Gustov's Animals

Summon Animals

Gustov's Summon Animals ability is discussed in HoH:S p.105 and is summarized here.

To use Summon Animals, Gustov must make an audible call and be within one day's journey of a habitat where the chosen species is found.

He rolls Com + Summon Animals. On a 9, the animals arrive in an hour. On a 12, they arrive in two minutes. On a 15, they arrive in one round.

• Gustov summons one animal of Size -1: wolf, sheep, crane, stork, swan, wild goat.

• Or three animals of Size -2: beaver, dog, eagle, fox, goose, heron, roe deer, salmon

• Or five animals of Size -3: badger, carp, cat, duck, falcon, gull, hare, otter, pike

• Or ten animals of Size -4: adder, cockerel, crow, magpie, owl, raven

• Or thirty animals of Size -5: dove, eel, grass snake, partridge, rabbit

Gustov is specialized in animals with a Pure Choleric temperment; see HoH:MC p.21. These are land animals which are active, fierce, or fast. They include dogs, gazelles, monkeys, deer, lions, lynxes and wolves. When summoning animals of this type, increase the number by one step (from one to three, from three to five, and so on). He can summon one animal of Size 0, provided it is of this type (such as a boar).

Dogs

Gustov can lead a Trained Group of up to 3 combatants: 2 dogs in addition to himself. The statistics below are for dogs of Siz -1, such as a greyhound or Dalmatian. When fighting with a group of 1 dog, with Gustov acting as Leader and the dog acting as Vanguard, use the stats below and give the Vanguard a bonus of +9 to either Attack or Defense each round.

Characteristics Cun 0, Per +2, Pre -4, Com 0, Str -2, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik +3

Size -1

Confidence Score 0

Virtues & Flaws Improved Characteristics, Long-Winded, Sharp Ears, Reckless

Qualities Domesticated, Keen Sense of Smell, Pack Animal, Pursuit Predator, Vocal

Personality Traits Loyal +3, Reckless +3, Brave +2

Reputation Loyal 2

Combat

Bite Init +3, Atk +8, Def +8, Dam -1

Soak +2

Fatigue Levels OK, 0/0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties -1 (1-4), -3 (5-8), -5 (9-12), Incapacitated (13-16), Dead (17+)

Abilities Athletics 3 (distance running), Awareness 3 (keeping watch), Brawl 3 (bite), Hunt 4 (track by scent)

Natural Weapons A dog's bite is Init 0, Atk +3, Def +1, Dam +1

Caera, a Wolfhound of Virtue

Name: Caera

Magic Might: 10 (Animal)

Vis: 2 pawns Animal, dog corpse

Int 0​, ​Per +2, Pre –2​, ​Com 0, Str +2​, ​Sta +2, Dex +2​, ​Qik +1

Size: 0

Confidence Score: 1 (4)

Virtues and Flaws: Magical Animal; Improved Characteristics; Reckless

Qualities: Keen Sense of Smell, Pack Animal, Pursuit Predator, Vocal

Magical Qualities and Inferiorities: Ferocity, Lesser Power x 2 (The Inexorable Hunter), Lesser Power x 2 (Sight Beyond Sight), Improved Attack, Improved Defense, Improved Damage, Keen Vision, Toughness, Long-Winded, Sharp Ears; Slow Power (The Inexorable Hunter), Slow Power (Sense the Feet that Tread the Earth)

Personality Traits: Hound +6*, Loyal to Íovhar +3, Reckless +3, Brave +2, Loyal +2, Aloof +1

Abilities: Athletics 5 (distance running), Awareness 5 (keeping watch), Brawl 6 (bite), Gaelic 3 (hunting), Hunt 5+2 (tracking), Stealth 3 (stalking prey), Penetration 1 (The Inexorable Hunter), Survival 2 (woodlands)

Reputations: Loyal 2 (local)

Combat

Bite: Init +2, Attack +14, Defense +10, Damage +6

Soak: +5

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0/0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Natural Weapons: The weapon statistics for a dog’s bite are Init 0, Atk +3, Def +1, Dam +1.

Powers

The Inexorable Hunter, 2 points, Init –10, Animal or Corpus

R: Arc, D: Sun, T: Ind

Once the hound is set on the scent of a creature or person, it can follow flawlessly for as long as is needed to locate it. The hound is not fooled by the various ruses of his prey, such as heading through water or doubling back. If the prey has Magic Resistance, this effect has to Penetrate in the usual fashion.

