Luc de Montségur

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: A Sudden Spring
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reserved for final character sheet

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Luc de Montségur

One of the few remaining Perfecti, Luc de Montségur is rumored to be the protector of the legendary "Cathar treasure."

Born to a land-holding noble family, Luc was sent to the University in Toulouse to be trained with intention that he would enter the priesthood.

While in Toulouse, Luc listened to the preaching of an itinerant Cathar perfectus. Unable to shake the persuasive and charismatic preaching of the perfectus, Luc finished his studies, ever seeking to learn carefully the history of the Cathars.

Finishing his studies, Luc seeks out the preacher again and during a ritual, Luc has a transcendental experience and vision.

He never returns home. Instead he begins to follow the preacher, eventually joining him as a companion preacher and traveler.

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A note on this- the game date is currently 1290. The Albigensian crusade ended in 1229 beginning the Inquiition. For there to be a Cathar preacher on a street corner would have to have been before 1229, which means over 61 years ago.

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Ahh. I'll modify the bio then. I'm thinking about him being in his early mid-30s.

Thinking that through, perhaps I can adjust this so that he was introduced to the Cathar underground at some point in his late teen years before becoming a priest. Perhaps his family were Cathar sympathizers. This would have him converting around 1275. (My understanding is that the Inquisition didn't eradicate Catharism until 1350.) Once we settle on the basics, I'll update the bio.

Here's the beginnings of things:

Characteristics Final Score
Intelligence 2
Perception 1
Strength 0
Stamina 0
Presence 2
Communication 2
Dexterity 0
Quickness 0

I'm trying to use the RoP: D p. 94 guidelines regarding Perfectus. My intention wasn't to build a mythic companion, per se, but the required virtues consume 7 points largely assuming the mythic companion calculus. So perhaps we could allow for a few extra virtues as listed below:

I've listed below an initial 10 points of Virtues and also included additional virtues that seem like they might be useful. Priority for any virtue beyond the 10 is like this: Linguist or Gift of Tongues, Privileged Upbringing, Good Teacher, Unaffected by the Gift.

If we went full on mythic companion, I'd explore the possibility of magister in artibus. My thinking is that this perfectus brings something useful to Al Kufra in addition to just leading/guiding the Cathar faction.

Virtues Level Type Points
Perfectus Major General 0
Purity Major Supernatural Meth 3
Transcendence Major Supernatural 3
Unaffected by the Gift Minor General
Good Teacher Minor General
Linguist Minor General
True Faith Major General 3
Second Sight Minor Supernatural 1
Gift of Tongues Minor Heroic
Privileged Upbringing Minor General
Total 10
Flaws
Enemies: Church Major Story 3
Pious Major Personality 3
Heroic Personality Minor Heroic 1
Vow Minor Personality 1
Visions Minor Supernatural 1
Castratus Minor General 1
Total 10

As always, I'm very open to advice, counsel, warnings, suggestions from the GM or any other player.

@silveroak Am I on the right track?

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Keep in mind that the perfecti in ROP:D are mythic companions, not companions, and considered the equivalent of magi, which is not what you would be making. A regular perfecti would not have the mythic traits, and would not be able to have the free virtues you list. The "required virtues" are not required for a regular perfecti as they are for a mythic perfecti.
Most Cathar sympathizers were in southern France, and most of them had been unseated in the Albigensian crusade, there may remain sympathizers amongst the nobility, but they would likely be individuals as opposed to entire families. I do think this is on the right track, but still has a long ways to go.

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How about this revision?

