The Training of Sheelagh

((I'm guessing that Fiona gets the letter and meets Sheelagh when she, Laetitia, and Marcus return from their jaunt into the Magic Realm.))

Fiona takes the letter from the giant-blood girl, thanks her, and goes back to her cottage to read it. When she's reread it, she sits there in thought for a few minutes before she heads back to the mundane side to where Sheelagh was being put up.

[color=blue]"Sheelagh?' she says before enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug. [color=blue]"Welcome to Mons Electi. Grab your things and come with me." She takes her apprentice back to her cottage. If she sees any covenfolk along the way, she will ask them to find Viscaria and tell her that Fiona would like to see her when she has a chance. She also explains to Sheelagh how to cross into and out of the regio.

Once they reach her cottage, she will sit Sheelagh at the dining table and sit across from her. [color=blue]"I wish you could have come in less chaotic times. But it is what it is. Tell me about yourself."

((She's pretty much a blank slate on purpose. The idea was to run through an apprenticeship essentially from beginning alongside Abigail.))

"There's not much to tell, Maros found me said I had some Power. She convinced my ma and pa to let me go with her, but it wasn't all that difficult. I was taller than both of them from the age of 8. Maros said to tell you that she opened my arts, but I don't know letters or the language of wizards."

((so, she's just starting her apprenticeship, is maybe 9 or 10, Giant-blood, has had her arts opened but nothing else? Am I going to be "running" her, then, or did someone else want to?))

((Yes, she's 10, opened Arts and nothing else. I can run her as an NPC, like Abigail, and you can run the master side of things. It wasn't my intention to saddle you with two apprentices for play.))

((I'd play Sheelagh. But I'll want PB to play one of Laetitia's kids :stuck_out_tongue:))

((Deal, if the saga goes long enough :smiley: Saves me the trouble of making a new maga and back-whatever-the-word-is-ing to get her to a 10-year-old.))

((I don't have her heavily stat'ed but what I've done isn't really important. Since she is going to be a PC, need to consider her Virtues and Flaws, and which are inherited (come into play over time) and which are going to be taught. In order for Fiona to teach virtues, the RAW from Apprentices is a SQ of 15 for minor virtues and 21 for major virtues, takes a season of instruction, and counts under the code. SQ is computed as normal. Each existing hermetic virtue increases the necessary SQ, +3 for minor and +9 for major. Imparting a major flaw at the same time will reduce by the same amount, depending on the scope of the flaw.))

I'd had that this makes considering Inherited Virtues/Flaws quite important, since a good way not to be penalized by those virtues not possessed by the master that you want to have it to take them like this, and have them manifest AFTER he's taught the virtues he wanted to teach.

Note that, IIRC, these inherited virtues/flaws origin can be pretty much what you'd like, from the apprentice's gift being quite suited to some time of magic, to some lab accident crippling her gift.

Looking at Fiona's Tradition (the Daughters of Circe), Sheelagh will eventually have the Virtues Mythic Herbalism (Major) and Minor Magical Focus, and the Flaw Rigid Magic (Major)

The Target to teach Mythic Herbalism is 21. If Fiona balances that with Rigid Magic the same season, the Target drops it to 12.

Fiona's current Source Quality is Com 2 + Teaching 0 + 3 + Bonus 6 = 11. A season or two of Exposure Experience to Teaching should get her Teaching to 1, which would bump her SQ to 12 and allow her to give Sheelagh both Mythic Herbalism and Rigid Magic

I'm thinking that installing Minor Magical Focus can be done with using "10 seasons of one-on-one interactions" rule on p. 42 of Apprentices (in the section on teaching House Virtues).

Makes totally sense, as the Minor Focus is, in a sense, the equivalent of the free minor virtue the other houses have. IMO, if fiona teaches her her focus, she should have the same, just as a Flambeau won't give you puissant MT. If it bothers you too much, Sheelagh could have another focus, and Fiona instead teach her another of her minor virtues. What do you think of it?

Agree about the teaching and exposure. Since fiona must teach her personnally one season per year, this'll easily be done. So, we're ok for Mythic Herbalism and Rigid Magic :smiley:

I'll have do do some work about some inherited v/f she may have, as well as childhood v/f.

Being ex Misc, those are the three Virtues & Flaws that define her tradition and that she has to have (free Minor Hermetic Virtue, free Major Non-Hermetic Virtue, and compulsory Major Hermetic Flaw, in addition to the normal allowance."

