soul from one body into another object. He would not be above "ensouling" one of his automatons and claiming that it had a spirit of its own. His interest in the Order of Odin is simple: dwarves. For a magus on the down and out, they offer the promise of forbidden knowledge that would redeem him in the eyes of his House.
Any thoughts on Falcone? Is this a good concept to proceed with? I see him as providing some comic relief if nothing else...
I like Falcone increasingly the more I think about him. I'd suggest replacing his Feud be with something else, as the Italians would regard going to western Scotland as much like going to the surface of the Moon. Also, I'll now have to read up on exactly how automata work. Other than that, though, I can't find a single thing to dislike about the character. I keep picturing him as looking like Pablo Picasso, for some reason.
He's going to get on so very well with my own magus:
Annaeus Aurelian, magus ex Verditius
Virtues:
Giant Blood
Good Teacher
Inventive Genius
Great Intelligence
Improved Characteristics x2
Verditius Elder Runes
Minor Magical Focus (giants) [size=85](gained from a Twilight experience)[/size]
True Friend (Four-Fold, his familiar)
Flaws:
Chaotic Magic
Bound Casting Tools
Reclusive
Secretive
Social Handicap (contempt for those he sees as his intellectual inferiors)
Weird Magic
Hubris
Lame
Characteristics: Int +4, Per 0, Pre +2, Com +2, Str +1, Sta +2, Dex 0, Qik +1
Age: 51 (41); Warping 3 (1)
Twilight Scars: All the hair on his body grows when he is exposed to sunlight. People seeing him in their peripheral vision see him as a stone statue.
Personality: Arrogant +2, Irritable +2, Temperate -1, Hubris (vainglorious) +1, Loyal (Four-Fold) +3
Abilities: Artes Liberales (rhetoric) 2; Bargain (magical items) 2; Brawl (multiple opponents) 2; Concentration (rituals) 1; English (market slang) 5; Finesse (craft magic) 2 (+4 xp); Folk Ken (travellers) 2; French (market slang) 1; Jeweller (brooches) 3 (+4 xp); Gaelic (Galwegian) 2; Hebrides Lore (viking grave sites) 1 (+9 xp); Latin (hermetic) 4 (+10 xp); Leatherwork (boots) 2 (+2 xp); Magic Theory (enchanting items) 6 (+2 xp); Order of Hermes Lore (Loch Leglean Tribunal) 1 (+3 xp); Parma Magica (mentem) 4 (+2 xp); Philosophiae (metaphysics) 4 (+1 xp); Survival (finding shelter) 2; Teaching (hermetic apprentices) 2 (+5 xp); Verditius Cult Lore (new initiation scripts) 3 (+5 xp); West Norse (magical terms) 2; Wood Sarving (staves) 2 (+2 xp); York Lore (merchants) 1; Yorkshire Lore (fair sites) 1.
Arts: Creo 8 (+3 xp); Intellego 5 (+3 xp); Muto 6 (+4 xp); Perdo 5 (+5 xp); Rego 8; Animal 5 (+4 xp); Aquam 5 (+4 xp); Auram 5 (+1 xp); Corpus 9 (+8 xp); Herbam 9 (+5 xp); Ignem 5 (+4 xp); Imaginem 5 (+1 xp); Mentem 7 (+4 xp); Terram 9 (+4); Vim 6.
Spells:
Aegis of the Hearth (ReVi 20) +22
Bridge of Wood (CrHe 20) +19
Break the Oncoming Wave (ReAq 10) +15
Eyes of the Treacherous Terrain (InTe 15) +16
Macabuin's Edge (MuTe 20) +17
Piercing Shaft of Wood (Mu[Re]He 10) +18 (mastered: still casting)
Preternatural Growth and Shrinking (MuCo 15) +17
Rock of Viscid Clay (MuTe 15) +17
Sight of the True Form (InCo 15) +16
Summon the Rune-Lord of Yore (ReMe 25) +23
Touch of Midas (CrTe 20) +25
Four-Fold:
Magic Might: 30 (Herbam)
Size: -6
Int +2; Str -12; Com -5; Dex +2; Per +1; Sta +2; Pre -2; Qik +6
Bite 3 (small animals); East Norse 3 (magical terms); English 4 (magical terms); Magic Theory 2 (enchanting items); West Norse 3 (magical terms)
Gold Cord +1, Silver Cord +2, Bronze Cord +1
Annaeus is what you'd get if you mashed Hagrid and Gregory House M.D. together, and then taught the resulting abomination to make magical items. A 7'8", heavily bearded figure, wrapped in layer upon layer of leather and wool, he clumps around the covenant on a crutch that he has enchanted as his talisman, glowering and swearing at anyone he considers to be beneath him intellectually (which is almost everyone). Annaeus was initiated into the Mystery of the Verditius Elder Runes as a young magus in 1225, and immediately saw that, compared to the magic wielded by the Order of Odin, they were flawed. His particular version of House Verditius' curse of hubris takes the form of vainglorious ideation: what Weyland Smith and Verditius himself could not properly comprehend, he will PERFECT!
