This is the character sheet for Vorsutus Ex Miscellanea, played by Vortigern.
This topic should only contain the character's stats, background, spells, enchantments, etc. Any development discussions and notes will be posted in the topic Character Creation for Vortigern (OOC).
Vorsutus Ex Miscellanea, filus Chaldeaus
Virtues:
The Gift (F), Hermetic Magus (F), Divination & Augury (H), Planetary Magic (H), Cautious: Concentration (1), Flawless Magic (3), Leadworker (1), Minor Magical Focus: Magic Conduits, Containers, & Sustainment (1), Premonitions (1), Puissant: Magic Theory (1), Second Sight (1), Skilled Parens (1)
Flaws:
Twilight Prone (H), Blatant Gift (3), Hatred: Mundane Society (1), Hermetic Patron: Cult of Mercury/Neo-Mercurians (1), Meddler (3), Slow Caster (1), Visions (1)
Age: 36 (35) (As of Start)
Decrepitude: Zero
Confidence: 1 (3)
Warping: 1 (11)
Casting Sigil: A subtlety to the details and aura of any magic as if things are about to change or reveal some new detail that never manifests itself.
Voting Sigil: An ornate wand of polished white poplar with a leather wrapped handle and silver fittings.
Certamen Style: Provocator
Personality Traits:
Hatred: Mundanes +3
Lustful: +2
Scheming/Meddlesome: +3
Secretive/Subtle: +2
Reputations:
Oracle & Master of Sympathetic Magic (Hermetic): lvl 1 (5xp)(+2xp)
Characteristics
Int: +2
Per: +2
Str: 0
Sta: 0
Prs: 0
Com: +1
Dex: 0
Qik: 0
Abilities:
Native Language: (Spc: West) Norse: 5 (75xp)(Free)
Latin: (Spc: Hermetic) 4 (50xp)
Gaelic: (Spc: Leinster) 4 (50xp)
Ancient Greek: (Spc: Romaic) 1 (5xp)(+8xp)
Awareness: (Spc: Threats) 2 (15xp)
Brawl: (Spc: Dodge) 1 (5xp)
Legerdemain: (Spc: Filching) 1 (5xp)
Stealth: (Spc: Urban) 1 (5xp)
Survival: (Spc: Urban) 1 (5xp)
Bargain: (Spc: Magical Society) 1 (5xp)
Charm: (Spc: Magical Society) 1 (5xp)
Etiquette: (Spc: Magical Society) 1 (5xp)
Folk Ken: (Spc: Magical Society) 1 (5xp)
Guile: (Spc: Magical Society) 1 (5xp)
Intrigue: (Spc: Magical Society) 3 (30xp)
Leadership: (Spc: Magical Society) 1 (5xp)
Artes Liberales: (Spc: Astrology/Astronomy) 3 (30xp)(Latin, Runic, Greek)
Code of Hermes: (Spc: Defense) 1 (5xp)
Cult of Mercury Lore: (Spc: Rites) 2 (15xp)(+13xp)
Hibernia Tribunal Lore: (Spc: Magical Lineages) 1 (5xp)
Magic Lore: (Spc: Magical Traditions) 1 (5xp)
Order of Hermes Lore: (Spc: Magical Lineages) 1 (5xp)
Philosophae: (Spc: Magical Applications) 1 (5xp)
Concentration: (Spc: Magic/Spells) 1 (5xp)
Finesse: (Spc: Precision) 1 (5xp)
Magic Theory: (Spc: Vim) 5 (+2 Puissant)(75xp)(+16xp)
Parma Magica: (Spc: Vim) 4 (50xp)(+1xp)
Penetration: (Spc: Vim) 4 (50xp)
Divination: (Spc: Astrology) 4 (50xp)
Premonitions: (Spc: Social/Complex Threats) 3 (30xp)
Second Sight: (Spc: Mystical Effects) 1 (5xp)
Combat:
Dodge: (Init: 0)(Atk: -)(Def: 0)(Dmg: 0)
Fist: (Init: 0)(Atk: 0)(Def: 0)(Dmg: 0)
Kick: (Init: -1)(Atk: 0)(Def: -1)(Dmg: +3)
Dagger: (Init: 0)(Atk: +2)(Def: 0)(Dmg: +3)
Soak: 0
Fatigue Levels: (Fresh)(Winded)(Weary: -1)(Tired: -3)(Dazed: -5)(Unconscious)
Wound Penalties: L(-1/1-5), M(-2/6-10), H(-3/11-15), I(16-20)
Arts:
Creo: 5 (15xp)
Intellego: 5 (15xp)
Muto: 5 (15xp)
Perdo: 5 (15xp)
Rego: 11 (66xp)
Corpus: 6 (21xp)
Mentem: 5 (15xp)
Vim: 11 (66xp)
Spells:
Divine The Origin Of The Body
InCo 10
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind.
Provides the information necessary to conduct a natal horoscope on the target.
(Base 5, +1 Touch)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Penetration)
Divine The Origin Of The Beast
InAn 10
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind
Provides the information necessary to conduct a natal horoscope on the target.
(Base 5, +1 Touch)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Penetration)
Opening The Intangible Tunnel
ReVi 10
R: Arc, D: Conc, T: Ind
As ArM5 pg 162.
(Gen: +4 Arc, +1 Concentration)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Adaptive Mastery)
Forge The Connection
ReVi 5
R: Sight, D: Conc, T: Ind.
As Opening The Intangible Tunnel, ArM5 pg 162, reduced to Sight range. May transmit effects of up to level +1 magnitude.
(Gen: +3 Sight, +1 Concentration)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Adaptive Mastery)
Solar Alignment Of Forces
ReVi 15
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
As Maintain The Demanding Spell, ArM5 pg 162, adjusted to Sun duration. Sustains an effect up to level -5.
(Gen: +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Adaptive Mastery)
Lunar Alignment Of Forces
ReVi 20
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
As Maintain The Demanding Spell, ArM5 pg 162, adjusted to Moon duration. Sustains an effect up to level -10.
(Gen: +1 Touch, +3 Moon)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Adaptive Mastery)
The Waiting Spell
ReVi 10
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
As Watching Ward, ArM5 pg 162, reduced to Sun duration. May contain effects of up to level +2 magnitudes
(Gen: +1 Touch, +2 Sun)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Adaptive Mastery)
The Phantom Gift
CrVi 10
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
As The Phantom Gift, ArM5 pg 157, reduced to Touch and Concentration. Amplified to produce the effects of the Blatant Gift.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration, +1 Amplified Effects)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Penetration)
Ethereal Ministrations
PeCo 10
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
Inflicts the pain of a Light Wound for the duration. The caster can specify the location of the pain.
(Base 4, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Penetration)
Maintenance of Sustained Slumber
ReMe 10
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
Maintains the target in a state of sleep for the duration.
(Base: 4, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Penetration)
Enforced Hibernation
ReAn 10
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
As Call To Slumber ArM5 pg 151, using Animal guidelines pg 120. Reduced to Touch range, increased to Concentration duration. Target is maintained in a state of sleep for the duration.
(Base 4, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Penetration)
Shriek of the Impending Assault
InHe(Te) 10
R: Per, D: Con, T: Hearing
As per Shriek of the Impending Shafts, but also works with metal/stone projectiles too. You
get a +9 bonus on Defense scores against weapons (provided that you have the freedom to
dodge), and you can automatically dodge missiles fired from more than ten paces away. The
shriek is only audible to you, and it cannot be simulated by people making noises.
(Base 2, +1 Concentration, +3 Hearing, Terram requisite)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Imperturbable Casting)
Veil of Invisibility
PeIm 10
R: Per, D: Conc, T: Ind.
The target becomes completely undetectable to normal sight, regardless of what he does, but still casts a shadow.
(Base 4, +1 Concentration, +1 changing image)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Quiet Casting)
The Stolen Breath
ReAu 5
R: Sight, D: Mom, T: Ind
This spell allows you to steal the breath of an individual. The breath flows into a prepare recepticle, which should be immediately corked. If the magus acts fast enough, the stolen breath can then be fixed as an Arcane Connection to the target.
(Base 2, +3 sight)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Quiet Casting)
Etheric Torch
CrIg 5
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
Causes either the hand of the caster or an object/target touched to emit a steady light equivalent to torchlight.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +1 Conc)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Imperturbable Casting)
Wizard's Vigil
MuVi 20
R: Voice, D: Sun, T: Group
As Communion -2 magnitudes.
(Base Spell, TtA pg 75)
(Base 30, +2 Sun)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Adaptive Mastery)
Invisible Arbalest of Vilano
ReTe 20
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind
Hurl a stone or other object of a size that could be thrown by a sling (or arbalest) at a target within range. Unlike a standard attack spell this spell hurls the stone as a projectile. An aiming roll is required to hit the intended target but if it succeeds Magic Resistance offers no protection. The stone, or object, inflicts +15 damage on impact and has a range increment of 20 paces.
(Base: 15, +1 Touch)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Precise Casting)
Claw of the Gladiator
PeCo 10
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind
This spell opens a bloody wound on the target, which serves as a Light Wound.
(Base 5, +1 Touch)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Penetration)
Necrotic Touch
PeCo 10
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind
Inflicts the disease of Gangrene (A&A pg 49) on the target. The target must have an open wound for the Gangrene to take root in, howevever if this is the case the onset is immediate.
(Base: 5 (A&A pg 57), +1 Touch)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Penetration)
Panic of the Trembling Heart (Mod.)
CrMe 10
R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind
Creates an overpowering fear in one person of a specific object, person, or place.
