Sorry to jump into the middle here. You guys tore through this while I was at work.
Vocis speaks up at some point... I can help with this. If I have arcane connections to the members of the expedition, I can teleport to one of them and teleport the injured individual back to Andorra. It's not as clean as your Intangible Tunnel idea Arachné, and I won't be able to transport more than two or three without exhausting myself, but it does spare us the time of inventing new high-magnitude spells.
Also, I have several spells that will allow me to communicate with the members of the expedition through arcane connections. This was my primary role during the Shadow Wars. I could contact a certain grog or other non-magus at specific times each day to maintain contact. The tricky part is allowing them to contact us, though I could enchant a device that would allow them to contact one of us in the event of an emergency. ((Would the Aegis block that if Vocis made the item?)) If the device is considered a short-term need, I could probably create several in one season.
I would also be nervous sharing arcane connections among ourselves. That and the ban against scrying on magi are the reasons I prefer to communicate through grogs. I do support Arachné's proposal in this case, though.
The old woman smiles
This is great news! Casting the Intangible Tunnel at such a high magnitudes is too much for this frail body too, but still, working together, we could do much in little time
IIRC, nope
A simple item creating words through an Arcane connection should be well within your abilities, and would do the trick. We only need to ensure the connection is to, say, a mirror, and not to a magus. We could install a stone pillar in the courtyard, from which we'd take arcane connections for this purpose. This means that, even if there's no magus present, there's a chance the guards and servants of the covenant will pick up any message left outside any preset time we would have agreed upon.
I'm leaning more toward an audible effect than a visual one. He smiles. If the pillar in the courtyard emits the screams of a thousand damned souls upon activation it should be hard for any of us to miss. At that point I can establish contact and we can take the necessary steps. Or the pillar could duplicate the voice of the items' user, greatly amplified. Or, as I said, I could create multiple options in a single season. Perhaps a loud emergency enchantment, another which displays written messages, and a third which allows verbal communication if I'm unavailable, though that one may keep me from doing all of this in one season. I'll need to investigate further.
A little tid bit on the side...
SOLOMON!!!
There is a ghost outside waiting to talk to you, so I can info dump all the information you guys require :mrgreen:
All of this sounds good You're the imaginem expert here, anyway, and I like how you approach these problems, so I'm confident that, whatever you do, it'll be fine.
Hearing the summons, Arachne will accompany Solomon outside.
The officer's name is Pishoy (stats not posted yet). He is in communion with Alexios the Herals, who in turn has the attention of Prince Keshan. For cosmetic purposes and fluf only, an apparition of the prince and herals are able to manifest along side the ghost of Pishoy. The prince begins toplead forhelp right away. In a dignified manner of course.
Hail sorcerers of his foreign land. I have come to plead for your assistance. To rescue my father from the clutches of the Malik of the City of Brass, to reseal him in his crypt under the Iron Tablet and the wards that protect him. So that he may guard the mundane realm from the depridations of the 'afrit. I am well prepared to reward you handsomely, with wealth and magic power and whatever you desire that I can provide.
Arachné joins her fingers, and look at the prince, a concentrated expression on her face
Hail to you, noble prince. We hear your plea, and sympathize with you. Having a loved one kept away from you is something I don't wish to anyone.
I won't lie to you, though, we are, of course, also interested by the rewards you're speaking of.
For all these reasons, we are ready to help you and your soldiers.
But we need to negociate first. What kind of magical rewards to you speak of?
Specifically, assuming we help you, would some of your soldiers agree to be bound in service to our covenant, in one way or another? In order to be clear, and for you and them to know what I'm talking about, this would be permanent, and with magical safeguards, but otherwise, they would be treated with the respect we give to any other habitant of Andorra. Maybe even more so, as they would have a very important role in our magical defenses.
Hmmm...
I am not sure if I should play it that the prince doesn't understand, or that he is shocked by your blood price yet is forced to accept and plot his revenge later.
I will play it as a misunderstanding and say he might agree to lend you seven soldiers for seventy-seven years to serve in your guard. Corpses included.
Solomon will be visibly upset/annoyed with Arachne's response. He was fairly certain they ahd already had this discussion and he had already said that binding the spirits was not acceptable. At a minimum there should have been a vote of the masters before bringing the topic up.
Summer of 1234 would probably be the best...it's the season that's most comfortable weather-wise for her, and if they can take grueling summer heat, then the spring slog should be a cake-walk. Would that count as a season of Practice (probably in Leadership)?
Did we ever decide whether this was right? (I don't remember seeing anything against it). If so, then Vibria would invent this in Winter of 1235 (since Winters are her "You are not getting me out of my nice toasty lab, are you crazy?" times).
And, in the meanwhile, since most of Vibria's arsenal is Rego-based, which thus requires aiming, she needs Finesse. Which she doesn't have. Therefore, Autumn of 1234, she would like to requisition A Delicate Matter (the Finesse summa). Do we have a list somewhere of what books are being used/requested when and by whom?
