Grog 22 : Hana/Hans, the Failed apprentice
Age: 35
Story:
Hana/Hans was born to merchant parents, who were among the first to settle in Riga. They grew up as an irritating and off-putting child, and their parents were very happy to pass the child on to the Bonisagius mage who offered to teach him letters and how to become a bookbinder. After a few years as an unofficial apprentice, learning Greek and Latin from their soon to-be-parens, they were offered an apprenticeship, an offer they gladly accepted. The child was shaping out to be a very suitable apprentice, and had the potential to become an excellent researcher. Unfortunately for Hana/Hans who did not realise what they were asking for, their parens gave them an experimental longevity potion while they were still a teenager. This was a disaster, the child took on the appearance of middle age (an appearance that twenty years on they still have) and left them arthritic. Much worse, and maybe as a divine punishment for such hubris, this destroyed their gift and brought them outside of the mercy of God.
Their apprenticeship was terminated once the parens realised what had happened, but they stayed on as a helper for almost two decades. Handling their correspondence, translating texts from the Theban Tribunal and helping in the lab. They studied the code of Hermes in the hope of making a claim against their master, but ultimately realised that they would likely lose out in Tribunal. With the New Aristotle reaching them, they took a great interest in the book, having copied it twice already, joking that this brings them more consolation than Boetius.
After their parens went into a prolonged twilight, Hana/Hans returned to the Rhine Tribunal in search of a new Covenant.
Note: The Guardian of the Forest book does not list Baltic as a language, but it could be surmised as either Low German (Saxon or Pommeranian). My personal recommendation would be to make it separate but make it mutually intelligible with these two at no penalty (or bonus) as the first German settlers in the Baltic would most likely be speakers of these dialects (and Westphalian too, but I do not want to muddy the water further). This could be in a Novgorod tribunal book...
Appearance:
Hana/Hans appears close to 40, with arthritic joints. Their back is slightly bowed and move their legs with a distinctive gait. They were once joyful but premature aging took this joy away from them, instead they are resigned and depressed. They are of slightly below average height with dark brown hair, flecked with grey. They have not aged in almost twenty years, which still perplexed them. They dress much as German magi do, in wide warm robes. They often carry scrolls and quills with them
Why are they in the covenant?
Hana/Hans belongs to the Order, most magi feel sympathy for them, and many would want them in their labs or libraries. Many Covenants offered themselves as homes for such a useful character. Ultimately the party's Covenant was agreed as a compromise between competing powerful Covenants, who were happy enough to spite each other as consolation prize. They have shown little interest in teaching (their parens having abstained from taking a new apprentice after their mishap), though with a little practice they could teach useful skills to young magi and their apprentices. More importantly, they can copy magic texts and give great help in the lab.
Stats:
Attribute|Score
Str|-1
Sta|2
Dex|-1
Qik|0
Com|1
Pre|1
Int|2
Per|1
Virtue: Failed Apprentice, Puissant (magic theory), Unaging
Flaw: Depressed, Arthritis, Offensive to Divine
Abilities:
Area Lore (Livonia) (Geography) 2
Artes Liberales (Rhetoric) 2
Awareness (Searching) 2
Brawl (Unarmed) 2
Carouse (Power drinking) 1
Code of Hermes (Apprentices) 3
Craft (Books) (Hermetic books) 5
Greek (Hermetic usage) 4
Latin (Hermetic usage) 4
Low German (Baltic) 5
Magic Lore (Magic creatures) 3
Magic Theory (Enchanting items) 5 (+2 puissant)
Music (Singing) 1
Order of Hermes Lore (House Bonisagius) 2
Philosophiae (Neo-Aristotleism) 4
Profession (Scribe) (Hermetic texts) 4