11th Mercy (cont’d)
names
Ishtiholba (“to have a bad dream about”), the Monkey dream-king Insomnium, played by Barry;
Minkho (“rex”), a pig-dog, played by Jenn;
Tansy, Gi’s sister, played by Kip;
Lacus Rusticus (“rustic tub”), filius Casus Scopuli, of House Touccio;
scenes
Minkho and Imálhlhi have really unpleasant dreams.
Calvus makes plans with the tanner, Bubbles, and his military cook to save all the skin and offal from the Wolves’ kill; his plan is to go chum up the river to try and entice the hungry woman to come out again.
12th Mercy – 14th Mercy
scenes
Ilba figures out how to loosen one of the wax seals on Perdix’ dream-sheath, and Ishtiholba starts to show up, reliving her daily lessons with her in a dream-trunk.
14th Mercy
scenes
Calvus approaches Perdix at dinner and describes the encounters with various monsters during the hunt. He says he wants to speak with Ilba about them. Why would you want to speak with Ilba about monsters? Well, she has been living in the wild off and on for a great deal of her life. Ilba, says Perdix, what do you know about monsters? Beyond run like hell? —Some discussion of local monsters: hungry women, shadows, goblins, crows, old trees. Perdix brings up the town rituals to vet newcomers, which may well be unworkable given the comings and goings of this brand new town, but it’s still surprising that the priests haven’t given it some thought, isn’t it? Is that rather like what Sonata’s working on?
Sonata, bleary-eyed, appears, and describes the letter she received from Gi, about the Cristoférian meeting, and the spy. I believe he is known to you, she says to Perdix. Nil Admirari? He is known to me, says Perdix. —Some discussion of Monkeys; Ishta holds that there are Monkeys the magi would not necessarily have quarrel with, which Perdix finds astonishing. She talks about the niche some female Monkeys fill, in the larger towns and the city, and how it’s like what she does, with the love potions and such. She describes one patron who came to her because the Monkey she knew could not help her; she should thank her luck stars, says Perdix. They prey on baser instincts, says Perdix. (“Can I leave?” says Ilba. “You may leave when I do,” says Perdix. “Does the topic of conversation upset you?” Ilba says, “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Perdix says, “To be fair, neither do we.”)
Perdix and Ilba take their leave.
15th Mercy
scenes
That afternoon, Calvus and Murry and Ndapé head down to the river with a donkey-drawn cart (“We did move downriver of Cliffside,” says Matt) loaded with barrels of offal. Ndapé starts to chum up the river, and Calvus and Murry get ready to head after cries of more, more! —Murry kills the hungry woman and hordes of her children; Calvus successfully traps a slavering little beast of his own. Ndapé is impressed with Murry’s prowess.
The rain starts on their way back.
The infant won’t stop screaming. Calvus works a muto imaginem spell to make it a more pleasant sound. —The creature flops back and forth from river-water to fish to infant, until it sticks in the infant form; investigation determines the magical taint is gone. Aside from some slight webbing between his fingers and a pale grey tint to his skin, he’s a perfectly normal baby boy. But that will be some weeks from now.
16th Mercy
scenes
Nishoba takes his pig down to Waaka’ Tanampalhi. The pig’s been eating and sleeping and sighing out the window. But as Nishoba heads down toward Waaka’ Tanampalhi, the pig clearly doesn’t want to go there. Nishoba has an argument with the pig there on the forest path; Nishoba’s scammed a device from Tully that lets him talk to animals: two caps joined by squiggly copper wires. He plants one cap on his head, and holds the other on the pig’s head. Don’t you want to go home? No, says the pig. Away. You could have gone “away” with the pigherds. No! says the pig. —Nishoba sees some movement out of the corner of his eye. Through a break in the trees he sees on the top of a far-off hill a silhouette, immobile. Nishoba pretends he doesn’t see it and tries to drag the pig along with the leash. You want to just go running off in the woods? No, says pig. So what do you mean by away? Away from here. I’m trying to go away from here! The other way, says the pig. Back, says Nishoba. You want to go back. So is Nemus Animæ now your home? Yes, says the pig. So why is there some sort of monstrous thing watching us from a hilltop? What? Where? says the pig. Nishoba points. The silhouette is closer, much closer. Nishoba shifts his rings around and prepares some potions. The pig hides behind him. He never sees it move while he’s looking at it. It definitely gets closer as he’s not looking at it. And then it’s gone. They look around. There’s a snort. Nishoba draws his sword. The biggest fucking boar he’s ever seen steps out, clop-clop, onto the road, snorts at him, and crosses the road, clop-clop, clop-clop, and on into the woods and away.
