[ArM: BtB] IC: In Which We Begin

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 4:26 pm

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant.

"On behalf of House Guernicus and the covenant of Three Lakes, I find that your instruction has been sound."

"On behalf of House Tremere and the covenant of Leczyca, I find that your instruction has been sound."

"On behalf of House Ex Miscellanea and the covenant of the Great East, I find that your instruction has been sound."

"We are of one mind. On behalf of the Order of Hermes, we welcome you as our brother and our equal. Among us, which name do you wish to be known by?"

"Percival", says the last magus, in an eloquent Norman voice, and that is that.

* * *

The presiding Quaestor rises and holds up one hand in a gesture of solemnity. "Now, sodales, swear along with me as Bonisagus taught us. Petrus, you are to omit a clause when I give you the signal, and then swear the separate part."

"I, Etrusco of Guernicus," here he pauses while everyone swears by their new name, "hereby swear my everlasting loyalty to the Order of Hermes and its members.

"I will not deprive nor attempt to deprive any member of the Order of his magical power. I will not slay nor attempt to slay any member of the Order except in justly executed and formally declared Wizard's War. I hereby understand that Wizard's War is an open conflict between two magi who may slay each other without breaking this oath, and that should I be slain in a Wizard's War, no retribution shall fall on he who slays me.

"I will abide by the decisions made by fair vote at the Tribunal. I will have one vote at the Tribunal, and I will use it prudently. I will respect as equal the votes of all others at the Tribunal.

"I will not endanger the Order through my actions. Nor will I interfere with the affairs of mundanes and thereby bring ruin upon my sodales. I will not deal with devils, lest I imperil my souls of my sodales as well. I will not molest the faeries, lest their vengeance catch my sodales also.

"I will not use magic to scry upon members of the Order of Hermes, nor shall I use it to peer into their affairs.

"I will train apprentices who will swear to this Code, and should any of them turn against the Order and my sodales, I shall be the first to strike them down and bring them to justice. No apprentice of mine shall be called magus until he first swears to uphold this Code."

Etrusco gives a nod to Petrus at this point, then continues.

"I concede to Bonisagus the right to take my apprentice if he should find my apprentice valuable to him in his studies."

There is a pause while Petrus alone swears the next sentence, helped by his sponsor.

"I shall further the knowledge of the Order and share with its members all that I find in my search for wisdom and power."

Etrusco resumes the oath, his bell-like voice ringing clearly throughout the hall.

"I request that, should I break this oath, I be cast out of the Order. If I am cast out, I ask my sodales to find me and slay me that my life may not continue in degradation and infamy.

"The enemies of the Order are my enemies. The friends of the Order are my friends. The allies of the Order are my allies. Let us work as one and grow hale and strong.
This oath I hereby swear on the - " he briefly pauses to work out the astrological date " - the twenty-fifth day of Pisces, in the one thousand three hundred and fifty-ninth year of Aries. Woe to they who try to tempt me to break this oath, and woe to me if I succumb to the temptation."

* * *

Once everyone has sworn, Etrusco resumes his seat, gathers everyone around the table, and in a still sonorous but much less intimidating tone of voice he begins to discuss the Parma Magica. In a little over an hour, and with barley water quenching everyone's thirst, he explains the last secret of it which has been withheld from you. It's an annoyingly cunningly designed bit of magic in that ninety-nine percent of it can be understood through a season of laborious rote memorisation, but it's useless without that last hour in which the capstone is put into place. Even more annoyingly, it's very obviously pre-Hermetic magic: while it's been expressed in Hermetic terms, it doesn't fit into Vim theory properly and therefore has to be learned separately.

As dusk falls and the last of you practises their Parma until they're confident that they can cast it, the servants bring in a long trestle table and lay delights on it: roast swan, braised aurochs in apples, pork in fermented fish, and many side dishes, sauces and puddings. Ale, wine, milk and cider are provided in large pitchers. Trenchers made of thick, heavy bread are laid out as plates.