(Base Spell ArM5 pg 148)
(Base 4, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)
Spell Mastery: 1 (5xp)(Penetration)
Possessions & Gear
Travelling Robes (Scholar)
Formal Robes (Magus)
Staff (Nondescript, iron shod & capped)
Dagger x 2 (Belt, Sleeve)
Pouch (Minor/Tiny Casting Props: +1 grade)
Backpack (Small Casting Props: +2 grade) (Generally only carried when travelling.)
Luggage Chest: (Mundane mixture of Venetian & Byzantine clothing suitable for someone of means.)
Significant Possessions:
A brass astrolabe of fine make and craftsmanship with its inner mystical alignments awakened by the Verditius Mysteries. Originally from the Verditius Covenant of Verdi itself this fine instrument was commissioned and gifted to Vorsutus by his Pater Chaldeaus for exceptional service to Rellantali.
Vorsutus keeps this device generally in a fine unmarked leather wrapped wooden case that can be fixed to his belt or is also small enough to fit inside other luggage.
(+5 Astrology)
A perfect crystal sphere of superb craftsmanship and clarity with its inner mystical alignments awakened by the Verditius Mysteries. Originally from the Verditius Covenant of Ingasia in Thebes this rare piece was given to Vorsutus as a reward for effectively mediating a dispute between the Verdi of the isle and some bellicose customers.
The sphere is roughly the size of pomegranate. Vorsutus keeps this artifact in a leather wrapped wooden case lined with cushioned velvet to keep it safe and secure. It is unwieldy and generally either stowed in other luggage or stays in the Sanctum of Vorsutus.
(+5 Clairvoyance)
Lab Text: Fortify The Ethereal Threads
Fortify The Ethereal Threads
CrVi 30
R: Touch, D: Ring, T: Circle
Decrease the rate of decay of any Arcane Connection within by three steps though unable to exceed the category of lasting "years" as an AC.
(Base: 15, +1 Touch, +2 Ring)
Lab Text: Memory Palace of the Magus
Memory Palace of the Magus
CrMe 35, Ritual
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind
Constructs a complete and functional mental laboratory in the mind of the target as an extremely complex memory locus. The memory locus itself serves as an intricate series of mnemonic devices that assist mental lab activities much as a conventional laboratory would assist a magus. The lab is usable for lab activities as any other Mental Lab. See the Major Supernatural Laboratory Flaw "Mental Construct" on Covenants pg 120. for details on the limitations of such a lab. Lab improvements are possible though require the normal amount of time spent on lab improvement representing meditations on improving the intricate memory machines within the memory locus of the laboratory.
(Base 5, +1 Touch, +5 complexity)
(Source 1: Crown of Hermes, Covenants pg 121)(Source 2: Hermetic Memory Spells, Mysteries pg 25)(Source 3: The Laboratory of Bonisagus CrTe 45, Covenants pg 122)
Advancement Log
Pre-Saga Advancement & Narrative
Year 1, Spring
Eadric at first remained in Rellantali after his Gauntlet was complete, like most newly minted Magi. The relationship between he and Chaldeaus was still good and strong, and Eadric spent the Spring studying the divinatory lore of his tradition in the works collected by Chaldeaus while discussing options for his future. He would have to engage with the broader world outside of Rellantali, which they strive so often to keep separate, in order to make connections and eventually find a permanent home.
Chaldeaus made no rush on the matter however. Both he and Eadric were confident the proper path forward would reveal itself and in the interim the best course was the prepare for the future.
(Study Divination Summa + 15xp Divination)
Year 1, Summer
Eadric attended a gathering for the presentation of apprentices in the Roman Tribunal with Chaldeaus. There he was presented with the wooden scepter that would become his voting sigil. And declared his new name to be Vorsutus. There in the gathering Vorsutus found himself hardly alone in asking questions about possible Covenant openings or arrangements. And in Rome such things can be hard to find. The scarce resources of the Tribunal leave many Covenants unwilling to split their yield into one more share. Unable to discover any suitable arrangments or path forward Vorsutus returned to Rellantalli and continued his studies as before.
(Study Divination Summa + 15xp Divination)
Year 1, Autumn
Vorsutus continued his studies while starting to write letters to likely Covenants throughout Rome again seeking suitable arrangements or a new permanent home. This was again not to be found. He did however befriend some younger Magi his own age as well as make contact with some older members of the Cult of Mercury that offered to compensate him for investigating the violation of one of the Cults sacred groves. As Autumn came to an end he departed with a couple of grogs as bodyguards from Rellantali to take up the contract. Small idea he had at the time that it was the first step of his path to a life filled with such contracts.
(Study Divination Summa + 15xp Divination)
Year 1, Winter
Vorsutus arrives at the Sacred Grove and is cordially received by the Cult, several members of which are already familiar to him. There it appears that the mystical fruits of the Grove were being plundered by forces unknown. Initial investigations having failed one of Vorsutus lineage was called upon to investigate while keeping the matter discretely within the Cult.
Beginning by gathering a variety of arcane connections from the trees and environment from which the fruit was stolen, Vorsutus retired to a nearby lectory in the Grove compound in order to perform his calculations. Hours later he emerged, sheaves of parchment scrawled over with his astrological minutia, to make his report. The nefarious thieves were mystical birds. Great birds able to fly through the boundaries of the regio and out again. How this was possible was unclear yet it clearly elevated the matter in the eyes of the Cult elders. And more than satisfied them with his work.
And yet the origin of the birds remained a mystery.
He was able to gather information about what had happened from the Grove and Trees themselves, yet had been unable to defeat the mystical resistance of the Birds themselves. The failure sat ill with him though the Cult elders waved it aside. He was young, they said, and such things take time.
Vorsutus departed back to Rellantali after completing this brief contract with a sense of accomplishment, and a payment that was well earned and well needed for an otherwise wealthless young Magus.
(Adventure: +8xp (+5xp Cult of Mercury Lore, +3xp Intrigue) + ?Reward?)
Year 2, Spring
Returning to Rellantali Vorsutus renewed his efforts at developing a network of contacts of his own via correspondence. Gradually he came to the sense that opportunities in Rome were extremely limited due the seeming scarcity of magical resources. In the meantime he devoted himself to pursuing the fundamentals of the Art itself, the grand theoretical structures underpinning the functioning of Realm itself.
(Study Magic Theory Summa + 15xp Magic Theory)
Year 2, Summer
Continuing his studies Vorsutus shifts his writing campaign in his free time to instead reach back to Hibernia, Stonehenge, and even the Loch Leglean Tribunals. The news however that he received from these distant lands was of a growing conflict in the land of the isles. His homeland was ever a fractious and violent place. The longer he meditated on these matters the more certain he became, the more indeed his visions reinforced his certainty, that returning to the Isles permanently would set his fate down a less optimal path in some way. And so he began consider where else he should turn his attention towards.
(Study Magic Theory Summa + 15xp Magic Theory)
Year 2, Autumn
Vorsutus began to grow restless. Impatience to settle into a proper situation of his own began to take over his usual reserved and analytical manner. Chaldeaus remarked upon the change making the young man take stock and consider further options. Keeping up his regimen in the library felt trivial compared to solving his ongoing dilemma yet at least it gave him structure. Elsewise the young Magus was to be found wandering restlessly throughout the grounds of Rellantali.
(Study Magic Theory Summa + 15xp Magic Theory)
Year 2, Winter
The impatience drove Vorsutus forward and shifted the focus of his studies. Now he concentrated on refining his mastery of sympathetic connections. He wanted to develop his abilities to an extent where he would be much more assured of achieving positive results despite needing to penetrate some variety of mystical defenses. Whether with divination or his other abilities. The failure with the Birds in the Sacred Grove of the Cult still rankled him.
(Study Penetration Summa + 10xp Penetration)
Year 3, Spring
When Rellantali receives a regular visitation by the Redcaps of Rome they bear a gift for him. The Elder guardian of the Sacred Grove that he tried, and only partially succeeded in assisting, sent him a lab text! And a useful one for anyone of a Mercurian bent. Despite his previous fervor the young magus decides to shift his studies to prepare for undertaking the challenge of the lab text. How would it look to return to the Sacred Grove and not have learned the spell?
Vorsutus writes a letter of thanks to the older mage and expresses his earnest desire to return when he is ready and unravel the mystery of the mystical birds.
(Study Muto Summa: +15xp Muto)
Year 3, Summer
The weeks pass all too quickly as the young magus continues earnestly in pursuit of his goal. The lab text unlocks magic that would have been far too sophisticated for his still developing skills. And the sheer idea of participating competently in a group ritual with older magi makes him smile and renew his efforts throughout the season.
Once this new skill is mastered Vorsutus relaxes for several days. Venturing outside of Rellantali in a way he hasn't practically since his Gauntlet he dares Venice once again. As always the Rellantali men keep guard over him and so his experience of the city is not entirely uncontrolled. He moves carefully, invisibly, with armed guards who are trained to move with and protect one just such as himself. And to prearranged diversions and entertainment. Yet, for all these arrangements not all goes quite according to plan. As he began to head back at the end of a pleasant evening a bystander on the street managed to catch a glimpse of him. The revulsion and stark fear that the sight of Vorsutus engendered in the man lead him to instantly make a sign to ward away evil and the word "stregone" is heard like a curse as the man backs away. Fumblingly he produced a small knife from his belt, yet a moment later he turned and ran into the city.
