Ramons ex Mercere (Player: Halancar)

[Halancar]

Ramons ex Mercere

Ramons was born the bastard son of Roger II Trencavel, who was the Viscount of Carcassonne, Béziers, Razès, and Albi, who died in 1194, making Ramons the half brother of Raymond Roger Trencavel, Viscount of Carcassonne, Béziers, Razès, and Albi from 1194 until 1209 when he was killed by the crusaders of the Albigensian crusade. Ramons' mother, Azalais de Porcairagues (although she has by 1209 changed her name a few times as her apparent youth would otherwise excite comment) is a Redcap and a trobairitz (female troubadour), but mostly a trobairitz: she discharges the strict minimum duties required of Redcap while travelling among the noble courts of southern France. The fact that she is a blood descendant of Mercere as well as a gifted singer and composer, popular with House Jerbiton, gives her considerable leeway in that matter.

Ramons was tested for the Gift soon after birth, and found to have it (and the Gentle Gift at that). His mother entrusted his education to a Mercere House and promptly forgot about him. Ramons was raised by the House with the full expectation that he would enter his apprenticeship as soon as he was ready and a suitable master could be found. This occurred in 1185, and 8-year old Ramons was apprenticed to Herminius ex Mercere, a descendant of Priamitus, first apprentice of Mercere. Like his ancestor Herminius was a member of the Cult of Mercury. Ramons did not follow in those footsteps (or at least not yet), but he did inherit a great curiosity regarding the nature of God and gods and their effect on auras. After his Gauntlet, in 1200, Ramons started traveling around Southern France and Spain, investigating and cataloging the divine auras in churches, mosques, and synagogues. His quest led him to the Cathars and their churches.

He became personally curious about their doctrine, and was heard to publicly agree, on several occasions, with their denunciations of the excess and abuses of the Catholic Church (through he never spoke publicly on matters of doctrines), in particular with the practice by nobility of dumping younger sons in 'monasteries' where they led luxurious lives, in private houses, openly living with concubines. When the Albigensian crusade went under way, his parens suggested, quite firmly, that young Ramons should go investigate something new, preferably a long way away from the fighting. Ramons traveled to the Loch Leglean Tribunal, and jumped at the chance to investigate the Edinburgh regio.

Although he has never publicly broken with the Roman Church on matter of doctrines (and he has been baptized), Ramons has in fact concluded that the Church is no more (nor less, for that matter) right in its teaching than the other monotheistic religions and all their offshoots (including the Cathars). That makes Ramons an heretic and possibly excommunicated under the blanket excommunications of the Cathars (this point is debatable, but he would be excommunicated as soon as his particular views became known anyway). Hopefully Scotland is far enough that no-one will find out if he can just keep his mouth shut.

1177 Birth of Ramons, in Beziers
1185 Start of Apprenticeship, under Herminius ex Mercere
1200 Gauntlet
1200-1208 Ramons travels through Southern France and Spain
1209 Fall of Beziers, Ramons leaves for Scotland

Character: Ramons | Decrepitude: 0(0) | Warping:0(0) Player: Halancar | | Age: 33 Size: 0 Confidence: 0(0) | | ------------------------------------| | Birth Name: Ramons | | Year Born: 1177 | | Gender: Male | | Race/Nationality: Occitan -------------------------------------------- Place of Origin: Beziers Height: 5'6" Weight:110 lbs Religion: Christian / Theist Hair: Dark Eyes:Brown Parens: Herminius ex Mercere Handedness: Right

CHARACTERISTICS Intelligence: 2 Perception: 0 Strength: 0 Stamina: 0 Presence: 1 Communication: 2 Dexterity: 0 Quickness: 0

[code]ABILITIES SPECIALTY SCORE XP
Langue d'Oc Poetry 5 75
Latin Hermetic Usage 5 75
Scots Edinburgh Dialect 3 30

