question about the verditius

[callen]

@kingreaper

Initiating Verditius Magic without casting tools is like initiating Mercurian Magic without the need for ceremonial spontaneous spells; in both cases the downside isn't a flaw you gain, it's just part of the standard virtue.

Good point!

Hmm... The statements in HoH:MC seem to disagree with this even though what you say is quite true about the Virtue.

[kingreaper]

From my PoV there are two likely explanations for the whole Embrace of Boethius thing:

1. Verditius Magi aren't willing to take any chances, and don't really want outsiders joining, so they perform that ordeal even though it may not be necessary.

Everything in the text seems to point to this being the case.

and/or

2. Verditius Magic is actually a major virtue bundled with a 2-point flaw (Major Flaw: necessary condition [casting tools] with the Minor Flaw: spontaneous casting tools stripped out). The act of Opening the Arts as a Verditius mage inflicts the 2-point flaw, which counts as an ordeal for the initiation of Verditius Magic in the following season.

From a simulationist perspective this seems to be very likely.