Should we just do yearly advancement for grogs? It seems like the way to go to get the right balance of seasons worked versus seasons free.
Seems sensible, yes.
OK, sounds good.
Also, you'll need to decide on Story XP's for the two characters involved in the Faerie Regio story.
Scott
5xp for the Faerie Regio, unless that seems deeply at odds with campaign standard.
Leon the Hunter, as well.
Patrick's Proposed activities:
1226:
Spring: Adventure ?+3 XP. After helping in Chapter 1 stuff, he'll go hunting/scouting the area for magic beasties and vis sources. Local Area Lore, with Independent Study XP going to Magic Lore. Corresponds with Quaesitor Certioari*, Sophos/new Cult Contacts. These correspondences are ostensibly about looking for magi who might trade Longevity Potions for hunting trophies, but the details about the possible trophies yield Correspondence XP to Magic Lore.
Summer: Reads Research Notes on the Aegis of the Hearth, by Notatus and others. Mastery tractatus on Aegis of the Hearth, quality 11. Downtime spent continuing to hunt, exploring the Delta region. Corresponds with Quaesitor Certioari*, cult contacts (any better suggestions from other PCs?).
Autumn and Winter: Reads Discipline and Restraint, by Amphelisia Tremendi. Rego summa, level 16, quality 15 for 1.5 seasons. Half season lost due to Servant of the River Delta duties. (Any suggestions for Correspondence XP going somewhere besides Rego?)
(That's number-fudging on a grand scale, btw. He can only gain half the summae's worth in the second season anyway.)
- Certioari, fillia of a prominent Queasitor of Iberia. The young Guernicus passed her Gauntlet five years after Patrick did, she initially approached Patrick because he was the first magus she had met (as a journeyman) who had a family and still acted like he loved them. She was worried about the obligations of Queasitorial duty getting in the way of finding a husband, and their early letters spoke much about child-rearing in a covenant. They lost touch during Patrick’s prolonged grief, but have recently begun corresponding again. Time has hardened both of them, and it is evident in their letters. (corresponded thus far in Intellego, Mentem, CoH. )
It's been far too long since I've looked at the cult info, so I need to look up who his cult contacts are.
1227:
Patrick needs a Longevity Ritual by the end of this year, so I'll need some input on how his efforts to look for one and find game to trade for it have been going before I can pick how he spends the year. In broad terms, he'll either focus on hunting for magic beasts, capturing and possibly taming them, to make good on his bargain, or he'll be reading the Creo and Corpus summae while desperately trying to acquire the resources to cast it himself (in which case, we'll be having a discussion about the effects of trying to add numerological Rego reqs for perfection of form, a la Scribe the Perfect Circle).
I had nominally claimed Miklos as my companion character, but had yet to use him.
Leon's XP will be spent on local language and area lore. Assuming no one wants to perform mental experiments on him.
Edit: Clarified things now that I've had some sleep. These changes are marked.
Actually, I just looked up our library and the rules for Aging & Longevity Potions. It doesn't seem like as big a risk as I thought, and in 8 seasons he can read through the Creo and Corpus books, bringing his Longevity lab total up to 44, which seems like a pretty respectable first LP, and only after one or two aging rolls.
So, revised plans:
1226
Spring: Adventure ?+3 XP. If any of the other magi are interested in a joint project, he'd like to continue draining the caves, hoping to find that rumored Stone Cutting Knife. Elsewise, he'll go hunting/scouting the area for magic beasties and vis sources. Local Area Lore, with 3 Independent Study XP going to Magic Lore. Corresponds with Quaesitor Certioari*, Sophos/new Cult Contacts. These correspondences are ostensibly about looking for magi who might trade Longevity Potions for hunting trophies, but the details about the possible trophies yield 1 Correspondence XP to Magic Lore.
Patrick will also get some livestock for the covenant from our village friends (probably have Leon do it), specifically poultry and some milking creatures (goats?). From my modern perspective, the poultry is most likely chickens. He'll get twice the number of chickens we need, and feed half of them with his Trough of Alterations to see what sort of mutants he can create -- while the possible source of vis is valuable, he's really looking for any interesting mutations which will breed true.
This means we'll need someone in the covenant to look after the animals. One of the unclaimed servants, perhaps? Or should we draft a local?
Summer and Autumn: Reads Principia Fabricata by Portia Verditii. Creo summa, level 9 quality 15, which will max out the book. Downtime spent continuing to hunt/explore, focusing on the Delta region (which hopefully fulfills his Servant of the Delta duties). While he corresponds, it is mostly a matter of seeking buyers and whatnot. Possibly, he gets 2xp of Correspondence (pun!) in either Latin or Prof(Scribe) -- given the quality of the book, the handwriting must be very impressive.
