Sgòr Airgid, Rat Queen
Ah, Erik, you almost lose your rat! Mythic rats are more problematic that they seem at a first glance. Rats: they traveled aboard conquering ships, they inhabit our cities, we all have meet a few at some point, rats are everywhere, right?
Well, no: when browsing in search of some stats to see how this furry ugly queen should be like, I found this old thread where rats were debated, and their medieval / mythic nature were discussed:
Underline is mine. So rats were actually pretty uncommon, and maybe even non existing in the British Islands, where our saga, and many others, are set. And now that I realize that I actually remember having read somewhere that one saint once expelled all rats from an island (Hibernia or Man, not sure which one). Then I started thinking about alternative animals. Mice didn't serve: for once, we played decades ago (3rd edition, back then) a wonderfully fun adventure named "Of Mice and Men", with exploding mice flooding the covenant due to an angry Faerie Lord and since then we all love mice, but like to keep them out of explosion range just in case. For other, mice are cute and so underpowered against cats, and so they would turn cats into automatic foes (Tom & Jerry should probably be blamed for that). So my next option was crows, which actually was the first idea. But crows leave few room to surprise. Everyone have a rough idea of what mythic crows can do. And my players know that I actually love crows: probably I've tortured each one of them for hours and hours talking about how smart and brilliant crows are (did you know they are quite social birds among themselves? And talk to each other and cooperate? And that they have dialects? And that they can improvise and use tools? And that they have wonderful tricks to crack nuts, which involve understanding of crossing walks and traffic lights?... see?, that's what I meant). So if I put crows in my saga, they would instantly get a lot of weight, which is something to avoid here.
Rats were perfect. If only I could find a way to put them into were maybe they aren't supposed to be... And then it came to me: Land Regio Network! A lot of covenants have regios. Some others may form. So if my rat queen know how to travel between them, then I can put her anywhere, even in England or Ireland. Also, making rats inhabit the sewers of the magic realm looks like fun. There is the small problem of covenants having Aegis around them, but either they don't cover the regios, either the rat can't get into covenants where she wasn't at the moment of the Aegis' casting, which is ok (she actually only needs to be in her actual covenant, and anyway she can travel to other regios without Aegis protecting them, like these of abandoned covenants or undiscovered regios). Anyway I switched the first draft to make sure the Queen fits, at least, the metal gnawing issue from the link.
So finally, a rat. "Sgòr Airgid" means* "Silver Schewer", or so I hope. I don't speak gaelic, so I'm trusting google translator to do the job for me, and though the final name is good enough for me if it sounds atmospherically related I try to remember what names actually mean, partly because translating back uses to give funny mistakes, partly because the naming becomes part of the concept. Mice were believed (thus, mythically were) to chew iron. The Queen, actually, can only feed on metals due to her Warped Senses flaw, and particularly enjoys gnawing silver, which she probably had been doing without anyone noticing. Maybe someone should go and check the covenant finances, as maybe the stocks of silver are not what they are supposed to be. To make things ever worse for the one keeping the books, she also feeds on vis. So checking the vis stores should also be a good idea.
Also magi with talismans or items with silver parts may face unexpected problems if this little queen is placed in their covenant.
Finally I took some liberty with the Queen: I wanted her to be able to reshape spaces. When the war with the cats takes off, this will help causing some trouble to the covenant grogs. But the only way I'd seen to do that is Glamour, which is Faerie Magic. Merinita magi require a couple of virtues before even thinking of doing that. Though magical beings don't require to adhere to the rules of hermetic magic, I thought about making the queen partly a faerie being (having faerie blood, which rises her presence from -3 to -2), and buying the virtues Faerie Power (like Faerie Magic, adapted for powers) and Glamour. All that for just one power (I didn't have might for more), but it was part of the idea, so she pays gladly for all of that.
Magic Might: 10 (Animal)
Vis: 2 Animal Pawns in teeth
Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Pre -2, Com 0, Sta +2, Str -14, Dex +3, Qik +5
Size: -7
Season: Summer
Virtues & Flaws: Arcane Lore, Educated, Faerie Blood (Quality), Faerie Powers (Quality), Glamour (Quality), Keen Smell, Magic Animal, Magical Champion (Quality), Puissant Stealth, Puissant Survival, Second Sight (Quality), Tough, Underground Regio Network, Ways of the Underground; Compulsion (gnawing things) (Inferiority), Driven (major) (rats survival), Enemies (cats kingdom), Hunger for Vim Magic, Imaginem Monstrosity (Inferiority) (silver colored fur), Mute (Free), No Hands (Free), Nocturnal (Inferiority), Obese, Warped Senses (Inferiority) (sensitive taste: can only feed of metals), Weakness (silver) (Inferiority)
Magical Qualities & Inferiorities: Greater Power (x3), Improved Abilities (x2), Improved Powers, Improved Soak, Major Virtue: Glamour, Minor Virtue: Faerie Blood, Minor Virtue: Faerie Powers, Minor Virtue: Magical Champion, Minor Virtue: Second Sight, Personal Power (x3); Minor Flaw: Compulsion, Minor Flaw: Imaginem Monstrosity, Minor Flaw: Nocturnal, Minor Flaw: Warped Senses, Minor Flaw: Weakness, Reduced Might (x7), Susceptible to Deprivation
Personality Traits: Brave +3, Loyal +2, Direct -2
Reputations: sneaky cook's problem 2 (Covenant)
Combat:
Dodge: Init +4, Defense +7
Teeth: Init +4, Attack +9, Defense +9, Damage -13
Soak: +8 (I took the liberty of adding an extra +1 just because a fur armor does that)
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: Incapacitated (1), Dead (2+)
Abilities: Athletics (Climbing) 2, Awareness (cats) 3, Brawl (Teeth) 2, Concentration (powers) 3, Covenant Lore 3, Another covenant Lore 2, A ruined covenant Lore 2, Underground regio Lore 2, Etiquette (rats) 1, Faerie Lore (small faeries) 1, Finesse (imaginem) 2, Folk Ken (grogs) 1, Intrigue (against cats) 2, Leadership (rats) 4, Legerdemain* (drawers & lockers) 5, Magic Lore (regios) 2, Order of Hermes Lore (daily routines) 1, Second Sight (Regio borders) 4, Stealth (at night) 5 + 2, Survival (underground) 5 + 2, Local language (understanding grogs) 1, Latin (understanding magi) 1
- Use it mostly to reflect the Queen's way to sneak into close spaces and stores.
