Do not mind about spoilers : I'll forget soon enough 
.
That's a good covenant. I really like it. 
I looke this map: alerock.wdfiles.com/local--files ... Scotia.JPG but i can't find Alerock on it?
BTW: superb map!
Edit: i'm not sure if it's the kind of thing you want us to help you with, but i thought about some magi we had IRL (and I used in other online sagas) which could fit. May I create their sheet with backgrounds and personalities (and characteristics?) for you to use them as NPCs?
Thanks. The map's actually one I did up for an old saga that needs updating. I'll put some extra ones up on the wiki that, while they don't point to Alerock, per se, show Ailsa Craig nice and clearly.
About the NPCs - it's a kind offer. I prefer to create my own characters whenever I can, but I'm increasingly pressed for time these days, and creating an experienced magus is not a project for the faint of heart. Send 'em if you've got 'em - I can always rejigger them to fit my particular needs.
In which season will the next adventure take place?
I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking summer (probably a companion-only or single-magus adventure) or autumn. I'll see what JeanMichelle wants to do over spring before I make any decisions.
In another online saga i manage, JeanMichelle seems to be back after a loss of internet connection... Just to let you know.
I know. He sent me a PM to let me know that he's catching up on his bedtime reading. Presumably he'll join us when he's done.
Eclecticon, on the wiki websites, we haven't as simple user rights to change titles of pages (rename) or delete pages. Thus, i couldn't arrange this page title: alerock.wikidot.com/huranus => the name i first used was the initial one of the character, but when writing his background, i modified it and it became Worrang ^^.
This is the first of the characters I can bring to improve the wiki content 
Okay, thanks. Without meaning to piss on your chips, would you mind sending characters to me in future rather than posting them straight up on the wiki? I might want to change things, merge characters, rename them etc. Putting them straight up makes them a bit too canonical to do that easily.
That said, I like what I see in Worrang (except the spell Vador's Grasp - that's definitely getting renamed ). Where did you get the name?
Ok no problem.
The name? it was just an invention that fitted with Northern name... perhaps subcounsciously, it's linked with the comic "Yoko Tsuno" which i read many times when i was younger and which had a title, in french, "Le feu de Wotan".... did i use this? merge it with "Rand'Al thor" and change the d for a g? No idea
Thanks.
Hey, while we're waiting for JeanMichelle, it occurs to me that we need to spend XP for the grogs. Do you want to pick three and advance 'em? Same deal as everyone else - 10 story xp to spend (I won't bother giving them reputations). I'm thinking that everyone except Sean should pick up a level of Animal Handling (cattle)...
I was just wondering if grogs are entitled to gain xps when time flows.
I'll update Sean, Rhys and Mad Anniss (saying Mad alone is weird ). Good idea for the animal handling part.
Edit: how do we do that? I see we can't edit your post : do we put it in a next post you will take in account or otherwise?
For now, just tell me where you want the xp put. In time, I'll stick their stats up on the wiki and you can edit them there.
Sean:
athletics (running) +5xp
single weapon +5xp
Rhys:
animal handling (cattle) +5xp
single weapon +5xp
Mad Annis:
animal handling (cattle) +5xp
single weapon +5xp
It seems accurate IMO.
Seems reasonable. I've done the same thing with Garvey, Gylmyne and Padraig. (Animal handling and Single Weapon, that is.)
With the covenant expenses, how much can we use to build and maintain a lab (that means upkeep)?
I have an idea for a lab for Keythleen but it would cost 36 pounds per year (it's a size +6 lab with 8 upkeep). Of course i can review it, but it's better to have correct numbers than to guess. I planned to invent some laboratory spells
(At worst, she will refine her existing lab.)
According to Metacreator's accounting goblins, Upkeep +8 doesn't break the bank (it does reduce an annual 35-pound surplus to 9 pounds). Size +6 is huge though, especially considering Keythleen's whacked-out Magic Theory score. Is there any particular reason she needs her lab to be that big? Bear in mind the fact that it's under tonnes and tonnes of rock, which doesn't necessarily take kindly to excavation...
Well in fact it was just preliminary calculation which allowed to start with virtues and flaws, then increase refinement and add virtues (and possibly huge magic items). Otherwise, each time i want to set up a new virtue i must use 1 season.. I'd prefer a "turn key lab" .