Nishoba puts his sword away, and takes his pig back to Nemus Animæ. —On the way, they meet an old woman on the road, leaning on a cane. She asks if he has food. Perhaps a drink? says Nishoba. He pulls three cups out and sets them on the grass. Your pig drinks from a cup? says the old woman. No, says Nishoba. These are for us. One for water; he pours. One for milk; he pours. And one for the red liqueur. He pours. She picks up the red cup and drinks from it. Am I going to get any food out of this? She drinks from the milk. I’m still hungry, she says. She drinks from the water. Would you make your mother do this? If she stopped me on the road and asked for food, says Nishoba. He pours into the three glasses for himself, and drinks; then he pours again, and sets them before the pig, who picks up each cup in his teeth in turn and drinks. Nishoba then gives her a potato. —Where are you going? Waaka’ Tanampalhi, says the old woman. You’re a ways away, says Nishoba. Not as far away as I was, says the old woman. I was hoping for some meat, she says. But you seem attached to the pig. We have some jerky, says Nishoba. He gives it to her. It’s fresh. We just went hunting. I’m still hungry, says the old woman. Do you have any fruit? Where are you from? says Nishoba. A town by a river, says the old woman. And you’re going to a town by a river, says Nishoba. It just isn’t a meal without fruit, says the old woman. Nishoba pulls out a jar of pickled peaches, and she grabs it and eats them. That last was a bit sour, she says, smacking her lips. But I bet you didn’t know that. I hadn’t eaten every peach in that jar yet, says Nishoba. Your children wouldn’t happen to need food, would they? he says. My children are all dead, she says. In the war? Some of them. If that is all the food, then I must be off. Nishoba gives her a loaf of bread. She thanks him. Is this the last of your food? He gives her his apple. And this is the last of your food? That’s the last of my food that I’m giving you, says Nishoba. Thank you for your kindness to an old woman. I suppose I owe you a return favor? That would be kind, but I can’t say you do. That sounds better! she says. She heads off down the road. If a big storm comes, she says, as an afterthought, don’t take shelter beneath a tree that forks three ways at about the height of your head. Thank you, says Nishoba.
When he sees the pig balk at a simple root, Nishoba plops the cap on again. How long have you been a pig? Longer than I like. Were you something other than a pig before? Yes. Why didn’t you tell us? You didn’t ask.
The sky is growing darker. The rain is getting heavier. There’s some rumbling thunder. They appear to be in a grove of trees that all fork three ways at about the height of Nishoba’s head. Nishoba redoubles his protection against rain and pulls his warm cloak closer about him and they keep walking. The strange trees recede and are replaced by regular trees. Nishoba pulls out a potion for setting fire to things and looks for an old stump near the path. He sets it on fire and burns it to a blackened pit of cinders. He watches it to make sure the rain puts it out and it doesn’t catch anything else. The rain redoubles into thick dark sheets. There’s lightning. Nishoba and the pig head along the trail back toward Nemus Animæ. He sees another tree, forked three ways at about head-height. Nishoba stops near the tree and plops the cap on the pig again. So what do you think this thing doesn’t like? Seems to like water fine. And I think something that’s going to chop my head off likes blood. I bet it’s milk. He pours some milk into a cup and walking on tosses the milk over his shoulder at the tree, and there’s a howl. Nishoba runs forward and turns around; there’s a large shambling thing headed away from him.
And then the rain lessens.
That thing is so going to eat a bunch of our covenfolk, says Nishoba. He heads to Nemus Animæ and goes to find Ishta and tells her the pig is a person recently enchanted into becoming a pig. Ishta tells him to get into some dry clothes while she looks for some tools. So we’re going to turn you back! says Nishoba to the pig. I didn’t say that! says Ishta, bustling into the room with an armload of stuff. One of them is a really creepy device: half a deer-skull that she places on her head. It allows her to speak with animals. Hello, pig. So you were a human before? No, says the pig. But you’re from Waaka’ Tanampalhi? Yes. So what were you there? A dog. Did the magic pigherders turn you into a pig? I don’t know. Maybe. Some of the other pigs used to be humans. Some were just pigs. They’re coming back, says Ishta. To sell us some truffles, says Nishoba. So you want to be turned back into a dog? Yes, says the pig. You don’t want to stay a pig? People don’t try to eat dogs, says the pig. What kind of a dog were you? Big, says the pig. I can’t believe you woke me up for this, says Ishta. She tells him to go ask the other magi if they can help them break the enchantment on the pig to turn it back into a dog.
What’s your name? asks Nishoba. Minkho, says the pig-dog. Nishoba tells Ishta about the boar. Minkho concurs: it’s the biggest boar he’s ever seen. Twice as big as the other one. And enchanted. Good to know, says Ishta.