(Learn Spell: Wizard's Vigil - MuVi 20)(Lab Total: 23)(Exposure: +2xp Magic Theory)
Year 3, Autumn
The memory of the man pulling a knife and then running away from him lingered with Vorsutus long after the event itself. It was seemingly inconsequential yet the memory kept returning and smoldering behind his eyes. He started a new spell design of his own. One that would give him a new way to reach out and punish such churls. Amina, the young lady apprenticed to Dareth of Tytalus, asked him why he felt the need when he discussed his project with her in the library one day. "Look at Venice, it bends to our will Vorsutus. Why do the Mundanes bother you so? Don't you think we have greater matters to be concerned with?"
"Even in Venice, where our influence and indeed even power, are greatest? Never believe that they are not what they are Amina. They would gladly burn you at the stake if they had you firmly in their power. And the whole day they would play music, dance, and throw candy to the children in the street while they did it. It would be a day long celebration all about the fact that they were going to burn you. Forgetting it is dangerous, for all of us."
"Perhaps you should be the one in House Tytalus, my friend." Amina replied, her eyes showing first surprise and then a growing approval. Vorsutus looked back into her eyes thinking of how beautiful hers were and in that moment received a vision of her, looking up from a chair smiling at him while holding a baby to her breast. A baby he somehow knew was his. Blinking Vorsutus came back to his senses to look around only for Amina to have already moved to another part of the library on her own errands.
(Invent Spell: Claw of the Gladiator - PeCo 10)(Lab Total: 23)(Exposure: +2xp Magic Theory)
Year 3, Winter
After the memory of the man from the street, and his fearful eyes, began to fade another replaced it. Amina, and her eyes showing approval, lurked in the back of his mind as he continued with a new design that would augment the first. Wounding was not enough. Deterrence required more. They must fear to transgress the magical world and he would make certain that was so. Dareth and Amina both seemed approving as he sat with them to discuss both his Necrotic Touch design and his plans for the future. Plans such as they were. Options for a suitable situation in Rome were still not forthcoming.
While Vorsutus received no further visions of Amina he decided to pursue the matter now, before they both went their separate ways for life in the hermetic world otherwise. At first she seemed to not believe he was serious. Yet when was he ever not?
A passionate affair ensued and yet somehow Vorsutus could feel that future from his vision slipping away. Something he was certain had gone wrong and he had stepped down a less optimal path through time. Growing in frustration he delved into his visions but could find no answer.
(Invent Spell: Necrotic Touch - PeCo 10)(Lab Total: 23)(Exposure: +2xp Magic Theory)
Year 4, Spring
Vorsutus receives a letter, handed in ceremonious secrecy to him by the long familiar Redcap who calls on Rellantali, from the the ancient high priest of the sacred grove he had previously tried to assist.
It directly expressed approval and gratitude for his previous efforts on the behalf of the cult and grove, and offered him a position in cadre of young Magi that would be serving as active priests in the grove for the next year. The short notice was due to an unexpected vacancy. Vorsutus immediately wrote his acceptance with an eager hand. He knew this was a key step to moving deeper into the Cult itself and would not squander his opportunity.
Amina however was less than pleased. A year away? Just before her own Gauntlet? Their affair took on a somewhat different tone afterwards, with intense feelings and passion and yet a growing sense that they both knew when he left that it would be over.
A mere week of preparation made smooth his departure. He never questioned the decision. Yet still wonders how this confluence that pushed her out of his life could have been avoided or changed.
The travel was uneventful, a ship from Rellantali bore him to the very city containing the grove and its temple. Arriving Vorsutus undertook the ritual initiation and ceremonies of new priests then proceeded to live under the strict rule, almost monastic in structure, that governed the lives of those in residence there.
(Exposure: +2xp Cult of Mercury Lore)
Year 4, Summer
His service continued and so did his fascination and intense desire to understand everything he encountered there. Ritual observances and care for the grounds occupied much of his time. Repainting and dressing the statues to be display the ancient Gods in their proper splendor was arduous and detailed work, yet it was also an opportunity to learn about each God and all of their proper associations that affected how they should be displayed and respected.
Again the mystic birds made their appearance in the grove felt by stealing the magical fruit of the trees. Vorsutus was so distracted with his own inner affairs that he did not realize until after their theft was long concluded once again.
Thoughts of Amina lingered with him. And he had another vision of her as Summer came to an end, her face sweat stained in the same chair he had seen her before. She bore the same babe at her breast. Yet this time he was not there and she was not smiling.
(Exposure: +2xp Cult of Mercury Lore)
Year 4, Autumn
Melancholy crept into the recesses of his mind. In many ways he was already certain of what had happened and what was at least in the immediate future. She had borne his child and now she would leave. At least this time for them to be together had closed. Though he was already certain of all of these things he wrote earnestly to both Amina and to his Pater Chaldeaus.
Chaldeaus answered to inform him that Amina has passed her gauntlet, had indeed borne a child though she had told no one whom was the father, and that now she had already quit Rellantali. Dareth had said only that she wished to be elsewhere and he had made suitable arrangements for her.
In the evenings, around his duties as a priest for the year, Vorsutus let his mind wander up and down the pivotal moments that had led to his unhappy state of affairs. And saw none that he thought he would have changed. Or perhaps even could have changed.
His visions were many and varied, for he spent hours staring into his scrying crystal. Yet none were of her, or of his child. This vexed him most of all.
(Exposure: +2xp Cult of Mercury Lore)
Year 4, Winter
He renewed his dedication to his current role. Vorsutus -enjoyed- being a priest of the temple. The entire situation of it. And the atmosphere, the casual teachings of the elder priests and the majestic grandeur of the temple itself, was like another world from Rellantali. Vorsutus determined that he wished to live in just such an idyllic place in the future. That nothing else would do.
In particular he cultivated a relationship with the high priest who had invited him to fill the vacancy. Vorsutus again expressed his desire to deepen his studies and then return to solve the bird problem for the Cult.
When he returned to Rellantali upon the completion of his year of service it no longer felt like home.
(Exposure: +2xp Cult of Mercury Lore)
Year 5, Spring
His time in Sacred Grove had renewed his desire to hone his mastery of sympathy in order to be able to overcome the resistance of the mysterious thieving birds. He pursued his program of study with rigor yet in the mornings he continued writing and answering letters.
He sought the whereabouts of Amina more than anything else. Certainly he kept in touch with his new friends, his fellow priests and members of the Cult of Mercury, as well as the more senior members of the Cult. Yet little was he worried about himself and finding a new situation. Instead the mornings were spent thinking of whom to write to in search of her. And for the time being such inquiries were fruitless.
The evenings however he spent deeply gazing into his scrying crystal. Hours spent questing through visions of time and the critical moments he might walk down, searching for the path that would lead him to her. And still he saw her not at all. How could that be?
(Study Penetration Summa: +10xp Penetration)
Year 5, Summer
He gave up on the letters. She must have traveled outside of Rome for him not to be able to locate her at all. Even bribing his now very familiar Redcap at Rellantali had produced no results beyond that he would send the letters to Harco, and there eventually she would be found.
He continued his studes, of course. Yet in an around his work he stalked Dareth through Rellantali. Learning his habits and routine until one day he confidently braved Amina's old room while he was certain Dareth would be nowhere around. It was a risk. Not technically within his Sanctum, but certainly in his of the great houses of the Covenant in Venice and something of a trespass. Yet all went as planned and he was not discovered.
And the prize he sought was his. A small clump of her hair painstakingly harvested and collected together from the various effects left behind in her vanity. It should be all that he needed.
(Study Penetration Summa: +10xp Penetration)
Year 5, Autumn
With determination he paused his studies to spend the fall in the laboratory. He would not let his find go to waste and to spend his time productively in the process. Though inwardly impatient to put his find into immediate action he instead exercised restraint and unwaveringly waited for the lab process of fixing the connection to complete before doing anything further with it.
Vorsutus determined that since, after all, this was the mother of his as yet only child this would not be the last time he might need to even simply divine information about her if nothing else. He purchased a small silver ring, set with a small tiny topaz, and therin fixed the connection concealed under the stone.
(Fix Connection: Amina)
(Invent Spell: Panic Of The Trembling Heart (Mod.) - CrMe 10: Lab Total: 22)
(Exposure: +2xp Magic Theory)
Year 5, Winter
And the laboratories of Rellantali were not his own. In payment for the use of a lab Vorsutus served, not entirely eagerly yet by all means without rancor, as lab assistant for his Pater Chaldeaus once again. Therein he assisted his erstwhile Master in designing a new spell for improving the performance of arcane connections. Vorsutus bargained for his own copy of the laboratory text in exchange for some future additional service to Rellantali.
In the meantime his evenings he began practicing his astrological arts in search of Amina. And his connection and more advanced skills together yielded results. Somehow it was clear she was trying to protect herself from his divinations. Yet he garned enough information to craft her Nativity Horoscope and thereafter was able to determine that she was alive, well, full of conflicting emotions, and in Constantinople.
Constantinople? She had run far away indeed. Yet now he could see her again.
Once again he began having visions of her, like before. It was like she had been cut out of one of his natural senses. The constant flow of possibility and probability that never left his sight. Now she was back before his sight and he would not lose her again.
(Exposure: +2xp Magic Theory)
(Lab Text: Fortify The Ethereal Threads - CrVi30)
Fortify The Ethereal Threads
CrVi 30
R: Touch, D: Ring, T: Circle
Decrease the rate of decay of any Arcane Connection within by three steps though unable to exceed the category of lasting "years" as an AC.
(Base: 15, +1 Touch, +2 Ring)
Year 6, Spring
Another season of service to Rellantali found Vorsutus once again managing, and sometimes assisting, the criminal affairs of its unacknowledged retainers. Long accustomed to such affairs Vorsutus none the less enjoys the intricate and clandestine dealings that make such business work, and pay.
