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
I thought it was 1. I must have made a math error while browsing another game.
Proclus is mentioned in the wikipedia article on Euclid:
Damascius, I found in the wikipedia entry on Proclus, under the heading of those he influenced.
I had some rather verbose reasons for picking them, as I had consumed the better half of a bottle of rum at the time, but the precise logic now escapes me.
Any suggestions on what Mastery ability Patrick should get for Aegis of the Hearth? The ones in the MRB don't seem particularly useful for rituals, except perhaps Penetration.
Wards don't need to penetrate in this saga anyway. I'm not sure there is anything really very useful in the available options
You might propose something that could work, if none of the standard things makes sense.
Scott
Well, the following mastery abilities are interesting to me, specifically vis-a-vis the Aegis. It seems really obvious that there'd be mastery abilities specific for rituals, and possibly even specifically for Aegis. There's probably a good idea for something somewhere in here.
First, I'm surprised that this is a special rule. I would have thought it was the standard. But I'd be really surprised if the Cult of Mercury were the only ones to look for this discovery, or even find it.
The idea of a mastery ability that allows you to add Mastery + (Another Ability) to the effective level of a spell seems very useful for rituals. Especially if we're talking about Aegis of the Hearth and Cult Lores.
A mastery ability which allows you to increase the Range of a Boundary Ritual through vis seems like a really good one for Aegis. Obviously, you don't want to duplicate a Mutantes ability exactly, but a lesser version of this, limited to rituals and ranges, could conceivably be in general circulation.
Actually, I may just take this for Aegis as it is....
I could see some utility for a mastery ability that caused ritual spells to be "stealthy," and less obviously mystical in some way.
Do wards even need to penetrate in this saga?
Amul, half those Mastery options don't work that way, and half the rest don't with a non-penetrating Aegis. The best ones for a non-penetrating Aegis seem to be:
Adaptive Casting (Mercurian)
Imperturbable Casting
Lab Mastery (Mercurian)
Stalwart Casting (Mercurian)
Chris
Ah, I see now.
Yes, I find it quite annoying how few good options there are for rituals, too. At very least opening up some of the Mercurian ones such as Adaptive Casting and Lab Mastery to everyone could help a lot.
Chris
But that blunts the value of belonging to that secret society, so I was thinking that maybe similar breakthroughs had been developed that were not as powerful.
Do any of the suggestions I gave above seem preferable? Is there any more background to the author of the mastery tractus in the library that might impact our choice?
It's not even a secret society. And all their stuff is also known to a true Mystery Cult: the Neo-Mercurians. Besides, that still leaves them a number of their own things. It's not like you give up anything to get all those goodies if you're a member, unlike in many situations where you need to pick up a virtue first.
Chris
Um...sure. Just as soon as someone defines "overpowered," "moderate powered" and "under powered" for me in this saga.