The Parent of a Gifted Child

Where he goes, I go.

The potential for a child to be born with The Gift within the mundane populace is vastly higher than among the relatively small numbers of magi. Children with The Gift are rare, and they are born to parents who come from all walks of life, social backgrounds, and abilities. It is safe to say that most apprentices will come from the peasants, as they are more numerous than the other social classes.

Raising a child with The Gift is a difficult task. The Gifted child might be fully formed, and well-presented in all ways, but The Gift still has a negative effect on people and animals. While not immune to The Gift, loving parents may grow to be used to the Gifted child's strange air. People who are close to the family may accept the child with all his strangeness, but there are always strangers who feel repulsed in some way or another. There may even be rumors of witchcraft and demonic possession. This causes the parents of the child no end of discomfort. On the one hand, they love their child. On the other, their child is inadvertently causing trouble in the community. The parents may move around the country if they have the freedom to do so, but many do not due to their social status.

It then comes as a relief when a learned scholar comes by, and wants the child as an apprentice. The scholar, who also has The Gift, promises to keep their child safe as well as feed, clothe, and educate him. He even offers to buy the child. The parents, while happy with the idea of the apprenticeship, are still under the effects of The Gift, and don't fully trust the magus. So they choose to join the covenant.

The new apprentice's parents benefit most covenants. New covenants gain at least one new grog, and an older covenant has the benefit of an all-purpose grog to free a specialist grog from general duties. Within the covenant, the parents continue to care for their child outside his periods of study. It may well be that the care of the other apprentices will also fall to them. In addition, while having no combat skills at all, they make adequate guides from having traveled extensively throughout at least two regions, and may add some vital skills

Parents of a Gifted Child are generally involved in stories surrounding their child.

Someone out in the populace is spreading the word about the evils of the Order of Hermes. The words "child sacrifice" and "murder" are used. He is building a following of torch-wielding peasants, and it is only a matter of time before he turns on the covenant. There is also a rumor that the peasants have captured a young mage. The magi and companions are too obvious to try a rescue. The magus' mundane parent and the other grogs must try their best.

Characters hear the story of a pair of distraught parents. Their child had been stolen by what sounds like a fellow magus. Upon hearing the magus' name, however, the characters know that the magus is infamous for misusing his apprentices by teaching them little, and using them as virtual lab slaves. Rescue may be a relatively easy task, if there is a Bonisagus in the covenant. However, on hearing the intentions of the characters to keep the child after rescue, the parents insist on coming along to stay close to the child. Also, the characters have made a powerful enemy of the magus.

Working as a purchase agent for the covenant, the peddler-grog can deal in all sorts of interesting trinkets, and would be particularly interested in magical goods. With his own money, the peddler buys a gift for his child from a mysterious man, thinking the Gifted child would be happy with such a gift from the once-impoverished father. However, the gift is in fact a device from an enemy, designed to annoy, scry, or even put the covenant in danger. Instead of attacking a magus as intended, the poor apprentice suffers the magical device's effects. If the peddler does not have a Gifted child, then normal business transactions could land the device in the covenant's hands, although full magi may be a little more wary.

A character has just run his Gauntlet. While he undertook his challenge, his parent was sent with a group of grogs to a neighboring covenant, with a delivery of books to trade for vis. The grogs never returned, however. The magi of the covenant send the newly Gauntleted magi to investigate.

or even money-making abilities to the covenant. For example, an apiarist may add money, food, medicine, and possibly even unclaimed vis to the covenant.

The main role of the parents is that of support. They do the jobs that specialist grogs are too busy to perform, such as mending pots or fixing roofs. In lean times, they have the skills to assist the covenant hunters by foraging. In a covenant with a limited number of staff, they may double as personal servants or housekeepers. These grogs would really shine as the covenant's main provider of food. Depending on space, and some general labor, they can raise crops, and animals for food or trade. They are also equipped to bargain for food from the local peasantry.

Guile 2 (lying for child), Hunt 2 (rabbits), Living Language 1 (trading), Native Language 5 (scolding), Profession 2, Survival 2 (near settlements)

ABILITIES AT AGE 35: Animal Handling 2 (farm animals), Area Lore: Area A 2, Area Lore: Area B 2, Athletics 2 (chasing children), Awareness 2 (location of child), Bargain 4 (food), Carouse 2 (staying sober), Charm 2 (peasants), Concentration 2 (background noise), Craft A 4, Craft B 3, Craft C 3, Chirurgy 3 (childhood illnesses), Etiquette 3 (peasants), Folk Ken 3 (peasants), Guile 2 (lying for child), Hunt 2 (rabbits), Living Language 3 (trading), Native Language 5 (scolding), Profession 2, Survival 4 (near settlements)