His particular skills were put to use in a variety of ways. Divining the location of a pair of kidnapping victims. (One that it was desired to retrieve, another to kidnap.) And the whereabouts of the hidden stash of silver belonging to a recalcitrant and proud merchant who refused to pay his "taxes" to the gang lords of the city. Rellantali existed on such affairs and Vorsutus had always taken the lessons of how the world "really" worked to heart. Another season of soaking up such lessons was not a heavy burden for him.
And when all of this work was done a few minutes with his scrying crystal and his lady and child were there to see once again. It was coming, they would be together again, he could feel it in the skein.
Surprise however came when the retainers reported an altercation with a savage creature of some kind lurking in the canals. It had already slain a man, dragging him overboard before any were aware of danger. He surfaced again only some time later, well drowned and less well feasted upon. Vorsutus used the wounded man as a connection to creature with which to divine its nature and whereabouts. A dark mermaid, a carnivorous and predatory creature of entropy, that prowled the darkest recesses of the canals. How had such a being escaped notice until now? Or from whence had it come?
Such questions could be answered later. He methodically took his time to build up his ceremony and then poured it through the connection to the creature, reaching out and firmly suppressing the mind of the predator into a state of sleep. Letting his men know where the beast could be found, with it rendered inert, he cautioned them to be wary yet to retrieve it. It was brought forth in nets and kept in the shallows alongside their boat in the canals as they had caught it.
Chaldeaus he was certain could find a use for such a creature. Perhaps he would more than repay his debt after all?
(Adventure: +8xp Intrigue, + ?Reward?)
(Reward: Astrolabe of Quality (Minor Item))
Year 6, Summer
His debt paid, and then some, Vorsutus set to making his own arrangements. A few welcome bribes to his now well familiar Redcap friends and he was able to narrow down her location in Constantinople to the Covenant of Thermakopolis. He began exchanging letters with the Archmagus Mathieus who presided there. Making discreet arrangements to come, see the city, and study with the Covenant took several letters yet it was no great feat. As these passed back and forth he negotiated passage from Venice to Harco and onward to Constantinople itself.
Within a month all was arranged and Vorsutus found himself discreetly escorted through the city to the waiting doors of one of Thermakopolis' great houses. The city reminded him of his past homes. Wexford, Venice, now Constantinople? All port cities. All thriving places of trade and bustling life. Though life he could only ever partake of in limited ways. It was impressive still, even compared to Venice, and that was saying something.
Being brought in to Thermakopolis as a guest he smiled broadly, his friendliness in earnest as he grasped hands and went through the introductions with his hosts. This was all as he expected and he grew more and more certain as he was brought through to join several other Magi for dinner, including their other Roman guest. He was seated across from Amina whose wide eyes betrayed, if only to him, how very little she had expected to see him here.
A wry smile formed on his lips as he raised his glass to her. "To Roman Beauty."
(Exposure: +2xp Intrigue)
Year 6, Autumn
Amina didn't stay shocked for long. Or cold to him. Soon it was as if he never left for the Grove. They settled into love and their studies. And he met his child, who was a babe no longer really. She informed him, seemingly shy for a change, that she had called him Eadric. Of course she had?
Their association did not escape the notice of their hosts, but clearly they were more than casually together with a young child in tow. The only gentle admonition they received was the suggestion that perhaps the services of a discreet and magus friendly priest were a bit overdue? It was agreed upon that they would wed soon and arrangements began to be made.
Vorsuts renewed his studies on sympathy and connections and finding the library of Thermakopolis a wonder. There he spent hours just poring through the variety of books available, as much as reading anything. This was not the idyllic scene of a Temple in a Grove, yet ... there was a majesty here all the same. And luxury to rival Venice. A man could grow accustomed to such a place.
(Study Penetration Summa: +10xp Penetration)
Year 6, Winter
Vorsutus shifted his program of study. Instead he began to focus more strongly on the Art of Rego. He needed to advance his general abilities. He had focused on the foundations of his areas of interest for too long perhaps. Yet even as he planned his way forward, mystically, he found much to distract him in his daily life.
The joys of a young family. And a wedding to bring it together in the eyes of the world and the gods. They were wed discreetly before many of the Magi of the city. The mystical society of Constantinople celebrated the union of two of their own with enthusiasm that partially shocked Vorsutus, yet warmed his heart none the less.
This was his "society" he reminded himself. Not the one out there in the world. Magical society was where he had always belonged. Perhaps he should ask himself why being embraced by it in turn was something he did not expect?
Even more discreetly they were wed again by the local priests of the Cult of Mercury. And an even smaller grouping of magical society likewise celebrated.
Joys which could never last.
(Study Rego Summa: +15xp Rego)
Year 7, Spring
Vorsutus came to befriend one Belisarius, of Jerbiton, the former apprentice of the Archmagus who presided over Thermakopolis. The two had long talks on hermetic affairs and the structure and politics of the Theban Tribunal. And the theology surrounding The City in various shapes and forms. Frequently over games of chess and glasses of wine.
Vorsutus was glad to have made a new friend in a place where he had none. Though he did not press overmuch on matters of theology given his "very" different ideas about such.
His studied during this time continued to focus on Rego in the library of Thermakopolis. He felt fortunate that the library had such a tome in Latin and that all the books therein were not in Greek. Perhaps, if he intended to stay here with Amina, he should make time to learn the language soon?
And Amina began showing again.
(Study Rego Summa: +15xp Rego)
Year 7, Summer
A new child. A daughter this time.
And this time his vision of Amina holding the baby and smiling at him came true down to the last detail.
Vorsutus was overjoyed and determined to make all of this happiness last. He began speaking with the Archmagus about joining Thermakopolis itself. It seemed like a good match for him given his predisposition and magical interests. Perhaps he and Amina could make a home here in the greatest city in the world?
Why not? A wife and family, a prosperous city and Covenant to live in, and friends at hand? A welcoming hermetic society?
A man could do much worse.
(Study Rego Summa: +15xp Rego)
Year 7, Autumn
Vorsutus was called upon to assist the some Verditius Magi who were members of the League of The Children of Olympos, and also members of the Cult of Mercury. He had to forsake his studies of Rego entirely and take ship with them to the isle of Lemnos and the Covenant of Ingasia where a tense standoff was taking place between several Magi.
A strange situation confronted the young Magus wherein several warlike Frankish Flambeau were demanding that a missing Sodale and his property be returned to them in good condition or they would declare war upon all and sundry and return in a month. Apparently this confrontation had already been underway for days. Vorsutus seemed to arrive just in time to attempt to mediate and assist in the matter before all dialogue broke down.
The crux of the conflict revolved around one of the Frankish Magi who had commissioned a powerful enchantment from the Verdi of the isle. The enchantment itself was seemingly straightforward. A mystic ballista, intended for mounting on a ship, that was capable of dispatching fiery bolts that after striking dissolved into something akin to Greek Fire. And yet the Magus himself and the ballista were vanished. He had stepped up to inspect the work before his friends and seemingly all had watched both he and the engine disappear without explanation. The Verdi were similarly perturbed by this situation. Both due to the warlike Franks and because the engine had not yet been completely paid for.
Vorsutus was able to convince those involved to cooperate to determine the fate of the missing Magus and enchantment both, to the benefit of all interested parties. Being methodical and careful to be clearly observed in all undertakings by both parties he gathered suitable connections both from the friends of the Frankish Magus and from the Verditius relating to the Engine and investigated the scene thoroughly. After hours of investigation he retired to perform in depth astrological calculations and divinations.
The strange part of the affair was that the Magus simply seemed "gone". There was no connection to either him or the engine in either case. Not even a connection that was resisted, it was as if there was nothing to connect to. As Vorsutus emerged, showing his astrological evidence, and explained this strange lack of findings at first neither Franks nor Verdi were receptive. Both accused him of taking a bribe from the other to clear them of their obvious debt. Until a wizened Criamon spoke, and declared the Frank to have crossed into Twilight, and to have taken his engine with him.
Not all mysteries it appears have satisfactory conclusions.
(Adventure +8xp (+5xp Intrigue, +3xp Cult of Mercury Lore) Reward: Lab Text (Invisible Arbalest of Vilano - ReTe 20)
Year 7, Winter
Vorsutus returned to Thermakopolis and reflected on feeling somewhat powerless before the angry Frankish Flambeau. It was not a feeling he would care to repeat he decided. His studies shifted after that experience. He began to take an interest in being able to defend himself directly, and to that end he began to design and follow a different program of study.
Amina was glad that he had returned safely, yet seemed preoccupied with matters of her own interest more and more. There was something afoot there yet it was something he failed to sufficiently notice.
(Learn Spell: Invisible Arbalest of Vilano - ReTe 20: LT: 28 + Lab Text)
(Exposure: +2xp Magic Theory)
Pre-Sage Advancement & Narrative (Cont.)
Year 8, Spring
He continued to socialize with the Magi of Thermakopolis, drawing closer to them and putting his best foot forward as it were. There was no dissembling on either side as all of the Magi weighed whether Thermakopolis would be a good home for him and his wife. Vorsutus found more and more, as he continued the process, that he was surprised at himself at how much he had come to desire this to work.
In the interim he shifted his studies by day to the Art of Vim and discussed with Amina how he was enjoying the change and what further uses he might put these new skills to in the future. She seemed well amused with him, yet her own affairs kept her busy much of the time. "You already seem to have put aside the lesson from Lemnos. It made you stronger, but it was only a small test. Sometimes I wish you had actually been a Tytalus, though I do love you as you are." Sometimes a Tytalus can be a real chore.
