This is for people wanting to start the game after the beginning, to list the characters they are wanting to bring into the game, and discussions as to how they would be brought in.
I'd like to play a holy magus (using the major hermetic virtue from RoP:D.) He'd be a cultist of Sol Invictus (modified from the way it's presented in RoP:D though) and would lead a congregation (modeled using the Dependent major story flaw.) They could arrive as refugees fleeing persecution, possibly from Rome. My companion and grog would also be members of the cult.
The congregation would be around ten households strong, which adds up to about 20-35 adults and a variable number of children. They have the numbers and distinct enough of an identity that they would comprise their own little community. Their relations to the mundane world would depend on whether they keep their religious practices a secret. If they manage to pass off as (heterodox?) Christians, they may be settled on some unpopulated marginal land and given the rights due to Christian foreign residents by the local mundane powers (a bailiff of the Count? A royal steward? The bishop or local city council? a complex agreement between all of these?.) Being revealed would be very, very bad. If they present themselves as non-Christians (possibly passing off as Muslims or Jews,) they'd be treated much like other non-Christian groups. At best, they'd be given a little marginal land, pretty onerous taxes, and would be subject to oppressive rituals, laws, and violence by local Christians. Either way, they'd have some level of communal autonomy (much more precarious in the latter option) and would be regarded with some level of xenophobic mistrust by the local populace (much stronger with the latter option.) I'd be fine playing either one of these. I would like to have the cult inhabit a separate area from the rest of the covenant so I can establish a strong Divine aura. Having the covenant take Hooks like Chapterhouse and Divided Loyalties is a possibility but not House Church since I'd like to avoid diminishing the main Magic aura the rest of the magi will use.
What virtues do you plan to take to have a band of 30+followers?
Most of them are going to be essentially background extras. I am planning on using the Agents rule in HoH:S (pg 141) and the Social Contacts Minor Virtue to model some of cultists.
If you decide to allow the covenant to take the Chapterhouse Flaw to represent my character's following, the cultists would comprise the inhabitants of the chapterhouse. I totally understand if you'd rather handwave it away, though.
The thing is this:
Agents are not followers
I am not changing covenant attributes to conform to your character
In short, to have that kind of following, you would need to invest in that kind of following, rather than simply trying to handwave a mass immigration to the covenant, especially with the idea that your horde of followers would somehow simply be handed land. Developing these resources at the beginning is a major plot point which you propose to simple waltz through.
There is a major difference between being a member of a fringe religion and being its leader.
If you wish to tell this kind of story, I think it would be better to make it an in game goal. Your magus, companion and grogs could form a nucleus, which you then invest time and stories to try to grow. Any relevant virtue might add, at most a single individual to that total. Just be aware that this would seriously violate the interfering with mundanes clause, and is likely to bring ruin upon your sodales.
What is it that you would like to do with such a character, i.e. what are HIS goals, and what are YOUR goals?
I see the character as a mix of classical seer and Old Testament prophet, say Tiresias and Moses. I'd like to tell stories involving him acting as guardian and supplicant to Sol Invictus and as a paternal figure to his fellow cultist.
I'm fine with not starting off with such a group. I'd like to clarify that the cult wouldn't be a literal band of followers, like with the Outlaw Leader or Mercenary Leader Virtues. Instead, they'd function as grogs, covenfolk, agents, and a companion. Most of them would be non-combatants. The Dependents Flaw would represent the burden of being the leader of such a group.
I thought him arriving with a wave of refugees would make for a cool and dramatic story, something like the Exodus. The cost of keeping them, and tension between them and the old covenfolk could have resulted in them being pushed off into some barely habitable hellhole by the covenant or local nobility. Assuming that this land was too poor for anybody else to want to live there, it would have actually made sense to settle a legally disadvantaged group of tenants, since it would have put otherwise useless land into production and would have allowed a higher degree of exploitation than with Christian locals. There are examples of similar dynamics between religions throughout history. Is something like this at least a possibility for the future?
I am taking the Greater Relic Virtue. Could he at least come to the covenant in order to establish a temple around the relic? Could that qualify the covenant for House Church?
Silveroak will be the decision maker for stories, obviously, but I can give you come background that may affect your views. The biggest is that with the breakup of the caravan, very few people are staying to establish a covenant. We currently have three players actively posting, totaling two magi, three companions, and three grogs/covenfolk (we have the possibility of many more if other players go active). I expect our first few stories to center on finding land, interacting with the locals and building a home. An influx of refugees would break that paradigm by giving us a large pool of untapped labor, even if we only recruited servants. This is the major reason why such a group would need to be recruited in game, and gradually.