Ahmed Caush of Ex Miscellanea excuses himself briefly whilst a prayer is said, and then reenters as soon as it concludes, pulling up a chair and pouring himself some fermented milk. There are no longer twelve magi and nine apprentices in the room: now there are twenty-one magi discoursing as equals, and the feast can begin.

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 4:34 pm

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.

The boats brought you down the river, wagons and horses and all; now your little caravan of wagons is struggling through the thick snow on the road that links the Dvina and Dniepr rivers. Everyone is cold and miserable from the travel. Tempers are short, morale is low and conversation has given way to glares and curses. The magi are being given a very wide berth, except for Percival with whom the French-speaking grogs will occasionally discuss matters relating to the march. Fortunately, thanks to the generous funds from the other covenants and the silver tongue of your Bulgar steward, there is no shortage of food and alcohol.

A light powder snow is falling and the Norse women are getting on everybody's nerves by belting out an obscene marching song that stopped being funny three weeks ago. The steward is on the point of going over and assigning them to guard Petrus as a punishment detail, when he's cut off by the howling of wolves, followed by the panic of half-frozen horses.

Instantly, everybody is on the alert, grudges forgotten. The soldiers form up, a shield grog in front of each magus and the remainder trying to keep a watch over the caravan. The teamsters halt the wagons and secure the oxen. The servants grab whatever heavy objects they can find and try not to think about sharp, tearing teeth. Everybody scans the dense trees for any sign of movement.

There is another howl, much closer this time, ahead and to the left of the column.

Turn 1 begins.

Mask_De_H · Post by **Mask_De_H** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:18 pm

Percival had spent most of the trip cold and wet, but he was in high spirits. A maga for only three weeks and he was already off on a quest for glory. He couldn't ask for a better turn of events, even if the trip left something to be desired. As his Gift was gentle and his tongue was sharp, he had kept himself entertained by the company of the grogs. He wished to ingratiate himself with those who were meant to fight and die with him. By his estimation, he had done so swimmingly. Of course, by his estimation, Percival did everything swimmingly.

Once the howling drew nearer, Percival patted one of the French-speaking grogs on the shoulder. "Worry not," he said, "with our talents we should be able to handle a few unwanted guests."

momothefiddler · Post by **momothefiddler** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:37 pm

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant.
Camille eats and drinks, speaking with whoever's nearby about various bits of magic theory, perhaps to the annoyance of those seated around her. Whereas it would seem natural to want a break from such things after such a long and grueling affair, to her it's a release from the pressure of training and testing and reviewing and she's finally free to enjoy it.

"So!" she eventually says when she's done eating, settling back with a drink, "Now we have the authority, we should probably discuss how we're gonna run our covenant, hm?" She nods to the other four, "What are your plans from here?"

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:47 pm

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant.

"So!" she eventually says when she's done eating, settling back with a drink, "Now we have the authority, we should probably discuss how we're gonna run our covenant, hm?" She nods to the other four, "What are your plans from here?"

"We've been thinking", says Agrippa. "We want to settle somewhere with good trading links back to the West." She pauses to take a swig of a rather excellent cider. "I heard that there was also a site down by the Cuman border, but that sounds rather too uncivilised for us." She looks over at where Maximus is sitting, every inch the Frankish knight. "We're not really the roughing-it sort."

momothefiddler · Post by **momothefiddler** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:03 pm

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.
Camille glances around and picks a spot where she can overlook and protect her charges. She blinks to the chosen spot after urging the soldier protecting her to go protect Ariel and Sarah instead.

She stands calmly, waiting for the beasts to come into view.

Because that was a 10(0), the roll for botch is here - no botch.

Leetkeis · Post by **Leetkeis** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:11 pm

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.

Orsen's back rolls as his size grows formidably, and takes a defensive stance. Using his enhanced vision he scans the area for the source of aggression.

