Zarkut ex Miscellanea

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: A Sudden Spring
1

Zarkut ex Miscellanea
updated through Winter 1289-1290

Characteristics

Int 3 Per 1
Pre 0 Com 0
Str -1 Sta 2
Dex -1 Quick -1

Flaws: curse of venus, overconfident, seeker, cyclic magic-new moon, weird magic, susceptibility to infernal power

Virtues: comprehend magic, life linked spontaneous magic, minor magical focus-exotic magic, affinity with spell mastery, book learner, second sight, affinity with creo, affinity with perdo, deft form: mentem, affinity with magic theory

Abilities

Ability Specialization score points invested
Basque Slang 5 0
Arabic Egyptian 4 50
Artes Liberales Ceremonial Magic 1 5
Awareness Searching 2 15
Brawl Grapples 2 15
Charm First Impressions 1 5
Code of Hermes Tribunal Procedures 1 5
Concentration Spell Concentration 2 15
Craft: Cooking Basque Cuisine 2 15
Dead Language: Latin Hermetic Uses 4 50
Faerie Lore Faerie Forests 1 5
Finesse Speed 1 5
Folk Ken Townsfolk 1 5
Guile Lying to Authority 1 5
Infernal Lore Curses 1 5
Magic Lore Gossip 1 5
Magic Theory Spells 5 50
Organization Lore: Cult of Mercury Rites 1 5
Organization Lore: Order of Hermes Personalities 1 5
Parma Magica Mentem 1 5
Penetration Perdo 0 0
Philosophiae Ceremonial Magic 0 0
Profession: Apothecary Finding Ingredients 1 5
Ride Donkey 1 5
Comprehend Magic Magical Beings 3 25
Second Sight Invisible Things 5 70
Franco-Provencal Lyonnaise 2 29

Arts

Creo 8 52.5 Animal 0 0 Ignem 0 0
Muto 5 15 Aquum 0 0 Imaginem 0 0
Intelligo 0 0 Aurum 0 0 mentem 0 0
Rego 0 0 Corpus 0 0 Terram 0 0
Perdo 8 37.5 Herbem 0 0 Vim 0 0

Spells

Spell Name Arts Level
Veil of Invisibility PeIm 20
Demon's Eternal Oblivion PeVi 10
Dreadful Bane of the Fae PeVi 10
Sap the Griffon's Strength PeVi 10
Pilum of Fire CrIg 20
Lamp Without Flame CrIg 10
Aura of Childlike Innocence MuIm 10
Eyes of the Cat MuCo 5
Disguise of the New Visage MuCo 15
The Call to Slumber ReMe 10
2

A magus of the Order of Pralix, gauntleted in Provencal in 1199. He is a Seeker, and eager to find lost magics, especially ones that might relate to the ancient pagan practices that are precursors to the Cult of Mercury, of which he is a member

And this thread exists to further develop this character.

3

Here's the first draft of what I'm thinking for his background:

Gizon Zabaleta was born in a village in the heart of the Basque country, in the Pyrenees. His mother was a Sorginak, duly disappointed that he was not a girl, but raised him with love anyway. As an older boy, he met a Hermetic magus, Lilian ex Miscellanea, a Pralician friendly with both Hermetic Sorginaks and ungifted Sorginaks, whose life's project was to integrate Folk Witchery into Hermetic Theory. She discovered the boy's gift, realzing that he had learned the Sight without being taught it, and since he was a boy, she caused no conflict with her Sorginak friends in taking him for her apprentice.

She was based out of Aedes Mercurii, and Gizon split his apprenticeship between travelling with her, and assisting her in the laboratory as she worked on her projects of integration; causing his education to be skewed towards magic theory and the Pralician ability. Being part of that covenant, he was also exposed to the Cult of Mercury, and joined in rituals, occasionally being taught by the priests when his master left him at loose ends.

He learned of the origins of the cult, and that there were likely many ancient mysteries that had been lost over the centuries that Christian oppression wreaked havoc on the old pagan traditions. He made friends with peers, toward the end of his apprenticeship, learning of the Seekers, and the prestige that could be won in the Order by finding ancient secrets. He passed his gauntlet with that goal in mind, presenting a lab text of the work he had done in gaining Insight from an ancient, cracked stone figurine, that he'd found deep in a half-collapsed cellar in an abandoned wing of the vast old covenant.

4

The big issue here is that Mercere mages only train those raised as redcaps- even those with illegitimate lineage as a flaw were raised as redcaps. This background completely flies in the face of that, and for a redcap to have second sight is far from unheard of.

5

I'm confused, he's not Mercere or a redcap... The Cult of Mercury isn't limited to Mercere, is it? I thought it was open to anyone, though mainly consisted of Flambeau.

6

It is, I somehow read miscelania as Mercere for a moment.

This looks good.

7

Would you allow the virtue Subtle Opening (HMRE 51) based on his parens research, or do you prefer to say that her breakthrough is not complete yet so he doesn't have the virtue? That was not a goal I had in writing that background, but it occurred to me as an interesting possibility.

