Essence of a Sigil

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

I started with the question: Can a mage "permanently" alter her sigil?

There is the RegoVim spell, Shroud Magic, that can change the sigil of another spell being cast simultaneously. I'm wondering if a spell can be done with a longer duration so a mage wouldn't have to dual cast all the time to hide her sigil. So what would the spell have to target? Is a magus's sigil part of her magic, part of her person, or something else? Perhaps more importantly, does a magus's sigil have an essential nature?

After extended consideration, my thoughts were that a sigil isn't part of a magus's magic, but is what mages call the "fingerprint" left behind of any mage who bends and shapes magic. It is like the microscopic marks on a bullet that every gun makes when fired, and each gun makes unique marks. The bullet (magic) doesn't have these marks originally, but after being fired by the gun (a mage), the marks (sigil) are stuck on the bullet.

Since you can't target what I would consider raw magic, could you change a magus in such a way ther her "fingerprint" is altered? Then, assuming that would be a MutoCorpus spell, could prolonged use of this spell permanenty change a magus's sigil (Referring to the statment in the AM5 Muto Corpus Guidlines box: "Transformations can have subtle (or sometimes dramatic) permanent effects")?

This is only my interpretation. But I am curious if others think this would work in any way.

2

when does the sigil appear? if it's present at the very 1st spell you cast then it may be part of essential nature.
If it developes over the apprentice ship then i'd say it's just a side effect and can be manipulated as you want.

3

It is an interesting notion.

Personally I tend to prefer the sigil to seen as an unvolatile and essential part of the magus - only permanently mutable through a larger endavour, somewhat like an Ordeal, and by not magic alone. This makes it a vehicle of storytelling and sometimes add odds with the magus himself - since he want's to change it... It also encourages that much thought is given to the sigil chosen upon at character generation and it's importance in the feel of the character.

I recently did allow a character to change his sigil - but only because it involved a greater change in his personality after a tremendous Odyssean/Orfean quest across the world - and twilight - to find his true love; and ultimately to find himself (and his Heartbeast). This was a special moment - and it might influence my view on the sigil.

In short I prefer that the sigil is intrinsic to the character even before he ever casts his first hermetic spell, but I can't see any reasonable argument that you couldn't interpret it differently.