Arturo: Cain's Shield Grog
Arturo was born to some nameless whore in one of the larger cities of Italy. Abandoned as a young child, he made his way through the world in the manner of many such children -- by being a sneaky, conniving, and extremely wary little bastard.
Not having the sheer nimbleness required of a good thief, Arturo simply got good at beating people up, with the use of raw force, rather than finesse. He tended to use his bare fists, never gaining more than a "working man's" familiarity with knife or club, and, as a result, one particularly vicious knife fight left him with a deep scar across one cheekbone, further marring a visage which wasn't handsome to begin with. Nonetheless, Arturo was busy combining a career of random alleyway muggings and working as muscle for a protection racket, when he happened to pick the wrong victim.
Cain, living in the first Italian city he had come to since the destruction of his Covenant, and arrogantly presuming that he could defend himself from any threat that might be thrown in him in this mundane city, was out for a late evening stroll. The blue-robed man looked like easy pickings; unfortunately, not only was he quite strong, but he liked to teach marauding thugs the meaning of the Grip of the Choking Hand.
Cain was in a good mood that evening, though (at least, a good mood in Cain terms), and he decided that he'd rather take the thug home and torment him a bit more, instead of just killing him outright. There were some things that the magus wanted done that he didn't want to waste magical effort on, and he made it clear to poor terrified Arturo that the thug could either go beat up certain people for him, or the mage would turn him into a turnip.
Arturo performed these little services with such enthusiasm that he drew the attention of his crimelord boss. Believing that Arturo had turned traitor to his organization, the crimelord tried to have Arturo killed. Cain, in a fit of generosity (and pique, since the crimelord's bully boys had tromped right into the middle of his nice, spotless, blue, quarters), decided to rescue Arturo. Of course, this came at a small price -- Cain could use a tough about, and Arturo seemed useful enough. Arturo agreed to serve him, seeing this as a ticket to a better life, and Cain helpfully blew up one of the crimelord's safehouses on their way out of the city.
The two travelled together for a while. Cain insisted that Arturo learn a bit of Latin, since the mage was most comfortable in that language, even above his native Provencal. When Cain arrived at The Rock, he had Arturo with him. He set Arturo to training with the rest of the Grogs, though he continued to reserve him for his own missions on occassion.
Arturo's a fairly good Grog, though a bit rough around the edges, even for a Grog, and with a compulsive tendency to dice; he's been dragged away from the games-table more than once. Unfortunately, Arturo's not particularly good at it, and Cain occasionally, with some amount of irritation, pays off the little debts which he accumulates.
Arturo is personally loyal to Cain. He's happiest when he's beating up people, but he'll settle for guarding the mage while Cain immolates the opposition. He feels he owes Cain a great deal, for getting him out of the city and his dead-end life, and he willingly risks his life in order to protect the mage. He has a great deal of faith in the ability of his master, and enough of a belief in his own toughness that he manages to stay by his side when Cain goes into one of his episodes of compulsive spellcasting, knowing that this is, more than anytime else, when his master is most likely to need his protection.
Arturo is also convinced of the superiority of his master to other magi of the Covenant. This, combined with his city-thug ways, and his only basic grasp (learned at the Covenant) of the Serbian language, makes him one of the less popular Grogs in the Turb.
Well, I've been vague about my characters b/c I wanted to wing their histories and give Mike some room in which to run wild. But Cain . . . er, Lydia is right--a timeline would be helpful.
Alanus, Maggie, Bisclavret, and Dietrich are all relatively new to the covenant--perhaps they've only been there since 1324 (this would explain Alanus's lack of familiarity with anything remotely approaching the Hermetic order). Alanus was a boy given to the Church at a young age; this is where he started his study of nature. Apparently, during his tenure at the monastery, he was assigned the duty of shepherd. On his sojourns in the pastures, he met a magus of indeterminate Order (but def. Bjornaer or Ex Miscellena) who lived in the woods just beyond the north field. As the years progressed, Alanus spent more and more time with the old magus, studying Magick and nature and less and less time singing the Orisons and the Hours. Eventually, he was exposed and forced to flee, with his mentor to the Highlands. No one knows what happened there, but years later (around 1313) he came down from the hills along, a master of plant and animal magicks. He went south, spending some time in York, Nottingham, and eventually London where he worked at a Herbalist and Veterinarian. This is how he met Maggie (1315); in 1317, their affair temporarily broke up, and Alanus left England. He went south again, heading for Moorish Spain. This is where he learned Arabic. (Why he doesn't even have a smidge of French or Spanish is beyond me?) In any event, four years later (1321), he's back in London, mysteriously injured and knocking at Maggie's door. She takes care of him, they get back together, and then his enemies (that's right, Mike, he has some enemies from Spain) try to kill him a second time. Now our couple decides to bug out for Italy; in 1322, they find a young feral child caged in a town in southern France. This is Bisclavret, 11 years old; an unscrupulous peasant has captured the boy and is exhibiting the Werewolf Child for money. Alanus summons up some real wolves, the peasant is puppy chow, and our little nuclear family is together at last. 1323 finds them with Dietrich (who helped them cross the Alps) in Milan, Pavia, and Venice where Maggie searches for the texts of the woman doctor Trotula. 1324 sees them arrive at the Covenant, seeking refuge from something that came for them in Venice. 1325 is the start of the game, and 1326 is where we are now.
Timeline and what-the-Covenant-knows backgrounds:
Please note that these backgrounds have been changed from the original backgrounds that I sent in when we first began discussing the Saga.
In particular, I've had to contrive a reason for Tor to be at the Covenant. I've left it fairly open-ended, for either a later inspiration on my part, or for Mike's wicked imagination. I've also hinged Tor's entrance on one of the characters being compassionate enough to help him; I've used Maggie (Rob, let me know if this isn't good).