(Study Vim Summa: +15xp)
Year 8, Summer
Vorsutus served as lab assistant, in a non-Sanctum lab, to the Archmagus Mathieus. It served both the purpose of paying his way for continuing to be hosted by, and permitted to study at, this Covenant of which he was not a member ... and to bring him and the Archmagus into close and prolonged contact as his suit for that very membership was under consideration. Vorsutus found he enjoyed the older Magus' company. He was intelligent, wry, and perceptive.
The project was also an interesting one. A crystalline sphere the size of a pomegranate housed in an arcane apparatus the size of small chest. This curious device Mathieus confided in him was meant to form the heart of their new strategy for any potential defense of the city. A device capable of affecting the minds of an entire enemy army at once and thoroughly and completely destroying their ability to work in cohesion or even amity with one another. The single greatest advantage of any mundane force, completely eliminated.
Vorsutus was impressed and overawed at a level of power, and ability to resist the ultimate mundane assault, that he could only hope to wield such greatness himself one day. He wanted to join this Covenant now more than ever. Amina listened to everything with wide interested eyes and an amused smile.
(Exposure: +2xp Magic Theory)
Year 8, Autumn
Vorsutus resumed his studies of Vim, attempting to regulate his program of study once again now that he was free from the lab. He dreamed of working on another similarly grand project of his own one day. It gave him deeper motivation for his own studies.
In the mean time Amina was becoming more active with visitors to the city. Magi not from Thebes, many of them. Vorsutus was distracted though he noticed a haze of vaguely dark possibility about some of them when he met a few of them. He caught a brief reference of one of them telling another he was the husband of their "ally" and this seemed to garner him immediate acceptance in their group.
(Study Vim Summa: +15xp)
Year 8, Winter
Continuing his studies Vorsutus, despite his usual isolation from the mundane world, was none the less disturbed by news of building conflict. Conflict enough that it threated even the great city itself. Intrigued and concerned both he spent his free hours speaking with the others of Thermakopolis (as he thought of them now) about the state of the city and whether it would need to be defended.
The Archmagus assured him that there was nothing to fear. Thermakopolis was well prepared and all would be well. He felt the certainty of the older Magus and it was indeed reassuring. His visions showed a triumphant Covenant celebrating a great victory. Taken together the outcome of any dispute seemed all too clear to him.
Amina was often traveling for her own interests during this time. The nanny that tended their children had her hands full much of the time. Vorsutus made time in his own evenings to spend with the children and wondered what project had so absorbed her that she had not yet shared. Yet one does not generally do well to pry into the affairs of a Tytalus. His visions once again contained her less and less, a fact which slowly began to bother him the back of his mind.
(Study Vim Summa: +15xp)
Year 9, Spring
The news continued to grow worse regarding impending conflict. Vorsutus shifted his studies to match, abandoning the topics he was most interested in seeking instead to better prepare himself for any approaching violence amongst Magi themselves. This was not to his liking. He preferred to think that Magi, in their world apart, should bolster one another against a hostile mundane world. Yet clearly there was always the possibility of conflict amongst your very own. And he did not wish to be defenseless.
During this time a group of Quaesitors from Polyaigos arrived in the city and visited Thermakopolis itself. They were very direct in urging everyone present to leave the city. Vorsutus had some conversation with one Magus among them called Regulus after the official meeting had concluded. He saw a haze of possibility around this man that he did not see around the others. Some future entanglement that was not yet clear. He did his best to be friendly and try to draw him into conversation as he tried to unravel what the nature of this future entanglement might be. They concluded their conversation with him having come to no firm conclusion yet perhaps one friend richer. And perhaps that was the matter itself?
Of course the Magi of Thermakopolis would not abandon the city. Their stated purpose as a Covenant of Thebes was defending it! Vorsutus could see no alternative for himself either, though he was no warrior Magus. And where was Amina?
(Learn Parma Magica: +15xp Parma Magica)
(Regulus Interaction1)
Year 9, Summer
The Crusaders, and their Hermetic Allies, arrived and besieged the greatest city in the world. Archmagus Mathieus and Vorsutus stood on the wall together looking out more than once. It disappointed the elderly Magus that such a great army was composed of would-be allies and on the wrong side of the city. For centuries they had resisted barbarian forces from outside Christendom. And here was Christendom come to repay them.
Even in the early days of the Siege there came to be exchanges in secret places of the magical world between the Magi of the city and those of the army attempting to breach and establish a metaphorical beachhead within. Vorsutus felt ill prepared for such however he participated in several defensive actions none the less. He isn't certain if he killed anyone, or if so how many. But he is certain on more than one occasion his Arbalest spell hit home. His friend Belisarius and he were frequently fighting together in these exchanges. His sodales of Thermakopolis rewarded him with a gift they thought suitable to his talents.
How could the Pax Hermetica come to this? Wasn't preventing such things why the Order even existed?
Amina however had returned and this was a welcome joy.
(Adventure: +8xp (+8xp Parma Magica) + Reward: Scrying Crystal of Quality)
(Initial Siege of Constantinople)
Year 9, Autumn
The army and the city settled into the siege. The Hermetic conflict also simmered down to a quiet state with building tension, much like the mundane conflict. Vorsutus found himself pressed, with his rarer divinatory skills, into constant service to Thermakopolis and the defense. Connections gathered after battles, or from prisoners, or from scouts sent outside the city were constantly brought to him for him to exploit and determine if they were useful for information.
In what free time he had not gathering information for the defense he attended the councils of the defenders and lended what advice he could. Yet he was still young compared to many of the Magi defending the city and could lend little of substantive might to their efforts, despite yearning to desperately.
The factions amongst those Magi still residing in the city began to squabble among themselves over management of their resources and how best to defend the city. Vorsutus repeatedly attended gatherings the purpose of which was to try to sway Magi to one or another faction devoted to a certain strategy ... or to abandoning the city altogether. He did his utmost to sway his fellow Magi to sustain the defense and to support Archmagus Mathieus. He had every confidence in the ancient Jerbiton.
Amina did not seem so confident. She did not quit the city however she did have every bit of their household goods and affairs prepared for doing so given the sparest moment of notice. Vorsutus was too absorbed in his maneuvering among the defenders to pay close attention to his lack of visions of her. Yet looking back the lack of her in his Sight is striking to him.
(Exposure: +2xp Intrigue)
Year 9, Winter
The tense "peace" of a siege did not last on the Hermetic front. Vorsutus again found himself constantly absorbed in skirmishes to defend the city and even more than once the grounds of the Covenant itself. It was dismaying to him that such open warfare could occur, hermetic on hermetic.
Belisarius and he were constantly together in such unsavory contests whenever Vorsutus was not occupied with divining on behalf of the defenders. His fingers ached constantly either from casting his Arbalest spell or from the constant writing of astrological calculations and inceptions. There was little in the way of rest or time to think beyond the needs of the moment. His visions kept him on a path forward that he felt certain would lead him out of this nightmare alive though not perhaps as well as he would hope for. Yet he could not bring himself to walk away from the nightmare and leave Thermakopolis and the city seemingly to destruction and rapine. The ancient Malthieus spoke of him almost as if he were already a member of the Covenant, indeed he said he likely would already be one if this affair had not so disrupted things. Beyond the personal thanks and encouragement of the Archmagus himself, he was gifted with a lab text from his own collection.
(Adventure: +8xp (+8xp Parma Magica) + Reward: Lab Text)
(Lab Text: Memory Palace of the Magus - CrMe 35)
Year 10, Spring
Vorsutus was sure until the end that the city would hold. That Mathieus and the grand power of the defenders would prevail. And he would do his part as well as he could, for one so young in Hermetic terms. Yet he had failed already without knowing it.
The clashes leading up to the final battle were much the same, though the intensity built up as all appeared to know the conclusion in any case was drawing nearer. Vorsutus had such a wide collection of Connections with which to divine by this point that he couldn't make beneficial use of them all in a day. He fed constant information to his allies, thwarting attempted breaches repeatedly if indirectly.
And yet in the end it was all for naught. Returning to the now fortress-like atmosphere of Thermakopolis one evening Vorsutus fell into a haze of prescience. A vision of the possibility and such a pivotal moment that he felt almost compelled to follow it. In an almost trance state he let the vision lead him down into the treasury of Thermakopolis to find Amina there, the doors wide and the protections disarmed.
He stood silently watching as she looted from the treasures of his friends and would-be Covenant-mates until she suddenly appeared to notice him. Then she laughed as if a child caught stealing from the kitchen. He walked forward as she began to speak, looking down at a fractured and clearly no longer functional device ... a crystalline orb set into a fine apparatus the had helped enchant not so long ago. He held up a hand interrupting her. "It is clear this is more than theft." he said, his anger palpable. "I can't believe-"
And then he was motionless. Not insensate, but locked in place somehow.
"My dear husband. You've grown so much these past few years. But I think you need so much more. I have plans for us both. You were wasting your life away like a Jerbiton until all of this. Now look at you! Trust me, my love, this will only make us both stronger. You will suffer, I know, but I am not sorry for it. For I can not wait to meet the new you when all of this is concluded. For I have faith you will stand the test of the fire and emerge rarefied." she said. After that a kiss, and then the next thing he remembered was waking in a distant townhouse for the city.
A townhouse occupied nominally by the Crusaders. But really by the Hermetic allies amongst them. The siege was over and he recognized some of those Latins now as being among those who knew him as the "husband of their ally" from not so long ago. All was as it had been arranged to be. By Amina.
He felt if anything a fool. Yet he was alive.
(Adventure: +8xp (+8xp Parma Magica) + Reward: ???)
