Ok, let's spin this again:
How would you create a combat-capable elementalist? One that can be in a battle for a while, not cast 3 or 4 spells and that be it. 8)
Well... to answer Xavi.
I made this: http://mariojpcsimon.blogspot.com/2013/01/sociedad-elementalista-para-ars-magica.html
This Societate is one that make use of the environtment for voyage and to fight. To me, the base for the summoning totals works on control too; so with Control to the Aimed attacks with near matter or forces, or the Summoning for direct damage effects that need Penetration.
At last to me it has sense. So the Gift is not essential to one Combative Elementalist, only be good and quick with one element works fine.
I'm not so sure...
To me, I always pictured Flambeau as a guy that managed to somehow gain the equivalent of a Focus Power in Fire (specifically "destructive fire"). As per RoP:M or RoP:F this is a Greater Power (Master of (Form) or Crafter of (Form), although to produce high-level effects you'd need additional Intricacy points or equivalents IIRC. A human mage with this Virtue would then be able to produce a number of "flexible" fire effects similar to those canonically assigned to Flambeau, albeit at the cost of Fatigue loss rather than Might as a human mage can't have a Might score or a Might point pool (rules for this are given in RoP:M IIRC). Additional Virtues could gain further Lesser, Personal or Greater Powers for other signature effects eg. the Founder's final spell. Exactly where they would gains these Powers / Virtues then becomes interesting...
Before HoH:S came out with its line about Flambeau practicing the "Mercurian cantrip", I'd always pictured him as a Mercurian capable of calling up Daimons that granted or bestowed upon him temporary power over flames and destruction. This gets around the concept that Mercurian magi could only "cast" ritual spells - sure they only new ritual spells but some of these spells granted a suite of spell-like abilities for a limited period of time that were essentially more flexible and better suited to combat or specific problem-solving. This gets around the whole 33 rituals of Plentarch issue being limiting. Essentially the "Big Toaster" casts a Mercurian style ritual, spends a lot of vis and or uses other trappings/offerings (using the rules for Fenicil's rituals given in HoH:TL or similar) which then grants him an equivalent Major Virtue like a Focus Power in flames, perhaps for Moon or longer duration eg Until (Condition). Some other unique duration perhaps linked to keeping a flame in a mithraeum alight (for Mithraist versions) or in return for guarding a Mars related cultic site (for Mercurian versions and to keep Marko happy) may be more thematic. Granting a Major Virtue isn't that high a guideline across most hedge magic and even if Fenicil style rituals are a a major XP sink as written (essentially they're Difficult Arts), this would effecitvely be only a "Lesser Ritual" and potentially achievable through study and practice if cast in a high aura etc. This "Mercurian-style" elementalist could then PoF,AoFR and BoAF to his heart's content. Penetration might be an issue but some of the theurgical traditions use formulae that minimise this issue and True Names can provide a decent enough bonus to counteract this. Flambeau was apparently a pioneer in the Penetration Ability...
Alternatively, a theurgical version of Flambeau could summon a Daimonic Aspect of Flame or the Sun (as a Celestial Daimon, see RoP:M) that could then use its Ritual Grant Power to "gift" him a similar magical power. Here the spirit grants the Virtue rather than the ritual itself, which may make it less costly in vis (or maybe not if the vis is needed to bargain with the spirit). A theurgical Fire elementalist tradition might be able to achieve this using a lesser spirit, but I'd see it as a higher level Mystery similar to the reputed Astral/Planetary Magic of the ArM4 sahirs featured in Blood and Sand. Incidentally this is one way to make sahir more flexible and capable of "fast cast" actions in a magical combat - allow the sahir to summon jinn beforehand that can Grant similar Lesser, Greater or Focus Powers for a brief duration. The theurgist or sahir effectively swaps spirits for a suite of spontaneous spells.
A third option is to have Flambeau as some sort of Spirit Votary linked to a fire spirit, perhaps an Aspect of Mars or the Sun (such as the line of Abydaros and their links to Apollo and Helios) - he then uses the spirit's powers and Might Pool. This is similar to the second option but more of a formalisation of the arrangement as "worship" - the magus is then a "flamen" / priest of the spirit which might suit more Mercurian visions of Flambeau.
With any of these options, a theurgical style magic as the means to this Virtue granting would work. It doesn't explain how Flambeau contributed to Hermetic theory though.
(It also makes him a lot like the sahir he was meant to hate which may be problematic... or maybe not if familiarity breeds contempt?)
The same strategy could be used for Guernicus Earth magi except they would draw upon Tellus, the ancient earth god using similar rituals or by summoning similar "Sons of Tellus" (elementals) capable of using the Grant power or linking Spirit Votaries to access such flexible magics. In fact, this might work better - I wrote the Terrae magi article linked to above (and reproduced on my blog: http://jarkmanpages.wordpress.com/miscellany/terrae-magi/]this. I've been considering reworking this piece using more theurgic and Mercurian style magics now that I've hit upon this approach.
Cheers,
Lachie
Thanks Jebrick! I wrote these articles - glad you liked them.
Lachie
Read them, loved them too.
I especially liked the bit about needing a Mastery Score 3 in an earth spell. This is a simple, yet effective, way to make a cult stand out. And you did a lot of things like that.
Thanks, too, for the above wall of text. I had considered things like this, but you went much, much farther than me, and it is quite an interesting read 
Consider it copied and saved in my "Interesting Bits of Ars Lore" folder 
Thanks. Although it is an XP sink, the requirement to spend XP on Mastery in spells emphasizing the focus on Earth magic and hearkens to the Mercurian origins of Earth magi.
It's something I may develop further on my blog, particularly with reference to sahir Mysteries but also Mercurian ideas for Guernici magi.
Cheers,
Lachie
Cheers!!!
(And yes, I visited your blog yesterday, I'll look forward into it )