Potted History:
1194: Born to a travelling tinker and his wife by the banks of the river Ouse, about a day's walk from York.
1217: Gauntlet at Nigrasaxa (Stonehenge Tribunal - formerly Thomas, apprentice of Brutus ex Verditius)
1220: Arrives at the Academica Septima Superior in Galloway.
1222: Creates the Throne Seed. Unable to find a comfortable chair for a man his size anywhere in the covenant, Annaeus creates one he can take with him.
Throne Seed: a bronze coin on the end of a fine chain.
Throne of the Earth: Creates a stone carved into the shape of a large chair or throne, suitable for a person of up to Size +2. [CrTe 3, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +5 levels 24 uses/day, +5 levels item maintains concentration = CrTe 15]. Triggered by dropping the coin on the earth or floor.
Cushion of Stone: Makes the surface of a stone as soft and yielding as a well-stuffed armchair. [MuTe 3, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +1 Part, +5 levels 24 uses/day, +5 levels item maintains concentration = MuTe20]. Triggered by moving the coin in a quick, clockwise circle.
Winter 1225: Initiated into Verditius Elder Runes. Has an immediate argument with his mystagogue over their incomplete nature.
Autumn 1228: Attempts to find an example of rune magic to study. The closest available is Macabuin, heirloom sword of the Kings of Man and the Isles. Annaeus attempts to steal it amid the chaos of civil war on the Isle of Man. He is completely unsuccessful, and receives a whopping 10 warping points botching a transformation spell at Tyngwald Hill. The Twilight experience leaves him disoriented and he spends the rest of the season recovering. Macabuin is stolen by a Dverge and taken to a regio near Clontarf, in Ireland.
Winter 1228: Puts his new Magical Focus to the test as he creates his longevity ritual. The ritual involves carving runic patterns into his arms, legs and the skin above his heart with a red-hot knife. As strong as it turns out to be (-6 to Aging rolls), he is in no hurry to repeat it.
Winter 1229: In preparation for going to Clontarf, prepares the Wand of Spears.
Wand of Spears: A wand carved in the shape of a miniature javelin.
Piercing Shaft of Wood [Mu(Re)He 10, +1 For Herbam Elder Rune, +5 levels 24 uses/day, +10 levels for Penetration 20 = Mu(Re)He 30]. Effect to expire Autumn 1299.
Spring 1230: Raids the Clontarf regio, recovers Macabuin and meets Four-Fold, an enormous spider with greenish-grey moss for hair that constantly whispers to itself in a variety of Norse (and norse-derived) languages. The spider can animate collections of sticks by binding their joints with web, and occasionally finds runes 'caught' in its web, which it swiftly devours.
Autumn 1230: After investigation of Macabuin, invents Macabuin's Edge
Macabuin's Edge: As Edge of the Razor, but ignores the Parma Magica [MuTe 20].
Summer 1231: Binds Four-Fold as his familiar.
Autumn 1231: Inspired by his success, travels to a regio beneath Ben Hope in Sutherland to visit the Dvergar. Negotiates for an item that will "heal any wound". The dwarves demand "the confidence of his stride" as payment. Blinded by ambition, Annaeus agrees. The dwarves begin work.
Summer 1232: During a visit to viking graves on the Isle of Islay, the young daughter of a local bardic family comes to his attention. She shows no musical talent whatsoever, but at the age of seven is already a well-regarded maker of harps. Annaeus keeps the discovery to himself for the time being.
Spring 1233: Invents the Bookstand of Hespera (as per Covenants). It will turn out to be a prescient decision.
Winter 1233: Returns to Islay and formally claims Ishbel Nic Morgan as his apprentice. Ishbel speaks not a word of Latin and thinks at the time that her life with the huge enchanter will be hellish. She isn't wrong, but nor is she entirely correct.
Summer 1234: Annaeus and Ishbel travel to Verdi on Corsica. Ishbel's Arts are opened at Verditius' forge.