Artes Liberales Ceremonial Magic 2 15
Charm Courtly Love 2 15
Church Lore Personalities 1 5
Code of Hermes Redcaps 1 5
Concentration Spell Conc. 1 5
Dominion Lore Auras 2 15
Etiquette Court 2 15
Finesse Vim 1 5
Folk Ken Nobles 2 15
Islamic Theology Heresies 1 5
Jewish Theology Heresies 1 5
Magic Lore Regiones 1 5
Magic Theory Vim 6 105
Order of Hermes Lore Merceres 1 5
Parma Magica Mentem 3 30
Penetration Vim 1 5
Philosophiae Ceremonial Magic 2 15
Ride Speed 1 5
South France Lore Geography 3 30
Spain Lore Geography 2 15
Theology Heresies 2 15[/code]

VIRTUES | FLAWS Affinity with Magic Theory minor, general | Ability Block (Martial Abilities) minor, general Affinity with Vim minor, hermetic | Compassionate minor, personality Educated minor, general | Dark Secret (Heretic, Theist) major, story Enduring Magic minor, hermetic | Deleterious Circumstances (Public) minor, hermetic Gentle Gift major, hermetic | Hatred (Crusaders) minor, personality Hermetic Magus free, social status | Low Self-Esteem major, general Puissant Creo house, hermetic | Puissant Vim minor, hermetic | Skilled Parens minor, hermetic | Special Circumstances (In Private) minor, hermetic | The Gift special |

PERSONALITY TRAITS SCORE | REPUTATIONS TYPE SCORE XP Curious 3 | 0 0 Lecherous 1 | 0 0 Humble 3 | 0 0

ARMOR SOAK LOAD

WEAPONS INIT ATK DFN DAM LOAD RANGE Dodge 0 0 Fist 0 0 0 0 Kick -1 0 -1 3 Dagger 0 2 0 3 0

FATIGUE PEN RECOV | WOUNDS PEN RANGE Fresh X | Light Wounds -1 1-5 Winded 0 2 min | Medium Wounds -3 6-10 Weary -1 10 min | Heavy Wounds -5 11-15 Tired -3 30 min | Incapacitated 16-20 Dazed -5 1 hr | Dead 21+ Unconscious 2 hr |

MAGICAL ARTS TECHNIQUE SCORE XP | FORM SCORE XP | FORM SCORE XP Creo 9+3 45 | Animal 0 0 | Ignem 0 0 Intelligo 5 15 | Aquam 0 0 | Imaginem 0 0 Muto 5 15 | Auram 0 0 | Mentem 0 0 Perdo 5 15 | Corpus 5 15 | Terram 0 0 Rego 5 15 | Herbam 0 0 | Vim 20+3 210

SPELLS

Purification of the Festering Wound, CrCo 25 (+17), Touch/Moon/Ind
Gives a +12 to recovery

Map the Divine Aura, InVi 5 (+28), Touch/Sun/Ind
For the duration of the spell the caster knows the strength of any divine aura he is in.
Base 2, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, Ind

Sight of the Active Magics, InVi 30 (+29), Per/Diam/Sight
Can see spells as auras around people and things
Mastery 1(5) : Quiet Casting

Masking the Odor of Magic, PeVi 30 (+29), Touch/Sun/Ind
Hides the detection of a magic spell or of magic in an object or being by InVi of less than level 55
Mastery 1(5) : Quiet Casting

Unraveling the Fabric of Vim, PeVi 30 (+29), Voice/Mom/Ind
Cancel the effect of any one Vim spell of level <= 40 + SD (no botch)
Mastery 1(5) : Fast Casting

Aegis of the Hearth, ReVi 30 (+33), Touch/Year/Bound
Protects an area against magic
Mastery 1(5) : Magic Resistance

Maintaining the Demanding Spell, ReVi 30 (+28), Touch/Diam/Ind
Maintains a concentration spell that's already cast for Sun, limited to lvl 25
(learned at age 30 in three seasons of lab work)

Wizard's Communion, MuVi 20 (+28), Voice/Mom/Group
Cooperative Spell Casting
(learned at age 30 in one season of lab work)

Invocation of Weariness, PeCo 20 (+11), Voice/Mom/Ind
The target looses one fatigue level
Mastery 1(5) : Magic Resistance

[Zaubersberg]

Looks fine to me.

