Is there something the rest of us should be doing for the season that would help?
Any other spells that might be helpful to make? Do we have any ward spells among us?
Ward Spells are a good idea. What about an invisibility spell that could cover our campsites?
So I'm taking it that our plan right now is to hand out in Sousse for a couple of seasons?
If your lab total is 21 and we don't have magic aura and only at best somewhere of no aura. You might need two lab assistants to get the +9 needed to invent the spell. I mean Sekhmet could at best give you +8 and her delusion would interfere with being help in the lab
Maybe there is someone with better, especially since perhaps sekhmet could be better used as quality 8 arabic teacher (3 base - 1 com +6 for one student) for someone that has no arabic at all. (She will get exposure xp in teaching)
We will not need a fire at night as long as we have tents. Since casting while not under stress (just relaxed and calm) is a simple die, Sekhmet can heat everyone's tents to a comfortable level without fatigue (just walk around came and cast at each one) so that the cold desert inghts won't bother us.
Sekhmet can also basically transport our cooking fire from place to place. We have breakfast, She casts trapping the fire on the fire, carry it to evening cap. After dinner, She then cast it again and it is a gem again until dawn and time to prepare breakfast after cycle begins again.
Lamp oil too is unnecessary, esp if you flatter her. Just bring her a lantern and she will put a light in it for sun duration.
I'd love to have some wards, but I have no idea what we're warding, which means that we're drawing lots of fragile circles in the dirt for every possible occurrence except the one that actually happens.
I would suggest that we invest more in invisibility, as Akoe suggests, or some other defensive magic that will engage multiple types of assailant.
A whole camp of invisible grogs that can't see each other is not as good of a strategy as you might think. Since it would be night no one would be able to see anyone or any part of them (not even their shadow). It might be better if only a few were invisible, providing cover for us and standing guard.
An illusion that those outside our camp sees nothing might be better. Cr Im rather than Pe Im.
Valerius could do useful things in the lab but his appreciation for the long dark hours of the night could very well be ill suited to fit with anyone else. Valerius could spend the season either practising Magical lore (i.e. exploring the regions population of magical spirits) or reading a tome. Both the area lore and Arabic would be useful. If we had more than one lab things would be different. For now I think that Valerius should be learning Arabic as it is useful both in long and short term.
I'm also Nocturnal. Would Valerius consider assisting me with invention of the spell?
Do we currently have a lab already set up? I thought it took a season or so to do.
Valerius can work as a lab assistant but yes perhaps we need to construct one. Valerius could do that and at the same time scout for a location that could be used. It could be troublesome to first find a location, then construct a lab, then invent spells and finaly go to the location needed. Should we not try to get to the location that we are heading for and then set up labs and so forth.
It sounds like we are setting up a temp lab here at base to invent a camel control spell, to come back to investigate items we find and other uses until we find a permanent site. Thus taking two seasons to prepare.
2 seasons for 2 mages: one to set up lab, 1 to invent camel control spell.
Sinmore: two seasons to forge a turb
Sekhmet could be a quality 5 teacher of arabic (level 1) for someone one season letting them get quality 8 from practice the next season. We could also send out some short expeditions or get area lore for this base city these first couple of seasons (and thus learn of legends, maybe rumors, find out something of that pirate captain, etc...).
Since Sekhmet is a native speaker of Arabic, she might be best suited to learning the lore of this area (if she doesn't know it already) after teaching the rest of the magi Arabic to lv. 1. The other magi will get practice Arabic or other useful tasks.