8

The research was not completed as of his gauntlet. What has happened since you do not know.

9

Do you have any thoughts on flaws that would fit with her having experimented when Opening his Gift? Or is that not how that research would work?

10

That is how the opening would work, any number of hermetic flaws could result depending on the experimentation roll. Obvious possibilities would be blatant Gift, Deficient Technique, Deficient Form, twilight prone, difficult longevity ritual, incompatible arts, cyclic magic (lunar), or weird magic.

11

Or Chaotic Magic

12

Like I said, there are numerous possibilities- I was under the impression that I was being asked as the SG which ones I found most appropriate.

13

Yes, and I appreciate it. I like the cyclic magic (lunar) especially, as a folk-witch-flavored thing. I take it that would be the negative effects during the dark of the moon and the positive effects (if I can fit the virtue) during the full moon? Or is it the other way around?

14

That would be my expectation, but it could go either way

15

Name: Zarkut ex Miscellanea

Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Str -1, Sta +2, Pre +0, Com +0, Dex -1, Qui -1

Personality Traits: Overconfident +3, Curious +3, Friendly +3

Virtues: Comprehend Magic, Minor Magical Focus: Exotic Magic, Life-Linked Spontaneous Magic, Affinity with Spell Mastery, Affinity with Magic Theory, Book Learner, Second Sight, Affinity with Creo, Affinity with Perdo, Deft Form: Mentem

Flaws: Weak Magic Resistance, Curse of Venus, Overconfident (Major), Seeker, Cyclic Magic (New Moon), Weird Magic, Susceptibility to Infernal Power

Abilities:
Artes Liberales (Ceremonial Magic) 1
Awareness (Searching) 2
Brawl (Grapples) 2
Charm (First Impressions) 1
Code of Hermes (Tribunal Procedures) 1
Concentration (Spell Concentration) 2
Craft: Cooking (Basque Cuisine) 2
Dead Language: Latin (Hermetic Uses) 4
Faerie Lore (Faerie Forests) 1
Finesse (Speed) 1
Folk Ken (Townsfolk) 1
Guile (Lying to Authority) 1
Infernal Lore (Curses) 1
Magic Lore (Traditions) 1
Magic Theory (Spells) 5
Native Language: Basque (Slang) 5
Organization Lore: Cult of Mercury (Rites) 1
Organization Lore: Order of Hermes (Personalities) 1
Parma Magica (Mentem) 1
Profession: Apothecary (Finding Ingredients) 1
Ride (Donkey) 1

Comprehend Magic (Magical Beings) 3
Second Sight (Invisible Things) 5

Arts:
Creo 8 (1.5)
Perdo 8 (1.5)
Muto 5

Spells:
Veil of Invisibility, PeIm 20 (ArM 146)
Demon's Eternal Oblivion, PeVi 10 (ArM 160)
Dreadful Bane of the Fae, PeVi 10 (GotF 60)
Sap the Griffon's Strength, PeVi 10 (GotF 60)
Pilum of Fire, CrIg 20 (ArM 140)
Lamp Without Flame, CrIg 10 (ArM 140)
Aura of Childlike Innocence, MuIm 10 (HoH:S 96)
Eyes of the Cat, MuCo(An) 5 (ArM 131)
Disguise of the New Visage, MuCo 15 (ArM 131)
The Call to Slumber, ReMe 10 (ArM 151)

XP spent:

Early Childhood (0-5):
Native Language: Basque
15 Awareness
15 Brawl
5 Charm
5 Folk Ken
5 Guile

Later Life (6-12):
15 Ride
70 Second Sight
5 Profession: Apothecary
15 Craft: Cooking

Apprenticeship (13-28):
5 Artes Liberales
50 Dead Language: Latin
50 (75 after affinity) Magic Theory
5 Parma Magica
5 Finesse
5 Concentration
5 Organization Lore: Cult of Mercury
5 Organization Lore: Order of Hermes
5 Code of Hermes
5 Magic Lore
5 Infernal Lore
5 Faerie Lore
25 Comprehend Magic

25 (37.5 after affinity) Creo
25 (37.5 after affinity) Perdo
15 Muto

16

@silveroak Just wanted to make sure you saw that I posted a sheet/build.

17

Doesnt the apprentice xp add upp to 290 rather than 240? 65 arts and 225 abilities.

18

that would need to be fixed. Also I was under the impression he would have been raised in the lineage of praelix, this seems to be some new ex misc tradition and I'm not sure what the traditions virtues and flaws are versus your personal virtues and flaws.

19

I fixed the numbers.

He has Comprehend Magic, Minor Magical Focus: Exotic Magic, and Weak Magic Resistance, so not sure what the comment about the Ex Misc tradition is referring to.

20

apparently, I am half blind today...

Magic theory needs 50 points to be 75 after x1.5
You have 240 points listed for apprenticeship but the calculation for magic theory is wrong.