Form of the Great Bear MuAn 20
Casting Total: 1d10 +0(Muto) +0(Muto) +11(Animal) +4(Stamina) +1(Aura) = (5+16) = 21

Sight of the Stalked(Spontaneous) InAn 10 Per/Diam/Ind (Base 1 "Get a mental image of an animal", Diameter +1, Vision +4)
Casting Total: (1d10 +11(Intellego) +11(Animal) +4(Stamina) +1(Aura) -10(Fast-Casting))/2 = (3+17)/2 = 10 (0 Penetration)
Casting Speed: 1d10 +0(Finesse) +1(Quickness) = (4 +1) = 5
1 fatigue spent

Korgan0 · Post by **Korgan0** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 2:04 am

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.

"Um, wolves wouldn't attack a group of heavily armoured men and a bear, would they? Right?"

The two identically attired men guarding him shrug simultaneously and look around in perfect synchronicity.

Casting Eyes of the Cat, stress die roll of 9, total casting score of 19. I now have low-light vision.

Korgan0 · Post by **Korgan0** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 2:27 am

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant.

"Well, neither am I the roughing sort, but needs must, I suppose. As loath as I am to, uh, be away from the comforts of civilization, the sheer number of untapped magical auras and vis sources in this region call out for the settling of a covenant somewhere remote. Moreover, given what I understand to be a relative lack of central authority, it seems that appeasing whatever local lord is present should be, um, rather trivial, I suppose. I've also heard many interesting tales of these Velkhby, as I understand they call themselves. While I am sure that their arts pale before that of a Hermetic mage, they may well be worthy of study." Petrus steeples his fingers before him. "In anticipation of our journey, and as prompted by my, uh, parens, I've been reading many tomes on covenant management, and given our lack of knowledge of each other, as magi, sodales, and fellow covenant-dwellers, I would like to propose a simple council; perhaps meeting bi-monthly or as circumstances demand, with each magi's vis being her own. Given our... precarious material situation, I recommend that one person, possibly a steward, be in charge of distributing any and all mundane resources that we acquire, at least first. Alas, my handicap prevents me from fruitfully interacting with many mundanes, nor am I able to hunt, forage, or produce, unlike our other members. Although, perhaps my Auram magic would prove useful in controlling weather..." Petrus stares into space for a few seconds, lost in the clouds. His gaze snaps back to the other magi. "I... apologize. Any replies?"

momothefiddler · Post by **momothefiddler** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 2:45 am

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant.

Camille sits up, drink forgotten.

"No, no, that won't do at all. We wish to form a covenant, after all, not a group of sancta that happen to be in physical proximity. Our relative lack of mutual bonds only makes that distinction more important.

Sharing of vis is a vital part of that distinction! For one, we must of course have an Aegis, and how is that to be done without communal vis? I propose that all vis, save, perhaps, a small stipend per magus, be held as property of the covenant as a whole and distributed by the order of the council or its duly appointed representative. Of course the council would be allowed to place limits on what the representative could do, but then changing those would require a council meeting.

In addition, most especially because of the precarious material situation you mentioned, it is vital that each magus spend some time each year working to support the covenant as a whole. We cannot all focus on ourselves and then be surprised when all that is common falls apart. Indeed, I propose that for a time - say, the first five years? - that each magus spend two seasons out of each year working for the good of the covenant.

Mundane resources, I'd say, would be best technically under control of the council, as with vis, but I see no problem with the council appointing a trained steward the appointed representative."

Korgan0 · Post by **Korgan0** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 3:04 am

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant.

Petrus continues to peck away at his food. "Hmm, I had neglected to consider the problem of the Aegis. Allow me to be forthright. I, as a magus, am specialized in the Form of Vim; this specialization, honed over years of study in the finest libraries the Order has to offer, allows me to extract vis from any magical aura highly efficiently; approximately four pawns per season of Vim vis, given an average magical aura. I would, of course, be willing to share said vis with the covenant as a whole, but I see no reason that such a potent contribution to our vis stocks should not be... rewarded, somehow. I have no problem with communal vis storage, per se, but I would like to propose that the vis stipend in question be proportional to the amount of vis a given magus or maga contributes; up to a point, of course. Moreover, I see no reason that any vis obtained through a substantial contribution could not be traded, or otherwise redeemed. I believe it was some long-ago Jerbiton primus who said, and I quote: 'When each part excels in its own way, the whole soon follows.' Two seasons sounds entirely reasonable, I must say; we all must make sacrifices."

momothefiddler · Post by **momothefiddler** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 3:12 am

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant.

