Please reserve the first few posts for character/lab/familiar sheets, and keep discussion further down.
Thadeus Ex Miscellanea, Pralician
(Current stats as of 1013)
Age: 28 (4 years past Gauntlet)
Warping: 1 (3)
Characteristics: Int +1, Per +4, Str 0, Sta +1, Pre -1, Com 0, Dex 0, Qik +2
Virtues: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Comprehend Magic (HoH:S p.128)1, Gentle Gift, Minor Magical Focus (Exotic Magic)1, Deft Form (Vim), Fast Caster, Great Characteristic (Perception), Improved Characteristics, Magical Memory, Skilled Parens, Well-Travelled
Flaws: Weak Magic Resistance (any spellcaster not analyzed using Comprehend Magic)1, Deficient Technique (Creo), Ambitious (major), Hedge Wizard, Hatred: Diedne (minor), Lesser Malediction (arriving late), Supernatural nuisance (minor; airy spirits like him)
1 House virtues and flaw
Personality Traits: Ambitious +5, Hatred of Diedne +3
Reputations: Hedge Wizard (Order of Hermes) 3
Abilities:
Animal Handling (oxen) 1
Area Lore: England (East Anglia) 2
Area Lore: Rhine (Pomenaria) 1
Artes Liberales (astronomy) 1
Athletics (jumping) 1
Awareness (alertness) 2
Bargain (joining the Order) 2
Brawl (dodging) 2
Charm (first impressions) 1
Code of Hermes (apprentices) 1
Comprehend Magic (Supernatural Virtues) 4
Concentration (spell) 1
Faerie Lore (faerie forests) 1
Folk Ken (peasants) 2
Language/native: English (East Anglian) 5
Language: Latin (Hermetic usage) 4
Language: Brythonic (Welsh) 3
Language: Low German (Pomenarian) 2
Magic Lore (magical traditions) 2
Magic Theory (Perdo) 4
Organisation Lore: Order of Hermes (House Ex Miscellanea) 1
Parma Magica (Corpus) 3
Profession: Merchant (peddler) 2
Stealth (sneak) 1
Hermetic Arts: Cr 0, In 0, Mu 0, Pe 10, Re 6, An 0, Aq 3, Au 0, Co 3, He 3, Ig 0, Im 4, Me 0, Te 0, Vi 8
Wizard's Sigil: A barely perceptible delay in the magic, before it seems to happen quickly, as if trying to compensate tfor the delay
Spells:
Veil of Invisibility (PeIm 20) +19 [Touch/Sun/Ind] ArM5 p.146
The Heathen Witch Reborn (PeVi gen/20) +27 -- Includes Minor Magical Focus [Voice/Mom/Ind] HoH:S p.129
Wind of Mundane Silence (PeVi gen/25) +20 -- Mastery 1 (Unravelling) [Voice/Mom/Room] ArM5 p.161
Parching Wind (PeAq 20) +13 -- Casting requisites [Voice/Mom/Ind] ArM5 p.123
Unravelling the Fabric of Corpus (PeVi gen/15) +20 -- Mastery 1 (Fast Casting) [Voice/Mom/Ind] ArM5 p.161
Unravelling the Fabric of Imaginem (PeVi gen/15) +19 [Voice/Mom/Ind] ArM5 p.161
Unravelling the Fabric of Terram (PeVi gen/15) +20 -- Mastery 1 (Fast Casting) [Voice/Mom/Ind] ArM5 p.161
Pit of the Gaping Earth (PeTe 15) +12 -- Mastery 1 (Fast Casting) [Voice/Mom/Part] ArM5 p.155
Lifting the Dangling Puppet (ReCo 15) +10 [Voive/Conc/Ind] ArM5 p.134
Fist of Shattering (PeTe 10) +11 [Voice/Mom/Ind] ArM5 p.155
Intuition of the Forest (InHe 10) +4 [Touch/Sun/Group] ArM5 p.136
Cloak of the Duck's Feathers (ReAq 5) +10 [Touch/Sun/Ind] ArM5 p.124
Circle of Beast Warding (ReAn 5) +7 [Touch/Ring/Circle] ArM5 p.120
Touch of the Goose Feather (PeCo 5) +15 -- Mastery 1 (Fast Casting) [Voice/Mom/Ind] ArM5 p.132
Equipment and Wealth:
Travel clothes, knife, basic supplies
Staff of the Eye (Talisman)
Personal lab texts
Covenant dowry
Appearance
A fit man of average height (about 5'7"), with straight dark brown hair and brown eyes.