[Thumper]

Cool.

His mother entrusted his education to a Mercere House and promptly forgot about him.

That's got to sting.

[Halancar]

Less than if she had kept him with her and then ignored him. At least this way he had dedicated surrogate parents and uncles and aunts (every redcap who ever stopped by).

Oh, and since the ST doesn't have the House book yet, here are a few snippets releants to Ramons' background, including why his mother got away with neglecting her redcap duties and abandoning her child, and why Ramons was raised in a Mercere House in the full expectation he would become a magus (including early lessons in Latin via the Educated virtue, and getting the best available parens).

The Gift is extremely rare in House Mercere, more than any other House. This is because the Founder set a precedent by only taking his own Gifted children as apprentices, and presenting all other potential students he discovered to Bonisagus and Trianoma. This tradition still survives.

Redcaps are held exempt from this requirement, as the only clear qualifications by which Mercere chose his unGifted followers were their dedication and loyalty to the House, though Redcaps who have the House in their blood are often accorded special favor and respect, and of course their Gifted children are highly sought after by Mercere magi.

All told, there are usually about 150 Redcaps in the Order of Hermes, with at least ten living in each Tribunal, compared to about twelve Gifted Merceres in all of Mythic Europe.

Mercere had already taken his first apprentice before the Order formed, and had begun teaching the boy his secrets when Trianoma approached him. His new duties in the years that followed meant that his apprentice was given very sporadic lessons, and encouraged to develop on his own or accompany Mercere while traveling. After the Founding, Mercere established Harco and spent more dedicated time helping his follower with his studies, soon declaring the young man a new magus. It was his duty, he was instructed, to serve the new Order as he had served Mercere, and after swearing the Oath he was named Priamitus: last of an ancient line and first of a new one.
The first follower of Mercere held his ancestors in great awe. Priamitus had little interest in carrying messages, but the old gods fascinated him; as a child he believed his Gift was a blessing and a curse, a sign of heavenly favor and great responsibility, and while traveling with Mercere he came to realize that because of his Gift, when he asked the gods for aid, they listened and responded. As a new magus, he returned to many of these places where legends say the gods had once walked the earth, and he learned much about the ancient rites of worship he practiced. He came to see it as his duty to become a priest of the Cult of Mercury, a new leader of the old order, and returned to Harco to begin this great task.

Magi of House Mercere do enjoy several special privileges. They receive preferential status when Redcaps hire magi to make magic items or longevity potions — these contracts always go to Mercere magi if they are interested. Likewise, they can order and purchase these items, just like Redcaps. They may borrow up to 10p of vis from their House without paying interest, or exchange vis at no additional cost. [...]
While Mercere magi are not discouraged from voting at Tribunal, they usually abstain to avoid appearing superior to the Redcaps. [...]
All Mercere magi spend at least one season every seven years traveling and carrying messages as the Redcaps do, to keep the proper sense of perspective and humility, and at all times they try not to make it obvious to others that they are wizards. [...]
In some ways, the House makes Mercere magi feel almost ashamed of their Gift. There is a common taboo against spellcasting in the House; many Merceres believe that magic should be performed behind closed doors, or with invested devices like Redcaps do, and thus Mercere magi often prefer to forgo words and gestures or use small objects that they seem to “activate” when they wish to work magic in front of others. Deleterious Circumstances (in public) and Necessary Condition (casting tools) are appropriate Hermetic Flaws for Mercere magi taught to feel guilty about their magic.
The House has few sexual taboos, however. Because the Gift manifests so unpredictably and apprentices from within the House are preferred, all Merceres are strongly encouraged to have as many children as possible, whether married or not, and thus they have a reputation for promiscuity. All Merceres, especially the women, begin having children at young ages, as they are generally expected to have at least one child before they make or commission their longevity rituals. These many children are raised at covenants or in Mercer Houses, and those born with the Gift are treasured