Essays on Mythic Europe
I begin each session with a short 'mini-lecture' on an aspect of Mythic Europe that relates to the upcoming game, both to help us get settled and to reinforce useful information about the setting. I provide the material from these 'lectures' here.
Wizards are different from other mortals. Some feel this is simply the result of their knowledge, but most magi believe they are born with something in their blood that makes them stand apart long before they ever begin learning the mysteries of magic.
Animals and Mundanes can feel that wizards are different. Animals fear those with the Gift and react accordingly--birds take flight, horses shy away, and dogs bark fiercely. Animals that live around wizards can learn to be comfortable with them in time. Certain animals, like cats, rats, toads and ravens not only relax around magi but actually seem to like them.
To Mundanes, wizards feel uncomfortable, foreign, and frightening. Imagine a rough-looking biker at a social wine and cheese party. A wizard's air is not related to how he looks, however; people feel uneasy without knowing why. As a result, people will generally try to avoid talking to wizards, and will be very unlikely to do anything to prolong contact with them. They will be quick to blame wizards for problems, and their fear may turn to anger when backed by numbers. The people most affected by this uneasiness are the superstitious peasants, who already mistrust strangers to begin with. Those with the Gift cannot expect to get any help from unfamiliar peasants without a lot of finesse and perhaps a Mentem spell or two.
Nobles and Clergy seem to be bothered by this less, perhaps because they are used to positions of authority. They are still likely to feel slightly uneasy around magi, but are more inclined to hide it. Those who deal with unusual things (like wise women, grogs, etc) are not affected by the Gift.
When dealing with peasants, remember that their world is very small. Their lives do not leave much time for idle thought. Most peasants do not travel much outside their own village, and the stories they tell of what lies over the next hill are usually embellished and tainted with superstition. The smaller the village, the worse it is.
Peasants fear the unknown. They don't much like travellers, especially strange ones. While they will be polite and hospitable to inoffensive travellers, they will be certain to have their guard up and will not be very social. This tendency is made worse if the strangers are obviously not of the same class. Well-dressed strangers mean trouble, and peasants will be tight-lipped around them.
As this is Mythic Europe, most peasants probably have some experience with the supernatural, whether it is the faeries that sour their milk or the tormented spirit that wanders the nearby crossroads. The reactions of peasants to the supernatural depends on the flavour of the village. Open displays of spellcasting will frighten and intimidate peasants, though all peasants are familiar with folk magic, charms and the like.
Though they are uncomfortable confronting the unknown, villagers usually love to hear stories about them. Anyone who can tell entertaining stories about things outside their village has a better chance of being accepted by the peasants.