I didn't think there were any outstanding issues. Am I wrong about that? I was waiting for more input.
Hey all, new guy here, just got the go-ahead from MTKnife to jump in! I've got a few character concepts I'll be floating over in the Character Development in a few minutes, and would love your thoughts/suggestions.
In my role as Topic Policeman, I'm moving all of the dicsussion of character concepts into "Character Development", so that it will be easier to find later on.
Hey, so I've got a new guy[sup]TM[/sup] question. Are we using The Sundered Eagle (the Theban Tribunal book) as a resource/reference at all, and if so, how much?
I ask because I'm curious if I'm wasting my time looking at it too much. Some specific things in there that might affect us would be that it states that the "standard" language for Theban magi is actually Classical Greek, not Latin. Some magi (mostly those who've immigrated from other tribunals) use Latin for their magic, but magi from the Theban tribunal use Classical Greek, and may not speak Latin at all. This is important since my Criamon will be from the Theban Tribunal and trained there.
Also, the idea of a covenant patron (a spirit or faerie or some other creature with Might) seems quite prevalent. In fact, in the section about forming a new covenant, it is one of the three proviso's required the be recognized as a covenant (the others being a specific purpose for the covenant and a charter reviewed by some Tribunal council).
I've created my character to speak Greek under the assumption that Greek is the language used by the Thebes Tribunal. (He also speaks Latin, but that's besides the point.)
As for your question about covenant patrons ... I have no idea. I'm not much less new than you are.
Prince of Boredom: We are using the Sundered Eagle, although certain points of the political system are being downplayed - in particular, vis still has more value to magi than implied by that book. Tokens and shards still exist (I think - there's never been a piont at which they'd haver been relevant, so they haven't actually appeared in play).
The covenant is being somewhat tardy in formally appointing a covenant patron, but the requirement to do so does exist (Viola has a plot thread going at the moment which may result in the creation of a suitable faerie).
Classical Greek is still the language of the tribunal, although the NPC is the only magus currently at the covenant who speaks it (and then only via the Gift of Tongues virtue), so you'll need an interpreter if you don't know Latin (this shouldn't be too hard, as the covenfolk are largely greek).
Various of the covenfolk are defined as having being gifted by the canonical covenants, and we've visited a couple more of them on an adventure, so in general they can be assumed to exist. In addition, there's a non-canonical covenant "Haunted Springs" in the Crimea which Viola has lived at in the past.
MTKnife can confirm if there's anything I've missed/got wrong.
I think we said that Greek is the language of Hermetic society in Thebes, but that magical writings are usually in Latin. Aside from my own objection about realism (a tribunal that read only Greek would cut itself off from the bulk of Hermetic books), I think the real sticking point was having to worry with a library that most of the magi couldn't read half of--and I don't see any notes in the library section about books' being in Greek (though arguably a couple of the Ability texts probably should be).
Scott
Do we know if the previous covenant here had a patron? And if so, who/what it was?
We hadn't raised that question yet, but we can say the old covenant hadn't found one yet, and so had held a provisional status.
Scott
That reminds me - do we want to formalise the vis situation for non-members as a houserule?
(My personal take on it is something along the lines of "Non-members receive X pawns per year from an alternative source. This will usually be their home covenant, but could be something different with troupe agreement. This vis income should be expected to cease upon taking up membership of Nova Castra.")
And if the rule had been written when my character was created his background would be different. Then the idea of tweaking my background is rejected. I do not want my character to have to beg/arrange to get the same compliment of vis as other characters, and absolutely do not want to be spending seasons doing activity just to get it. At least writing the rule will make sure nobody else is affected by this.
Write the rule up, sure. I'm about as angry about it as I can be and still write in a civil manner. I cannot see a player opting to be homeless in their background with this in place, and perhaps could be measured against the Personal Vis Source as a Flaw.
I did not know that. I assumed that when I left, they stopped paying me.
And sorry for opening up a can of worms with my comment.