(Fall/Sack of Constantinople)
Year 10, Summer
As the city settled into a state of occupation the magical world reeled with the great destruction of longstanding Covenants. Including Thermakopolis. Vorsutus was grateful in some ways to have survived yet he could not stomach the deeds or how readily his wife profited from them. How she had shattered so many lives, including the one he was building with her here, with purpose and foresight. She seemed convinced that eventually he would understand what she had done. He was less certain.
Going amongst the others, the survivors of the defense, he did what little he could to give aid and try to help arrange especially for those of the Cult and the League to which he was so friendly were able to exit the city unharmed. In these interactions he again encountered the Quaesitor Regulus doing similar work. Again he paused to converse with the man, the sense of growing entanglement surrounding him again. Vorsutus was perhaps too much still stunned by how these affairs had transpired to be a pleasant conversationalist.
It was during these days that he came to become acutely aware that his visions no longer included Amina, and that he had been so distracted with affairs that he had not noticed. Prying open the ring he had made he detected that the Connection to her was gone. She had planned this so far ahead it would seem. And blocked herself from his Sight to achieve it.
He gathered his things and made a silent departure with the next group of Cult members that he assisted instead joining them in their relocation via magical means to a distant Sacred Grove of the Cult in Rome. One he knew well.
It wasn't long after this that, visiting Venice, he rekindled an old relationship with Isabella Carraro.
(Exposure: +2xp Cult of Mercury Lore)
(+1 Warping)
(Regulus Interaction2)
Year 10, Autumn
The idyllic temple was perhaps just what he needed, deep in his heart, to recover from the lengthy ordeal of such sustained conflict and violence. To say little of such a close betrayal. The ancient High Priest seemed to read everything in even just his bearing and, hugging him close, welcomed him "home" in a way that made him feel utterly and completely welcomed and accepted. It was difficult to keep his composure after that.
At first he simply partook of the usual rights and functioning of the temple, striving to see it all done "right" as he had learned when he had done his year of service. Yet the high priest would have none of it. That was work for those doing "their" year of service, not for him.
This freed him from constant demands. It was then that he turned his mind, and considerably more developed skills, to an old problem he had not thought about in entirely too long. The birds stealing the sacred fruits of the trees of the grove. He spent several days wandering the grove itself after that, searching and letting his visions play out in his mind. And eventually he discovered a single new, significant and possibility laden it seemed to his eye, almost blue-black feather.
Unlike before this time his skills were up to the test. He was shocked at what he learned over several hours of divinations and calculations. There was in fact only one bird. But it was a bird of significant power, able to fly through some unknown means in and out of places like the regio of the grove.
As he sat in the grove itself and considered what to do about it he heard very Raven-like caw. Looking up a bird to match the feather in his hand was looking back at him. "I was just thinking about you." he said after a moment. "You seem to like eating things that don't belong to you. Yet perhaps we could make a deal?"
And the bird answered.
(Adventure: +8xp (+5xp Cult of Mercury Lore, +3xp Intrigue) + Reward: Find Familiar)
Year 10, Winter
The high priest was overjoyed to hear that there was a solution to his bird problem. He volunteered the use of a laboratory on the temple grounds immediately and Vorsutus set to work sealing the bargain with his new friend. Formerly thieving the fruit to keep up its considerable magical strength the mystical raven seemed naturally compatible with Vorsutus and had been slowly persuaded as the two came to know one another over a span of several weeks that life, a longer life at that, as a familiar without such needs was a compelling offer. An offer too good to refuse.
As Vorsutus forged his connection with his new familiar the high priest undertook at work of his own. Noting the young Magus was in need and of an age for it to be relevant he had determined to perform a longevity ritual for him. He named a price low enough that it raised the eyebrows on Vorsutus in surprise. "Believe me young man, if your bird isn't eating the fruit anymore this arrangement will all pay for itself!" the older man cackled.
(Bind Familiar)(+LP)
(Exposure: +2xp Magic Theory)
Year 11, Spring
Vorsutus finally finishes making arrangements for a Covenant to join. The Rhine is not somewhere he has ever spent a great deal of time, yet it is stable and magically rich compared to Rome. And after all his recent experiences he is eager to make his way there. Coordinating to travel and arrive with Belisarius seemed convenient and safer for both of them, and for his family and retainers.
The roads of Italy were long established if not always well maintained. Making their way to Harco was relatively straightforward. It was a simple matter from there to arrange transit through the Portals to Durenmar. Once there Vorsutus pauses to get to know the ancient Covenant, and arrange opportunity to study for both himself and his new Familiar before moving on. Belisarius wished to pause to learn the local mundane tongue as well.
(Vorsutus: +13xp, Ancient Greek)
(Skepsi: +14xp, Artes Liberales)
Saga Advancement
(Pending!)
Background Narratives
Early Childhood
Vorsutus was born to the norse name Eadric, Snorison, in the port city of Wexford. His father was a skilled shipwright and Ostman of means. His mother likewise came from a good Ostman family. He seemed primed for a life of similar prosperity until his birth. His Blatant Gift so alienated him from his father that it drove the man to drink. Some time later the man died in an accident on the docks, perhaps related to the drink yet who could say for certain? This changed the fortunes of his life dramatically. His mother had difficulty remarrying with the presence of a child that so discomforted anyone and everyone in their presence. He grew up barely tolerated, frequently beaten, fighting other children in the streets, and growing wise all too soon to the ways of people and the threats they could represent. Even as a young child the aura of his Blatant Gift and the unsettling nature of the knowledge his visions gave him drove a firm wedge between him and even his closest kin.
Pre-Apprenticeship
Young Eadric was eventually turned out into the streets by his mother, desperate to find a new husband and to forget the incredibly fey and otherworldy child she believed had driven her first husband to his death. Eadric put up no resistance and did not seem surprised. He had foreseen these events, there was no path ahead he could see that would cause her to change her mind, and he was already confident that eventually this was the path that lead him to a better life. He became a young orphan vagrant on the streets guided by the feral instinct of his Gift. He became a keen observer of people even more than before, watching for the proper moment to swipe a loaf of bread. And learning the bakers that would give him the leavings from the day as long as no one was looking. The port city also contained many people from England and the inner lands of Ireland alike. And they came speaking their own languages providing a constant exposure that rubbed off on Eadric as natural as breathing.
His Prescience became ever stronger and he learned to walk through the optimal moments in time as he foresaw them ever more. Several times over his years on the streets strange and otherworldly people came to Wexford and wandered the the streets and alleyways. Looking for him, he knew beyond doubt. Yet he knew, in the core of his being, that somehow going to them would be wrong. He foresaw easily all of their efforts to find and capture him and evaded them.
All save the last. This man acted differently. He came by ship and disembarking he and his guards, for he had several, set up outside an inn with streetside tables. There the man sat patiently to read. And yet his face, indeed every detail of the scene before him matched Eadric's visions. He knew that this man was his destiny in a way none of the others had been. This was his path forward through time to the better life he had been waiting for.
Eadric approached in the dimming light of the day and the man was unsurprised. Indeed he seemed to very much expect his arrival. "I've been waiting for you. It is alright. You will come with me and we shall come to know one another well." he said, though his tone was friendly.
A friendly tone, warmer and more open and unguarded than any voice Eadric could ever remember hearing speak. At least when speaking to him. He approached the older man and stood before the small table. The old man closed his book as Eadric briefly rubbed a grubby bare foot against the loose rags of his pants.
Then both spoke together, their words perfectly overlaying one another. "I have seen it."
Apprenticeship
Eadric and his new Master, who introduced himself as Chaldeaus, soon departed Wexford by ship. Nearly all his life Eadric had watched the ships come and go from the port of Wexford. Watched them bring and take people and goods in a constant flow. And somehow the idea that he would ever be on one of them had never been in his consideration. He came to understand that his life with Chaldeaus would be completely different from what came before.
On the way his lessons began almost immediately, in Latin. And in manners befitting an Apprentice instead of a street urchin. Slowly these things started to be hammered into some semblance of early form and with that the realization of how much he would be needing to learn. The guardsmen as well were strange and their speech unfamiliar. They seemed as unsettled by Eadric as anyone else but to keep that feeling under close control. Chaldeaus explained they were all from Italy and had traveled far to follow the vision that had led them to Eadric. All this soaked into his mind with a sense of wonder. He was going to Italy?
The quick mind of the boy was eager ever to take in more. He devoured the instruction. Indeed the lack of trust in their Master than many Apprentices struggle with in the beginning not present at all. Both Eadric and Chaldeaus had foreseen their meeting and the forming of their bond. And further that it would be of strong character and benefit for the both of them. Both placed such faith in that vision and its fulfillment that Master and Apprentice bonded readily to one another.
The ship brought them to England landing in Northern Wales. From there the small party of Magus, Apprentice, and Guardsmen made their way to Cad Gadu. The mysteries of the Domus Magnus and its Regio were seemingly well known to Chaldeaus. And he seemed there to find much respect and amity though they traveled quickly. Still there, for the first time, Eadric saw the wonders of unbridled magic and the raw power of Magi on display. It was a place of wonder secreted away inside an otherworldly Regio. It was also there he encountered for the first time other people besides Chaldeaus that reacted to him with kindness and even indulgence. Cad Gadu remains a place he remembers fondly.
There using the Mercere Portal of the Domus Magnus the small party traveled rapidly to Harco, encountering yet more wonders, before departing overland and in a matter of just a few days arrived in the chief homestead of Rellantali. Venice. A completely different and yet recognizable world from that which Eadric left behind. A land of different customs, different language, and different appearances. A much larger and more cosmopolitan city full of people, wealth, and commerce. And yet still ultimately a port city with strong similarities between it and the port city of his birth.
