You guys are misquoting. The reference is to the fact that the Essential Trait granted by the Virtue cannot be affected by magic. There are two separate sets of rules going on here, and the verbage is poorly written so I see the confusion. All Magic Characters receive one or more Essential Traits automatically for free, and you can gain them from the Magic Realm like Twilight Scars and Twilight Scars are basically Essential Traits for magi.
Having the Virtue is not for free or automatic. The virtue of Essential Virtue is mentioned as being another form of Essential Trait. It is a Virtue with specified mechanics worded in the description. It positively affects rolls with a certain Characteristic in specific situations.
And then there is an "OR". "Or a Personality Trait that is part of its essential nature and cannot be affected by mac (see Essential Trait below)" The reference is to the second option, taking it as a Personality Trait.
And that's where the bad grammar comes in. The thing is one long run on sentence. But there are separate specific clauses. The parenthetical reference is included in the Personality Trait part without separation by comma or period, and refers only to that part. If it was ment for the whole, there wousl ave been a period then the reference as a separate whole sentence.
Teleporting accross regio boundaries is sometimes easy and sometimes not. There are cannon examples of both. One covenant in Transylvania is a series of layered regios and each area can only be reached via teleportation.
The Palace of Marble is in a deep regio, but this is only the gateway. The City of Brass is in the Magic Realm within an Ignem Boundary. All AC's will be interrupted, they will also degrade a step unless permanent, and all active spells and effect will be cancelled when you cross over.
Okay Marko, I've got an interesting (in my opinion anyway 
) question for you. What is the cost in qp (build points) for free lab virtues? Now, you might ask, why are you buying free virtues...they're FREE? Well, the specific virtues I'm talking about are ones I doubt we want to just give out for free, and would prefer people spend qp on.
The specific ones I'm considering are things like Precious Ingredients, Priceless Ingredients, Flawless Equipment, Flawless Tools, Inexhaustible Supplies, Preserved
The premise for Acutus' lab is that the sunken ship he's turned into his sanctum has all kinds of ancient, potentially magical supplies (represented by the Personal Resources quarters virtue) that he is using in his lab. So I'd like to buy at least some of those free virtues for the lab.
I know it doesn't say it, but you cannot stack Priceless on top of Precious Ingredients. I always viewed it as a gradation of upward steps. Let us just House Rule that. I have never run into that request 
Otherwise, the adverse effecs add up to +3 Upkeep and +2 Warping. That's a pretty big hit. Or wait, you are stacking the Protected Clause on the Flawless Items. That's -2 Upkeep.
I call Munchkinanigans 
But you wanna make it even by payig for it somehow, eh?
Then choose an equal number of Free Flaws. 
I'm a fan of Missing Ingredients for lowering Upkeep, especially for young magi who aren't going to be working on all 15 Arts anyway. I would have gone that way with Pere if he didn't have multiple income sources. Which reminds me, I need to post his lab at some point...
Yeah, I wasn't intending to stack Priceless and Precious...I was just giving some examples of virtues. And no, I wasn't planning on using the Protected Clause on Flawless Items.
I have no interest in being a munchkin (I'm not sure that I know enough nuances of the rules to even try 
), and I don't plan on Acutus being a lab monkey anyway. I just wanted a way to emulate that he's using this cool ancient lab equipment that he found in the sunken ship.
So if the troupe is fine with me taking Priceless Ingredients, Flawless Equipment, Flawless Tools, Inexhaustible Supplies and Preserved with the +3 Upkeep and +2 Warping, that works for me.
I'd really rather not "pay off" the virtues with flaws...but I'm willing to pay with qp if the troupe thinks it's necessary.
I would prefer a few Free Flaws instead of a qp cost. But I am fine with the +3 Upkeep version.
I presume you are also taking Underwater? That totals to +3 Warping. That one also mentions some categories of lab work may be impossible. Not that they must be, but it is suggested. That is a perfect explanation for the Minor Flaw of Missing Equipment (no Texts). And/or Missing Ingredients (no Auram or Ignem). You don't have to take these, and I suppose that whith the regio and all you don't have to take underwater. Your lab could be in a mystical space that is not flooded. But you should at least take Damp in that case.
There's the Gandalf virtue in RoP: tF... Whatsiscalled... Imposing Presence, I believe... V/F index... No... That's it, Frightful Presence, RoP:tF p73.