At dinner: Calvus has a stack of paper by his place that he’s sorting through. It’s the remains of a packet delivered by Memorabilis from House Cristofér. He reports that he is to sign and initial, confirming he has told no one of the Cristoférian. This causes Perdix some consternation; this is a plenilunial covenant, after all. Surely you informed Annalum, in your duties as secretary? says Sonata. Surely I did, says Perdix.
Minkho tells Ishta about his mistress; she was killed by her son, and he’d tried to warn her about him many times. Tully climbs on the table to listen in.
Some discussion of what it might mean to refuse a Cristoférian spy: messages lost, pigeons delayed, books suddenly hard to come by. Not worth the bother, really. Might as well take him in.
As they’re talking to Minkho, Perdix tells Nishoba to take his cap off the pig, and he tells Ishta to take her helmet off. It’s a mask, she says. Perdix casts a spontaneous intellego animal spell to allow speech with the pig. Tully, peering through his scrying glass to watch the spell in action, sees Minkho as a dog, a big dog, not a pig. Minkho says yes, indeed, he wants to be a dog again. The scrying glass is passed around. You want to look? says Perdix to Ilba. No, she snorts. Of course not, says Minkho. Monkey-girl. What’s that supposed to mean? says Ilba. Monkeys killed my family, says Minkho. Did Monkeys kill your family? What is that, a trick question?
Calvus questions Minkho about the other pigs. Perdix pokes and prods the pig, looking for signs of the enchantment. It doesn’t smell of Monkeys. Were there two pig-herders? asks Ilba. Yes, says Minkho. Did one of the have red hair? Yes, says Minkho. Ilba laughs. I’ve met these guys. They’re harvesters. They take things in who don’t have anywhere else to go. They’re a nuisance.
Nishoba reports on the other things he saw on his trip. Tully throws some meat before Minkho, and Minkho wolfs it down. (“It’s pork,” says Tully.)
Minkho can’t say who turned him into a pig, or how, or when, exactly. He does insist he could sniff out spells before he was turned into a pig.
Ishta says, Perdix has a person collection. There’s no reason Nishoba can’t have a pig collection. Perdix takes some umbrage at that. Ilba, mortified, closes her eyes and starts to drift off. Perdix nudges her. Should we feed you some melos? No. You know how dangerous that is. Yes.
Tully suggests asking for books from Annalum, as a bribe for accepting the spy. This is true, says Calvus. —Some discussion of good books. The Linctus Gætani journals would be good. Of course, they’ll give us a copy of the most recent number of Coetum.
Tully asks Sonata if he can borrow Cameron for an afternoon. To draw or write something for him. He promises not to damage Cameron in any way. It’s to make a record of some of his creations for the Hall of Touccio.
17th Mercy – 5th Communion
scenes
Tully visits Minkho at least once a day, and lavishes him with affection. Ishta like him, too.
When Calvus goes down to the basements, he takes Minkho with him to investigate the bugs. One day, there’s a huge branch from some tree half in and half out of the mound. It takes about seven hours for the bugs to drag the damn thing fully inside. He intellegos the branch to determine where it came from and how it got down here. It’s a giant root, turns out, from one of the big old tree outside the covenant walls.
Calvus starts training Ishta with a large, lead-mail shirt.
6th Communion
scenes
In Lyridice: Tansy loves traveling by seven-league boots. She clings to Gi and squeezes her eyes shut and shrieks happily.
Receptrix Lata doesn’t look like she used to: she’s quite skinny, and her long curly hair is hacked short. Which distracts from the fact that Nil’s aged fifteen years in six years’ time. When Receptrix learns they intend to stop at Manu Tenere to drop Tansy off for her apprenticeship, Receptrix asks if there’s another route to take to get to Nemus Animæ. —Some discussion of how, exactly, to effect this. Receptrix reveals her intent: to go as far away as possible to map. Where? The rest of the world. Nemus Animæ is a good starting point for that. —Don’t, by the way, refer to her companion with a pronoun. By the way.
They’re headed to the Spouting Fish, where they’ll meet Utchka. She’s seated in the corner, her sewing machine unbuckled and resting on the table before her. I’d shake your hand, she says, but I have a drink. Gi asks if she minds stopping off at Manu Tenere, and it’s not a problem for Utchka; Receptrix learns that Tully Sebasticook is still alive.
Receptrix picks at some bread, and drinks some small beer. Uthcka insists seven years old is perfectly old enough for a beer; Tansy tries some, and swears she’ll never drink it again. Gi makes a bet with her: if she doesn’t drink beer until she’s 25, he’ll give her any book she wants. If she does drink beer, she’ll have to make a copy of any book he wants.