1 Like
Background
Tom was saved because he was late. He’d been out playing at a nearby creek when the wizards struck, attacking the family’s small house in the woods near Kent. He only saw the end of the attack, when their chanting brought the collapse of his home, as he stood hidden by the trees.
After they left, he tried to find his dad and mother, but couldn’t dig deep enough into the rubble to free their body. When night came, he crawled into the ruins for protection against the cold, the rain, and the wolves.
That is where the old man found him the next morning. Caspar had been following stories about an intinerant merchant who sometimes sold magical charms, to see if this was in fact a practitioner of hedge tradition. But he’d arrived a day behind the attackers, too late to offer the protection of the Order. But not too late to rescue Tom from an uncertain future.
Caspar moved for a time to Cad Gadu, so that his new apprentice could begin to learn about the Order of Hermes and House Ex Miscellanea. He also taught his new apprentice the traditions of the Lineage of Pralix. Tom had a Gentle Gift, but it seemed bent towards destruction and ill-suited to magical creation. After a few years at Cad Gadu, Caspar moved to Roma Nova for further teaching, while also preparing for an extended exploration of the north-eastern part of the Rhine Tribunal.
The remaining years of Tom’s apprenticeship was filled with travel as his master through the forests and swamps of Pomerania, visiting a village after another, seeking out hedge traditions that could be brought into the Order. They often achieved this peacefully, but they occasionally had to defend themselves from attacks from coteries of werewolves and other shapeshifters. Winters were spent within the safety of neighbouring covenant in the Rhine, during which Caspar continued to teach his apprentice.
It was after one such winter that Caspar finally deemed Tom ready to become a full magus and had him take the Oath of Hermes, taking the name Thadeus.
By that time, the war with House Diedne was entering its late stages. Although young Thadeus would have liked to join the fight against them, Caspar was able to convinve him that it would be suicidal to do so right away. So Thadeus remained a few years studying on his own, before travelling back to England. By that time, the war had moved north, so he arranged for a ship to drop him off on the west coast, near the convenant of Ungulus.
Design notes:
-
The Lesser Malediction flaw manifests in various events that cause Thadeus to often arrive late. These are sometimes subtle, often coincidental, and occasionally so blatantly improbable as to stand out. Tom is not doomed to always being late -- though he often is. With determination and a lot of work, he can usually overcome those events.
-
Thadeus is partways between Ambitious and Driven. He wants to be recognized as making a major contribution to the Order of Hermes, much like Pralix herself did.
Historical Stats
Stats at Gauntlet
Age: 24 (at Gauntlet)
Warping: 0 (0)
Characteristics: Int +1, Per +4, Str 0, Sta +1, Pre -1, Com 0, Dex 0, Qik +2
Virtues: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Comprehend Magic (HoH:S p.128)1, Gentle Gift, Minor Magical Focus (Exotic Magic)1, Deft Form (Vim), Fast Caster, Great Characteristic (Perception), Improved Characteristics, Magical Memory, Skilled Parens, Well-Travelled
Flaws: Weak Magic Resistance (any spellcaster not analyzed using Comprehend Magic)1, Deficient Technique (Creo), Ambitious (major), Hedge Wizard, Hatred: Diedne (minor), Lesser Malediction (arriving late), Supernatural nuisance (minor; airy spirits like him)
1 House virtues and flaw
Personality Traits: Ambitious +5, Hatred of Diedne +3
Reputations: Hedge Wizard (Order of Hermes) 3
Abilities: (total 330 xp)
Animal Handling (oxen) 1 (5 xp)
Area Lore: England (East Anglia) 2 (15 xp)