BTW, i created an excel file with the laboratory virtues and flaws to manage easily a lab construction. You can have it if you are interested : i just need an email adress. (I think i already have yours but can't find where it was written)
[size=50]
Edit:
here the lab of Keythleen (v1)
+1 auspicious shape
+1 extensives stores
+1 well insulated
0 dedicated building (since we are underground and separated by large quantities of rock, i assumed it's available)
0 superior equipement
0 superior tools
-1 missing equipement: items
-1 missing equipement: longevity ritual, teaching
-1 defective lighting
GQ 0 Safety +4 Upkeep +2, Health 0, aesthetics +1, warping 0, Size 0 (0), Refinement 0
Specializations: vis extractions +1, items +1, vim +1, rego +1
Then improvements:
FIRST SEASON of refinement
Size 0 (0), GQ 2 Safety +6 Upkeep +2, Health 0, aesthetics +3, warping 0, refinement 1
Specializations: vis extractions +1, items +1, vim +1, rego +1
Remove defectve lighting
Highly organized (roll is 1 then 5, for a total of 28)
SECOND SEASON of refinement
Size 0 (0), GQ 2 Safety +7 Upkeep +3, Health 0, aesthetics +3, warping 0, refinement 2
Specializations: vis extractions +1, items +1, vim +1, rego +1
Remove a missing equipement (items)
THIRD SEASON of refinement
Size 0 (0), GQ 2 Safety +8 Upkeep +4, Health 0, aesthetics +3, warping 0, refinement 3
Specializations: vis extractions +1, items +1, vim +1, rego +1
Remove a missing equipement (LR, teaching)
INVENTING A LAB ITEM
-
FOURTH SEASON : Opening the labroom (great room of stone) with 24 pawns.
-
FIFTH SEASON : Investing a Muto Vim effect : "The Art of Change"
The labtotal is 88 for now (normally, Jark would be at 3 in MT so 89)
(Int 3, aura 4, jarek 5, S&M 6, Muto 14x2, Vim 23, MT 15, Lab +4 (vim 1, GQ 2, items 1))).
Base is 25 (modify vim spells up to 15), touch, unlimited uses, = 40, in 1 season.
Description: within this room, all vim magic is, when the magus say it loudly, transformed according his will. This provide a +4 bonus to vim.
Take 4 pawns on 24.
Size 0 (0), GQ +2 Safety +8 Upkeep +4, Health 0, aesthetics +3, warping 0, refinement 3
Specializations: vis extractions +1, items +1, vim +5, rego +1
- SIXTH SEASON : Investing multiples Rego Vim effect: "suppressing the wizard's handiwork, maintening the demaind spell".
- suppressing the wizard's handiwork, level 20 (spell 10, unlimited)
- maintening the demaind spell, level 30 (spell 20, unlimited)
labtotal is = 103 (Int 3, aura 4, jarek 5 (or 6), S&M 6, Rego 19x2, Vim 23, MT 15, Lab +9 (vim 5, rego 1, GQ 2, items 1))).
With those 2 effects, the magus is able to stop and maintain any spell or effect he is working on, allowing him to work on multiple projects simultaneously. This provides +2 GQ, +1 vim.
Take 5 pawns on 20.
Size 0 (0), GQ +4 Safety +8 Upkeep +4, Health 0, aesthetics +3, warping 0, refinement 3
Specializations: vis extractions +1, items +1, vim +6, rego +1
- SEVENTH SEASON : « Stone bearers » (base 3), +1 complexe shape, +1 touch, +2 sun, +2 group, +1 size +4 constant = CrTe 34
labtotal is = 49 (Int 3, aura 4, jarek 6, S&M 6, Creo 10, Terram 0, MT 15, Lab + 5).
I'll need to improve terram and creo before going for this effect
Take 4 pawns on 15.
- EIGHT SEASON : invent effect: « Sorting » : (base 2), +1 complexity +1 stone, +1 touch, +2 room +2 sun +4 constant = ReTe 29
labtotal is = 59 (Int 3, aura 4, jarek 6, S&M 6, Rego 19, Terram 0, MT 15, Lab + 6).
Take 3 pawns on 11.
- NiNTH SEASON : invent effect: "what do i need" InMe 35
labtotal is = 51 (Int 3, aura 4, jarek 6, S&M 6, In 12, Mentem 0, MT 15, Lab + 5).
I'll need to improve intellego and mentem before going for this effect
Take 4 pawns on 8.
