Familiar
Illustrious Mage Leblanc, I promise you a new tool more powerful than the Verchoix. To the Council's glory—and our dominion! —Marcin Sobiesansky
After years of research built on the Verchoix, Marcin Sobiesansky devised a formula that transforms an ordinary beast into a magical Familiar.
The Familiar feeds on its Cerberus mage's mana and turns it into a supernatural gift shared with its master. Different Familiars may grant luck, Intelligence, Strength, an exceptional sense of smell, or stranger powers. Within a few years, they also develop speech and remarkable intelligence, and their gifts continue to evolve in ways not yet understood.
A magical medallion lets the mage draw the Familiar into a miniature demiplane before battle. There it remains mentally linked to its master but cannot use its body. Sobiesansky nevertheless recommends letting it live and develop in its own body whenever possible.
Background
After the Verchoix succeeded, the Cerberus Council asked its greatest alchemist for another small miracle. Gérard Alois saw the Familiar project as an answer to a deeper problem: the great families hoarded their most advanced magic, leaving talented young recruits with nowhere to progress after their first years of study. Even the Alois family shared that fault.
The Verchoix had already raised the power of the average Cerberus mage by allowing each recruit to develop a unique gift. The Council now wanted to know whether Sobiesansky could repeat that achievement with the Familiar.