I'm Arya. I've been playing Ars Magica since a friend introduced me to it in... 2001? If you can't tell from my house rules, my sympathies lean towards Bjornaer (because I'm a hippie animal-hugger) and Mercere (because they're basically the Sicilian Mafia! and I love mobster movies).
I prefer to read low fantasy; you may find my storytelling style likely influenced by what I read, so my favourite authors: Scott Lynch (I wanna BE Locke Lamora when I grow up!), George R. R. Martin (yes, that's where "Arya" came from), and Joe Abercrombie.
Hi, all. Just wanted to introduce myself. Some of you have "seen" me before. I'm finally back to a time when I have a little more flexibility in my schedule and can return to the online world here. I'll be playing a forge-companion (companion-level character). I'll switch over to the appropriate thread for that.
Rhodri sent out a message via Redcap about a year ago. He is looking for someone who can make a relatively powerful longevity ritual for him in exchange for him opening an item for enchantment (preferably a weapon, which could be a quarterstaff). I'm not sure if anyone is good at longevity rituals. If you are, consider his proposal.
Your messages regarding longevity rituals has long since fallen out of my PM inbox. I don't guess you still have it in your Sent Messages to resend, do you...?
OOC: Just putting this out there...
If Valten is eventually accepted by this covenant, he will refuse to wear the color yellow. Indeed, he has his own clothing (black robes), and will refuse to wear anything else (and going unclothed is not an option).
This may be a sticking point, so it is better to sort it out sooner than latter
((He is highly unlikely to have his membership ratified then. Everyone else has to do it, and they'll be voting on Valten's membership status. Blame the frat hazing on the Tremeris who wrote the charter It's intended to be humiliating and embarrassing-- it's a test of character.))
Is an associate or guest status possible then? Here it is I who have painted myself into the corner, considering the personality and temperment of the character I created.
Guest hospitality is granted for no more than a year and a day (Tribunal mandate) and your pater was pretty explicit about what he wants you to do here. Alternately he could wear yellow robes whenever out and about on covenant grounds and Perdo Imaginem himself invisible... It'd fulfill the letter of the requirement without the embarrassment. You could probably even be invisible during covenant council meetings, though V's embarrassment about the yellow robes will probably draw more snickers and sneers than actually wearing them would.
It isn't about embarrasment. It is about maintaining dignity and respect. Mind you, I devised his personality before you ever mentioned this. But on top of that, no character played by me would ever-ever do this. It will be a breaking point. I really think you should reconsider. I mean, why is it amusing to you to humiliate junior members? It is just a bad idea. I, the player, will refuse to do this. Please reconsider. I like playing your game.
How far do you want the reconsideration to go? Do you want the charter to have been drafted by a different Quaesitor? Do you want Justinius to be retconned to not be a Tremere? Do you want Justinius' personality changed in a manner that suits you, and if so, how far do you want it to go? His status as a Quaesitor, the general dearth of Quaesitores in the Tribunal, Justinius' house affiliation and his marriage to a Tytalus, these are all points on which a lot of future plot points hinge. If you can't work with that then you're essentially asking me to run a completely different saga-- which I can definitely do, but most of my time and story planning will go into this one.
I should probably also mention that the yellow robes is an homage to Chris VanHorn, whom you might remember from the first GTA in Berkeley. I am reluctant, to say the least, to retcon bits that are associated with a friend I miss and still mourn.
No, not any of that. I understand that you have a vision and you want to stick with it. I run into similar issues in Andorra with accusations of power-gaming. Just realize that I was never warned of the humiliation requirements, and that this is an insurmountable roadblock. Valten will hang around until the other characters kick him out though, and let them vote as they will.
((I'm a little confused here as to why this seems such a sticking point. Wearing yellow robes (albeit ghastly ones) seems like a really minor in-game issue, one which is unlikely to cause much, if any, embarassment let alone 'humiliation' given my understanding of the world. I'm specifically thinking of the characters who are going about in the robes already and not facing any heckling and the like. Or if anyone is mocking them they're surely doing so well out of earshot. I would expect that with Valten's interactions among the covenfolk few would snicker or laugh at him, and certainly not to his face. Maybe Valten can see them as simply another thing he must do in order to accomplish his mission, "The good of the Order comes before my personal preference."? I also wonder - is he the kind that is capable of feeling humiliated? My impression is that he is the sort that would walk around naked to perform a task if needed and fully secure in the knowledge that he's doing his duty.))
Duty is just one of the many steps to fufilling ambition.It is not a goal in and of itself. Valten is selfish
Thought up a compromise. Valten will incorporate a wide gold stripe into his robe. Yellow and Black Attack! If anyone complains that it is not fully yellow, I will consistently deny it and that that it is. A lie repeated enough times becomes the truth.
((Is it OK to cast spells on the robes by the Covenant rules? Cause if it is, then Valten can avoid any moral issues by using a PeIm effect on the robe (instead of himself). Wearing invisible robes over his black ones would make no difference in the way he looks. This way he can keep his pride while following the Covenant rules.))
((Clever, but Justinius' legalese was legendary. Valten could PeIm to make both himself and the robes invisible, or he could be wearing only yellow robes which are then PeIm'd to be invisible such that he appears naked, but appearing to be out of uniform would invalidate his provisional membership. The only exceptions are within one's own sanctum, and on a few certain days of the year (various holidays with dress codes).))
It's intended to be humiliating and embarrassing-- it's a test of character.))