From: wsb1@dolphin.upenn.edu (Bill Brickman)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 13:12:40 -0400 (EDT)
More timeline queries:
Seeing as Vaticinatus/Vatic arrived in Ragusa in 1298, and Vasha's been in Ragusa all his life, and his father only died in 1324, I wonder if Vatic ever visited the Consilium when it was being founded. I wonder if Tariq remembers ol' Vatic the astrologer, since Tariq's been around since 1315. I guess it depends if we want to recon a little relationship. I've already established that Vasha had only heard of the Consilium, but had never had a chance to join, since 1) his father kept him in Ragusa on a short lease until his death in 1324 and 2) he didn't have an "in" until taking care of Asid in Session VI. But I'm not so sure that Vatic, his father, didn't have some kind of relationship, even if it was a "you leave me alone, I leave you alone kind of thing." I'm not trying to get anything out of this, just trying to establish more links between Vasha and the covenant. If Tariq ever met or knew Vatic, he might remember that impetious little brat of his. I think he would have met Vatic, since Vatic might have been petitioned to come in on a side in the 1315-6 dispute. Of course, Vatic would have abstained, not wanting to interfer in mortal affairs.
Was Marius part of the Count's drive to get the Lighthouse? Why didn't he just take up residence when it was abandoned, since he got here in 1310, well before Tariq, befriending Lijida or her family, as Tariq did? Or is he aligned with the Count for the safety that power brings? Is he rumored to help the Ferali on some of their raids?
Also, I'm definitely retconning a relationship between Vatic and Marius. I'm sure Marius would have had a relation with Vatic much the same way he has with the Consilium, except for the point that he made Vatic step away from any relations with the Count or the family when he came in. Since Vatic was here in 1298, he certainly had seniority over the late comer Marius (1310), so might have been doing the Count's family's horoscopes and predictions before Marius became his "advisor". How this all got worked out we can just leave a mystery, since Vasha certainly doesn't know a thing about it. I just figure that Vatic was withdrawing from "interference" in Ragusa's history, due to Vasha's birth, so he wouldn't have quibbled, except maybe to warn Marius not to do it. As a Quaesitor, Vatic's warning might have meant something to Marius, except for the fact that Marius could bitterly bite back that Vatic's authority died with the Order at Gdansk. Vasha, I figure, already knows Marius, but didn't know Marius knew the Consilium until he joined. Vasha's always looked at Marius as competition, but Mariuys has as much seniority over Vasha in the area as Vasha's dad had over Marius. I even consider that Vatic went to Marius to make him an official witness for Vasha's Gauntlet, and Marius upped the stakes of the test. I think Vasha's found this out, and slightly (only slightly) resents Marius' intrusion in his life. Hey, Marius and Vatic were the closest to a covenant that Ragusa had until Tariq arrived.
I'm also working on cementing Giovanni's history. However, I apparently picked him a little young to be involved in a lot of events (I figured 24 was well on one's way to being old and mature in the Middle Ages.)-- like having his hospice destroyed right after Lidija's claim problems with the Count can't happen, as he'd only be 13, and not yet returned from Rhodes.
My question (mostly to John) is how old is Lidija, and how old was she when all this stuff went down in 1315?
I'm also looking for a good Venetian name for Giovanni, since it isn't his birth name. Has to sound good with di (something) di Philippi (The Count's younger brother's name would also be nice to know-- did he have one historically?
Also, I might make the clerk that got Giovanni's hospice (for the Count) and who made his life hell one Antonio de Serra, merchant and deacon according to the Covenant's "Mundane Relations" info. Enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that.
More discussion later, I guess, when some of these q's get answers or suggestions.
Bill
Hmmmm, you and John can work out a prior relationship as you wish. My comments would be: remember that Tariq was a non-practicing magus, for reasons he kept to himself, until Elijiah arrived -- it was his experience of the wise old sage's kindness and gentle way of life that restored his faith in magic and the world. Also, Vatic, as a Quaesitor, might have some disdain for the non-traditional nature of the Concilium and founders: a Saracen sorceror and a Kabbalist.
Was Marius part of the Count's drive to get the Lighthouse?
Yes. Most definitely.
Why didn't he just take up residence when it was abandoned, since he got
here in 1310, well before Tariq, befriending Lijida or her family, as
Tariq did?
Probably because he tends to treat mundanes like domestic animals, and
with Lidija's Curse of Venus, he might have received the rough end of her
tongue (so to speak) and decided to "appropriate" the Rock and get a
little revenge at the same time.
Or is he aligned with the Count for the safety that power brings? Is he
rumored to help the Ferali on some of their raids?
The magi who know him best (i.e. Tariq) know that his experience in
Gdansk has left him completely terrified/paranoid about the unseen
enemies of the Order. A loner at the best of times, he most likely
sought the protection of the Count, and the isolation of Dalmatia, as a
good refuge from those hidden slayers.
As far as the relationship between Vatic and Marius, I like it as you have written it. I especially like the tension between Vatic and Marius over his servitorship to the Count.
n.b. The Counte di Ragusa, his powers and restrictions, are a historical reality. The name and family of di Philippi are a fiction (I couldn't find any records of the actual Counts). You may take license with these.
God Bless You for introducing another Potential Plot Line.
-m.