Regina Maris shows up: well dressed, fluttery. Gi gives her a big hug. She greets Receptrix with her student name, Iona; I always admired you, so much, and I always admired your studies. You smell like the ocean, says Tansy. —Regina isn’t stuttering anymore. Old friends catch up. Regina’s on her way back from Bethelion, where she was delivering a guest-lecture. It’s so wonderful! And so different now that she’s graduated. Receptrix keeps getting up to go vomit in the privy. Regina and Nil get into a spat about the Loreatship; Tansy spits her water out. It’s turned salty.
As Utchka’s dealing with the bartender over the glass of salt water, he tells her the story of the spot.
Nil takes Tansy up to put her to bed. Gi comes up and gossips with Nil about Chalycidican covenants with Chalycidican magi in them and the trouble that can cause.
Receptrix heads back to her companion. Utchka retires. Regina and Gi stay up, catching up. —Regina leaves them velveteen gift bags of pressed blocks of fine melos.
7th – 8th Communion
scenes
The others meet Receptrix’ companion: a water buffalo. With four horns, a long beard, six eyes, and little multi-colored wings above its hooves. They jump (or fly) south, toward
9th Communion
scenes
Tansy is dropped off at Manu Tenére, given over to the tender mercies of Lætitia, who introduces her to a roomful of spooky kids who speak Cholæic badly.
Somnex speaks with Gi, checking up on Nemus Animæ. How’s it going? Where’ve you been? He keeps a close eye on Gi’s interactions with the other magi. Nil waves at Mens. Mens is perfectly polite. Circumsessor is pleased to hear that Regina likes the buildings he made for them at Hart’s Leap. Somnex is betting that it will explode. Slide into the sea? Maybe after it explodes.
meta
Some discussion of the pigeon-ring situation. Sonata keeps track of the pigeons, and definitely keeps an eye on the covenant-made rings, so she’d know which covenant you’re sending a letter to if you use one of those. And of course letters are frequently sent to Annalum to be sent on somewhere else, but the danger there is you don’t know who’s eavesdropping on your correspondence.
Barry decided Murry’s three stakes were: killing the hungry woman; not being grievously wounded; and defeating the crippling sense of ennui that’s been plaguing him. He rolled three sixes. Matt decided Calvus’ stakes were: getting a baby; not being grievously wounded; and to gain further insight into the monsters. He rolled a six, a five, and a two. (“I vote you lose another finger,” said Dylan.) —He punted the insight: it all went too fast and furious, with Murry’s three sixes, to learn much of anything.
Then Matt picks Calvus’ three goals as keeping the infant alive, keeping it imprisoned, and keeping it coherent. He rolled a five, a five, and a three. He picked imprisoned and alive, but not coherent; some discussion of what “coherent” might mean. Charles came up with the basic idea outline above. Kip seconded it enthusiastically.
A suggested botch: seven-league boots become seven-year-old boots. “Are we there yet?”
Lætitia has a vial of water from Nemus Animæ’s special pool.
The Spouting Fish, by the way, is a reference to the Carnifex campaign from back in 1995 – 1996; the spot is the remains of the one great battle they fought against Footprint, a horrible lekiim. And Regina Maris was Kim’s character from the Hart’s Leap campaign. So lots of reunions this session, in more ways than one.
“Speak for youself, one-eye.”
detail
A minor note that came up right at the end: Nil's familiar Omphale was hanging out in the conch shell upstairs, and got rather alarmingly whispered at by some of Regina's sea spirits.
Pacing, and some more details
I wasn't entirely satisfied with the pacing of this session. Both the reunion scene at the end and the whole pig-dog scene were really good, but I'm left with a feeling of uncertainty as to what else has happened in the intervening month.
Did Calvus get any useful knowledge from the child before it decohered into a non-magical child? actually, this one we can handle in play next session, as I think having it finally turn into a normal child right around the time the mages show up would be valid in the time line, and would provide an opportunity for us to discover a summing up of what monster knowledge Calvus has been able to get as it turns.
Has anyone had a chance to work on the pig-dog? I'd assume not, or least no one has solved the pig-dog problem. Might also be part of Calvus's monster knowledge.
Has anyone tried to do anything about the trees? Again, relates to monster knowledge.
Did the strange old woman on the road ever reach riverbend? We have the spy ear in the tavern, so we might hear about it if she did.
Hmm, I guess that isn't all that much stuff, and most of it can be fit into the part after the time skip.
On the meta level, I would have liked the fight against the hungry woman much better if it had been played out, but given that I felt constrained by time issues to not play it out, the dice mechanic worked better than not, although we mishandled the third dicing, as Calvus learns something useful was left out of the list of outcomes. Had it been stated, the results would have been clearer. On the other hand, since it wasn't put up for a risk of failure, I assume we will figure it out in play (and that it is a sure bet Calvus got something useful from the experience).
