Cirice

 Stop treating me like a child.. 

Both the filia and biological child of her Parens, Katerine-Gwen. Cirice knew of the order from childhood and there was delight on both sides as her gift manifested. This cheer soured after it was realised that the opening of her gift had triggered a forgotten ancestral curse that said no 'True Child of Ceridwen' could grow to continue the legacy. The realization she could never age was distressing for both mother and daughter and continues to trouble them until this day. Cirice hates being treated as a child and while she has come to accept that mundanes will forever do so it frustrates her whenever covenfolk or other Magi do so. Those that do treat her like an adult are ones she'll go out of her way to keep safe. She enjoys stories a lot, just as she likes talking about Ceridwen and her hopes for the Cauldron's power.

She is a talented mage specialising in Auram wind magic with an interest in widening her knowledge to other elemental forms. Her most powerful spells are still draining for her to use but her shapeshifting ability is almost second nature now with her able to adopt the forms of an otter, fox, peregrine falcon and bear. More uniquely Cirice has developed a way to adopt a non-animal form that matches her hermetic focus. As a maga Cirice is notably outgoing but not especially social (at least in part because of the way people see and treat her). While she was never lax in her studies she much preferred to be out and learning things from experience.

Characteristics
Intelligence +3, Perception +0, Strength -2, Stamina +3, Presence -2, Communication +1, Dexterity +0, Quickness +0

Virtues
Arcane Lore, Dust Devil, Elemental MagicM, Independent Study, Mastered Spells, Minor Magical Focus (Wind), ShapeshifterM, Free, Skilled Parens, Subtle MagicFree, Unbound Tongue

Flaws
Ability Block (Martial), Dark Secret (Ceridwen was Diedne)M, Driven (to find Ceridwen's Cauldron), Greater Malediction (Can't physically grow older)M, Judged Unfairly (Girl Child), Small Frame, Restriction (Must drink Herbal Elixir)M, Free

Personality Traits
Cautious +2, Free Spirited +3, Mercurial +2

Wizarding Sigil
The Smell of Daffodils.

Her voting Sigil is a miniature cauldron with daffodil etchings around the outside.

Arts
Creo 5, Intellego 5, Muto 10, Perdo 0, Rego 5 ~ Animal 0, Aquam 4, Auram 11, Corpus 0, Herbam 0, Ignem 4, Imaginem 0, Mentem 0, Terram 6, Vim 0

Spells Known
Air's Ghostly Form ~ CrAu5, Charge of the Angry Winds ~ CrAu15, Pull of the Skybound Winds ~ CrAu30, Whispering Winds ~ InAu15, Conjure (Briefly) from the Mist ~ MuAu(Te)30, The Unruffled Traveller (Improved) ~ ReAu15, The Wizard's Parry ~ ReTe5, The Unseen Arm (Improved) ~ ReTe10, (Circle) of Summer Breezes ~ CrAu(Ig)10, (Circular Ward) Against Rain ~ ReAu15

Items and Belongings
Simple necklace of twisted glass, Childs satchel containing herbal ingrediants, a wooden cup etc.

Languages
Welsh 5 (Storytelling), Latin 4 (Hermetic), English 2 (Storytelling).

~

Opinions on Others
Mages Arianwen - Edric - Essel - First Sagehollow magi I spoke to. Friendly, informative and accepting. She seems trustworthy. Evelyn - The world is so unfair.. She's beautiful, able to live her life in her prime and liked by almost everyone, while I'm cursed to look like this and shadowed by troubles. Rian - Quiet but honest. Sadly deceased. A good mage who I'll miss. That Fandaniel will not be forgivn.. Companions Tancred - The order was pretty different back then.. He is fiercesome and dangerous. I am very glad he is on our side and I'm going to be careful he remains so. Iris - Robin of Loxley - Lady Tessora of Artois - Right out of a story, how can I not like her? She even trusted my miscast spell. Will Scarlet - Can't say I like the idea of travelling with a wolf.. or a degenerate. Cares for women more than us. Torvi Ylvakrí - Pagan met at Longlake. Still learning to trust her though it would be nice to have someone of a different faith around. She took enough of an interest in the history within the caves and shared what she knew which was appreciated. Grogs Bryne Vaughn - Good travelling companion. He tried hard to protect me when we faced the Ascian and I saved him in turn. Adelaide - I'm not sure she realises I'm not a child... Falko - He has bad luck but is solidly loyal to the covenant. I both like and trust him. He bravely guarded Rian, hopefully he doesn't blame himself. Arobaite - Stupid name, doesn't seem especially brave. Osanna Knowledgeable of the local area and helpful. Brave and willing to be of assistance. Quite a reliable woman.

