The sale of magical items is severely restricted by the Colleges, for fairly obvious reasons.
So gifting is okay, but are there restrictions about arming men we control with items you create? We aren't exactly a normal mage, with our additional Knightly rights/duties.
Then Mathilde turns up with a griffon out of nowhere and no one is quite sure how she even got in the room. Vote Mathilde for winner of familiar-con 2484, choose a griffon.
You have a point. But if we're really going for flashy and impressive, why not go for the full thing? Why not bind a
Jabberslythe dragon!
We know Asarnil. We've publish his memoirs. So we both get reaaaaaaally drunk, compliment his flying death lizard, which leads to him swearing an oath to get an eggs for us as well, after which we fly off to
ransack nobly quest through mountain ranges for a dragon egg.
It's a foolproof plan, because everyone knows Elves are incredibly serious about their oaths....wait. I'm thinking of dwarves.
New plan. We do the same thing, but with one of the dwarves we met, complimenting him on his fine rocks. Then we get a boulder as a familiar.
No one ever sees it move, but whenever Mathilde turns around, it's there.
She walks into the Familiar-con, and everyone laughs. Did she really come without one of her own? One wizard laughs so hard, his eyes close, and he steps backwards, only to hit something. Concerned, as he wasn't near a wall, he turns to see an enormous rock sitting in the middle of the building. The room quiets, and people chuckle nervously at the practical joke. But after Mathilde walks to the next room, when no one is watching it, the rock is gone.
I was thinking more that there'd be some sort of synergistic bonus to having a familiar that's also the favored animal of Ranald. A flying critter would certainly beat it out in utility, especially a flying mount, but think of all the times Matty's been helped out by cats during the course of the quest. Thematic's not the right word, but if Mathilde does get a familiar, I think a cat would be fitting.
You know, that might not actually be a bad idea. Cat's are squishy, and don't have a lot of utility compared to other familiars, but if we were somehow able to conduct a priestly ritual to Ranald, we might get something a little more interesting, and thematic. A messenger of Ranald? Maybe it would give us a boost to the roll bonus, or provide minor magical aid? Knowing Ranald, it would likely also play pranks on us.
I personally favor something that is durable, useful (aids in combat, scouting, or magic, as we don't need transport without our shadow-horse), and a little more mystical and intelligent than a normal animal.
