The Backers

Constructing a menagerie takes considerable time and resources, and not every magus will have the wherewithal to accomplish the goal alone. Those with an entrepreneurial spirit may seek out backers, magi of means willing to finance the operation in return for future benefits. The initial investments vary: vis is always appropriate, money can pay the staff and provide supplies, land allows for building sites, or personal magical assistance can help with specific magical requirements. A maga could, for example, agree to donate one season of lab work a year, in return for annual payouts.

The scale of the backers' investment depends on the final vision of the menagerie. A small-scale menagerie, holding only a dozen exotic animals, might be intended solely as a meeting place for Hermetic gatherings, and a backer who supplied a rook of vis for its start-up might be able to use the facility for one weekend a season. A menagerie that produces magical offspring might be required to give the backers one magical animal a year. A large-scale stud farm might be required to pay the backers back in vis, perhaps ten percent of their initial outlay in perpetuity. It all depends on what the backers are willing to give, and what the menagerie manager is willing to give back.

There are no mechanical rules for backers, how many any player character needs or what type of resources each has to give. A backer exists primarily to drive stories, as his wants and demands have an impact on the functioning menagerie. Backers have a variety of motivations for