At the moment, all the Prince has agreed to is seven soldiers for 77 years, with a corpses included option (you will have to go to Egypt to retrieve them). If Arachne desired to bind them in a spell or item, and said item or spell is assured to expire or be cancelled by the end of the term, the Prince will wince but agree. A permanent forever binding will be met with begrudging agreement, and the Prince silently formulating plans to destroy you and/or forming an elite commando squad to liberate the soldiers.
I might suggest a similar yet alternative idea. If you are after spirits for binding, you may do well to remember that genies are all magic spirits. You are infiltrating a city full of them. The prince will gladly assist you in the capture of a few of them.
Leadership, Single Weapon, and/or Profession-Soldier. Or Teaching. Roberto will also spend a season teaching you (Spring), and this will be worth 10xp towards Leadership &/or Profession-Soldier.
As many as possible should participate, so we have this covered for future occasions. But specifically, I want to focus on a core group that can work well in combat along with Vibria and Roberto. Reviewing Lords of Men and [Grogs[/i], I am thinking on group structure, rotating positions of Leader/Vanguard, Fast Actions, tactics, spell casting, splitting groups, morale rolls, and such.
I am going to put together a suggested draft list that Roberto will propose and work out with Vibria during this time. I need a roll call of all Player characters intending to participate so I may take this into account.
Don't forget Fausto here. He doesn't just teach swordplay - he can also teach up to level 4 in Leadership, Ride, Survival, Teaching, and every fighting skill except Thrown (which he can teach to 3). The worst xp you get from him, assuming more than two students, is 13 per season.
I think there was talk at one point (several months ago) of Amada going along as a translator. If that's still the case, Vocis will send Liberto along too. I was also considering taking Bernhard if that's an option in Vulcanus's 'absence'.
I was also thinking of drafting Liberto as a sergeant.
As for Fausto, we need him training soldiers in single weapon almost continuously. In order to operate as a group, the spread between combat scores cannot exceed more than five points. It would be helpful if every soldier had a score of at least 5 in single weapon.
How many students can Fausto teach per season?
And as usual, after making my argument I change my mind and agree with you Maybe Teach a Leadership class that both Vibria and Roberto could benefit from, along with a few chosen soldiers.
Liberto's more scout and archer than sergeant. His Leadership is only 2. And now that I look at him, I see he has Motion Sickness, so sailing (or flying) to Egypt so he can ride on camelback for several hundred miles probably isn't the best idea.
He can train 20 students at a time, or 25 in Single Weapon, each of those getting 13 xp per season. How many grogs do we have?
Then I shall change my seasonal results for Spring and Summer.
Spring: Vibria, Roberto, and up to 18 others attend Fausto's Leadership class, gaining 13xp. I suggest Solomon and Arachne attends this class, along with other key members of the expedition (such as Arnau, Selim, Bernhard, Wen, a few soldiers, etcetera)
Summer: Fausto teaches a class in Single Weapon, attended by Vibria, Roberto, and the rest of the martial contingent. Each receiving 13xp and now able to participate within a Trained Group. This would include Bernhard, Alejandro, Guy, Vidal, Arnau and a few of his men (five?), and up to seven others yet to be determined.
Fall & Winter: Vibria and Roberto and others work on their intended projects. Fausto continues teaches Single Weapon to the soldiers in Fall, for a total of 26xp. This should be enough to raise everyone's score to 5. In Winter, maybe Fausto can take Vacation or teach another skill.
For Roberto's projects, we already decided on the Camel spell. He will also spend a season practicing Mastery of Howl of the Steel Weapons, raising his score to 2 nd choosing Flex-Touch as his new feat. Don't let the name fool you, it works on all metal not just steel. So in case we have to fight against enemies armes with, say, brass scimitars, we are covered. However, our main martial challenge will likely be nomad raiders. If we get into a major battle with a pack of 'afrit in the middle of the City of Brass, we will likely all wind up dead.
As explained OOC, she's asking, because this is interesting, but she doesn't want to force him, nor does she thinks she should decide on her own for the covenant.
=> He could say "no", she'd be perfectly fine with it, and he could say "yes" but her sodales "no, we want another price", she'd be fine too.
She'd like these, because she prefers to have willing allies and people you can talk to and befriend, just like she has Melantha (her Spirit Companion). That's all
I remember saying that the spell, IMO, shouldn't work as intended, but rather like being hit by heat and cold at the same time. I don't remember anyone else commenting on it, though (but I'm senile)
The list, check the magi planner on the wiki, it's there for this: If no one uses the book that season, go for it!
I dunno. Something seems off about the spell. Are you trying to invet air-conditioning? Perhaps a CrAu spell with PeIg requisites?
But I think the good ol' Ward against Heat & Flames should suffice.
You're the imaginem expert here, anyway, and I like how you approach these problems, so I'm confident that, whatever you do, it'll be fine.
Maybe Teach a Leadership class that both Vibria and Roberto could benefit from, along with a few chosen soldiers.