Winter: If there's no one else to do the casting, he'll read the Aegis Mastery tractus (or memorize a higher Aegis, if available -- his is 20) and cast the Aegis. If that's taken care of, he'll start on Blood and Tears, by Lacrimadia Bonisagi. Corpus summa, level 14 quality 14. Aegis/Corpus Correspondence with his new local Euclidean Cult contact, maybe? Distracted by Delta Duties, but not so bad as to affect his study totals. 12xp to Aegis Mastery OR 15xp total to Corpus.
1227: He spends all year reading Blood and Tears, and corresponding with his new Corpus buddy for 60xp. Distracted (no penalty to study) by Delta Duties. When the goats have their kids, Patrick will add the oldest males to his Trough experiments. (Originally, I said the youngest, but after doing some research, it seems like very few people like to eat old goat meat -- possibly, it might be easy for Patrick to acquire old, surly goats to experiment upon, on the cheap around here).
Looking into 1228: 1-2 seasons left on Blood and Tears. 1 Season, The Creation of Unnatural Objects in the Absence of an Ideal Form, by Plinius Bonisagi, Creo Tractatus, Quality 10. 1 Season, casting his own longevity ritual, when he'll need at least 8 vis.
Tangent: Did we ever turn on that Hypocaust? I'm pretty sure it's one of our Healthy Features.
Edit: calculated XP math
Oh, but it's sooo amusing.
Scott
I never read it as implying that it had to be associated with the magus' reading or research that season--only that it has to be associated generally.
Scott
For grogs, and companions for that matter, you don't have to take their seasons literally. I would like 4 seasons planned out a year, though, and the seasons distinct, so that if one season is displaced by a story, we know which XP's don't apply.
Scott
Miklos: Still waiting on input from Tasia on grog activities. But if we tell the grogs to only speak Latin from now on, it would be Local Area Lore (Source Quality 7), Teaching (exposure 2), Latin (Source Quality 8 until he gets to 5), Reading, to represent each year. Books might be the tractii on Ukraine Area Lore, and Code of Hermes ("It's a bit stuffy for my tastes," says Miklos. "Can we get another biography?")
Leon: If he can hunt with a local Kipchak tribe, then it's 4 seasons of Local Language (Source 8 * 1.25 Linguist = 10), and 4 seasons of Local Area Lore (Source 7). If he can't, then call it 4 seasons of Craft:Wood (Source 4).
....he says, in the one game where I'm not playing a Verditus lab rat.
Certainly planning to do companions and magi by season, but do we really need to do that for each grog? Just using the 15xp per year rule will probably work out to fewer xp than doing seasonal advancement with some missing seasons (and means we don't have to worry about placement of free seasons).
Here's my first draft:
Until we have a Redcap visiting with any regularity, we need someone to carry correspondence. Tasia, as the covenant's representative, volunteers to do this. Twice a season she will take a two-day trip to Constantinople. She'll make sure she periodically refreshes her arcane connection to the nearby location. Vrahos will help her find her way to the right spot in the city. She will hand things off to a Redcap and ask that they add the covenant to their list of places to visit now that their charter has been ratified. She'll also meet other Quaesitors briefly if she can. Her own correspondence will be with other Guernicas magi, especially from her cult, mostly addressing details of magical investigation, especially of spells and supernatural effects. She will also update our sponsors.
Tasia will call a short meeting in the summer to try to make sure everything is running smoothly and so the magi can nominate a mundane to run daily affairs. Whoever that is will have to keep her regularly updated, much more frequently than they might have expected. The next meeting she intends to call is for the next casting of Aegis of the Hearth.
Over the years everyone learns to steer clear of Vrahos's firing range. Everyone also learns that Tasia asks about nearly every detail of their lives at the covenant. She also keeps her ears out for any potential wives from the nearby village for the grogs. It would probably help morale as well as provide better connections.
1226
Spring: Tasia - Only adventured for a couple days total. Started setting up a guest lab. Correspondence in Magic Theory. (Magic Theory +5)
Vrahos - Started setting up Tasia's lab.
Summer: Tasia - Read Vim summa. Correspondence in Magic Theory. (Vim +15, Magic Theory +2)
Vrahos - Finished setting up Tasia's lab.
Extra 1: Vrahos - Using Vilano's Sling, by Maria Flambonis. (Finesse +8)
Autumn: Tasia - Read Vim summa. Correspondence in Magic Theory. (Vim +15, Magic Theory +2)
Vrahos - Added Lesser Feature: Monolith to the lab.
