My character has very bad luck with botches, and unfortunately, this has come up while in town more then once. You crush one house under a ton of snow while trying to cool a room slightly and it follows you forever. This, combined with the natural effects of the Gift, means they would essentially try to kill me on sight if I ever showed up in town again. This is a problem, as my character wishes to pursue closer relations with the mundanes around the covenant. I considered using mundane intermediaries, but was informed by my storyguide that my reputation was bad enough that even they would be at significant penalties.
Recently, however, our covenant has gained a companion with the Enchanting Song virtue, and while crafting them a magic instrument to provide a bonus, it occurred to me this might be the solution to my problem -- and indeed, the covenants PR problems with mundanes in general. While it can't negate the effects of the gift, it can certainly alter an NPC's emotional reaction to a given person or covenant, which might help mitigate their hostile reaction.
Our companion can reliably manage Stress+15 on her Enchanting Song check -- enough to reliably incite a riot. It doesn't seem too unreasonable this level of emotional manipulation could be used to make them see the Magi of the covenant (and me personaly!) as a group of loveable characters instead of "Those shifty jerks who crushed my house."
Still though, this seems somehow...too easy. As a storyguide, what DC would you set for this, and what problems am I likely to encounter?
It might make you appealing at the moment, but it will not last eternally, your actions will still dictate their view of you, or at least your actions as the town knows them...
Make something nice for them outside of town as a gesture of apology, then ask the town elders to meet with you to discuss more internal restitutions. Let them smooth the way for you.
alternatively find a nice vantage point that overlooks the town and do something at sight range (perhaps starting with replacing the destruction you caused). If you arent powerful enough for that, use this period of public banishment to study your heart out and improve your Arts.
Yeah, no problem. Enchanting Music can and should do just that. What it can't do is utterly change people's mindes but it can spread new stories and make people want to tell them. And, wonder of wonders, Ars Magica has a system for this - Reputations.
By getting him to tell tales of your (and the covenant's) actions, he can start either removing XP from your current reputation (Dangerous and mad) and putting it into (Well meaning but risky) which should give you a non-negative reputation without being excessive. You might want to engineer a few nice things which make for good tales to help things along. Being seen to vanquish a bandit menacing a traveller (either or both stooges or illusions) whilst leaving a few magical side effects, for instance would give your bard fodder for songs and the villagers fodder for nice stories.
Either way, it'll take time. It depends just how bad your reputation is.