Autumn 1234: Leaving Ishbel at the Academica, Annaeus returns to Ben Hope to receive Trokki's Thread. The further from Ben Hope he travels, the more his right leg becomes withered and painful, until by the time he arrives back at his covenant he can barely walk (acquires Lame flaw. He can also no longer spend Confidence points while walking).
Trokki's Thread: a long thread made of an unknown material that Annaeus believes to be giant hair. Somehow, runes are woven into the fibres.
Sew Any Wound: Heals any wound, up to and including Incapacitating level. If the stitches are not left in place for at least a Season (less for slighter wounds), the wound may not remain closed once they are removed. Using the thread automatically inflicts a Warping point on the target, plus one per season, plus one per full year of use. [CrCo 30, +1 Touch, +3 Rune, +0 Inscription = CrCo 50].
Winter 1234: As the magi of the Academica become deeply involved in the Galwegian revolt, Annaeus increasingly secludes himself from his covenant. He retreats to the chapterhouse on Ailsa Craig and attunes a magically-crafted crutch as his talisman.
Annaeus' Crutch: A crutch formed by the magically-intertwined apple and alder branches. The tips are shod with bronze and a thick leather pad sits under Annaeus' shoulder.
Opened with 15 pawns of vis. Attuned : Control Dead Wood +4, Control Living Wood +3
Summer 1235: In between teaching Ishbel Magic Theory, Annaeus and his apprentice gimp their way to the Loch Leglean Tribunal, where a newcomer, Morphiste, needs a covenant. The Academica Septima Superior is almost marched for directly opposing the King of Scotland, and declares its intentions to quit the land and fly off in search of lost Hyperborea. Annaeus officially renouces his membership in the Academica and he and Morphiste form the covenant of Alerock.
Autumn 1235 - Spring 1236: Takes up residence in a cavern excavated over the course of a day by Morphiste's Cavernmaker spell and converts it into his sactum.
Annaeus' Lab: A series of magically carved caverns overlooking the central well of the covenant, two levels down. The laboratory proper has wide windows allowing light to fall on a series of large planters. Vines grow out of these and trail down for several levels.
Characteristics: Size 0; Refinement +2; General Quality -1; Upkeep +1; Safety +5; Warping 0; Health 0; Aesthetics +6
Specialisations: +7 Enchanting items; +1 Herbam; +2 Texts
Virtues: Defences (the only way in or out is via a Bridge of Wood); Enchanted Item (Bookstand of Hespera); Highly Organised; Greater Feature (enormous workbench) Pot Plants; Spacious; Superior Construction;
Flaws: Greater Focus (workbench)
Summer 1236: Creates the Drunkard's Keg to help the covenant's morale.
The Drunkard's Keg: a foot-tall keg filled with dark, foamy ale.
My Cask Runneth Over: Whenever a mug of ale is drawn from the cask, it refills. The magically created ale can't sustain life, but (as it disappears at dawn and dusk) it seldom leaves the imbiber with a hangover, and there's plenty of time to get good and drunk on the stuff. Due to an experimental mishap, anyone drinking the ale finds random things to be inappropriately amusing (similar to being stoned on marijuana) for the next Diameter. The grogs have come to love this little barrel. [CrAq 5, +2 Sun, +10 levels for unlimited daily uses = CrAq 25]. The Keg saves Alerock 5 MPs/year on provisions.
Winter 1236 - Spring 1237: Invests his crutch with a powerful enchantment.
Annaeus' Crutch: A crutch formed by the magically-intertwined apple and alder branches. The tips are shod with bronze and a thick leather pad sits under Annaeus' shoulder.
Attuned : Control Dead Wood +4, Control Living Wood +3, Affect Walking +3
The Cripple's Pilgrimage: Teleports the user (and their worn or carried possessions) to a visible location up to 21 miles away. [ReCo 30, +2 Rego and Corpus Elder Runes, +5 levels for 24 uses/day = ReCo 45]
Autumn 1237: Finally gets around to investigating the runes in Trokki's Thread. He receives an Insight, but doesn't yet have the ability to capitalise on it.
Spring - Summer 1239: Guided by the magic of Trokki's Thread, creates Spite-Heir.
Spite-Heir: a silver ring bearing a well-cut chalcedony. For the record, it's much too small to fit on Annaeus' hand.
Spite the Avaricious Heir: Immediately resolves a Major ageing crisis. The target must wear the ring for an entire season, and receives two Warping points. Due to an experimental mishap, they also grow a thick beard, even if normally unable to do so (i.e. if female). [CrCo 25, +1 Touch, +3 Rune, +0 Inscription, +2 Creo and Corpus Elder Runes = CrCo 55]
Winter 1239: Faced with a growing covenant, it becomes clear that Morphiste does not have the time to carve out new living space every time an interested Magus comes calling. Annaeus obliges with a solution.
