Nope. Pretty much as I described her on the wiki and (I think) in the earlier threads when she showed up.
Hey, I'm working on my Companion (Redcap merchant, potentially also Jewish depending on circumstances) and I've got a few questions.
First off, I'm confused on compatible virtues for Redcaps. Redcap is classified as a Social Status but there's other social status virtues which True Lineages talks about Redcaps being able to have, despite that none of those statuses are explicitly stated as being compatible with Redcap. (e.g. there's a whole section on Jewish Usurers as Redcaps, despite that Redcap, Outsider, and Usurer are all social statuses). Also, the Redcap description in the core book says you can't take Wealthy or Poor, but then the description of "Lone Redcap" in TL says "...If you take the Wealthy virtue, you can maintain your position with only a single season of effort each year." What's the deal with that? Was there some errata I missed, or was the author just not paying attention? Can my Redcap merchant have Redcap, Outsider, Usurer, Lone Redcap, and Wealthy? (And, for that matter, "Lone Redcap" is ALSO a social status, doesn't explicitly state that it's compatible with the Redcap virtue, and yet obviously you can't be a Lone Redcap unless you're a Redcap to begin with.)
Secondly, what's the status of House Mercere in Iberia? Is there a Mercer House already? If so, where? If there's already a Mercer House in the Tribunal, would it be feasible if my characters are working to establish another at the site of the covenant? (And of course, I wouldn't mind it if they want to establish a Mercer House and have very little chance of success. That could be a source of some great politicking!) If there IS a Mercer House already is it in Christian and/or Muslim lands, so two Jewish Mercere would have a lot of impetus to want to establish a kosher Mercer House at Phoenix? How has Phoenix been about its hospitality to Redcaps in the past? And most importantly, is there any cake?
As I understand it, Lone Redcap is taken instead of the Redcap virtue, it is a lesser version:
- Redcap includes magic items and longevity rituals. You are supported by a convenant.
- Lone redcap doesn't, you have a poor reputation, and aren't supported by a covenant... But you're a redcap.
So you take one or the other, you don't pay a virtue slot to essentially lose advantages: If you're a full-fledged redcap, you've got nothing to gain by becoming a lone one.
=> the Redcap Major virtue is incompatible with Wealthy/Poor (you live on a covenant's expenses), but Lone Redcap Minor virtue isn't.
Wish you'd have included a page reference... T-T
Ah. So, jewish redcap usurers: As I see it, it's quite simple: As per the corebook, you can't be a Redcap and an Usurer (or any other social thing). So, instead of issuing an errata, they "added" the exception in the later book. Note, though, that, very logically, this concerns usury on vis: Redcaps don't bother with Money. Similarly, they allow the Outsided flaw for jewish redcap (as it is the traditionnal flaw of jews) who behave like this.
So, to take your virtues above, you could have:
- Redcap + Usurer + Outsider for a jewish redcap practicing usury on vis
- Lone Redcap + Usurer + Outsider + Wealthy for a lone redcap practicing usury on vis and whose secondary activity provides him enough wealth so that he has a free season.
Are things clearer now?
- Depends on Amul
- It stands to reason, although it may have been destroyed, probably rather recently.
- Depends on amul
- IMO? Of course, yes, especially if the first mercer house is affiliated to a warring party, delivering its messages swiftly while delaying those of the other covenants.
- Depends on Amul, but probably in christian lands: It was probably established swiftly one the tribunal began to be colonised, so in one of the 1st covenants, so in the north.
- Depends on amul, but I can't see it having badly treated redcaps, on the contrary
- Actually, yes!!! But I'm probably a little too far to share it with you.
IMO, the more interesting + "logical" choices would be to have an existing mercer house, and you establish concurrent if they're jerks.
Hope that helps at least a little
From what I've been able to read through the topics, it appears that the Redcap network had been decimated. I can see both characters coming into the power vacuum to seek fame and glory for themselves and their houses. For the lone Redcap, perhaps it can also be a story of redemption?
I have concerns about a player running two magi, at least with potential political power it represents. A lone Redcap, even with a bad reputation, is probably seeking to join a covenant, any that will have him. That presents issues of one player controlling two magi on the Phoenix council. An easy story way around this is that the lone Redcap refuses to give up his sigil. He becomes a guest of the covenant (or a spy?). Jamie, I'm sure is interested in acquring his sigil, the lone Redcap should be just as (maybe more?) interested in keeping it, but doing whatever he can to ensure he has a good home.
Perhaps the reason he's a lone Redcap is he voted in a Tribunal (different one) and was essentially shunned? The political fallout from the vote (say his side lost) was that his covenant ended up casting him out as a scapegoat? He's since learned his lesson or has been counseled by superiors within his House that he shouldn't vote again. Throughout his travels in Iberia since the battle, he's learned that every covenant he seeks to join wants his sigil. Phoenix does as well, but is willing to let him make a residence here, though he has no political say of the covenant itself, and it's the best offer he's going to get in Iberia.
That's one way to reconcile two Redcaps being located at Phoenix. I'm sure that there are others.
Jonathan, throughtout your post I'm not sure when you're referring to Tribunal votes or when to council votes.
