I like the option where Alexei doesn't get killed...accidentally or not.
I like this idea. That mentor flaw of mine comes in very useful for generating story hooks. Indeed, stumbling onto these hooks you guys have in play, that seems like a very logical approach with some savory potential.
They will wind up making me angry, and they won't like that very much
That may depend on who the new Primus is and how much respect Roberto has for him 
More great story potential
Just read Roberto, very cool character and great history. He and Alexei would get along famously...or hate each other. The similarities in outlook they have lead to those two outcomes IMO.
Having said that, Alexei is the champion from the last Tribunal joust, it certainly could be feasible they'd meet on the field and possibly have outsiders try to manipulate the results.
As it is, I'd love to see the two have some sparring sessions. 
It's pretty simple in design, complex in execution. I read through several sagas and noticed the glacial pace at which stories movie, and typically it was the result of a player being out of action for a period of time. So the way I mitigate that is give every magus a starring role in their own stories. Other magi can come into a story, but if they don't participate, I don't have to feel guilty about moving action along while waiting for their input. The star of the story moves it along. So, I have several stories going on concurrently and then also a thread for interaction between the players which can happen at any time the players choose for it to happen. I have a lot going on to juggle, but that's my burden and it isn't necessary for any of the players to be involved in more stories than they think they can handle.
I'd like to detach him from Novus Mane more completely...maybe he's tired of being under orders? And after Marcus disappears from Mons Electi, they are in some need of an ignem specialist, or at least someone who can toss ignem well, if they go up against the Jotun.
No, I killed him off. Guernicus hit squad. On that night, Apollodorus was murdered, Garus was murdered, and Harco attacked with Prima Insatella almost murdered. As a result of killing him off, I had intended to do a whole big affair (it's past) electing the new Prima, Ariel. However elements of that story didn't work out very well, and it was shortened for a number of reasons. I did install Ariel as Prima, but she can be reimagined as necessary fitting the needs of the troupe.
Ars is a good drug? 
Oh, and right now, I'm stretching out the time of the stories for the players from 1227.3 to 1227.4. This period is to prepare for the Tribunal (which actually happens in 1227.2, but the 1227.4 story doesn't depend on events of the Tribunal). Mons Electi is hosting the Tribunal. I want to kick off the Tribunal soonish. Roberto could either enter at the Tribunal, or enter before the Tribunal, attempting to join Mons Electi (he would have a recommendation from Ariel vouching for him). I'm going to ruminate how/when to enter Roberto into the saga.
Tangent:
When/where is the Grand Tribunal?
Are we going?
Grand Tribunal is always at Durenmar, by tradition. And it happens in the summer of 1228.
And the second question is a function of the Normandy Tribunal of 1227... I'm not going to say much more than that, right now.
I like Jebric's idea of using Santiago as the hook, he sends me here for whatever reason, and let things play forward from there. We can easily detach Roberto from NM that way. His mentor is one of the few people he would follow orders from. Indeed, his mentor has more sway over him than the Primus, Praeco, or an Archmagus! He is the one that sent me to Novus Mane to begin with, and if he says "I need you to go here and do this", Roberto would likely comply. Not out of subservience, but because he trusts the man's wisdom and figures whatever he is up to is probably something very important.
I am leaving the library now but I can follow along on my phone. I can truck the laptop back up to the library later this week and post Roberto after others have weighed in. Should I start a new thread for him?
Also, I notice that you guys are in 1227? That puts me almost a year behind as I left off in the middle of 1226. Should we just let it slide, add some xp, or hit the lab for a few seasons? You guys decide. I am a gamer, so my instinct is to glom all I can, but it is a small drop in the bucket and I don't mind forgoing it.
Actually, I'm running stories from 1223 through 1227. I had characters advance to 1227 so that they could do adequate planning for the Tribunal and get their pieces in position, as it were. The stories in play now all involve the story flaws of the respective characters.
We can bring Roberto at any time, 1223 or 1227.2 (Tribunal). I'm thinking it's better to enter before the Tribunal...
I would strongly suggest that Roberto gets up to 30 years post gauntlet when he enters the story. I think most of us are about 37 years post gauntlet at the time of the tribunal.
I left off with
, which by my count is 1226.3 (I always start years in Winter with the solstice). So perhaps we can bring him in for Autumn 1226?
I think we start with .1 as Spring, rather than Winter (but I'm new here 
).
I have been reading along, and I'm fine with the way this is going. In terms of character age: if Roberto's appearance is going to be more of a cameo (as originally discussed), than character balance isn't really an issue in my mind. If it's as a more permanent Mons Electi member, then it depends on how MM will feel; I'm not going to try to overrule him if he's fine with it (others may).
.1=Spring, .4=Winter. That's the convention we use, spring starts the year and winter ends it.
I ran the numbers for Roberto through MetaCreator, to get an idea of how he compares to the other magi. He's about 650 experience points shy of starting magi, when they started. If he doesn't enter until the point he's at now, at 1226, he's going to be even further behind. I'd like to advance him a few years, similar to what we did for Viscaria. We would decouple Novus Mane's timestream, pushing those events back for a similar number of years, and advance him with some of the books available to him at Novus Mane.
I had Viscaria advance 8 years, which put her to about 200 xp shy of the other magi.
650 points shy at 25 years younger places me at 350 points ahead of where they were at my age then (10xp/ season x 4 seasons x 25 years equals 1000 points).
But I did agree to add a few years. I can ramp him up, say, 5 years using the resources at NM? That would make him a 10 year magus.
But even as only a 5 year magus, I think Roberto could whip any of ya oldsters 
Side note: calendars have always been a debate in this game. You are the book keeper, your conventions shall be used. Roberto's personal diary may be off, but we know how to translate. It is just that, ever since I was a baby child, the year has always started in January, the winter. I am pretty sure they did it that way in the middle ages too.
LOL, just torquing ya. I really don't give a crap 
Sure...but one of the oddities of this method of advancement...their Arts scores are a bit higher than they might be had they advanced in play. Spells became expensive, so they generally have fewer spells...
What's he doing about an LR?
Yeah, well, this is true...but an astrological year begins in March, when spring blooms. If you really want to complain about something, I'll just change to the Ares calendar.
Did some calculations. I can push his apprenticeship back 5yrs to 1200, he was 1 year away from a traditional gauntlet in 1214 when he earned it on the battlefield at Las Navas. Santiago spent a year finishing his training and they adventured 2gether 5yrs before he came to Normandy. His age stays the same, 36 (LR can wait a few yrs). 5yrs = 200xp, -75 for starting 5yrs younger. No new lab work, just xp (but I am keeping the magic reign and grabbing a ton of mundane equipment). Does this work?
You can spend the straight up 40 xp/year for 5 years, or you can study from the Novus Mane library (not mix-match). It's your choice.
That library is interesting... That Philosiphae book is very close to being a Exceptional Book boon.
It works out to being 125 xp retro applied to his adventuring years b4 coming 2 normandy (starting 5yrs early means loosing out on 75xp for the pre-gauntlet yrs. This is not a significant impact. Parma and single wep gain a point, ignem ups to 10, a small sprinkling for some small arts, and some improved spell mastery. None of this woulkd have much impact on his nm labwork, so no changes needed there.
Sorry didn't post today, I'll catch up tomorrow.
I seem to have misplaced my cat o' nine tails.