I don't know, but if I remember correctly, Whaler is from Sweden. If it's anything like Norway where I lived for a few years, summer is a sacred time of year 
and is often full of vacation out into the country, the lake, etc. I'm sure something legitimate has come up since he has been engaged and active in a number of story lines.
As I read them, automatons are somewhere between the clockwork curios that were more sophisticated (and expensive) predecessors to the music boxes with a dancing doll and modern day industrial robots with a highly inconvenient maintenance schedule. The commands they will follow have to be enchanted into them during their initial design, by someone who has been initiated into the mystery of making them and cannot be added later. A large number of the automatons you possess have been imbued with certain craft abilities to help maintain the covenant and can follow related commends like "build" or "repair". All of them can be told to go to specific locations. That is essentially the sum of their capabilities.
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@silveroak I know I've been staying out of this RP thread because Plasmatoris can be oblivious and I felt he didn't have much to help with his Arts. That said, by now there's been enough of a commotion that Plasmatoris is probably woken up from his late-morning catatonia and could come to investigate.
Also, I see this as a good chance for you the storyguide a better sense of how we as players approach problem solving for the saga, and lets us look at how you set up challenges for us. With so much hidden knowledge and history, we probably have a lot of trouble to discover.
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I connected with Whaler on Discord. He'll try and post in the next few days.
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Re-visiting the Vigil schedule:
Argentius has it slated for Summer 1290. (We're currently in Winter 1289.)
Plasmatoris I believe is using it Winter 1289 (though he has a ? by it).
Do we need to bump that up?
I don't see anyone using the LT in Spring 1290.
I think (which doesn't mean I'm getting this right, as we have experienced before :D) that we should be good to cast the Aegis after Plasmatoris learns the Vigil, since we then have 4 casters: Lares, Plasmatoris; Zarkut spontaneously and Okeannetis.
The Aegis is level 30, which means we need 60 levels of Communion at minimum. We get 15 per Vigil caster, so 4 casters = 60, which should be enough at Winter's end.
We should recast the Aegis - Lares has Imbued with the Spirit of Vim, which (if I understand it correctly) should allow him to use fatigue instead of vis when casting the Aegis. That makes it cheap to recast. I just forgot to mention this the first time (talk about messing everything up at once :D)
That being said, it probably wouldn't hurt to bump Argentius learning the vigil just in case.
Sounds good. I'll adjust my plan as follows:
Spring 1290: Learn Vigil from LT and continue the search for a suitable familiar.
Summer 1290: Study Theory6q16.
This frees up Co16q14 during Spring 1290 if anyone else wants to use it earlier. A few of you have it on your plans later in 1290 or beyond.
Could the Libram Campaignus include links to our library, lab texts and treasury information?
Confirmation of my limited understanding needed: in a season you get adventure XP OR study XP, but not both.
The confidence points would are added even if Argentius forgoes the adventure XP for the study xp.
Do I have that right?
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In a season, you get one source of experience: Study, Practice, Exposure, Teaching, Adventure, etc. Its usually worth it to take adventure xp when you're not getting a better source of xp - study and teaching often offers better or equivalent xp, but fixed.
Confidence has nothing to do with xp.
@silveroak I only really stepped into that adventure at the end. Would I still be receiving XP for it?
xp is probably inappropriate, but you did get a confidence for entertainingly well roleplayed.
@silveroak Thanks for the clarity on the familiar House Rule. To confirm my understanding:
Perception + Stress Die against an ease factor of 12. (For Argentius 0 + Stress Die... Ouch)
Self-Assist possibilities for Argentius:
Check with the Family: Presence 3 + Faerie Lore 2 to ask around among any of the local faeries or identify any fae regios where he could ask among his faerie kin.
Wits and Study: Int 3 + MT 5 to study which animals may have the greatest potential to complement his particular goals and strengths.
Possible bonus from Magic Lore 1.
Can Confidence points be used to add +3 to this roll? (I'm guessing this may be a no-no because this roll may be representing a season's worth of work?)
If it would be easier, I'm also happy to make this Argentius's seasonal focus for this next Spring.
Magic theory is only usable for hermetic magic, magic lore would be useful or finding a familiar, faerie lore if you are potentially seeking a faerie familiar. Survival, hunt or area lore can also be of aid in tracking down a potential familiar in the wilderness, and of course there are numerous potentially helpful supernatural abilities- dowsing, animal ken, wilderness sense, etc.
In terms of Argentius himself he would be essentially limited to either int+magic lore or per+second sight.
Understood. Given that situation, probably best to put focus on INT 3 + Magic Lore 1. With an ease factor of 12, he's going to have to land a 8, 9, or 1 (and then roll higher than 4) to succeed.
Are you up for a Spring familiar finding adventure or do you recommend delaying it for a few more years?
I suspect your companion character, once he's introduced in the game, hopefully in Spring, may prove useful as a support for your efforts as well.
Remember, that counts as aiding your primary roll- so if you roll a success on your int+magic lore it still gives you a 9 target for your straight up per+stress die roll.
He wasn't made to be a companion to Argentius. He was made to sidekick a certain ruin hunter whose names start with Aetherius. LOL
Sure! But companions can often be helpful to the entire covenant in more than one way.
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Should we pick up the Dinner conversation in the current "dinner" thread per @temprobe 's recommendation or do you want to start a new one @silveroak ?