"I certainly understand your point. It is only natural that one would want their contribution recognized.

On the other hand, your specific example is, perhaps, a poor one. After all, would it not be far simpler to count your (admittedly quite impressive) extraction ability as one of your seasons of service to the covenant than to make a complicated accounting of the whole matter?

But back to the general matter. I feel such a rare resource, even more than a common one, would be of more use if held communally and distributed to the magus best able to use it. Actually...

To combine my two previous points, what if vis was held communally, but any contribution from an individual magus, from extraction or discovery or any other source, was discounted against the magus' season or seasons of service? The rate would have to be variable and set by the council, but it's an elegant combination of the two, I feel."

Korgan0 · Post by **Korgan0** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 3:38 am

"Perhaps. Moreover, it seems reasonable that any service for the good of the covenant taking less than a period from sunrise to sunset, or vice versa, may be requested of any maga three times per season, perhaps, so long as any necessary vis is provided from covenant stores? Do our sodales have any opinion?"

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:37 am

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant.

The other four are busy discussing their council makeup. In principle they all agree that there should be a minister of vis, a minister of mundane resources, a minister of mundane diplomacy and a minister of magical diplomacy. This seems straightforward. However, Hesperata, Maximus and Agrippa all want to be the minister of magical diplomacy, and advance good reasons why this should be so. On the other hand, Constantinos wants to be in charge of mundane resources so that he can build a paradise of mundane and magical cooperation, but the other three are unanimous that as the only Gently Gifted one among them, he should be in charge of mundane diplomacy. The discussion continues.

Athanasia of Tremere, the Quaesitor with the grey robes and solid black eyes, leans over to steal a tomato and mutters to Petrus and Camille, "Be careful of expecting everyone to spend a season or two a year on the covenant. I know most covenants do it, but if you get an apprentice then your time will become tight." She smiles wistfully. "A matter not helped by my own House, for whom I labour two seasons in every year. Perhaps you could do what we do in Leczyca, where we divide our vis income depending on who has done work for the covenant that year."

"A foolish scheme," rumbles Ahmed Caush, "For a corrupt covenant. I have heard the complaints from your junior magi that you judge the workload unfairly so that they scrape by on a pawn a year, while your senior magi get five or more. In The Great East, a magus's vis share is his own, save for an amount earmarked for the Aegis. We believe in fairness in The Great East."

Athanasia's only response is a thin-lipped smile.

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:58 am

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.

The grogs scatter in alarm from Orsen's sudden giant size. Even understanding as they do that it's one of the magi, the sudden appearance of a giant bear causes disarray which takes a few minutes to settle.

Orsen, meanwhile, has more important things to worry about. Being able to magically see the wolves through the trees, he can see that there are in fact two additional smaller flanking groups, one behind and one to the right of the caravan, waiting for the main group to close in.

Petrus, following at a safe enough distance that he doesn't spook the caravan's horses and oxen, suddenly looks very exposed.

Korgan0 · Post by **Korgan0** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 7:17 am

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.

Petrus, aware that his spellcasting seems affected, somehow, non-fatiguingly spontaneously casts Sense of Faerie Power, to confirm they are in a Fae aura. Once informed, he shouts "We are in a faerie aura, sodales; be careful! I am no Merinitia, so perhaps we should vacate."

Casting score is 4 (Intellego)+13 (Vim)+2 (Sta)+2 (Aura)/5= 4, enough to cast a level 2 spell

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:52 am

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant
Nidratr lounges in their chair, tearing bite-sized pieces of meat from a chunk held in their other hand, they smile, "We believe in fairness in the North, too, Ahmed," the wild haired northerner says. "That scheme sounds good to me.