Fiona's probably going to be teaching her Latin and Artes Liberales herself instead of letting Otto do it, because she needs to get her Teaching up a little bit. (iirc, if you spend a season teaching, you only get 2 Exposure xp, but I'm hoping I'm wrong.)

Nope, you're right.

And we agree about it all :smiley:

(BTW, going to the hellfest, so expect me to be away until probably monday. If I come back alive, that is)

Scary, isn't it? :stuck_out_tongue:

Rock on, mon ami.

(When does this happen?)

Viscaria arrives shortly before dinner. "Fiona? You asked for me? I'm sorry it took so long, I was reading and the passage was particularly poignant."

((Within a day of Fiona and Laetitia returning from Magic and Fiona finding Sheelagh, so in the summer of 1222.))

[color=blue]"That's quite all right. Viscaria, this is my new apprentice, Sheelagh. Sheelagh, this is Maga Viscaria. Viscaria, please, have a seat." Fiona will sit down as well, on one of the smaller chairs, so that she doesn't tower quite so much over the Verditius.

[color=blue]"Viscaria, I'm almost embarrassed to ask this of you, but my cottage wasn't really designed with more than just me and my maidservant in mind. I know that you are something of a prodigy when it comes to issues of Terram and with architecture, and I was wondering if I could impose on you to modify the cottage so that Sheelagh would have her own room adjacent to mine." Fiona leans over and whispers, [color=blue]"Sometimes a girl needs her privacy, you know?"

She leans back and continues. [color=blue]"I doubt that we would need to Creo. But perhaps Rego and maybe some Muto?"

At the initial introduction, Viscaria nearly leaps onto Sheelagh to hug her in welcome.

A few seconds later, Viscaria seems somewhat embarrassed. "After my adventures exploring the regio, I must confess that my skills at using Rego to adjust architecture are not quite up to the task, given the delicacy of the garden surrounding your cottage -- assuming I'm correct in that your garden is part of your lab?

"Muto spells would need to be maintained, and might prove deleterious to young Sheelagh here. I know a ritual which would allow me to Creo a small addition to the cottage for 5 Terram. Or I could perhaps use a variety of Perdo and Rego magics to create a basement?"

[color=blue]"It would have to be a good-sized basement," Fiona says as she grins at her Giant-blood apprentice. [color=blue]"If we do create an addition, we would have to take five Creo from the stores as an advance against my salary, since we don't, I believe, have any Terram in stock and no Terram source aside from the chess game in the caverns."

She looks at Sheelagh, then back at Viscaria. [color=blue]"Let's go with the basement, then. That sounds easier. As long as she has a source of light and heat. Perhaps a fireplace and some torches, unless you know of a way to put a couple of windows in that won't let the rain and snow in."

"Well, come to that, I have a small store of my own Terram vis which we could use, and I'd accept the Creo as payment as well.

"I'll need to do some rituals to ensure the space beneath is properly suited, and there may be cave structure down there that we could harness as well. As for light and heat, well, were it my apprentice, I'd think this would make a fine goal for her to pursue. Circle spells are very useful. On the other hand, for my gauntlet, I crafted a chandelier in the shape of a tree canopy which provided heat and light for my quarters. Doubtless, I could recreate the thing again, may even need to do so for the tribunal. In the meantime, fireplaces and sconces should be no problem.

"Now, about payment -- for the basement and stairs, what say you to either: a season's tutelage by you; or two season's use of your apprentice?"

(Viscaria is clearly bargaining. Feel free to make her a counter-offer, or up the requested work.)

nudge

I was about to make some suggestions on Fiona's counter-offer, but then I noticed Fiona's specialty for Bargain, and figured this was an option you wanted to determine on your own.

After a pause, Viscaria adds, "Of course, we were already discussing the need to create devices which our servants could use to keep the tribunal field well-lit and warm. I'll be making those in about a year or so."

((Oh...right. Actually, I was noticing that Moire has two children now, so she's probably going to be needing more space herself. So...since Fiona likes having her maidservant around, maybe flip it so that Moire has the basement, with maybe a separate room for the wee ones, and Sheelagh can have Moire's old room? Might need a little bit of work, but probably not any more than Plan A would have.))

[color=blue]"Granted, I'm no expert, but wouldn't determining the suitability of the ground beneath my cottage be a simple application of Intellego, interpreted by your skill in Architecture?"

Fiona mulls the offer over. [color=blue]"What would you have me teach, and to whom? And what type of service would the girl be doing?"