Greetings!
I have been perusing the saga of Bibracte for some time now, and as Jonathan kindly accepted me to join the troupe, it's my privilege to present my character concept. 8)
Basic Character Concept: Filtiarn Aes Criedne ("Filtiarn" : lord of the wolves/celtic)
The Aes Criedne (people/followers of Criedne) are an ex Miscellanea Tradition of Beastcrafters(cf char.sheet), from a celtic but non-Diedne lineage.
And to develop a bit more...
The Aes Criedne share somewhat similar practices, yet are not as proficient in Spontaneous Magic as the typical closet-druids. This Tradition also teaches the same ability for animal summoning as the Beastmasters do, but they are not shunning the mundane like those secluded nature wizards. Finally, they magical bond with a shadow-beast, the legendary spirit of an ancient predator - whose name is kept secret, even from one's parens. From this ritual bonding - their Gauntlet, for all intent and purposes - they awaken to the full spectrum of their powers... and become Lycantropes (which they admit as a costly price yes, but don't consider as a "curse").
As the Aes Criedne are essentially focused on spiritual zoomorphism and anthropomorphism, Fieltarn uphoold their practices by studying the vestigial bonds between society and the natural. And occasionally strenghtening these "necessary bonds". Rulewise, such magic typically uses the Mentem & Animal Art to blur the lines between human emotions and animal instincts (fear, lust, protecting one's cubs/infants, dominating your rivals, sense of one's community/pack...). Fieltarn would consider such acts as "reviving our natural wisdom, for the greater good"... or exploiting "the confusion brought by their own deracination from Dana" (when in a more antagonistic mood).
And when that is not enough, calling on wild animals offers another way to remind humanity of his place and responsabilities or, conversely, to lead an endangered herd or pack away from the encroaching Dominion.
To sum up, he holds a close interest both for the wilderness and mundane worlds.
And as for other magi, he's circumspectly fascinated by them...
A small druidic tradition, the Aes Creidne actually suffered from the very hands of the Fallen House, far more than from the occasionally rampaging Flambeau, or other "true" Hermetics who just favored the later part of the "Join or Die" ultimatum. When Diedne's followers, cowardly protected by the Parma Magica, dominated the other druidic practitioners - at least, that's the version he was taught - his own tradition successfully went into hiding long before the Diedne had to (provided they did, granted). Yet, clearly overpowered, his forebearers barely preserved their own practices, and very lives, by hiding in plain sight, among or closer to the mundanes than their enemies would have guessed.
Unsurprisingly, Fieltarn's apprenticeship also had him getting good at hiding in plain sight, at the price of a feeble knowledge of the Order at first, its Houses and customs.
Yet, he wishes to change that, even more than his pater did before him.
His master, realizing that their tradition was dying and had no future in hiding anymore, was the first of their line to finally join the Order- ironically following the footstep of the collaborator, the "twice traitor" Diedne. There never have been more than a handful of wizards of the Aes Criedne, but they did not appreciate this decision. A decade later, when his pater met his final demise, killed in some obscure circumstances, Fieltarn barely escaped the same fate.
While his parens death conviced him that his pater was on the right track, Fieltarn concluded that just swearing the Oath to live as discreet peregrinators was a mistake. Ever since, he's been looking for a covenant to join in. And not just for protection, as one of his long term goal is to see the Aes Creidhne eventually fully recognized as one of the luminaries of House ex Miscellanea if not, one day, as a respectable pillar of the Order.
Still, Fieltarn hasn't found a covenant ready to overlook the stigma of his origins yet, even after two centuries without serious threat from any non-latin wizard. But his lore of the Order deepened with each rejection, and he keeps a tentative hope. Even when the shadow-wolf's urges are echoing his own frustration...
Next post, a draft of Fieltarn's character sheet, but if there's anything the Troupe would like to discuss here, please feel free to comment. Nothing is set in stone, which is also why I didn't write in a more narrative style 8)
[size=85]edit : some typos.[/size]
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), looking at whichever minor virtue I may ditch in favor of Inoffensive to Animal, I see two candidates : Cycle Magic(night), or Great Traveler. I initially took the later for flavor more than anything else (since it gives 50xp, or about a mere 30th of Fieltarn's post Gauntlet peregrinations). I also, mistakenly it appears, assumed that Well Traveled was on equal footing with its 2nd edition version. It's not anymore (and honestly is now sort of a let-down, in comparison, but I digress). So, even if removing Cycle magic would be simpler, I like it and I'll rather ditch Well-Travelled then, even if I now have to re-shuffle some of my scores, naturally.