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.
Aes is shouting orders to the other grogs in norse, latin and french, her usually controlled demeanor slipping as the stress of being around strange mages and the unusual wolf attack eat away while she begins drawing on her battle fury as Randve pounds her ax against her shield, raising a cacophony to drive away the wolves.

"Normal wolves would not attack a caravan of this size, with several mages," Nidratr comments, "More than just the fae area, there must be something more at play here."

Nidratr extends their magical sense, voice and arms to try to detect vis beyond that of the faerie aura (or rather, tries to detect the highest magnitude of magic possible affecting as many wolves as possible, so open ended attempt to use InVi R:Voice, D: Mom, T: Group if possible.)

5+d10 (includes Faerie aura)=15/2=7(?)

Which is a respectable roll. I'll go with any magic affect of three or higher on any of the wolves, or, if you actually round up then any magical affect on any of the wolves.

Of course Nidratr is now fatigued.

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:38 am

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant

Prak Anima wrote:Nidratr lounges in their chair, tearing bite-sized pieces of meat from a chunk held in their other hand, they smile, "We believe in fairness in the North, too, Ahmed," the wild haired northerner says. "That scheme sounds good to me.

He grins, his enormous girth pressing against the table as he reaches for more of the aurochs. "A northerner? There are some of your kin in the Tribunal, I believe. Vitkir they call themselves, Ex Miscellanea of a hedge tradition that dates from the Vikings. They dwell in a covenant called Ynglingshal up in Ingria. I'm told that their weather magic and necromancy are both fearsome."

This is the excuse for Etrusco to hold forth extensively on various hedge traditions of the Novgorod tribunal. Some, like the Vitkir of Ynglingshal and the Ongunar of The Great East, have seen their best members assimilated into the Order of Hermes and the remainder become little more than an arms-length asset of that covenant. Others, like the Ruthenian Volkhvy or Kresniky, have so far resisted any Hermetic advances made towards them.

"That said," he says, "I have heard that The Hundred Caves covenant has been engaged in heavy diplomacy with their local Volkhov magi. Perhaps they know something I do not."

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:05 pm

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.

Nidratr can sense that there's some mental effect on the wolves, but it's not a very powerful one: it's amplifying an existing sense of pack dominance to the point where obedience is absolute and unquestioned.

Any attempt to communicate this to the others is drowned out by a sudden, terrible howl from very close. All five magi feel a magical effect ping harmlessly off their Parma. The grogs, however, are not so fortunate. A wave of panic washes over them, causing even the very bravest to want nothing more than to hide wherever they can. Some turn and flee into the forest or hide in the wagons, any rational thought forgotten; others break ranks and back themselves against obstacles, hiding behind their shields, all discipline forgotten.

The horses and oxen seem unaffected by the magical howl, and stand puzzledly amongst the panic... until, that is, six large ferocious wolves hurl themselves out of the woods towards the caravan. Behind them, lurking in the trees, is something which has enough magic resistance that both Orsen and Nidratr's magical senses are unable to detect it.

In game terms, everyone affected needs to make a Brave personality trait roll. On a 12+ they can overcome their fear and act rationally. On a 6+ they will either cower in their wagons or flee into the forest, but can defend themselves and/or find sensible hiding places. On less than 6, they will flee blindly into the frozen woods or curl up into a foetal position and wait to die.

Assuming an average Brave of +2 for the combat grogs, this means that statistically one of them passes the 12+, six pass the 6+ and three fail entirely.

Rolling randomly down the list, I get Percival's shield grog as the one who passes the 12+; one Bulgar, one Viking and one Condottieri as the ones who fail and flee; and everyone else retreats but does so tactically. If people want to roll individually for their grogs then I'm happy to take those rolls rather than this statistical result.

We can assume that the non-combat grogs have a Brave of 0; therefore only one in twenty will pass the 12+ and one in two will pass the 6+. Statistically this means that of the twenty servants, teamsters and craftsmen, one passes fully and ten pass partially. I leave it to the players to decide which pass and which fail. What matters here is more the herd behaviour... and the fact that there were wolves waiting to ambush those who fled.