So I was going to start making up Godwin. And before I did, I wanted to know, do companions go up season-by-season, or do they get a flat number of xp per year?
That's why I suggested the "or an alternative source agreed by the troupe" approach - it doesn't have to be another covenant.
I think in your case I suggested previously that as an alternative he could have established a legal title on one of the covenant's old vis sources after it fell (witht he vis getting to him via the Mercere) - does that not work for you? It makes it slightly harder to justify him losing it later if he joins Nova Castra as a full member, although we could probably fudge some requirement about him still technically being a magus of the Stonehenge tribunal.
If you don't like that approach, happy to listen to other suggestions.
Maybe he had title to a vis source at his old covenant for a limited period of time, that period of time coincidentally expiring if and when he joins Nova Castra. 
I did mine season by season, but you can do it however you like.
Scott
Obviously, since we keep having this happen, I'm not making the premise of the saga very clear.....
Aside from the starting PC"s, the norm is that magi are visiting--not homeless, not "in transition", but visiting form another covenant. Thus, they have vis incomes from their home covenants. You really, really, truly do not need to create a character background that explains why your PC fled from/was driven out of/migrated from another Tribunal: you're here because you wanted to explore the new area. You didn't pick up and move from your old home: it's still your home. You're just on a business trip/temporary deployment, or vacation/holiday.
That does not in any way imply that you can't create a homeless magus, who hopes eventually to join Nova Castra. But that's not (supposed to be) the norm, and so it requires a special arrangement, such as making a deal with Nova Castra to perform service in exchange for vis.
Scott
As I think I've said before, I don't understand this objection: the members all have to do service to the covenant. Indeed, that's what the Tribunal sent them here to do. If you don't believe me, check the advancement logs for Gregorius and Viola.
What I don't get is why you opted for a homeless magus in the first place: there's nothing in the posted background that suggests new PC's would be homeless; by contrast, the background doest refer to visitors from other covenants. The fact that you and Trogdor both had this misunderstanding does however suggest that it's not just an idiosyncratic one, though I suspect it comes from assuming that new PC's will be handled in this saga like they're handled in every other saga that takes on new players.
Scott
I'd rather not handwave, but rather work out for each magus where the vis is coming from; it's even possible that visiting magi may need to provide some sort of service to their home covenants in exchange for vis. I would however be happy to put in a note to the effect that everyone will somehow get vis.
Scott
Yes MEMBERS have to do service, fine. Guests without membership having to barter/sell themselves to get the same vis that another Guest PC does with zero effort is the issue.
Fray in this case is a guest. You are suggesting that he spent seasons in the same manner as a member? Fine, then make him a member. i tried to introduce an option for partial-membership that and it was rejected.
It is unbalanced. This "homeless" status is something that I've never contended with before, is way off kilter for a "vanilla" saga, and it seems others are not familiar with it either.
I agreed with Salutor's resolution for Fray - that the cov wasn't actually destroyed and a vis source remains. You rejected that too. I liked that concept for MY character, and you're resisting it.
Yes indeed. Adjustments like this are part of the introduction phase, and my issue has never been resolved. It wasn't defined up front, and the rules are still changing as the House Rule is being considered.
Fair play indicates that flexibility is needed.
And this is another change. Guests previously didn't need that effort. It is a really good idea and makes sense in the setting.
I understand you're working this out as we go along; but consider/imagine that your character was disadvantaged by something that was undefined. You'd be looking for clarity and raising the issues just as I am. Perhaps to understand my objections you need to consider the issue from the perspective of a new player, not a SG with an existing alpha character.
Because it sounded dramatic. For a story element, that is all. It certainly was not made with the understanding that this would occur, and if I had the time again with the information I now have it would never be written that way.
is the outcome going to represent the effort of the season spent plus the vis? I think this is a far more complex way to settle the balance.
You are better saying that each PC gets x/year, let them define where and what.
Then if the PCs choose to become members, or if they choose to spend time for NovaC then that happens independently.