Virtues Level Type Points
Magister in Artibus Major Social 3
True Faith Major Supernatural 3
Unaffected by the Gift Minor General 1
Linguist Minor General 1
Second Sight Minor Supernatural 1
Privileged Upbringing Minor General 1
Total 10
Flaws
Enemies: Church Major Story 3
Pious Major Personality 3
Missing Ear Minor General 1
Vow Minor Personality 1
Visions Minor Supernatural 1
Castratus Minor General 1
Total 10

Bio: Timeline and Brief Narrative

1255: Born near Montsegur to family of means (Priveleged Upbringing)
1260: Grammar School and Childhood
1272: Enters University in Paris. Learns of Cathar heresy, introduced to underground.
1280: Two year regency in south of France. Makes connections with Cathar underground.
1282: Year of teaching (2 seasons + 2 seasons, joins Cathars.
1283: 3 years as member of Cathar underground. (Possibly still maintaining public appearance as magister.)
1286: Commits to Catharism, self-emasculation, accepted as perfectus. Vision and Truth Faith.
1290: Arrival of Al Kufri crew.

Luc has a very promising youth, sharp and taking quickly to his studies. Father sends him to university with ambitious hope for future role in clergy.

While in Paris, Luc becomes intrigued by the Cathar heresy, so much so that he secretly learns of the Cathar underground in southern France and possible connections to the Templars. After completion of university education conducts his two year regency in southern France where he joins the Cathar underground.

Luc is so converted, that he emascluates himself in a demonstration of his faith and commitment to chastity and eschewing the physical. During his dark days of recovery, he has visions of the spirit world and True Faith manifests. This commitment to the faith establishes him as a perfectus candidate, and he is soon accepted into the ranks of the perfecti.

From an XP standpoint, I think the breakdown goes like this:

Childhood (0-5): 45 xp + Native Language 5
Privileged Upbringing: 50xp
Magister: 240 xp
Age 34: 435 xp (34 yrs - 5 years= 29 yrs * 15)

Total XP to work with: 725

Note: must follow constraints per the virtues and childhood.

Is that getting closer? What adjustments should I make?

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This looks good- I was uncertain about castration within Catharism, but I can't find anything forbiding it, and by 1290 I expect there will be enough diversity in doctrine that it would certainly be a possibility (historically Cathars found non-procreative sex to be acceptable, in a near complete reversal of the Catholic doctrine)

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I'll work up the abilities next. My intent is to build him out in phases:
Childhood
Grammar School
Magister in Artibus + Regency + 2 seasons
Cathar Period

I went down the emasculation path thinking that it could be the evidence of intense faith that evokes the True Faith and seemed in keeping with the Cathar focus on the spirit vs. the physical/carnal. Luc felt the carnal urges to be a significant weakness so took extreme measures. I also imagined his missing ear something he cut off himself in another act of body modification to allow him to be tempted less and to focus more on the Spirit.

I also suspect that Luc sees his current reincarnation as a more advanced in his progress toward the Divine, giving impetus to his more pious nature.

I also placed his upbringing in/around Montsegur becausethe Castle of Montsegur was a Cathar stronghold/castle and was the last castle taken in 1244 after a protracted siege. I can imagine Luc's family having some personal connection or family lore about the Cathars burned there (225 of them?). These family stories could be the seeds that started Luc's "looking into" Catharism when he is at university.

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Montsegur is the name of the mountain in the cunty of Foix (modern day is is also a regional name, but was not at the time), which is ruled by Count Foix, currently (game time) Roger-Bernard III, who would have ruled there since 1265. He was noted to have been a troubador, and warred with Phillip suggesting that there may well have still been some (undercover) association still with the Cathars, but has been considered a loyal and trusted vassal of Phillip of France since 1277. He is also co-sovereign of Andorra. In May of 1290 he also claimed sovereignty of Bearn.

There are, or course, titles under count which are not so easily researched, and from a character perspective this is fluff of your family history- the plan you have outlined is perfectly acceptable, except that he would have known, in broad outlines, about the Cathar heresy much earlier than when he was in University, since the crusade ended less than a generation before his birth in the land he was born in.

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A lesser noble in the area of note is the house of Levi, granted the territory (including Montseguer) as a result of faithful service in the siege by the crusading forces in defeating the Cathars...
It would currently be ruled by Guy III de Levis-Mirepoix, married to Isabelle de Marly-Montmorency, with 9 (legitimate) children.

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I could see him being a sibling or scion of House of Levi. Did it have Jewish connections?