Regarding Tribunal votes, no member of House Mercere ever uses their vote, by tradition. I wouldn't have mine be any different. I'm not sure whether I'll go the Lone Redcap route, because while it fits the concept best, I'm not sure whether I can actually play a character who doesn't have the utmost respect for House Mercere. I'm completely biased, OOC 
But Wealthy would allow the character to run a Mercer House completely on her own dime, without having to drain covenant resources just because one player (me) loves one House far above and beyond all others which is its main appeal.
As far as council votes go, that's easily enough solved. Mercer Houses are always administrated by an UnGifted member of the house. Said Redcap would wish to maintain the autonomy of the Mercer House, and as such (s)he would insist on having a voice in the council on any matters affecting the Mercer House, but would be completely uninterested in its goings-on otherwise. She'd be perfectly happy to forego having a council vote when it means that the covenant would have little to no say in how she runs the Mercer House.
Which is not to say that anyone would try to run the MH in a way that the covenant would disapprove of-- only that autonomy and respect are priceless.
It might be more fun to establish concurrently because WE'RE the jerks 
If we would be filling a vacuum though, that would work really well for the character's personality. Fiercely devoted to the House but totally obsessed with making money-- the House has always been happy to benefit from her hard work, but still doesn't reward her devotion with magic items or a longevity ritual. Since her duties to the house are largely mundane she doesn't need magic items, but she's more concerned with the lack of respect that it entails. So she invests her personal wealth into establishing a Mercer House so that she can earn the admiration and respect of the only people who matter And perhaps she's heard of Ra'am and hopes to negotiate that in exchange for the benefits of having a Mercer House at your covenant, they might make her a longevity ritual once she needs one (probably soon)?
Yes, sorry, that wasn't clear. They're intertwined.
Jamie Lannister wants anyone who joins the covenant to give up their sigil to be used at Tribunal votes. Administration of Phoenix is being left to the new magi, while he focuses on "Tribunal matters". At least that's what I gathered from the threads; reading discontinuous threads with player strife mixed in makes one's head hurt.
Your characters have difficult choices to make. Give up their sigils and get a voice on the covenant's council or be excluded from the council and work the members from outside. They'll have to resort to currying favor with council members to represent your Merecere interests.
From a player balance point of view, I'm ok with one of them joining the Phoenix council, not both.
All sorts of interesting possibilities ensue...
Ah, that's problematic. No self-respecting Mercere could ever allow their sigil to be used at Tribunal-- not by themselves and certainly not by anyone else.
Perhaps Ser Kingslayer will allow Azura on the council as a liaison between the Mercer interests and the covenant proper, and allow both to retain their sigils (which will continue never being used, ever). Mercere understand that votes are inconsequential; real power exists in controlling the flow of information. A Lannister would certainly recognize that 
Off topic-- if anyone has finished ADWD and wants to swap crazy theories, PM me
Who knows. They may be similar, they may be different. I haven't read the books (yet). I'm only casually familiar with the characters from being present for a discussion of the books. Were I pulling from a familiar literary source, the characters would have subtle nuanced differences that would surface in unexpected ways, especially if players started having their characters operate under certain assumptions held by the player.
Here's what I'm going on:
Your characters will have interesting choices, tests of principles to make. However, any secret agreement (which comes to light) that allows Azura (or the lone Redcap) to retain her sigil will create a serious crisis amongst the entire council. That would ultimately weaken Jamie's position, so I think it unlikely. Members who join now, by giving up their sigil are probably unwilling to allow members in who do not give Jamie their sigil. It will be an issue. Give Jamie your sigil for the upcoming Tribunal, become Full Member. Otherwise, you're provisional for 7 years subject to the council's requirements for service, or a guest, as per the charter.
Would have been good to know that BEFORE I created a character who can't join the covenant without being ousted from their Hermetic House.
I'll start thinking of a different magus and companion.
Accept probationary status, do required work of the council. And pick one to join the council. Two is just, not happening, speaking as a player.
I can't see any Mercere indenturing himself to belong to a covenant that values Mercere so little.
So neither will be a member, fine. But since it would be quite a while before I have enough free time to make a new magus, I'd hope that stories might be able to include Azura despite not being a covenant member.
Mercere don't vote. Period. EVERYONE with any OoH lore knows that, be they a powerful Flambeau or a young magus rebuilding a covenant. I really don't see how any magus with hopes of political power would ever shoot themselves in the foot by excluding a magus Mercere, but if that's how it goes I'll play Azura as a non-participant until I've got time to build something completely different.
This is not indetured servitude. And, to be blunt, you're wrong about voting. It may be normal, but there's nothing to say it doesn't happen. "While Mercere magi are not discouraged from voting at Tribunal, they usually abstain to avoid appearing superior to the Redcaps." HoH:TL, pg 94. It may be your understanding in your saga, but there's nothing written hard and fast that prevents it in other sagas. I think your characters present some interesting stories, given the framework of what's already been written. It's a shame you're willing to throw them away.
In a house with only a handful of actual wizards, house solidarity is all the Mercere have. Any Mercere who would throw that away because some Flambeau is a short-sighted moron doesn't deserve to wear his cap.