Winter: Tasia - Read Vim summa. Correspondence in Magic Theory. (Vim +15, Magic Theory +2)
Vrahos - Added Greater Feature: Monolith to the lab.
Extra 2: Vrahos - Practiced Finesse, tossing rocks around. (Finesse +3)
1226
Spring: Tasia - Finished setting up a guest lab. Correspondence in Magic Theory. (Magic Theory +5)
Vrahos - Practiced Finesse, tossing rocks around. (Finesse +3)
Summer: Tasia - Read Vim summa. Correspondence in Vim. (Vim +16)
Vrahos - Practiced Finesse, tossing rocks around. (Finesse +3)
Extra 1: Vrahos - Practiced Finesse, tossing rocks around. (Finesse +3)
Autumn: Tasia - Invented Pinprick of Mundane Silence (Wind of Mundane Silence at R: Sight, T: Individual, lvl.25). Correspondence in Magic Theory. (Perdo +2, Magic Theory +2, Spell Mastery: Pinprick of Mundane Silence lvl.25 +5)
Vrahos - Assisted Tasia in the lab.
Winter: Tasia - Practiced Spell Mastery: Pinprick of Mundane Silence lvl.25. Correspondence in Magic Theory. (Magic Theory +2, Spell Mastery: Pinprick of Mundane Silence lvl.25 +10)
Vrahos - Practiced Finesse, tossing rocks around. (Finesse +3)
Extra 2: Vrahos - Practiced Finesse, tossing rocks around. (Finesse +3)
If you want to do that for any grog you advance, it's fine by me, and 15 XP's is probably in the ballpark--if you assume two seasons of Exposure (2 each) and one season of Practice (4, usually), plus a story (5-10), you get 13-18. Mind you, if you have them learning Latin, or studying anything from a teacher, it's going to be a different story, and you probably need to take them season by season.
Scott
Callen, whilst I remember: I don't think Vrahos needs to spend any time setting up Tasia's lab - Portia's spell should create it ready to use, I think. Similarly, at the start of the period there aren't any rooms to put guest labs in which don't have labs ready to go already.
Gregorius is happy to accept Tasia's aid with letters. All of his are addressed to various Tremere, either at Apuseni or Gigas.
A few notes on connecting my backstory into the campaign:
Captain Federovski, Russian captain of the Lemma, who initially brought you all here, shows up frequently to see to the covenant's needs, and is always quick to offer to carry any correspondence or cargo for us. He seems to be aware of the Order, but isn't a part of it. (Actually, Federovski is a mundane member of the Cult of Euclid, and is keeping tabs on Patrick)
This may include Patrick's pen pal, Certioari (on subjects: In, Me, CoH). No details about her have really been established, beyond that she was once an idealistic Quaesitor who has hardened over the years.
Doesn't this end up being the Autocrat/Mason?
After the winter of 1226, Miklos will occasionally request additional biographies be added to the library, as he's read Igor Igorowich, and found the writing style intriguing.
Patrick offered to help clear the waters from the lower levels, but no one seemed interested, so he went off hunting. During the summer meeting, he offers to cast his lvl 20 Aegis, or master a higher version if one is obtained for his study. Of course, he's very focused on his pressing need for a Longevity Ritual.
How likely is it that Tasia applies this habit to Patrick, as well? Does she learn that he's haunted by the death of his wife and children? Would she try to play matchmaker for Patrick, Leon or Miklos? Any of the ex-lepers, for that matter?
How does Tasia react to Patrick's experiments with livestock?
That's correct; what will take time is "installing" additional Virtues.
Scott
I think the local language is Turkish (Kipchak).
Local Area lore I'm a bit more fuzzy on; possibly Don Delta Lore (which is what Theodoric has, together with Black Sea Lore), but I'm not sure whether that misses out a decent chunk of the surroundings.
It would probably be more correct to say Turkic (it's a family of languages--I don't know how divergent they were in the 13th century), but yes, it's Kipchak.
As for Area Lore, yes, Don Delta Lore would work, as would Aral Sea Lore, or something more local.
Scott
Gotcha.
Do we get 1xp from Correspondence or 2?
Also, gave my local cult contact a name: Proclus. Gave Patrick a cult name too: Damascius.
While looking over my character sheet, I realized that I have once again made the classic "gave him Compassion flaw" of playing him as a jerk. So I think I want to add a "Cynically Guarded +2" personality trait (he's still compassionate, he just doesn't want anyone to know!)
The rule from Covenants is one per season. Why two?
OK, those sound good. Where do they come from?
OK, that's fine. 
Scott