Area Lore: Rhine (Pomenaria) 1 (5 xp)
Artes Liberales (astronomy) 1 (5 xp)
Athletics (jumping) 1 (5 xp)
Awareness (alertness) 2 (15 xp)
Bargain (joining the Order) 2 (15 xp)
Brawl (dodging) 2 (15 xp)
Charm (first impressions) 1 (5 xp)
Code of Hermes (apprentices) 1 (5 xp)
Comprehend Magic (Supernatural Virtues) 4 (45 xp)
Concentration (spell) 1 (5 xp)
Finesse (speed) 1 (5 xp)
Folk Ken (peasants) 2 (15 xp)
Language/native: English (East Anglian) 5 (0 xp)
Language: Latin (Hermetic usage) 4 (50 xp)
Language: Brythonic (Welsh) 3 (30 xp)
Language: Low German (Pomenarian) 2 (15 xp)
Magic Lore (magical traditions) 1 (5 xp)
Magic Theory (Perdo) 3 (30 xp)
Organisation Lore: Order of Hermes (House Ex Miscellanea) 1 (5 xp)
Parma Magica (Corpus) 1 (5 xp)
Profession: Merchant (peddler) 2 (15 xp)
Stealth (sneak) 1 (5 xp)
Spell masteries (10 xp)
Hermetic Arts: Cr 0, In 0, Mu 0, Pe 10, Re 3, An 0, Aq 3, Au 0, Co 3, He 3, Ig 0, Im 4, Me 0, Te 0, Vi 8 (total 125 xp)
Wizard's Sigil: A barely perceptible delay in the magic, before it seems to happen quickly, as if trying to compensate tfor the delay
Spells: (total 150 levels)
Veil of Invisibility (PeIm 20) +19
The Witch Reborn (PeVi gen/20) +27 -- see HoH:S p.129, includes bonus for Minor Magical Focus
Wind of Mundane Silence (PeVi gen/25) +20 -- Mastery 1 (Unravelling)
Parching Wind (PeAq 20) +13 -- casting requisites
Unravelling the Fabric of Imaginem (PeVi gen/15) +19
Pit of the Gaping Earth (PeTe 15) +11
Fist of Shattering (PeTe 10) +11
Intuition of the Forest (InHe 10) +4
Cloak of the Duck's Feathers (ReAq 5) +7
Circle of Beast Warding (ReAn 5) +4
Touch of the Goose Feather (PeCo 5) +15 -- Mastery 1 (Fast Casting)
Advancement Log
Before the saga
- Year 1: Rego +15 xp, Magic Lore +10 xp, Faerie Lore +5 xp, Warping +2 points
- Year 2: Magic Theory +20 xp, Parma Magic +10 xp, Warping +2 points
- Year 3: 4 seasons of lab activities, Warping +2 points
- Season 1: Prepare item for enchantment (hornbeam staff with an inset silver ring holding a piece of clear glass) for a capacity of 8 pawns
- Season 2: Attune staff as a talisman (attunement: +4 destroy things at a distance)
- Season 3: Learn PeVi spells from lab texts (Unravelling the Fabric of Corpus lvl 15 and Unravelling the Fabric of Terram lvl 15) lab total Pe 10 + Vi 8 + Int 1 + MT 5 + Aura 3 + similar spell 3
- Season 4: Learn ReCo spells from lab texts (Lifting the Dangling Puppet lvl 15, ) lab total Re 6 + Co 3 + Int 1 + MT 4 + Aura 3 = 17
- Year 4: Parma Magica +15 xp, Mastery of Unravelling the Fabric of Terram +5 xp, Mastery of Unravelling the Fabric of Corpus +5 xp, Mastery Pit of the Gaping Earth +5 xp, Warping +2 points
Custom Spells
None so far
Enchanted Items
Staff of the Eye (Talisman)
Description: The staff is made of hornbeam, with the top of the staff flattening and pierced by a two-inch round hole, within which a piece of thick clear glass was securely mounted using a ring of silver. One can look through the glass, but images tend to be slightly distorted.
Enchantment Capacity: 8 pawns (0 used)
Attunements: +4 destroy things at a distance (staff)
Instilled Effects: None so far
Research on Covenant Sites
Thadeus remembers a story from his early years, about wizards settling on a rocky island in the East Anglian fens. Everybody knows where it is, but they fear the snakes that live there. There is no covenant there today, though, and the library does not have the sources to confirm the story.
From his magic lore, two things spring to mind,.
1, Norse wizards are rumoured to harvest vis from rocks shed from the Wamses every year.
2. The druids is the dominant tradition of British wizards and witches, and they have several sacred places, often copses or groves, where they gather at celestial mark days. Using clues from the libraries, Thadeus thinks he can find one or two in the Pennines (which btw includes the Peak District and stretches North about to Hadrian's Wall).