Powers:
—Nose of the Night Prowler: 0 points, Init +3 Penetration 10, Auram.
R: Per., D: Sun, T: Smell
A T: Smell version of Eyes of the Bat which allows the Queen to smell air boundaries around her, and to maneuver safely even in absolute darkness. (Base 4, +2 Sun, +2 Smell)
InAu 25: Personal Power (-3 Might cost, Constant)
—Image of the Queen's Torn: 0 points, Init +2 Penetration 10, Imaginem.
R: Per., D: Conc., T: Ind.
As the spell Image of the Wizard's Torn, the queen can deatach her image, sound and (unlike the hermetic spell, but conveniently to trick keen smelling predators) smell and sent them away, even through solid objects if she pass a Int + Conc stress roll, but to do so she have to sent an arcane connection with the image, usually one hair from her tail. She uses this power so oftenly (it's a good way to explore while remaining safe, and also to lead chasing cats away) that most of the times when she is seen she is actually using it, and thus somewhere else, which had gained her an elusive reputation whenever the cook had tried to get rid of her. The usual use of this power causes her to apparently shift from place to place, when she stops (or fails) concentrating. The cook may have probably noticed that and said something about it, probably getting a drunk reputation in the way. Also the queen can use the power in the opposite way, leaving her image standing somewhere while she physically moves. The image, then, reflects the actual light conditions were she is physically located: for example if the leaves her image in a sunny spot and then enters a shadow, her image will be shadowed. (Base 15, +1 Concentration, +2 two additional senses, +1 Intellego requisite).
Re(In)Im 35: Greater Power (-4 Might cost)
—Confusion of the Insane Vibrations: 4 points, Init +1 Penetration -10, Imaginem.
R: Voice, D: Conc., T: Group
As the spell Confusion of the Insane Vibrations, with R: Voice, T: Group. It last one simple die rounds (roll separately for each target). The Queen uses this power to defend her rats from attackers. She must squeak to activate it. It is her most might-consuming power and won't work with magical beings (like, let's say, magi and the Cat King above), so she usually uses this as a last resort against mundane cats (or grogs) to help rats escape ambushes. Restricted Power. (Base 3, +2 Voice, +1 duration similar to Diameter, +4 Vision, +1 Additional sense)
ReIm 45: Greater Power (-1 Might cost)
—Sniffing the Magical Veil: 0 point, Init +5 Penetration 10, Vim.
R: Per., D: Mom., T: Smell
The queen can sniff through the boundaries of magical and regiones, and therefore divine the path to the next level of them. This power have momentary duration and last only for the round she sniffs, so the navigation is less simple than with the spell Piercing the Faerie Veil. (Base 3, +2 Smell)
InVi 5: Personal Power (-1 Might cost)
—Sniffing the Magical Delights: 0 point, Init +4 Penetration 10, Vim.
R: Per., D: Mom., T: Smell
The queen can sniff magical vis, and discern its Art. (Base 4, +2 Smell)
InVi 10: Personal Power (-1 Might cost)
—Twisted Halls of the Rat Queen: 1 point, Init +1 Penetration 5, Terram.
R: Touch, D: Conc., T: Room
The queen can transform a room or a similar space and alter their shape and size while she concentrates. This power, which actually turns the room into a Glamour, is quite useful for loosing pursuing cats, driving them to dead ends or having them trapped in suddenly looped tunnels or spaces. (Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +2 Room, +2 Complexity)
MuTe 40: Greater Power (-3 Might cost)
—Sweet taste of Silver: 0 point, Init +4 Penetration 10, Terram.
R: Touch, D: Mom., T: Part
The queen can gnaw and eat metal. She particularly likes the taste of silver. Silver containing vis is obviously her favorite dish. (Base 3, +2 Metal, +1 Touch, +1 Part)
PeTe 15: Personal Power (-2 Might cost)
Appareance: Sgòr Airgid resembles an ordinary black rat, if only a bit fat due to the obese flaw and with more brilliant hair and slightly better looking, due to her Faerie Blood virtue. She have a small, iron crown she don't usually carry around, though she could once the hostilities with the cats escalate, but the weird effects of her Image of the Queen's Torn power will make her look odd if lightning conditions aren't very monotonous (she will reflect light from odd sides, be covered in shadow under sunlight, or the opposite, and so on).