Next session thoughts
This next one (if we end up playing- no Jake means no game or a very different game, since if Utchka's player isn't there, we can't really do the new mages showing up session) is our last until the new year, so we should probably shoot for a decent ending point. I assume the hunt we want to leave until after the break, so I'm wondering if anyone has any goals for this next session besides straight up mage interactions (maybe with Calvus's monster work serving as a focal point).
Hmm, Calvus's monster work as focus may run up against Matt wanting to play Lata.
Monsters, monsters everywhere
Yeah I wanted to at least mention last game that with strange women and trees, both in reference to a comment Perdix made as well as Nishoba's dealings with them, Calvus would incorporate the nearby woods into his current studies of Gaetani monsters. I'm sure the child provided some insight, but perhaps wasn't the Rosetta Stone of local paranormal activity. On the other hand he is researching many and varied resources, the dog being one of them. Calvus has yet to start working on how to change the dog back but is more looking into how pig-dog came to be and in what ways it relates to his other X-File unsolved cases to see if there is some commonality he can then use. If learning something useful was one of the considerations for the third dice roll, and I feel stupid for it not being there, since his whole stupid goal for the entire thing was to learn more about Hungry Women and their babies, its where one of my two successes would have gone. What it would have replaced I'm not sure.
Now about Receptrix. I want to introduce her but she doesn't need to jump to the forefront any time soon. She is quite camera shy around some mages and has things she wants to be doing. I don't need to switch my focus that much over to her, so don't worry about a little three year mage like her.
As for non-magi stuff, I have some things that mostly I want to wait until we get back from our break, though might throw in a thing or two to give some lead up.
I was curious as well if Nishoba just had his half dozen crazy encounters and then that was it? Did he do any research or is he used to this/too busy to care/figures its keeping Calvus busy so was going to leave it alone? Does Insomnium hold Ilba's recurrent studyhall dreams in his coffee shop or is she stuck reliving her lessons with Perdix while she sleeps?
No definite goals, but..
There does seem there areas few things that could be fleshed out about the end of Mercy/beginning of Communion -- example, I opted to gloss over Gi attempting to talk to whatever resides in the hills around the Lun in favor of the opportunity of introducing new characters. But I wouldn't mind filling that in as there seems to be a growing monster plot line and that'd feed into Gi's response (Does he think of the Fae as monsters? Ah-yup.) Not to mention Minko the pig-dog and what not--even to establish that nothing has really happened, just frustrated attempts.
Soooo... If we have no Jake, we could concentrate on filling in those gaps and perhaps some consensus world building which might not be a satisfying end before break but might serve to give us firm footing to launch of again plus something for people to chew on until we resume in January. Which will then certainly be the introduction of the new magi, which could be a snappy beginning.
If we have Jake, I'd be happy to use the mage introductions and interactions as a backdrop to filling in the gaps. In summary, in small role playing interactions and the big ol' council meeting that's just bound to happen during which Calvus could expound on monster events--Ishta and Nashoba as well. And Perdix's progress with Ilba and whatever Sonata's been up to--Gi knows none of these happenings. And then we could get down to bitching about the new magi.
But really, no big goals myself.
I agree with Jenn that betwee
I agree with Jenn that between Gi's adventuring, the pig-dog, the monster business, whatever the hell Sonata is up to, and Ilba's training, there's enough to chew on if we need to put the new mages on transit hold. They're gonna be quite a mouthful.
And I guarantee that if Sonata gets Ilba a meeting with Calvus, she'll get a presentation-ready flowchart of Monkey social structure in exchange.
A meeting with Calvus?
Very interesting.
Ilba will get that no questions asked (okay, Sonata will pump her for information on it afterwards).
Undercut another mage's relationship with their apprentice? Who me?
If it happens
Calvus would have Sonata in the room, because clearly Perdix doesn't trust Calvus and neither does Ilba, so best to have a mediator there to make sure the meeting is kosher.
Calvus just wants another locals take on the supernatural monsters of the area. Its nothing that risque, despite what Perdix might think.
Why, it is merely that she ca
Why, it is merely that she cares so for the child, and does not wish Perdix to become overburdened.
Oh, Ilba doesn't especially d
Oh, Ilba doesn't especially distrust Calvus. She just distrusts everybody. Except for Perdix, because they're a mark and their brain feels homey.
Sonata at least is a kind of distrustworthy she can get a handle on.
Not so much trust—
Perdix trusts Calvus; they just don’t like him. But whether you agree or not with what he does has no bearing on whether you can trust him to do pretty much just what he says.
They like Sonata a great deal. They just don’t trust her. (Much.)
Rewind. Replay.