Then don't throw it away, your character can be played with conviction. And there's a cost to your choices. Just don't expect full membership of the council. I'm speaking only from Ra'ams viewpoint. Others may have a different view. But here's how it can play out, accept guest status until Jamie's gone. Then after he's gone apply for probationary status or full status from the current council. After he's gone, it's up to those who've given up their sigil to determine how to accept new members, as he's gone and the new council is set, and majroity vote rules. Just don't expect everyone to approve a full memberhsip without you giving up SOMETHING of value. It may not be your sigil that we'd expect. A Mercere portal could come in very handy, no? Can you give it? That's something to work out between you and the SG. It's a quid-pro-quo thing.
Jamie's giving full status, now, to magi and maga who give up their sigil for the next Tribunal. If I'm right, that's two years. If you request probationary status after he leaves, we can grant it, and you would have full membership just after the Tribunal, which is when we should receive our sigils back (or at least that's the detail I'll confirm), that way everything is essentially equal.
And I'll ask it point blank, because we've danced around it, are you expecting both Mercere to be on the council?
And this can all be for naught, amul could have other plans, I could be misunderstanding what other characters would do, etc, etc.
Ooookaaaay, then. This is kind of what I see happening here.
Azura, who appears to be Iberian, has heard that the "legendary" Covenant of the Phoenix is actively recruiting new magi for their now-depleted covenant; I'm assuming that the fact that they've been decimated is fairly common knowledge within the Tribunal. She may not have been aware of just what Jaime Lannister is asking for in exchange for their membership.
She is also looking for a covenant to base a new Mercere House at, since the Mercere also appear to have been decimated. She may be thinking that she may be able to cut a deal with the archmagus that will allow her to start the new house at Phoenix, sit on the council (which, as near as I can tell, is a separate beast than the "traditional" Mercere-don't-vote-at-Tribunal thingie; i.e. while they don't cast votes at Tribunal, there's not (to my mind, which hasn't read the Mercere section of the HoH: TL in a long while) any tradition to keep them from making their opinions/positions known and from politicking in whichever direction they want, and they would certainly (again, imo) want to have a voice in the running of their home covenant. I can't see a Mercere (Gifted or Ungifted) sitting idly by while the other magi of the covenant impose their will upon them without a squeak.
So, she's showing up, and is going to find out just what it is that Jaime is wanting. She will, quite naturally, object. There will probably be negotiations. Each side will have stances upon which they will not yield (Azura about letting her vote be cast at Tribunal...since, even if she's not the one casting it, it's still her sigil being used, and that would be the same as her casting it, which goes violently against her principles). I, personally, think that Azura should stay, negotiate with Jaime, and see what, if any, accord they can reach. It's quite likely that there may be other things Azura can do for the covenant and/or Jaime of an equivalent worth to letting him use her sigil at Tribunal next year.
I think it might be a good time to remind ourselves that Jaime Lannister and Cersei Lannister (and probably others) are not the characters from the books. They may share the name, maybe a few traits, but are not the characters. That works for me, since I've never read, I think, The Game of Thrones or whatever books they're from, never had any real desire to, and never seen the tv series that's based on it. So I can come in without any preconceptions.
And I think it might be a good idea for us to chill, because it's starting to feel a little warm in here 
TL; DR - I think it might be a little early to throw in the towel, toss a pretty neat character idea, and maybe walk away because things don't go exactly the way we wanted it to on the first day or two of posts. Give it time, rp stuff, and see what brews up.
All what Peregrine_Bjornaer said.
There are multiple ways that this can be resolved. I, as a player, know what my character is going to be asked to do, my character doesn't know it. It's going to be a big deal to him, but I put him in a corner to accept it. He's out of cash, got a family, provisions are low, it's 11 days back to Salamanca, and this is the best opportunity he has found so far. He has to accept, though he's not going to like it. I'm sure that other players have had similar issues for their characters to grapple with. This is the heart of rp.
I outlined one possibility to resolve the upcoming problem. It may have come off as being the only way, please don't take it that way, it's just a way I see now. As I think I said earlier, some people might see things differently. I think your characters offer some great story options for us. Yes, your character may be proud, yes, your character has convictions to not violate the traditions of her House, you have been presented a problem, how do you RP out of it. That's the fun part of the game.
Do not expect or want or even had the thought cross my mind to have two characters on the covenant council. The Redcap would want a voice regarding anything that would affect a potential Mercer House, but if she's promised total autonomy (that is, that any and all decisions concerning a Mercer House would be totally at Mercere's discretion) she'd be ecstatic.
Cool. I couldn't get a read on this.
Here's something else interesting from HoH:TL pg 82:
"For example, in the Iberian Tribunal, the Mercer House in Barcelona is known informally as Yuval’s, after the senior Redcap here, and it has a reputation among even the mundane folk as a wealthy and slightly sinister house of magic and vice."
If this is cannon or even present in the saga, it could be that you're sent here to establish some balance, perhaps Yuval is corrupt. Or, then again, maybe he died at the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.
Oh, we'd be corrupt too, just in different ways