The Menagerie of Magical Beasts

Medievals loved their animals, as is obvious from their ornate bestiaries to their legendary animal tales. The rich and powerful would maintain menageries collections of exotic animals kept for enjoyment and prestige. Forerunners of the modern zoo, menageries were not open to the public and were accessible only by the owner and his select friends.

A magus might also desire a menagerie, but no collection of mundane beasts, however exotic, would satisfy his arcane proclivities. His affiliation with the Magic realm would demand that he keep magical animals, since no mere lion, camel, or leopard would tickle the fancy of his sodales. Perhaps his motivation is mercantile, not simply aesthetic, and he wishes to collect and breed magical animals for the Hermetic society. The demand for magic beasts is high, after all — for familiars, for novelties, and for their vis. Managed correctly, a magical menagerie could be a profitable investment, reaping large sums of vis for relatively little work.

Easy to imagine, a menagerie is difficult to actualize, and several stages of development must be successfully completed before conception becomes reality. Magical animals must be found, captured, and transported. In captivity, they must be fed and safely contained. If sold as pets, they must be tamed and trained, and if sold as livestock, they must be bred. Once available on the market, the maga must circumvent any legal or personal obstacles that may spring to life. No maga will be able to manage a sizable operation alone, and she will need a loyal staff trained in the intricacies of handling magical animals.

Many of the stages of running a magical menagerie can be accomplished by magic, but achievement shouldn't depend upon Lab Totals and casting totals. Adventures should be the building blocks of success, and a working menagerie should be founded, fueled, and finalized by stories played by the troupe. A storyguide should consider each stage of the project a story seed, and a player whose magus desires a menagerie should expect — nay, insist — that a story be had to determine how successful each step of the venture is.