IIRC, it's veeery easy to frighten people with it.
Another solution: Take a Faerie Affinity with Terror or Intimidation 
This would even help you with spells
Oh, I'm fine with it. Lab Warping is so bad, I wouldn't come close to it at all. IMO, it pays for the rest.
I'm definitely not taking underwater. Acutus can't breath underwater when he is human, so that's out. That's why his quarter description specifically states that the cave the ship is in is not filled with water.
I will take Damp (I can't believe I missed that before) and Subterranean. I'm also thinking Uneven due to the fact that a ship sitting on the ground won't exactly be standing upright.
The other thing I was looking at is I could use the qp's to buy magic items that provide virtues. So I'm going to explore that as well.
With two teachers coming in who address most of what we need, I'm looking to go in a different direction with mine. My concept is a semi-retired Redcap whose primary strengths will be teaching social Abilities, Order Lore, Code of Hermes, and Area Lores (plus Transylvanian languages no one will want to learn 
). He was born and raised in the Histria oppidum, trained at Scholomance, and worked extensively in Transylvania before expanding throughout Europe. He's semi-retired due to some mishap (probably getting lost for several seasons in a Faerie or Infernal regio) that made it difficult for him to travel alone (probably The Falling Evil, plus Lame or something similar). His House has him teaching full-time in Histria now, but it's starting to wear on him because he's constantly being reminded of what he's lost. He's looking for a change of scenery while still being able to serve, which Andorra (and the attached Mercere house) would provide nicely.
The complicating factor here is I have no interest in playing this guy as a character. Two magi (plus the occasional Bernhard sighting) are plenty for me. I also intend to make him fairly old (pushing 60) and I don't want him to overshadow Fedora. Marko, are you willing to have an experienced Redcap on the payroll that isn't actually being played?
He can be semi-npc. Plaed occasionally just for flavor. Or just in the backstory. My concern is the Redcap status. Technically he is a magus. Would he want membership or is he satisfied living as an honored guest?
May I introduce a twist?
Maybe he is dragon blooded? That would be an alternative explanation of why he is so knowledgeable. Intead of Tremere trained he has been trained by his daddy. However, daddy dragon is getting fed up with him hanging around his cave and wants him out, so he went to the tremere. This caused a stirr among other dragons that saw this as the Tremeres moving closer to one of the dragon factions. So, the Tremeres are keen on getting rid of him to show their no-interference position but value him as a very good resource and want to keep him.
The dragon-blooded "scholar", on his part is PROUD (with capital letters) of his knowledge and his ability to teach and does not want to be pushed around in Transylvania, so is quite happy to go to another mountain location. He might be haughty and want to assert his dominance over the local dragons in the (near?) future, though, so we might have a problem with the dragon of the Pyrenees :mrgreen: And Vibria's family. I can see potential here. 8)
Regarding character development, since there is one year before the city of Brass adventure I would like to get this done for Arnau (in no particular order):
- Take part in the combat training exercises.
- Go to Mallorca to have one of the Conflagrations of the Flame Brothers (Pere I think it was, will check) initiate him in Animal Ken.
- Get a familiar. I was thinking of a mastiff named Beauty because he is ugly and mean as hell. Or an alaunt. A combat dog in any case.
- Brew some Flight potions for his men. A few of them can already fly, but he wants to have as many of them airborne as is possible when the need arises.
I am reading the city of brass adventure this week. 8)
Fightmaster is the one who wanted Silveroak to tone it down, now you are encouraging him to create a dragon blooded scholar 
The proposed combat training session is in Summer. I reserved space for Arnau and up to five of his men. I made up names as placeholders: Miquel, Bartomeu, Marcel, Ignasi, and Vicenç.
Dragon blooded is the same as mythic blood, as per the transylvania boon rules. So he is like vibria, just not Gifted. No need to have him transform into a dragon (even if that would be cool, it would be magus-level). His proudness mght be fun though. That was the idea.
Poor Silveroak is gonna go mad with us
I'd like to have Bartholomew in on that training...
Hired and given his standard issue red shirt
"I'm not dead yet" well, not in most ways...
Xavi, don't forget about the Salt Mine adventure, it's happening during one of those seasons. I'm not sure how long it takes to travel back and forth but it might mean you can't do one of those.