It required far more to grow accustomed to the wealth of Rellantali and the comfortable abundance and security which accompanied it. The former street urchin had much to adjust to and yet much of it was done in quick order with the immediate deep connection between Eadric and Chaldeaus. The two seemed of one mind on almost everything during the early days. The unity of their respective visions was unsettling even to some of the other Magi of Rellantali. Yet their Sodale had brought home an Apprentice, one so obviously suited to him, and ultimately what was there to complain about?
Years passed in exacting and demanding tutelage and the boy developed into a young man with a manner and bearing much like his Master. Some whispered as the years passed that Chaldeaus had somehow spawned a bastard on the other end of the world and then gone there to bring him back as an Apprentice years later. If anything this talk amused both Master and Apprentice both.
As he grew older, better trained, and gained the language of his environment Eadric slowly started to be included in various activities of the Covenant in Venice. And thus Eadric was exposed for the first time to crime beyond stealing bread to avoid going hungry for the night. At first the young man had reservations about the now revealed way in which Rellantali maintained their wealth, privilege, and power. His visions had warned him that the affairs of the Covenant were not always pleasant or straightforward. Yet as he came to understand the extent to which that was true he realized that the people of Venice were treated as little more than prey. Prey which, due to the precarious position of Rellantali in the Tribunal, must not be allowed to realize their state. And so Rellantali was ruthless. And in fulfilling their demands of him Eadric was forced to be ruthless as well. He took no pleasure even as he grew into understanding the necessity of their position. His Blatant Gift restricted the degree to which he went out among the people to do the work of the Covenant. Yet his growing facility with sympathetic magic was easily put to use and the severity of the impact of his Gift was in some ways useful when say intimidation was called for.
As the years continued Eadric, as a more senior Apprentice, was expected to somewhat regularly participate in and help facilitate the criminal enterprises of Rellantali in Venice. He came to be fluent in Italian and able to handle these matters directly with the retainers and associates of the criminal network maintained by the Covenant when called upon. This also caused him to occasionally meet with people in affluent positions, sometimes even Nobles, who had matters with Rellantali what required more than a retainer or Custos and yet did not necessarily warrant a Magus. And in this he excelled as much as any young Gifted could becoming adept at reading those who would deceive and managing such affairs and schemes as he was entrusted with. Blackmail, smuggling, extortion, bribery in the right hands ... he grew increasingly comfortable with the way the illicit true power structures and influence networks of the city functioned. And how so very many of them were under the boot of Rellantali. The handicap of his Blatant Gift in dealing with the powerful was offset by his ability to interact with his allies from afar among a collection of other similar tactics. Some of the criminal retainers of the Covenant had become accustomed to him over time and these became his closer allies and agents.
Increasingly Eadric came to embrace the power wielded by Rellantali and the ascendance they maintain for themselves in Venice. He exerted that influence on his own behalf, unbeknownst to the full Magi of the Covenant, to become a known and accepted if mysterious and ominous presence in the upper tier gambling halls and gentlemen's clubs favored by the wealthiest and most noble of patrons in the city. His reputation in Venice became so scandalous and sensational that Chaldeaus called him to task over it in no uncertain terms. How could Rellantali escape notice from the mundanes, much less the other Covenants of Rome, if he made a spectacle of himself in public iniquity with noble sons and the bewitching and bedding of noble daughters? Chaldeaus demanded that he must learn the hard lesson that Magi must live in the shadows. His Master was always cautious and even fearful. Always hesitant and giving way before true resistance to approach a situation from another angle entirely. Rellantali survived, he insisted, because it enforced the secrecy and discretion of hiding their power and affluence away from the mundane world. Doing otherwise was to court disaster. Especially in Rome.
Chaldeaus displayed power that Eadric had not known that he possessed, so infrequently and discreetly was it exercised, in wiping all traces of his Apprentice's misdeeds from the city. His scandalous reputation, his young noble acquaintances and conquests, all gone. The entire fabric of the city rewoven around his absence outside the criminal networks of Rellantali that he would still need to work with. With one awesome ritual his Master could reweave the minds of the populace.
And yet the man feared them?
All throughout his Apprenticeship yet especially during the later years Chaldeaus built up and emphasized the importance of the Pagan Deities to the practice of magic. Especially the deep mysteries of divination that were the specialty of their magical lineage. One could not fail to recognize the Gods in the great cycles of creation. Their Astrological significance was undeniable. This cosmic truth, Chaldeaus taught, permeated all of reality. The Gods are the foundation and font of magic and to deny them is akin to denying The Gift itself. This Eadric absorbed deeply.
When in the fullness of time the young Magus, now visibly coming into his own as a young man of capability, was nearing the end of his Apprenticeship the usual tension between a Master and Apprentice before the Gauntlet was not to be seen. Instead both became somewhat distant from one another. They both knew what was to come, even more so with the intensity of their respective Gifts and prescience. Silently they both prepared while giving one another knowing and resigned looks.
Until one day Eadric and Chaldeaus walked in haste to meet one another, as if both at an appointed hour, in the courtyard of the great townhouse of Rellantali in Venice. There they paused and not looking at one another instead both observed their environment. The angle of the sunlight. The dew on the leaves in the garden. A bird passing by overhead. And then, both seeming satisfied that some mystically appointed hour had arrived, they turned to one another.
"It is time." said Eadric, his voice determined. Chaldeaus responded. "Yes, my boy. Your test begins today." he says, a slight grimace passing over his features. "In the city I have created three very different agents that will seek your death. They are simple mundanes yet do not doubt they could do you harm. I have selected and prepared them with care in order to provide an adequate test of your abilities. Each bears a small token which I have given them. It will not be a token that you know, but one they have received from me. You must find them and retrieve the tokens. Survive and bring all three tokens to me, without leaving the city, and you shall have passed." he says. For a moment his Master hesitated, then reached out and placed an old hand on his shoulder. "Have care and do not fail me my boy."
Three days later Eadric returned to the townhouse bedraggled, dirty, and bearing two visible wounds. Yet the wounds were already bound and the young man, eyes full of pride and determination, challengingly presented three tokens when Chaldeaus came to inspect him. The wicked grin and glee of the devious old man brought a smile reaching from ear to ear of new Magus. Pater and Filus laughed together.
Familiar:
Skepsi
Might 15 (Animal)
Virtues and Flaws:
V: Gift of Tongues (1), Independent Study (1), Regio Network: Auram (1), Second Sight (1)
True Friend: Vorsutus (Familiar)
F: Busybody (1), Avaricious (Shinies!)(3)
Characteristics:
Int +2
Per +2
Pre +1
Com +1
Str -6
Sta +2
Dex +1
Qik +5
Size:-4
Season: Summer
Confidence: 1 (3)
Personality Traits:
Loyal: +3
Brave: -2
Loquacious +6
Inquisitive +3
Shinies! +6
Magic Qualities and Inferiorities:
Gift of Speech (1)
Improved Abilities (x2)(2)
Improved Characteristics (x1)(1)
Lesser Power (x3)(3)
Personal Power (x9)(9)
Improved Powers (x3)(3)
Unaffected by the Gift (1)
Susceptible to Deprivation (1)
Reduced Might (x4)(4)
Abilities:
Athletics: (Spc: Flying) 4 (50xp)
Artes Liberales: (Spc: Reading) 1 (5xp)(+9xp)(Latin, Greek)
Awareness: (Spc: Shiny Objects) 4 (50xp)
Brawl: (Spc: Dodging) 3 (30xp)
Faerie Lore: (Spc: Regiones) 4 (50xp)
Hunt: (Spc: Tracking) 3 (30xp)
Magic Lore: (Spc: Regiones) 4 (50xp)
Second Sight: (Spc: Illusions) 5 (75xp)
Stealth: (Spc: In Flight) 4 (50xp)
Survival: (Spc: Forests) 3 (30xp)
Area Lore: European Magical Sites: (Spc: Regiones) 4 (50xp)
Dodge: (Init: +5)(Atk: -)(Def: +4)(Dmg: -)
Beak: (Init: +5)(Atk: -)(Def: +4)(Dmg: -)
Note: Unsure on some math here, will revisit later.
Fatigue Levels: (Fresh)(Winded)(Weary: -1)(Tired: -3)(Dazed: -5)(Unconscious)
Wound Penalties: L(-1/1), M(-2/2), H(-3/3), I(4)
Powers:
Hands of the Magical Animal
ReTe 15
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
As RoP:M pg 39.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 Constant)
(Personal Power)
Invisible Hand of the Thief
ReTe 20
R: Sight, D: Mom, T: Ind
As MoH pg 93.
(Base 4, +3 Sight, +1 affect restrained objects, +1 50 paces of transportation)
(Lesser Power, -2 Might)
Sight of the Boundaries & Treasures
InVi 20
R: Per, D: Conc, T: Vision
Provides sight which detects the mystical Auras and Vis of both Magic and Faerie Realms.
(Base: 1, +1 Conc, +4 Vision, +2 Additional Effects (+Realm, +Vis))
(Personal Power, -2 Might)
Piercing the Boundaries of Magic & Faerie
InVi 25
R: Per, D: Conc, T: Vision
As "Piercing The Faerie Veil" (ArM5 pg 158), applying to both Magic and Faerie Regiones.
(Base: 3, +1 Conc, +4 Vision)
(Personal Power, -3 Might)
Crossing All Boundaries
ReAn(Vi) 20
R: Per, D: Mom, T: Ind
Teleports the user up to 50 paces to place that is visible or to which they have an Arcane Connection. The Vim Requisite allows the teleportation to cross through the Boundaries of Regiones as long as the Regio layers can be perceived through by other spells/powers or a suitable Arcane Connection is possessed.