Books Read
"The Mystery's of Atlantis" (Aquam Summae, Quality 10, Level 10)

~

Story
1190 Cirice's first contact with the magi of Sagehollow was around the time of her gauntlet when Essel and Rian visited Cad Gadu. She asked about their covenant and what would be required to join, the answers effectively being very little as they were very honest about its new beginnings. Deciding this would give her plenty of freedom she asked that they speak to their sodales about her joining.

Travelling by animal form she made it to Nottingham where she grew uncertain until she met the group led by Lady Tessora and Will. The former she took a liking to. What caught her interest most however was an encounter with two mechanical beings (cats) who claimed to be ancient and possessing knowledge of numerous legends and stories. Will's later uncautioned shift into a wolf put her further at odds with his attitude towards her (especially as she was asleep as a fox at the time). To show her willingness to support the covenant she went along to recover him and then to follow up his strange encounter, though her first displays of magic disappointedly included a 'bridge of fire' which only Lady Tessora trusted.

The winter was quiet but she got to know her new home and its residents.

1191 The following spring she volunteered to accompany Rian on his investigation into some visions. In doing so she was able to display a much greater show of power, successfully holding a scout party of foes at bay despite suffering the taunts of the creature Fandaniel, along with an injury inflicted by him. Later during the climactic fight she felt honest fear. Her initial attempt to provide an escape route was poor judged as her subsequent shift into her much disliked bear form caused a section to collapse. She was able to withstand most of the enemy swarms attacks and get some of the grogs to safety, but when Rian's use of her damaged escape route led to his death her anger for the Ascian's intensified.. She then managed a weak corpus spell to assist the injured survivors in making it to the nearest village and medical help. Her own injuries, several minor cuts were also tended to.

On travelling to Nottingham and observing as minor tasks such as bee keeping arrangements are made and shopping organised Cirice met with Ailuros and Maahes, the two mechanical cats, who spoke with her on a great many historical subjects. She learnt about Alexandria, Cosmocrators, Ascians (though even their knowledge was limited) and something of Ceridwen's line. Most notably her granddaughter who wed the necromancer Ahrawn. She then gathered some of those at Sagehollow to accompany her to Longlake where a viking once defeated a basilisk named Pemlahadrakin using the power of a potion brewed by Ceridwen's granddaughter. Investigations suggested that the beast had returned to existence so they set out to the island, following the steps of the legend/song to reflect its gaze back at it before slaying it themselves.. Within the cave where the beast lived only Ossana and the recently met Pagan woman braved the waters to go deeper until they found statues commemorating the viking V and the pair who brewed for him the potion enabling his victory, Ceridwen's granddaughter and her husband Arawn. The former of the two seemed to be buried within along with Percival whom they knew through a friendship with Arthur. Recovering the fragments of the granddaughters cauldron and V's blade, and on discovering a map to the island the pair had gone to, they retreated from the cave. The basilisks eggs were spared but the main cave entrance on the island was collapsed so the only entrance to the tombs and lair is hidden beneath the lake to the left of the cave entrance.

~

The Children of Ceridwen
Ceridwen was a white witch and one of the most powerful sorceresses in Celtic legend and certainly the most powerful from Wales. She possessed a cauldron of immense power which is mainly told of in one legend where she attempts to empower and beautify her son, only to have a servant boy gain the magic instead. In his attempt to escape the servant used his new power to shift into numerous forms only to have Ceridwen counter with a form of her own until he became a seed in an attempt to hide and was eaten. The potions magic was greater than any knew however as upon eaten the seed Ceridwen became pregnant with her third child, the reborn apprentice who was later named Taliesin who became a bard of myth.

The Children of Ceridwen are a small tradition of mages within House Ex Miscellanea that is said to have been passed on from Ceridwen's first child and only daughter, Creirwy. While their Hermetic talents vary mage to mage the key element to their powers is shapeshifting with certain forms like that of an otter and hawk always being amongst those shapes capable of being taken. A side effect of this is that all their magic is performed vocally with no need for the gestures hermetic magi are required to use. The tradition could be considered a mystery cult though many of the former mysteries known to Ceridwen herself (such as shapeshifting into forms besides that of animals) has been lost. What keeps the Children from becoming well known (besides their limited numbers) is that their way of practising magic does in truth seem to weaken the gift forcing them to drink a herbal elixir to be able to use their spells. This is one of the reasons the tradition is so driven to find Ceridwen's Cauldron since one of its many life-altering powers is believed to change this by greatly strengthening ones magical power.

Other powers the cauldron is purported to possess include the quick creation of potions, the abillity to imbue people with great wisdom, knowledge and artistic expression, the power to grant the gift to the ungifted and the secrets of immortality.