Me too to Jenn above: I want to explore some more Perdix/Ilba/Ishkin interaction, and figure out what they’re able to get by way of a less cumbersome dream-wall, and when, and how (more dice!) and what that does to Ilba and Insomnium’s interactions; I’d like to see some more of said interactions, and watch the dream-space inside the dream-wall getting built (and what back doors would be carved, on the sly); and since that’s all rather self-indulgently insular, I’d also like to see some of what the priests have been up to, y’know? Get that particular side of this equation.
And I would like to know wher
And I would like to know where Perdix and Ilba are at in lessons, because that can't fail to amuse.
Also I suppose I should pick up a priest character at some point?
Season?
With Ascension coming up, how far through this current season are we as studies go? Trying to figure out how long its been that Calvus has been studying monsters, Ndape studying one of his arts, Sonata and her Monkeys, etc... Its been almost two of our months, so only half way through a season I'm guessing.
And that's okay about Perdix not liking Calvus. Calvus only likes Perdix when Perdix does something for the covenant. This is a group of magi, not a Sunday school class who have to act as if they are getting along or be condemned to hell.
Seasons...
The season concept is really screwy for us.
We still have a concept of 4 seasons per year from AM, but it is pretty clear in play that the mage generally treat the high holy days as the dividing lines in their studies, giving 6 seasons. But if you try to use the 6 season division in a rules-y sense, then you either end up with over powered mages, or you end up having to refigure the point values of a seasons work.
In generating mages, I use the 4 seasons (when I go the year by year route), but I assume that it was actually done in 6 divisions, not 4.
So I am thinking of Sonata as being close to done with her current round of monkey magic research (although she could choose to devote the next season to it too, probably switching over to a specific task, like creating a specific anti-monkey spell). Although, of course, there is also not that much reason for her to restrict this type of study by season anyway. On the other hand, the months and the high holy days do have significant magical influence for those who are attentive to them, so work in one season may be distorted if unthinkingly continued into the next season, and the high holy days can serve as very useful anchor points for magical work.
Also, if a particular mage prefers the solar calendar for their work, then they actually just finished a season 18 days ago around the 12th of Mercy (the autumnal equinox). If they prefer to work based on the cross-quarters, then 10 Union would mark the end of a season.
Oh, the pernicious effects of remnant mechanics! Seriously.
Ah, but there’s a retrofit to the grandfather clause.
Since the new 5th ed. mechanics for aging magi reportedly result in depowered magi when compared with 4th ed., and since our magi don’t live nearly so long as Ars Magica magi, and since we have but a fuzzy and hazy idea of how powerful our magi end up anyways, and how quickly, well, I don’t think it would fuck things up too much to advisedly take on a six-season schedule for the sake of simplicity and consistency. Yes, it could be grievously min-maxed; gosh, aren’t we lucky not to be playing with munchkins!
(Of course, the depowered 5th ed. mechanics are on an annual, not a seasonal basis. Um. Hmm. Whem.)
Corn Maiden.
At some point it was determined tht we had no Corn Maiden and Dylan should pay one maybe not yet arrived at Nemus Animae.
A Priest for Dylan...
Well, we have been promised a Corn Maiden by the Kittens of Cliffside.
Also, there is supposedly a third Lover priestess, who for some reason we have never happened to see in play (either someone should take her as a character or we should agree she doesn't exist).
We also probably do need a second fisher priest, as they are one of the very important priesthoods.
Or, if you wanted to be really mean, you could bring in a new immigrant with brewer priest experience and see what happens...
I suppose you could bring in a Lyre Priest, but I'm pretty sure that Ishta would run a Lyre Priest out of town a few minutes after finding out that one had showed up, since she seems to have gone to great lengths to ensure that the entertainers brought in for the Scarecrow King are exclusively secular.
jinx
jinx
mmmmgrfl
[since I can't speak until my name is spoken, the remainder ofthis is being transmitted telepathically]
Wow, I noticed that you had posted before me about the Corn Maiden slot, but I hadn't noticed the times were identical
Charles.
(you can than
Charles.
(you can thank me later)
Those poor Temporal based lifeforms
Well Calvus' magic is linked with the grazing patterns of the boars from his homeland so is on an 8 season system that would mean....
Okay, I think for those of us who care about numbers we should look into this idea of 6 seasons which is what makes sense, except that I could see Lemmites having their own breakdown of seasons (quite possibly the six but with different emphasis, which has already been hinted at for Lemmites, Aegidians and certain others), Plennilunials having their own Chalcy-elemental breakdown of season studying and I'm sure other mages have their own sacred schedules.
Six seasons is what makes sense considering what is the holy to the majority of the magi in the Order.
Low mech person that I am
I think of it in year segments, that learning doesn't really have distinct beginning and end but one takes stock at yearly points.
But I like the six seasons idea, that each High Holy Day is when magi take stock and make plans for the time until the next.