(Base: 15, +1 Vim Requisite)
(Personal Power, -2 Might)
Wings of Shadowed Silence
PeIm 20
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind
Completely eliminates images/sensory output of target causing it generate sensory impressions of sight, sound, smell, or touch.
(Base 5 (Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch), +2 Sun, +1 Moving/Adaptive Images)
(Personal Power, -1 Might)
Always A Favorable Wind
Cr(Re)Au 35
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
While active this effect provides a powerful wing to support and augment the natural flying of the target. This wind adjusts and turns with the target to always be favorable to their aerial manuevers, providing a +X bonus to any rolls related to flying or dodging while airborne. Sustained flight under the benefit of this effect is boosted to approximately 40 mph, and is significantly less tiring. The target can end the effect at any time.
(Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 Complexity (able to end), +1 Slightly Unnatural, +1 Rego requisite)
(Lesser Power, -4 Might)
Eyes of the Allfather
InIm 30
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Vision
As ArM5 pg 145, with the additional effect that Hearing can be employed similarly as if 1 foot away from any point observed.
(Base 3, +2 Sun, +4 Vision, +1 Second Effect (Hearing))
(Personal Power, -3 Might)
Sense of the Watcher
InMe(An) 40
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Hearing
As Hunter's Sense (ArM5 pg 118), adjusted up to Base 5 (from Mentem), and applying to both Humans and Animals.
(Base 5, +2 Sun, +3 Hearing, +1 for shape and primary motivation, +1 Animal Requisite)
(Personal Power, -4 Might)
Sight of the Active Magics
InVi 45
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Vision
As ArM5 pg 159, adjusted to Sun.
(Base 5, +2 Sun, +4 Vision, +2 Techniques and Forms)
(Personal Power, -5 Might)
Familiar Advancement Log:
(Placeholder)
Significant Characters
Amina of Tytalus
Amina is the Maga wife of Vorsutus. Both served their Apprenticeships in Rellantali, in the Roman Tribunal. Her Pater is Dareth of Tytalus who still resides there. She is younger than Vorsutus is yet came to an Apprenticeship much earlier in life and thus graduating to her Gauntlet slightly after his own. The two have two children (below).
Vorsutus still cares for her (he thinks, most likely) yet is outraged by her betrayal of Thermakopolis, the Covenant he was trying to join. He hasn't spoken to her since the siege yet is not unconcerned with her and likely will begin to wonder soon. He does not know her current whereabouts or status.
Children
By Amina: Eadric (Son, Born: 1197) & Juliana (Daughter, Born: 1200)
Vorsutus took both children with him when he left Constantinople. He did not ask or inform Amina that he was doing so.
By Isabella: Arne (Son, Born: 1203)
Vorsutus has a strained relationship with all of the children as they are all inescapably occasionally affected by his Blatant Gift. This is a source of deep frustration for him though rarely voices it. He strives to avoid such incidents by having Isabella have them look away or cover their eyes before he enters a room or approaches so that he can first shield them with his Parma Magica. He strives to balance his attention towards them with his other affairs yet already he keenly monitoring them for any signs at all that they might be Gifted. He has partially convinced himself this is likely to be the case, being the first two are children of two Gifted and even the third has a Hedge Mage mother. If they are not he isn't sure how he will respond, given his thoughts on Mundanes. Perhaps they can be good Redcaps if this is so? This would not be a scenario he found ideal by any means.
Isabella Carraro
Isabella is a Venetian lady of aristocratic merchant-class descent who had a brief relationship with Vorsutus when he was an Apprentice. Their relationship was one of the reasons Chaldeaus felt a need to intervene. By chance she was outside Venice when Chaldeaus removed the memories of the city regarding the indiscretions of Vorsutus, and so hers were retained. Still the two had no further association until Vorsutus returned to the city after the fall of Constantinople.
Isabella is an un-Gifted Hedge Wizard of the Malocchi Tradition (Societates pg 108) and somehow her magical activities early on rendered her Unaffected By The Gift. (This was not an effect created purposefully and could not be repeated.) This has made her thus a unique person to Vorsutus as regards non-Hermetic Magi.
Isabella's family has fallen on hard times in the harsh politics and mercantile affairs of Venice in part due to some of the family having been outed as Malocchi. Despite the Venetian ascendancy with recent events in Thebes her family is at risk of losing its fortune to others and Isabella's own life was at risk. The two met again, by chance both visiting an old rendezvous spot at the same time, and shared their respective troubles.
Isabella has become the second wife of Vorsutus in all but an open ceremony. She has accompanied him to Tugurium and acts as mother/stepmother to the children. Yet her beauty and refinement are difficult to conceal. It is not a great leap to see her and think there is more to her than one might be being led to believe. And Vorsutus has promised her more, for her and for her family.
Magi & People of Rellantali
Chaldeaus of Ex Miscellenea
Vorsutus and Chaldeaus still have a very strong and positive relationship. The two still seem uncannily in sync with one another more often than not with their respective oracular abilities. Yet still the two write one another regularly and Vorsutus in concerned about the future of the older Magus in a Covenant like Rellantali whose strategic position is uncertain. They write in Latin though frequently also including such a mix of astrological symbols and allusions to oracular and/or divinatory concepts and events that the two share that even few other Magi could comprehend the contents.
Marius of Tremere
Vorsutus frequently worked with Marius both as an Apprentice and after his Gauntlet when he did service to Rellantali by assisting its criminal activities. The two have a friendly rapport and exchange letters frequently, in Latin. Vorsutus sees Marius as a second mentor, almost a second Pater, and especially his mentor when it comes to Hermetic Politics.
Magi & People of the Isles
Culhwch of Ex Miscellanea
Vorsutus, having been to Cad Gadu both just after being taken as an Apprentice and several times since with his Ex Miscellanea Pater, has met Culhwch in person a number of times. He and Culhwch share a dislike of Mundanes and a somewhat more bellicose attitude. Vorsutus sees Culhwch as a political ally both as regards Magi openly defending themselves and asserting dominion over the lands of Covenants and in what internal politics exists in House Ex Miscellanea. The two semi regularly exchange letters, usually in Gaelic.
Dalton Ballaugh of Flambeau
Vorsutus is a practitioner of the Flambeau School of Combat of Raghallach founded in Lambaird and continued in practice by the Magi there. Vorsutus has slowly built up a relationship with Dalton writing to discuss this School of Combat, its techniques and philosophies, and increasingly other matters more personal. The frequency with which they have exchanged letters has slowly increased, especially after Dalton became aware that Vorsutus was from Hibernia and their correspondence shifted to Gaelic.
Magi of the Roman Tribunal
Acer of Ex Miscellenea
Acer is the High Priest of a traditional Mercurian Temple located in a hidden Regio near Cumae. His Temple is a continuously operating Oracle sight reaching back into antiquity, though practices there have changed over time including induction into the Order of Hermes and a transition to Hermetic Magic. None the less the Temple is ancient, a repository of much lore including especially divinatory and prophetic lore, and a refuge for the various diviners falling under the umbrella of the Hermetic Haruspex tradition in House Ex Miscellanea.
Acer is on personally good terms with Vorsutus as Vorsutus did a year of Cult service at his Temple and the two have stayed close afterward. When Vorsutus fled Constantinople after the siege/sack he went with a group of Theban Cult members being evacuated as a group to the Acer's Temple. Vorsutus also personally "solved" Acer's "bird problem" by recruiting a mystical bird that had been stealing vis from the Sacred Grove of the Temple as his familiar.
The two still regularly correspond on a variety of matters but most especially divinatory/prophetic issues and Cult affairs/lore. They generally write in Latin.
Magi & People of the Theban Tribunal
Petros of Jerbiton
Vorsutus met both Petros and his deceased Pater Michael when he was living at Thermakopolis prior to the the siege and sack of Constantinople. Vorsutus was going through the process of joining the Covenant when those unfortunate events transpired. Now that Petros has particpated in founding a new Covenant in Constantinople Vorsutus has begun writing him regularly to keep abreast of affairs there and offer any advice and support that he can. Vorsutus feels the loss of Thermakopolis, and the life he intended to have there, sharply still. Their correspondence is in Latin though Petros continues to tease Vorsutus about learning Greek.
Euxodia of Verditius
Euxodia is the Verditius who Vorsutus assisted with her troubles when a customer disappeared into Final Twilight with the goods, without paying, and without informing his armed and bellicose friends. She rewarded him later with a custom crafted scrying crystal of great quality. Ever since the two have exchanged a friendly flow of letters and Vorsutus plans to return to her with any future needs. The two write in Latin, for the sake of Vorsutus.
Destasia of Ex Miscellanea
A Witch of Thessaly who presides over a Covenant of Ex Miscellenea founded to preserve Ex Miscellenea Traditions in Thebes. Vorsutus sees this mission as personally important as it relates strongly to his own magical tradition and style. Often his efforts to assist the League of Olympos in Thebes involved members of this Covenant as well, so he has met several of them in the past and has a friendly rapport with Destasia. Vorsutus is keen to stay informed about the affairs of his House in Thebes, and any challenges to the preservation of its traditions. The two write semi-frequently in Latin, for the sake of Vorsutus.
Archmagus Mathieus of Jerbiton
(Friend & Patron, Almost Certainly Deceased)
Vorsutus formed a close relationship with Mathieus when he lived at Thermakopolis and was attempting to join. The two spoke regularly and Vorsutus even served as a Lab Assistant for the Archmagus when doing service to the Covenant. His death has hit Vorsutus in a stark way the effects of which linger on.
Plot Hooks