"Vida, a powerful samodiva, a female nymph, of the Pirin mountains, accidentally shot and killed the beautiful male singer, Ivë. When she saw what she had done, she cried a single tear, which formed an enchanted lake." - Myth of Vida's Tear Lake

Magus Laertes

Description

Tall and athletic, Laertes exudes a powerful physical presence, particularly for a Magus, and he seems imbued with a restless energy that some mistake for impatience. His features are handsome, though rough. Except on formal occasions, he dresses in practical travelling clothes designed to ward him against the worst of the Bulgarian weather, which he supplements with a sturdy leather scale cuirass whenever he ventures beyond the covenant's walls. At council meetings or other important gatherings, he wears fine but austere charcoal-coloured robes.

Personality

Dedicated and ambitious, Laertes pursues his goals with vigour and purpose, and he is not easily distracted when set upon a task. He prefers to confront problems directly, and he seems happiest when the die is cast, rather than debating the various merits of alternative options. He values knowledge and skills, and he is keen to take advantage of all opportunities to learn, placing as much emphasis on mundane skills as his magical arts. As a newcomer to Vida's Tear, he intends to keep his opinions and feelings on important matters close to his chest while he evaluates the other members of the Council. In more relaxed company, he occasionally lets his guard down, revealing a dark and cynical sense of humour.

Magic

Like many of his House, Laertes specialises in the art of Rego, though he has expertise in a broad range of Forms. A practitioner of the art of necromancy, he also specialises in the construction of magical circles. When Laertes' casts powerful magics, mundane objects tend to move away from him slightly, as though he had thrown up a warding spell. To those without the benefit of the parma magica, Laertes has a dangerous presence, as though violence might erupt at any moment.

Current views on the other magi

  • Maga Mestitia
  • Her shocking appearance makes her seem more like a twisted member of the faerie folk than a member of the Order, and it takes some effort of will to set aside any prejudice that her looks engender. Her manner seems reserved and careful, and she has a practical side - it is Mestitia, after all, who has organised the collection of vis needed to erect the Aegis these past few years - that we would all do well to emulate.
  • Magus Gelidus
  • My first impression of Gelidus was that, much like Hristo, he was a monosyllabic, uncooperative recluse. Since then, though he still keeps largely to himself, it has become clear that he can be coaxed from his laboratory to render most useful service to the covenant. He possesses talents that make him an effective part of any effort to seek out and destroy spirits, and it is clear that he has a natural gift for the art of Perdo. I have yet to ascertain whether he has much steel about him, or whether, like others of his House, he is a paper tiger.
  • Magus Lucca
  • Lucca is the most gregarious and personable of the new Magi. I initially viewed him as lazy and diffident due to his reluctance to assist with obtaining mundane supplies in Varna, though his subsequent efforts in other spheres suggest that this was a false assessment. I think he is shrewd enough to realise that Ioanna views him as her little toymaker; the only question is whether he has sufficient self-esteem to do anything about it.
  • Magus Loquellamedes
  • Quiet and polite, Loquellamedes has an evident interest in, and gift for, language, having picked up on the stories of the feuding Bulgarian tribes, voices on the icy winds and the curses of the restless spirits. His manners, habits and appearance make him stand out in this rough-and-ready part of the world, and his slight build seems poorly suited to these harsh climes.
  • Maga Ioanna
  • Ioanna is the effective leader of the covenant, since the only other candidate, Hristo, is hopelessly ill-suited to the task. She is a strong advocate of self-reliance, disdaining the communal pooling of resources. I can see the sense in this given the harsh situation in which the covenant finds itself, but I cannot help but notice how much this arrangement favours her, since he is able to gather a steady harvest of vis in return for granting access to her personal library. The covenant's unusual mundane relations also seem designed to bolster her position. Still, she is the most accomplished member of the Council, and she has exhibited capable leadership over the past two years.
  • Magus Hristo
  • Hristo exhibits the traits that make House Bjornear so frustrating - he clearly has useful talents and abilities that the rest of us lack, yet he refuses to use them on anything other than his own terms. I suspect that he harbours a dislike or me or my House, yet I shall attempt to earn his confidence and trust for, even he remains unforthcoming at Council, I sense that the covenant could benefit greatly were his expertise used in a more considered manner.

Items and Books for trade

  • Assorted spells (separate scrolls): Laertes of Tremere
  • Owner: Laertes
  • Escape from Immediate Peril. ReCo 20.
  • The Call to Slumber. ReMe 10.
  • Aura of Rightful Authority. ReMe 20.
  • Circle of Beast Warding. ReAn 5.
  • The Wizard's Sidestep. ReIm 10.
  • Coerce the Spirits of the Night, ReMe 20.
  • Deflect the Invidious Blade. ReTe 25.
  • Circular Ward Against Faeries. ReVi 15.
  • Circular Ward Against Demons. ReVi 25
  • Shape of the Woodland Prowler. MuCo(An) 25.
  • Call the Beast to Slumber. ReAn 10.
  • Repel Neptune's Embrace. ReCo 10.