Don't know if anyone's been poking around the wiki or not, but the Vis Sources page in particular needs quite a bit of work. Specifically, almost none of the entries in the "Harvested by whom?" column have been filled in and still have the "Example" default text in them.
I would like to see some discussion (either in-character, out-of-character, or both) on how the vis is going to be harvested. Some of them are pretty simple (the Roses of Eilean Chon or the Summer Rain are pretty easy and can be gathered by any of the magi who are around). Others require some planning and possibly sacrifice if not done right.
Really? No one else has anything else to say about our precious vis?
I'm Jack's total surprise.
In the summer and Autumn Talia mentions at the council meeting."Aodhan, go get this season's vis, I'm busy copying this book on the Art of Rego." ((With Amul out and Iolair coming at the end of 1224, it's really just Aodhan and Talia available for vis collection. Can we handwave this for 1223, and just bring it up for a topic of discussion/contention in the first Council meeting of 1224? Maybe have the elders come down hard on us or something? Not paying attention to first things first, or whatever. Then Talia can get all indignant and go "Oh no you di'i'n't. Mama's been busting her a$$ copying this Rego Summa, to restore the library because y'all got pantsed by a smarty pants infernalist." Or something, something.
Iolair actually comes at the end of 1223 (Winter). The vis for 1223 is already gathered and accounted for. I'm starting on 1224 now. (Which reminds me, I need to figure out Vis Stipends, too. And since I now have a couple of days off I wasn't expecting, I have no excuse not to do).
And the magi (once we get Iolair in) available for vis gathering are Aodhan, Talia, and Trimalchio; Doineann, Drystan and Eilid are also available, but since they're NPC, I was just hoping to use them for whatever the PCs can't be bothered to do
And, granted, it's only been a day since I brought this up, too
"Is the driftwood containing Herbam different from other pieces that covenfolk know what to look for? Or do they put it in a pile and then a magus comes by and casts some spells to detect it?
"Is the salmon easy to spot, is the river navigable by a skiff or small boat? If so, some of my crew and I can go in search of it."
"I can learn Lungs of the Fish before this coming Fall, and I can already warm anyone with my Arts."
"Some of my sailors are skilled climbers, so we should be able to handle the Rockface."
"Aodhan, put that away, or I'll melt it. Unless you're our secretary for noting who is collecting what vis.
Aodhan looks up. "What? Oh...no salmon's fine, it's quite nice with ale I think." he pauses as he looks about the table. "This is about the vis not dinner then, aye?"
He reaches to a bag underneath the table that he brought with him and pulls out a set of pliers, a jeweler's lens and a pan used for balances. "I have the spells necessary for handling and quantifying vis." He also pulls out a coin striking hammer and looks at it with an arched eyebrow. "Do we need to make gold? This makes gold."
"The driftwood is almost perfectly rectangular," Drystan says. "Almost exemplars of driftwood, in a way. And it usually washes up on the beach near where the bridge posts are, so it should be easy to spot. It never hurts to cast a quick Intellego Vim on them to be sure, of course."
"Unfortunately, the river is fairly shallow and rocky in places, with lots of small falls," Eilid says. "The particular salmon we look for is exceptionally large...usually upwards of four feet long. The times I've had to harvest it, I was able to bring it to me with Rego Animal magic."
"Actually," Eilid says, "once the vis has been removed, or it's used its magic, it's excellent eating."
"You need your arts?" Doineann mutters under her breath.
Doesn't look like it. I see the Salmon of Truth in the spring, but Talia doesn't have to be there for that, I would imagine. Next one I see Talia for on the chart is the Rockface, in the winter.
The driftwood one, too. Talia signed up for that. But it doesn't appear any of the other lazy bums around here have signed up for anything. Talia might have to get in their faces..
With Aodhan being gone until Summer, the first chance will be to get the Vis in Autumn.
"Uh...let's see, I'll get the Fleece from the Ewe and the water from the Spring in Glencoe...and in Winter, I can get the Terram Vis. I...don't know how to speak with Daemons, someone else might be more suited for that."
Okay. The vis sources and harvesting table on the wiki is basically for whose duty it is to collect the vis, or who's decided to take responsibility for it. Not necessarily just for 1223 or 1224, but going forward.
Any magi who "sign up" for a particular source don't necessarily have to collect it themselves, but are responsible for seeing that it is collected. If, for example, in 1229, Talia's out of the covenant in Winter when the Rock Face vis is ripe, she would have to make arrangements for someone to harvest it in her stead.
Right now, six of the 12 Vis Sources have not been spoken for. If those sources haven't been assigned in-character, I do have three NPC's, but there's a random chance that it's not going to get collected in any given year. Could be a good chance, could be a slim chance, I'm not saying.
