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Cieran the Fletcher, magus ex Miscellanea

Virtues and Flaws

  • 0 Craft Magic
  • 0 Spell Foci
  • +1 Minor Magical Focus (magical arrows)
  • +3 Strong Faerie Blood
  • +3 Flawless Magic
  • +1 Book Learner
  • +1 Affinity with Imaginem
  • +1 Skilled Parens
  • -0 Weak Spontaneous Magic
  • -3 Meddler (Personality) -
  • -1 Carefree (Personality)
  • -3 Mistaken Identity (Story)
  • -3 Short-Range Magic

Backstory

Cieran was born close to the current site of Elk’s Run, in the border region between Münster and Connacht, to an unfree peasant family of the clan Uí Sheachnasaigh. About the age of ten, he was found by an itinerant magus ex Miscellanea visiting Elk’s Run, and he was taking to Cad Gadu in Stonehenge to train as a magus.

During his apprenticeship, Cieran’s love for craftsmanship was evident, and the master encouraged him to develop it. Together they explored the potential of magical arrows, and Cieran trained as an archer as well, to support his craft.

After apprenticeship he wanted to go back to his clan, and with so many of them serving as covenfolk and herders at Elk’s Run, he applied to join them.

Contrary to the other magi, Cieran has built his workshop in an ordinary house in the village, admittedly a little larger than a peasant’s cottage, but he does not feel at home in the stone buildings of the English.

Appearance

Cieran is generally cheerful and helpful. Helpful to the point of a nuisance. He moves slowly and carefully.

Cieran dresses like a craftsman, with a sturdy leather apron and tool belt, carrying multiple knives and pouches holding raw materials and casting tools. When he leaves the covenant, he dresses more like a forester, with an English longbow on his back. He still wears the tool belt, along with a bandolier with throwing darts and two quivers of arrows. The arrows and darts have flashy feathers in different colours. Cieran is very protecting of this equipment. «Careful. Don’t touch. It is dangerous.» Some archer grogs may know a bit more, as Cieran would happily give away an arrow or dart to satisfy particular needs, but then always under very strict instructions, because the arrows are really dangerous.

Design Comments

Cieran is a rustic magus. He has a Craft: Cooking skill to allow him to brew potions, but the main concept is around Fletching and Archery.

He has the Short-Range Flaw. I have assumed that using craft magic items, it suffices that the item touches the target, not the caster. The concept revolves around embedding touch range spells in arrows and shoot them at the target. All the spells he knows should be reviewed to validate that this is indeed possible.

The minor magical focus, in magical arrows and darts, is supposed to help for every spell delivered this way. Arguably, this is a very flexible application, but it should be noted that it does not help him learn spells, because the spell itself is not restricted to the focus. The only use is to boost penetration.

Equipment

  • Casting tools: Mirror, Copper ring, Cow horn, Leather glove, small pouch of down, small crystal, piece of amber, comb, fan, earring, small brass bell, rabbit bone, cypress wand (8”), sea shell, glass vial, dog’s tooth,
  • Weapons: Longbow and arrows, Dagger, Quarterstaff
  • Fletching tools and materials
  • Lantern
  • Stone-Cutting Knife (from Spring 1234, made by Hiccup)
  • Porter’s Glove (from Spring 1234, made by Hiccup)

Lab Equipment

Safe Cauldron (+1 GQ, +1 Experimentation) CrIg30. The cauldron gently heats the contents, and the temperature can easily be adjusted by concentrating. Side effect: the cauldron gives off a smell of saffron, with intensity increasing with the heat.

Vis

Amount Art Comment
3p Rego from Jerome’s body
1p Perdo from Jerome’s body
4p Terram salary 1220 + later claim
2p Creo allowance 1223+old claim 1226
– Mentem old claim 1226 + later
– Imaginem arrows sold at the Midsummer Fair
3p Vim arrows/cookies sold at the Grand Tribunal
20 Total
  • To be claimed from the covenant
    • 12p allowance 1229-34

Vis earned and spent

Year Gained Spent Outstanding Purpose
1217 3p Salary for the Limerick job
1218 3p Rego, 1p Perdo Jerome’s body
1218 3p Terram Salary (Jerome’s Tower job)
1222 3p Salary for creating mining tools.
1223 2p Creo Allowance 1223. First year with automatic vis allowance
1224-26 6p Allowance
1226 3p Creo; 8p Mentem less 11p Old claim (3p salary 1217, 3p salary 1222, 5p allowance for 1224-1226, 1p outstanding)
1226 10p Imaginem arrows sold at the Midsummer Fair
1227 3p Creo 4p Safe Cauldron. Salary for spell copying
1227-30 8p Allowance
1228 3p Vim Arrows/cookies sold at the Grand Tribunal
1230 1p of Imaginem gift to the fox-man
1231 9p Imaginem bind the familiar
1231-34 8p Allowances
1233 8p Mentem, 1p Terram 16p Mentem less 9p Old claim + Gift of Perception
SUM 42p 29p 12p

Covenant Service in 1217, 1218, 1222, 1227

Notes

Familiar Candidates 1230

@George (SG) While looking for references to possibly acceptable magical animals for Cieran to bind as a familiar he came across these that might work:

  • A large grasshopper that controls the nearby insects to make the most enchanting music. Near a small village at the furthest south one can go in Hibernia

  • A fox rumored to be able to become invisible or appear on many places at once. Lives on a mountain in Ulster.

  • A magpie that can steal voices. Eastern Leinster.

  • A black cat that can make nightmares come to life. Central Meath.

The fox is called Berrick.