ANDRAS
In the year 1320, a thin, gawky little man, balding and carelessly dressed, came to the Rock. His Italian was poor, but he maanged to make it known that he wished to speak with the masters of this place. Haltingly, he explained that his name was Andras, from Geneva, and that he was a craftsman of great skill. He had, he explained, been excommunicated by the ignorant fools of the Church hierarchy, and was looking for refuge. He was willing to trade his services for the right to call this place home.
It turned out that he was a creator of clocks and other precision mechnical devices. In fact, he had a prized clock which he kept with him at all times, and which would be polished diligently. The exact clock changed from time to time, depending on what Andras had recently created. He was able to create laboratory equipment for the magi, as well as create other items which could be sold to supplement the Concilium's income.
By nature a solitary and awkward man, he generally kept to himself. He seemed happiest when he was alone in his workshop. It was also eventually realized that he knew a fair amount about city bureaucracies; the Church's displeasure had forced him into living on the run for a while, and he was a skilled forger of documents, among other things.
He seems generally unemotional, doing as he's told, usually without complaint. He does not cause trouble, though he does become incensed when the Church is mentioned in his presence.
CAIN and ARTURO
In the year 1322, two men arrived at the Concilium. One was tall, robed in blue, trim in the manner of one accustomed to disciplined exercise but not to hard labor, dark of hair, with eyes a stormcloud gray-blue. He spoke Latin with a flawless precision and terseness, and his gaze was penetrating, and sometimes unnerving. His companion was of roughly the same height, but heavily armored, and helmed, remaining silent and vigilant by his side.
The blue-robed man requested an audience with the magi of the Concilium. He explained that he was Cain, filius of Lycus, of House Tytalus, and that the covenant of his apprenticeship was no more -- not an unusual situation in these troubled times for the Order of Hermes. He said that he had been travelling in Italy for a while, and introduced the armored man as Arturo, his personal bodyguard. Then, he indicated his desire to once again enter into a fellowship with other magi, and added that he would be willing to assent to any trial of his abilities that might be deemed fair.
Over the course of time, it was discovered that Cain was a highly reclusive man, who found loud commotions particularly irritating. His quarters were always immaculately neat, and decorated in an all-pervasive blue. His was an impatient and intolerant nature; spellcasting seemed to leave him even more irritable than usual. Furthermore, his magic had a somewhat disturbing component to it; something within him seemed to cry for his powers to be used, and there would be occasions when he would begin to cast and would not be able to stop, without great effort of will.
Cain's personal habits were ascetic. He drank only wine, or fine liqueurs; he smoked something, perhaps of his own concoction, which gave off blue smoke. Furthermore, in an age where cleanliness was generally regarded as unimportant, he bathed regularly and kept himself cleanshaven, and his quarters, particularly his spellbooks, were always spotless. His magic was marked by a trail of blue fire, and though it became apparent that he could be both quiet and subtle in his magic, he had a taste for the dramatic.
His man Arturo seemed dedicated to him, though he was more a street thug from the streets of an Italian city, than a competent, disciplined fighter. Cain set him to training with the other grogs, and it soon became apparent that Arturo kept himself helmed due to an unsightly scar from a knife-wound, which slashed across one side of an already ugly face. Arturo was a compulsive gambler, and particularly fond of dice; he also wasn't an especially talented one, and Cain paid off his debts, more than once. Arturo, perhaps self-conscious about his lack of a solid grasp on the local language, tended to be monosyllabic, speaking very little of himself.
Cain, it turned out, was from Provencal. Like many magi of Tytalus, his apprenticeship was an unpleasant thing, and one that he does not speak of. In fact, he says very little about his past, in general, and attempts to pry into it receive only a snarl. Even Arturo doesn't seem to know much about it.
TOR
In the year 1324, a tall, burly, man, dressed in armor that must once have been fine, but was showing the marks of ill care, collapsed at the gates of the Concilium. He was raving incoherently, delirious with fever, and of course, everyone was fearful of him. Maggie, however, was willing to help the sick man, and, after a few harrowing days, his fever broke.
He was a Germanic knight, and he spoke no other languages. It was eventually discovered, through various means, that he had been the eldest son of a reasonably important noble family, whose lands had been razed by barbarian invaders. He had fled the battle, and had so shamed himself that he undertook a religious pilgrimage to Rome, in order to cleanse his soul.
He could not recall what had brought him to the Rock, or what had caused his illness. He was in need of refuge, and in gratitude to Maggie, he pledged to serve the Concilium in whatever way he could.
He kept to himself a great deal, riding or practicing with his huge greatsword. He took upon himself the duty of drilling the grogs, and of standing watch. His seemed a brooding nature, and fervently religious, though it seemed as if he clutched at faith as a last resort in a world threatening to overwhelm him with its darkness. It also became apparent, eventually, that though he was a man whose profession was violence, he also became nauseous at the sight of blood.
He does not belong, but one might wonder if one such as he would belong anywhere. He does what he is told, and goes out of his way to help where he can, but he is little more than an outcast knight, letting life slip between his fingers, day by day.
Lydia,
I like your suggestion for Tor's connection to the covenant. Maggie was happy to heal the tall, handsome Teutonic stranger. And it makes sense that Tor is linked somewhat to my characters, esp. since my shield grog is the only other PC who speaks German (now, Dietrich doesn't seem to like Tor all that much, but mistress and the master like him so he'll translate and be polite). Tor could easily survive the sort of outdoorsy stuff Mike no doubt has planned for Alanus, and the presence of Dietrich insures that you would be able to do more than RP grunts and hand signals.
Rob