Luc de Levis-Mirepoix could be interesting. He's a 3rd or 4th son which would explain the privileged upbringing without being a landed noble.

How does that sound?

Thanks for researching into this area. It's interesting stuff.

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There wasn't anything recorded about Jewish connections, though they would likely have at least business connections with Jews assuming they needed a loan at some point. The name comes from Levis-Saint-Nom, a village in the Isle de France that the family had been granted a fiefdom over 1 generation before being granted the Mirepoix region in southern France. You might be descended from a bastard line which was chosen to administer the southern region so the family could live in the estate closer to court, which could explain a de Montsegur designation without a landed noble official title.

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Here is the first pass at Abilities. My above total XP was wrong on review, so I recalculated and got to 755 xp at 34 years old:
45 Childhood
50 Privileged Upbringing
240 Magister in Artibus
420 Post Childhood

I tried to pay attention to which attributes were gained when and can submit that table if that would help. I expect I got a thing or two wrong. :slight_smile:

Abilities Specialty Score XP
Total 755
General Abilities
Area Lore: Paris Ruins 1 5
Area Lore: Southern France Castles 2 15
Athletics Running 1 5
Awareness Alertness 2 15
Bargain Hard Sell 1 5
Brawl Dodging 2 15
Carouse Gambling 1 5
Charm Guards 2 15
Concentration Reading 3 40
Etiquette Leaders 1 5
Folk Ken Customers 2 15
Guile Fast Talk 3 30
Intrigue Gossip 3 30
Leadership Organizing Attack 4 50
Living Language (Italian) Religious Vocab 4 40
Native Language: French Expans. Vocab 5 0
Living Language (Arabic) Religious Vocab 4 44
Dead Language (Greek) Academic Usage 4 40
Dead Language (Hebrew) Academic Usage 4 40
Riding Speed 1 5
Single Weapon Sword 2 15
Stealth Sneak 2 16
Swim Freestyle 1 5
Teaching Languages 3 30
Academic Abilities
Dead Language (Latin) Academic Usage 5 60
Artes Liberales Rhetoric 5 75
Civil and Canon Law Papal Laws 2 15
Medicine Apothecary 3 30
Philosophiae Moral 2 15
Theology Spirit 2 20
Church Lore Heresy 1 10
Dominion Lore Angels 2 15
Arcane Abilities
Supernatural Abilities
Second Sight 3 30

Note: on all of the languages, I ran a separate calculation to add in the 25% bump from Linguist. I'm showing the raw, unimproved xp numbers for XP but the scores should be the improved scores for Linguist.

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I haven't gone through the whole thing yet, but your math does not add up if you have 44 points into Arabic...

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I used this formula: XP Total + (XP Total *.25).

So 44 becomes 44 + 11 (44 + 44*.15) = 55 XP, score 4.

Did I read Linguist wrong?

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That isn't the problem- you have a total of 755 for 44+(a series of numbers which are divisible by 5).

However I also did not spot the stealth value teh first time through either, so that may not be the isue I had thought.

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I'm also noting that his characteristics add up to 10 points, meaning he needs to have an improved characteristics minor virtue or lower that by 3.

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Oh yes on Characteristics!

Here is the revised Characteristics:

Characteristics Final Score
Intelligence 2
Perception 0
Strength 0
Stamina 0
Presence 1
Communication 2
Dexterity 0
Quickness 0

Question/advice on the abilities: I was trying to be as "organic" in my thinking about his ability progress as possible by working the abilities during the phases of Luc's life. But I'm not wondering if I need to adjust a bit more toward Dominon and Theology to give him the kind of depth that warrants being a perfectus? Thoughts?

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Magister in Artibus allows you to spend points on academic abilities but does not grant you access to arcane abilities. Dominion Lore is an arcane ability. Neither does True faith grant access to dominion lore ability. As such this character should not have any ability in dominion lore. I would suggest redistributing those points between church lore and theology.

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Understood.

Theology now at 3 (30 xp, added 10 from Dominion Lore)
Church lore at 2 (15 xp, added 5 from Dominion Lore)