Hallcarver: a pickaxe with a highly-polished, rowan-wood handle.
Carve the Hall of the Mountain King: Carves out a room of up to 1000 cubic paces in volume. The room comes complete with decorative carving, support pillars and everything else a regular mason would include. Due to an experimental mishap, the destroyed stone turns to blood for a few moments before disappearing. This usually drenches the user, and can knock them over if they are not well braced. [PeTe 4, +1 Touch, +1 Part, +1 complexity, +3 size = PeTe 30]
Spring 1240: Investigates viking graves on the Isle of Arran, but finds nothing worth the trip. In between being harassed by drunken giants, he manages to confirm that active rune magic acts as an indefinite arcane connection to its caster.
Autumn 1240 - Spring 1241: Still fuming at his treatment at the hands of Hebridean giants, adds another effect to his talisman.
Annaeus' Crutch: A crutch formed by the magically-intertwined apple and alder branches. The tips are shod with bronze and a thick leather pad sits under Annaeus' shoulder.
Attuned : Control Dead Wood +4, Control Living Wood +3, Affect Walking +3; +1 Corpus; +3 Terram
Rebuke of the Aesir: Tosses the target violently backwards, doing x damage (where x is the amount this effect deals out in Magi of Hermes, which is currently packed up in a box). [ReCo 15, +2 Voice, +2 Size, +2 Rego and Corpus Elder Runes, +5 levels for 24 uses/day, +10 levels for Penetration 20 = ReCo 60]
Autumn 1242: For the first time, brings Ishbel with him as they investigate viking cemetaries in the Orkneys. The expedition is a complete disaster. Not only do they not secure any artifacts, but Annaeus goes into twilight again, leaving four grogs to be slaughtered by an angry hagbui tomb-guardian. Macabuin is lost overboard during a storm on the way home. Annaeus hits the Drunkard's Keg harder than usual for a few weeks.
Winter 1242: Reminded of his own mortality, Annaeus decides to finally set down some of his knowledge.
On Men and Giants: Tractatus on Corpus, detailing the effects of various magics on humans, ogres and hebridean giants, with discussion of the various similarities and differences identified. Quality 11.
Winter 1243: Decides to take a different tack in his search, focusing on interrogating the ghosts of dead rune-mages. Invents a spell to aid this.
Summon the Rune-Lord of Yore: As Incantation of Summoning the Dead, but uses the unique side-effects of rune magic to make the process a little easier. [ReMe 15, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration = ReMe 25]
Summer 1244 to Winter 1244: Crafts an item to assist his interrogations.
Hel's Signet Ring: A silver ring bearing a pair of green turquoise' (turquoises? What the hell is the plural of that?)
Coerce the Spirits of the Night: as the spell. [ReMe 5, +2 Voice, +1 Concentration, +1 Mentem Elder Rune, +5 levels for item to maintain concentration, +10 levels for Penetration 20 = ReMe 40]
Whew! Okay.
Ishbel's stats later on. This was a looooooooong post to write.
I have 2 remarks:
- Summon the Rune-Lord of Yore: As Incantation of Summoning the Dead, but uses the unique side-effects of rune magic to make the process a little easier. [ReMe 15, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration = ReMe 25]
Incantation of Summoning the Dead is a ritual. So i don't think you have the virtues to put it (hermetic empowerment IIRC) in an object.
- Macabuin's Edge: As Edge of the Razor, but ignores the Parma Magica [MuTe 20].
How can a magical effect overcomes the parma magica?? I agree that if the weapon is not "activated", it's not magical, just 'enchanted' and bypasses parma, but when the MuTe effect is activated, it's magical and need to penetrate...
Summon the Rune Lord is actually a spell, not an item effect, so no problems there (except that I note that we don't currently have a source of Mentem vis). Spite-Heir does incorporate an effect that's based on a ritual, but it's tweaked to work using rune magic principles instead, so no problems there either.
Macabuin's edge is a breakthrough spell invented after examining a similar, but completely non-Hermetic rune effect. Rune magic goes through the parma magica like it was made of tissue paper and spit, and this has carried over into Annaeus' spell. Note that he has no understanding (as yet) of exactly how he managed this, and he can't replicate it in any other spell or effect he might create.
Only had some time to read the stuff. I liked the magic items like the chair.
read it again. wow!