Turn 2 begins.

Korgan0 · Post by **Korgan0** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:19 pm

Since the wolves popped out before I cast sense of fae power, presumably, can I modify my action to casting windborne boulder at the closest wolf, simulcasting wizards reach if necessary. I can't reach my sheet right now (break ends in like 1 minute) so would you mind making the rolls, laertes(?

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:19 pm

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.
Nidratr will attempt to dispel the effect on the wolves

Spont Cast PeVi (Dispel most powerful effect on as many wolves as possible, number of targets more important than magnitude), again, using grand gestures and a loud voice

roll 1d10+18=20/2=10

Voice, Group, ...three magnitude available for dispelling?

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:37 pm

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.

Petrus swirls his hands and the snowy air above the wolves suddenly resolves into a head-sized boulder, which somewhat improbably lands squarely on one of the wolves, breaking its spine and leaving it twitching and whimpering pathetically. The boulder rolls a little and then disappears, leaving a trail in the snow where it used to be.

Edit: Petrus is now fatigued.

A moment later, Nidratr's spell goes off, targeting all six of the attacking wolves. He'll have to wait to see how the wolves react now the control magic has been broken.

Mask_De_H · Post by **Mask_De_H** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 7:13 pm

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant.

Percival helped himself to the hearty spread, more interested in the food and drink than the divvying up of vis. The talk of Ruthenian hedge magicians piques his attention.

"I would like to know the inroads the Hundred Caves covenant has made withe these hedge magicians. More allies to the Order are always welcome."

momothefiddler · Post by **momothefiddler** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:50 pm

14 February 1219. Winter. Orsha Portage.

Camille points at the two wolves closest to her wards and loudly shouts, "Stay back!" With each word, a shard of crystal rises from the ground and shoots out at an indicated wolf.

She turns to a third and yells "Fall!", but the wolf is already moving and the earth where it was rises and falls harmlessly.

The Crystal Dart MuTe(Re) 10
Casting Total: 1d10 +6(Muto) +11(Terram) +1(Stamina) +1(Mastery) +1(Aura) -2(Multiple Casting) = 1d10+18 = 26 (16 Penetration)
(forgot I had to roll both times for this) Casting Total: 1d10 +6(Muto) +11(Terram) +1(Stamina) +1(Mastery) +1(Aura) -2(Multiple Casting) = 1d10+18 = 27 (17 Penetration)

Impromptu Interment ReTe 15
Casting Total: 1d10 +11(Rego) +11(Terram) +1(Stamina) +1(Mastery) +1(Aura) -10(Fast-Casting) = 1d10+15 = 22
Casting Speed: 1d10 +0(Quickness) +5(Finesse) = 1d10+5 = 10
Aiming Roll: 1d10 +1(Perception) +5(Finesse) +6(Size) = 1d10+12 = 17

momothefiddler · Post by **momothefiddler** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:05 am

Prak_Anima wrote:20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant
Nidratr lounges in their chair, tearing bite-sized pieces of meat from a chunk held in their other hand, they smile, "We believe in fairness in the North, too, Ahmed," the wild haired northerner says. "That scheme sounds good to me.

20 January 1219. Winter. Three Lakes covenant

"Fair!" scoffs Camille, "Fair! Is it fair when a mother asks her child to help around the house without offering pay? Is it fair when she gives him dinner without asking pay? Is it fair that I am enjoying this excellent-" she sends an appreciative nod toward the head of the table "-wine without any direct recompense? Fairness is all well and good for business, but there are more important things among a family, and a family we must be, especially in the wilderness, relying only on each other.

When we pick out our covenant site, and I erect stone buildings for my lab and house, surely it wouldn't be fair of me to do the same for you, and yet it'd be absurd for me to refrain!

If one magus has talents that lend themselves to the acquisition of vis, and another to the use thereof in ways profitable to the covenant, is it really so important to adhere to Fairness that we sacrifice the simple, effective expedient of providing to each magus that which he needs and receiving from each magus that which he is equipped to provide?"