(Level 30 effect (Base InCo 3, +4 Arc, +2 Sun, +1 An requisite), Lesser Power x 2 (20 points, –4 Might points)

Sense the Feet that Tread the Earth, 4 points, Init –12, Terram

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Part

While touching the earth, the hound feels what is moving along the ground within a mile of where she stands. She can tell the direction, distance, weight, number, and manner of movement of moving things. For instance, she might sense “a single 50-stone creature slithering toward us, a hundred rods in that direction.”

(Level 35 effect (Base InTe 4, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 Part, +3 Size), Lesser Power x 2 (15 points, –3 Might cost)

Appearance: The hound stands a little over two and a half feet at the shoulder and weighs over nine stone (130 pounds). She has a grey coat and holds her head upright.

Caera is a Irish Wolfhound of Virtue. She is a magical hound from the same stock that the ancient Celts bred their medieval wolfhounds. Caera and her kin are hunters and arefast enough to catch a wolf or elk, and strong enough to kill it.

She first encountered Íovhar when they were both hunting the same Stag of Virtue. The Stag had managed to avoid either of them for a long period. They decided to cooperate to bring it down. The hunt successful, they cooperated again to rid a faerie forest from some wolves. Their successes led to more cooperation. After several years of working together, they began to trust one another and decided to form a partnership. The two have now been companions for hundreds of years and trust each other completely.

To avoid Acclimation, Caera needs to consume 5 pawns of Magical vis per year, spend the year in a Magic Aura of 2 or more, or frequently visit a Magic Aura of 7.

Cassandra the Raven (in 1220)

Cassandra is Gustov's Magical Animal Companion. She is a bird of ill omen, and for a time her presence at Icy North went unnoticed because she was accompanying Gustov and Kentigern on their hunting adventures throughout the Alps. On those trips, Kentigern acknowledged her presence and even gave her occasional instructions, using her as a scout. While Cassandra's first interest is taking care of Gustov, she nevertheless obeyed Kentigern, who is very authoritative with animals.

Since Gustov's return to Icy North, Cassandra has been frustrated by her inability to enter the Aegis. She generally resides in the town which surrounds the covenant, where she hopes to spot her young charge. In the meantime, she has unhappy visions of the future and spots the occasional ghost haunting the town.

Despite Cassandra's generally morbid attitude, she is a mothering bird and Gustov is like a son to her. She foresaw that, were he to remain in France with his family, he would come to a bad end, and she accompanied him out of a desire to steer him towards a happier fate. Unfortunately, she cannot foresee happy fates, so she remains frustrated and sure that Gustov will still come to a bad end, no matter what.

While she almost never does so, Cassandra can speak and understand Latin.

In Spring of 1223 Cernunnos bound Cassandra as his familiar using 4 pawns of Animal Vis.

Gold Cord +3, Silver Cord +1, Bronze Cord +2

Magic Might 9

Size -4

Season Spring

Reputation Bad Luck 2 (Icy North)

Vis 2 Intellego, one in each eye

Int +1, Per +2, Pre -2, Com 0, Str -7, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik +5

Virtues and Flaws (3) Magical Animal (0), Magical Friend (-1), Essential Virtue: Understands Portents (+1), Keen Vision (+1), Unaffected by the Gift (+1), Compulsion: Steal Shiny Objects (-1), Weak Characteristics (-1)

Magic Qualities and Inferiorities (+9) Gift of Speech (+1), Improved Abilities x5 (+5), Improved Defense x2 (+2), Minor Virtue: Premonitions (+1), Minor Virtue: Second Sight (+1), Susceptible to Deprivation (-1)

Personality Traits Raven +3, Understands Portents +3, Morbid +3, Nurturing +2

Abilities Athletics 3 (flying), Artes Liberales (2) Awareness 3 (shiny objects), Brawl 3 (dodging), Folk Ken 3 (children), Guile 4 (to children), Hunt 3 (voles), Latin 4 (children), Magic Theory 4 (Creo), Premonitions 4 (homicide), Second Sight 4 (ghosts), Stealth 3 (hiding in rocks), Survival 3 (mountains) Teaching 0 (4)

Combat

Dodge Init +5, Def +12

Beak Init +5, Atk +7, Def +11, Dmg -6

Soak 0

Fatigue Levels OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties -1 (1), -3 (2), -3 (3), Incapacited (4), Dead (5+)