- TENTH SEASON : invent effect: "I do need this" (base 3) +1 stone, +2 voice, +10 unlimited uses, +3 linked trigger = ReTe 23
labtotal is = 59 (Int 3, aura 4, jarek 6, S&M 6, REgo 19, Terram 0, MT 15, Lab + 6).
Take 3 pawns on 4.
With the 4 last effects, the chamber of the lab is plenty of little supports with different sizes. On those, the maga can put all the excedent tools she doesn't immediatly need. After that, the supports move by themselves and climb the walls up to the ceiling. This gives the same impression as if the walls were loaded, in their heights, with lot of cupboards. When the maga need an item, she just have to think about it, and then, the support bearing it moves, the others supports let it go down (in a great ordained movement) and the item come almost in the hand of the magus working! The main advantage is the free space, gained by the shifting of the lab contents (from the tables and so on to the heights of the walls and to the ceiling). Besides, it's really fashion : the maga doesn't need to move in the lab: it's not her who goes to the item but the item that come to her! This gives freely the virtue "spacious" (+2 safety, +1 aesthetics), and bonuses +3 GQ and +1 safety.
Size 0 (0), GQ +7 Safety +11 Upkeep +4, Health 0, aesthetics +4, warping 0, refinement 3
Specializations: vis extractions +1, items +1, vim +6, rego +1
That will need a lot of times, but this worth the time : with a good lab, Keythleen will be able to change the world.[/size]
(edited to make the out of date text less bulky)
Aaah, Grasshopper, how quickly you forget!
So, I'm quite willing to say that the lab Keythleen set up after her first two seasons has a Refinement of 13 (why would you set up a lab that was less than the best you were able to create, after all?), and the following virtues:
- Auspicious shape
- Extensive stores
- Precious Ingredients (everyone's been getting this)
- Superior Construction (likewise)
- Superior Equipment (and again)
- Well-insulated.
I don't think Dedicated Building is appropriate, because the lab really isn't in its own building, just a part of a larger structure. There's no need to put in the initial flaws, and she can stick another 9 Minor virtues in (though Majors or enchantments will still take seasons of work).
Currently, the lab profile looks like this: Size +0, Refinement +12, General Quality +2, Upkeep +4, Safety +17, Warping 0, Health 0, Aesthetics +3. Specialisations are Vim +1, Extracting Vis +1, Longevity Rituals +1.
The picture I'm getting in my mind is a geometrically-shaped (pentagonal?) chamber that opens up on to the central well (for light and ventilation), but can be closed off by some heavy shutters and/or curtains. Several large chests hold additional equipment, supplies and vis, packed for long-term storage.
I knew i overthought about it, forgetting something which really mattered 
...
The lab shape seems good, and i like the pentagonal lab for a vim specialist.
For lab, do you "house rule" that the empty flaw doesn't exist?
Normally, when you refine, you gain +1 safety and -1 occupied size (and, if occupied size is >= 0 that means another +1 safety, has the positive occupied size decrease the safety).
edit: So for Keythleen, with 3 minor virtue and 12 refinement, (=> size is 0 (-9)), that means 4* empty, so -4 aesthetics (mandatory) and either -4 health or +4 upkeep... I will fill the lab quickly!
So, if i read correctly: this lab can be set with 2 seasons of work +2 seasons for the major virtues:
Size 0 (-1), GQ +4, safety +26, upkeep +6, health 0, aesthetics +8 (score is 3), warping 0, refinement +12; specializations: vim +6, vis extraction +1, teaching +2, {longevity rituals +1}
Virtues and flaws:
+1 auspicious shape
+1 extensive stores
+1 lesser feature : altar to Hermès/Mercury for ritual castings, developing
+1 well insulated
0 superior construction
+3 Greater feature : a summoning circle (1 season)
+3 palatial (1 season)
+1 living quarters
0 precious ingredients
0 superior equipement
0 inferior tools
Due to the specialization limitation of 2 activities bonuses and 4 arts, i'll remove the longevity ritual bonus, hence the braces.
NB: Is the equipement home made or not? on base of your example upkeep, it's not.
Keythleen has bring this matter at the Council after Girvan defensive adventure: buying specialist. A lab equipement/tool professional crafter is a good example of what she would like to have "at home".
Eventually, after creating the lab items (which will need 7 seasons and some arts improvement; total vis needed : 24 vis, 4 vis or muto, 5 vis or rego, 4 terram or creo, 6 terram or rego, 4 intellego or mentem.)