Local-wise, we are settling somewhere among the Maltese Islands (Malta, Gozu, Comino, and a few uninhabited rocks), the southernmost outpost of the Roman Tribunal. Malta was under Arabic rule for several centuries, only recently liberated. The populous of Malta is split between christians and muslims, with Malta proper being weighted towards muslims, and Gozu weighted towards christians. The local nobility are mostly either Italian adventurers (read Pirates), or displaced Muslims trying desperately to hold on. The current ruler, Henry, is a famous pirate and is usually off fighting somewhere. Historically, the Muslims were expelled from Malta beginning right about now, and continuing for a generation.
Resource-wise, Malta is a poor island, depending almost entirely on local agriculture, but starting to suffer from soil loss, and always at the mercy of erratic rainfail. Arabic science has partially arrested the loss of soil through terracing, but "marginal" land will likely be uninhabitable with creative sources of food and water. Malta of 1220 has vastly more resources than that of 2015, but has started down that path, "helped" by endemic piracy, usually a result of pirates stopping at the islands for food, water, and slaves.
I think if you want to tell that sort of story, you should build a social oriented mage, maybe a Jerbiton, who is focused on dealing with the disenfranchised Arabic population of Malta, offering them hope, and for a few, a new faith. Just be aware this is VERY dangerous, and can get you, and us killed. If you wish to be a part of the new covenant, have a plan in place on how to prevent that (i.e. be able to deal socially with the consequences).
Obviously this is all subject to Silveroak's approval, and the first decision will be whether spots in the game are currently open (currently a very debatable issue).
Given that we have a confirmed exedous of one and an apparent exodous of several others, spots are open, but they will be subject to the same paradigms as everyone else. If you want to use your companion slot and all 3 grog slots to create followers of Invectus Sol, then you are welcome to start with that small following.
As this sect is written, and outspoken member would qualify for the pagan major flaw...
OK, silveroak. I'll replace Dependents with Pagan. I am unsure of how to introduce my character now. Perhaps he could have gone to Malta hoping to establish a temple and more or less stumbles unto the Caravan as they seek a base? Maybe the Caravan mages could stumble across him?
Just to be clear, silveroak, you're not allowing the temple and community at first, but you're fine with that being my character's end goal?
Thanks for the recommendation, Kuiti. I had actually considered making a Muslim mage-mystic with the end goal of establishing a Sufi order, but I decided to not use existing religions to avoid any possibility of offending or alienating anyone.
Oh, I've forgotten to mention that I'd also like him to develop his magical style using the rules from Mysteries. Is that ok? I won't start with any initiations, but might develop some as the game goes along.
All of these will be fine- are you planning to develop the initiations on your own or will you be seeking other mystagogues?
I was hoping for a mystagogue, since initiations are much harder without them. Should I design a set of initiation scripts and a mystagogue magus character to serve as my mentor? So far, I'm envisioning virtues representing divine boons, like the gift of prophecy.
Should I go ahead and post a character sheet?
Should I start a post about me finding or being found while looking for a spot for a temple?
While waiting to hear from our fearless leader, I would suggest character sheet first. Once your character is approved, you will know your capabilities and limits, and that will color posts you make. Your personality flaws, in particular give their posts unique flavor.
Ok. I'll go ahead and post the magus' character sheet later tonight. I'll also start working on the companion and grogs.
I would design any mytagogues you find or encounter. Go ahead and make you character as it stands now. Obviously high charisma will be usefull to become a mystagogue, and organizational lore for your church would be similarly usefull.
Hello,
Reposting from general post. Nice to meet you all! After reading most forum posts I made some drafts of characters I'd be interested to play. I tried to avoid overlapping with any of the three magi currently posting (dont want to step on any toes). Common aspects between them, they are all youngish (under 30 years of age), inexperienced, with a variety of skills making them more "hands on" than bookish. I'd like some help deciding what to post please >_<
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Mercere mutantes magus. Social character, is a scribe specializing in Muto. Self-imposed exile, would like to learn more languages. This is the character I am most inclined to post and play.
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Shapechanger magus. Natural shape shifter (non-bjornae) with a criminal past. Late bloomer, slightly suited for scouting or physical combat.
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Jerbiton glassmaker. Social character, fixated in making artistic stained glass, who can also shape Venetian glass . Have both a Rego specialist and a more free form version of him. Blends well with the other crafters present, will probably turn the covenant into an art place.
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Tremere duelist. Both certamen and physical.
Also have drafts for a vinter magus (wine making), the obligatory Flambeau, a Pralixian ex-misc, and a matronly pharmacopoeian. The grogs and companion depend on the character chosen. Help me decide whats best for the covenant, and non of that choose what you want to play stuff 
Welcome! Any of those concepts look like they's work fine with the group, although I'll readily admit I'm not familiar with what Mutantes is, other than the name.
A Mercere Mutantes would tie in nicely with my companion, without being duplicative.
Having a Magus who actually likes people (social Jerbiton glassmaker) would be very helpful. Whichever version you like.
I am sure the others would also work if that is your preference. They certainly sound useful.