One simple remark:
Grog Sergeants and Autocrats - more in general the mundane persons who run the turb and the covenant - are critical for a succeding Spring covenant. If these are accustomed to magi - or at very least a particular magus - from the beginning, they are a valuable Gift from a sponsoring covenant or a parens.
These people will hire further staff, run interface between magi and staff for years, make themselves indispensable and help to preserve the relations between Spring covenant and sponsors.
Those Spring magi wishing to leapfrog such dependencies from the start better be Gentle Gifted ...
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