It does make sense
Sonata's research into Monkeys almost seems egged on by the calendar myth cycle. She laid her L&R claim in these heathen lands and now feels Shame after Passion so is trying to learn about these heathens to discover more about how conversion should happen rather then just plopping a castle in their midst.
I'm not saying this is her thought process, but I imagine many mages might take the moral conotations of the religious calendar into their choices on when and why to study different things between the holy days. Also much of their life is segmented into six. From Calvus' PoV this means he and other very militaristic mages every couple years have four season years, since I imagine they go on military campaigns between Day of Knowledge until the Day of Passion.
Keeping rules similar and taking into account that our Order mages, while having supernatural lifespans, do not have longevity potions, we might see more mages with more spells rather then working so hard at verb+noun so that way they can do more spontaneous spells. I think season work would need to be reworked though, since half again as powerful is... well a lot more powerful.
See, here’s something of what I have in mind.
Perdix has been researching the rather impractical dream-ward from Scribonia’s book, attempting to hack it and re-write it as a more pragmatic area-effect spell, to borrow for a moment some old-skool Champions lingo. (Um. Don’t mind that. Won’t let it happen again.) —As I’m realizing them, Perdix is a hack, in more ways than one: an essentialist who got sidetracked into an obsession with vis and magic theory and metamagic. Quick to see a pattern, with the overconfidence quickness inspires, they’re good at hacking spells (and make a point of writing code on the fly for simple routines to do what most folks would use proper software for—sorry, don’t mind that, won’t happen again). But they tend to hack their solutions out quickly and crudely, with little patience for fineries or niceties; up and on to the next, you know.
So by the (5th ed.) book, it’s re-writing a level 10(ish) ReMe spell to level 20 (transferring target from individual to room). Given that Perdix’ lab total in ReMe plus requisites is about a 26, it would take them, well, a year of effort to re-write the spell. (26 is higher than 20 by 6, so 6 points accumulate every season of effort until the total bests the level of the spell, only if we’re using 6 seasons, then it’s 240 days instead of 365, but you take my point. —Actually, since to be fair to one’s student, 1 season should be spent teaching the treacherous little brat (um, sorry, don’t mind that, won’t happen etc.), that would be 300-some-odd days as opposed to 455 or so).
What I’d rather do.
I’d rather stake getting it done soon on Otherkind dice, along with some (more than two) other stakes. And maybe decreeing that getting it done soon would take a 5 – 6. But with more stakes to roll, the chance of getting it done soon would be greater—along with the chance that more niggling little portions of the spell would fail, allowing various back doors, as it were.
Anyway. Mulling and milling, milling and mulling.
So is what we're leaning towards here...
So are we now looking at an Otherkind style of learning for those trying to do something odd or having something odd thrown at them during their seaon(s) of study? That is interesting but could also lead to min/maxing as well, if we knew anyone like that.
I definitely see Perdix using Otherkind to try to get a solution now, damn the consequences. While I think Sonata's studying has been fairly mellow but she could use dice if she wanted because of wanting deeper understanding, while doing more dangerous activities like eating tainted birds. Calvus would be using Otherkind mostly because extra stuff has been thrown at him with his studies (pig-dog, hungry women, fish boy, trees, etc) which were not part of his initial study program. Guiles could be using it to gain some knowledge about his origins/earthiness while actually spending the season galavanting about the Known World.
I'd be fine with that. If th
I'd be fine with that. If the spell is switching from a psychic focus to a physical focus, I'm guessing the rewrite would indeed be a complete bitch.
Tangentially, I wonder about the effectiveness of spells focused on a psychic individual when dealing with Ilba. It seems like, to continue the bad hacker metaphors, she might be able to use her brother's log-in and thus duck the effects. That's essentially how she avoided getting whomped for the last few years.
And she's not TREACHEROUS. You can't be TREACHEROUS unless you have some reasonable conception of being LOYAL.
Picking Nits
I believe Perdix was saying it in a metaphorical sense; such as: Ilba is like a mountain trail during the rainy season. Just as a treacherous mountain side has no concept of loyalty, it will happily give out under your feet plunging you to your death.
If Perdix plunged to their de
If Perdix plunged to their death, I'm sure she'd feel bad.
AM mechanical pedantry
Does the 26 include the covenant aura, your magic theory, your intelligence, and your obvious affintiy with boundaries (what, you don't have that one written down?) and your affinity with magical hackery? If Perdyx is willing to cheat and monkey taint the spell, then you can add in Ilba's intelligence as well...
I like the idea of otherkind dicing magical research in general. The more over-reachy your main goal is, the worse the negatives you're trying to avoid have to be, so if you are doing relatively safe research, set yourself relatively safe down sides.
It seems like the otherkind dice mechanic might provide mechanical support for playing out magic in a way that would help us play out magical research, something we haven't been able to manage very well when we've tried it so far without mechanical support. Still, I'd very much prefer that we not go over-board on its use, nor use it too much as a short hand. If the mechanic helps us get better magical research play then good, but if it merely replaces relatively unplayed fiat with relatively unplayed dice rolling then bad.
If Perdyx really is at a 26 lab total after you throw in everything but a blood sacrifice, the things he is going to be risking are going to be either huge or numerous.
Also, in the interest of magic being more fluid, I can definitely see him more easily getting to, "If I take a while at it each time, I can twist this smaller spell into something larger in a repeated 'just this once' style, but I can't really explain to anyone else what I'm doing, I can't do it fast, and sometimes it doesn't work quite right," rather than, "Here's this spell I've invented, let me send a precis to Annulum."
What the heck is the covenant aura?
Yes, magic theory and intelligence (guesstimated); no to the affinities, though I hadn’t finalized those, so let me scribble something down on the back of this envelope, take a major magical focus, some Kentucky windage, carry the three: aha! Their total could be as high as 36, then. Um. Wow. And we could then add the magical aura of the local environs, which would be a, what, 4? 5?
And yes: communicability would be one of the lesser stakes for the roll.
Yup.
In the great hall building I think its a 4 for the most part. Down in the cellars we have 5. That's what I thought at least.
The studyhall is in Ilba's he
The studyhall is in Ilba's head; the setting is one nominally of her choice, although the structure is supported by Insomnium. Ilba being what she is, the setting is the inside of the trunk, again. Although slightly more sterile than in real life, just so that Insomnium has to bring his own chair.
I also think of the pond as h
I also think of the pond as having rather good aura, though fluxuating. And you might actually have to be in the pond for the highest effects.
*imagines Gi in wellingtons*
*imagines Gi in wellingtons*
Russian tank.
Which T was that?
Why T85b of course
Which I was wrong about the T-85 http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/T-85-2m-6.jpg It is a Chinese tank which is very closely related to the T-80 which is very closely based off the Russian T-54.
When thinking Russian T-85, Charles and I were really imagining the KV-85 http://perso.wanadoo.fr/did.panzer/silhouette%20pz/KV1-e.jpg KV being the designator for Heavy Tank.
Or perhaps Charles might have been thinking of the T-34 85 http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/T34/T34_85.jpg Which is just a T-34 with better armor, flatter turret and an 85mm cannon instead of a 76mm one.
Considering T-85b's age and interests I wouldn't be surprised if he enlisted a different Touccian to make the boots and paid that Touccian in some manner. T-85b was paid in the spoils of Miller artifacts that Calvus was gifted at the end of the first Gaetani war.
Yeah, the only Russian tanks I could find--
—were much too early in the Touccian master list to fit. Anyway, done and done.
Jakes back in
I'll be there on Sunday afterall, not saying a word and trying to beat a deadline most likely.
I'm not entirely satisfied with the way we've been using dice in the game. Or really I think that we need to put more thought into the stakes we choose. I feel in a few situations the wrong (or I guess "not best") stakes were chosen (I'm saying this having rolled no dice and contributed no stakes, so take this as a non contributiors comment). I think it's easy to overlook stuff that should be stakes. Calvus actually learning something from the monster child thing (as someone said earlier) should have been a stake. Thats a good example. I wish i could think of others. It's not like its a real problem or anything, but I think we should definetly be more vocal about what we want to achieve (and therefore what is at stake).
But I have no real suggestions.
Nashoba and monsters
He pretty much is going to hand the monster problem off to others, and get on with his work, which is reading up on historical Touccian creations, and planning out how he is going to get the apprentices back to the pool. However, as monster stuff is one of those things he might use to get the apprentices back to the pool, he is pretending to be much more involved with working on the monster problem than he actually is.
dice
we tend to use the otherkind dice for broader things than some of your rolls. Like "my safety, my men's safety, the goal" etc rather than 3 dif outcomes. Though it seemed neat how you were describing it.
Murray's dice
Murray's stakes seemed the most straight forward (and possibly therefore the best):
Do I get injured, do I kill it, do I look cool.
Calvus' fish child stakes were the worst:
Do I keep it alive, do I keep it at all, do I keep it coherent.
The actual stake, do I learn anything from it, wasn't even put up (which I actually read as: of course he learns something from it, he succeeded in getting the fish child, inevitably he is going to learn something from it, even if it is only 'fish children can't be held in captivity'), and for him to get what he wanted, he had to get three successes. Any failures meant that he didn't really get what he wanted. On the other hand, I took this as signifying that we who set the stakes (I can't remember who it was, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Matt), felt that the chance of him actually ending up with a stable, imprisoned monster was pretty small (1 in 8, as it happens), so I'm not sure that even those stakes were that bad.